Prayer
Prayer for Peace
A traditional prayer asking to become an instrument of peace, mercy, and hope.
Lord, make me an instrument of thy 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; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Editorial reflection
Peace begins as a willingness to carry grace into one concrete encounter. Read slowly, noticing the line that asks the most of you today.
This prayer is associated with Franciscan spirituality, but was not written by Saint Francis. Its earliest known publication dates to France in 1912; the reference below explains its history.
Historical reference: franciscanmedia.org · Prayer for Peace ↗. Wording can vary by translation or devotional edition.
Cross references