St. Francis of Assisi and ME

by Lisa Hepner

The tragedy of September 11th and the current crisis in the Middle East have caused many of us to search for peace. How do we create world peace?

Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see." Many of us are learning that in order to create world peace, we have to BE peace. So then, the question becomes, how do we as individuals truly BE peaceful?

Well, we could learn from the past. St. Francis of Assisi taught us a lot about being peaceful by way of example. Yet, somehow we all too often get caught up in reactive mode, which is the opposite of true peace.

I'm guilty of this myself. I normally like to think of myself as a peaceful person, but there are moments, like when my mom calls, that I struggle to find inner peace. I normally answer the phone very chipper, and then I hear my mother's nagging voice on the other end, calling to nag me about how my life didn't turn out the way SHE planned. Nag, nag, nag is all I hear. I try to say things in my defense, but it falls on deaf ears. Then when I get off the phone, I am totally sapped of energy.

"Oh, dear God," I would pray, "help me find peace." Yet, no matter what I did I couldn't find peace in the situation.

Recently I watched a biography of St. Francis of Assisi called Brother Sun, Sister Moon. I really enjoyed learning more about this patron saint of peace. The peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi is beautiful, so I wanted to find out about this saint who I felt could help me be more peaceful.

St. Francis of Assisi renounced his life as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant and went to live with the beggars and lepers. They rebuilt an old church outside the city limits. St. Francis of Assisi (Francesco) then was free to spend his days frolicking in nature and communicating with animals and with God.

One day while Francesco was out in nature, a villager came and set fire to the church. Some beggars and lepers, who happened to see the man fleeing the site, pounced upon him and killed him. When Francesco returned and saw his church on fire, the beggars and lepers standing around and the man dead on the ground, he wasn't filled with anger. He didn't react.

He didn't respond with "you morons, I was only gone for 30 minutes." He didn't yell; he didn't jump to conclusions. He fell to his knees and prayed. He said, "dear God, help me to understand. Help me to understand how someone could be so full of hatred, so full of anger that they could do this to another person." That was the beauty of St. Francis of Assisi; he sought not to be understood, but to UNDERSTAND.

The essence of St. Francis of Assisi is alive today through his words. The peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi goes like this,

"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 darkness, light

Where there is sadness, joy

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.

It is in dying, that we are born to eternal life."

Well, that's beautiful, but how can I be peaceful and promote world peace, when I can't even get along with my mother?

The first key is the willingness. The willingness to be peaceful. "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace." I repeat this first sentence a few times to myself when I am in a situation that is causing me turmoil. I breathe into the words. And somehow, through that mantra, I find I am willing to find peace in the situation. Then I respond from that place of centeredness.

Second, "Seek not to be understood, but to understand." Seek to understand someone else's viewpoint. Try to understand that person's pain or intent. Before, when my mom used to call, I would get defensive. It was all about me.

One day my mom called, and I picked up the phone in my chipper voice. I heard her start nagging. I said the mantra, "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace," a few times. Then I said, "Mom, did I ever thank you?" She stopped nagging. "I wanted to thank you for loving me so much." She was delighted and the rest of the conversation was fine.

Now, instead of viewing my mom as the perpetual nag, I think about the fact that she loves me so much.

Next time you're in a situation that is not peaceful, try listening to St. Francis of Assisi. First, be willing to be peaceful and to see peace. "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace." Then, try to understand the other person's viewpoint. Put yourself in his or her shoes. See if those two things help you be more peaceful.

Because St. Francis of Assisi said that "while we can proclaim peace with our lips, be sure to have it more fully in your heart."

With these two keys, I believe we can actually exemplify peace, and truly BE the change we wish to see.

Lisa Hepner is the author of Peaceful Earth: Spiritual Perspectives on Hope and Healing Beyond Terrorism, which contains insights on 9/11 from spiritual leaders like Neale Donald Walsch, Jean Houston, Marianne Williamson, Dan Millman, and Alan Cohen. For more info, see www.peacefulearth.org. She is also a chaplain at the Living Enrichment Center in Wilsonville, Oregon. See also LisaHepner.com and HoldtheVision.com.