Saint Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy 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,
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.
Reading ancient transcripts or the writings of current philosophers can get rather overwhelming. Bit by bit, author by author, we gather information retaining some and dismissing the rest. Speculation and imagination prompt wanderings into the unknown where we draw to our selves more experiences to peak our curiosity even further. On and on we go, seeking more and more information to add to our great thinking tanks. Seminars, vision quests, and time spent in solitude are opportunities for the hopeful to learn even more tools to increase our communication with the Divine. Much time and thought is given to these richly intertwined spiritual moments.
Quite unexpectedly, we happen to run across a touching prayer such as that of the Italian, St. Francis (1181/1182 to 1226). Within his words from centuries ago, we discover requests that if granted, we would all live as one in a world of peace.
In prayers such as this we are reminded we do not need all of the rhetoric, limitations, and boundaries proposed by organized institutions to discover the heart of the matter. Displayed in the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi is a 'To Do List' or daily affirmations. We do not have to be a theologian or rocket scientist to navigate our way through meaningful life.
I believe it was Jesus the Christ who encouraged us to love one and other. So very basic and yet so seldom followed. Release the illusion of separateness that is so dramatic and complex. Let us just love, and keep it simple!
Quite unexpectedly, we happen to run across a touching prayer such as that of the Italian, St. Francis (1181/1182 to 1226). Within his words from centuries ago, we discover requests that if granted, we would all live as one in a world of peace.
In prayers such as this we are reminded we do not need all of the rhetoric, limitations, and boundaries proposed by organized institutions to discover the heart of the matter. Displayed in the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi is a 'To Do List' or daily affirmations. We do not have to be a theologian or rocket scientist to navigate our way through meaningful life.
I believe it was Jesus the Christ who encouraged us to love one and other. So very basic and yet so seldom followed. Release the illusion of separateness that is so dramatic and complex. Let us just love, and keep it simple!
St Francis quote has been a favorite of mine for many,many years. And I now enjoy my association with the Franciscans and learning more of his teachings.
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