unity and the prayer of saint francis
this morning - actually, as i was further explaining why i think pod babies would be so great, to someone who was arguing against the idea - ryan (somewhat) jokingly asked me if i was living by the prayer of saint francis.
saint francis is my favorite saint - and the protecting saint of my dogs - as he is the patron saint of all animals. i have his prayer taped up to my bathroom mirror. it says:
- 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;
- and 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,
- and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
i wasn’t planning on taking my blog in a more theoretical, philosophical, theological direction - and it’s not like i’m committed to this direction - but apparently these are the things i’ve had on my heart and mind, and they need to make their way out of my head. as a writer, this is part of my process :-).
however, i’d be lying if i didn’t admit that part of the appeal to me of hot-button topics is the debate that ensues. so the prayer of saint francis is something that should probably be more on the forefront of my mind as i write. i don’t think that this prayer - or other ideas of peace and unity - steer us away from debate altogether, but they caution against the spirit of condescension and bitterness that can arise from such circumstances.
March 30 2009 07:07 pm | catholicism and religion
April 13th, 2009 at 11:16 am
[...] i enjoy doing it on my blog, and i really get a kick out of it on facebook. as i’ve mentioned, i also could take the prayer of st. francis more to heart and learn to be a little less [...]