They May Not Have Written It, But They Lived It
Michael Kroth • July 2, 2020
The Prayer of St. Francis and John Wesley's Rule - Words to Live By
The words of the Prayer of St. Francis and John Wesley's Rule are words which, if practiced by enough people - even if each of us would work to do this just a leetle bit better each day - would radically change the world for the better. Just a leetle bit better.
What would it mean if we worked to be instruments of peace, just a little more, a little better, each day? Instruments, to be played well, need to be practiced. Played. Not just lovingly displayed. Each day.
And in practicing each day, one inevitably improves.
What would it mean if we did all the good we could, by all the means we have, just a little more and a little better, each day?
Apparently St. Francis didn't actually write the Prayer of St. Francis and John Wesley didn't actually write John Wesley's Rule, but it's a tribute to how they lived their lives and what they held important that we know they could
have written these words, and certainly lived them.
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is error, truth;
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 we are born to eternal life
--------------------------
John Wesley's Rule
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
Sources
The Prayer of St. Francis - Our Catholic Prayers, https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/the-prayer-of-st-francis.html
John Wesley's Rule - https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/rule-of-life
Photo Credit
Photo by Michael Kroth. This is a picture of the what I wear around my neck, hoping to be reminded to live just a scootch better each day, following these two. One of course is St. Francis, the other is the symbol the the United Methodist church, the Cross and Flame.
St. Francis and John Wesley - People To Follow
Most of all, she is crazy about her brood. She smiles more when she’s with them. Laughs more. Enjoys more. Relaxes more. Has more fun. She just loves her family.
“…there must be millions of aging males, now slipping into their anecdotage…” ~E.B. White 1
Author's Note: I originally posted this in the Profound Bartender on April 8, 2018, and then reposted it here at Profound Living on April 25, 2018. I thought it might be a good time to repost it again.
Author's Note: This is a repost of an essay I published in 2018. I thought it was a timely topic to revisit.
“In Celtic wisdom we remember that our soul, the very heart of our being, is sacred. What is deepest in us is of God. ” ~John Philip Newell 1
We may be lights under bushels, but we can shine brightly against the dark even if we are mere candles. Together, the light may shine bright.
Silence speaks to us Listening in deep quiet… Hear what you long for! ~Patricia Leyko Connelly 1
"Elegance is the harmonious integration of simplicity, refinement, and intentionality across diverse contexts, combining timeless beauty with functional sophistication." ~ChatGPT Synthesized Definition
