The whole universe surrounding Saint Francis is surrounded by infinite gentleness and of "the most gentle feeling of devotion toward all things"; "he felt as if transported by a heartfelt love by all creatures." Because of this, he walked with reverence over rocks, in considerations of the One who Himself is called Rock; he gathered the worms in the road so they would not be stepped on by the travelers; he provided the bees with honey and wine in the winter so that they would not perish from hunger and cold.
— Leonardo Boff, Francis of Assisi