Francis wrote this on a small parchment for Brother Leo, shortly after receiving the stigmata. It is pure overflow:
You are holy, Lord, the only God,The Praises of God
and Your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High.
You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father, are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good,
Lord God, living and true.
You are love. You are wisdom.The Praises of God
You are humility. You are endurance.
You are rest. You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage. You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life,
Great and Wonderful Lord,
God Almighty, Merciful Saviour.
Praise the Lord!Psalm 150:1, 6
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Near the end of his life, Francis dictated his Testament. He began not with miracles, but with a leper:
The Lord gave me, Brother Francis, thus to begin doing penance in this way: for when I was in sin, it seemed too bitter for me to see lepers. And the Lord Himself led me among them and I showed mercy to them. And when I left them, what had seemed bitter to me was turned into sweetness of soul and body. And afterwards I delayed a little and left the world.The Testament, 1226
This is the pattern of conversion: what you flee becomes the door. What disgusts you becomes the place of encounter.
Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.Matthew 25:40
Nearly blind, seriously ill, Francis composed his Canticle at San Damiano—creatures as kin, all bearing the likeness of the Most High:
Most High, all-powerful, good Lord,The Canticle of the Creatures
Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no human is worthy to mention Your name.
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.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,The Canticle of the Creatures
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 whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who 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 our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.
The heavens declare the glory of God,Psalm 19:1
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Let the brothers be careful not to appear outwardly as sad and gloomy hypocrites but show themselves joyful, cheerful, and consistently gracious in the Lord.The Earlier Rule, Chapter VII
Where there is charity and wisdom,Admonitions, XXVII
there is neither fear nor ignorance.
Where there is patience and humility,
there is neither anger nor disturbance.
Where there is poverty with joy,
there is neither greed nor avarice.
"Poverty with joy"—this is Francis's unique pairing. Having nothing, he could receive everything as gift. Owning nothing, he was free to praise.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.Philippians 4:4
As Francis was dying, he added a final verse. Even death became a sister to praise:
Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love,The Canticle of the Creatures, final verses
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace,
for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.
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.
Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanksThe Canticle of the Creatures, closing
and serve Him with great humility.
Francis died on October 3, 1226, singing. He had asked to be laid naked on the ground—possessing nothing, as he had lived. His last gesture was praise.
Precious in the sight of the LordPsalm 116:15
is the death of his saints.
What you flee becomes the door.
What seems bitter becomes sweetness.
A Prayer with Francis
Most High, glorious God,
You made Francis a mirror of Your Son
and filled him with joy in poverty.
Teach me his way:
to praise You in all creatures,
to hold nothing that holds me,
and to find sweetness where I expect only bitterness.
When I am burdened, show me what to release.
When I am joyless, remind me that You are all Good.
When I forget my place among creatures,
let me hear the sun and moon calling me brother, sister.
Francis, pray for us who have too much—
and teach us that less is the path to more.
Amen.