In this seventh meditation on the Peace Prayer of St. Francis, I invite you to reflect on the words: “Where there is sadness, let me sow joy.”
Sadness is a natural part of our human experience. We all encounter moments of disappointment, loss and suffering, and some of these experiences may remain with us for a long time.
Within our contemplative tradition, we do not seek to deny or suppress sadness. Instead, we recognise that even in difficult moments, we can choose how we respond.
Through this meditation, we explore the possibility of sowing small seeds of joy, beginning in our own lives and extending towards others.
We reflect on the ordinary experiences that bring us happiness, the deeper joys of love and relationship, and the divine presence that remains with us through changing circumstances.
As we complete the first half of the Peace Prayer, we make the intention to become instruments of peace, allowing compassion, awareness and divine love to guide us towards joy.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Where there is sadness, let me sow joy
00:39 – Settling into meditation
01:25 – Remembering the Peace Prayer
02:26 – Introducing the final invocation
02:53 – Recognising sadness as part of human life
03:45 – Understanding the different forms of sadness
04:25 – Remembering that sadness does not define us
04:49 – Becoming a sower of joy
05:11 – Identifying the joys in your own life
05:57 – Small joys and great joys
06:34 – Choosing joy as an instrument of peace
07:03 – Sowing joy in ourselves and others
07:40 – Accepting sadness without ignoring it
08:13 – Choosing our response to difficult feelings
08:41 – Repeating the prayer for joy
09:26 – Holding sadness and joy together
09:46 – Returning to the full Peace Prayer
10:20 – Inviting the Holy Spirit to work through us
11:00 – Finding joy in divine love
11:33 – Returning awareness to the body
11:53 – Closing bell
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