This year we celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ Canticle of Creatures. It was in the spring of 1225, soon after his experience at Mount La Verna, that St. Francis of Assisi was inspired to compose the hymn of praise and thanksgiving.
Francis, while in solitude on Mount La Verna, “saw a Seraph with six fiery and shining wings descend from the height of heaven…there appeared between the wings the figure of a man crucified, with his hands and feet extended in the form of a cross and fastened to a cross… he was overwhelmed and his heart was flooded with a mixture of joy and sorrow. He rejoiced because of the gracious way Christ looked upon him under the form of a Seraph, but the fact that he was fastened to a cross pierced his soul with a sword of compassionate sorrow.”
(Life of Saint Francis by Saint Bonaventure)
In the videos below, Friars Jude Winkler and Nick Romeo explore the spiritual roots of the Canticle and the continuing relevance of the hymn in today’s world.
What happens to creation at the end of time? How does God use everything for good? What is heaven? How can creation draw us closer to God? Friar Jude Winkler, a Scripture Scholar, answers these questions and more as he talks about the spiritual roots of The Canticle of Creation.
Friar Nick Romeo leads an interactive study of The Canticle of Creatures. How does St. Francis flip the traditional view of nature? How does creation reveal God? How does humanity fit into this? Worship; Conversion; Peace-making – how do these relate to the Franciscan Vows of Obedience, Poverty, and Chastity?
Here are links to the texts discussed in the video –
Many thanks to the Companions of Saint Anthony for recording and sharing these sessions!
