Prayer of St. Francis - Verse 6

“Where there is darkness, light;” 

This week, we focus on the 6th verse of the St. Francis Prayer, where we continue our efforts of being an instrument in the hands of God. God is light, and in Him there is no darkness. Christ came into the world to show us this light and He calls us to shine this light to all. Simply put, we are asking God in this verse to help us to be like Christ to others. When we allow sin to come into our lives, it creates division and hurt in the relationships around us. Especially our marriage.

So, when we see this darkness appear in our family life or the relationship between us and our spouse, what do we do about it. Do we allow it to anger us and drive us to lash out at our beloved? Do we allow it to irritate us to the point of building resentment toward them? Do we allow it to divide us from our beloved to the point of closing in on ourselves and avoiding them? Or, do we ask God for the grace to recognize when and how Satan is playing us for a fool and actively working to destroy our marital relationship?  

When we turn to God first, in these times of division and brokenness, and allow Him to work in and through us, He can help us in recognizing the true enemy to our marriage – the devil. Then through His grace, He can lead us to healing and reconnection with each other. God calls us to humble ourselves to be able to love, forgive, apologize, change, and rebuild trust as He desires us to do. Ultimately, we are asking through this prayer for the ability to allow His love to illuminate our hearts and minds, and then to share that light with our beloved and with our family.

ACTION STEP: This week, root out the darkness in your marital relationship and seek God’s truth, love, and light to shine in and through you to your beloved.