Happy Easter

A lovely Easter scene at my friend Jean's house--some beautiful spring flowers in front of a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi (my favorite saint). I love the statue and the color combination of the flowers--just seeing them makes me happy. I asked her if I could share her photo and she said yes. I'm also including the text to the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi--one of my favorite prayers. We need more instruments of peace in the world, more people willing to bring joy, hope, light and truth into the lives of others. Happy Easter to everyone! 

 

Prayer of Saint Francis 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring love.

Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.

Where there is discord, let me bring union.

Where there is error, let me bring truth.

Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.

Where there is despair, let me bring hope.

Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.

Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.

O Master, let me not seek as much

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love,

for it is in giving that one receives,

it is in self-forgetting that one finds,

it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,

it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

The prayer of St. Francis

Finding some peace in the midst of all the noise around us--that's hard these days. Finding joy in the midst of all the chaos in the world--that's hard these days. Finding true purpose in the midst of all the confusion and fake news in the world--that's hard these days. But there is truth and right and wrong. We know that intuitively. We know what's right and wrong, what's ethical and unethical. We know because our consciences tell us that there are differences between what's right and wrong, ethical and unethical. It matters what we say and do. It matters how we treat others. Civility and manners matter. Empathy matters. Kindness matters. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. Strength can be measured by the quality of a person's character. The more good qualities a person has, the stronger that person is. 

This is the prayer of St. Francis. He did not write it according to my online search, but it is beautiful nonetheless: 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me bring love.

Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.

Where there is discord, let me bring union.

Where there is error, let me bring truth.

Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.

Where there is despair, let me bring hope.

Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.

Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.

O Master, let me not seek as much

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love,

for it is in giving that one receives,

it is in self-forgetting that one finds,

it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,

it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.

Two of my favorite prayers

Two of my favorite prayers--they contain all the wisdom needed to help us through our lives. 

The Serenity Prayer        (Reinhold Niebuhr--1892-1971)

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can; 

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 

enjoying one moment at a time; 

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 

taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it; 

trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will; 

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

forever in the next. 

Amen.

(It is the first part of this prayer that most people remember, but the last part is equally wise). 

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Prayer of Saint 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.

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.