Make me an instrument of peace,
from hatred, bitterness release
and let me sow richly love,
empowering me from above.
Them, who had hurt me, I forgive,
when all my heart to You I give.
When people doubt all around,
help faith in me remain sound.
When darkness is embracing night,
let me for others to be light,
and there where sadness is
fill me with joy to share, please.
My Master gracious, Divine,
my wishes with your will align
in love to serve you, dear Lord,
by following your precious Word!
When I experience frustration,
Instead of seeking consolation,
let me the other souls console,
not thinking of my own soul.
Help me not seeking understanding,
to be with others not demanding,
but help me them to understand,
and when they need to give a hand.
It’s better giving than receiving,
I’m pardoned, when I am forgiving.
And it’s in dying that I’ll live
Eternal Life to receive.
16.12.2022
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Prayer of St. Francis
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, and
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.
Amen.
We do not know the author of this classic prayer, and it was not until the 1920s that it was even ascribed to Saint Francis. By one account the prayer was found in 1915 in Normandy, written on the back of a card of Saint Francis. But it certainly emulates his longing to be an instrument of peace, reconciliation and redemption in our fallen world.