Catholic Prayer for Purity and Against Lust and Temptation

Purity of heart is a gift of God and a virtue we grow in with his grace: “Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.” Everyone, married or single, young or old, is called to chastity, and everyone faces temptation. The Catechism teaches that with God’s grace the baptized person will prevail in the struggle “by the virtue and gift of chastity, for chastity lets us love with upright and undivided heart” (CCC 2520). Below are prayers for purity and against lust, the traditional prayer to St. Aloysius, the patron saints of chastity, Scripture and practical steps.

A prayer for purity of heart

Written for this page:

Lord Jesus, you were pure in mind, heart and body.
Create in me a clean heart.
Guard my eyes, my thoughts and my imagination,
help me to see every person as your beloved son or daughter, never as an object,
and give me the strength to say no to every temptation.
Mary, Mother most pure, and St. Joseph, most chaste, pray for me. Amen.

Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

A prayer in the moment of temptation

Short prayers to say at once when temptation comes:

Jesus, I trust in you.
Mary, help me.
Lord, save me, I am perishing.

And this prayer, written for this page:

Lord, this temptation is strong and I am weak.
I belong to you; my body is a temple of your Holy Spirit.
Take this thought from me, give me your strength, and show me the way out. Amen.

Or know you not, that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God; and you are not your own?
For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body.

The traditional prayer to St. Aloysius for purity

St. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568–1591), a young Jesuit who died caring for plague victims, is the patron of youth and of purity. From Father Lasance’s With God (1911):

O blessed Aloysius, adorned with angelic graces, I, thy most unworthy suppliant, recommend specially to thee the chastity of my soul and body, praying thee by thy angelic purity to plead for me with Jesus Christ, the immaculate Lamb, and His most holy Mother, Virgin of virgins, that they would vouchsafe to keep me from all grievous sin. O never let me be defiled with any stain of impurity; but when thou dost see me in temptation, or in danger of falling, then remove far from my heart all bad thoughts and unclean desires, and awaken in me the memory of eternity to come and of Jesus crucified; impress deeply in my heart a sense of the holy fear of God; and thus, kindling in me the fire of divine love, enable me so to follow thy footsteps here on earth that, in heaven with thee, I may be made worthy to enjoy the vision of our God forever. Amen.

A prayer after a fall

Lord, I have fallen again, and I am ashamed.
Do not let me despair or hide from you.
I am sorry for my sin; I trust in your mercy, which is greater than my weakness.
Lead me back to confession soon, and give me a new beginning. Amen.

This prayer was written for this page. See how to go to confession and the Act of Contrition.

Patron saints of purity and chastity

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother most pure.
St. Joseph, “most chaste,” guardian of virgins. See the St. Joseph prayer.
St. Aloysius Gonzaga (June 21), patron of young people and of purity.
St. Maria Goretti (July 6), who died rather than sin. See the St. Maria Goretti prayer.
St. Agnes (January 21), virgin martyr. See the St. Agnes prayer.
St. Thomas Aquinas (January 28), who, according to tradition, was girded by angels with a cord of chastity after resisting a grave temptation; the Angelic Warfare Confraternity, which prays for purity, is inspired by this story. See the St. Thomas Aquinas prayer.
St. Augustine (August 28), who knew the struggle well and was converted. See the St. Augustine prayer.

Practical help

Go to confession often and receive the Eucharist.
Avoid the near occasions of sin: use filters on your devices, avoid certain websites, places and company, and do not stay alone with temptation late at night.
Find accountability: a priest, spiritual director or trusted friend.
Fill your life with good things: exercise, friendship, service, good books and rest. Idleness and loneliness feed temptation.
Pray daily, especially a Hail Mary in the morning and at night for purity, and ask your guardian angel for help.
Be patient with yourself. Growth in chastity is a lifelong path, and God’s mercy is always there after a fall.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Catholic prayer against lust?

Any sincere prayer asking God for purity, such as the prayer to St. Aloysius above, short invocations like “Jesus, Mary, help me,” and the Hail Mary prayed for purity.

Who is the patron saint of chastity?

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, St. Maria Goretti, St. Agnes and St. Joseph are among the patrons of chastity and purity.

Is there a litany of chastity?

Various litanies and prayers for purity are used in Catholic devotion. The Litany of Loreto, which honors Mary as “Mother most pure” and “Mother most chaste,” is a traditional choice. See the Litany of Loreto.

What does the Church mean by chastity?

“Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being” (CCC 2337). It applies to everyone, in marriage and in single life.

More prayers

Texts and sources

Prayer to St. Aloysius: F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), Various Other Devotions, public domain (Wikisource).
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2337, 2520.
Scripture: Matthew 5:8; Psalm 50:12–14 (51:10–12 in modern Bibles); 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
The other prayers were written for this page.