The prayer empowers us to be the agents of change our world so desperately needs
It is an understatement to say that we live in tumultuous times. There is murder and suffering in Israel/Palestine as well as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The war in Ukraine has no end in sight, and this is only a partial list of the horrendous acts of violence happening in the world as we speak.
Then we heard the news of an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, leaving us wondering if anyone is safe at this moment in history.
Is human life really of so little value to us? I certainly hope not. Can any of us stop the violence that is happening? Perhaps not directly, but we can control how we respond, and that is significant.
A poem published in a magazine in France in 1912 was inspired by the 13th-century Italian mystic Francis of Assisi. It became popular throughout the carnage of the two world wars, when people were similarly grasping for something hopeful to hang onto. Certain lines continue to resonate:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offence, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring unity.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
Lord, may I seek to console others more than to be consoled,
To understand others more than to be understood,
To love more than to be loved.
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying to self that we find eternal life.
To state the obvious, bad things happen when we sow hatred and embrace violence. While we may declare that human life is sacred, we seem to have no problem aiming our weapons at the “other,” whether it is Hind Rajab, a six-year-old Palestinian girl killed, along with several of her relatives, by the Israeli military, the Hamas terrorist attack against innocent Israeli citizens, or Donald Trump.
It may be tempting to condemn and punish others, but where does that lead us? It is easy to say that the world would be better if certain people were not in it, but what right do we have to make that determination? It’s interesting that when the International Criminal Court was established, it decided that life imprisonment, not the death penalty, would be the harshest sentence it could impose.
Everyone has the potential to change, but some will choose not to, and only they can make that decision. The best we can do is hold them accountable for their actions and protect innocent people from their violence.
If someone seeks a position of authority in our society but talks about sowing discord and vengeance, about “getting them before they get us,” we must recognize that this person will lead us astray. Great leaders value each individual; tyrants divide the world into “us” and “them.”
We are all imperfect. We get offended, overreact to situations, say things we shouldn’t, and hurt one another. This message applies not only to the larger political sphere but also to the intimacy of our personal lives. In reality, they are both one and the same.
Whether or not one believes in God or eternal life, we can all hit the reset button, we can take a deep breath, come to our senses, and find ways to move forward together.
Hopefully, the prayer inspired by St. Francis of Assisi empowers us to be the agents of change that our world so desperately needs at a moment when we are once again tearing ourselves apart.
Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.
For interview requests, click here.
The opinions expressed by our columnists and contributors are theirs alone and do not inherently or expressly reflect the views of our publication.
© Troy Media
Troy Media is an editorial content provider to media outlets and its own hosted community news outlets across Canada.
