Even before he died, his contemporaries honored Francis, the poor man of Assisi, as a saint. He has lost none of his appeal for people today even our pope has taken the name of this great saint. That s because the message of Francis for us is quite simply the message of Jesus.This book looks not only at Francis life and times but also helps us see how we can take on his spirituality in dealing with the challenges in our lives and in the world today. The authors shed light on Francis love of poverty, his rejection of violence, his call to reform the Church, his reaction to suffering, and his sacramental vision of life all the while challenging us to see how fully living out the radical call of the gospel gives us joy and answers the problems besetting our world today.