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,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
I had a recent conversation with a close friend and we talked about the importance of seeking to understand before seeking to be understood. I found a lot of merit in that and I was quickly reminded of The Prayer of St. Francis. So I started to sing the song in my head and came to the part where it says “for it is in giving that we receive”.
God is a giver. He is a generous God and pours Himself out for love of us. This is very clear when He gave us His only Son to die for our sins. Our God continues to give, time and time again, through graces, gifts and blessings alike. As a recipient of these, I catch myself with a mindset of expecting them or rejecting them. I do this by having the attitude of receiving something as a result of doing good or by holding onto things that restrict me from receiving God. However, I know I’m called to give selflessly for love of God and others, and not because I want something in return.
I think giving selflessly with a humble heart is agape love. And I feel St. Francis is telling me that when I love others with an agape love, I can receive more fully the graces, gifts and blessings that the Lord is always giving me. I can appreciate and accept them more because I have absolutely nothing in me. And when I’m empty, the Lord can fill me with only Him and that is what ultimately fulfills and satisfies my heart.