The
'Canticle' Litany to St. Francis of Assisi
St.
Bonaventure during an ecstasy had named Marie-Julie “the seraphic
sister of flowers” in memory of St. Francis who had loved them so
much. (She was a Third-Order Franciscan.) In memory of his love of flowers Marie-Julie said:
“O little flowers, how much you lost by losing your Father, your Brother, your Preacher who
sang the glory of the Lord in the midst of the fields!”
“O little flowers, how much you lost by losing your Father, your Brother, your Preacher who
sang the glory of the Lord in the midst of the fields!”
One day she happened to
compose in full ecstasy the following litanies in honour of Saint
Francis:
Sing, sing, little birds my brothers, the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, ferocious beasts my sisters, sing the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, forest wolves my brothers, the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, forest hinds my sisters, sing the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, all the reptiles of the Earth, my brothers, sing the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, wolves, wild boars, my brothers, the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, grass of the prairies, my sisters, leaves of the trees, my brothers, flowers of the trees, my sisters, sing the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, daisies of the fields, my sisters, grass on the way, cherry blossoms, all the flowers of hedges and meadows, my sisters, sing the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, little fountains, my sisters, mountains, hills and valleys, roadways, my sisters, sing, everything that the Earth carries, sing the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis, pray for us.
Sing, sing, beasts of all kinds, my sisters, tall grass-covered mountains, my sisters, sing, sing all the praises of the Lord. Saint Francis of Assisi, who loved the Cross and who rested gently on the Heart of Jesus Christ who had detached Himself from the Cross to give you His stigmas, pray for us. Amen.
