Francis of Assisi is one of the most beloved of all saints. Both traditional and entirely revolutionary, he was a paradox. He was at once down to earth and reaching toward heaven, grounded in the rich history of the Church while moving toward a new understanding of the world beyond.
 
Globally recognized as an ecumenical teacher, Richard Rohr started out—and remains—a Franciscan friar. The loving, inclusive life and preaching of Francis of Assisi make him a recognizable and beloved saint across many faith traditions. He was, as Rohr notes, “a master of ‘making room for it’ and letting go of that which was tired or empty.”
 
Francis found an “alternative way” to follow Jesus, one that disregarded power and privilege and held fast to the narrow path of the Gospel. Rohr helps us look beyond the birdbath image of the saint to remind us of the long tradition founded on his revolutionary, radical, and life-changing embrace of the teachings of Jesus.
 
Rohr draws on Scripture, insights from psychology, and literary and artistic references, to weave together an understanding of the tradition as first practiced by St. Francis. Rohr shows how his own innovative theology is firmly grounded in the life and teaching of this great saint and provides a perspective on how his alternative path to the divine can deepen and enrich our spiritual lives.

About the Author

Fr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and lived kenosis (self-emptying), expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized. Fr. Richard is the author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, and Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information

Reviews

"Eager to Love illuminates the path of Francis of Assisi as a path of evolving life toward integral wholeness." —Ilia Delio, O.S.F., author, Compassion: Living in the Spirit of St. Francis

"A gift to all Franciscan-hearted people everywhere!" —Daniel P. Horan, O.F.M., author, The Last Words of Jesus: A Meditation on Love and Suffering

"This book captures the essence of our Franciscan spirituality.  Richard has woven a masterful tapestry that combines ancient sources with cutting edge experience and thought.  He writes with the authority of a man who has faithfully embraced our life for over half a century, an authentic mystic drawing on his own experience.  This book may indeed help re-ignite the Franciscan revolution in our 21st Century." —Robert Lentz, O.F.M.
 
"A marvelous, companionable book for those eager to love as Francis and Clare loved.  Both philosophical and experiential, theological and historically based, Eager to Love is itself a chronicle and sustained meditation on how Friar Richard has come to understand and live the Franciscan life he vowed as a young man.  It is a wisdom book packed with insight, compassion, and love – a mellowing and deepening of a modern prophetic voice." —Murray Bodo, O.F.M., author, Francis and Jesus