Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, while before thy face I humbly kneel and, with burning soul, pray and beseech thee to fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm purpose of amendment. While I contemplate, with great love and tender pity, thy five wounds, pondering over them within me and calling to mind the words which David thy prophet said of thee, my Jesus: 'They have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones.'
CATHOLIC TRADITIONAL; POPULARIZED 16TH CENTURY AD
Prayer Before a Crucifix
Also known as Look Down Upon Me, Good and Gentle Jesus ยท Prayer of St. Francis Before the Crucifix
About this prayer
This prayer is said while kneeling before a crucifix, asking Christ to imprint on the heart the virtues of faith, hope, love, contrition, and a firm intention to avoid sin. It draws on the tradition of contemplating Christ's Passion as a means of spiritual renewal. The prayer is associated with a plenary indulgence in Catholic practice when said after Communion before a crucifix. It has been attributed to various sources, including St. Francis of Assisi, but no definitive authorship has been established. Its present form appears in Catholic prayer books from at least the 16th century. The prayer became widely known through its association with the Stations of the Cross devotion.
When it's said
This prayer is said while kneeling before a crucifix, most commonly after receiving Communion. It is also said during the Stations of the Cross, in private devotion before a crucifix at home or in church, and on Good Friday. A plenary indulgence is attached to it in the Catholic Church when said in the prescribed manner after Communion.
Notes on the text
The scriptural quotation at the end is from Psalm 22:16-17, which Catholic and many Protestant traditions read as a prophecy of the Crucifixion. The five wounds of Christ referred to are those in his hands, feet, and side. The phrase 'lively sentiments' means vivid, active dispositions, not merely intellectual acknowledgments.
Source
Traditional Catholic prayer, 16th century form. Text from F.X. Lasance, The Blessed Sacrament Book, 1913. Public domain.
Last reviewed: May 2026 against primary source.