St. Francis Novena, Day Six

As you remember your personal intentions, please pray that we will be filled with God’s gifts and be eager to serve in faith, hope, and love.

Fr. Jeff Scheeler, OFM

One of St. Francis’ prayers is a reflection on each phrase of the Our Father. Apparently, this was a common practice in medieval times, as other saints did the same. It remains a good practice, I think, to slow down the words—to “savor” and “mine” each phrase of this prayer, which came from the very heart and prayer of Jesus. Jesus undoubtably prayed this prayer before he taught it to his disciples. It gives us a glimpse into the inner lives of Jesus and St. Francis, and what went through their minds and hearts when they prayed.

After the words “your will be done on earth as it in in heaven,” St. Francis wrote:

“That we may love you with our whole heart by always thinking of You,
with our whole soul by always desiring You,

with our whole mind by directing all our intentions to You and by seeking Your glory in everything,

and with our whole strength by spending all our energies and affections of soul and body

in the service of Your love and of nothing else

and we may love our neighbor as ourselves

by drawing them all with our whole strength to Your love

by rejoicing in the good fortunes of others as well as our own

and by sympathizing with the misfortunes of others

and giving offense to no one.”

God’s will that we seek to do here on earth is about loving God with all that we are and do and loving our neighbor as ourselves. It seems that a lot of loving is going on in heaven! In imitation of that love, St. Francis used all his energy and strength to love the people in his life. Each day he would begin again, strengthened by a new day’s daily bread, opening himself to God’s love so that he could then share it with others. He rejoiced with others and sympathized with them with the hope that he might draw them with “his whole strength” into the love of God.

What does the phrase inspire within you?

Fr. Jeff

Fr. Jeff Scheeler, OFM, is the pastor of Church of the Transfiguration in Southfield, Mich.

Pray the Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Read by Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM

St. Francis suffered great illness and was often thought disturbed by the townspeople of Assisi including his own family. You can post your prayer intentions to him on our Prayer page.

The Novena to St. Francis of Assisi

Day Six

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Poor and humble St. Francis, through your kind intercession we seek to love God above all things. We seek the faith, hope, and love that moved you to joyfully renounce honors and riches and to radically follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray for us that we come to see the privilege of suffering with and for the poor after the example of Jesus. Help us to be always grateful for all the blessings we have received and give us the strength to overcome our most pressing concerns.

(Include your personal intentions now.)

Holy St. Francis, through your prayers, may we be blessed with the desire to give all of our strength and abilities towards serving God’s purpose in our lives. May our lives be filled with complete faith and the hope of spending eternity with the Most High, all-powerful good God.

St. Francis, help us to continue praying for the grace to truly repent and change our hearts by actively seeking reconciliation with God and all those we have offended or hurt in any way. May the blessings we receive through your intercession deepen our faith and inspire us to store up treasures in heaven, where we hope to spend eternity with our loving God.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

Post your prayer requests on our Prayer Page.

Give alms on our Donation Page. Light a candle or offer a Mass here.

Fr. Murray Bodo, OFM, is a writer and poet.  He invites you to discover the gospel life of St. Francis in, The Simple Way: Mediations on the Words of St. Francis, available at Franciscan Media.

Videos and articles on St. Francis at Franciscan Media.

We follow Jesus in the footsteps of St. Francis, learn more at Franciscan.org