A Passage for December

Our last two posts have been excerpts from Easwaran’s book Strength in the Storm. The first was a chapter from the book in which Easwaran discusses transforming negative forces within and around us into positive forces. The second is from the afterward of that book, written by Christine Easwaran, in which she provides us with several practical ways that we can become forces for peace.

Christine’s first suggestion for becoming a “force for peace” is to remember the words of “The Prayer of Saint Francis.” Christine writes, “Keep this prayer in front of you. Put it on your desk. Don’t let it become stale. Write it out. Memorize it. Repeat it to yourself whenever you feel overwhelmed. Give it to your friends. Keep it in your wallet. Teach it to your children. Recite it out loud. Put it on your refrigerator door.”

So, for this month we thought it would be great to follow Christine’s lead and memorize or refresh “The Prayer of Saint Francis.” And bonus! Christine has given us some great ideas on how to do so: write it out, keep it with you and put it some place where you will see it often.

“The Prayer of Saint Francis” is the passage Easwaran always recommends when we begin our practice. Its guidance for how to live our lives as forces for peace is both timeless and practical.

As always, we love to hear from you! Share in the comments how you feel that meditating on this passage might help you become a force for peace.

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The Prayer of Saint Francis – Saint Francis of Assisi

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;
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;
It is in dying to self that are born into eternal life.