Prayer of Saint Francis
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[edit] Its origin
The Prayer of Saint Francis is a Christian prayer for Peace widely attributed to the 13th century saint Francis of Assisi, although the prayer in its present form cannot be traced back further than 1912, when it was printed in France in French, in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (The Little Bell), as an anonymous prayer, as demonstrated by Dr Christian Renoux in 2001.
The prayer has been known in USA since 1936 and Cardinal Francis Spellman distributed billions of copies of the prayer during the WW II. It was the beginning of its international career.
[edit] Versions of the text
The original version of the prayer is the following :
Belle prière à faire pendant la Messe
- Seigneur, faites de moi un instrument de votre paix.
- Là où il y a de la haine, que je mette l’amour.
- Là où il y a l’offense, que je mette le pardon.
- Là où il y a la discorde, que je mette l’union.
- Là où il y a l’erreur, que je mette la vérité.
- Là où il y a le doute, que je mette la foi.
- Là où il y a le désespoir, que je mette l’espérance.
- Là où il y a les ténèbres, que je mette votre lumière.
- Là où il y a la tristesse, que je mette la joie.
- Ô Maître, que je ne cherche pas tant à être consolé qu’à consoler, à être compris qu’à comprendre, à être aimé qu’à aimer, car c’est en donnant qu’on reçoit, c’est en s’oubliant qu’on trouve, c’est en pardonnant qu’on est pardonné, c’est en mourant qu’on ressuscite à l’éternelle vie.
La Clochette, n° 12, déc. 1912, p. 285.
More than 100 different English versions of the text exist. The most popular is this following one :
- 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;
- and 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.
An alternate translation is found in Chapter 11 of the "Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions", a book published by AA Services (Alcoholics Anonymous).
- Lord, make me a channel of thy peace;
- that where there is hatred, I may bring love;
- that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
- that where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
- that where there is error, I may bring truth;
- that where there is doubt, I may bring faith;
- that where there is despair, I may bring hope;
- that where there are shadows, I may bring light;
- that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
- Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted;
- to understand, than to be understood;
- to love, than to be loved.
- For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
- It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
- It is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
- Amen.
[edit] Quotations
The prayer was most famously referenced by Margaret Thatcher shortly after she won the 1979 UK General Election. Having "kissed hands" with Queen Elizabeth II to become Prime Minister she paraphrased the prayer on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street, surrounded by a throng of reporters whilst setting out the aims of her Government. The prayer became notorious in British politics, as those critical of Thatcher say she ended up doing precisely the opposite of what the prayer says.
Musical adaptations of the prayer include those by Sebastian Temple, John Foley and Sarah McLachlan.
Also Mother Teresa and her Nuns (Missionaries of Charity) began each day by reciting this prayer.
[edit] Historical studies
- Christian RENOUX, La prière pour la paix attribuée à saint François, une énigme à résoudre, Paris, Editions franciscaines, Paris, 2001
- Christian RENOUX, La preghiera per la pace attribuita a san Francesco, un enigma da risolvere, Padova, Edizioni Messaggero, 2003.
[edit] Comments
Albert HAASE ofm, Instruments of Christ. Reflections on the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2003.
