“When you look at St. Francis’ life, he shows a very deep and real care for creation,” said Father Jonathan St. Andre, a Third Order Regular Franciscan friar and vice president for Franciscan life at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. “We see that in his writings, particularly in a beautiful writing called ‘The Canticle of the Creatures’ … he talks about how all of creation praises God.” Take some time to read this beautiful poem that reinforces that “we all come from the same creator and need to care for one another.”
St. Francis loved animals – so much so that he is the saint most likely to be depicted in garden statues. He was known for preaching to the birds and negotiating a truce with “Brother Wolf.” The saint was especially concerned with creatures with a biblical connection to Christ, such as lambs and worms – based on the passage, “I am a worm and no man” (Ps 22:6), referring to Christ and his suffering. Make an effort to care for the creatures in your life, whether that’s maintaining a bird feeder, paying extra attention to your pets, or volunteering or donating funds to an animal shelter.