Litany of Trust
Composed by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia, S.V. of the Sisters of Life. A contemporary prayer that names the small voices of anxiety, and answers each with the same quiet refrain: Jesus, I trust in You.
Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
— 1 Peter 5:7
Opening
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Deliver me, Jesus
Each line is answered: Deliver me, Jesus.
From the belief that I have to earn Your love,
From the fear that I am unlovable,
From the false security that I have what it takes,
From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute,
From all suspicion of Your words and promises,
From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You,
From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will,
From anxiety about the future,
From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past,
From restless self-seeking in the present moment,
From disbelief in Your love and presence,
From the fear of being asked to give more than I have,
From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth,
From the fear of what love demands,
From discouragement,
Jesus, I trust in You
Each line is answered: Jesus, I trust in You.
That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me,
That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings, and transforms me,
That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You,
That You are with me in my suffering,
That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next,
That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church,
That Your plan is better than anything I could hope for,
That You always hear me, and in Your goodness always respond to me,
That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others,
That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked,
That my life is a gift,
That You will teach me to trust You,
That You are my Lord and my God,
That I am Your beloved one,
Closing
Amen.
About This Prayer
The Litany of Trust was composed by Sr. Faustina Maria Pia of the Sisters of Life, a religious community founded in New York in 1991 by Cardinal John O'Connor to protect and enhance the sacredness of every human life. The litany has spread widely in the years since as a prayer for the anxious, the discerning, and anyone tempted to keep God at the distance of self-reliance.
The prayer takes its second refrain, Jesus, I trust in You, from the message of the Divine Mercy revealed to St. Faustina Kowalska. The two halves move in the same direction: the first lets go of the small lies that grip the heart; the second receives, line by line, the truth offered in their place.
It is well prayed in seasons of worry, vocational discernment, or before significant decisions. Like the Litany of Humility, it asks for graces that the soul cannot give itself.