St. Katharine Drexel Regional Fraternity
Regional Spiritual Assistant
St. Francis of Assisi Friary
1901 Prior Road
Wilmington, Delaware 19809
tel: (302) 798-1454 fax: (302) 798-3360 website: skdsfo email: pppgusa@gmail.com
February 2025
Dear Sisters and Brothers in St. Francis,
The Lord grant you His peace.
An author was describing a childhood experience that left a lasting remembrance in him. He recounted that while walking one summer camp evening he became aware of the silence and how beautifully the birds were singing. He wondered why he had never heard them sing like this before. Continuing to walk, he came to a field. Everything was quiet and still. As he stood there, watching the sun slip into the horizon, he felt inclined to kneel down. It was as though God were there in a tangible way. He wrote later: “Now that I look back on it, it seems to me it was one of the decisive moments of my life”.
Earth is crammed with heaven, and every common bush aflame with God, and only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries (E.B.Browning).
What a wonderful world we live in, yet it can get so complicated and even frightening. The Act of Creation was majestic yet quite simple. God spoke and everything came into being. The exact way is not really important. What matters is the fact that Creation is the gift of God’s overflowing love. All elements of God’s creation worked in harmony with the will of the Creator. The elements we take for granted, in their pristine state, formed a wonderful image and likeness of the Creator. Each element enhanced the wonder and magnificence of the One Who spoke them into existence with His original let it be… and so it is … world without end.
In a world as beautiful as it was created to be, and as confusing as it seems to have become, we continue to strive, tripping along the way, to regain what we lost. God’s mercy knows no limits. Nevertheless, we must never presume God will treat us as “robots” who have no say in their own destiny, even if it concerns the eternal. God is with us all the way. God wills we be saved for eternity, not as puppets, but as His children informed and fully equipped to choose correctly whatever we truly will. We are awesomely made a little less than the angels (Psalm 8: 5), with a wonderful and dangerous personal power to say “no”, even to God, Our Father (Matthew 6: 9-13) and Creator (cfr 2 Maccabees 7: 23).
The Canticle of St. Francis praising God “in” and “through” God’s Creation follows a rather simple, yet logical and powerful procession of elements that are the foundation of life. The Canticle of the Creatures is an act of Faith St. Francis of Assisi puts into words. He reminds us that all creation speaks of God. The harmony in creation reminds us how everything works to lead us closer to a God Who is always with us. The sacredness of every time, place, thing, creature, and human is expressed so simply and beautifully in the Canticle of Brother Sun.
When St. Francis composed the Canticle of the Creatures, he was blind, in constant pain, and knew that his days were numbered. Yet his heart was filled with joy. The inner serenity and peace were with him because he recognized the awesome beauty of God and His creation. The Canticle is St. Francis of Assisi seeing with the eyes of his heart and singing the Lord’s praises. He understood that Brother Wind helps us to regain our composure by “shaking us up” from the lethargy of boredom, indifference, discouragement, and the like.
St. Francis praises God for being God. His praise soars to heaven. Similar to the Gospel of St. John, St. Francis acknowledges the eternity of God and praises the Lord for all He is as Eternal God. St. Francis praises God for being God: Highest, omnipotent good Lord! Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No human lips are worthy to pronounce Your name. St. Francis recognizes the attributes of the Creator in all creation. Their very existence manifests God’s overwhelming and Self-extending Love, God’s Mercy that encourages everything and everyone to support and complement one another in the diversity of creation and all creatures, God’s Providence establishes instinct and reason to seek what sustains and enhances life and all creation. He praises the God of Life in whom life is assured not just for survival in time but for fulfillment for all eternity. The Eternal One, Origin and Goal of all life, is present in mystery and history as creation journeys in time to a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21) in eternity. Praise be You my Lord God in all creation!
Once St. Francis acknowledges God’s wonder from above (Brother Sun and Sister Moon and the stars), he now turns to the created world in which he concretely lives. Praised be You, my Lord Through Brothers Wind and air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which You give sustenance to Your creatures.
The Brother Wind often signifies God’s presence, strength, and will for His people. The wind has an undeniably significant role to play in the life of all creation. The wind is a powerful sign of God’s sovereign power, capable of bringing about significant change in the world and people’s lives.
-When the Israelites were trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land (Exodus 14: 21). The Israelites walked between the water columns to safety and liberation from slavery ready to begin a new life. (freedom)
-Elijah, feeling alone and discouraged, sought the Lord. A great wind tore the mountains and broke rocks to pieces. It preceded the still small voice (1Kings 19: 12) of God’s reassuring presence. (security)
-The mighty winds over the Sea of Galilee threatened the lives of the Apostles riding in the boat. Jesus walks on the water toward the boat and with a word calms the storm for the Apostles (Mark 4: 35-41, Matthew 8: 23-27, Luke 8: 22-25) demonstrating his authority over creation and his ability to bring peace in the midst of life’s storms. (safety)
-The Acts of the Apostles describes a sound like a mighty rushing wind (Acts 2: 2) shaking the place where the disciples were gathered and marked the outpouring of the Spirit and the birth of the Church preparing believers for their mission in the world. (empowerment)
-The Book of Revelation speaks of the four angels holding back the four winds of the earth (Revelation 7: 1) symbolizing God’s control over the forces of judgment and His timing in bringing about the end of the age. (fulfillment)
St. Francis was quite aware of the power of the wind and a certain sequence of events when the Wind leads the way. After the storm comes the calm. Struggling through and challenged by the strength of the “transforming breath of God in nature”. The atmosphere calms, the air is cleansed of debris. The freshness, calm and serenity that follow allow us to be grateful the tense moments have passed. We understand the invisible yet tangible nature of the Lord’s work in the world and in our lives. We become more attentive to the subtle movement of God’s Spirit and we marvel at His awesome power.
The word for wind, found in the original manuscripts of the Bible, refer to wind of nature, breath of life, and spirit of God or of the soul. The intimate connection in Scripture between God’s Spirit and the wind suggests that wherever we experience the wind, we can be reminded of God’s presence.
–The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). We are reminded of God’s creative power and His active presence at the very beginning of all things. (creative)
-The Prophet Ezekiel at God’s command cries out: Come forth from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain that they may live (Ezekiel 37: 9). (resurrection)
–The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (John 3: 8). The sovereign unpredictable nature of God’s work in our lives, reminds us that while we may not always understand or control the Spirit’s movement, we can trust in its transformative power. (transformation)
-Pentecost manifests the most dramatic power of the wind. The Holy Spirit is described as a sound like a mighty rushing wind that filled the entire house (Acts 2: 2). This marked the fulfillment of Christ’s promise and empowering the Church for Her mission. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28: 19-20).
(great commission)
As we cultivate a sensitivity to the “divine wind (breath)” in our lives, we learn to discern God’s guidance and empowerment. This Divine Breath of God’s Spirit drives us even into the unknown. The “Wind” has cleared the way for us. We experience the “air” through which we live and move and have our being (Acts 17: 28). The “air” praised in God by St. Francis, can be seen as nothing less than our lives cleared by the powerful breath (wind) of the Spirit of God. Gifted with that Spirit we minister in His Name.
Both wind and air often refer to the Holy Spirit. One speaks of the power to transform. The other speaks of the simplicity in which we can minister. The clouds darken the power of the sun and are usually dissipated quickly because of the sun’s rays. We accept the challenges of each day. We accept even those days that are not as clear and fulfilling as we would hope. Nevertheless, the winds have cleared the atmosphere and with the freshness of the air that surrounds us, we continue to witness our faith. Even the storms of life like the storms of nature are actually helpful at their own time. Had we only stopped trying to artificially affect and had respected the God-given powers of nature, we may not have seen as many tragic “natural” tragedies. Nature follows “its nature”. If we respect the forces of nature created by God, nature will respect us.
St. Francis was composing his Canticle not as a meteorologist but as a faith-filled poet and lover of God. His song was the exuding joy of a heart enamored with God. The Winds of earth no doubt reminded him of the contentious “winds of dissention” he encountered among the brotherhood concerning the Rule: these “winds” demanded he alter aspects of the life God asked be lived without gloss, without gloss, without gloss; these “winds” that shook the hearts of those struggling with authenticity, austerity, and adaptability made St. Francis even prophesy the severe shake up of the Order through the centuries; the winds of Church assistance/interference which challenged the authority of the founder concerning the authenticity of his spiritual experiences with God; the winds of growth in the Order that demanded a more global awareness of the Brotherhood and the modifications being demanded by friars, which seemed to “prompt Jesus” to give our Seraphic Father (feeling sad for what seemed a rejection of the Gospel Life the Lord him to live) what he heard-believed-was living) a “stand-up-for-Jesus-talk”. The voice of Jesus spoke to St. Francis saying: Francis whose Order is this, mine or yours? The winds that shake the very roots of a person, family, Order, Church, world are not always evil. These moments and experiences serve to open our minds and hearts to see clearly the truth of what we believe, and offer us the opportunity to be transparent and candid in our response.
Once we’ve “weathered the storm”, we are able to enjoy the freshness of the air, calm and serene, even on cloudy and inclement days, because we bask in the light of the Son of God. He fills our lives with a freshness that is like wings under our feet raising us to new heights that praise God in all His varied ways of being present to us. Once the spiritual air we breathe has been rid of all that could stifle us, we can now walk swiftly with soft step (St. Clare letter to St. Agnes of Prague) in the gentleness of the atmosphere that surrounds us wherever we go. The air we breathe, freed by the powerful wind of God’s Spirit, envelopes us with God’s providence, refreshes us with God’s mercy, and restores us in God’s love. The wind changes the atmosphere of clutter, so the air may caress the soul and one’s very life with new spirit and life (cfr. Ezekiel 36: 26; Romans 8: 2).
The Canticle of the Creatures has so many thoughts that fill the hearts of the spiritual children of St. Francis of Assisi. What an encouragement it must have been for St. Francis to write at least part if not all of the Canticle at San Damiano. The gentleness and love of our holy Mother St. Clare was a strength and consolation for St. Francis. Like gentle breeze, Clare gave a sense of serenity and peace to Francis. She was a woman of strength. Her faithfulness to the Gospel Life and total surrender to God in prayer, contemplation, and distancing from the world, were and encouragement for St. Francis not to doubt what he believed and suffered for, even from his own friars. Clare had given all she had to follow the ideal of the Gospel Life. Now, resting and reflecting in this place of contemplation, his body was worn, but his spirit took flight into God as he saw God everywhere. You cannot experience what you are not willing to bear and offer. To reflect and summarize so beautifully an expression of such love for God in all creation, one must be in love with love and see all as loveable.
Praise be you, my Lord, for all that is. In You we live and move and have our being. Through the simplest to the most complex You are the one constant that makes all be, happen, become, live!
May we Franciscans never lose that childlike “lunacy” of the Poverello of Assisi. He challenges us to see the world with the eyes of Christ. God-made-man sees creation as a part of let-it-be and knows that all is a participation in the life of the Great I Am!
My Sisters and Brothers, may God bless us in Himself and all creation. May our Mother Mary and good St. Joseph intercede for us. May our Seraphic Father St. Francis of Assisi and our Holy Mother St. Clare guide, guard, and protect us and all our loved ones.
Peace and Blessings
Fr. Francis A. Sariego, OFM Cap
Regional Spiritual Assistant
