Canticle of the Creatures

Canticle of the Creatures

By St. Francis of Assisi (1225)
with Franciscan Clarean Commentary

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

Commentary:
Francis begins not with himself, but with God — reminding us that humility is the gateway to true freedom. For the Clarean, this humility doesn’t mean smallness of spirit; it means standing in awe before the Source of All, recognizing our place in the cosmic family.

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Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir 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 of You, Most High One.

Commentary:
Francis does not worship the sun; he honors it as kin. In calling the sun “Brother,” he pulls creation into our family circle. Clareans today must reclaim this vision: the Earth and her elements are not resources to be exploited but relatives to be cherished.

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Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Commentary:
Here, Francis sees the night not as darkness to fear, but as beauty to rest in. The moon and stars are God’s gentle lanterns for weary pilgrims. To live Clarean is to relearn wonder under night skies — to pray with the stars as companions.

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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.

Commentary:
Air sustains all life, yet we barely notice it until it is fouled. In our polluted age, this stanza becomes prophetic: praising Brother Wind means fighting for clean air, for climate justice, for breath itself. Every inhalation is a prayer.

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Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Commentary:
Water is humble — it takes the lowest place, flowing downward. Yet it is life itself. Francis calls her “chaste,” reminding us that water, like love, is purest when not corrupted. In a world of droughts and poisoned rivers, Clareans must defend Sister Water as sacred.

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Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night,
and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Commentary:
Francis calls fire “playful.” He recognizes its warmth and energy as joy. But fire can also destroy. The Clarean approach is to hold both truths: to honor fire as God’s gift, and to wield power with reverence, never domination.

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

Commentary:
This is the first time in Christian writing that the Earth is addressed as “Mother.” Francis collapses hierarchy: humanity is not above creation, but within it, children of the same womb. For us, this means tending gardens, defending ecosystems, and seeing Eucharist in bread and soil alike.

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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.

Commentary:
Creation praise now expands into human community. To forgive is to live in harmony with God’s ecology. Clareans today are called to resist vengeance, even in activism. Peace is not passive; it is the crown of courage.

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

Commentary:
Francis calls Death “Sister.” Even what we fear most is kin. This is radical acceptance — the universe itself is safe in God’s embrace. To live Clarean is to die daily to fear, so that even Death’s approach is met as family coming home.

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

Commentary:
The Canticle ends where it began: humility. For Francis and for us, humility is not humiliation but solidarity — a leveling of all things into one song of praise. In the Clarean vision, to serve humbly is to stand boldly with creation, with the poor, with the forgotten, as siblings of the Most High.