A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God.
St. Faustina Kowalska
Written by the Sr. Faustina Maria Pia of the Sisters of Life, this beautiful litany leads us to pray for less self-reliance and more trust in Jesus and His overflowing love for us.
Table of Contents
- What is the Litany of Trust?
- When do we pray the Litany of Trust?
- Why do we pray the Litany of Trust?
- How to pray the Litany of Trust
- Related prayers
What is the Litany of Trust?
The litany first helps put into words the fears, worries, and refusals we struggle with that hold us back from placing our complete trust in Jesus. Then, in the second part of the litany, we state our trust in Jesus, relying on the Holy Spirit to give us the grace to do so.
Origin
Sr. Faustina Maria Pia wrote this litany while living in the Bronx with the Sisters of Life. With the words formed from her own spiritual life and her experiences in the streets of New York City, Sr. Faustina wrote this litany with the trials and tribulations of the world we live in today in her heart.
As she describes in the Introduction to the Litany of Trust on Hallow,
“I had no intention of writing a prayer, and a prayer on trust. But I found myself a few years into my religious life as a sister in a situation where I didn’t know what to do, and I was asking Jesus for clarity. The question came across my heart: What does it mean to trust?”
Sr. Faustina Maria Pia
After speaking with Jesus, she felt His answer “more in the language of the heart than in words” to say, “Yes.” Sr. Faustina Maria took out her journal and began to write the Litany of Trust, formatting it similarly to the Litany of Humility.
Now, the Sisters of Life share this beautiful litany in their in-person and online communities.
St. Faustina Kowalska
You might have noticed that Sr. Faustina’s name sounds familiar; she took on the name of Saint Faustina Kowalska, to whom Jesus revealed the Divine Mercy Chaplet in the 1930s. If you’re unfamiliar with the Divine Mercy Chaplet, it is commonly prayed daily at 3:00 p.m., the time at which Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday. Much like the Litany of Trust, the Divine Mercy Chaplet leads us to ask for Jesus’s mercy and place our trust in Him.
When do we pray the Litany of Trust?
To answer this question best, we look to some of the words that flowed out of the heart of Sr. Faustina when she sat down to write the litany:
From anxiety about the future
From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past
From restless self-seeking in the present moment
RELATED: Prayers for Anxiety
I struggle with these lines, just like Sr. Faustina did. And I bet you have, too.
Pray this litany when you struggle to trust Jesus in regard to the past, the present moment, and the future.
Why do we pray the Litany of Trust?
When you read the lines of this litany, I would guess that a few particular lines might stick out to you. They might be words you’ve never spoken aloud but resonate deep within your heart. This litany allows you to tell Jesus about your struggles and ask for the grace to trust Him.
This is why Sr. Faustina wrote the litany – she felt the stirring of Christ in her heart to share these words so that we might pray with them and find solace in the struggles that life throws at us.
As Sr. Faustina’s brother Haneal Bianchi wrote,
“This wonderful prayer will help you to rely more on Jesus and less on yourself. It will help you with your little struggles during the good times, but it will also provide you with great comfort and confidence in the heat of your greatest struggles.”
How to pray the Litany of Trust
Time needed: 15 minutes
- Make the Sign of the Cross.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
- Ask Jesus to deliver you from the various fears and insecurities that hold us back from fully trusting Him. After each petition, respond with “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 - Place your trust in Jesus, knowing that He will always wrap you in His arms. After each petition, respond with “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 else
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 - Conclude with the Sign of the Cross.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Related prayers
- How to Pray the Litany of Humility
- How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
- How to Pray a Novena
- How to Pray the Rosary
- Prayers for Strength
- St. Teresa of Ávila prayers
- St. Faustina Kowalska prayers
We look forward to praying the Litany of Trust with you on Hallow. God bless!