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.
This wonderful Prayer of Abandonment is written by Charles de Foucauld. I have long had a fascination for him and his followers, including visiting his hermitages in the Sahara.
I am now trying to clarify details of this prayer in Blessed Charles’s life’s timeline.
One has it that Br Charles wrote this prayer while on retreat in Nazareth (November 1897)
Another has it that the Prayer of Abandonment is actually Br Charles’s reflection of Jesus’ prayer to his Father, written while he was a Cistercian in Akbès in Syria.
Does anyone have which one of these is correct, plus reference (especially web link)? Or maybe there’s even a different version of its history?
I also remember there was at least one individual who attempted to join Br Charles in his lifestyle, but left, having found it too austere. Can anyone tell me the name of this person (or persons) and any details? Thanks.
For readers here for whom Br Charles is new, here is a good summary from my e-friend Fr Michael:
Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg on September 15, 1858. He grew up in an aristocratic family. He served as a French army officer in Algeria but left the army in 1882 and went as an explorer to Morocco.
In 1890 he joined the Trappist order, but left in 1897 to follow an as yet undefined religious vocation. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1901. Thereafter he left for the Sahara, living at first in Beni Abbès and later at Tamanrasset among the Tuaregs of the Hoggar. He wanted to be among those who were, “the furthest removed, the most abandoned.” He wanted all who drew close to him to find in him a brother, “a universal brother.” In a great respect for the culture and faith of those among whom he lived, his desire was to “shout the Gospel with his life”. “I would like to be sufficiently good that people would say, “If such is the servant, what must the Master be like?”
He wanted to establish a new religious order and wrote several rules for this religious life. This new order, the Little Brothers of Jesus, however, would not become a reality until after his death.
Charles de Foucauld was shot to death by rebels December 1, 1916. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 13, 2005 and is considered a martyr of the Roman Catholic Church.
Some sources: The Spiritual Autobiography of Charles De Foucauld
icon: Br Charles and Jesus by a Little Sister of Jesus
This looks quite similar to the Covenant Prayer of John Wesley, which he adapted from the German Pietists (if memory serves)…
Yes, Josh, it stands in such a tradition. Ignatius Loyola also springs to my mind…
Abandonment to Lord’s Will is something doesn’t come easy in this times or any time at all. The human kind always wants to keep their own agenda in life. I think the main thought of this prayer should be ours in the everyday living. One day at time. And this kind of commitment requires some grace, ¡His!
I totally agree with you, Samuel. Thanks for your visit and contribution.
OK – I’m making some personal progress on this. The French Wikipedia has an article on the Prayer of Abandonment – if you can’t read French then here’s the google English translation (I love it that the google translation of Prayer of Abandonment is “Please Drop”!! 🙂 http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=fr&tl=en&u=http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pri%25C3%25A8re_d%27abandon&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&twu=1&usg=ALkJrhh1r3_XweiZ_qhtTTl-l98xpELPww
great post. interesting
Yes, the prayer of Abandon was never written by Charles de Foucauld per se but was taken from meditations that he wrote as a young monk in Akbes, Syria as he reflected on the Passion. He imagined the words to be those of Jesus on the cross. (He was already trying to discern what he was called to do, already thinking of leaving the Trappists…) What we know as Charles de Foucauld’s Prayer of Abandon was edited to the well known form by Little Sister Magdeleine (Hutin) who founded the Little Sisters of Jesus in 1939 in Algeria. The wikipedia entry is correct in that. I know this for a fact as I am a member of this group. You can find more about it in “Charles de Foucauld – Journey of the Spirit” published by Pauline Books and Media, written by Cathy Wright lsj
Thanks so much Cathy.
For me this is the most powerful prayer and I have been saying it for years and distributed it to many. It is the kind of prayer that one cannot just say by hearth without realizing its consequences in one’s life.
I couldn’t agree more, Maurice.
See also the so-called Third Step Prayer of Alcoholics Anonymous. Foucauld’s would seem to have provided the template.
I just “stumbled” upon your site while looking up Charles de Foucauld. I will take some time to look around. So far I like what I see.
God Bless You!
SandyO
Good to have you part of the community here, Sandy. I have a particular passion for Charles de Foucauld. I went over and visited your site. Do tell me: like this site, yours is a WordPress blog hosted on your own domain (as far as I can tell). So how did you get the info about your year from WordPress.com? Is that a plugin or what? Blessings.
Hello,
I was just wondering, can this prayer be prayed by anyone or is it a prayer to be said specifically by people in religious orders? Thanks!
Easter Season Greetings “S”. We normally use our ordinary name on this site – there is no need to be anonymous.
I can see nothing in this prayer that limits it to any particular sub-group of Christians. I imagine all of us find it equally challenging. What do you think?
Christ is Risen!
One of my favorite prayers of all time. This is what the spiritual path is all about, surrendering yourself over to God and God’s will. I repeat it often. In this world of materialism, ego, and self, what better way to put your life back into perspective, than to read this prayer over and over again until you humbly live it. I often repeat this simple phrase throughout the day, “Not my will , Oh God, but Thine, be done through me.” This helps keep me focused, not on myself, but God and service.
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Your very correct Bosco.
Thank You rev. Bosco!
This prayer is so beautiful. If this ever can happen to (us-me) what brother Charles craved for
God bless You.
This prayer changed my life. A few years ago I first encountered it in “The Desert, An Anthology for Lent” edited by John Moses. Feeling alone and wondering how I could live on Social Security, I found it. Through daily prayer I began to be drawn to living in Costa Rica where I have been for the past five years. Thanks tbe to God and Charles de Foucauld!
Thanks for that wonderful story, Linda. Easter Season Blessings!
This prayer has even more meaning on this centennial commemoration of the martyrdom of Charles de Foucauld. 100 years ago today. Thank you for sharing it and keeping the memory and vision of Blessed Charles alive.
Thanks, Fr Nathan. I’ve been blessed by praying in his hermitages. Advent Blessings.
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Every time I prayed the Rosary, I felt an extraordinary peace in my heart
A Syrian priest who spent 84 harrowing days in an ISIS prison says it was the Rosary and the prayer of Blessed Charles Foucauld that sustained him.
Speaking to Rome Reports, Fr. Jacques Mourad told the story of being kidnapped from his monastery in Qaryatyn on May 21st and taken to Raqqa, the capital of the IS caliphate, where he was held in prison for nearly three months.
“There are two things that helped me during my captivity,” Fr. Mourad said. “First, praying the Rosary. Mary, Our Lady, was always present and she helped keep me going from the first moment. Every time I prayed the Rosary, I felt an extraordinary peace in my heart. I cannot explain it. The second thing that helped me was the prayer of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, who was a victim of violence but decided to devote his life in a monastery to dialogue with Islam.”
These “weapons” sustained him for 84 days of captivity during which time he was constantly threatened by orders to “convert to Islam or be decapitated.”
Unlike too many IS prisoners in the past, Fr. Mourad and 25 other Christians were miraculously set free on September 1st.
Susan Brinkmann
Read more on mariedenazareth.com