Prayers of the Saints
Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas Before Study
Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom,
origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your light penetrate
the darkness of my understanding.
Take from me the double darkness in which I have been born,
an obscurity of sin and ignorance.
Give me a keen understanding, a retentive memory,
and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally.
Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations
and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm.
Point out the beginning, direct the progress,
and help in the completion.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274), Ante Studium
About the prayer
St. Thomas Aquinas, the thirteenth-century Dominican who wrote the Summa Theologiae, prayed before every period of study and dictation, insisting that he learned more before a crucifix than from any book. This prayer, preserved among his devotional writings, has been used for centuries by students, teachers, scholars, and anyone facing work that demands clear thought. Aquinas is the patron saint of students and universities. Pray it before an exam, a difficult piece of work, or any task where you need your mind to be both sharp and honest.
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