The Prayer of Saint Francis

When I was a little girl I was frightened to death of God and Jesus. They were not very child-friendly. I was led to believe that I would be smacked down and sent to the eternal inferno for something as slight as sticking my tongue out at my brother.

But in the 1970’s the world reaped the benefit of the hippie movement. All things were brought into question. Jesus met the masses in the form of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell. Things became looser. And so did the Catholic Church. Not only did they have the good sense to turn the altar around, but they also gave a nod of approval for contemporary music to be played at mass. The folk mass was created. In my world it meant Jesus and God got a makeover---God and Jesus probably loved me even when I mean to my brother. Catholicism became slightly more embracing. And the new music reeled me in.

In Sacred Heart Church there was a banner that read He who sings prays twice. That banner struck a chord. Singing became my mode of prayer. And despite knowing that I had enough music talent to realize that I did not have nearly enough, I sang anyway.

And it was through the new music that I became acquainted with the Prayer of St Francis. I loved it. I sang it all the time. I even strummed it (badly) on my guitar. It summed up everything I needed to know to be a Christian. It was then and still remains my favorite prayer. It is the prayer I run to in difficult times. It gives me peace.

I also like St Francis the person. He didn’t just talk the talk but he walked the walk. And he loved animals—all of them. He was the original animal whisperer-- their patron saint. Which is why, while I find religious statues in people’s yards to be a little bit creepy, I overlooked the creepiness and placed a statue of St Francis under my dogwood tree. Not only does St Francis protect the animals in my yard, but he reminds me to be an instrument of God--a channel of peace.

When Jasper died I ordered a memorial plaque for the yard. The plaque is embarrassingly larger in life than I thought it would have been when I saw it in the catalogue. Deceased military officers have smaller monuments. But despite its large physical size I will place it in the yard next to my statue of Saint Francis. So now when I look below my dogwood tree I will have 2 reminders of how to live well and the importance of enjoying time spent here on earth. And the prayer I sing will have new meaning.

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.

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.

Amen.