The Little Flowers of St. Francis (Italian Fioretti di San Francesco) is a body of work divided into 53 short chapters, on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi which was composed at the end of the 14th century. The book has been the most popular account of Saint Francis' life and relates many colorful anecdotes, miracles and pious examples from the lives of Francis and his followers (such as Saint Juniper). The text was the inspiration for the Roberto Rossellini’s 1950 film Francesco, giullare di Dio (“Francis, God’s Jester”) which was co-written by Federico Fellini.
THE following translation has been made from the edition of the Works of St. Francis published at Cologne in the year 1848. As the work is intended to be a practical and devotional one, no critical notes have been introduced, nor references to the authors from whom Wadding made his collection. In these pages there will be found neither deep learning nor sublime eloquence, but only the expression of the exquisite simplicity, humility, and charity which filled the heart of the Seraphic Patriarch and above all, his ardent love for that Poverty which he looked upon as the queen of virtues, because in the perfect renunciation of self, and detachment from the things of this world, he saw the surest means for the soul to attain to the possession of the Supreme Good and the eternal riches of the heavenly kingdom.And yet under these simple words are concealed treasures of profound wisdom; for although, as St. Bonaventure says, 'St. Francis possessed not the knowledge acquired by study, nevertheless, being illuminated by the rays of the Divine light, he penetrated with marvelous clearness the hidden mysteries of Holy Scripture; for where the learning of the doctor stands without, the affection of the loving soul finds entrance:And being thus illuminated and transformed into the image of his Divine Master, the Saint taught to others, both by word and example, the knowledge and love of Christ .Crucified, which is indeed foolishness to the world, but ever has been, and ever will be to those who believe and love, 'the power of God and the wisdom of God.'Saint Francis Writes: “Oh, how blessed and happy are they who love God, and who act as Our Lord commands in the Gospel: 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and thy neighbour as thyself.' Let us therefore love God, and adore Him with a pure heart and mind, for this is what He seeks above all things when He says: 'The true adorers shall adore God the Father in spirit and in truth.' All who adore Him ought to adore Him in spirit and truth. Farewell in the Lord.”
The Little Flowers Of Saint Francis Of Assisi ... Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Francis and Clare lit the path to joy as simple followers of Christ. Their example has inspired men and women for nearly 800 years. The translators have captured the spirit of these two charismatics who experienced greatness by being small.
St. Alphonsus writes: “a single bad book will be sufficient to cause the destruction of a monastery.” Pope Pius XII wrote in 1947 at the beatification of Blessed Maria Goretti: “There rises to Our lips the cry of the Saviour: 'Woe to the world because of scandals!' (Matthew 18:7). Woe to those who consciously and deliberately spread corruption-in novels, newspapers, magazines, theaters, films, in a world of immodesty!” We at St. Pius X Press are calling for a crusade of good books. We want to restore 1,000 old Catholic books to the market. We ask for your assistance and prayers. This book is a photographic reprint of the original. The original has been inspected and some imperfections may remain. At Saint Pius X Press our goal is to remain faithful to the original in both photographic reproductions and in textual reproductions that are reprinted. Photographic reproductions are given a page by page inspection, whereas textual reproductions are proofread to correct any errors in reproduction.
This will help us customize your experience to showcase the most relevant content to your age group
Please select from below
Login
Not registered?
Sign up
Already registered?
Success – Your message will goes here
We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.