Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint for caring for
animals.
St. Francis could talk with animals, so I feel a special affinity to him. He was also gentle and kind. I like that too!
Here's the St. Francis Prayer
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;
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.
This prayer was first published in
1912, and probably was never uttered by the man himself, I find it a
gentle reminder of what I'm supposed to be doing here.
We
all come to different realizations about spirituality and religion. I
hope that you aren't offended by me sharing something from my spiritual
tradition.
I'm a Universalist, which means that I find value
in every spiritual path. Whether you experience the divine through
prayer or through a walk in the woods or through your own powerful
self, it's all good.
Okay, so here's the song I sing on St.
Francis' Day. It's a silly little song but I think it speaks to the
universal holiness in all of us!
All God's Creatures Got a Place in the Choir
All God's Creatures got a place in the choir.
Some sing low. Some Sing Higher.
Some sing out loud on a telephone wire.
And some just clap their hands, or paws,
or anything they got now.
Comments