September 14, 2026

Sow Love First

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Though modern scholars doubt Francis penned these exact words himself, the prayer has carried his name and spirit since it first appeared in a French magazine in 1912. It reflects the same heart that led him, in 1219, to walk unarmed across enemy lines during the Fifth Crusade to meet Sultan al-Kamil, choosing conversation over combat. Francis lived among lepers and outcasts most people crossed the street to avoid, believing love was something you did with your hands and feet, not just felt in your heart. The prayer asks for a love that goes looking for hatred on purpose, not one that waits for easy company.