The Prayer of Saint Francis
St. Francis by Caravaggio
The Prayer of St. Francis is one of my personal favorites. While some have derided it as more self-centered than much of his recorded work, and while it was almost certainly written by someone other than the Saint himself (it first appeared, in French, in 1912), it captures the ideal of service for service’s sake immensely well. In particular, I enjoy the second half, which focuses more on outward expressions of Divine Love as its own reward, rather than rectification of a subjective malady of self. The spirit of St. Francis exists in the words, and, indeed, in every light worker. With humility and grace, may we all serve the greater good.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.O Master, let me not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
it is in dying that one is raised to eternal life.
Sera and St. Francis
St. Francis Mission Chapel
Sera, apparently, is also a fan of St. Francis and his ways. Our guidance had been causing St. Francis to appear in our lives with a frequency too large to ignore. I had always been drawn to San Francisco (the city). Even in my early teen years, prior to ever having visited the city, I
always knew that it was where I would wind up living one day — no small notion for a high school kid in the midwest! Turns out, I was right and I made the move just before the turn of the century. Not realizing it, I soon also landed in a neighborhood named for the Mission bearing his name, the oldest building my new hometown.
Years later, all within the same week, I was offered the chance to volunteer at a hospital named in his honor, interviewed for a role at a school directly across the street from his Mission, saw entire chapters devoted to him in two separate books on unrelated topics and heard his name referenced (not so) randomly in several movies and shows. Rachel and I decided to listen to these signs and visit Mission San Francisco de Asís, something I’d never done despite it being mere blocks from my home.
Mission Chapel Ascension
Upon entering, I was immediately struck by the solemn energy it held. The spirit of the entire property was immensely quiet, powerful and humbling despite (or due to?) its modest trappings. I took special note of the mural on the side wall of the original chapel, which depicted the ascension process of a human soul to the stargate residing at its top — all in alignment with the chakras. As I viewed this wonderful piece of art, I distinctly heard Sera tell me “This is your home.” Our visit was punctuated by a punchline when we discovered that Junípero Serra had not only officiated at the Mission, but also was the subject a prominent statue erected on the property… Serra, Sera… get it? Maybe you had to be there.
Anyway, this prompted us to ask Sera about this connection to the Saint the next time we channeled, and it turned out that she had quite a bit to say.
Daniel bears a resemblance to Francis, of course. They have crossed consciousness in ‘past lifetimes.’ The notion of ‘past life’ is a convoluted one indeed, so we hesitate to use that phrase. In this regard, consciousness is the ebb and flow of experience, personality, learning, vibration. Energies will cross with one another, but they merge, magnetize to one another at times, and then dissipate over the ages. So, it would be unwise to consider Daniel a reincarnation of Francis himself, but it would be fair to characterize their relationship as symbiotic at times. Their vibratory patterns match and align quite well and this have merged into single consciousness in the ‘past.’ This is why you both feel the pull to his teachings and work as you do. The aspects of him exist in a great many beings currently walking your planet. You both among them. Do you understand?
We thought that was pretty neat. I have worn a pendant of his image ever since and routinely recite portions of his prayer during my morning meditations. His humility and service remain an insistent and consistent source of inspiration for me, and his energies are a wonderful source of clutter clearing and clarity of purpose when the world seems hectic or overwhelming.
