An Expanded Version of St. Ignatius Loyola’s “Suscipe” Prayer

St. Ignatius Loyola

The Suscipe prayer comes from the “Contemplation to Attain God’s Way of Loving” in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. The version below is based on André des Freux, SJ’s Latin translation and was adapted and expanded by Brian O. McDermott, SJ, Martina O’Shea, and Barton Geger, SJ.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

Take and receive my freedom that I have too often been using to decide who I want to be, so that I become the person you want me to be.

Take, Lord, and receive my memory,

Take and receive my sense of my past and its meaning, and my sense of who I am. Take and receive my joys that I cling to and the wounds that still linger, so as to live in hope.

Take, Lord, and receive my understanding,

Take and receive my ability to imagine possibilities and my ability to be attentive and to generate insights and hypotheses and to find evidence to determine their truth.

Take, Lord, and receive my entire will,

Take and receive my love for my family members and friends, my love for your creation, all my likes and dislikes, all my desires, and my ability to make choices, and the feelings that tend to support or undermine my choices.

Take, Lord, and receive, all that I have and possess, because, in surrendering all to you, it will be purified and made whole and be mine in the best possible way because you and I will share what is rightfully precious to me.

You have given all to me.
To you, O Lord, I return it.
All is yours.
Dispose of it wholly according to your will.
Give me only the grace to love you, and to love all else in you,
and that is enough for me. Amen.