The Love Letters: Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi Meet Pope Francis
By Bruce Davis, Ph.D
A Charming, Soaring Fictional and Spiritual Dialogue with a Deeper Purpose: A Discourse on Whether Pope Francis Can Truly Return the Church to the Saints’ Ideal–a Humble, Compassionate, Uplifting Embrace of the World’s Poor and the Heart in Everyone.
Bespeaks the Deep Love of God, Man and Nature on Every Page
Coinciding with Newest Headlines: Pope Francis’ exhortations, “You have to have an open mind to find God” and “The only question for Easter Week is what is important is what is in your heart….”
As the world watches with curiosity and admiration, as Pope Francis tries to turn around the Catholic Church, one might wonder what the beloved Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare might have thought of this Herculean effort. After all, they were among the first to call for a simple, unembellished church that teaches the love of all things, cares for the sick, the poor while touching the heart of joy in all.
And that’s precisely what bestselling author Bruce Davis, Ph.D. wondered…which is how he came to write the beautiful, moving and charming book The Love Letters: Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi Meet Pope Francis (Grave Distractions Publications).
This tender tome–that bespeaks the deep love of God, Man and Nature from every page–purports to be letters between the two saints as they discover to their delight that a new Bishop of Rome has arrived carrying forth their ideals. Who is he? And can he succeed… truly bring about the radical change that’s necessary and end two millenniums of pomp and circumstance, returning the church to its spiritual essence of simplicity and compassion?
A leading secular expert on Saint Francis and author of the highly regarded Simple Peace – the Inner Life of St Francis, Davis has followed the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi–having lived in Assisi, Italy for many years. People of all religions and from many countries have joined Bruce in retreats since 1983 on the hilltops and monasteries where Francis & Clare found inner peace and their great love of God. The many years of retreats makes Bruce uniquely qualified to capture these special saints and their reverence for all things divine, their joy in the simple moments of daily life, and their devotion to all living creatures. In real life, St. Francis and St. Clare did in fact have a soaring love for each other and their shared love of God.
The Love Letters takes us deeply and joyfully into the spiritual minds and hearts of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. Davis seeks to bring them alive through their own voices, as they travel their own unique paths to their own destinies. They write letters to each other on the many gifts of love and peace in the moment, as well as matters that trouble them and plague the church (and still do today). The Love Letters are about facing their own inner hopes and challenges, including St. Clare letting go of her dream of traveling the countryside with St. Francis and St. Francis’ experiences in the Holy Land during the crusades. They succor each other, they celebrate together, they urge their brother the Pope to pay attention to the needs of the poor and the cries of the heart in everyone–for a living church that embraces a God that dances for life, for joy in everyone!
Says Davis, “The Love Letters hopes to support the remarkable events happening with new Pope Francis, the Church, indeed the world, so many can come to know this love including its humility, service, and grace.”
Bruce Davis, a globally respected psychologist, has spent the last three decades promoting the inner peace that was the cornerstone of these two saint’s lives. He and his wife Ruth began leading retreats in 1983, and eventually came to open the Assisi Retreat Center, which was called one of the world’s 10 best by both Travel and Leisure Magazine and CNN. Today, they operate Silent Stay, a new retreat center on a stunning hillside near Napa, California, where many come to turn off their electronic tethers for mediation, quiet and inner exploration.
Davis is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on the gifts of silence, and living a simple life. His other bestselling books include The Magical Child Within You, The Heart of Healing, Monastery Without Walls, My Little Flowers, and The Calling of Joy. He is currently a frequent contributor to Huffington Post, as well as a host of other spiritual and ecological publications.
The Love Letters may be a lovely and entertaining work of fiction, but it has much more on its mind. This fast read-only 100 pages-is read by many individuals and groups slowly as a daily meditation and inspiration. It is destined to make your own heart soar and engage you in the vision held by these two saints-and the new pope-as he tries to change the Church and the world.
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Bruce Davis,Ph.D. is the author of newly released: The Love Letters, Saint Francis and St. Clare of Assisi Meet Pope Francis.
After formerly living in Assisi, Italy for twelve years, Bruce is presently offering meditation retreats, “Silent Stay” near Napa, California. Bruce’s retreats have been listed as one of the top ten meditation retreats in the world by Travel/Leisure Magazine and more recently CNN. Bruce is the author of several books including The Magical Child Within You, The Heart of Healing, Monastery Without Walls, My Little Flowers, and The Calling of Joy. Bruce is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post with articles on the gifts of silence, meditation, Saint Francis, and Pope Francis. He welcomes and enjoys people to be in touch…www.SilentStay.com
