DAY 90
Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily reflections for people of faith
by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor
Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland
WEEK THIRTEEN: FRIDAY 12 JUNE 2020
An Ancient Prayer for a Current Pandemic
St. Francis of Assisi 1181-1226
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
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
And it’s in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Francis was born into a family of wealth. Given to all sorts of sinful behavior, he was headed to fight in the Crusades when God spoke to him in a dream, the first of several experiences on his journey of conversion, in which his heart and his life were turned around. One day, while praying in a church, he heard Christ speak to him from the crucifix saying “Francis, repair my church.” He soon renounced his father and his inheritance. While never a priest, he began to attract followers to his simple rules for living which became the foundation for the Franciscans: (1) the rich young ruler told to sell everything and give to the poor; (2) the apostles told to take nothing on their journey; (3) and the command to take up the cross daily. Within 10 years he had 5,000 followers. Franciscans, in the order he founded, are engaged in ministry around the world today and his prayer to this day has been popular with Christians from all parts of the Body of Christ.
Reflective question: During this pandemic, which of Francis’ petitions do those around you need you to embrace?
Reflective Scripture: Luke 9:23 – “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Reflective hymn:
“Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken” – Henry Lyte (1793-1847)
Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;
Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition, all I sought, and hoped and known;
Yet how rich is my condition. God and heav’n are still my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment