Thursday’s Spiritual Smoothie: Scholarly Prayer

Posted by admin on January 28, 2010 under 4. Thursday's Spiritual Smoothie |

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the patron saint of all Catholic educational institutions. In the midst of our roles as advocates for faith and spirituality on university and college campuses, one of our greatest gifts and biggest challenges is promoting the link between faith and reason. Aquinas, of course, is a great example of how faith and reason are both important and compatible.

Below is a prayer from Saint Thomas Aquinas that we can use ourselves and share with our students:

O Lord, my God, direct my study,
ensure my perseverance,
and set your seal upon its completion.
You who are the fount of wisdom,
shed light upon the darkness of my understanding
and dispel the twofold darkness of sin and ignorance.
Grant me a keen understanding, a retentive memory,
method and ease in learning, fluency in speech and writing.
Finally, set me on a way of life that is pleasing to you
and grant me confidence that I will embrace you at the end.
Amen.

Sarah Heiman is Campus Minister for Education and Spiritual Life at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT.