In his 2015 Encyclical Letter called Laudato Si’—On Care for our Common Home, Pope Francis opens with words from St. Francis’s Canticle of the Creatures. Laudato Si’ translates into “Praise be to you” in which St. Francis praises God for all creation: Brother Sun, Sister Moon and Stars, Brother Wind, Sister Water, Brother Fire, Sister Mother Earth.

Richard Rohr bring us these excerpts from Pope Laudato Si’,  “Francis response to the world around him was so much more than intellectual appreciation or economic calculus, for to him each and every creature was a sister [or brother] united to him by bonds of affection. This is why he felt called to care for all that exists.”

“Such a conviction cannot be written off as naïve romanticism, for it affects the choices which determine our behavior. If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs. By contrast, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, then sobriety and care will well up spontaneously. The poverty and austerity of Saint Francis were no mere veneer of asceticism, but something much more radical: a refusal to turn reality into an object simply to be used and controlled.” 

This statue of St. Frances that stands in front of Saint Francis Basilica in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “His figure pirouettes on one toe. Wings take the place of arms and the words of his Canticle of Creation are sketched across his robes. It is the embodiment of the saint’s delight.” (Kathy Hendricks)

Henricks reflects, St Frances could have chosen a life of ease but instead embraced a life of service. During his life he endured great suffering, yet despite these adversities, “Francis found joy in life and delight in the gifts of God’s creation. This is the legacy that has been handed down through the ages to those of us struggling to keep a foothold in the midst of stress, sorrow and difficulties.” (Henrick)

Father Eric Doyle describes this well: "Though physically blind, St Frances was able to see more clearly than ever with the inner eye of his mind. With unparalleled clarity he perceived the basic unity of all creation and his own place as a friar in the midst of God’s creatures. His unqualified love of all creatures, great and small, had grown into unity in his own heart. He was so open to reality that it found a place to be at home in his heart and he was at home everywhere and anywhere. He was a center of communion with all creatures"

Care of our Earth has been entrusted to us. Pope Francis encourages us “to reflect on our lifestyles, and how our daily decisions about food, consumption, transportation, use of water, energy and many other material goods, can often be thoughtless and harmful.”

Get connected with the Global Catholic Climate Movement:
catholicclimatemovement.global

Take steps to reduce your environmental impact:
rainforest-alliance.org/everyday-actions

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~Liz Sorensen Wessel

Excerpted from Pope Francis, Laudato Si′: On Care For Our Common Home (Our Sunday Visitor: 2015), paragraphs 11–13. The full text of this encyclical is available at http://www.vatican.va

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