30 MAY
CHANNEL OF PEACE
“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
(1 Corinthians 15:58)
| 1 | Make me a channel of your peace. | 2 | Make me a channel of your peace |
| Where there is hatred let me bring your love. | Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope | ||
| Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord | Where there is darkness, only light | ||
| And where there’s doubt, true faith in you. | And where there’s sadness, ever joy. | ||
| Chorus: | |||
| Oh, Master grant that I may never seek | 3 | Make me a channel of your peace | |
| So much to be consoled as to console | It is in pardoning that we are pardoned | ||
| To be understood as to understand | In giving to all men that we receive | ||
| To be loved as to love with all my soul. | And in dying that we’re born to eternal life. |
This song, most commonly called Prayer of Saint Francis or Peace Prayer, is a widely known Christian prayer. It is said to be often wrongly attributed to the 13th-century St. Francis of Assisi, as it can be traced only as far back as 1912, when it was printed in French in La Clochette, a small spiritual magazine without authorship.
However, even if not written by St. Francis, the prayer is what this founder of the Franciscan Order lived for. He gave up his father’s wealth, his thriving business, his Knighthood, a sheltered life, his family and friends and his love and passion for life for extreme poverty and danger, but with love and passion for Jesus Christ, the church and preaching the gospel.
We may not be as extreme as St. Francis but we must seek God’s grace to be a channel of His peace and blessing, hope and love to ourselves and others, if we say we are believers in Christ. Sometimes we are discouraged from doing good because we do not see the results but we must focus on the eternal results for nothing we do for the sake of Christ is in vain.
ACTION: Consciously practise and promote peace in your life and community.
PRAYER: Lord, please make me a channel of your love, hope and peace to the world.