Prayer Before Study
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Who, in the riches of Your wisdom
established three hierarchies of angels
and arrayed them in marvelous order
above the fiery heavens,
and who marshaled the elements
of the universe with such artful skill,
You are proclaimed
the true font of light and wisdom,
and the primal origin
raised high beyond all things.
Pour forth a ray of Your brightness
into the darkened places of my mind;
disperse from my soul
the twofold darkness
into which I was born:
sin and ignorance.
You make eloquent the tongues of infants.
Refine my speech
and pour forth upon my lips
the goodness of Your blessing.
Grant to me
keenness of mind,
capacity to remember,
skill in learning,
subtlety to interpret,
and copious eloquence in speech.
May You
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, world without end.
Amen.
Creator
ineffabilis, qui de thesauris sapientiae tuae tres
Angelorum hierarchias designasti et eas super caelum
empyreum miro ordine collocasti atque universi partes
elegantissime distribuisti: Tu, inquam, qui verus fons
luminis et sapientiae diceris ac supereminens principium,
infundere digneris super intellectus mei tenebras tuae radium
claritatis, duplices, in quibus natus sum, a me removens
tenebras, peccatum scilicet et ignorantiam. Tu, qui linguas
infantium facis disertas, linguam meam erudias atque in labiis
meis gratiam tuae benedictionis infundas. Da mihi intelligendi
acumen, retinendi capacitatem, addiscendi modum et
facilitatem, interpretandi subtilitatem, loquendi gratiam
copiosam. Ingressum instruas, progressum dirigas, egressum
compleas. Tu, qui es verus Deus et homo, qui vivis et regnas
in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
(Saint Thomas Aquinas)
Angelorum hierarchias designasti et eas super caelum
empyreum miro ordine collocasti atque universi partes
elegantissime distribuisti: Tu, inquam, qui verus fons
luminis et sapientiae diceris ac supereminens principium,
infundere digneris super intellectus mei tenebras tuae radium
claritatis, duplices, in quibus natus sum, a me removens
tenebras, peccatum scilicet et ignorantiam. Tu, qui linguas
infantium facis disertas, linguam meam erudias atque in labiis
meis gratiam tuae benedictionis infundas. Da mihi intelligendi
acumen, retinendi capacitatem, addiscendi modum et
facilitatem, interpretandi subtilitatem, loquendi gratiam
copiosam. Ingressum instruas, progressum dirigas, egressum
compleas. Tu, qui es verus Deus et homo, qui vivis et regnas
in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
(Saint Thomas Aquinas)