Modified Prayer of St. Francis
Use as a Monthly reading especially in Advent or Lent. Read one line a day for 2 days as if God/Christ/Holy Spirit/ your Higher Power is saying this to you. Begin again with first day of each month.
1. I am the instrument of your peace.
2. I will sow love where there is hatred.
3. I will pardon where there is injury.
4. I will bring union where there is discord.
5. I will give faith where there is doubt.
6. I bring hope where there is despair.
7. I bring light where there is darkness.
8. I bring joy where there is sadness.
9. I will console you.
10. I understand you.
11. I love you.
12. I give myself to you.
13. I pardon you.
14. I will die for you.
15. I give you eternal life.
Modified by Jane Lee Wolfe, Spiritual Health and Fitness for the 21st century, Woodstock, Vermont janewolfe@aol.com, http:www.bogchapel.org
There is a classic book about personality type and prayer styles, Prayer and Temperament: Different Prayer Forms for Different Personality Types by Monsignor Chester P Michael and Marie C Norrisey. The book is based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment and writes about five types of personal prayer developed over the centuries. If yours is the type Augustinian (Intuition, Feeling NF) where it is most meaningful that scripture or a message is written or speaks directly to you, this modification of the Prayer of St. Francis may speak to you. In this prayer adapted by spiritual director, Jane Wolfe, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit is praying, speaking directly to you.
On the other hand, the more traditional version of the Prayer of St. Francis may be meaningful to you where you are praying directly to God. So, I have included it as well.
PRAYER OF ST. 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;
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.
Book of Common Prayer 833
Joanna joannaseibert.com