- 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.
- 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.
- I say this prayer during my meditation during this month of September in anticipation of the Feast of St. Francis which is around the corner, celebrated on October 4th, which is also my birthday. Reciting a prayer or a passage of sacred writing is called “passage meditation.” A practice taught by Ecknath Easwaran, a Sufi-Franciscan (my term) whom I stumbled upon in search of a Sufi teacher who grasped my devotion to Christ and understood the mystical side of Christianity.
- The Prayer is a Christian prayer. It is attributed to the 13th-century saint Francis of Assisi, although the prayer in its present form cannot be traced back further than 1912, when it was printed in France in French, in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (The Little Bell) as an anonymous prayer, as demonstrated by Dr. Christian Renoux in 2001. The prayer has been known in the United States since 1949, when Cardinal Francis Spellman and Senator Albert W. Hawkes distributed millions of copies of the prayer during and just after World War II. (wikipedia)
- The web site for Easwaran describes passage meditation in this way:
- In passage meditation, we choose a spiritual text, or passage, that embodies our highest ideals, memorize it, and then go through the words slowly, silently, and with as much concentration as possible. This method brings two important benefits. First, by training our mind to stay on the words of the passage, we gradually build the precious capacity to place our attention wherever we choose – the key, as Easwaran would say, to love and loyalty as well as genius. Second, we begin to resemble and actually become whatever we give our attention to. As the inspired words from the great spiritual traditions of the world slowly come to life in us, they bring with them quiet joy, the capacity to face challenges squarely, and a deep sense of fulfillment.”
- I have found this practice to be very stabilizing, grounding, and beneficial to my spiritual growth, and to how I function in this world. Along with other prayer practices, this one is developing into a daily practice. I intend to meditate on a new passage every month, and use Scriptures from all the faith traditions that echo the teachings of Christ.
- One also uses a mantra during mediation , and throughout the day. Most prayer traditions teach this basic rule and it coincides with the teachings of St. Paul to “pray always.” I cannot stress how important this is. One does have to practice it continually and give it time, as it slowly begins to settle deep within one’s consciousness and spirit, and one finds that it then runs in the heart and mind without commanding it.
- When one runs into a difficult situation, a conflict at work, a tense moment at home, or an sudden unexpected encounter in public, breathing and repeating the mantra keeps one’s emotional responses in check and the response is measured and sure. What would the world gain if leaders were taught this valuable lesson!
- A mantra is a word or simple phrase, like “Jesus” or “Ramah” (Ghandi’s mantra), or “maranatha” the mantra taught by the World Community for Christian Meditation.
- Here is a list of mantras listed on the Easwaran web site:
-
Buddhist
Om mani padme hum
(“The jewel in the lotus of the heart”)
Namu Amidabutsu
(“I put my faith in the Buddha of infinite light”)
Christian
Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me
(Known as the Jesus Prayer)
Kyrie eleison
(“Lord have mercy”; short form of the Jesus Prayer in Greek)
Gospodi pomilui
(“Lord have mercy”; short form of the Jesus Prayer in Russian)
Ave Maria
Hail Mary
Deus meus et omnia
My God and my all(This was the phrase used by Saint Francis in his prayers. Easwaran recommends using either the English or Latin version, whichever appeals to you.)
Om Yesu Christu
Hindu
Rama
Haré Rama, Haré Rama
Rama Rama, Haré Haré
Haré Krishna, Haré Krishna
Krishna Krishna, Haré HaréOm Sri Ram, jai Ram, jai jai Ram
Om namah Shivaya
Om Bhavani
(A mantram in honor of the Divine Mother)
Jewish
Barukh attah Adonai
Ribono shel olam
(“Lord of the universe”)
Muslim
Allah
Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
(“In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate”)
I have no desire to pray for my worldly “success” like so many mediation and spiritual gurus try to sell us, but I do hope that as I am transformed by these prayers and as my ego diminishes and my true self emerges, that I may become an instrument of God’s Peace.