Our Hands as Roots: On Care and Empathy from St. Francis of Assisi

“Our hands imbibe like roots, so I place them on what is beautiful in this world. And I fold them in prayer, and they draw from the heavens light.”

— St. Francis of Assisi

Nature shouldn’t be seen as resources to benefit from and to take for granted. We are actually inseparable from nature and depend on its health for our survival. Sadly in this anthropogenic era we live in, we’ve been blindly walking to the edge of the cliff and evidence suggests that we’re closer than we thought to crossing tipping points.

Year after year we’ve seen an increase in fierce natural disasters and human influenced impacts; extreme wildfires suffocating our air, giant plastic soups clogging our ocean, social conflict on the rise due to a limited supply of resources, billions of people at risk of becoming climate refugees in the coming years, and an alarming rate of habitat destruction and deforestation due to mining, drilling, farming, and urbanizing of our lands.

How can we take responsibility for our common home in order to avoid such uninhabitable conditions? How can we integrate ourselves into a complete state of harmony so aligned with nature that we’re able to find a genuine and deep respect for all living things?

It’s called cultivating care and empathy and using our hands as roots anchored into action and protection. When we care for something, we’ll do anything in our power to protect it. St. Francis of Assisi is a great example and role model for us to learn about cultivating this care. St. Francis of Assisi was born in Assisi, Italy in 1181 or 1182 to a wealthy cloth merchant. After hearing the voice of God telling him to rebuild his Church and to live in poverty, St. Francis abandoned a life of luxury devoted to Christianity.

Cultivating Care through Saint Francis

As the Patron Saint of Ecology because of his love for animals, welfare, the poor, and the environment, Saint Francis shows us that when we find peace with God, we’re able to devote ourselves to finding peace with nature. He was known for revitalizing humanity through the love of God and his creations. Saint Francis challenges us to think in harmony and unity with all of life, reminding us that we’re not here to dominate God’s creations, but to be caretakers through care and empathy of the natural world in order to leave it bountiful for those who follow us.

When God spoke to Saint Francis and told him “Go and restore my house,” He was not only speaking of the physical Church but of the responsibility to restore the faith among His people. He was asking Saint Francis to teach the people about the life of Christ and the love of Creation through example. St Francis became the example of a new life of poverty, humility, and love for the community of life.

To me, this represents the collective force of moving the needle forward in the call towards the protection of our environment and the poor. Sometimes it feels daunting and impossible to even make a difference in a world with so much going against you, but then I think back to St. Francis and remember that even when it seems impossible, you can always achieve great things through simple acts of love and humility. St. Francis was the perfect example of this as someone who led a spiritual renewal of the Church by embracing poverty.

Cultivating Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and be aware of another person’s feelings, thoughts, emotions, or experiences. Fostering empathy helps us understand our interconnection to nature and as one global humanity. When we’re able to adopt new points of view and understandings of life, we’re able to make a more informed and meaningful connection with ourselves, with others, and with nature. If we don’t know how to share perspectives outside our own, how can we expect to understand and care for our natural world or for those who live a million miles away on another continent?

Storyteller and Researcher on courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, Brené Brown, shares 4 attributes to cultivating empathy which can be applied to both social and ecological contexts:

Perspective-taking- the ability and the will to see the world through the eyes of the other. Putting aside what you’re going through and listening actively.
Staying out of judgment-Being open to the pain or challenges others are feeling.
Recognizing emotions-Looking within yourself and remembering what it is like to have the feeling the other person is feeling
Communication- Communicating that you understand what they’re feeling and validating their experience.

Another great way to instill care and empathy around our climate crisis and towards the 65.6 million fleeing from unbearable and unlivable conditions and becoming climate refugees, is through visual storytelling. Storytelling is a powerful tool that transports you to another person’s world, creates shared understanding, and opens you up to new perspectives. There are even studies that show how our brain chemistry changes through storytelling. Check out some of my favorite environmental books and films here to dive into some fascinating environmental storytelling.

Adopting and exercising the skill of empathy can help build genuine relationships, instill a strong sense of care for your surroundings, and ease the pain of suffering through understanding and kindness.

Pope Francis on Empathy and Care

We can also learn about cultivating care and empathy through Pope Francis. So inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi and his teachings, he became the first pope in history to choose his name in honor of this earth-loving saint.

Pope Francis encourages us all to listen more and speak less, referring to listening as “an act of love.” Through silence and inner reflection, we allow the Holy Spirit to bring an end to the division and injustices seen in our communities. When we listen actively, we practice empathy. When we act to help other’s lived experiences, we are acting out of care.

Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ On the Care of Our Common Home, is a global wake-up call regarding our ecological and social crisis. He reminds us of our responsibility to protect and cherish the earth’s diversity and life-sustaining ecosystems. Pope Francis states that we can’t continue leaving the vulnerable and the marginalized “to live off of leftovers, which has exacerbated our culture of waste.”

A holistic ecological approach is one that not only hears the pain of the Earth but also the pain of the poor. Sustainable progress should not only protect our environment, but it should equally protect all people on Earth so that those who come after us and depend on our good stewardship, can also enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

Hope for our Home

We’re each called to cultivate our seed of care and empathy through our daily actions and words. When we care, we will protect. Every action, purchase, vote, and decision makes a difference and impacts our earth and humanity in different ways. When we practice care and empathy, we’re allowing others to feel seen, heard, and accepted, and we spread compassion and kindness to our brothers and sisters we share this home with.

At times, our current ecological and social crisis can seem dismal, but we can’t give up the hope that God blessed each one of us with. Hope gives us encouragement to keep living and to keep fighting for what is just. It gives us the courage to find the force within to create the future we want for our children and for our future generations.

St. Francis’ canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon invites the entire community of life—minerals, plants, water, fire, and animals to praise our Creator. This is one of my favorite canticles, in a world where we also see the other extreme, idolization or worship of the sun or other earth creatures, it’s important to be witnesses to the truth and St. Francis expresses this beautifully.

Canticle of Brother Sun and Sister Moon of St. Francis of Assisi

Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, all honour and all blessings.

To you alone, Most High, do they belong, and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun,
Who is the day through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,
Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all weather's moods,
by which You cherish all that You have made.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious, and pure.

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,
producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.
Praise be You, my Lord, through those who grant pardon for love of You and bear sickness and trial.

Blessed are those who endure in peace, By You Most High, they will be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Death,
from whom no-one living can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Blessed are they She finds doing Your Will.

No second death can do them harm. Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks,
And serve Him with great humility.

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