ORDINARIVM

SVSCIPE

Take, Lord, and Receive

The Suscipe is St. Ignatius of Loyola's prayer of total self-offering from the Spiritual Exercises (1548). It appears in the 'Contemplation to Attain Divine Love,' representing complete surrender to God's will. The prayer surrenders liberty, memory, understanding, and will—the faculties that constitute human personhood.

LATINE
Suscipe, Domine, universam meam libertatem.
Accipe memoriam, intellectum, atque voluntatem omnem.
Quidquid habeo vel possideo mihi largitus es;
id tibi totum restituo,
ac tuae prorsus voluntati trado gubernandum.
Amorem tui solum cum gratia tua mihi dones,
et dives sum satis, nec aliud quidquam ultra posco.
ENGLISH
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will.
Whatsoever I have or hold, Thou hast given me.
I give it all back to Thee
and surrender it wholly to be governed by Thy will.
Give me only Thy love and Thy grace,
and I am rich enough and ask for nothing more.
NOTA
FONS
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises (1548)
USUS
Contemplation to Attain Divine Love, total self-offering
CONTEXT
This prayer comes at the end of the Fourth Week of the Exercises, in the 'Contemplation to Attain Love.' It represents the fruit of the entire retreat: complete surrender to God's will.