A GregBlog Encore... The Prayer of St. Francis

Pope Francis Reflects on why he chose Francis for a name...

I added this to my post on the Feast of St. Francis in 2012

(See Job and the Peaceable Kingdom at Hand)

Considering all the talk about St. Francis, I think it is worthy of the encore!  

Enjoy this meditation on "The Peace Prayer"...

The Prayer of St. Francis... 

From the Article: "Who Wrote the Prayer of St. Francis" by Friar Jack Wintz, O.F.M.

http://www.americancatholic.org/e-News/FriarJack/fj093009.asp#top

The first appearance of the Peace Prayer

According to Dr. Christian Renoux of the University of Orleans in France,  it “occurred in France in 1912 in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (the little bell).  The prayer bore the title of Belle priere a faire pendant la messe; “A Beautiful Prayer to Say During the Mass” and was published anonymously.  The prayer was sent in French to Pope Benedict XV in 1915. This was soon followed by its 1916 appearance, in Italian, in theOsservatore Romano. Around 1920, the prayer was printed by a French Franciscan priest on the back of an image of St. Francis with the title Priere pour la paix, “Prayer for Peace,” but without being attributed to the saint. Between the two World Wars, the prayer circulated in Europe and was translated into English, [appearing] in 1936 in Living Courageously, a book by Kirby Page (1890-1957), a Disciples of Christ minister. [Mr.] Page attributed the text to St. Francis of Assisi. During the Second World War and immediately after, this prayer for peace began circulating widely as the Prayer of St. Francis and over the years has gained a worldwide popularity with people of all faiths.”

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Like that of Christ, our mission on earth is to bring to others God’s peace-- Shalom is a wish that those so greeted will find healing and fullness of life. St. Francis saw this as his mission, too. In Chapter 3 of his Rule [in the year] 1223, he advised his followers that in going about the world “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’”(Cf. Luke 10:5).

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
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.”

Where there is injury, pardon,
During the violence-ridden Crusades, St. Francis discovered a path of peace, pardon and non-violence. The “little poor man” went to Egypt to engage in a peaceful dialogue with the sultan (head of the Muslim forces), a meeting in which a spirit of forgiveness, respect and understanding prevailed. Francis would have the same message for those in our times who are so quick to see violence as the only cure for terrorism.

Where there is doubt, faith,
When, as a young man, Francis found himself in a fog of doubt as to the nature of God’s care for him, he sought the face of God through prayer in solitary places. God opened Francis’ eyes of faith. The saint saw a vision of Christ gazing at him from the Cross with such a look of love that Francis’ “soul melted,” to use the words of his biographer, St. Bonaventure. The fog of doubt lifted for Francis, and he went through the world setting others free from their own burdens of doubt.

Where there is despair, hope/Where there is darkness, light,
Think of St. Francis embracing lepers and lovingly washing their sores. Surely, many of those suffering souls felt an inner surge of hope and human dignity when they experienced Francis’ care. 

And where there is sadness, joy.
Francis used to say that he wanted his followers to go about the world like strolling minstrels, “to inspire the hearts of people and stir them to spiritual joy.” They give us an example to follow in our own day!

And so the prayer continues for each of us...
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

Christ is YELLING!

Today's Readings

"But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.,,, Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ?"              - John 7: 10,26

If Christ were in the room, would you recognize Him?  As we continue to get to know Pope Francis, we have been thrown into an opportunity to reconsider how we view the "poor".  With the Holy Father leading the way, we are being treated to a perspective which advocates that each man, woman and child truly matters, no matter the status, and no matter which side of the street they are on... All are loved by God!

In today's Gospel, Jesus has to make the decision to visit the Temple in disguise, as folks were trying to kill him.  He avoided arrest, and no one laid a hand upon him "because his hour had not yet come." (John 7:30)  Many questioned whether it was him or not, and even though he spoke openly, no one seemed to truly recognize him, so Jesus YELLED OUT!  "You know me, and also know where I am from." (John 7:28)  And you can fill in the rest... Why are you not seeing me, and accepting me?  Why are you not walking with me, or seeking to do the will of the One who sent me?

Dare I say, Christ continues to YELL at the top of his voice, in the lives of the poor, and in the faces of the children!  Mother Teresa said that "each one of them is Jesus in disguise."  The Gospel speaks directly to us when it asks, "Could the authorities [that is you and me, and our expert opinions on all things religious, political, and such] have realized that he is the Christ?" (John 7:26)

Pope Francis spoke to this challenge in his first homily on Thursday, March 14, 2013, calling on us to recognize that Christ is indeed in our midst, calling on us to walk, build and profess his holy name.  He said, "The same Peter who confessed Jesus Christ, says, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I will follow you, but let us not speak of the Cross. This has nothing to do with it.” He says, “I’ll follow you on other ways, that do not include the Cross.” When we walk without the Cross, when we build without the Cross, and when we profess Christ without the Cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, Popes, but not disciples of the Lord."

This definitive challenge to the Church (that means you and me) declares that we are to recognize the face of Christ, and be ready to help carry the burden for all who need his love.  To not recognize him, as we all are prone to do, or not do the job that needs to be done in his name, makes us the ignorant authority!  So Christ continues to YELL into our ears, "You know me, and also where I am from!" (John 7:28)  LET'S GET TO WORK!

"I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul." - Cat Stevens

+AMDG+

Today's Readings

Welcome again to Pope Francis!

I must admit that I too was wrapped up in the coverage of this major step in the history of OUR Faith.  He's the Pope of firsts, the first Francis, the first from the Americas, and the first outside Europe (in modern times - Thanks Renee!).  He's the Pope of prayer, as he stepped out of the norm and asked us to pray for him before giving his first Papal blessing on us!  He's a Pope for the Poor, as he brings a history of ministry that focuses on those thirsting for God's love and society's acceptance.  He has lived his faith for all to see, a simple man, with basic values, in a simple existence.  You know he's got the world's attention when the news focuses on the fact that he lived in an apartment and not a chancery, and made his way to work each day on a bus, and without a chauffeur.

In choosing his name, Pope Francis seems to have chosen to follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi.  One CNN article identifies St. Francis as "A great, great Saint", quoting Pope Pius XI when he said that "there has never been anyone in whom the image of Jesus Christ and the evangelical manner of life shone forth more lifelike and strikingly than in St. Francis.". (See the CNN full article)  In St. Francis's own vision, he was called by Christ to "go and repair my church in ruin", so he gave up everything and followed his faith, "preaching the Gospel, and only using words when necessary."  (Read about St. Francis)  

Other's are joyful because Pope Francis is a Jesuit!  Time Magazine notes that he is "an accomplished intellectual [playing a] “leading role during the Argentine economic crisis” as a “potent symbol of the costs globalization can impose on the world’s poor."   My little understanding of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, would say that Pope Francis would encourage all of us to see God in His creation, especially the poor.  Work for God's Mission as a true and authentic disciple for Christ.  Know that Christ gave himself, and God gave His son to show us LOVE, and call us to a meaningful conversion!  "The three phrases instilled in every Jesuit child — Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam (“For the Greater Glory of God”), Cura Personalis (“Care of the Whole Person”) and “Finding God in All Things” — are three of the conclusions reached after the [Ignatian] Spiritual Exercises." (See the full TIME article)

Pope Francis also has ties to St. Francis Xavier.  "One of the 16th-century founders of the Jesuit order, Francis Xavier was a legendary missionary who spread the faith as far as India and Japan — giving the new Pope's name further resonance in an age when the Church is struggling to maintain its numbers." (ZeeNews.India)  I couldn't help but focus in on the Pope's comment that his fellow cardinals went "to the other end of the world" to find a Pope!

Finally, it wouldn't be a GregBlog if I didn't try to make a connection with Today's Readings.  On the surface, the message today cries that we need to get back to Lent!  But there seems to be a connection today as God calls on Moses to recognize that His people are a "stiff neck" group, unwilling to follow His ways.  Similar to the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, God is ready to pack up and go home.  "Let me alone," God said, "that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them." (Exodus 32:10)  But Moses "implored the Lord", and asked for another chance for His people.  The Lord agreed, and down the mountain Moses went with the Law in hand, ready to REFORM God's people.

Pope Francis is not Moses, nor is he Francis of Assisi, or Xavier... He is Jorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ, of Argentina by way of Italian immigrant parents.  He seems to love serving the poor among us!  With his Jesuit education, he is NOT a push over, as I am sure he knows his faith, and the strong tradition of the Church.  He has come with the Law in his hands, and he will simply ask that we IMPROVE our ways, as we continue to do what we do for the greater glory of God, caring for ALL His people, finding Him in all things!

+AMDG+