Prayer For Peace

In these increasingly troubled times, abroad and here at home, it is imperative that there is a great need for each of us individually, and all of us collectively, to refocus our minds and hearts. We are in danger of succumbing to the dominant feelings of the moment, of falling into the patterns of darkness that lead us nowhere worthy of human beings made in the image and likeness of the Creator. Our hearts and minds cry out for peace, a peace that no human being or institution can bring about. With that in mind, I am moved to share a prayer that is quite familiar to most. If not, this thoughtful, beautiful prayer has its own power to focus the mind and to point the heart into ways more suited to our better angels. It is sometimes called the Prayer of St. Francis.

What if we all willingly and courageously began to choose to be peacemakers in our homes, our neighborhoods, and within the realms of our participation in the larger society? Could the troubling environments we are in right now be different? Of course, we need God’s wisdom and grace to be able to do this. Because we are flawed by sin ourselves, we are woefully inadequate to do this alone, by our own powers or strengths. To do this, we must first recognize that God is God and we are not. We must recognize the problem of our own egos. Humility is the source of the peace we want to model and practice in all situations. Instead of falling into the destructive, deadly force of hatred, let us, rather, desire and ask God for the grace we need to sow the greater, more lasting, life-giving power of love. Out of the Godly force of love comes faith that conquers doubt, hope that overcomes despair. The ability to see, to love, and to foster the good in the other is what brings light and the potential for joy to ourselves and to those we encounter in each moment, each situation.

The latter part of the prayer points to the attitude that is most effective in potentially bringing peace into even the most difficult situations and relationships. It is a matter of spiritual maturity to be able to desire to console the other, even when one is in the midst of one’s own suffering. With this attitude, we are enabled to experience true compassion toward others’ suffering enough to reach out to serve them in their pain. This is the true, mature, and heroic strength of a humble soul. Out of this attitude, we can learn to listen deeply to the suffering or to the anger of the other, that is, to listen deeply enough to ‘understand’ their hurt, to understand where they are coming from, to understand why they think and feel what they do, without demanding that they first understand me. We must be able to let go of our own often self-centered and demanding needs to receive the graces we need to be able to hear and understand those of others.

This prayer is clearly Gospel inspired as well. For example, in the final lines we hear again the wisdom of Jesus being echoed when we are called to recognize that it is “in giving that we receive (Lk. 6:38), in forgiving that we are forgiven” (The Lord’s Prayer, Mt. 6: 12), and that it is in dying not just to our natural death, but to our selfish selves, to our own demands, to our own ways of thinking, that we are “born into eternal life.” It is out of these attitudes, these good habits, along with the generous grace of God, that the peace our hearts desire can come about. Aren’t the times we are living through right now in need of such attitudes on our parts?

Let us all choose to take some time off from the internet, from social media, and all that draws us into the dark, emotional maelstrom of these out-of-control times. Let us, rather, take ourselves apart into the quiet presence of our Lord, who is the One who can heal our wounds and relieve our fears, who is the One who gives us the graces we need to be strong in faith, hope, and in love. Let us go to prayer alone and with others. Let us commit to letting the Lord be our guide, our consolation. Then let us, in the name of Jesus, “move our feet” on our own and with each other, to try to bring more peace into our daily lives and into the world at large. May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you.