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by Alan Paton (Author)
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
Author Biography
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.
Instrument of Peace (formerly titled Instrument of Thy Peace) 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:
O 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.
