ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
December 4, 2021
There is a certain well known prayer attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), yet it is unlikely he was the author of it. In fact, the language of “make me” does not fit the theology or lifestyle of Francis. From his communal living, the language of even a private prayer would probably have been “make us,” with an emphasis on the collective body. With that said, it remains a powerful and provocative prayer in this moment of time.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.
