Meditation

Wisdom is knowledge deepened by love. The wise person is one whose heart has been shaped by love and who has given one's heart to love.

For Reflection

1. Try to find a quiet place outdoors and sit quietly for five minutes. Be attentive to what is in your mind and heart; and what is present to you.

Then, slowly pray the "Canticle of Creatures:"

Praised be You, my Lord through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and
beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of
weather,
through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and
herbs.

2. In the next few days, try to write your own "Canticle."

3. How does the root of Francis' ecological stance begin with his encounter with God and his conversion toward the divine? How do you relate this to your own conversion story?

4. Francis' compassion was grounded in his depth of vision. How do you share that vision of compassion?

5. Compare the verses of the "Canticle of Creatures" with our current economy and global reality. Read the "Canticle" after taking the online ecological footprint quiz http://myfootprint.org/.

6. What can we learn from Francis' "Canticle" that can make a difference in our world today?

Ilia Delio in Compassion