Brother Sun, Sister Moon revisited

I found this clip on the blog, OrthoPraxy, and was reunited with the film Brother Sun and Sister Moon. I was 17 the first time I saw it, and was spending the summer at His Hill Ranch Camp as a Counselor in Training. It was a Saturday night after the campers had gone, and we staff gathered in the property owner's house to watch it. I was totally taken by the beauty and simplicity in the way St. Francis of Assisi was portrayed in this film. I have since seen a few documentaries on him and wonder now if he is presented a bit romantically.

But still the film and music are most beloved for very good and deeply human reasons. Unfortunately you can't get the original soundtrack, so instead of purchasing Donovan's recent solo re-sing with guitar only, I purchased Buddy Comfort's renditions with more voices and instruments, especially for "Stone by Stone", sans essential geese, which is sung at the end of the above clip. I'm finding it very nice Pysanki making inspiration.

Another reality check though, according to Wikipedia, the Prayer of St. Francis, "Make me an instrument of your peace" cannot be traced before the 20th century. That doesn't bother me so much as how the first part of the prayer now affects me,

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy 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;

and where there is sadness, joy.

It comes across like I am to be the sower of all these divine things. I think this has contributed to my feelings of burn out that caught up with me the couple of years preceding my conversion to Orthodoxy. I felt I was responsible for fixing everyone's problems, and it seems people began to expect it from me. I had to withdraw when I ran out of youthful energy. St. Seraphim of Sarov said, "acquire the spirit of peace and all around you will be saved." This is a slightly different, but I think important approach. When there is hatred, injury, doubt, despair, darkness, and sadness in my heart, I pray that God will exchange it for His love, forgiveness, faith, hope, light, and joy. Then as I become one with Christ, our saving relationship will hopefully shine out and cause an automatic ripple effect. St. Seraphim spent years in isolation before he became a Spiritual Father for many people. I think too much is expected of immature, baby Christians.

This part is a little better, but I think being consoled, understood, and loved is necessary, but may not come in the form we expect. Though it should lead to understanding, loving, giving, forgiving, and dying to selfishness to receive Eternal Life.

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.