Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) is probably the popular Christian saint. His radiant spirit and his spiritual practices are a beacon for those seeking a life of meaning and service. On this three-hour presentation, Murray Bodo, a Franciscan priest, associate professor, and writer-in-residence at Thomas More College plumbs the significance of this pathfinder as a peacemaker, a mystic, a servant of the poor, and a friend of nature. He shares the five essential teachings of St. Francis.

Father Bodo begins with silence that he describes as a midwife to seeing with the eye of the heart. Saint Francis taught purification, the forgiveness of self. He demonstrated the spiritual practice of openness. This medieval monk also punctuated his days with response to the poor Christ in the dispossessed. And finally, St. Francis honored a different dimension of time — the sacred rhythms of a life attuned to God. Father Bodo is convinced that those who walk "the way of Saint Francis" can do so out of "a portable cell" of inner devotion.