St. Francis and his written prayers on peace

The Saint Francis Prayer is one of the best known and most loved prayers in the world today. Traditionally attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), pictured above, its current origins are much more recent. Yet it reflects his devotion to God beautifully!

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is damage, forgiveness;
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 do not seek so much of
to be consoled as much as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, like to love;
Because it is by giving that we receive,
forgiving that we are forgiven,
and it is by dying that we are born into Eternal Life.
Amen.

Although he came from a wealthy family, St. Francis developed from a young age an ardent desire to emulate Our Lord in his love for charity and voluntary poverty. At one point he went so far as to sell his horse and cloth from his father's shop to help pay for the rebuilding of a church!

Having renounced his wealth, St. Francis founded one of the most famous religious orders, the Franciscans. The Franciscans lived an austere life of poverty in the service of others following the example of Jesus and preached the message of the Gospel throughout Italy and other parts of Europe.

The humility of St. Francis was such that he never became a priest. Coming from someone whose order attracted thousands in its first ten years, this is modesty indeed!

Fittingly, St. Francis is the patron of Catholic Action, as well as of animals, the environment and his native Italy. We see his legacy in the wonderful paper work that Franciscans do today around the world.

In addition to the Saint Francis Prayer (also known as the "Saint Francis Prayer for Peace") there are other moving prayers he wrote that reflect his great love for Our Lord and nature as part of God's magnificent creation.