Love on Earth

Oftentimes, it is God calling us to forget a little bit of ourselves and start practicing unconditional love when we experience little or no love, e.g., in our family, community, workplace, situation, or circle of friends, etc. As someone said, "When and where there is no love, add love there, and there will be love." Apparently, the way to do so has been best summed up by St. Francis in the Prayer of Peace below in which we are called to love, rather than to be loved, to understand rather than to be understood, to support rather than to be supported, etc. Some extra prayers to God are often needed to help us practice the following prayer:

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, hope;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

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.