Animals & Pets

Wolves Prayer

The most famous wolf in Christian history lived near the town of Gubbio in Umbria, Italy. According to the Little Flowers of St Francis, it had been killing livestock and people, and the townspeople were too frightened to leave the walls. Francis walked out alone to meet it, made the sign of the cross, and called it “Brother Wolf.”

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He made a pact: the town would feed the wolf, and the wolf would stop killing. The story says the wolf placed its paw in Francis’s hand, lived peacefully in Gubbio for two years, and was mourned when it died. People who feel drawn to the wolf as a symbol of strength, loyalty or wildness can find something better in this story: fierceness that has been tamed by love.

Historical Context

Story: St Francis and the wolf of Gubbio

Source: The Little Flowers of St Francis, 14th century

St Francis’s feast: 4 October

Scripture: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,” Isaiah 11:6

In Scripture wolves are usually a warning: Jesus sends his disciples out “as sheep in the midst of wolves.” But Isaiah’s vision of the peaceable kingdom looks forward to a day when the wolf and the lamb lie down together. The Gubbio story is that vision in miniature.

A Wolf Prayer in the Spirit of St Francis

Lord, there is something wild in me.
I am strong, and sometimes that strength hurts people.
Tame me the way Francis tamed the wolf of Gubbio:
not by breaking me, but by loving me.
Make my strength gentle, my loyalty true,
and my courage serve the people around me.
Amen.

A Prayer for the Lone Wolf

Lord, I’ve been on my own a long time.
I tell myself I prefer it, but some nights I don’t.
Lead me back to a pack: a family, a church, friends I can trust.
And teach me to let people in.
Amen.

A Prayer for Loyalty and Courage

Lord, wolves protect their own.
Make me fiercely loyal to the people you’ve given me
and brave enough to stand between them and harm.
Amen.

Best Times for This Prayer

When anger or aggression is getting the better of you.
When you feel isolated and need community.
When you need courage to protect someone.
On 4 October, the feast of St Francis.

Scripture Connection

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid… and a little child shall lead them.” — Isaiah 11:6

Isaiah does not imagine the wolf being destroyed; he imagines it at peace. Christian hope is not that the wild parts of creation, or of us, are erased, but that they are reconciled.

Related prayers

For more Franciscan prayers, see the Franciscan Prayer. For animals, the Dog Prayer, and for loneliness, the Prayer for Loneliness.

More animals & pets prayers

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About Stephen S. Griffin

Stephen S. Griffin is the pen name of the person who runs Guided by Prayer, a reference library of prayers. How the prayers are written and sourced.