800 Years of St. Francis · Day 16 of 31 · Friday, October 16, 2026
The Franciscan tradition speaks of two books through which God speaks: the book of Scripture and the book of Creation. St. Bonaventure, Francis’s great interpreter, taught that every creature is a footprint of its Maker. For Francis, a tree or a stone or a sparrow could be read like a page.
A few years ago I spent a weekend on a retreat about trees, and I came away trying to think like one. It is harder than it sounds. A tree has to stop fidgeting. It has to be content with where it was planted and make the best of it. When a branch is cut away, it doesn’t complain. It sends its healing to the wound, and the scar becomes the strongest part of the trunk. Then, in the end, it gives itself away as shelter, as the chair we sit on, and finally as mulch for the next generation.
As a result, I wrote this short poem:
Can a tree be a saint?
Can a tree be a saint?
waving those arms lovingly all day,
reaching upward, providing shelter,
fulfilling its created role,
perfectly,
without decisions or complaints,
just adoration.
Can I be a saint?
Notice today: Go outside without earbuds, even for five minutes. What is the page in front of you saying?
Creation was Francis’s first scripture. It is still open, and it is still speaking.
Day 16 of 31 · 800 Years of St. Francis: A Daily October Companion · spiritualbreak.com
Reflection © 2026 Michael J. Cunningham OFS.
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