Description: ""It has given me a friend in Saint Francis for a lifetime. A divine encounter." -Karen Kiefer, Director, The Church in the 21st Century Center, Boston College ] Replicable experiences of God according to Francis of Assisi, offered on the 800th anniversary of his death. Never have we needed more to experience God-to feel God. Francis of Assisi was spiritual before anyone used that word, and he was religious in the best ways. We love him because he cut through the paraphernalia to get back to religion where it belongs: working in the human heart, making a difference in everyday life. Anyone can do the things Francis did, summarized in these 36 ways of experiencing God. Sweeney introduces each with faithful attention to the original sources and comparisons to spiritual teachers from other traditions, including Thich Nhat Hanh, Roshi Bernie Glassman, Evelyn Underhill, Richard Rohr, and Mary Oliver"-- Provided by publisher.
Review Quotes:
"Experience of God is what people need, want, and find in these examples from the life of one of my favorite saints. I love how Jon starts with 'Freeing captive creatures' and finishes with 'Receiving motherly love, ' always with close attention to the sources." --James Martin, SJ, author of Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus's Greatest Miracle, new in paperback with a foreword by Pope Francis
"Experiencing God is an uplifting and deeply grounding invitation to encounter the Divine as Saint Francis did--through the simple, embodied, and radical acts of everyday life. Francis teaches us that the everyday, incarnate world matters, that the sacred is found in birdsong, in surrendering worldly power and comforts, and in loving those cast aside. With warmth and insight, Sweeney helps us feel close to St. Francis and shows how Francis' way of living--joyfully unattached yet profoundly rooted--offers us an antidote to the anxiety of our times. This book is a gift to all who long to experience God not in some distant heaven, but here, in the fullness of today." --Kaira Jewel Lingo, Buddhist teacher, author of We Were Made for These Times; co-author of Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation
"I can give you one hundred reasons to read Experiencing God: 36 Ways according to Saint Francis of Assisi. The wisdom shared transcends centuries and is a roadmap for living today. From living in the present, praying alone in the woods, singing and dancing, overcoming fear, and turning emotions into actions, this holy masterpiece is one of Jon Sweeney's best. It has given me a friend in Saint Francis for a lifetime. A divine encounter." --Karen Kiefer, Director, The Church in the 21st Century Center, Boston College
"With great passion and skill, Sweeney invites a broad readership to explore the poetic, mystical, and social insights of this venerated medieval figure. This volume offers the contemporary reader the opportunity to commune with St. Francis across space and time." --Rabbi Or N. Rose, Hebrew College; author, My Legs Were Praying: A Biography of Abraham Joshua Heschel
"While Francis is among the most popular saints in Catholicism, the author is adamant that the book is not a theological treatise; he selected Francis as a subject because of his popularity with agnostics, Protestants, Jews, and Muslims. The text frequently ties the teachings of Francis to those of Zen Buddhist philosophers and other thinkers, spanning Rumi to James Baldwin. This emphasis on the universality of Francis' ideas makes this thoughtful work accessible and free of proselytization while also contextualizing the saint within his own historical and religious context." --Kirkus Reviews
"Sweeney's book...is timely. Our time is not that different from Francis' time: The world is dangerously divided; justice and the common good are deemed unattainable; idealism and service are pushed aside by negativism and greed. To counter these tendencies, we need to experience God. Not through ideas and theology but through activities and practice." --Mary Ann Brussat, SpiritualityandPractice.com Reviews
"38 new books for summer reading in 2026.... Former Milwaukeean Sweeney, who has often written about the saint that even many atheists love, suggests three dozen ways, some wildly surprising, to be a little more Franciscan." --Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 27, 2026
For the author's previous books:
"Beautifully written and expertly researched, this is a truly superb short introduction to the life of one of the great spiritual masters of our time--of any time." --James Martin, SJ, New York Times bestselling author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
"Sweeney succeeds...! Without such honest scholarship as we have here, I am afraid we will continue to drive people away from the beauty, hope, and mysticism of the Judeo-Christian revelation."--Richard Rohr, New York Times bestselling author of The Universal Christ
"There is revelation in this book. I sincerely feel it will help one know more of God's knowledge and love."--Daniel Ladinsky, author of A Year with Hafiz, etc.
"Jon Sweeney is good at many things, but he is a master at retrieving the treasure of the Christian past and restoring it to currency for the Christian present. Francis of Assisi, a saint for every age, springs to life under Sweeney's attentive care."--Barbara Brown Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of An Altar in the World