Light in the Dark Ages: The Friendship of Francis and Clare of Assisi

by Jon M. Sweeney

The Middle Ages were not so very dark, as the old textbooks say. As you will discover in this intriguing portrait of the first Franciscans, we live in dark ages whenever we become preoccupied with power. In this popular history, Jon Sweeney reveals the timeless temptations that come with being human---greed, competition, ego, and selfishness---as well as the many ways that Francis and Clare of Assisi inspired change and brought light into darkness.
Discover how Francis was first found by God and then joined by Clare despite the violent objections of her family. Explore a variety of issues that they faced, including the treatment of lepers in medieval society, corruption in the Church, and attitudes toward the created world. You will also learn how Clare's spirituality influenced that of other prominent women, how St. Francis lost control of his own movement, and why Francis's body was secretly buried upon his death.
The examples of early Franciscan spirituality challenge any of us who would follow Christ today. How would we view a young person today who rejected family for spiritual reasons? Is it possible for men and women to have deep friendship and remain true to a call to chastity? Is intentional poverty of any value? Have we sentimentalized family to the point of ignoring what Jesus taught his disciples on the subject?
Visit Jon Sweeney's blog at .

Genres: History, Religion, Biography

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Jon M. Sweeney is an independent scholar and writer of popular history. He is married, the father of three, and lives in Montpelier, Vermont. He has worked in book publishing for 25 years: after co-founding SkyLight Paths Publishing, he was the editor in chief and publisher at Paraclete Press, and in August 2015 became editorial director at Franciscan Media Books.

He has written more than 20 books, seven about Francis of Assisi, including "When Saint Francis Saved the Church" and "The Complete Francis of Assisi." HBO has optioned the film rights to "The Pope Who Quit."

Jon's first 20 years were spent as an involved evangelical (a story told in the memoir "Born Again and Again"); he then spent 22 years as an active Episcopalian (see "Almost Catholic," among others); and on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi in 2009 he was received into the Catholic Church. Today, Jon is a practicing Catholic who also prays regularly with his wife, a rabbi. He loves the church, the synagogue, and other aspects of organized religion. He would never say that he's "spiritual but not religious."

In all of his writing, Jon is drawn to the ancient and medieval (see "The Road to Assisi," and "Inventing Hell"). Many of his books have been selections of the History Book Club, Book-of-the-Month Club, and Quality Paperback Book Club.

Reviews

[Ocean G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really about the friendship between Francis and Clare of Assisi, since they hardly ever interacted, other than at the very beginning and for a famous meal together.

However, this was still very interesting. Particularly about how badly (and quickly) Francis's teachings were subverted and altered after his death. In fact, even though he left precise instructions, and said that these directions were not to be changed, they still were completely.

Also interesting how his followers (the spirituals) included Ubertino of Casale, of "Name of the Rose" fame.

I get the impression that he probably came closest to taking the life of Christ (and therefore the Bible) literally, getting rid of all his possessions.

I was also impressed by Clare of Assisi, who probably deserves much more acclaim, being the first female to develop her own "rules" in Catholicism.

[Sophfronia Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subtitle of this book is misleading. There's actually very little in it about the friendship of Francis and Clare. There's a lot about the historical time period, the state of the church and religion in general, and plenty of the biographical information already generally known about Francis. The author offers some biographical information on Clare too, and speculates as best as he can about what her friendship with Francis would have been like given the times and the limited role women were allowed in religious life. It goes no deeper than that. I finished the book but it wasn't what I expected.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started out in an interesting way, with a review of several movies about St. Francis, and a debunking of the "romantic" relationship between Francis and Clare portrayed or implied in some of these. The middle of the book was plodding for me, because it was organized thematically instead of sequentially with chapters entitled: No Frowning Saints, Jugglers for God, and Renewing the Bonds of Creation. Throughout the book there were sidebars with long quotations from Frederick Ozanam - interesting but not always obviously relevant and to me somewhat distracting.

Also jarring to me were the references and quotes from philosophers (Simone Weil, for example), religions (Hinduism, Buddhism) and non-Christian religious figures (Gandhi, Boshisattvas); the flow was interrupted for me as I thought, "Wait, what?".

More disconcerting was a studied ambiguity about Francis and Clare's Catholicism. "We rarely see either Francis or Clare doing typical religious things in traditional religious places" (p. 101) - really?

I spite of all this, I enjoyed this book, but don't think I'd recommend it.

[Lexi V · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped reading at page 98... I felt like he repeated himself a lot, and I was bored. However, it was nice to read an adult biography about these two saints, even if the author was rather biased and wrote in a more religious tone than a biographical tone.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book on the spirituality of Francis and Clare and the lessons they continue to have for us now.

[Katie Vanbeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to read this book during my undergrad while actually in Assisi. It was such a powerful way to experience this book and also imagine myself along with Francis and Clare. It really came alive for me.

I love the way it is easy to draw out of this book questions for today, for faith lived out, for family problems, and for chastity and wholeness. I would recommend this book a) if you are planning to visit Assisi and b) if you desire to be challenged by the ways of old in your current walk with Christ.

[TJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't what I had hoped for

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but felt like it was mostly about St. Francis

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief, yet informative history of St. Francis and St. Clare and the movement they started.

[Paul Parkinson]

Library book, so had to go back. Did like it, just couldn't get it done. Hope to get back to it