This article is part of a series of reflections written by our International Board of Directors to celebrate the 800 year anniversary of the Canticle of Creatures
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Slowly rising from the horizon, he brightens the dim corners of our nighttime. Slowly, gently and gracefully he unfolds his rays to melt the dew and warms us and Mother earth. How he is like you Lord as he enlightens our pathways and enables us to walk in safety. And like You, he illuminates the entire universe. All that was dim, dark and still in the night gets clearer when it comes into the light. All gets clear brightness of Your love.
Praise be you Lord
for this our Brother Sun, who gives us this brightness when we are darkened in our own worries and troubles of our world
Praise to you Lord
when the coldness of our hearts freezes. You give us the warmth that we need to unfold our hearts and share our love with others.
Praise to you Lord
for the rays of Brother Sun that reach far distant places where our eyes cannot see. Like Your love, those rays touch and heat up our families and friends on the other end of the world, where we cannot reach, yet get the warmth from them.
Praise to you Lord
for the creatures that enjoy growth and good health from our Brother Sun, to feed the universe, and to keep healthy.
Praise be you Lord
for the clarity that Brother Sun brings into our lives to see the beauty of different colors, shades, and designs of life, which makes us joyful and grateful as we walk along the fields of enlightened paths to our common home.
As Franciscans, we are invited to take extra care of our universe and all that exists in it. “God saw that all He had made was very good,….”, (Gen.1:31) therefore we must preserve and conserve the goodness that He has created in every living creature.
– By Sister Charity-Lydia K. Nkandu SFMA