“The first appearance of the Peace Prayer, occurred in France in 1912 in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (the little bell). It was published in Paris by a Catholic association known as La Ligue de la Sainte-Messe, “The Holy Mass League,” founded in 1901 by a French priest, Father Esther Bouquerel (1855-1923). 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 author could have possibly been Father Bouquerel himself, but until now the identity of the author remains a mystery.

The prayer was sent in French to Pope Benedict XV in 1915. This was soon followed by its 1916 appearance, in Italian, in the Osservatore Romano. Around 1920, the prayer was printed by a French Franciscan priest on the back of an image of 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.

The first translation in English that we know of appeared in 1936 in Living Courageously, a book by Kirby Page (1890-1957), a Disciples of Christ minister. Page attributed the text to Francis of Assisi. During the Second World War and immediately after, this prayer for peace began circulating widely as the Prayer of Saint Francis and over the years has gained a worldwide popularity with people of all faiths.” Franciscanmedia.org

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is an 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
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life
Amen.

If ever we need this poem it is now.

So, what instrument will you be?

Something musical? Providing a lift to the listener’s spirits.

A tool, perhaps? Fixing and repairing a damaged structure.

Surgical? Cutting out what is harmful. Restoring what is broken.

My prayer is that each of us become, in our own way an instrument of peace in the realms in which we find ourselves.