Possessed by Love: Endeavours in Franciscan Living

Possessed by Love is a collection of  essays and reflections around Franciscan themes and personalities. The essays are diverse but they share one common thread: the desire to live the Franciscan tradition as a movement that guides our thoughts and actions in the contemporary world. While the articles are personal and heartfelt, they also challenge the reader to make the Franciscan charism a life force for daily living.

To read the essays by Anthony Carrozzo OFM in this collection is to be captivated by their intellectual acuity,  their cultural reach, their spiritual resonance, and their gracefulness of expression. Deeply rooted in the Franciscan, particularly Bonaventurean, tradition, Anthony brings that tradition into an illuminating dialogue of issues, concerns, and indeed scholars. Whether it be the search for wisdom, the experience of beauty, the nature of contemplation, the presence of the dark night, and the meaning of Eucharist, his insights are refreshing, challenging, and gently iconoclastic. He invites us to revisit the iconic figures of the tradition: Giles, Anthony, Bernardino, and Jacopone da Todi. They emerge in a fresh light; Giles and prayer as protest, Anthony and the lostness of persons. His artistic and poetic reach is remarkable: Auden, Hopkins, Masaru Emoto, and Robert Lax. Thinkers such as Guardini,  Principe, Merton, Delio, Taylor, and Domestico are thoughtfully engaged. Quite simply, these essays challenge the intellect, stretch the imagination, delight the spirit, and deepen the desire to be possessed by the love which has animated the Franciscan tradition for 800 years.

William E. McConville OFM

With a Bonaventurian mind and heart Anthony Carrozzo OFM brings his life-long love for and study of St Bonaventure to bear in these perceptive reflections on contemporary Franciscan life and world events. His insights show us how St Bonaventure, far from being a figure who belongs to the past, has a perennial relevance and appeal not only for Franciscans but for all Christians.

Mary Petrosky FMM