Prayer is asking God to align your with His Will rather than asking Him to be aligned with yours.
Prayer to Begin a New School Year
A Prayer for Students
God of wisdom and might,
we praise you for the wonder of our being,
for mind, body and spirit.
Be with our children as they begin
a new school year.
Bless them and their teachers and staff.
Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow;
wisdom and knowledge to their minds
as they search for understanding;
and peace and zeal to their hearts.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Loving Father,
I stand before you in the midst of confusion and complexities of life.
My future sometimes seems distant and unknown.
Give me, O Lord, the vision to see the path you set before me.
Grant me the courage to follow your way,
that through the gifts and talents you have given me,
I may bring your life and your love to others.
I ask this through Jesus, your Son and my Brother.
Amen.
Prayer for My Intellect
Lord, you are the Source of all Life, all Truth, and all Beauty,
I pray to you today, with all my heart, for my intelligence,
this light in me, this plant which demands years and years of care,
this thing in me, mysterious and moving, this activity which sometimes bounds up, sometimes slows down,
which sometimes lifts me up with enthusiasm and sometimes exasperates me.
I pray for this thing which runs after ideas, symbols and numbers,
this thing which all of a sudden has penetrated inside the thought of another and melds with it like the fusion of two lights
a fusion which bring about warmth and light.
I pray to you for my mind as you are the Supreme Intelligence which penetrates, illuminates, and embraces all our intelligences.
Lord, help make my intelligence amenable to all truths, able to understand the thoughts of others; give to me the wisdom to know the meaning and purpose of my life and learning, so that my knowledge, understanding, and skills may help in some little ways to make this world a better place, for your greater glory.
Amen.
Translated and adapted from French by Dr. Chau T. Phan, Rider University, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648-3099, from Fernand Lelotte, S.J., Rabboni: Consignes et prières pour mieux servir, 9è edition, 1958 (Paris, Casterman; Bruxelles, Foyer Notre-Dame. Imprimatur, 1955.)
Prayer to Our Lady of Studies
O Mary, Seat of Wisdom,
so many persons of common intellect have made through your intercession admirable progress in their studies.
I hereby choose You as guardian and patron of my studies.
I humbly ask You to obtain for me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that from now on I could
- understand more quickly,
- retain more readily, and
- express myself more fluently.
May the example of my life serve
to honor You and your Son, Jesus.
Amen.
Saint Thomas Aquinas