A New Portrait of God

The godly deeds of the Peace Prayer illumine a new portrait of God. In a world made gloomy by the image of a warrior God or a vengeful God or a picayune God, godly deeds are incarnations of “the Father of lights” (James 1:17). Helping the elderly neighbor with grocery shopping, accepting someone despite his or her lifestyle, deciding to recycle, valiantly ministering to the sick during a pandemic, contributing to a charitable organization, encouraging someone with a pat on the back, and refusing to strike back in violence all witness to how God uses his instruments and servants to express and reflect the divine care, concern, and compassion for creation. God is the source of all deeds of light, and his vibrant presence mysteriously glistens behind them. Godly deeds also illumine the familial relationship we share with one another. We are family—brothers and sisters to one another. “But if we walk in the light as [Jesus] is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another…” (1 John 1:7). Following in the footsteps of the Lord and Divine Master is never a solitary affair. In the Peace Prayer, we pray to sow light in the midst of darkness. That light comes from the flame of faith that has illumined our paths since the day of our baptism. The Peace Prayer reminds us to brighten the lives of others with deeds that manifest our familial bonds as children of a loving, forgiving God who, in the words of Francis of Assisi, is reflected in Brother Sun.

—from the book Soul Training with the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis
by Albert Haase, OFM