Forma Vivendi, Forma Orandi: Franciscan Forms of Living and Praying

This article is an article-review of a major collection of scholarly studies edited by Timothy J. Johnson, Franciscans at Prayer. In addition to describing the structure of the book, the author summarizes major insights from each of the sixteen articles and presents some evaluative comments. Indicating points of comparison with the Benedictine, Ignatian, and Carmelite traditions, he concludes by noting the need to explore a more synthetic understanding of the uniqueness of the Franciscan contribution. Based on the “logic of the Incarnation,” the Franciscan tradition of prayer might be characterized as the simultaneously joyful and sorrowful experience of God’s presence in Christ in creation, human history, and the Church.