Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our hearts. Instill in us a correct faith, a certain hope, and a perfect love, a sense and a knowledge, Lord, that we may do Your holy and true command. Amen.
This prayer was written by St. Francis of Assisi, and thought to be the prayer that he prayed in earnest before the crucifix at the run-down church of San Damiano down the hill from his home in Assisi. St. Francis was like all of us – a man somewhere on his journey with the Lord. It is striking that he opens the prayer with his poverty – for it is poverty for which he will be known! He and his order of lesser, poor brothers. He opens this prayer by asking for what he needs, because he has looked inside and found his resources lacking.
So it is that when we turn to God, we see radiance, and goodness, and beauty – and in its shadow, we are dull, and sinful, and ugly. But where we are wounded, God wishes to heal us, and where we are most humble, He will most glorify! So we bring our poverty to the Lord, laying bare our hearts before Him, that He may provide even our faith, hope and love, those most human yet most supernatural gifts.
The prayer is both a giving and a receiving – it necessarily begins with receiving – for God so loved us first! But it proceeds to wanting to give something in return – “Lord, that we may do Your holy and true command”. At that humble, poor little church, St. Francis asked for grace – and a mission! And he was given one: “Francis, rebuild my church, for as you see it is falling into ruin”. St. Francis began immediately! He picked up a stone, he started cleaning house, he begged for donations – and the broken building became a solid foundation for the rest of his earthly mission. For after a few more times literally fixing churches – he began to understand the Lord’s request to rebuild the Church, God’s people.
Give us “a sense and a knowledge, Lord . . .” Every day after our morning Mass, the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago pray St. Francis’ prayer before the crucifix. This gesture of receptivity before the Lord, right after receiving His Body and Blood, provides us the disposition of heart to “do [His] holy and true command”. The Mass is the heart of our day, truly the source and summit of our life of prayer and our life in community. Restored by the graces of the Word and Sacrament, and in this prayerful disposition of heart, those of us available enjoy breakfast together, so that we are nourished to go about the work of the day.
We have simple little cards with the prayer on it, so that guests that attend our private Mass on occasion or service trips may pray along with us. It is a great gift to hear that some people continue the practice on their own, or pray it daily for us and for more vocations to our community. We just received a note from a seminarian who prayed the prayer in Assisi for us, kneeling before the original San Damiano crucifix at St. Clare’s basilica! It is a testament to the authenticity of St. Francis’ poverty of heart that continues to draw people to Him today – and through Him, to the Lord! “Most High, Glorious God . . .”