The prayer of St. Francis…

Make me an instrument of 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;

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.

The prayer of St. Francis

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 understand the renewal of life.

It’s not hard to find a solution to this prayer issue, IF YOU WANT ONE. The problem is for some people recognizing the existence of spirituality without THEIR God is itself blasfumous.

May I become at all times, both now and forever
A protector for those without protection
A guide for those who have lost their way
A ship for those with oceans to cross
A bridge for those with rivers to cross
A sanctuary for those in danger
A lamp for those without light
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
And a servant to all in need.

“Buddhists don’t pray to a Creator God, but they do have devotional meditation practices which could be compared to praying. Radiating loving-kindness to all living beings is a practice which is believed to benefit those beings. The sharing of merit is a practice where one dedicates the goodness of one’s life to the benefit of all living beings as well as praying for a particular person.”

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/b_faqs.htm

I would like to appeal to the good in you and the good in me, that we find ways to ignore the differences that come between us, and that we find ways to work together, to the benefit of everyone.

I’m am sure that this prayer some might find sadly lacking, but I am not highly trained in theology, or ethics for that matter.

I challenge any of you who read this to create a well-written and sincere prayer following the federal guidelines. Anyone can debunk these rules, but I think that a sincerely religious person could easily find the language for it, and abstain from building sectarian fences in the process.

— posted anonymously on Christopher Hitchens’ blog