Written by St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), who would often recite this prayer before he began his studies, writing, or preaching.

O INFINITE Creator, who in the riches of Thy wisdom didst appoint three hierarchies of Angels and didst set them in wondrous order over the highest heavens, and who didst apportion the elements of the world most wisely: do Thou, who art in truth the fountain of light and wisdom, deign to shed upon the darkness of my understanding the rays of Thine infinite brightness, and remove far from me the twofold darkness in which I was born, namely, sin and ignorance. Do Thou, who givest speech to the tongues of little children, instruct my tongue and pour into my lips the grace of Thy benediction. Give me keenness of apprehension, capacity for remembering, method and ease in learning, insight-in interpretation, and copious eloquence in speech. Instruct my beginning, direct my progress, and set Thy seal upon the finished work, Thou, who art true God and true Man, who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

After this beautiful prayer it begs the question whether it is becoming to pray to God?

If we conceive of prayer in the wrong way, we might draw conclusions that tell us it is pointless to pray to God.

Such errors include: 1, God already knows everything, so it is unnecessary to make our needs known to Him; 2, We cannot “bend God’s mind,” to the request of our prayer, therefore it is not fitting that we should pray to God; 3, God is most generous, and it is more generous to give to someone who doesn’t ask than someone who asks, therefore, we diminish God’s generosity by asking.

St. Thomas Aquinas responds to these errors, thusly:

In addressing the utility of prayer, it is noted that there were three erroneous ancient beliefs. The first denied Divine providence, suggesting prayer was futile. The second claimed all events were predetermined by divine providence or fate, negating the need for prayer. The third believed Divine providence could be altered by prayer, implying changeability in God. Proper understanding recognizes that Divine providence dictates not only outcomes but also the means, including human actions and prayers. Thus, prayer does not change God’s will but aligns with His eternal plan, fulfilling what He has decreed through the act of praying. Gregory reinforces this by stating that through prayer, people merit receiving what God has eternally intended to grant. Therefore, prayer is not about altering the Divine disposition but rather, “that by asking, men may deserve to receive what Almighty God from eternity has disposed to give,” as Gregory says.

Therefore, we can conclude:

We need to pray to God, not to make our desires known to Him, but that we may recognize our necessity of having recourse to God in all things.

Also, as stated above, our prayer is not intended to change the Divine disposition, but to obtain that which God has appointed.

God is generous, even without our asking, and He wishes to bestow certain things on us by our petition. This is for our good: that we may grow in confidence in having recourse to Him and that we may recognize in Him the Author of our goods.

St. John Chrysostom commenting on the 18th chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke says, “Think what happiness is granted thee, what honor bestowed on thee, when thou conversest with God in prayer, when thou talkest with Christ, when thou askest what thou wilt, whatever thou desirest.”