Anima Christi (Soul of Christ)
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy Wounds hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.
From the malignant enemy, defend me.
In the hour of my death, call me,
And bid me come to Thee.
That with Thy saints, I may praise Thee.
Forever and ever.
Amen.
This beautiful prayer of unknown authorship was composed in the first half of the 14th century. A favourite of St. Ignatius Loyola, it enjoyed renewed prominence through his 16th century “Spiritual Exercises”.
Sometimes attributed to Pope John XXII (though disputed), it seems he did enrich it with indulgences in 1330. Apparently in 1854 Pope Pius IX revoked all previous indulgences and granted instead:
• An indulgence of three hundred days every time it is recited, with at least contrite heart and devotion;
• An indulgence of seven years, once a day, to priests who shall say it after saying Mass, and to the faithful, after receiving holy communion.
The 1968 Enchiridion of Indulgences assigns it a partial indulgence.
To me, as a convert, this prayer encapsulates a centrality of the Catholic Faith which is absent in Protestantism: our Lord’s Passion, His Precious Blood, His Real Presence in the Eucharist and, further, an emphasis that we need to be sanctified, which expresses itself in more than faith alone.
Purchase Anima Christi Holy Cards here.
Anima Christi/ Soul of Christ.
Sesotho language translated.
(South Africa)
MOYA WA KRISTE.
Moya wa Kriste o nkgalaletse.
Mmele wa Kriste o mpoloke
Madi a Kriste a nthapise
Metsi a tswang lehlakoreng la Kriste a ntlhatswe.
Tjheseho ya Kriste e mphe matla
Oho Jesu ya lokileng nkutlwe.
O mpate ka maqebeng a hao.
O seke wa nkutlwisa bohloko ba ho tloswa ho wena.
O ntlholele sera se maano eleng satane.
O mpitse mohla lefu laka.
O ntaele ke tle ho wena.
Ke o rorise le ba kgethuwa
Ke o tumise le mangeloi a hao.
Ka mehla e sa feleng.
Amen.
Translated by Tsitso George Morai
Pretoria North
South Africa
I absolutely love this beautiful site full of many traditional prayers which I start my day and end my night with.
Thank you Jonathon Reid, may Our Lord bless you in abundance. 🙏
I love reciting this prayer. it fills me with so much love of our saviors Jesus Christ.
Thank you for this post!
Thank you for everything. Someday you’ll realize how much you’ve touched our hearts and helped us with our conversion to Christ in these dire times.
May GOD bless you and your family most thoroughly and abundantly!
I love the Anime Christi prayer and recite it daily. I dont understand what it means when the article states that priests are granted “Indulgences” of 300 days or even 7 years.
Also, the link to purchase the prayer card does not work.