"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon . . .

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life".

This famous prayer, traditionally attributed to Saint Francis, has traveled the world, winning hearts and inspiring minds with its simple and persuasive witness to the power of unconditional love. As Leonardo Boff shows in his moving reflections, this love not only brings each person the promise of eternal salvation, but also provides the basis for social peace, redeems the world, and constitutes the hidden meaning of the universe.