St. Ignatius’s Suscipe is a prayer of radical self-surrender. I have always imagined Ignatius in his knightly garb making a grand gesture and deep bow as he said this prayer, similar to the way in which he laid down his sword at the feet of the Black Madonna at Montserrat. As he bowed, he offered all the wonderful things in his life back to God in gratitude for the gift of God’s love.
Over the past year, though, as I have dealt with illness, I have come to understand anew that there is much more to this prayer. The Suscipe is a prayer for all seasons of life; it is an offering not only of all the wonderful things but also an offering of the not-so-wonderful times in life, including sickness and suffering.
With Ignatius, I have prayed:
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty.
This illness has stripped me of so many things I used to take for granted. I’m feeling more loss than liberty right now, Lord, but I offer you what I do have, as well as my feelings of loss and isolation and my hopes for the future.
Take, Lord, receive, my memory, my understanding.
My
