Before opening a textbook, starting a difficult project, or sitting down to write, this prayer asks God for the intellectual gifts we need: clarity, memory, and the grace to communicate what we learn. St. Thomas Aquinas, the great Dominican theologian of the 13th century, prayed it before his own work.
Ineffable Creator, who, out of the treasures of thy wisdom, hast ordained three hierarchies of angels, hast set them in marvelous order above the heavens, and hast assigned the parts of the universe so wondrously to each, who art truly called the source of light and wisdom and the most exalted principle, vouchsafe to pour forth a ray of thy brightness upon the dark places of my understanding; take from me the twofold darkness in which I was born, namely, sin and ignorance. Grant me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, ease and exactness in learning, depth in interpreting, and abundant grace of expression. Order the beginning, direct the progress, and perfect the completion. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Thomas Aquinas, 13th century
How this prayer works
Aquinas begins by naming God as the source of all order and wisdom, the one who arranged the angels and the cosmos itself. Then he asks for light in his own mind, acknowledging that ignorance and sin cloud our thinking. He prays for five specific gifts: sharp understanding, retentive memory, ease in learning, depth in interpreting, and grace in expressing what he learns.
The prayer is not asking for academic success or career advancement. It is asking God to sanctify the work of the mind, to make study an act of worship. Aquinas understood intellectual work as a path to God, not a distraction from him.
Pray it slowly before you begin any serious intellectual work: before opening your laptop, before a meeting that requires discernment, before reading Scripture or theology. If you are a student, pray it before exams or writing assignments. If you teach, pray it before preparing a lesson.
Carry it through this morning.
