Featured Writers—1: St. Francis of Assisi
Peace Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Hello all and sundry,
Welcome to the first Featured Writers post! Let me first tell you a little about my ‘process’ for choosing the featured writer. Simple, really.
To begin, I knew I wanted to include other writers in my newsletter and was not completely sure how I would go about it—the selection of them, the piece of their work or works to discuss, and what I would contribute. Hence, I left the settling to my heart: the internal pull one has when they just know the choice is right for the occasion or the moment. For this reason, my picks will go with either what is currently tugging on my core at the time, or it will mesh with something I have written for either the poetry or prose posts. This may present according to related topic, to writing influence, or to highlight similar-to-contrasting writing styles. That is the “plan”! Go with the flow!
Now that you have an idea of where I am coming from, lets talk about this first poem/prayer.
The Peace Prayer. A popular traditional prayer/verse, is often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). Now, it is understood that he was not the actual author of this prayer; who wrote it has never been concretely established. But, because his character and life emulated the attributes presented in the prayer, he has been bonded to it. Seems odd, I know, that I am beginning with a piece he didn’t even write! Despite that, my choice for this is documented below the prayer/verse. Now, on account of this being a post for a Featured Writer, I will then include something St. Francis of Assisi DID write! Pleasant reading!
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; 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.
Beautiful, isn’t it? And, forever, timely!
I have known this prayer (with family and friends in AA, it is one of the prayers they reference), though I hadn’t been thinking of it when I was making notes to include other writers in my Substack. What brought me back to it was that, during my choosing of 3 initial poems for my newsletter’s home page, one of my poems was titled ‘Prayer of Peace’. It has been many years since I wrote this poem and in revisiting it, I was overcome by, not only the emotion surrounding the personal request I had been making to God, but by the deepest hope I felt within my core, when considering humanity, and a worldly plea.
This inspired me to search for other poems centered on the idea of PEACE. This one was at the top of that Google search. Initially, I wasn’t wanting to choose it, as the familiarity of it was just too, well, familiar. I was looking for unique, maybe undiscovered, or at least lesser known. But, as I read other pieces, my ‘heart’ kept going back to this one. (Maybe it was the connection to it through the alcoholics I know; the impact it has had on their recoveries, that I settled on it.)
Who was St. Francis of Assisi and what DID he write?
Tap the question to get the Wikipedia [link] answer if you would like a more all inclusive history and description. He was a fascinating person!
Now, in short, he was a friar, a poet, and he started the Franciscan Order of the Catholic church. His short 45 years on earth holds quite a story! He was born into a ‘silver-spooned’ life, but through experiences and his own heart tug, he discovered within him a devotion to God, a desire to be charitable to the poor (himself choosing a life of poverty), and a godly connection to nature and animals. His writing reflects his following and desire to emulate a life like that of Christ.
This piece below WAS written by St. Francis of Assisi. I chose it out of many to look for any parallels to the Peace Prayer attributed to him above. Have a read…
A Salutation to the virtues [SalVirt]
Hail Queen Wisdom, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy-Pure Simplicity.
Lady Holy Poverty, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy Humility.
Lady Holy Charity, the Lord salute thee with thy sister Holy Obedience.
Most holy virtues, the Lord salute all of you, He from whom you come and proceed.
There is scarcely a man in all the world, who can have one of you, before he dies.
He who has one and offends not the others, has all.
And he who offends one, has none and offends all. (cf. Jm 2:10)
And any whatsoever confounds vices and sins.
Holy Wisdom confounds satan and all his wickednesses.
Pure Holy Simplicity confounds all the wisdom of this world (cf. 1 Cor. 2:6) and the wisdom of the body.
Holy Poverty confounds cupidity and avarice and the cares of this world.
Holy Humility confounds pride and all the men, who are in the world, and likewise all the things, which are in the world.
Holy Charity confounds all the diabolic and carnal temptations and all carnal fears.
Holy Obedience confounds all things corporal both carnal and one's own willings and holds the body mortified in obedience to the spirit and in obedience to one's brother and is subject and submissive to all the men, who are in the world and not only to men, but even to all the beasts and wildlife, so that they might do with him, whatever they will, as much as it will have been given them from above by the Lord (cf. Jn 19:11).
I can see how the first prayer/poem would have been attributed to him, but, truly, could it not have been considered to be authored by any author of moral character at the time?
There is a similarity in the use of juxtaposition to emphasize relationship.
In the first--by the illumination of opposites to invoke awareness of their connections; with every negative, there is a positive. Then, a boomerang aspect: what you put out you receive. The piece, as a whole, written to inspire humility and humanity.
In the second--beyond the stark differences to the first, a theme of virtue and the elements of which one would hope to aspire to: wisdom, simplicity, poverty, humility, charity, and obedience. These are contrasted with the characteristics of everyman’s malfeasance.
Any thoughts on the plausibility that the ‘unknown’ author was influenced by Assisi from the text below, or vise versa? Or, are the ideas of virtue and humanity so common, that they were (and still are) a frequent substance of writing, and therefore, really unique to no one?
Whatever the answer, or if there even is one, it is quite enjoyable to be contemplative.
Thanks for going there with me! Comments and discussion encouraged!
Many Blessings and MUCH LOVE,
W-Gray
I loved both of them, but the second one was very touching to me. To strive to meet all of those things and even succeed at one would be wonderful!! However, it would not be easy, in this world to accomplish that. It would definitely be worth a try!!