A Prayer Born in Times of War
The so-called Prayer for Peace, known by its famous opening verse "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace," was not written by Saint Francis of Assisi, even though it now rightfully bears his name in a spiritual sense. Its oldest documentary trace dates back to December 1912, when it appeared anonymously in La Clochette, a small bulletin of the Ligue de la Sainte-Messe directed in Paris by Father Esther Bouquerel. From there it made its way to L'Osservatore Romano in January 1916, in the thick of World War I, as a timely petition on a continent torn apart by the trenches.
The Franciscan attribution arrived around 1920, when a French friar printed it on the back of a holy card bearing the image of the Poverello. The resemblance between its spirit and the charism of Assisi was enough for the Christian faithful to adopt it as their own ever since. It does not appear in the Missal or the Liturgy of the Hours, but it has been quoted by John XXIII, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and recurrently by Francis, especially in the encyclical Fratelli tutti. In popular devotion, it is prayed at wakes, retreats, ecumenical gatherings, and as an evening examination of conscience.
Full Text of the Prayer for Peace
Señor, hazme instrumento de tu paz.
Donde haya odio, ponga yo amor;
donde haya ofensa, ponga yo perdĂłn;
donde haya discordia, ponga yo uniĂłn;
donde haya error, ponga yo verdad;
donde haya duda, ponga yo la fe;
donde haya desesperaciĂłn, ponga yo esperanza;
donde haya tinieblas, ponga yo la luz;
donde haya tristeza, ponga yo la alegrĂa.
Oh Maestro,
que no busque yo tanto ser consolado, como consolar;
ser comprendido, como comprender;
ser amado, como amar.
Porque dando se recibe,
olvidándose de sà mismo se encuentra uno a sà mismo,
perdonando se es perdonado,
muriendo se resucita a la vida eterna.
Amén.
We do not reproduce here the official version of this prayer in your language because we are not certain of it; this is the Spanish text. The Latin original, which is common to all languages, appears below.
Reflection and Meaning
Whoever prays this petition soon discovers that they are not asking for a passive gift, but for a transformation of their own condition. The formula "make me an instrument" places the person who prays within the logic of baptism: allowing oneself to be used by Another. It is the same logic Saint Paul describes in Romans 12:21 when he exhorts us "do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Peace, in biblical language, is not the absence of conflict but the shalom that bursts forth when the human being is reconciled with God, with oneself, and with one's neighbor. That is why Jesus proclaims the peacemakers blessed, "for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9): peace is a sign of divine filiation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church captures this same insight when it teaches that "earthly peace is the image and fruit of Christ's peace" (CCC 2305) and that it can only be obtained through justice and charity, not as a simple cessation of hostilities. This is why the prayer does not list abstract desires, but concrete opposites: hatred versus love, offense versus forgiveness, darkness versus light. Each antithesis describes a real spiritual combat, the very one the Catechism places in the human heart as the place where "the outcome of the great battles between good and evil is decided" (CCC 2302-2303, on peace as the work of charity).
The second part of the prayer takes a leap that many spiritual masters have underscored: asking not to seek to be consoled, understood, or loved. Here resonates with strength the Ignatian decentralization and, above all, the way of proceeding of Saint Francis himself as narrated by Thomas of Celano in his Vita prima and Saint Bonaventure in the Legenda Maior: a man who only found joy when he renounced possession, even the possession of consolation. It is the kenosis of Philippenes 2, applied to daily life. It is not a matter of despising comfort, but of not making it a condition for self-giving.
The closing of the prayer—"it is in dying that we are born to eternal life"—condenses the entire Paschal mystery. Whoever prays these lines is asking, without fully knowing it, to live right now the dynamic of the wheat grain from John 12:24. Pope Francis recalled this in Fratelli tutti (nos. 2–4 and 286), when he presented the figure of the saint of Assisi as the inspiration for a universal fraternity capable of building bridges even with the adversary. The spiritual fruits that Tradition associates with this prayer are the same ones Saint Paul lists in Galatians 5:22: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness. And they are verifiable fruits: whoever prays it with constancy eventually notices that they forgive sooner, listen more, and complain less. Prayer does not change the world overnight; it first changes the one who prays it, and through them, the small piece of the world before them.
Saint Francis didn't write it, and it's worth pointing out
It is one of the most widespread mistaken attributions in Christianity. The prayer «Lord, make me an instrument of your peace» is not by Saint Francis of Assisi: it first appeared in 1912 in an anonymous French devotional magazine called La Clochette. Seven centuries after Francis.
Mt 5, 9
It was associated with him during World War I, when it circulated printed on a holy card with his image on the back, and from there it came to be called the «Prayer of Saint Francis». Stating this does not detract from its value: its spirit is profoundly Franciscan, which is why the attribution stuck. But an article presenting it as written by him in the 13th century is passing off a legend as fact.
How it is used
- As an examination of conscience: each verse proposes a shift in posture—where there is hatred, let me sow love—and serves to review the day.
- At peace rallies and ecumenical celebrations, which is where it is most commonly prayed in public.
- On October 4, the feast of Saint Francis, due to popular association.
You may also be interested in the Lord's Prayer, Nada te turbe.
In the shop: engraved wooden plaques.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Saint Francis of Assisi write it?
No. It first appeared anonymously in 1912 in the French magazine La Clochette. It was attributed to him during World War I when it circulated on a holy card bearing his image.
Then why is it called the Prayer of Saint Francis?
Because of that holy card and because its content fits the Franciscan spirit. The attribution is popular, not historical.
Is it still valid as a prayer?
Entirely. The fact that it is not from the 13th century does not change what it says, and the Church prays it normally at peace events.
What is its central idea?
That one asks to be the subject of change, not the beneficiary: «grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console». Each verse inverts the usual posture of the person praying.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 2302-2306 (on peace) and no. 2305 (earthly peace as the fruit of Christ's peace).
- Holy Bible: Matthew 5:9; Romans 12:21; John 12:24; Galatians 5:22.
- Thomas of Celano, Vita prima Sancti Francisci (1228-1229), Spanish edition by Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, Madrid.
- Saint Bonaventure, Legenda Maior Sancti Francisci, in Obras de San Buenaventura, BAC.
- Francis, Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti on Fraternity and Social Friendship (October 3, 2020), especially nos. 2-4 and 286.
- Christian Renoux, La prière pour la paix attribuée à saint François: une énigme à résoudre, Éditions Franciscaines, Paris, 2001 (historical study on the origin of the text in La Clochette, 1912).
About the Author
Javier Morales has led more than two hundred retreats in the Emmaus Spain network over the course of twelve years. His background combines Ignatian spirituality with the tradition of the Emmaus movement: the inner journey, discernment, and personal encounter with the risen Christ as the engine of conversion.
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