Prayer of St Francis

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 to all men that we receive
And in dying that we are born to eternal life.

The Prayer of St Francis is my all time favourite hymn. It was the first hymn and prayer I taught my children. For many years, it was the thanksgiving hymn of my prayers. However, over time with more and more upbeat Christian praise and worship songs, somehow I have not listened or sang it for a while. I always choose this hymn for special occasion and as I sang it yesterday, it brought to mind why I did not choose it as my final hymn in my prepared funeral mass booklet. This is the prayer that brings me much serenity and how can I depart this world without it accompanying me to eternity.

Given today political upheaval and unrest in so many parts of the world, contemplation of the Prayer of St Francis seems to be even more relevant than ever. How can we make ourselves a channel of God’s peace with the tragedy of current world calamities ringing in our ears? Look at suicide bombers in Jakarta, Pakistan, Middle East… victims of genocide and civil wars… where is the peace?

"Where there is hatred, let me bring your love." Is this possible when terrorism is sweeping across nations? Do world leaders, religious leaders, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims have an obligation to change the perception? Can we talk about harmony when one of today's greatest conflicts is between unity and diversity? Can we love without prejudice regardless of race, language or religion? Without love, we are all antagonists in our own way, fragmented by diversity and hatred. Even love within a family is difficult these days, siblings’ rivalry, fights over material stuff, false accusation, hateful words… where is the love? I certainly can't feel the love tonight!

"Where there is injury, your pardon Lord." I can imagine how awfully painful it must be for a mother to see her child injured, maimed, killed, and clinging on to faith, forgive the perpetrator. I can imagine the pain and suffering of parents, children, spouses who see their loved ones destroyed before their very eyes. How do we forgive terrorism, murder and rape? Can we pray for suicide bombers, pedophiles, gangsters? Can we truly forgive the clergy, leaders, teachers, doctors, law enforcers, parents, siblings, even children who hurt us more than help us?

"Where there is doubt, true faith in you." Most of us are like doubting Thomas… even with Jesus by our side, doubt will always be part of us until we have experience the tangible love of God. Only then can our faith and hope prevail. Well, at least I can say in confidence, there is no doubt, God provides and He knows.

"Where there is despair in life, let me bring hope." Intrinsically, we are filled with hope if we have not been totally crushed by others. Can we stay strong when peace and love don’t compromise? Can we give a helping hand when bread and butter is an issue for us? When we can't even take care of ourselves, can we take care of others? Looking for hope in a hopeless world, trying to find love in these hateful times. Yes, we have a reason for living, we have a purpose and we must have hope in the midst of this hopelessness world. Oh, well....

"Where there is darkness, only light." The darkness of ignorance, the darkness of hatred, the darkness of prejudice, the darkness of jealousy. Oh God, why is it so difficult when it only takes a spark to get the fire burning… pass it on, pass it on… so that others may see the light at the end of the tunnel. Goodness will prevail and I pray that I will always be able to bring love, kindness, compassion, joy and laughter to light up the lives of others.

“Where there is sadness, ever joy." Our lives are but grains of sand in the seashore of eternity. I have come across many people whose lives are filled with sadness and pain. Sometimes these sorrowful lives seem interminably long. Perhaps sadness can be overcome by the compassion, patience, fortitude and sacrifices if we genuinely love humanity and know what it means to understand and console. While I may be surrounded daily by people who are filled with enthusiasm and sincerity to love God and His people, I hope they are truly motivated by selfless and not selfish purpose. Perhaps these people may one day be like St Francis, able to eliminate sadness and bring 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”. When we open our arms to welcome the needy, give a hug to heal a pain, lend a listening ear, visit the sick, pray for others, wipe their tears, we are unknowingly doing the work of St Francis. If we recognize the dignity of animals and refuse to wear them around our neck, we are doing the work of St Francis. When we go where God leads, we are following the path of St Francis and now is the time for us to do our part, as St Francis said before he breathe his last.

The really extraordinary conclusion about the exhortations in St. Francis' Prayer is that there is no limit to what we can do physically and intellectually to make this world a better place... for you and me and the entire human race. All of us have the capacity to nurture ourselves in simple and ordinary ways to carry a spirit of love, unity, peace and reconciliation into all our relationships making them extraordinary in a special way. With each person we meet, we should look beyond the surface, beyond the external qualities that seem to divide us so that we can reach to the core of each person and show them God’s unconditional love. The real challenge behind this prayer is that it speaks of humanity’s highest ideals. It seems too complicated and overwhelming for most of us but complexity and difficulty do not excuse use from carrying and giving out our own individual efforts. This is it... when healing takes place. I hope the Prayer of St Francis will always be a part of my life till the day I die.