Eager to Love Companion Guide: Prompts and Reflections for Contemplation

St. Francis of Assisi may be one of Catholicism's most popular saints, but he is also perhaps the most misunderstood, often caricatured in birdbaths and gardens. In this Eager to Love Companion Guide, globally recognized teacher Richard Rohr invites readers into the dynamism of Franciscan spirituality. As Pope Francis has also done in several encyclicals, Rohr invites readers into the expansive and inclusive tradition founded on St. Francis's revolutionary embrace of the teachings of Jesus. It is recommended that this guide is read alongside Rohr's Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. In 2014, just one year after Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first pope to take the name "Francis," globally recognized spiritual teacher Richard Rohr published Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi. Father Richard Rohr, OFM, encourages us to look beyond the popular "birdbath image" of St. Francis and invite them into the long tradition founded on St. Francis's revolutionary embrace of the teachings of Jesus, themes that Pope Francis has also elevated in his papacy.
The goal of this Companion Guide is to help readers deepen their understanding and experience of the major themes in Franciscan spirituality and apply them in daily life. The guide is both a meditation on many of the important concepts in the book and an invitation to holistically experience a deepening connection with God. Through engagement with this Companion Guide, readers will:

- reflect on the major themes of the Franciscan tradition;
- learn and engage in Christian contemplative practices that deepen these reflections; and
- set intentions for becoming a more loving, engaged presence in the world.

With reflection questions, journaling prompts, and exercises for meditation and prayer, this Companion Guide helps build upon the experiential aspects of Franciscan spirituality.