The Prayer of St. Francis — Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace

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.

About This Prayer

Though traditionally attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, this prayer first appeared anonymously in 1912 in a small French devotional magazine called La Clochette; its author remains unknown, and the association with Francis came later because the words match his spirit so well. It spread worldwide through both world wars as a prayer for peace, and it endures because it turns prayer inside out — instead of asking God for comfort, it asks to become the person through whom God comforts others.

When to Pray This

Pray it when you are walking into conflict — a tense family situation, a divided workplace, a hard conversation — and want to bring peace rather than win. It pairs well with the Serenity Prayer as a daily prayer for a gentler heart.