Prayer Before an Exam Most Holy Apostle, St.

Jude Thaddeus, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered your beloved Master into the hands of his enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many. But the Church honors you, and I invoke you as the special advocate of those who are in trouble and almost without hope. Help me to realize that through our faith we triumph over life's difficulties by the power of Jesus who loved us and gave his life for us. Come to my assistance that I may receive the consolation and succor of heaven in all my needs, trials, and sufferings, particularly (here make your request) and that I may praise God with you and all the saints forever. St. Jude, apostle of the Word of God, pray for us. St. Jude, follower of the Son of God, pray for us. St. Jude, preacher of the love of God, pray for us. St. Jude, intercessor before God, pray for us. St. Jude, friend of all in need, pray for us. St. Jude, pray for us, and for all who invoke your aid. Almighty God and Father, please help us in our examinations. Help us to face them with courage, steady in nerves and keen in mind.Help us to understand the questions that are asked,to remember all that we have studied,and to express our answers accurately.Lord, grant us success, if success is good for us,For you know what is best for each one of us.With loving trust therefore we say,"Whatever the results, blessed be your holy will."We make this prayer in Jesus name. Amen. Dear Father, Source of all wisdom, help me to use my time and my intelligence wisely as I prepare for exams. Help me to dispose myself to listen to your Holy Spirit so that you, as my loving Father, may place me in a state of prayer and lead me to understand that the supreme wisdom is knowing I am your child. Help me to remain serene so that my work may truly reflect this profound truth Mary, Mother of my spiritual life, guide me in the ways of your Son, so that my work may help to transform this world for His glory. Amen Dear Lord, Sometimes I feel a little strange praying to you because of an exam. It doesn't really seem all that significant when you consider the "big picture." But right now, the test looms so large that it is all I can see before me. I pray to you for three things: - the strength to handle the pressure that I feel, - the confidence to feel secure in my knowledge and preparation, - and the ability to keep an appropriate perspective on it all. Help me to keep in mind what is really important,

even as I focus all of my time and energy on this test in the immediate future. Amen Prayer before a test Lord, thank you that you are with me right now Your love surpasses all fear I give you the anxiety I feel I surrender all my worries to you Clear my mind Calm my heart Still my Spirit Relax my being That I may always glorify you In everything I write, speak and do Prayer for strength and comfort This prayer may be suitable if you are currently suffering the loss of a loved one, or are grieving in some way:Lord, at the moment nothing seems to be able help the loss I feel. Nothing can replace (name) My heart is broken and my spirit mourns All I know is that Your grace is sufficient. This day, this hour Moment by moment I choose to lean on You, For when I am at my weakest Your strength is strongest. I pour out my grief to You And praise You that on one glorious day When all suffering is extinguished and love has conquered I shall walk again with (name). prayer for strength and God's guidance Here is a great traditional hymn that you can pray line-by-line and ask for God's guidance in your life, confess Him as your "strong deliverer" and receive Him as your "strength and shield". Guide me, O thou great redeemer, Pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou art mighty, Hold me with thy powerful hand; Bread of heaven, bread of heaven Feed me till I want no more; Feed me till I want no more. Open now the crystal fountain Whence the healing stream doth flow; Let the fire and cloudy pillar Lead me all my journey through: Strong deliverer, strong deliverer; Be thou still my strength and shield; Be thou still my strength and shield. When I tread the verge of Jordan, Bid my anxious fears subside; Death of death, and hell's destruction

Land me safe on Canaan's side: Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to thee; I will ever give to thee This first prayer comes from a 1916 Catholic prayer book. The lofty language employed here centers in at its end to our most essential task. Passing the exam for Eternal Life! Incomprehensible Creator, the true Fountain of light and only Author of all knowledge: vouchsafe, we beseech Thee, to enlighten our understandings, and to remove from us all darkness of sin and ignorance. Thou, who makest eloquent the tongues of those that want utterance, direct our tongues, and pour on our lips the grace of Thy blessing. Give us a diligent and obedient spirit, quickness of apprehension, capacity of retaining, and the powerful assistance of Thy holy grace; that what we hear or learn we may apply to Thy honor and the eternal salvation of our own souls. The second one has a more contemporary feel: Holy Spirit, Giver of all good gifts, enter into my mind and heart. Give me the gift of knowledge and the grace to use it wisely. Help me in all my endeavors. Give me perseverance and fortitude. Help my memory, that I may remember what I learn and recall it when necessary. Guide me in the classroom. You who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, let me not be deceived by false teaching. Our Lady of Good Studies, pray for me. Amen. And, finally the third of our prayers before studying was composed by the Angelic Doctor, one of the Churchs greatest theologians, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). His writings, such as his celebratedSumma Theologica, provide essential commentary and teachings about our Catholic faith.

When St. Thomas first attended the University of Paris, his quiet manner and heavyset frame earned him the nickname the Dumb Ox. Yet his teacher and mentor, St. Albert the Great, upon seeing his amazing memory and grasp of detail, said famously we call him the dumb ox, but one day he will emit such a bellowing in his teaching that it will be heard throughout the world." Note in this prayer as well how Aquinas appeals to Mary, the mediatrix of grace as St. Alphonsus Liquori called her, to help him receive the grace of the Holy Sprirt. St. Thomas honors, not worships, our Blessed Mother with his petitions. 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. Remember the key element in all three of these prayers before studying: calling on God (as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary) to help you succeed! You dont have to feel alone at your desk. Keep in mind as well that whatever the outcome, youll at least know did your best for God by sincerely seeking His help and preparing thoroughly for your test with the help of His grace. Good luck!