However interesting and important the stories by his contemporaries are, there is no better place to discover the most profound inspiration of Saint Francis of Assisi than in his own writings. These prayers, poems, proverbs, rules and letters are a gold-mine for those who wish to delve into his thoroughly biblical spirituality. He reveals himself in them as being someone who was permanently touched and marked by his encounter with Christ. In brief: the seeker of God who considered his fellow-creatures as his brothers and sisters; someone who even these days still exerts an unequalled magnetism due to his radical following of Christ. However this does not mean that his biblically inspired radiance does not need to be translated to the challenges of modern life. This is because the eight centuries separating us from him form a wide chasm. In a small way, this book endeavours to contribute to the actualisation of Francis' charisma: a freely chosen life-style characterised by having no possessions as well as by courageous service and courteous respect to others.
What can his biblical 'art of living' signify for the modern individual who jealously guards his or her freedom in a world marked by excessive planning and omnipresent technology, and who at the same time is usually not quite sure for whom or for what he or she is actually free?