They also serve as a good set of guidelines to live by every single day. The last seven lines describe the heart of the Gospels. He even said that he wanted his followers to go around and “inspire the hearts of people and stir them to spiritual joy.” The line “And where there is sadness, joy” serves to stir people’s hearts in hopefully the same way. Then he would sing songs of praise in French. Sometimes, he would even take two sticks, tuck one under his chin, and move the other stick over the one under his chin as if he were playing the violin. God overflowing with love was his source of joy. Francis’ belief in God, he had a reason to always be joyful. The lines “Where there is despair, hope” and “Where there is darkness, light” express the desire to give hope to the otherwise hopeless.īecause of St. Thanks to his help, these desperate people felt dignified with a ray of hope upon experiencing such compassion. Francis also took great care of a lot of suffering people in his time. The line “Where there is doubt, faith” can inspire others to see beyond their doubts as well. He then saw a vision: Christ Himself was gazing at him from the cross, but with such loving eyes that his soul melted. As he prayed in solitude, God opened his eyes of faith. Francis found himself in serious doubt as to whether God really cared for him. Thus goes the line, “Where there is an injury, pardon.”Īs a young man, there was a time when St. A spirit of understanding, respect, and forgiveness dominated their conversation. Francis had a peaceful dialogue with the Sultan. He went to Egypt in search of the leader of the Muslim forces called the Sultan. In the midst of the chaos of the Crusades, St. A man really loves his enemy when he is not offended by the injury done to himself, but for love of God feels burning sorrow for the sin his enemy has brought on his own soul and proves his love in a practical way.” Hence the line, “Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” Francis pens these words: “Our Lord says in the Gospel, Love your enemies. In his 9th Admonition, called Charity, St. In his Rule of 1223, he writes, “they should not be quarrelsome or take part in disputes with words…or criticize others but they should be gentle, peaceful and unassuming, courteous and humble, speaking respectfully to everyone… Whatever house they enter, they should first say, ‘Peace to this house.’”Ī large part of loving peace is eschewing hatred. It was Christ’s mission to bring God’s perfect state of peace to the world during His earthly ministry. The first line of the prayer is asking for the Lord’s help for us to spread peace to the people around us. Not so much seek to be consoled as to consoleĪnd it's in pardoning that we are pardonedĪnd it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life The most widespread use of the prayer was through the books of Cardinal Francis Joseph Spellman, who was then Archbishop of New York. Francis of Assisi.ĭuring and after the Second World War, the prayer for peace was spread all over, and it was already known as the Prayer of St. The first known English translation appeared in a book entitled “Living Courageously” written by Kirby Page. The first time it was attributed to him was in 1927, by a French Protestant group called “The Knights of the Prince of Peace”.īetween the two world wars, the prayer made its way to Europe, eventually being translated into English. At this time, though, it was not attributed to St. It bore the title “Prayer for Peace” in French. Later on, around 1920, a French Franciscan priest printed the prayer on the back of the image of St. A year later, in 1916, it appeared in the daily newspaper of the Vatican, and it was then written in Italian. Possibly, Father Bouquerel himself could have written the prayer.Įventually, in 1915, the prayer was sent to Pope Benedict XV, still written in its original French. Since it was published anonymously, the original author is not known. In the version published in La Clochette, the prayer was entitled, in French, “A Beautiful Prayer to Say During the Mass”. The group was established by Father Esther Bouquerel in 1901. The magazine was published by a Catholic group called The Holy Mass League. This prayer was first recorded in 1912 in France, in a spiritual magazine called La Clochette (The Little Bell).
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