INSTRUMENT OF PEACE

"Instrument of Peace" is a gentle, flowing choral setting based on the beloved Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. The melody carries a humble and earnest petition, asking God to use us as vessels of love, light, and healing in a broken world. The chorus anchors the piece with a unified plea for walls of pride and prejudice to fall, creating a deeply moving moment of reflection for anyone listening.

In the choir loft, this arrangement is often brought out during Communion or as a quiet meditation after the homily. The structure is straightforward but effective, moving from a harmonized chorus into two distinct verses that outline the familiar Franciscan petitions. As the voices sing of sowing love where there is hatred and shining light into darkness, the simple solfa harmonies give the text room to breathe and resonate.

Congregations connect with this piece because the words are so universally understood and deeply needed. Singing "to the millions crying for release, we will be your instrument of peace" transforms a personal prayer into a shared communal mission. It works wonderfully as a sending-forth hymn, leaving the church with a quiet but firm resolve to carry that peace out the doors and into their daily lives.