A Prayer for Spiritual Freedom (Prayer Before a Meeting)

O Spirit of God, we ask you to help orient

all our actions by your inspiration,
carry them on by your gracious assistance,
that every prayer and work of ours
may always begin from you
and through you be happily ended.

Heavenly Father, we come to you today asking for your guidance,

wisdom, and support as we begin this meeting. Help us to engage
in meaningful discussion; allow us to grow closer as a group and
nurture the bonds of community. Fill us with your grace, Lord God,
as we make decisions that might affect the students, staff, faculty,
alumni and friends of Saint Louis University. And continue to remind
us that all that we do here today, all that we accomplish, is for the
pursuit of truth for the greater glory of You, and for the service of
humanity. We ask these things in your name, Amen.

Prayer to Know Gods Will

May it please the supreme and divine Goodness
to give us all abundant grace
ever to know his most holy will
and perfectly to fulfill it.
St. Ignatius of Loyola

Suscipe
St. Ignatius of Loyola
Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.

Prayer to St. Francis Xavier

Help me become a hero
One who executes both spiritual and physical feats;
One who gives himself up to be a part of something greater;
One who departs on a journey and returns changed.
Help me to emphasize the magis
One who does his best in every area;
One who strives to be great in all aspects of his life.
Help me become a person with and for others
One who respects himself as well as others;
One who performs deeds not for himself, but for others.
Help me become a leader
One who persuades others to do the right thing;
One who guides others through action, not talk.

We pray to you for help, St. Xavier.

Amen.
Luke Rothan
St. Xavier High School
Cincinnati, Ohio

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Dominican
cleric and theologian (12251274)
Grant, O merciful God,
that I may ardently desire,
prudently examine,
truthfully acknowledge, and
perfectly accomplish
what is pleasing to Thee,
for the praise and glory of Thy name. Amen.

Prayer for the Gifts to

Seek God and Live in Him
Saint Benedict of Nursia,
Monk and Founder of the Benedictines
(480547 C.E.)
Father, in your goodness grant me the intellect
to comprehend you, the perception to discern you,
and the reason to appreciate you. In your kindness
endow me with the diligence to look for you, the wisdom
to discover you, and the spirit to apprehend you.
In your graciousness bestow on me a heart to contemplate

you, ears to hear you, eyes to see you,

and a tongue to speak of you.
In your mercy confer on me
a conversation pleasing to you,
the patience to wait for you,
and the perseverance to long for you.
Grant me a perfect endyour holy presence. Amen.

Live Eternally In Me
Jean-Pierre Mdaille,S.J.
French Jesuit Missionary of the
seventeenth century
So act, good Jesus,
that, in my relationships with whatever neighbor
and in all I do for the furthering of Your Fathers
glory
and the salvation of others,
I form myself on Your pattern;
that I be a genuine reflection of Your moderation,
gentleness, humility, patience, graciousness, tireless
zeal,
in a word, of all Your virtues;
and, in order to engrave them in my soul,
live eternally in me.

Fall in Love
Attributed to Fr. Pedro Arrupe,S.J.
(19071991)
Nothing is more practical than
finding God, than
falling in Love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide
what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, whom you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything.

A World Hunger Grace

For food in a world where many walk in hunger;
for faith in a world where many walk in fear;
for friends in a world where many walk alone,
we give you humble thanks, O Lord. Amen.

Fellowship Grace
by Michael Buckley,S.J.b. 1931
Lord Jesus, who when you were on earth celebrated a
meal with joy, be with us now and fill us with your spirit
as we share food and fellowship together. Amen.

Prayer for Studying

Lord, I cannot believe how much time I waste. Please
help me be more intense about my studies. I really am
interested in the things that the professor says in class.
But when I finally sit down to study, I welcome distractions from studying so easily. You have given me a good
mind, and you want me to explore your creation. Give me
enthusiasm, Lord, for the subjects I am studying. Keep
my eyes open and my mind on topic. Help me learn the
material so that I can explain it clearly and convincingly to
others, especially my friends. Jesus, you must have spent
a lot of time reflecting on life to think of the parables
that are recorded in the Gospels. Make me a good, critical
thinker and help me to express myself clearly. Help me
to use my mind for your greater Glory. Amen.

Prayer for Exams

God our Father, as I begin this time of exams, I feel
some anxiety and frustration. Help me to stay focused.
Give me a clear mind to perform to the best of my ability. Help me to study with dedication and vigor. Grant
me silence so that I may process the knowledge I have
obtained. Let me sleep peacefully at night, so that I am
refreshed and renewed for my upcoming exams.

Be with me, Lord, during this time. Undoubtedly,

there will be moments when I want to quit and give
up. Please sustain me, Lord. Guide me during times of
trouble. Help me to realize that I have done my best
possible work. Let me be satisfied with the work I have
done, but also help me to see areas that I may improve
upon academically in the future. Amen.

Prayer for Professionals

I want what You want, O Lord. By asking You for
guidance with complete confidence and faith that You
are helping me, nothing that I am called upon to do
becomes too much or too bothersome. Nor is there
any room for worry.
I will find it easy to ask You each day to be a partner
in my work. . . to help me get things done. . . to weigh
my actions and decisions in the light of is this right?
is this just? is this doing Your will?
With Your help I will make decisions better and faster,
knowing that You will not lead me astray. I will have
confidence that, by wanting what You want, I need not
worry about the outcome. So I will live my life, knowing
that it is Your will that I accomplish.

Prayer for Those in the

Education Professions
Jesus Christ, Lord of all learning, You sat in the midst
of the teachers and doctors, hearing their words and
questioning their conclusions.
Encourage all of us who teach Your people.
Help us to understand our place as mentors and figures
of authority. May we stand tall as teachers of human
dignity and purpose.
Give us grace to fill the emptiness we often experience
and the endurance to serve what may seem to be futile.
Let us enjoy with You the reward of a person made
whole, made wise through Your lasting intercession and
love. Amen.

Prayer to Witness Worthily to Others

in Our Daily Lives
Elisabeth Leseur (18661914)
French spiritual writer
To be unswervingly faithful to the daily task,
in big and little things, in work,
in painful inaction, illness and suffering
as much as in joy and health.
May those who draw near to my soul
sense that it is rooted firmly in God,
and is peaceful and lively because of it.
The restless waves that sometimes beat
against my soul are human things

that come to it from outside; may others see

in me only what is permanent and true;
never may any soul hold back discouraged from mine
because agitations and worldly complications
have hidden the way of approach; may my soul
be as smiling as my lips toward all, and may Thy Word,
O my God, inspire my humble word and make it fruitful.

An open invitation
Dorothy Stewart
Lord, you invite us
not some of us,
all of us:
not the good and righteous,
all of us
unconditionally.
Lord, we come
meeting you,
meeting each other,
accepting each other,
unconditionally.
Lord, we go
constant in prayer, and prayerful action,
expressing your continuous invitation
loving, sharing,
seeking, bringing,
serving the world you love.

Asking Prayer
I asked God for strength that I might achieve,
I was made weak
that I might learn humbly to obey . . .
I asked for health that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity
that I might do better things . . .
I asked for riches that I might be happy,
I was given poverty that I might be wise . . .
I asked for power
that I might have the praise of persons,
I was given weakness
that I might feel the need of God . . .
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life,
I was given life that I might enjoy all things . . .
I got nothing that I asked for
but everything I had hoped for . . .
Almost despite myself,
my unspoken prayers were answered,
I am among all people most richly blessed.

The Difference
I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I didnt have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me,
and heavier came each task.

Why didnt God help me? I wondered.

He answered, You didnt ask.
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, grey and bleak;
I wondered why God didnt show me.
He said, But you didnt seek.
I tried to come into Gods presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
My child, you didnt knock.
I woke up early this morning
and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish,
that I had to take time to pray.