Tag Archives: St. Francis

Three Prayers by St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi

Canticle of the Sun

Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor, and all blessings. To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no man is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all your creatures;
especially Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom You give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor, and bears a likeness to You, Most High One.

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 which You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
which 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 Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains us and governs us and who produces
varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord,
through those who give pardon for Your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.

Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You Most High, they shall be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord,
through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no living man can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord,
and give Him thanks,
and serve Him with great humility.
Amen.

PEACE PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Etern
al Life.

Amen

PRAYER INSPIRED BY THE OUR FATHER

Our Creator Redeemer, Comforter, and Savior

In The Angels and the Saints, enlightening them So that they may know YOU, for You, Lord, are Light;

Setting them Aflame so that they may Love YOU,

for YOU, Lord, are Love.

Dwelling in Them and Filling Them with Happiness,

For YOU, Lord are the Supreme Good. the Eternal Good, from whom all Good Comes and Without Whom no Good Exists.

May Knowledge of You Shine Within Us,

So that We may know the Greatness of Your blessings, the Breadth of Your Promises, the Height of Your Majesty, and the Depth of Your Judgments.

So that You may reign in us through grace and lead us to Your Kingdom, where we will see Your face without shadows, Love You perfectly, Live in Your Joyful Company, and Rejoice With You Forever,

So That We May Love You With All Our Heart, Always Thinking Of You;

With All Our Soul, Always Desiring You;

With All Our Mind, Directing Our Intentions Toward You and Seeking Your Honor in all Things;

And with All Our Strength,

Placing the Energies and Affections Of Body and Soul

At the Service of Your Love, and Nothing Else.

May We Love Our Neighbor as Ourselves, Drawing everyone, as far as we can, to Your Love;

Rejoicing in the Goodof Others as in Our Own,

Suffering With Them in Their Difficulties, and Offending No One.

Your Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, So that we may Remember, Understand and Revere, the Love He Had For Us and All that He Said, Did, and Suffered for Us.

Through Your Immeasurable Mercy, Through the Power of Your Beloved Son’s Passion, and Through the Merits and Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and All Your Elect.

And What We Have Not: Yet Forgiven Completely, Grant, Lord, That We May Forgive Entirely, So That We May Truly Love Our Enemies For Your Sake, Pray for Them Sincerely Before You, Return Evil for Evil to No One, and Seek to Do Good To Everyone in You.

Hidden or Visible,

Sudden or persistent,

Past, Present, and Future,

Amen

St. Francis of Assisi

Living Nativities and Christmas Carols Reflect Franciscan Spirituality

 

Christmas Nativity
Christmas Nativity

 

The creche’ or nativity which is evident in many holiday displays actually began with a living nativity organized by St. Francis.

Before the time of St. Francis, Christmas was celebrated with a Christmas Mass which was prayed and sung in Latin, a language few people understood. It was St. Francis who decided it was time to bring exuberant joy to the celebration. Three years before he died, St. Francis was visiting the town of Grecio. After receiving permission from the pope, he arranged a living nativity. Knowing that the hermitage would be too small for midnight mass, he found a niche in the rock near town square and set up the altar.

According to St. Bonaventure who tells the story in his book The Life of St. Francis of Assisi, he prepared a manger, brought hay, an ox and an ass to the appointed place. The brethren were summoned and that venerable night was made glorious by many lights and sonorous psalms and praise. St Francis, a deacon, stood before the manger full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; the Holy Gospel was chanted by Francis. Then he preached to the people gathered around the nativity of the poor King. St. Francis, filled with much joy, referred to Jesus as the Babe of Bethlehem.

The tradition of the nativity has been carried on to this day. The nativity scene is a visible reminder of the night our savior was born.

St. Francis is also responsible for the tradition of the Christmas Carol. He decided to add religious lyrics to popular tunes of his time, which became known as Christmas Carols. The first Christmas Carol was Psalmus in Nativitate. It was written in Latin so it could be sung at Mass but sung to a popular tune all the people knew. As living nativity scenes became popular, the people began singing the carols that have become familiar to us today.

In keeping with Franciscan Spirituality, perhaps we can create new Christmas Carols using familiar tunes of our day. The following Christmas Carol is an example.

An Ode to Jesus on Christmas

By Vicki Scheenstra

(Sung to melody of Angels from the Realms of Glory)

Christmas, what a wondrous season

Love and peace, they fill the air

Joy surrounds us, in the giving

All because, a babe is born

Born of Mary, Prince of Peace

Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King

Let us ponder, at the Mystery

Of Our Lord, the Giving King

How he brings us our redemption

Peace on earth, and love he brings

What he gives us is a treasure

Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King

Faith in Jesus is a treasure

Treasure of a different kind

It is hard to even measure

How His love can heal mankind.

Born of Mary, Prince of Peace

Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King

Born of Mary, in a stable
Starlight shining overhead
Angels sing in adoration
King of Kings and Prince of Peace
Love will heal us if we let Him
Jesus Christ, Our Lord and King!
 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save