St. Ignatius of Loyola
O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength. Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things. Amen.
Prayer Against Depression by St. Ignatius of Loyola (EWTN).
Depression is common in our world today, and those suffering from depression need our prayers. Almost everyone at one time or another feels depressed. Of course, severe or ongoing depression needs to be taken care of by competent health professionals, but there are things we ourselves can do to help alleviate any type of depression or discouragement. We can always pray a Catholic Prayer For Depression.
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, please call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S.) or your local emergency number.
In today’s world, it can be very easy to become discouraged as sometimes it feels that all is lost, that nothing good is happening, that it’s impossible to rise above the chaos. But take heart! God has a plan and brings good out of evil. Turn to Catholic prayers for depression to find hope, comfort, and strength in these challenging times.
When we are going through difficult times, we can find peace and joy in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6). We can pray for help in our time of trouble. Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament awaits us at our local Catholic parishes; Eucharistic adoration is a great way to reach out to our Eucharistic Lord for help through a Catholic prayer for anxiety and depression (and every other difficulty imaginable!).
The Lord tells us in Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God” (Psalm 40:1-3).
When we feel depressed, praying the precious Name of Jesus is a beautiful practice! We can make the Sign of the Cross (“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”). We can pray for the intercession of Our Blessed Mother, who loves us with a motherly love.
In an address of 14 November 2003 to a Church conference on depression, St. John Paul II offered this practical advice:
“In the spiritual process, reading and meditation on the Psalms, in which the sacred author expresses his joys and anxieties in prayer, can be of great help. The recitation of the Rosary makes it possible to find in Mary a loving Mother who teaches us how to live in Christ.
“Participation in the Eucharist is a source of inner peace, because of the effectiveness of the Word and of the Bread of Life, and because of the integration into the ecclesial community that it achieves. Aware of the effort it costs a depressed person to do something which to others appears simple and spontaneous, one must endeavor to help him with patience and sensitivity, remembering the observation of St Therese of the Child Jesus: Little ones take little steps.”
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).
There are several patron saints that you may want to ask for intercession as you seek relief from depression; these include St. Jude, St. Dymphna, Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Benedict Joseph Labre, and St. Ignatius of Loyola.
St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote the meaningful prayer above; this can be our go-to prayer when we’re struggling with depression or other similar issues.
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Please know that every prayer request shared here is kept strictly confidential. Your request will go to the Brothers, who will intercede for you. We will place your intentions before our Eucharistic King during our daily hours of adoration.
