Catholic prayers for anxiety

Short Catholic prayers for the moment of anxiety

"Jesus, I trust in You"

The prayer revealed by Christ to Saint Faustina Kowalska, inscribed at the base of the Divine Mercy image and approved for universal Catholic devotion by Pope Saint John Paul II. The five words can be prayed in three seconds, repeated as breath, and used as the habitual Catholic response to anxious thought.

"Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy."

The Kyrie, the ancient Greek prayer that opens the Catholic Mass. Catholic spiritual writers across centuries have recommended it as the prayer for moments of overwhelming anxiety: the soul places itself before the mercy of Christ in the same words the Catholic Church uses in her central act of worship.

"Be not afraid"

The words the Lord Jesus repeats to His disciples more often than any other (Matthew 14:27, Matthew 28:5, Luke 5:10, John 6:20, and many others). Catholic spiritual writers recommend praying them slowly, as if hearing them addressed by Christ Himself to the anxiety of the present moment.

Longer Catholic prayers for anxiety

The Memorare

Attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the Memorare is the great Catholic prayer of confidence in Marian intercession. Its opening line ("Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection... was left unaided") is itself the antidote to anxious self-management: the Catholic recalls that the Mother of God has heard every previous desperate prayer addressed to her and that her record is unbroken.

The Anima Christi

The medieval Eucharistic prayer Anima Christi ("Soul of Christ, sanctify me") was recommended by Saint Ignatius of Loyola for the moments after Holy Communion. Its closing lines ("From the malignant enemy defend me. In the hour of my death call me. And bid me come unto Thee") make it a particularly powerful Catholic prayer for anxiety about the future, including the great anxiety about death itself.

The Catholic theology of anxious prayer

The Lord Jesus addresses anxiety explicitly in the Sermon on the Mount ("Be not solicitous therefore... your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things," Matthew 6:31-32) and Saint Paul develops the same teaching in the prayer life of the Catholic ("Be nothing solicitous; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God," Philippians 4:6).

Catholic short prayer is the practical fulfillment of these Scriptural commands. The Catholic anxious heart turns each anxious thought into a prayer: the worry is brought to Christ in the moment it arises, and the soul does not allow the worry to grow into the larger habit of anxious self-management.

Anxiety, the sacraments, and clinical care

The Catholic Church affirms the legitimacy of medical and psychological care for anxiety disorders (CCC 2288) and counsels that the short prayers above are prayed in addition to, not in place of, appropriate clinical treatment where it is indicated. Catholic spiritual writers across centuries have noted that many of the canonized saints suffered from serious mental and emotional affliction and continued to receive the graces of prayer through it.

The Sacrament of Penance, received with anxiety as one of the intentions for which the Catholic seeks the grace of confession, and the frequent reception of the Eucharist remain the principal Catholic remedies for the chronic disposition of anxious worry.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best Catholic prayer for anxiety in the moment?

The shortest is the simplest: 'Jesus, I trust in You,' the prayer revealed by Christ to Saint Faustina Kowalska. It takes three seconds and can be repeated as breath. The longer Memorare is the principal Catholic prayer of confidence in Marian intercession when anxiety has time to develop.

Are Catholic ejaculations a real form of prayer?

Yes. Catholic 'ejaculations' (the traditional term for short arrow prayers) are an ancient form of Catholic prayer, recommended by Saint Augustine, Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Therese of Lisieux, and many other doctors and spiritual writers of the Catholic Church. The Catechism affirms that prayer of every length is the act of the whole person before God (CCC 2697-2699).

Can short prayers help with clinical anxiety?

Catholic spiritual writers and Catholic physicians have long counseled that short prayers, prayed as habitual breath throughout the day, are a real spiritual help for anxiety even of the clinical kind. They are not a substitute for medical and psychological care where that is indicated, but they form the soul's interior posture in a way that supports clinical treatment.

What is the difference between Catholic prayer and Catholic meditation for anxiety?

Catholic prayer is the address of the soul to God. Catholic meditation (in the tradition of Saint Ignatius, Saint Teresa of Avila, and the desert fathers) is the prolonged consideration of a Christian truth in which the soul rests in the presence of God. Both are appropriate Catholic responses to anxiety. The short prayers below are for moments when anxiety strikes; the deeper Catholic meditation is for the formation of the soul across years.

Related Catholic devotions for anxiety

For a sustained nine-day prayer of release, see the Catholic novenas for anxiety (the Surrender Novena, Mary Undoer of Knots, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena). For the foundational Catholic prayers all Catholics learn, see the Catholic prayers. For the Catholic prayer of the heart developed in the contemplative tradition, see the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila (the Interior Castle) and Saint John of the Cross.