Catholic Prayers for Healing of Body, Mind and Soul

Jesus healed the sick wherever he went, and he still comes to us as “the physician of our souls and bodies” (Catechism 1421). Catholics pray for healing with confidence: for a body that is ill, a mind weighed down by anxiety or depression, a heart wounded by the past, and a soul that needs God’s mercy.

Below are Catholic prayers for every kind of healing, the traditional prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes, Bible verses about healing, and how the Church’s sacraments of healing can help you or someone you love.

A prayer for physical healing

This prayer, written for this page, can be prayed for yourself or for another person by changing the words.

Lord Jesus Christ, you touched the leper, raised up the paralyzed man
and gave sight to the blind.
I come to you now with my body that is weak and in pain.
If it is your will, heal me.
Bless my doctors, nurses and all who care for me,
give wisdom to their minds and skill to their hands,
and let every treatment I receive serve your purpose.
Whatever comes, keep me close to your Sacred Heart,
and give me the grace to trust you. Amen.

To pray for a loved one, see the prayer for the sick, which also has prayers for someone in the hospital, before surgery and for a sick child.

Short prayers for healing

The prophet Jeremiah’s prayer is one of the shortest healing prayers in the Bible:

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed: save me, and I shall be saved, for thou art my praise.

The Roman centurion trusted that Jesus could heal his servant with a single word. The Church repeats his words before Holy Communion at every Mass:

And the centurion making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.

Other short prayers you can repeat during the day:

Jesus, I trust in you.
Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick (John 11:3).
Our Lady of Lourdes, health of the sick, pray for us.
St. Raphael, angel of healing, pray for us.

A prayer for emotional and mental healing

For anxiety, depression, fear, or exhaustion of mind. Written for this page:

Lord, you calmed the storm with a word and gave rest to the weary.
You see the darkness in my mind and the heaviness in my heart.
Quiet my anxious thoughts and lift the weight I carry.
Heal what is broken in me, little by little,
and lead me to the people and the help I need.
When I cannot feel your presence, hold on to me.
I place myself in your hands. Amen.

If you are struggling with thoughts of harming yourself, please contact a doctor, a crisis line or emergency services now. Seeking care is not a lack of faith; God works through those who heal. St. Dymphna is the patron saint of those who suffer from mental illness; see our list of patron saints.

A prayer for inner healing

For wounds from the past: hurts, betrayals, memories that still cause pain. Written for this page:

Lord Jesus, you are the same yesterday, today and forever.
Walk back with me into the moments that still wound me.
Where I was hurt, bring your healing;
where I was afraid, bring your peace;
where I find it hard to forgive, give me your mercy.
Free me from bitterness and fill those places with your love.
I forgive those who have hurt me, and I ask you to bless them. Amen.

A prayer for the healing of a family or relationship

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
you knew poverty, exile and fear, and you stayed united in love.
Look upon our family and heal what divides us.
Soften hard hearts, give us the humility to ask forgiveness
and the courage to offer it.
Make our home a place of peace again. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. See also our Catholic prayer for family.

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes

Since the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette at Lourdes in 1858, millions of sick people have gone there on pilgrimage, and the Church has recognized many cures as miraculous. Catholics honor Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11, which is also the World Day of the Sick.

O ever immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, health of the sick, refuge of sinners, comfort of the afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings; deign to cast upon me a look of mercy. By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors, and already many sufferers have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. I come, therefore, with unbounded confidence, to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain, O loving Mother, the grant of my requests. I will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that I may one day share your glory, and bless you in eternity. Amen.

Bible verses for healing

A psalm of thanksgiving to the God who heals all our diseases:

For David himself. Bless the Lord, O my soul: and let all that is within me bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and never forget all he hath done for thee.
Who forgiveth all thy iniquities: who healeth all thy diseases.
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction: who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion.
Who satisfieth thy desire with good things: thy youth shall be renewed like the eagle’s.

The prophecy of the suffering servant, fulfilled in Christ:

Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.

St. James tells the sick to call the priests of the Church:

Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man: and the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him.

The sacraments of healing

The Church has two sacraments of healing: Confession (Reconciliation) and the Anointing of the Sick.

The Anointing of the Sick is “especially intended to strengthen those who are being tried by illness” (Catechism 1511). It is not only for the dying: any Catholic who begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age may receive it, and it can be repeated if the illness becomes more serious (Catechism 1514–1515). It is fitting before a serious operation. The priest anoints the forehead and hands with blessed oil and prays for the sick person. Its grace brings strength, peace and courage, union with the passion of Christ, forgiveness of sins, and sometimes the restoration of health (Catechism 1532).

To receive it, call your parish office and ask for a priest. For a person near death, see last rites.

Confession heals the soul. Many people find that their peace of mind returns when they unburden themselves of their sins. See how to go to confession.

How to pray for healing

Tell God the truth. Name the illness or the wound plainly, as the people in the Gospels did.
Ask with faith. “Ask, and it shall be given you” (Matthew 7:7). Jesus praised those who trusted him.
Persevere. Pray every day, alone and with others. A novena can help you keep going.
Use the help God gives. Prayer and medicine are not rivals. The Bible tells us to honor the physician, for “the most High hath created him” (Ecclesiasticus 38:1).
Receive the sacraments. Ask for the Anointing of the Sick when the illness is serious, and go to Mass and Holy Communion when you can.
Trust God’s answer. Sometimes he heals the body; always he offers healing to the soul and the grace to carry what remains.

Frequently asked questions

Does God still heal today?

Yes. Christ’s healings were signs of the Kingdom of God (Catechism 1503), and the Church continues his mission to “heal the sick” through prayer, the sacraments and the care of the sick (Catechism 1509). Lourdes alone has dozens of cures recognized as miracles by the Church.

Why hasn’t God healed me?

We do not always know. Jesus did not heal every sick person in Israel, and St. Paul prayed three times to be freed from his “thorn in the flesh” before hearing, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9). United to Christ’s cross, suffering can become a share in his work of redemption (Catechism 1505). Keep praying, and ask for the grace you need today.

Can I pray for healing for someone else?

Yes. Interceding for the sick is one of the oldest Christian prayers. Name the person and their need, and ask others to pray with you.

What is a healing Mass?

A Mass offered especially for the sick, often with the Anointing of the Sick for those who need it and time for prayer afterward. Ask your parish or diocese whether one is offered near you.

Which saints should I pray to for healing?

St. Raphael the Archangel, whose name means “God heals”; Our Lady of Lourdes; St. Peregrine for cancer; St. Dymphna for mental illness; St. Blaise for the throat; St. Lucy for the eyes. See the St. Raphael prayer and our list of patron saints.

More prayers

Texts and sources

Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary, public domain (Wikisource).
Scripture: Jeremias 17:14; Matthew 8:8; Psalm 102:1–5 (Psalm 103 in modern Bibles); Isaias 53:4–5; James 5:14–15, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The prayers for physical, emotional and inner healing and for a family were written for this page.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1421, 1503–1505, 1509, 1511, 1514–1515 and 1532.