Jan 19, 2016

Prayer of St. Francis (16)

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console (2)

“You give but little when you
Give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself
That you truly give.”
                                                    Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Consoling Others

We continue to look at part two of the Prayer of St. Francis, on how we should react if we are in the midst of a difficult life situation, where consolation is needed by all.

God is asking that we respond in all situations of life as one would as the Face of God present right in that event at that moment. Once we find ourselves able to act in that type of event, where our own pain is often blinding, we become more as Jesus did when on the cross, where he responded to the pain of his tormentors, the pain of the thief next to him, and the pain he could see in his mother, by using encouraging words spoken through his own physical pain which eased his own pain.
Yes, when we are able to help others see through their own pain, our pain is relieved, because we are no longer thinking through our ego, where our pain centers are located. The story of St. Stephen in the Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 7, tells the story of a young man being stoned to death, prayed that the Lord would receive his spirit and those stoning him be forgiven; thinking beyond himself, and like Jesus, knew that those killing him “knew not what they were doing”.
When we can act in the same way of consoling others even though we are to the point of breaking, we will find that our own pain is lessened just by being open to the pain of others. When we can get our mind off of ourselves into the mind of others, our own pain sensitivity is lowered and by giving of ourselves we receive consolation in the form of God entering our space in the room we allowed, so that we can let the healing balm of God flow into others – and our own souls.
When we give to others we receive, as Jesus put it: “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (Luke 6:38)
Yes, when you console others, consolation flows back to you in “good measure —- running over”. Your own pain becomes spread over the pain of others, and we find ourselves floating in a sea of love and consolation. That is the rule of giving: we always receive far more in return when we give of our life to another.
Our life on earth can be considered a success if we learn to give as Jesus did, for that is the secret of a life of Love and Joy: to give until it flows out of us as a living stream. It is in giving that we receive, overflowing much to our wonderment and the surprising joy that fills our being, even though our hearts may be breaking, we will be filled with that Love that can only be the Love of God filling our being and lifting us up.

“We make a living by what we get.
We make a life by what we give.”
                                                 Winston S. Churchill

Questions to Ponder

Have you experienced the crushing pain of some event and found yourself consoling others? How did that make you feel? If not, how would you have responded differently if you had known this path?
Does the thought of being the agent of God in a devastating event seem possible in your life?

Meditation

“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, 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;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.”
If this meditation post has been helpful, I would appreciate it if you would pass it on or share it.