St. Francis: an Instrument of Mercy
A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

When St. Francis “was left alone and at peace, he would fill the groves with sighs, sprinkle the ground with tears, strike his breast with his fist and having found there a kind of secret hiding place, would converse with his Lord. There he would answer his Judge, there he would entreat his Father, there he would entertain his Friend, and there on several occasions the friars who were devoutly observing him heard his groan aloud, imploring the divine mercy for sinners and weeping for the Lord’s passion as if it were there before his eyes.” St. Bonaventure: the Life of St. Francis.” Chapter 10, section 4. 1978. Paulist Press, Classics of Western Spirituality.

We have learned that St. Francis frequently hid in caves or in the woods to pray, to be alone with the Lord. A great way to pray, in a hidden place away from the distractions of life. We don’t always have that luxury, but we must seek a place where we are comfortable and won’t be bothered by interruptions. Then look for solutions with His help.

A spare bedroom with no bed is my work room. It is quiet, unless I have the stereo on, and has no television (intentionally). The only problem is that it’s too messy and that in itself is a distraction. I try to put these Reflections together in that room with lots of thought and prayer and reading. It doesn’t always go smoothly: sometimes, actually often, I get stuck and stop in the middle. The thought that St. Francis is “an instrument of Mercy” intrigues me and thus I want to develop this further. What I hope to accomplish is to share knowledge and to provide advice to those who need it.

When I first began writing these Reflections in the late 1990’s, I still had spiritual interaction with people, mostly strangers, but as time wore on, those messages disappeared. It may have been my own fault, because I allowed, in fact encouraged people to send prayer requests, but over time that became a burden as I received huge amounts of prayer requests, long messages with voluminous bible quotations, and I asked people to send smaller messages and finally there were none. I do not have the messages anymore but I remembered one set of messages that spanned several months asking forgiveness for a life of sin that even a priest would not have been able to forgive, and I am not a priest. I remember the messages because I could have done so much more. I could have shown more mercy, a side of my character that is not well developed.

A Prayer of Repentance (attributed to St. Francis of Assisi)

O Almighty, Eternal, Most Just and Merciful God, I prostrate myself before Thy Face, humbly beseeching Thee, who alone are Good, all good, wholly good, ever Good, that remembering the most bitter Passion and Death of Thy Only-Begotten Son, and the most sorrowful compassion of His Immaculate Mother, Thou wouldst deign to look with an eye of pity upon this most wretched of Thy creatures.

So many treasures of nature Thou hast given me and consoled me with, and I have not heeded Thy Word and commands. So many blessings of grace Thou hast lavished upon me, and I have squandered them in vice and iniquitous selfishness. So bountiful has been Thy mercies of forgiveness and pardon to me, and I have rebelled and betrayed Thee yet again.

Truly, am I not worthy of Thy consideration ; nay rather, do I deserve eternal damnation. Even the troubles, sacrifices, and difficulties of a thousand most bitter lifetimes are not sufficient to atone for my wickedness. Truly am I worthy, not of Thee, but of hell alone, of damnation and eternal torments. Yet I, like and impudent swine, do still complain and murmur.

Daring not to raise my eyes unto Thee, who are infinite Goodness and most exacting Justice, I beseech Thee, through the merits of the Passion and Death of Thy Most Beloved Son, who for my sake became a slave unto death, death on a Cross, upon which in the last moments of His most bitter agony, He didst bestow upon me His own most Beloved Mother, Thy Daughter by grace and election. In virtue of Their merits, by which I have been so many times succored in my great necessities, I beseech Thee hear this my petition.

Have mercy upon me! Have great mercy upon me! For without Thee I can do nothing worthy of Thy consideration. I who am nothing, and by sin even less than nothing. A wretch, a swine, a cesspool of every vice and inequity!

Therefore I beseech Thee, O Most Blessed Trinity, to shed the fire of Thy merciful love upon this most frigid heart, to let shine upon this most darkened mind, the light of the Son, in whom alone is every grace and truth. Have pity on me, most Merciful God, and regard not my sins and offenses, but in Thy mercy forgive me yet again, and grant me the graces to serve Thee now in fidelity and truth.

I am not worthy to serve Thee, but Thou dost deserve all my service. In the Name of Jesus, Thy Mercy, therefore, I beseech Thee. In the name of Mary, I pray. Amen.

(One of the prayers found here: https://www.reflections-dmf-ofs.org/franciscan-prayers-in-time-of-trial#Repentance )

May you find Peace and Mercy,

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
August 28, 2020

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