like the morning star in the midst of clouds
October 4: St. Francis' Day
“Shining with the splendor of his life and teaching,
like the morning star in the midst of clouds,
by his resplendent rays he guided into the light
those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and like the rainbow shining among clouds of glory
he made manifest in himself
the sign of the Lord’s covenant.”St. Bonaventure, The Life of St. Francis1
Just a quick note wishing you a happy Feast of St. Francis! If you're interested in getting to know Francis better, St. Bonaventure's biography of him - Legenda Santi Francisci - is an absolute treasure.
“The consideration of the common origin of all creatures filled him with overflowing tenderness for all; and he called them all his brothers and sisters, because they had all one origin with himself.”
St. Bonaventure, The Life of St. Francis2
This watercolor is inspired by St. Francis' sermon to the birds…he rests under an oak tree (the 9th century Porziuncola - the Benedectine chapel restored by Francis - was built in an ancient oak grove).
The original watercolor is available in my shop:
Wishing you & yours a happy feast day! I’d love to hear how you’re celebrating, whether big or small or anything in between.
I’ll be back soon with deep dives into my liturgical focus this October…
Pax vobis,
Kristin
From a 1978 translation in both prose & verse by Ewert Cousins, published by Paulist Press; in this excerpt, Bonaventure pulls from Ecclus. 50:6, Luke 1:79, Ecclus. 50:8, and Gen. 9:13.
From an 1868 edition edited by the Archbishop of Westminster
We celebrated St Francis by attending our parish’s annual Blessing of the Animals. Our dog and two cats received their yearly blessings! After that, we returned home for a bonfire and vegetarian feast.
That is so beautiful!