Prayer in the life and writings of Saint Francis of Assisi

Abstract

The present work tries to analyze the meaning of prayer for Saint Francis of Assisi as deduced from his life and writings. In Chapter One, I shall be studying the context of Christian prayer up to Francis of Assisi. The important moments from the life of the Saint in Chapter Two will serve as a background to comprehend better what prayer meant for the Saint. This will be discussed in Chapter Three. The Rules, the earlier and the later one, the Testament as well as other biographical writings will be given appropriate importance. Chapter Four will investigate some important features which are put forward by the Saint in order for someone to lead a life of prayer. To render all this study more down to earth, the concluding chapter will examine three prayers written by Francis himself. This will help us to appreciate more this man of God who could be our guide towards achieving the true meaning of Christian life, that is, unity with God.