Brother Wind

“Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,

and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather,

through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.”

I love Brother Wind. I enjoy the windy beach, the cool breeze in the nature park, and ahh…I remember the joy of playing on the swing. Brother wind makes it fun and enjoyable.

On the other hand, there are times when Brother Wind is not so pleasant. One day, I had a cold during winter and the gentle touch of Brother Wind felt so torturous.

When St Francis wrote this paragraph of the Canticle, Brother Wind was more painful than pleasant. The many diseases in his outer and inner parts of the body caused him to shiver in the presence of Brother Wind.

We can’t control Brother Wind. He blows where he pleases. Our experience of him will depend on the condition and situation we are in.

In many ways, Brother Wind reminds me of my emotions. At times, my emotions help me appreciate my experiences in life, but at other times, the emotions can also blow me to places I’d rather not go. Like Brother Wind, when the emotion gets too strong, even uncontrollable, it could be destructive and dangerous.

This is where I understand that Brother Wind exists to remind us to keep holding on to God. When we enjoy the cooling breeze, give thanks to God. The breeze is God’s gentle caress on our skin. When Brother Wind gets too strong, we need to hug God even tighter, we need to hold on to God, hold on to Hope. As long as we hold on to God, we can swing through all seasons of our life.

For Reflection,

• What is your relationship with your emotion? Do you enjoy its swings?
• Recall the time when you enjoy feeling your emotions and the time you prefer to ignore / suppress it.
• Be present and feel your dominant emotion(s) in the past few days/weeks. Ask God to be present with you. Hold on to God’s hand.