This litany was composed and led by Fr. Boniface Hicks, OSB for Friday night’s Revival Session at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in 2024. This is intended to be prayed as a group before the Blessed Sacrament with a leader and responses. It can also be prayed personally and devotionally anywhere, especially by placing ourselves in our imagination before the Eucharist in our favorite Church or even by looking at the Blessed Sacrament in an adoration chapel that is broadcast online. As you pray through this, take your time, and let the words sink into your heart. Try to notice movements in your heart and any particular lines that might stand out. This is an opportunity to expose places that need healing, especially places in our hearts that are ready for healing. It might also help to remember the 50,000 participants who prayed this together at the National Eucharistic Congress in Lucas Oil Stadium.
Pray the Litany of Healing and Repentance with Father Boniface here:
Jesus, we all have places in our hearts and in our histories that have been hurting for a long
time. Some wounds might be self-inflicted, but the wounds caused by others tend to cut most
deeply. At the same time, there is also a sacred place in each of us where we can be alone with
You and the whole Trinity. The most powerful healing can begin by bringing those painful
places into relationship with You, Who love us infinitely. And right now, You are here with us in
all Your power and glory in the Eucharist. Nothing is lacking in Your Presence with us. It can be
hard to open tender places in our hearts. You respect us and You honor our experience through
Your offer of healing. We are here together and here with the communion of Saints, and we lean
on each other for support as we seek to open our hearts to you. We want to be gentle with
ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to descend with all the gentleness of the dewfall onto our
thirsty hearts. We pray for courage now as we hold all the hurting places in our hearts before
Your loving gaze.
[Note: The following meditation can help to prepare your heart to receive the Lord’s healing
power, or you can go straight into the Litany]
Close your eyes (if you are comfortable doing so)
Take a deep breath.
Breathe in the Holy Spirit…Come, Holy Spirit
Breathe out negativity
Breathe in the Holy Spirit…Come, Holy Spirit
Breathe out all that is not of Him
Notice your heartbeat
Each heartbeat is a gift
God wants you
He made you.
He knit you together with love, with His own hands in your mother’s womb
You are a masterpiece of His loving creativity
He has chosen you
He sees you
He gazes on you with love
He delights in you
Now I want to invite you on a journey of healing and reconciliation.
Jesus wants to lift you up to see your whole life through His eyes of healing and hope.
Try to zoom out, letting yourself be lifted up away from the details
He wants to lift you up so you can see your whole life
from your conception in your mother’s womb to this very moment.
He is lovingly drawing near to you with the Father.
There is only love.
Together He looks on your whole life with you.
He looks on you and your whole life with love.
Through your whole life there is a golden thread of goodness.
You are made in His image.
Even where there are deep sorrows, the Holy Spirit weaves a golden thread of goodness.
As you look together on your life
You may see some darker moments, clouded moments, harder moments.
Some of those moments might be too hard to enter into right now and that is ok.
There are some sins and failures.
There are times of weakness.
There are times you were hurt.
He wants to bring healing to your whole life: healing for your hurts, healing for your failures.
He has only compassion for you, loving care.
He honors you and wants to protect you.
Try to open your heart to Jesus’s healing love.
If any of these heart movements are difficult, that’s ok. You can still let Jesus draw close.
Please repeat after me:
Jesus, I believe in you.
Jesus, I believe in your Real Presence in the Eucharist.
Jesus, I believe you are here with me.
Jesus, I believe you are in my heart.
Jesus, I believe in your love for me.
Jesus, I believe your love is greater than every sin.
Jesus, I believe your love is greater than all evil.
Jesus, I believe your love can free me from my sin.
Let’s practice the response several times: Jesus, heal my heart with Your love
For the times I’ve felt abandoned…
For the times I’ve been betrayed…
For the times I’ve been rejected…
For the times I’ve been forgotten…
For the times I’ve been disappointed…
For the times I’ve been let down by the Church…
For the times I’ve been lonely…
For the times I’ve been desperate…
For the times I’ve been lost…
For the times I’ve been dejected…
For the times I’ve been used…
For the times I’ve been neglected…
For the times I’ve been starved for love…
For the times I’ve been deprived of affirmation…
For the times I’ve lost my way…
For the times I’ve gone astray…
For the times I’ve made the wrong choice…
Let’s practice the response several times: Jesus, come close to me.
Whenever I feel unseen…
Whenever I feel ignored…
Whenever I feel unimportant…
Whenever I feel useless…
Whenever I feel alone…
Whenever I feel abandoned…
Whenever I feel like it would be better if I didn’t exist…
Whenever I feel misunderstood…
Whenever I feel used…
Whenever I feel forgotten…
Whenever I feel angry…
Whenever I feel anxious…
Whenever I feel depressed…
Whenever I feel envious…
Whenever I feel lustful…
Whenever I feel afraid…
Let’s practice the response several times: Please forgive me, Jesus
For the times I’ve used others…
For the times I’ve failed to see…
For the times I’ve hardened my heart to a person in need…
For the times I’ve failed to do the right thing…
For the times I’ve given in to peer pressure…
For the times I’ve lied when someone needed me to tell the truth…
For the times I’ve looked away when someone needed my help…
For the times I’ve closed my ears to the cries of the helpless…
For the times I’ve chosen comfort over courage…
For the times I’ve turned my back on someone who was hurting…
For the times I’ve ignored my feelings…
For the times I’ve silenced the cry of my heart…
For the times I haven’t been Your mercy for others…
For the times I’ve invalidated my own feelings…
For the times I’ve believed the lies of others…
For the times I’ve repeated the lies of others…
For the times I’ve suppressed righteous anger…
For the times I’ve given up in despair…
For the times I’ve failed to share You with someone who needed You…
For the times I’ve wrongly hid my faith from others…
For the times I’ve misrepresented You in my words and actions…
For the times I’ve caused scandal by my words or actions…
For the times I’ve brought hatred instead of love…
For the times I’ve brought division instead of peace…
For the times I’ve brought gossip instead of charity…
For the times I’ve torn down when I could have built up…
Let’s practice the response several times: Jesus, help me to believe
When I doubt the power of Your love…
When I doubt Your love for me…
When I struggle to trust…
When I doubt that I am worthy of love…
When I doubt that I have a place in anyone’s heart…
When I wonder if I am enough…
When I doubt I have what it takes…
When I feel helpless…
When I feel useless…
When I doubt that I have anything to offer…
When I doubt that I can make a change…
When I doubt that my efforts matter…
When I feel hopeless…
When I want to give up on my neighbor…
When I want to give up on my enemy…
When I want to give up on the Church…
When I want to give up on myself…
When I want to give up on You, Jesus…
Jesus, I need you.
Jesus, I trust in you.
Jesus, I love you.
Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
Make my heart like unto yours.
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Good Shepherd who rescues the lost. You are the Divine
Physician who heals the sick. You are the Savior Who washes away our sin in your Blood. You
are the Beloved Son who shares your sonship with us along with the love of the Father. We
know that even if we do not feel it, you will continue this work of healing in our hearts. We trust
that you love us and desire our wholeness and flourishing. Fill each of our hearts as we worship
you and receive You in all your love in this Holy Eucharist. We make this prayer in your Name,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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To download this litany for personal use, go to https://imf.saintvincentseminary.edu/litany/
The litany was shared with the permission of The Institute for Ministry Formation.
The Institute for Ministry Formation (IMF) is an extension of Saint Vincent Seminary’s commitment to the formation and education of priests, laity, and religious. Click here to learn how the IMF equips individuals, leaders, and parishes for accompaniment and evangelization.
Photo by Jacob Bentzinger, in partnership with the National Eucharistic Congress.
