A New Prayer of St. Francis

A New Prayer of St. Francis
O God our Creator, give us awareness of the massive forces threatening our world.
Where there is armed conflict, let us stretch our arms to our brothers and sisters
Where there is abundance, let there be simple lifestyles and sharing
Where there is poverty, let there be dignity and constant striving for justice
Where there is selfish ambition, let there be humble service
Where there is despair, let their be hope in the Good News
Where there are wounds of division, let there be unity and wholeness
Help us to be committed to the building of your kingdom, not seeking to be cared for, but to care, not expecting to be served, but to serve others, not desiring material security but placing our security in your love.
For it is in loving imitation of you, God, that we can discover the healing springs of life to bring about new birth on our earth and hope for the world. Amen

As I mentioned yesterday, I am away for two weeks. I shall pray for all at the shrine of St. Philippine in St. Charles where I shall be for four days which include a workshop on working with youth; I shall then have a week to do research in our general archives in St. Louis. The following week end I will finally get to go to Sugar Creek where Philippine went with others to work with the Indians. Lucille Mathevon was the superior of that little group and stayed on the Indian mission until her death. I have always wanted to go and it will be like a pilgrimage for me and I am excited about it! I will be back on the blog at least by October 15 and may be able to write before that but it is usually better to think that I will be away for two weeks and not writing the daily blog. The above prayer will help you prepare for the Feast of St. Francis.