Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

1. Embrace your role as an instrument of peace

We are not saints, we are not heroes. Our lives are lived in the quiet corners of the ordinary.

Be a humble instrument. Saint Francis reminds us that we don't need to be extraordinary to make a difference. Our everyday actions, no matter how small, can bring peace to those around us. Like a bird's morning song or a viola's gentle notes in an orchestra, we each have a unique part to play in the symphony of life.

Recognize your light. Even when we feel surrounded by darkness, we all possess an inner light capable of guiding others. A single candle can lead a sailor home or guide someone out of the woods. Similarly, our smallest acts of kindness can profoundly impact those in need. Don't underestimate the power of your presence and actions, however ordinary they may seem.

2. Sow love in the face of hatred

Hatred is the most frightening of all human emotions. It is willful and predatory. It consumes everything around it.

Confront hatred with love. When faced with hatred, our instinct is often to run or respond with more hatred. However, Francis challenges us to stay present and meet hatred with love. This act requires courage and faith in the power of goodness, but it has the potential to transform both the hater and the one who loves.

Understand the roots of hate. Hatred often stems from loneliness, deep hurt, or sadness that has calcified into a desire to destroy. By recognizing this, we can approach those filled with hate with compassion and seek to plant seeds of love in the empty spaces of their hearts. Even the smallest act of kindness can begin to soften the armor of hatred.

3. Offer pardon where there is injury

Healing rises above the question of right and wrong, even good and evil. It has to do with restoring a life to health.

Focus on healing, not blame. When we're hurt, it's natural to seek justice or revenge. However, Francis encourages us to prioritize healing and reconciliation instead. This approach doesn't mean approving of wrongdoing, but rather seeking to restore health to both the injured and the one who caused harm.

Take the first step. Like the father who visited his daughter's murderer in jail, sometimes we need to make the first move towards reconciliation, even when it seems impossible. This act of reaching out can begin a process of mutual understanding and healing, breaking cycles of pain and resentment.

4. Cultivate faith amidst doubt

Faith is not always so dramatic. It is sometimes a quiet shaping—an edifice built, stone by stone, from the hard labors of our heart.

Embrace the journey of faith. Faith isn't always a sudden, blinding revelation. Often, it's a gradual process of building belief through small acts and experiences. Like a Benedictine monk dedicating himself to daily prayer or a yogi practicing disciplined meditation, we can cultivate faith through consistent spiritual practices.

Sow seeds of faith for others. We don't need to have perfect faith ourselves to help others believe. By sharing our own spiritual gifts, however humble, and pointing others towards the light we perceive, we can help them on their own faith journeys. Sometimes, just touching the "cloak of God" - brushing against spiritual truths - can be enough to start someone on their path.

5. Bring hope to places of despair

By our presence we are affirming a worth that the spirit does not feel. We are bearing witness to a possibility in which the spirit does not believe.

Be present in darkness. When faced with someone in despair, our most powerful tool is often our presence. Like sitting with the grieving judge on a street corner, sometimes we don't need words or solutions - we just need to be there, affirming the worth of the despairing person through our unwavering presence.

Stand as a witness to possibility. By refusing to withdraw in the face of another's despair, we silently testify to the possibility of hope. Our presence becomes a defiance of the darkness, a mute testimony that says, "You are a child of God, and you matter." This act alone can sometimes be enough to make a wounded heart turn back towards the light.

6. Shine light into darkness

We are too quick to measure our lives by the dramatic moments, too ready to minimize the light that we shine into the small darknesses of everyday life.

Value small acts of kindness. We often overlook the significance of our everyday actions. However, a simple gesture like a teacher taking time to listen to a troubled student can be as impactful as grand acts of heroism. These small moments of light we bring to others' lives can have far-reaching effects we may never see.

Trust in the power of your light. Even when we feel we have nothing to give, we often possess hidden reservoirs of strength and compassion. Like the author comforting a grieving family in Mexico despite his own emotional turmoil, we can shine light for others even when we feel surrounded by our own darkness. Our light, however faint, can make a crucial difference in someone else's life.

7. Create joy where there is sadness

To the bringer, it seems like no more than consolation. But to the person wrapped in the shroud of sadness, it feels more like joy.

Seek to bring joy, not just comfort. When confronted with sadness, our instinct is often to offer consolation. However, Francis challenges us to go further and try to create moments of joy. This doesn't mean ignoring or diminishing the sadness, but rather finding ways to reconnect the person to the fullness of life.

Embrace unexpected gestures. Joy often comes from small, unexpected acts of kindness. Like the cab driver taking an elderly woman on a final tour of her city before she enters hospice, we can create profound moments of joy through simple, thoughtful gestures. These acts can break through the isolation of sadness and remind people of the beauty and connection still present in their lives.

8. Seek to understand rather than be understood

When we try to understand another, we reveal ourselves, and in revealing ourselves we are able to be understood.

Practice active understanding. Instead of waiting for others to understand us, Francis encourages us to take the initiative in understanding others. This approach not only helps us connect more deeply with those around us but also paradoxically allows us to be better understood ourselves.

Create bridges of meaning. Like the American sailor who returned a samurai sword to a former Japanese enemy, our efforts to understand others can create profound connections across seemingly insurmountable divides. These acts of understanding can transform relationships, heal old wounds, and create new meanings that ripple out far beyond the initial interaction.

9. Choose to love rather than be loved

Love is active and generative. Its seed must be planted if it is to grow.

Prioritize giving love. Francis teaches us that love is not something we wait to receive, but something we actively give. Like building snowmen to combat loneliness, or sharing a meal with a hungry monk, we should seek opportunities to express love rather than waiting for it to come to us.

Love unconditionally. True love, as demonstrated by Francis, is not judgmental or conditional. It reaches out to all of creation, not because others deserve it or can reciprocate, but simply because they are part of God's world. By giving love freely and unconditionally, we allow it to take root and grow in unexpected ways, enriching both ourselves and those around us.

10. Find fulfillment through giving

When we give, we are opening the doors of possibility in a way that allows the light of love to shine through. And in that light, miracles can occur.

Experience the reciprocity of giving. Many who dedicate their lives to service or philanthropy report that they receive more than they give. This isn't just a platitude, but a reflection of the deep spiritual nourishment that comes from the act of giving. When we give, we create a connection that can transform both the giver and the receiver.

Embrace the risk of giving. Giving often involves vulnerability and risk. Like Francis embracing the leper or the juggling student performing in hospitals, we don't always know how our acts of giving will be received. However, it's in taking these risks that we open ourselves to the possibility of profound connections and unexpected blessings.

11. Practice forgiveness to experience freedom

Life is too short to freeze our feelings around a moment of wrong, whether it is one that was done to us or one that we have done to others.

Start with self-forgiveness. Before we can truly forgive others, we must learn to forgive ourselves. By acknowledging our own mistakes and shortcomings without dwelling on them, we free ourselves to engage more fully with life and to extend that same grace to others.

Break cycles of resentment. Forgiveness is not about condoning wrongdoing, but about freeing ourselves from the prison of anger and resentment. Like the townspeople forgiving the wolf in Francis's story, when we forgive, we open our hearts to new possibilities and restore health to our relationships and communities. Forgiveness allows us to move forward, transforming both ourselves and those around us.

Last updated: November 18, 2024