Sister Donna Stephenson took advantage of a beautiful September day to join a guided walk at a nature center. Surrounded by beauty, she pulled out her camera to capture nature’s grandeur. Reflecting on Francis’ life and how he saw God’s love in everything, S. Donna recalled a fitting quote from theologian Ilia Delio, OSF: “Everything spoke to Francis of the infinite love of God. Trees, worms, flowers by the side of the road—all were for him saints gazing up into the face of God. Creation became the place to find God and, in finding God, Francis realized his intimate relationship to all of creation.”
Sing With Joy in Gratitude to Our Creator
By Barbara Jean Wajda
This little charmer’s name is L65. She was born on the shores of Kalaupapa on April 14, 2019. Hopefully, she will be a mom this coming year.
You probably wouldn’t think of a monk seal as scary, but one frightened a visiting priest [whom many of you know…]. He went for a relaxing swim off the Kalaupapa pier on a hot, July 4 day some years ago. Father hadn’t been in the water for very long when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large figure approaching. You wouldn’t believe how quickly someone could climb a ladder and exit the water! Once on the pier and looking down at this now seemingly playful creature, Father’s mood changed. Those beautiful, big eyes and
beckoning pose were almost irresistible when seen from the safety of the pier. It was almost as though the young monk seal was saying, “Won’t you come and play with me?”
God’s creation can be like that. Its power and grandeur can be scary, or it can fill us with wonder and awe as we experience our own ‘littleness’ when faced with that which is so much beyond us. When we step back for a moment, we might see the humor, the playfulness, and the look that invites us to simply enjoy the given moment.
Why would a monk seal divert from its instinct to swim and actually “sit up” in the water and look us in the eye in such a human fashion? Why does our God give us so many life experiences in which the glory and grandeur, the exquisite beauty, the massive abundance of creation stop us in our tracks, invite us, take away our breath? One possible response might be so that we can make each moment of our lives a song of joy in gratitude for the gift of God and the gifts from God in our lives.
A Prayer of Transformation
by Julie A. Ferraro
May we see like St. Francis…
who recognized God’s loving hand in the beauty of creation and all human beings.
May we speak like St. Francis…
who encouraged all those he met to love as Jesus loves, to treat creation with
respect and human beings as equals, without concern for status, wealth, personal
beliefs or lifestyle.
May we act like St. Francis…
who tended the lepers and considered them friends, spoke truth to the mighty, and
offered a way of peace in a time of turmoil and division.
May we walk like St. Francis…
who trod lightly on the earth and only used what he needed.
May we love like St. Francis…
who climbed the steep hill from the valley to Assisi each day, without concern for
his own physical discomfort, to beg food for those who had none so they might be
comforted.
May we live like St. Francis…
who took the words and actions of Jesus to heart, embodied them, and spent every
ounce of his energy in the service of others, that God’s unconditional love be known
to all.
2025 Feast of St. Francis Program – an Eco-Spirituality Resource – page 34
Spreading Seeds of Peace and Hope for Creation
Catholic Climate Covenant
