From John to Francis: The Prayer That Reflects the Way, the Truth, and the Life

Cláudio Fajardo

Many consider the Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi to be the most beautiful synthesis of the Gospel of Jesus expressed in the form of poetry and supplication. What few people know, or sometimes forget, is that this profound harmony with Christ is not the result of chance. According to spiritual tradition and psychographed works by mediums such as João Nunes Maia and Chico Xavier, the Spirit who animated the “Poor Man of Assisi” was the same who, centuries earlier, rested his head upon the Master’s chest as John the Evangelist, the beloved disciple.

When we understand that Francis is the reincarnation of John, his famous prayer gains a new dimension. It ceases to be merely a hymn of humility and becomes the living testimony of a Spirit who, over millennia, dedicated himself to understanding the essence of Divine Love. If, in his earlier passage, John wrote that “God is Love,” in his return as Francis he taught us how to practice that love in the daily life of our imperfections.

In this article, we will seek to delve into the phrases of this immortal prayer, drawing a direct parallel with the lessons of the Gospel and the principles of Spiritist Doctrine, revealing how each verse represents a step toward the inner reform we so deeply need.

The Reciprocity of Love: Why the “Beloved Disciple”?

Many people wonder why John was called the “beloved disciple.” Was he Jesus’ favorite? Spiritist Doctrine clarifies that God shows no favoritism, but there is affinity. John was the beloved disciple because, throughout his journey, he was the one who loved the most.

Those who open their hearts to love unconditionally become a pure vessel through which love returns to them. There is a law of spiritual reciprocity: whoever loves naturally becomes lovable and loved.

This trait is fully confirmed in his reincarnation as Francis. The “Poor Man of Assisi” did not seek the love of others, yet his capacity to love was so vast, embracing everyone from lepers to birds and even “Brother Sun”, that he became a magnet for light. When he says in the prayer, “grant that I may not so much seek to be loved as to love,” Francis reveals the secret he had already understood since the time of John: when we stop demanding love and begin to offer it, we immerse ourselves in the very essence of God.

Where There Is Hatred, Let Me Bring Love: The Alchemy of Charity

This first verse is the very core of the Sermon on the Mount. When Francis prays to bring love where there is hatred, he is not proposing passive acceptance, but an active spiritual intervention. In the Spiritist view, hatred is a low-frequency vibration that can only be neutralized by the higher frequency of love.

• The Connection with John: the “Apostle of Love” wrote in his first epistle:”He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8). Like Francis, he simplifies theology: the Christian is one who acts as a filter, receiving darkness and returning light.

Where There Is Offense, Let Me Bring Forgiveness

Here, Francis synthesizes Jesus’ response to Peter about forgiving “seventy times seven.” In Spiritism, forgiveness is not merely a favor granted to the offender, but a form of emotional healing and spiritual liberation.

• Gospel Analogy: in the Lord’s Prayer, the condition for being forgiven is the forgiveness we offer. Francis understands that offense is a shackle; by bringing forgiveness, he breaks the obsessive bond that ties victim and aggressor together, allowing both to move forward on their evolutionary journey.

Where There Is Discord, Let Me Bring Union

This point touches on the Law of Society. Jesus declared that “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation” (Matthew 12:25). By founding his order upon fraternity, Francis revived the idea that we are all members of the same body.

• Spiritist Perspective: discord is born from pride and selfishness, the “two wounds of humanity.” Bringing union requires renouncing the need to be “the owner of the truth,” something Francis exemplified by engaging in dialogue even with those who thought differently, focusing instead on what unites us: our divine origin.

Where There Is Doubt, Let Me Bring Faith

The doubt mentioned by Francis is not merely a lack of religious belief, but an existential emptiness and uncertainty about the soul’s future.

• Gospel Analogy: Jesus consistently praised faith as the force capable of “moving mountains.” However, Spiritism teaches that bringing faith where there is doubt does not mean imposing dogma; it requires offering a faith that can be understood and practiced.
• Spiritist Perspective: Francis, like John the Evangelist, understood faith as complete trust in God’s laws. To bring faith to others is to help them understand that life does not end at the grave and that every trial has a purpose: reflecting the justice behind human suffering.

Where there is error, may I bring the truth

Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Francis, in his humility, does not bring “his” truth, but the Truth of the Gospel.

●    The connection with John: as the author of Revelation and the Fourth Gospel, the Spirit of John has always been the guardian of profound spiritual truth. By reincarnating as Francis, he simplifies this truth: truth is not a complex intellectual concept, but the experience of Love.

●    The role of the Spiritist:  to bring truth in the Spiritist context is to combat ignorance about the immortality of the soul, communication with the invisible world, reincarnation, and the Law of Evolution, which are the pillars of Christian consolation.

Where There Is Error, Let Me Bring Truth

Jesus declared: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). In his humility, Francis does not bring his truth, but the truth of the Gospel.

• The Connection with John: as the author of the Book of Revelation and the Fourth Gospel, the spirit of John has always been portrayed as a guardian of deep spiritual truth. Reincarnated as Francis, he simplifies that truth: it is not an abstract intellectual concept, but the lived experience of love.
• The Role of the Spiritist: to bring truth, in the Spiritist context, is to confront ignorance about the immortality of the soul, communication with the spiritual world, reincarnation, and the Law of Evolution, which are pillars of Christian consolation in Spiritism.

Where There Is Despair, Let Me Bring Hope; Where There Is Darkness, Let Me Bring Light

Here we encounter Spiritism in its role as the Promised Comforter.

• Hope: Francis teaches that despair arises from the loss of spiritual perspective. By bringing hope, we remind those who suffer that pain is temporary.
• Light: “You are the light of the world,” said Jesus. The light Francis asks to bring is knowledge that illuminates the conscience and dispels the darkness of ignorance and spiritual obsession. In Spiritism, this light is the understanding of the Law of Evolution: no one is eternally condemned; all are moving toward the light.

The Supreme Reversal: The Secret of True Happiness

The conclusion of Francis’ prayer offers a practical guide to inner transformation. It dismantles selfishness, which Spiritism identifies as the root of humanity’s suffering.

“O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.”

• The Gospel in Action: here Francis echoes Jesus’ teaching: “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). The spirit who has awakened to the light no longer waits for the world to change; he becomes the giver.
• Spiritist Perspective: in The Gospel According to Spiritism, we learn that moral charity, like understanding and consoling, is often more difficult and more necessary than material charity. Francis invites us to step out of the center of our own universe and place the suffering of others at our priorities.

The Law of Return: “For It Is in Giving That We Receive”

Francis simplifies the Law of Action and Reaction. In the physical world, when we give something away, we are left with less; in the spiritual realm, virtues work in the opposite way: the more we practice patience, forgiveness, and love, the more these qualities multiply within us.

• Connection with John: the same John who wrote, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19), is the Francis who understood that the only way to access God’s love is by becoming a channel through which that love reaches others.

The Great Awakening: “It Is in Dying That We Are Born to Eternal Life”

This phrase is the golden seal of the prayer.

• The Death of the Ego: first, it refers to the death of the “old self,” of vices and passions. In Spiritism, this is the true resurrection while still alive.
• The Death of the Body: second, it affirms immortality. Like John the Evangelist, who witnessed Jesus’ resurrection, Francis understood that the tomb is merely a doorway.

Summary: Francis’ Prayer x Christ’s message

Excerpt from the Prayer	Reference in the reference in the bibleGospel	Spiritist perspective (affinity John/Francis)
“Where there is hatred, let me sow love”	“Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44)	Fluidic transmutation: love as the only force capable of neutralizing evil.
“Where there is doubt, may I bring faith”	“Your faith has saved you” (Luke 7:50)	Reasoned faith that comforts and enlightens the Spirit about its divine origin.
“I may not so much seek to be loved as to love.”	“By this all will know that you are My disciples” (John 13:35)	The secret of the “Beloved Disciple”: he is loved because he is the one who is most devoted to loving others.
“For it is in giving that we receive.”	“Give, and it will be given to you.” (Luke 6:38)	The Law of Cause and Effect: the good we do becomes our advocate everywhere.
“it is in dying that we are born to eternal life”	“Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25)	The immortality of the soul: letting go of the “old self” so that the immortal spirit may awaken.

Conclusion: An Invitation to Loving Action

As we bring this reflection to a close, we realize that the Prayer of Saint Francis is not merely a piece to be admired for its poetic beauty, but a true guide for conduct for the reincarnated Christian. By understanding the journey of this spirit, from John the Evangelist to Francis of Assisi, we come to see that the secret of being the “beloved disciple” is within everyone’s reach: we need only choose to become those who love the most.

The Gospel of Jesus, when seen through Francis’ perspective and illuminated by the light of Spiritist Doctrine, ceases to be a book of promises and becomes instead a manual for transformation. May each of us, in our own small field of work, strive to be an instrument of peace, bringing the light of the Comforter wherever the darkness of ignorance still remains.