O my God, I believe in Thee; do Thou strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee; do Thou secure them. I love Thee with my whole heart; teach me to love Thee more and more. I am sorry that I have offended Thee; do Thou increase my sorrow.
I adore Thee as my first beginning; I aspire after Thee as my last end. I give Thee thanks as my constant benefactor; I call upon Thee as my sovereign protector.
Vouchsafe, O my God, to conduct me by Thy wisdom, to restrain me by Thy justice, to comfort me by Thy mercy, to defend me by Thy power.
To Thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, my actions, and my sufferings, that I henceforward may think only of Thee, speak only of Thee, and ever refer all my actions to Thy greater glory, and suffer willingly whatever Thou shalt appoint.
O Lord, I desire that in all things Thy will be done, because it is Thy will, and in the manner that Thou willest.
I beg of Thee to enlighten my understanding, to inflame my will, to purify my body, and to sanctify my soul.
Give me strength, O my God, to expiate my offenses, to overcome my temptations, to subdue my passions, to acquire the virtues proper for my state.
Fill my heart with tender affection for Thy goodness, a hatred of my faults, a love for my neighbor, and a contempt for the world. Let me always be submissive to my superiors, kind and courteous to my inferiors, faithful to my friends, and charitable to my enemies.
Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortification, avarice by almsdeeds, anger by meekness, and tepidity by zeal.
O my God, make me prudent in my undertakings, courageous in dangers, patient in affliction, and humble in prosperity.
Grant that I may be ever attentive at my prayers, temperate at my meals, diligent in my employments, and constant in my resolutions.
Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, my exterior modest, my conversation edifying, my comportment regular. Assist me, that I may continually labor to overcome nature, correspond with Thy grace, keep Thy commandments, and work out my salvation.
Discover to me, O my God, the nothingness of this world, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, the length of eternity.
Grant that I may be prepared for death, fear Thy judgments, escape hell, and, in the end, obtain heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Traditionally attributed to Pope Clement XI (pope 1700–1721).
This beautiful prayer to God asks for what we need to live our lives well in this world and be happy with Him forever in Heaven. Its traditional title, the Universal Prayer for All Things Necessary to Salvation, says what it is for.
The prayer opens with acts of faith, hope and love, the three theological virtues (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1812–1829), and with sorrow for sin. It moves on to adoration and thanksgiving, asks God to guide, restrain, comfort and defend us, and then asks for the virtues proper to our state in life, a faithful use of each day, and at the end a holy death and Heaven.
Heaven is such a marvelous place that our limited minds can’t even imagine how wonderful it is! The Word of God tells us, “‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him’” (1 Corinthians 2:9, RSV).
The author of this prayer is traditionally held to be Pope Clement XI, who was elected pope on November 23, 1700, and died on March 19, 1721, the feast of St. Joseph. According to Catholic Answers, he had a particular devotion to St. Joseph, composed the Office of St. Joseph in the Breviary, and made the feast of the Immaculate Conception a holy day of obligation.
After the victory over the Turks in 1716, he commanded the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary to be celebrated by the universal Church (EWTN). He also canonized St. Pius V, St. Andrew Avellino, St. Felix of Cantalice and St. Catherine of Bologna.
Pray it slowly, one petition at a time, letting each line become your own. Download the free PDF above to keep this prayer in your missal or on your desk.
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