Prayer Before Study
Creator ineffabilis
St. Thomas Aquinas, the greatest teacher of the Middle Ages, is said to have prayed this before he studied or wrote. It asks not for cleverness but for light: a clear mind, a good memory, and words that carry grace. Thomas kept praying it even after his own writing filled shelves.
St. Thomas Aquinas, 13th century
Creator of all things,
true source of light and wisdom,
origin of all being,
graciously let a ray of your light
pierce the darkness of my understanding.
Take from me the double darkness
I was born into: sin and ignorance.
You who make the tongues of infants eloquent,
teach my tongue
and pour the grace of your blessing on my lips.
Give me a sharp mind to understand,
a memory that holds,
a method and ease in learning,
subtlety in interpreting,
and a rich grace in speaking.
Guide the beginning of my work,
direct its progress,
and bring it to completion.
You who are true God and true man,
who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.