Thomas AquinasGrant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.
About This Quote
"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen." This prayer was written by the German Jesuit priest Johann Christoph Adelmann. It calls for the believer to remember that God has not forgotten him or her. It asks God to grant the believer "mind, heart, wisdom, patience and perseverance" with which he or she can look forward with longing.
The last two phrases in particular have something in common with one another. If the mind is searching for the Lord, then there is no mistaking him; likewise if the heart is waiting patiently for him, then it will not be disappointed. But what exactly do these terms mean? Wisdom indicates that we need all of our faculties functioning properly before we can see him.
Hearts that are full of self-love can never truly appreciate God because they are only seeing him through their own eyes. "Patience" means more than just waiting patiently; it means that we wait without impatience. The final two phrases fit well together because they all indicate that we are waiting for more of himself rather than less of himself. There is no sense of desiring more of his grace than he has already given us; rather we desire all of him so that our lives will be filled with him.
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More Quotes By Thomas Aquinas
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