{"product_id":"instrument-of-peace-meditations-on-the-prayer-of-saint-francis-9798887693804","title":"Instrument of Peace: Meditations on the Prayer of Saint Francis","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Thus begins the beloved prayer of the Italian friar Saint Francis of Assisi, which well expresses his sentiments as a preacher of peace, love, and unity. \u003cbr\u003e Author and anti-apartheid activist Alan Paton drew upon the Prayer of Saint Francis to write \u003ci\u003eInstrument of Peace\u003c\/i\u003e (originally titled\u003ci\u003e Instrument of Thy Peace\u003c\/i\u003e) while his wife Dorrie lay dying of emphysema. \u003cbr\u003e Among many others, Paton said he wrote this book for those: \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Who wish with all their hearts to be better, purer, less selfish, more useful \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Who do not wish to be cold in love, and who know that being cold in love is perhaps the worst sin of them all \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Who wish to keep their faith bright and burning in a dark and faithless world \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Who seek not so much to lean on God as to be the active instrument of His peace \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \"Sometimes we cannot pray because we are fallen into a melancholy and therefore have for the time lost our hope and our faith and have no one to pray to,\" Paton wrote. \"I am in unrepayable debt to Francis of Assisi, for when I pray his prayer, or even remember it, my melancholy is dispelled, my self-pity comes to an end, my faith is restored, because of this majestic conception of what the work of a disciple should be.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlan Paton (1903-1988) was a man of God and an internationally bestselling author whose now all-time classic debut novel, \u003ci\u003eCry, the Beloved Country\u003c\/i\u003e (1948) is reported to have sold over 15 million copies. Twice adapted for film as well as a Broadway musical, it has been translated into numerous languages around the world. \u003cbr\u003e Paton began his career as a teacher and later director of a boys' reformatory, where he introduced what were then considered to be controversial reforms, with the intention of bringing dignity and freedom to the troubled urban African boys in his care. \u003cbr\u003e He was among the founders of the Liberal Party of South Africa to counter apartheid. In 1960, he traveled to New York to receive Freedom House's annual Freedom Award. Upon his return to South Africa, authorities confiscated Paton's passport for a decade, making it impossible for him to leave the country. \u003cbr\u003e In addition to his critically acclaimed novels, Paton also wrote numerous books of nonfiction, including two memoirs, poetry, plays, and short stories. He is noted for his psalmic and balanced prose style. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eInstrument of Peace\u003c\/i\u003e (formerly titled \u003ci\u003eInstrument of Thy Peace\u003c\/i\u003e) has a special place in Paton's oeuvre. Written while his wife Dorrie lay dying and yet refusing the despair he undoubtedly felt at the time, Paton encourages us to remember the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eO Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; not so much to be understood, as to understand; not so much to be loved, as to love\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Whitaker House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51812567646482,"sku":"9798887693804","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8a66ada4-3943-4a29-a545-700c7153dc6a.jpg?v=1766490004","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/instrument-of-peace-meditations-on-the-prayer-of-saint-francis-9798887693804","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}