The Grateful Wonder in Front of Creation 

The Canticle of Brother Francis

The famous Canticle of Brother Sun, also known as the Canticle of the Creatures, is a hymn of praise, a poem in the form of a prayer that expresses an original vision of the world. This song has accompanied the spread of Franciscanism and has profoundly influenced religious sentiment universally.

Its marvelous verses have crossed the centuries, expressing humanity’s wonder at the perfection and beauty of creation:

“Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom You give us light.”

The preservation of the Canticle

The oldest copy of the Canticle of Brother Sun, kept in the Library of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, has come down to us in a collection of fascicles from the 13th century concerning Saint Francis, the origins of the Order of Friars Minor, and Saint Clare.

The birth

In 1225, in a moment of great suffering, Francis, afflicted by severe and painful illnesses, invokes God, who reveals Himself to him, promising Paradise as a reward.

Following this reassurance – known as certificatio – Francis composes Lauds of ecstatic admiration for the beauty of nature and creation.

A revolutionary writing

Saint Francis’s innovation lies in recognizing an unusual brotherhood among all inanimate beings of creation: the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Wind, the Water, and the Fire.

An ode of reconciliation and respect between man and nature, the canticle is a profoundly modern and universal hymn that has survived eight hundred years of our history unscathed.

The absence of animals in the Canticle

Although Saint Francis established a deep relationship of friendship and protection with animals, they do not appear directly in the Canticle, as they are implicitly included among the praisers, companions in the admiration of the universe.

The most famous episode, that of the wolf of Gubbio, is emblematic: the encounter between man and wolf occurs with unarmed hands and hearts, not as enemies, but as brothers in celebrating this universal hymn to God.

Sister Bodily Death

In the verses of Saint Francis, man is a creature aware of the limits of existence, afflicted by infirmities and sufferings. The Canticle is a warning and a call to choose: the humble who have suffered, endured, and forgiven during their earthly journey will be praised and rewarded, becoming witnesses of Christ:

“Praised be You, my Lord, for our sister bodily death, from whom no living man can escape: woe to those who die in mortal sin; blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.”