Canticle of the Creatures

Robert Frost once described a poem as a “momentary stay against confusion.” Was this what Francis was doing on some level in the Canticle, as he dared to name beauty at a time when was dying? Consider the beauty that ...

Wind, water, fire, and earth are creation’s basic elements that work together to sustain life.

When I take the time to remember where I am, who is with me, and what is around me, I come to my senses.

I have encountered people who don't recognize their physical and emotional pain because they've never had the opportunity to experience it deeply.

Throughout this canticle, we have seen how Francis saw God’s goodness, radiance and beauty in all creatures. He saw them indeed as benevolent friends, as brothers and sisters—as family. And now even the reality of death itself becomes “Sister Death” ...