Saint Francis of Assisi gives us a beautiful prescription for Peace in a simple prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light!
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.
Peace is not external. It lies deep within our heart for us to uncover and live. Its expression is in each breath that we take with awareness and remembrance of who we really are.
The hatred, injury, discord, doubt, despair and darkness are seen as covers or diseases upon our spiritual heart, that need cleaning or purification. The process of purification, allows us to understand, be consoled, love, give, forgive and much more.
The teachings of Sidi al-Jamal, taught at the Sufi U, help students to uncover and then live the Divine Peace that is within each of us.
