The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your 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.

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,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

St Francis of Assisi was a Roman Catholic friar and the founder of the Franciscan Order. He is known as the patron saint of animals, birds, the environment and Italy. He lived from September 26, 1181 - October 3, 1226.

The Prayer of St. Francis is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Regardles of your religious preference, I hope you read and integrate this prayer today. Images of St Francis frequently demonstrate his love for animals. Perhaps it is for this reason that I have loved this prayer since childhood. Today, as an adult and integrative healer, within these words I find two core values of a hope-filled and gracious life: It is in helping others heal that we are healed and While visiting, we should walk gently upon this earth.