The Power of Words

I used to pray the prayer of St. Francis almost on a daily basis.  I often added it to the personal prayers in the daily office.  It was a prayer of hope to me.  It was a prayer of change I wanted to see.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it meaningful.  Then, one day, somebody said to me that I was a hypocrite because I didn't do any of the things in the prayer.  I stopped using the prayer.  The well had been poisoned.  The prayer became bitter.  I don't think I've prayed it since that day, certainly not regularly if at all.