As we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity reflect on our call to see our connectedness with Mother Earth and all of creation every day. We share some quotes from St. Francis of Assisi, St. Bonaventure, Third Order Rule of St. Francis and Pope Francis’ Laudato Si expressing this spirit of kinship.
St. Francis of Assisi
“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”
St. Bonaventure
“Throughout the entire creation, the wisdom of God shines forth from Him and in Him, as in a mirror containing the beauty of all forms and lights and as in a book in which all things are written according to the deep secrets of God…Truly, whoever reads this book will find life and will draw salvation from the Lord.”
The Third Order Regular Rule of St. Francis
Chapter III, 10 “The brothers and sisters are to praise the Lord, the king of heaven and earth, with all his creatures and to give Him thanks because, by his own holy will and through his only Son with the Holy Spirit, He has created all things spiritual and material and made us in his own likeness.”
Chapter VI, 22 “The truly poor in spirit, following the example of the Lord, live in this world as pilgrims and strangers.”
Laudato Si by Pope Francis
Introduction: “LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”. In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”.
#87 “When we can see God reflected in all that exists, our hearts are moved to praise the Lord for all his creatures and to worship him in union with them. This sentiment finds magnificent expression in the hymn of Saint Francis of Assisi…”
We invite you to learn more about Catholic Climate change this Earth Day.
Article Comments:
Audrey C. Patterson 04/20/2020 @ 2:11 pm
Thank you once again for reminding us of the beautiful prayers of Saint Francis and also of the book by Pope Francis on the urgency of all of us to take care of our Mother Earth! Blessings to all on this Earth Day !
Sister Anne Marie Lom 04/21/2020 @ 4:16 pm
Thank you for a very beautiful presentation of our connection to all of Creation. The images enhance the words artistically!