A Classic Prayer

 Today’s reading in Daily Reflections is the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. That’s it. I’m not going to try to add to what is already beautifully complete, but I’ll just toss in my thoughts about it.

This prayer is a sublime distillation of the 12 steps. Don’t we seek to be lights in the darkness of our addictions? Balm to the pains of ego? Balance in the midst of unfairness? Yes indeed! St. Francis laid it all out beautifully. He reminds us that it is not about us as individually hurting; it is about how to transcend that pain in order to offer compassion and hope to those who still suffer.

It reminds us about how that compassion is a loop—finding forgiveness by forgiving, find oneself by self-forgetting. It lays out priorities about serving others, comforting others, understanding others, and loving others. It takes us out of ourselves, and back into Life.



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