800 Years of St. Francis · Day 14 of 31 · Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Be praised, my Lord, for our Brothers Wind and Air and every kind of weather, by which you, Lord, uphold life in all your creatures.
Notice that Francis does not praise only the fine days. He praises every kind of weather: the storm and the drought as well as the soft spring morning. All of it, he says, sustains life.
I have been thinking about another kind of weather: the kind we bring into a room. When you lead a family, a team, or a parish council, people study you. They have to, because their days depend on your weather, so they become meteorologists of you. Your Tuesday mood becomes the household’s forecast. A passing comment from anyone else is just a comment. The same comment from you can land like a government policy.
That means we are all carrying weather into every encounter, all day long, whether we intend to or not. You cannot opt out of impact. You can only opt out of noticing it.
Francis’s Canticle offers a gentle correction. Weather is not the enemy, and none of us will have only sunny days. The question is whether the weather we bring, even on our cloudy days, still sustains life in those around us.
Notice today: What weather are you carrying into rooms today? Who is creating the local weather forecast for your presence?
This is your spiritual footprint. You leave it in every room, regardless of whether it is positive or negative.
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Day 14 of 31 · 800 Years of St. Francis: A Daily October Companion · spiritualbreak.com
Reflection © 2026 Michael J. Cunningham OFS.
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