(A prayer adopted from St. Thomas Aquinas)

O God, all powerful, Who knows all things, with neither a beginning nor end,

Who gives, preserves, and rewards all virtues,

make (name) steadfast in faith, protect (name) with the impregnable shield of hope, and to adorn (name) with the wedding garment of charity.

Give (name) justice, to submit to Thee;

prudence, to avoid the snares of the enemy;

temperance, to keep the just medium;

fortitude, to bear adversities with patience.

Grant (name) to impart willingly to others all that is good, and to ask humbly of others when (name) is destitute;

to confess truly faults; to bear with equanimity all pains and evils

Grant that (name) may never envy neighborly goods, and always return thanks for Thy graces.

Let (name) always observe discipline in clothing, movements, and gestures.

Let (name's) tongue be restrained from vain words, (name's) feet from going astray, (name's) eyes from seeking after vain objects,

(name's) ears from listening to much news.

Grant (name) to despise all transitory things, and to desire Thee alone;

to subdue the flesh and purify the conscience;

to honor Thy Saints and to praise Thee worthily and to advance in virtue.

Plant in (name), O Lord, all virtues, to be devoted to divine things.

Grant that (name) may never desire to do what is foolish;

never be discouraged by what is distasteful;

to never begin works before the proper time, nor abandon them before they are completed.

Grant, O Lord my God, that (name) may not fall into prosperity or in adversity,

avoiding pride in the former and discouragement in the latter.

May (name) rejoice in nothing but what leads to Thee, grieve for nothing but what turns away from Thee.

May (name) wish to please no one but Thee.


Make (name), O Lord, my God, obedient without contradiction, poor without depression,

chaste without corruption, patient without murmuring, humble without pretense, cheerful without dissipation, sorrowful without despair,

serious without constraint, prompt without levity, God-fearing without presumption, correcting my neighbor without haughtiness,

and edifying him by word and example without hypocrisy.

Grant (name), finally, O Lord my God, intelligence in knowing Thee, diligence in seeking Thee, wisdom in finding Thee,

perseverance in trusting Thee, and the confidence of finally embracing Thee.

Let me accept Thy punishments as a penance for my sins, and enjoy Thy benefits by grace in this world,

and Thy blessedness by glory in the next. Who lives and reigns true God, forever and ever.

Amen