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INSTRUMENT OF PEACE
Meditations on the Prayer of Saint Francis

By Alan Paton

Product Description

Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace.
 
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.
Author and anti-apartheid activist Alan Paton drew upon the Prayer of Saint Francis to write Instrument of Peace (originally titled Instrument of Thy Peace) while his wife Dorrie lay dying of emphysema.
Among many others, Paton said he wrote this book for those:
  • Who wish with all their hearts to be better, purer, less selfish, more useful
  • 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
  • Who wish to keep their faith bright and burning in a dark and faithless world
  • Who seek not so much to lean on God as to be the active instrument of His peace
“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.”

About the Author(s)

Alan Paton (1903–1988) was a man of God and an internationally bestselling author whose now all-time classic debut novel, Cry, the Beloved Country (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.

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.

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.

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.

Additional Info

Item ID 1038750
ISBN-13 9798887693804
Speedy 368007
Publication Date May 13, 2025
# of Pages 128
Format Trade Paper
Language ENG