Weight of Love

When you drop a stone from your hand, what does it do? It immediately falls to that earth from whence it once came. The stone returns to its original source. The same is true of fire and water. They always seek to return to their centers. Your soul, once it begins to turn inward, is brought under this same law of central tendency. It too gradually falls toward its proper center, which is God. The soul needs no other force to draw it than the weight of love.

Jeanne Guyon, from Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ

I just love this. The thought that all that is most truly me needs no special effort, but only its own true nature, to return to God, is like a drink of cold, clear water to my parched heart.

St. Francis saw it, I think, when he wrote ...

I beg you, Lord,
let the glowing and honey-sweet force of your love
draw my mind away from all things that are under heaven,
that I may die for love of you
who thought it a worthy thing to die for love of me.

Have a blessed evening and weekend everyone!

The Peace Prayer of St. Francis - The Story

I've posted this prayer before way back when, but I would like to share it now as well. This time I found a bit of history behind it so I added it as well.

Tim

The Peace 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 error, truth;

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."

The Story Behind ItThe Peace Prayer of St. Francis is a famous prayer which first appeared around the year 1915 A.D., and which embodies the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi's simplicity and poverty.According to Father Kajetan Esser, OFM, the author of the critical edition of St. Francis's Writings, the Peace Prayer of St. Francis is most certainly not one of the writings of St. Francis. This prayer, according to Father Schulz, Das sogennante Franziskusgebet. Forshungen zur evangelishen Gebetslitteratur (III), in Jahrbuch fur Liturgik und Hymnologie, 13 (1968), pp. 39-53, first appeared during the First World War. It was found written on the observe of a holy card of St. Francis, which was found in a Normal Almanac. The prayer bore no name; but in the English speaking world, on account of this holy card, it came to be called the Peace Prayer of St. Francis.

Make Me A Channel of Your Peace

It is shortly after 6am, and the alarm just blared waking me from my slumber on this Resurrection Day. As I laid in bed for a few minutes, praying and mentally preparing for this day, a song popped into my head. “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace,” an adaptation of the Prayer of St. Francis.

Here is a link to the video of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRvtkZs7oNg&feature=related

One might wonder why this particular song came into my head today instead of the usual Easter classics – but it was the contrast of the phrase “where there is darkness, only light” that brought it to mind on this Easter morning. Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus the Christ – God’s light overcoming darkness, God’s hope overcoming despair, God’s forgiveness overcoming wrong.

I don't want to infringe on copyright laws so I won't share the lyrics of “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” on this site. However, here is the Prayer of St. Francis from which it originated …

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy 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.

Amen.
As we go forth proclaiming and celebrating the resurrection today, may it be done with this prayer in mind.

OK, better roll here ... Have a most blessed Easter everyone!