# Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
*2017-10-04*

> Bill Young reflects on the feast day of St. Francis, offers prayers for recent tragedies, and leads the classic Prayer of St. Francis, inviting listeners to bless their animals and remember the saint’s call to peace.

## Feast Day and Recent News

Good morning, I’m Bill Young. Today is Wednesday, October 4th, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Before we pray, I want to mention a recent talk I heard on the history of St. Francis; I’ll try to post a link soon.

We also lift up those suffering in Puerto Rico after the recent devastation, and we pray for the families and survivors of the tragic shooting in Las Vegas. We thank the first‑responders, doctors, nurses, and ordinary people who risked their lives to help others.

## Blessing of the Animals

St. Francis is famous for his love of creation. In St. Davids, Florida, the parish holds a Blessing of the Animals on the feast day, usually around 3 p.m. If you have pets, check with your local parish about a similar celebration. I only have backyard birds and ducks, but I encourage everyone to bring their animals for the blessing.

## The Prayer of St. Francis

Now let us pray the well‑known Prayer of St. Francis, a timeless prayer for peace:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, let me bring pardon;
where there is doubt, let me sow faith;
where there is despair, let me bring hope;
where there is darkness, let me bring light;
where there is sadness, let me bring joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be comforted as to comfort;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive, in forgiving that we are forgiven, and in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

## Personal Reflection

A little over a year ago my wife and I visited Rome for Mother Teresa’s canonization Mass. We took a side trip to Assisi and saw the beautiful Basilica of St. Francis, as well as the nearby chapel of St. Clare. The experience reminded me how St. Francis showed us a concrete way to follow Christ—by taking up our cross, loving our neighbor, and giving to the poor.

*May the words of St. Francis continue to inspire us to be instruments of peace in a world that so desperately needs it.*