Clare of Assisi: Her Spirituality Revealed in Her Letters

by Claire Marie Ledoux, Colette Joly Dees (Translator)

Translated from the French by Colette Joly Dees "Clare of Assisi attempts merely to bring out of the shadows—where centuries have kept them hidden—a few essential aspects of Clare's spirituality and her thinking about Jesus Christ and human beings." —From the Introduction Clare of Assisi is one of the rare women of the Middle Ages whose writings have been preserved. We have Clare?s Testament, her Form of Life, her Blessing and five letters. Claire Marie Ledoux presents an introduction to the spirituality of Saint Clare as it is revealed in her writing, primarily through a close reading of Clare?s four letters to Agnes of Prague. Echoing the luminous insights of Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Clare offers an in-depth vision of human beings and of Christ to her sisters and to all those who seek to live the gospel fully. This work, first published in France, includes

Genres: Nonfiction

136 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

Reviews

[Johanna]

I really enjoyed learning about Clare's historical timeline and reading Clare's letter themselves. That's what drew me to the book. The author's manner of expounding on those letters into Clare's theological viewpoint did not work for me. Though in some instances I was totally appreciative of the dot connecting between Clare's language in the letters and her possible view on practical spirituality, in other instances I felt like the author really had to stretch Clare's words to make the author's point.

I really wanted to like this book, but just couldn't get over the overly academic style of writing and the sense that you had to buy into the author's theses on faith rather than reason.