When and How to Pray the Suscipe
Pray the Suscipe slowly, especially during a retreat or when discerning how to respond to God. Pause after each gift you offer: freedom, memory, understanding and will. St. Ignatius’s feast is July 31, but this prayer may be used throughout the year. Offer one concrete decision or responsibility, then ask for the grace to carry it out faithfully.
What Does Suscipe Mean?
Suscipe is Latin for “receive” or “take up.” The prayer is an offering of oneself to God. Its words help us place our abilities, possessions and decisions at His service. The traditional English text above is from The Raccolta (1910), prayer 25.
Where Does the Suscipe Prayer Come From?
It comes from the Contemplation to Attain Love in St. Ignatius’s Spiritual Exercises, paragraph 234. After remembering God’s gifts, the person praying offers those gifts back to Him. EWTN’s explanation of Ignatian spirituality places this surrender within the wider work of discernment.
Is the Suscipe the Same as the Prayer for Generosity?
No. The Suscipe begins “Take, O Lord” and offers oneself to God; the Prayer for Generosity begins “Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous.” They are different prayers. You can pray either one when asking how to serve God, without combining their texts or attributing every popular wording to Ignatius.