Prayer of Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, let me sow pardon;
where there is doubt, let me sow faith;
where there is despair, let me sow hope;
where there is darkness, let me sow light;
where there is sadness, let me sow joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
not so much seek to be understood as to understand;
not so much seek 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.

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This is one of several striking prayers Francis left to his followers.  Francis was born at Assisi, Italy, in 1182. After a carefree youth, he turned his back on inherited wealth and committed himself to God. Like many early saints, he lived a very simple life of poverty, and in so doing, gained a reputation of being the friend of animals. He died in 1226, aged 44.