The Prayer of Francis

Years ago I saw the movie “Brother Sun, Sister Moon.” It introduced me to the life of the man who has come to be known as St. Francis of Assisi. After the movie, I was moved to research this remarkable man. He is one of the giants of Church History.

Here is a prayer by him that fits our time.

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”