St. Francis’ Prayer for Courteous Fire

Reflect

“My brother fire . . . be kind to me in this hour, be courteous!”—St. Francis of Assisi

Over time, St. Francis’s eyes began to weaken and doctors advised a cauterization—a deliberate burning of the eyes—with hopes of a cure. St. Francis, in his true manner, saw God in all things and “spoke” to the burning instrument, asking for gentleness. As with so many things in his life, he praised God for everything—even things difficult and frightening. He knew God was there.

Pray

Oh St. Francis,
Please pray that I, too, may turn to God in times of fear.
Please help me to see God in everything around me.
Help me to trust that he is with me, helping me—
no matter how scary the situation.

Act

Anything worrisome coming up in your life? A visit with difficult people? A surgery? An uncomfortable project at work? Try to remember St. Francis’ heavy leaning on God for his eye cauterization. As an experiment, try to see God in your upcoming trial. Try thanking God for the difficulty.