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 memory and understanding have also been affected, and I am so frustrated, Lord! I offer you all that I do have, as well as all of my frustrations.
Take, Lord, receive, my entire will.
What is left of my will right now? Still, I offer you myself and my gratitude for my loved ones who are caring for me.
All I have and call my own.
I offer you this illness. I also offer all that is still going right in my body. The more I learn about things that are going wrong, the more I am in awe of the way you have crafted the body with its intricate systems that often work in perfect harmony.
You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.
You have indeed given all to me! I trust you now to take care of me and all of my concerns.
Praying the Suscipe in times of suffering opens up a whole new dimension of this prayer. We often fail to see it as a gesture of generosity when we offer God the hard things in life. Perhaps influenced by polite society that hushes us when we speak of hardship, we fall into an amnesia of who our God actually is: a Father who sent his only Son to suffer for us, sacrifice his very life for us, and redeem us in our suffering. Jesus wants to hear it all, not just the good news, and when we do express it all, he remains with us in our suffering.
And so, we find that the Suscipe is a two-way offering. When we offer our illness or other suffering, we not only accept the invitation to unburden our souls but are also reminded that God is with us through it all. We are never alone.
Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.
Your love and your grace, truly, those are enough for me.
While this is an example of my prayer as of late, it will surely change with the seasons of life. I invite you to pray the Suscipe with Ignatius today, complete with all of your joys and sufferings.
