"Sanctus Franciscus 1" by Matias Colombres, on flickr

Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment. He is the reason that lots of churches do blessings of the animals in this season.

He is also the reason that the hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King exists," which is a paraphrase of St. Francis's "Canticle of the Sun," in which he praises the Lord for all creation, referencing Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brothers Wind and Air, Sister Water, Brother Fire, Mother Earth, and even Sister Death.

 As I write this, it is a warm autumn day, and out my window, the grass is green, the leaves of the tree fade from deep crimson to bright gold, the sky is blue and cloudless, and the sun is bright. A beautiful day to appreciate God's creation. I thank St. Francis for reminding us of the goodness and blessedness of creation.

In honor of the day, I leave you with a song and a piece of video artwork. The song is "Brother Moon" by the band Gungor. The video is a collaborative art project curated by Stephen Proctor. Enjoy the video, and find a moment today to get outside and enjoy creation as well!