Woo! It's that time of the year fellow students...drumroll please...FINALS!! And as this season of necessary evil rolls around for students of every age, where appetites increase and hours of sleep decrease (greatly, on both accounts), Holy Mother Church offers us spiritual food and rest, through the intercession of those holy men and women whose lives and actions are uniquely related to the needs of students.
St. Joseph of Cupertino
These are two variations of a prayer for the intercession of St. Joseph of Cupertino. I personally like to mix the first one with the invocations of the second one. (I don't know if I've made it apparent yet, but I'm a huge Marianist). You should pray it during your studies and immediately before your exams. Now, you may be tempted to study less, since you're praying for the favor of being tested on only the things you know, but that's not how this works. You study and you study hard. Prepare yourself, and God may just have a little mercy.
O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.
Through Christ our Lord.
St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us.
Amen.
O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (here mention the name of Exam ) examination.
In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.
O St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for meO Holy Ghost enlighten meOur Lady of Good Studies pray for meSacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me.
St. Thomas Aquinas
Known as the Universal Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas is arguably one of the greatest (if not, the greatest) theologians of the Church, and one of her most famous and best students. It's interesting to note that St. Thomas Aquinas actually failed one of his first theological disputations, earning him the nickname "Dumb Ox" by his Dominican brothers. He later goes on to author two of the greatest theological works of the Catholic Church, Summa Theologiae and Summa contra gentiles. If this guy, who was called the "Dumb Ox", isn't the greatest inspiration for all students...I don't know who is. The following is a prayer he is attributed to have written and is also one of my personal favorites:
Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom,origin of all being,graciously let a ray of your light penetratethe darkness of my understanding.
Take from me the double darknessin which I have been born,an obscurity of sin and ignorance.
Give me a keen understanding,a retentive memory, andthe ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally.
Grant me the talent of being exactin my explanations and the ability to express myselfwith thoroughness and charm.
Point out the beginning,direct the progress,and help in the completion.
I ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Our Lady of Good Studies/Good Counsel
I know, I know, the Blessed Virgin Mary is like every Catholic's typical go-to, but there's a good reason for that. She is the premiere saint, the Queen of Heaven, deserving of the special veneration (hyperdulia) in the Church, greater than that of the saints and exceeded only by the worship of the Holy Trinity, reserved only for the Theotokos. She holds a special place in the hearts of all Catholics, and indeed, is the Help of All Christians. One of her many incarnations is known as Our Lady of Good Studies or Good Counsel. She is mentioned in the prayer by St. Joseph of Cupertino, and St. Thomas Aquinas frequently prayed for her holy intercession. One of her many epithets in the Church is sede sapientiae, or Seat of Wisdom. As the Mother of Christ, this epithet associates her with wisdom and with teaching, pointing us to her son, who is the source of the greatest wisdom and knowledge. She is my greatest intercessor and patroness. Being a mama's boy, I turn to her daily, seeking comfort and hope in the same arms that once held our Lord and Savior. Here are some prayers for her great intercession:
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.
Under your patronage, dear Mother, and calling on the mystery of your Immaculate Conception, I desire to pursue my studies and my literary works: I hereby solemnly declare that I am giving myself to these studies chiefly with the following goal: that I may the better contribute to the glory of God and to the promotion of your veneration among men. I ask you, therefore, most loving Mother, who are the Seat of Wisdom, to bless my work in your loving-kindness. I also promise with true affection and a willing spirit, as it is right that I should do, to ascribe all the good that shall come to me from my studies, wholly to your intercession for me in God's holy presence. Amen.
O Mary, Mother of fair love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope, by whose loving care and intercession many, otherwise poor in intellect, have wonderfully advanced in knowledge and in holiness, thee do I choose as the guide and patroness of my studies; and I humbly implore, through the deep tenderness of thy maternal love, and especially through that eternal Wisdom who deigned to take from thee our flesh and who gifted thee beyond all the saints with heavenly light, that thou wouldst obtain for me by thy intercession the grace of the Holy Spirit that I may be able to grasp with strong intellect, retain in memory, proclaim by word and deed, and teach others all things which bring honor to thee and to thy Son, and which for me and for others are salutary for eternal life. Amen.
There you go boys and girls, prayers for finals. At my student center, we have this saying: "Study Hard, Pray Harder". Do your best, study with all your heart. When you feel drained, pray one of these prayers, and renew your focus. I know, it might be tempting to be lax and take a break. But I'll tell you something that my priest told me, and something all of us as Catholics can appreciate. For those students out there: we spend so much of our time thinking about our futures, what we're meant to do and what we will do, what our vocations are in life. But right now, we must always remember that our vocation in life is as a student. Right now, God is calling us to be students...to be great students. We must take this vocation seriously, and as with any holy vocation, we must always live it proclaiming and praising God, the Almighty Father, and His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit.
Best of luck to everyone during this stressful time. Remember to seek Christ in the Holy Mass and during Holy Adoration. Studere et ora, study and pray. Study hard...pray harder. Do your best...and God will take care of the rest.
Peace, blessings, and good grades to you all!
Dominus vobiscum.
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