Praying with our brothers and sisters of the air
Francis of Assisi did not write a canticle of the birds. He preached to them instead, on a road near Bevagna, and the story says they did not fly away. This experience extends that sermon into prayer. Twelve companions of the watershed at St. John's Pond (swan, gull, cardinal, great blue heron, red-tailed hawk, and blue jay, present on nearly every visit, joined by egret, green heron, red-winged blackbird, swallow, osprey, and eagle) each have their own posture before God. God is fully present in every place: at our Pond, in your own home, at your own feeder. The birds are a sign of God’s profligate generosity. Pray with one of these companions, or with all twelve. Join us in thanks for the birds of the air.
Twelve companions, with a fixed Opening and Closing. Pray with as many as you wish, in any order (about three minutes each).
In the idiom of Francis of Assisi
Francis of Assisi wrote no Canticle of the Birds. What follows is a BlueGreen Theology original, written in his idiom and drawn from the record of his Sermon to the Birds in the Fioretti, offered as this experience's orienting text rather than as a historical document of Francis's own composition.
Each bird has its own posture before God: a way of hunting, waiting, arriving, leaving, staying. Swan, Gull, Cardinal, Great Blue Heron, Red-Tailed Hawk, and Blue Jay start selected as the pond's constant company. Turn any of them off, or turn any of the rest on, until the prayer is the one you want.
Enter where you are drawn. Stay as long as you need.