Writings of Francis of Assisi

The Canticle of the Sun & Praises

Francis of Assisi (1181–1226) founded the Order of Friars Minor and radically re-presented evangelical poverty, joy, and brotherhood with all creation. He left no systematic theology; his writings are brief, intimate, and alive with Scripture. These selections include his most celebrated poem, key Admonitions to his brothers, and his final Testament.

The Canticle of Brother Sun

Composed at San Damiano c. 1224–25, during severe illness and near-blindness.

Most High, Almighty, Good Lord God,
to You belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and there is no one worthy to mention Your name.

Be praised, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
above all Brother Sun who brings us the day and who brings us the light;
fair is he, in splendor radiant;
great glory, Most High, do you give through him.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens You have made them bright and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,
by which 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 us and governs us,
and who produces varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

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.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no living man 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 thanks,
and serve Him with great humility.

The Praises of God

Written on a folded piece of parchment at La Verna, after the stigmata, September 1224.

You are holy, Lord, the only God,
and Your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong. You are great.
You are the Most High. You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father, are the 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. 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.

The Admonitions

Selected Admonitions

Twenty-eight short meditations addressed to the brothers, composed c. 1220.

I. On the Body of the Lord

The Lord Jesus says to His disciples: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you knew Me, you would also know My Father; and from now on you do know Him, and have seen Him. Philip says to Him, Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us. Jesus says to him: Have I been so long a time with you, and you have not known Me? Philip, he who sees Me sees the Father also" (John 14:6–9).

The Father "dwells in light inaccessible" (1 Tim. 6:16), and "God is spirit" (John 4:24), and "no one has at any time seen God" (John 1:18). Therefore He cannot be seen except in the Spirit, "for it is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:63). And in the same way the Son of God is not seen in any other way than the Father or the Holy Spirit. Thus all those are condemned who saw the Lord Jesus Christ according to humanity, and did not see and believe according to the Spirit and the Divinity that He is the true Son of God.

II. On the Evil of Self-Will

The Lord said to Adam: "Of every tree of Paradise you shall eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat" (Gen. 2:16–17). Adam could eat of every tree of Paradise, and as long as he did not go against obedience he did not sin. For a person eats of the tree of knowledge of good when he appropriates to himself his own will and thus exalts himself over the good things which the Lord says and does in him; and thus, through the suggestion of the devil and the transgression of the command, what he eats becomes for him the fruit of the knowledge of evil. Therefore it is fitting that he bear the punishment.

VII. On Good Works Following Knowledge

The Apostle says: "The letter kills, but the spirit quickens" (2 Cor. 3:6). Those are killed by the letter who desire to know only the words, so that they may be esteemed wiser than others and be able to acquire great riches to give to relatives and friends. And those religious are killed by the letter who are not willing to follow the spirit of the divine letter, but only desire to know the words and to interpret them to others. And those are given life by the spirit of the divine letter who do not appropriate to themselves every letter they know, but give it back by word and example to the Most High Lord God to Whom belongs every good.

XIV. On Poverty of Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:3). There are many who, applying themselves insistently to prayers and offices, perform many abstinences and mortifications of their bodies, but they are offended by a single word which seems to be injurious to their persons, or by some other thing which might be taken from them. These are not poor in spirit, for a person who is truly poor in spirit hates himself and loves those who strike him on the cheek (Matt. 5:39).

XIX. On the Humble Servant of God

Blessed is the servant who does not consider himself better when he is praised and exalted by people than when he is considered worthless, simple, and despicable; for what a person is before God, that he is and nothing more. Woe to that religious who has been placed in a high position by others and does not want to come down by his own will. And blessed is that servant who is not placed in a high position by his own will and always desires to be under the feet of others.

XXVII. On Virtue Driving Away Vice

Where there is charity and wisdom, 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 covetousness nor avarice. Where there is rest and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor restlessness. Where there is the fear of the Lord to guard the house, there the enemy cannot gain entry. Where there is mercy and discernment, there is neither excess nor hardness of heart.

The Testament

The Testament of Saint Francis

Dictated at Siena and completed at the Portiuncula, autumn 1226, weeks before his death. Francis writes looking back over his life and charging his brothers to hold to the original vision.

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.

And the Lord gave me such faith in churches that I would pray with simplicity in this way and say: "We adore You, Lord Jesus Christ, in all Your churches throughout the whole world, and we bless You because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world."

Afterwards the Lord gave me, and gives me still, such faith in priests who live according to the rite of the holy Roman Church because of their orders that, were they to persecute me, I would still want to have recourse to them. And if I had as much wisdom as Solomon and found impoverished priests of this world, I would not preach in their parishes against their will. And I desire to respect, love, and honor them and all others as my lords. And I do not want to consider any sin in them because I discern the Son of God in them and they are my lords.

And the Lord gave me such faith in the Our Father and in the simple words of the Gospel that when I first began the Order, one of the brothers found a book containing the Old Testament and asked me, saying it would be good to read it. But I said to him: it is not right to depart from the holy poverty we have vowed, so as to have books; for it was on account of the Gospel that we renounced the wisdom of this world.

And after the Lord gave me some brothers, no one showed me what I had to do, but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I should live according to the pattern of the holy Gospel. And I had this written down simply and in a few words and the Lord Pope confirmed it for me.

And those who came to accept this life gave everything they had to the poor. And they were satisfied with one tunic, patched inside and outside, with a cord and short trousers. And we desired nothing more. The clerical brothers said the Office like other clerics; the lay brothers said the Our Father; and quite willingly we stayed in churches. And we were simple and subject to all.

And I worked with my hands, and I still desire to work; and I earnestly desire all brothers to give themselves to honest work. Let those who do not know how to work learn, not from desire to receive the price of work, but for example and to repel idleness. And when we are not paid for our work, let us have recourse to the table of the Lord, begging alms from door to door.

And I strictly command all the brothers, through obedience, not to dare to add any glosses to the Rule or to these words, saying: "They are to be understood in this way." But as the Lord has given me to speak and write the Rule and these words simply and purely, so you shall understand them simply and purely and with holy operation observe them till the end.

And whoever observes these things may he be filled in heaven with the blessing of the most high Father, and on earth with that of His beloved Son together with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, and all the powers of heaven and all the saints. And I, Brother Francis, your little poor one, confirm to you, as much as I can, this most holy blessing, both within and without. Amen.