Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Prayer of St. Francis

There is a prayer which tradition tells us was written by Francis of Assisi himself. But it was first published only in 1912 in a small French magazine called The Little Bell.

It was first translated and published in English only in 1929 in a small American magazine called Friends’ Intelligencer. Only then was it called “The Prayer of St. Francis.”

In 1967, Sebastian Temple changed the words of the prayer a little and wrote music for it. He called it “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace.”

Maybe this prayer was not written by Francis himself. Even so, it is wholly in keeping with his spirit.

This is the prayer of Francis as written by Sebastian Temple:

            Make me a channel of your peace:
            Where there is hatred, let me bring your love;
            Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord;
            And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

            Make me a channel of your peace:
            Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope;
            Where there is darkness, only light;
            And where there’s sadness, ever joy.

            O Master! Grant that I may never seek
            So much to be consoled, as to console;
            To be understood, as to understand;
            To be loved, as to love with all my soul.

            Make me a channel of your peace:
            It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
            In giving of ourselves that we receive;
            And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

Copyright © 2012 by Steven Farsaci. All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.