Brother Richard

Over the last number of times when we have encountered this great meditative poem, we have united with him in singing the praises of creation and recognizing the divine presence that flows through created reality.

We have sung of brother sun and sister moon and stars.

We have greeted the elements of earth, air, fire, and water.

We have spoken about the importance of love and compassion.

And now, as the canticle draws to a close, we meet the one Francis calls Sister Death.

So let's begin.

Entering this time of meditation, we enter as consciously as we can the present moment.

We come to it through the breath.

We come to it by anchoring ourselves in the sensory awareness of our space, the floor beneath us, the chair supporting us.

the rise and fall of the breath within us.

When we enter as fully as we can into the present moment, there is a deep peace awaiting us.

The peace from which all that is arises.

The peace of encounter with divine grace and love.

Resting in the breath, we are drawn even more deeply into the mystery of the moment, into the peace at its heart.

The very first thing we did when we were born was to breathe in.

The very last thing we will do before we leave this world will be to breathe out.

With each breath there is the potential of life and the potential of death.

St.

Francis knew this.

And so, to draw his canticle of the creatures to a close, he sings of sister death.