A Book about Franciscan Spirituality that Nurtures my Work for Justice
Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace: The Complete Prayers of St. Francis, St. Clare and other early Franciscans by Jon M. Sweeney
Book Review by Victor Narro
Franciscan spirituality has been the framework from which I engage in my daily work for immigrant rights and workers’ rights. The teachings of St. Francis form a core of my soul essence from which I tap into and nurture my activist life. The life and lessons of St. Francis of Assisi shape my work for justice, teaching me the way of peace, love, humility, and service. I rely on the prayers and teachings of St. Francis for reflection in my daily morning and evening meditations, or as St. Francis refers to as the Daily Office, to better ground myself in the work for justice. Jon M. Sweeney’s new book, Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace: The Complete Prayers of St. Francis, St. Clare and other early Franciscans provides me with such a great spiritual resource.
For the past few years, I have used Sweeney’s works and writings as sources of inspiration and guidance. I have read, and re-read, all of his books about St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi and how their lives of overzealous commitment to carry out the teachings of the Gospel in radical ways changed the Catholic Church. For example, I use two of Sweeney’s prayer reflection books — The St. Francis Prayer Book: A Guide to Deepen Your Spiritual Life and The St. Francis Holy Fool Prayer Book — as my main sources for my Daily Office. In Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace, Sweeney takes these two great prayer resources and integrates them into a storytelling process alongside other teachings and stories. What Sweeney does so brilliantly here, however, is his weaving of the teachings and prayers of St. Francis, St. Clare and the stories of his early followers Brothers Juniper, Bernard, St. Anthony of Padua and others into a book that reads like a novel. He starts the book with the prayers of St. Frances, Begin a Life of Conversion. He then transitions to St. Clare and her teachings, Listen for God’s Leading. Following the teachings of St. Francis and St. Clare, he then takes the reader to Brother Juniper, Anthony of Padua and other early followers of St. Francis where the theme becomes how to Love God in Humility. Finally, the book ends coming full circle to its title. Sweeney gives much well-deserved attention to the universal Prayer for Peace, which has become one of my principal prayer meditations during my Daily Office.
For me as a social justice activist and scholar, what moves me the most about this book is its emphasis on how our spirituality or faith can be a force for justice in the world. Faith is how we choose to live our lives where we mindfully dwell in the in the presence of a higher spiritual being. Throughout this book, Sweeney uses to teachings of St. Francis, St. Clare and the early Franciscan spirituals to highlight the simple act of unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness. Through the many prayers and conversations of this book, I came away with the book’s overarching message of peace: Love one another. Be joyous and allow others to find joy. Strive for peace in all things. Forgive others, for there can be no love or peace without forgiveness. No one is undeserving of forgiveness. We cannot pick and choose who to love and forgive — it is unconditional. Forgiveness creates room in your heart for love and compassion, which are necessary for bringing peace in the world.
The many invaluable lessons of unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness found throughout Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace that, like St. Francis and St. Clare, can appeal to anyone, anywhere. This book has universal appeal that cuts across different faiths and spiritual teachings. I have shared Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace with my fellow justice activists from different faith traditions.
Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace is a spiritual gift, and I am truly grateful to Jon M. Sweeney for writing it. It’s a book that I will keep in my spiritual activist toolbox and refer to it as resource for my Daily Office and whenever I am confronted by moments of spiritual weaknesses and in need of uplifting during my daily work for justice.
Victor Narro is Project Director and Professor of Labor Studies for the UCLA Labor Center and Core Faculty for the Public Interest Law Program of UCLA Law School.