Notes on The Peace Prayer
by Wynn Wagner

LORD, MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE was unknown before the 20th century. It first appeared in 1912 as a prayer for Mass in a French publication called La Clochette (The Little Bell). Some think it was written by Father Esther Bouquerel (d. 1923), publisher of La Clochette, but this is pure speculation.

The prayer next appeared in Italian in 1913 in L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's newspaper.

During World War I, it appeared again in French on the back side of a Holy Card. On the front of the card was a picture of St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226). Although no claim was made that ths prayer was written by the saint, it became known as the Peace Prayer of St. Francis. Even books that try to make claims at being scholarly show the saint as the author, although Franciscan scholars try to say that it is modern.

The first English version appeared in 1936 in a book called Living Courageously. It was problably translated by the book's author, Kirby Page (d. 1957), who was a protestant minister (Disciples of Christ).

The original prayer goes like this:

Seigneur, fais de moi un instrument de ta paix.
Là où il y a de la haine, que je mette de l'amour.
Là où il y a de l'offense, que je mette le pardon.
Là où il y a le doute, que je mette la foi.
Là où il y a le désespoir, que je mette l'espérance.
Là où il y a les ténèbres, que je mette la lumière.
Là où il y a la tristesse, que je mette la joie.
 
O Divin Maître, donne-moi de ne pas tant chercher
à être consolé qu'à consoler,
à être compris qu'à comprendre
à être aimé qu'à aimer.
Car c'est en donnant qu'on reçoit,
c'est en pardonnant qu'on est pardonné,
c'est en mourant qu'on ressuscite à l'éternelle vie.

In English:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when 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.
 
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 to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.