Prayer of St Francis

This is, by far, one of the most articulate, touching, and powerful prayers ever uttered. Thank you, St. Francis of Asisi.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

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;

and 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.

Amen.

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Healer

OK. I’ve been wanting to write this for a long time now. So finally I have decided to put into words about how I feel about the following.

Much has been said about the song ‘Healer’ by Mike Guglielmucci. When I first heard the song, my heart was so moved because its lyrics were so declarative and powerful. Almost everyone I knew was singing it and talking about it. And then when the truth about Guglielmucci’s condition was revealed, the popularity of this song dwindled quickly. I can understand the hurt, pain, and betrayal felt by so many people when they realized that his condition was a big con. I, too, felt cheated, but nevertheless, the song remained just as powerful for me as when I first heard it.

The more I listen to and play and sing this song, the more it continues to grow on me. Sure, the songwriter had a big fall, but I still believe in the truth conveyed in this song. And I have come to believe that God used this song to heal Guglielmucci, however ‘ugly’ the truth was. I believe now that God put this song in Guglielmucci’s heart so that he could cry out for help, so that God can use it to restore him and heal him of his ‘condition’.

For the long while, I was afraid of what people might think, or how it might offend other people if I sang this song in public. But I am coming to see that the truth of the Gospel heals some, and offends others. For some, the truth that God is Healer sets them free and restores them. For others, it is like fairytales, and for some others, a total ridiculous notion.

Nevertheless, we are not called to judge others for what they think. That is God’s job. We are called to love. We are called to faithfully proclaim His truth, that God sent His Son to die in our place. That whoever believes in Him who was risen three days later, would be saved from an eternity of death, darkness and ultimate hopelessness. That God is Healer, Redeemer, Restorer, Deliverer, and Saviour.

I think we’ve got it wrong when we say, hastily or even with much thought, that this song shouldn’t be sung because of the controversy surrounding it. I think we’ve got it wrong when we think about how it would offend others. Instead, we should think about how God can use even a song, written in such unfavourable circumstances, to mend broken hearts, to calm raging seas, to bring assurance that God has not left us alone nor forsaken us, to heal our sickness, illness and disease. We should think about how this song can remind us to trust in God, that He is all we need, that He is our portion, that He is more than enough for us.

If we believe that God can do miracles and has the power to raise the dead, and if we believe that He has given us this power through His Holy Spirit, then we should be singing this song. It’s about time that we remove the barriers and walls we’ve built that we use to try to shield ourselves from hurts and offenses. It’s about time we stand up in worship and declare the truth that God is who He says He is. It’s about time we sing this song again.

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