October 04, 2009> 1:28 PM
francis Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. I had forgotten until I was reminded. Just this week, I had been scanning through a small book of selected writings I have of his and St. Clare's, and found a great prayer he wrote, inspired by the Our Father. I was thinking, "this would be a good thing to put on the blog," and here we are, the day of St. Francis, perfect excuse.
St. Francis has always been, it feels like to me, one of my "patrons." My Confirmation name is Christopher. We're not even sure he was a real person. I like the concept of being a "Christ carrier" though. Sometimes I don't carry Him very well. He carries me much better - for that I am grateful. Honestly, I think Francis was a leeeetle bit crazy, but you know, we love him anyway. He was certainly a fool for Christ. We could all do with a being more of that kind of crazy.
I am inspired by his great love for God and for people, by his seeming total abandonment to God's transformative power in his life. The mountain and valley style of monastic life he set up with his little brothers is also a source of inspiration for me. Go up in the hermitage in the woods for a while, be built up, then go down to the streets and let the Life of God in you, be poured out to others. That's good stuff. Alright - here's the prayer...
O our most holy Father: O our Creator, Redeemer, Consoler, and Savior Who art in heaven: In the angels and in the saints, enlightening them to love, because You, Lord, are light inflaming them to love, because You, Lord, are love dwelling in them and filling them with happiness because You, Lord, are the Supreme Good, the Eternal Good from Whom comes all good without Whom there is no good Hallowed be Your name: May our knowledge of You become ever clearer That we may know the breadth of Your blessings the length of Your promises the height of Your majesty the depth of Your judgments Your kingdom come: So that You may rule in us through Your grace and enable us to come to Your kingdom, where there is an unclouded vision of You a perfect love of You a blessed companionship with You an eternal enjoyment of You Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven: That we may love You with our whole heart by always thinking of you with our whole soul by always desiring You with our whole mind by directing all our intentions to You and by seeking Your glory in everything and with our whole strength by spending all our energies and affections of soul and body in the service of Your love and of nothing else and may we love our neighbors and ourselves by drawing them all with our whole strength to Your love by rejoicing in the good fortunes of others as well as our own by sympathizing with the misfortunes of others and by giving offense to no one Give us this day: In memory and understanding and reverence of the love which our Lord Jesus Christ had for us and for those things which He said and did and suffered for us Our daily bread: Your own beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ And forgive us our trespasses: Through your ineffable mercy through the power of the Passion of Your beloved Son together with the merits and intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary and all Your chosen ones As we forgive those who trespass against us: And whatever we do not forgive perfectly do You, Lord, enable us to forgive to the full so that we may truly love our enemies and fervently intercede for them before You, returning no one evil for evil and striving to help everyone in You And lead us not into temptation: Hidden or obvious sudden or persistent But deliver us from evil: Past, present, and to come Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
October 04, 2009
> 1:28 PM
Today is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. I had forgotten until I was reminded. Just this week, I had been scanning through a small book of selected writings I have of his and St. Clare's, and found a great prayer he wrote, inspired by the Our Father. I was thinking, "this would be a good thing to put on the blog," and here we are, the day of St. Francis, perfect excuse.
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