He became a Trappist monk, then a hermit in Nazareth, then a priest living among the Tuareg in the Sahara, where he was killed in 1916. In 1896, while meditating on Jesus’ last words on the cross, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,” he wrote a meditation that was later shaped into the Prayer of Abandonment. It’s now prayed every day by religious communities around the world. He was canonized in 2022.
Historical Context
The Prayer of Abandonment
Father, I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
Amen.
How to Pray It
Many people pray it once every morning. It’s also a powerful prayer to say slowly at moments of crisis, line by line, pausing on the parts that are hardest to mean. “I accept all” can take years to say honestly. That’s fine. Praying it is how you learn to mean it.
A Short Version
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Best Times for This Prayer
- Every morning, as an offering of the day.
- On 1 December, St Charles de Foucauld’s feast.
- When facing an outcome you can’t control.
- At the bedside of the dying.
Scripture Connection
“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” — Luke 23:46
Charles de Foucauld built his prayer on Jesus’ last words, which were themselves from Psalm 31. Abandonment is trust at its fullest: placing everything in the Father’s hands.
Related prayers
For his feast day, see the December 1 Prayer. For surrender, the Prayer of Surrender and Divine Providence Prayer.