Social Justice Writing

Offered by Rachel and Lauri


Reading: Read through the following, a prayer of St. Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy 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;
and 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.

This prayer emphasizes peace and reconciliation through self-sacrifice. A key word used here – instrument – can have several different meanings. In Romans 6:13, Paul uses the word instrument to refer to a weapon. Using this understanding in the context of prayer means that we are to be “weapons of peace.” This kind of instrument is active, not passive. It is on the offensive, working for peace, for justice, for shalom. It can work only in the power of the Spirit, in concert with the “whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-18). Paradoxically, its strength is made perfect in weakness, in surrender, and in obedience to the will of God.

St. Francis’s whole prayer is a paradox. It shows us how in God’s economy everything is upside down. Jesus set the example for us, and the Little Poor Man of Assisi followed in his footsteps. His prayer illustrates this upside-down life in the kingdom of God. In the world we strive for our rights; in the kingdom we relinquish what we believe we deserve and seek the lowly place. In the world we strive for power; in the kingdom we embrace a life of service. In the world we strive for self-fulfillment; in the kingdom we die to ourselves.

But these are not negative things. Francis himself is known for his joy and most of all as one who overflowed with love – love for God, love for people, and love for every part of God’s creation. These are the things that make for peace.

Read the prayer again. Reflect on how contrary its teaching is to the dominant mood of our day. And yet the words are so true. Think of times in your life when you found it true that giving led to receiving, that pardoning brought you freedom, that dying to self gave you new life. In the light of these great truths, dedicate yourself to live, like St. Francis, against the tide of contemporary culture.

The Prayer of the Heart:

Lord Jesus, the world is so filled with destruction. I despair at it and I condemn it. And yet I too take part in its destructive ways – belittling, defaming, slandering. Have mercy, O Lord! Forgive, O Lord! Make me an instrument of your peace. Amen.


Adapted from Songs for Renewal by Janet Janzen and Richard Foster.