Anima Christi prayer: Soul of Christ, sanctify me
The ancient prayer after Communion, with a line-by-line prayer of your own
Morning Prayer editorial team · Updated: November 2026
The Anima Christi, Soul of Christ, is a fourteenth-century prayer beloved by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who placed it at the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises. It is most often prayed after Holy Communion. Here is the traditional English text, followed by a prayer that lingers over each line.
Let us pray
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within Thy wounds hide me. Suffer me not to be separated from Thee. From the malignant enemy defend me. In the hour of my death call me, and bid me come unto Thee, that with Thy saints I may praise Thee forever and ever. Amen.
Soul of Christ, sanctify me: I have just received You, or I long to; let Your own holiness seep into the places where mine has worn thin. Body of Christ, save me: You did not save me from a distance but with hands and feet and a beating heart. Blood of Christ, inebriate me: let me be so filled with Your love that I lose my fear of what people think.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me: the water of my Baptism came from that wound; wash me again today. Passion of Christ, strengthen me: when I am weak, remind me that You were weak too, and that Your weakness saved the world.
O good Jesus, hear me. Within Your wounds hide me: there is room there for everything I am ashamed of. Do not let me be separated from You, not by sin, not by distraction, not by the slow drift of a busy life. From the enemy defend me.
And in the hour of my death, call me. Say my name as You said Lazarus's, and bid me come to You, so that with Your saints I may praise You forever. Amen.
Blessing
May the soul of Christ sanctify you, His Body save you, and His wounds be your hiding place today and at the hour of your death.
How to pray this prayer
- Find a quiet moment and breathe slowly.
- Read the prayer aloud or in your heart.
- Add your own intention before the Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Anima Christi?
The author is unknown. The prayer appears in manuscripts from the early 1300s and was long attributed to Saint Ignatius of Loyola because he loved it and placed it at the start of his Spiritual Exercises, but it predates him by two centuries.
When is the Anima Christi prayed?
Most often as a thanksgiving after Holy Communion, and in Eucharistic adoration. Saint Ignatius also recommended it at the end of periods of meditation. It is short enough to memorize and pray anywhere.
What does inebriate me mean?
It is a bold image: to be so filled with the Blood of Christ, with His love, that we are no longer governed by fear or self-interest, the way wine loosens inhibitions. The saints often spoke of being drunk with the love of God.
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