“Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.”
This prayer came to me this week as I reflected on the radical nature of this gospel we claim. This prayer came to me, as I stood at Home Boy Industries in central L.A. with the youth of this congregation. We listened to our tour guide David, tell us of his journey through addiction and incarceration, and his current path of purpose and dedication. David’s was a radical story of transformation. The Gospel is a radical story of transformation. The light I saw in David’s eyes was that of a man who has seen much and endured much and now carries the wisdom of one who holds kindness and grace as a sacred gift and calling.
The gospel is the death and resurrection of Jesus. The living out of that gospel is our transformation.
This prayer is attributed to St. Francis. It is in keeping with his humble and peaceful spirit, yet it originated in France in 1912. It was widely published during WWI and WWII when the world longed for peace. That longing is an ancient yearning. Those who study this prayer note that the second half of the prayer resembles one written by Giles of Assisi in the early 1200’s. He was one of Francis’s closest companions. Giles’ verses, however, appear heavily inspired by an earlier text themselves, namely the Beatitudes in Matthew and Luke. It seems there is an echo, throughout the ages, of this yearning. This word, repeated again and again, calls us to radical love. That we might have the courage to replace hate with love, and despair with hope, and sadness with joy in the living of our days.
David stopped on our tour, at a wall painted with a wide set of wings. On the wings were written the words, “Tenderness, Freedom, Hope, Love”. David said, “These are four words I certainly never experienced in my life.” His words caught me. What would it mean to have never experienced tenderness, freedom or hope in his young life?
The gospel is the determination of God to lay exactly that in the world. The living of the gospel is our determination to lay exactly that in the world. To sow love when we can, and bring joy as we are able, and bear witness to the light. David is doing so in Los Angeles. We are doing so in our community, and God is doing so in your life and in mine. Please pray for David and his work, as I am praying for you and your work. The Gospel will find us all.