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 your wounds, hide me; let me never be separated from you; from the evil one, protect me; at the hour of my death, call me; and bid me to come to you; that with your saints, I may praise you forever and ever. Amen.

Anima-Christi

When I was a child, I found this prayer in a book that I kept in my room. I would pray it over and over, completely mesmerized. I don’t remember how old I was, but I remember having to pull out the dictionary for “inebriate”. Is it weird that whenever I hear that word, my thoughts immediately go to this prayer?

Within your wounds, hide me.

When I was a kid, I remember picturing being tiny and Jesus being like a giant, keeping me tucked in his pierced side and me being perfectly content, as close to him as possible. I never thought that was weird. Oh, the mind of a Catholic child.

Now that I’m an adult, this line has new meaning. We know that we are particularly close to Jesus in our suffering, for it was then that I carried you. Perhaps asking Jesus to hide us in his wounds means we are asking him to allow us to suffer with him. Perhaps it is about taking up our cross and joining him, uniting our wounds with his. Maybe it’s asking him to keep us close in suffering. This beautiful line makes me think of St. Thérèse and her desire to be small and insignificant. It makes me think of what St. Faustina learned from Jesus, that “If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering.” It’s something I could spend the rest of my life contemplating and never quite understand. Perhaps that is what makes it so beautiful.

I don’t really know why, but this prayer always fills my with a strange and wonderful fire, like a burning peace, if that makes sense. It is so powerful. If you’ve never prayed it, I strongly encourage you to give it a try.

Does anyone else find the Anima Christi to be particularly moving? What is your favorite prayer? Is there one in particular that really speaks to you? I’m thinking about making prayer discussion a recurring topic here at TFTV.

Catholic. Historian. Works in Advertising. I love travel, cooking, reading, movies, occasional bad TV, and writing about it all. :)

10 thoughts on “Anima Christi”

  2. I was fascinated by the Anima Christi as a child too! I should probably reincorporate it into my go to prayers. My favorite prayer is the Memorare, I always fall on it when I need help with something, I find it so comforting.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I love the Memorare too- though I didn’t become a big fan until a little later. When my husband and I were engaged, we couldn’t set a wedding date until he found a job. His uncle (a priest) told us to say 1,000 Memorares between the two of us. We did, and our prayers were answered!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. BEAUTIFUL post!!!! I love it. Never thought of that connection with the Latin and vulnerability. You’ve given me something awesome to think about. Thank you!

      Like

      Reply

  5. My mom suggested using the Anima Christi prayer to pray for someone you love, especially someone who has wandered away from the Lord. (By replacing the appropriate me’s with the person’s name or him/her). She said that she got the idea from somewhere else, but I don’t remember where.

    My favorite prayer is the Act of Dedication, by St. Ignatius Loyola. Helps me remember that it shouldn’t be my will, but God’s!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Shannon, that is a wonderful idea for the Anima Christi. I have some people I should pray that for. Thank you for that! And I also LOVE the Act of Dedication. I remember as a kid, I first read it and had to think hard about whether I would pray it or not. Asking God to take all my freedom, memory and will was a huge deal and I was afraid to pray it at first. But after a while, I did, and then I loved it. I don’t have it memorized though.

      Like

      Reply

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Comment here.