For the past three weeks, approximately fifty fellow parishioners, along with Father Jim and myself, read, reflected, and discussed Father Albert Haase’s book, “Instruments of Christ: Reflections on the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi.” This little book packs a challenging and powerful message about our vocation as disciples to be “instruments of Christ” or “little Christs” in our families, in our workplaces, in our parishes, in our communities, in our country, and in our world. Father Haase makes two bold suggestions about how we can truly become “instruments of Christ.”

First, Father Haase writes that “peace” is about more than just an absence of war or the cessation of conflict. “Peace” is about pursuing peace, making peace, and becoming peacemakers. It’s about sharing six basic seeds of peace with our family, friends, and neighbors: love, faith, forgiveness, hope, light, and joy. And it’s about sowing these seeds of peace now, today, tomorrow, and always in all that we think, say, and do. Second, Father Haase advises us that to be true disciples, we must become “instruments of Christ” or “little Christs” to those we meet, those we love, and those we find it hard to love. To become a “little Christ” is to truly live the Great Commandment to love God and to love others. To become a “little Christ” is to pursue the common good over individual interests; to live for God and for others; to live for “us” rather than just for “me” in every aspect of our lives.

To live this way is not easy; to pursue peace in our world is not easy. Father Haase writes that “peace is the product of priorities and preferences arranged in consideration of ‘thee’ not ‘me’… It’s about giving, not receiving; it’s about pardoning, not being pardoned.” Indeed, the so-called “Peace Prayer of Saint Francis” is a plea to God for the courage to put others before ourselves. It is a plea to God for the grace to love amidst hate, to hope amidst despair, to find joy amidst sadness, and to bring light to those in darkness. The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis is a plea to God for the energy to console the sick, to welcome the outcast, and to give until it hurts. Most of all, the Peace Prayer is a plea to God for the strength to love and to forgive over and over and over again. Needless to say, because we are all broken and wounded in some way, becoming and persevering as true disciples can seem impossible. After three weeks together, those who participated in our book group had no easy answers. And yet, there are three simple spiritual exercises that can help us make progress in becoming “little Christs” in our world: a daily examination of conscience, intercessory prayer, and some form of service.

A daily examination of conscience is about taking a personal inventory of our thoughts, words, and actions. What did I do well today? How did I stumble today? How can I do better tomorrow? It’s not about seeking perfection; it’s about making progress. It’s about turning away from the mirror of self and turning toward the window that looks out at the world and praying about how we might make it better. Likewise, intercessory prayer is about transforming our prayers from a litany of requests for our own needs into a litany of requests for the good of others. After all, if I’m praying more for oth- ers, then I’m praying less for myself, for what I desire, or for what I want. Lastly, everyone (young or old, rich or poor, healthy or living with a serious illness or disability) can contribute something to building up God’s kingdom. Some are able to volunteer their time, talent, and treasure with great generosity. Others are able only to offer a prayer, smile, or kind word to those we meet along the way. However God calls us to serve, that service can bend our lives toward seeking what is good for others, rather than just what might be good for ourselves.

Finally, in a beautiful chapter entitled “Sowing Light Amid Darkness,” Father Haase writes: “Godly deeds such as love, forgiveness, consolation, understanding, and charity… illumine a world often darkened by the ego’s hatred, revenge, callousness, apathy, and greed.” Amen to that! Let us pray together then, now and always, for the determination and discernment to find our own individual ways of becoming instruments of Christ’s peace in our families, in our neighborhoods, in our workplaces, and in our increasingly troubled world. May the Lord give you peace!

Cliff Garvey
Associate Minister
Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport
Contact: cgarvey@ccgronline.com

CCGR Weekly Newsletter (7-16-17)
Bringing Home the Word (7-16-17)

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Pastor’s Call to Prayer
The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, love;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may seek 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 called to eternal life.
Amen.