St. Francis Novena – Day 4

Today let us thank God for the beauty of nature and pray for harmony with all creation

Fr. Al Hirt, OFM

Perhaps more than any other saint through the ages, St. Francis of Assisi is the one who recognized the relationship between us humans and all of creation. We need to live in harmony with our environment. The pope who chose the name “Francis” has been eloquent in lifting up this theme of “our common home.”

Many of us have made efforts to recycle, reuse, and repurpose to try to cut down on the amount of waste of our natural resources. In the parish I formerly pastored, we were making efforts to plant only those plants that were native to our area, thus attracting butterflies, bees, and birds. Harmony with all creation! We also invested in solar panels to greatly reduce our dependence on electricity generated by coal and oil, which also saved a lot of money on our annual electric bills!

As storms and fires ravage parts of our world, we see how our disregard for nature comes at a steep price. Let’s enjoy all the natural beauty in the world around us and do what we can to keep our environment cleaner.

(Fr. Al Hirt is pastor of St. Francis Seraph Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.)

Pray the Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Read by Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM

St. Francis saw God in all of His creation and praised God for this wonder.  Post your prayer intentions to him on our Prayer page.

The Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Day 4

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Poor and humble St. Francis, through your kind intercession we seek to love God above all things. We seek the faith, hope, and love that moved you to joyfully renounce honors and riches and to radically follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray for us that we come to see the privilege of suffering with and for the poor after the example of Jesus. Help us to be always grateful for all the blessings we have received and give us the strength to overcome our most pressing concerns.

(Include your personal intentions now.)

Holy St. Francis, your concern for God’s creation caused you to be named patron of ecology. May we, through your prayers, follow your footsteps in being good stewards of all of creation which God our Creator has provided. May we also be faithful stewards of the skills and abilities we have been given.

St. Francis, help us to continue praying for the grace to truly repent and change our hearts by actively seeking reconciliation with God and all those we have offended or hurt in any way. May the blessings we receive through your intercession deepen our faith, and inspire us to store up treasures in heaven, where we hope to spend eternity with our loving God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

Post your prayer requests on our Prayer Page.

Light a candle or give alms on our Donation Page.

Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, is a writer and poet. Check out his book, Mystics: Twelve Who Reveal God’s Love, from Franciscan Media.

Videos and articles on St. Francis at Franciscan Media.

We follow Jesus in the footsteps of St. Francis, learn more at Franciscan.org