a prayer for a good life

“Grant O merciful God, that I may ardently desire, carefully examine, truly know and perfectly fulfill those things that are pleasing to You and to the praise and glory of Your holy name.

​Direct my life, O my God, and grant that I might know what you would have me to do and for me to fulfill it as is necessary and profitable to my soul.

​Grant to me, O Lord my God, that I may not be found wanting in prosperity or in adversity and that I may not be lifted up by one nor cast down by the other.

​May I find joy in nothing but what leads to You and sorrow in nothing but what leads away from You.

​May I seek to please no one or fear to displease anyone, save only You.​

Grant to me, O Lord God,
– a vigilant heart that no subtle speculation may ever lead me from You;
– a noble heart that no unworthy affection may draw me from You;
– an upright heart that no evil purpose may turn me from you.

​Give me a steadfast heart that no tribulation may shatter and a free heart that no violent affection may claim as its own.

​And finally, grant me O Lord my God, a mind to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you.

​Give me a way of life pleasing to You; perseverance to trust and await You in confidence that I shall embrace You at the last. Amen.”

-St. Thomas Aquinas, Prayer For A Good Life

While St. Thomas Aquinas is best known within the Catholic Church, I believe his prayer for a good life resonates with anyone believing in a Higher Power.

When I read this, I can’t help but see St. Thomas’s desire to be led to his authentic life, which is what I believe he is describing throughout the prayer.

“truly know and perfectly fulfill those things that are pleasing to You and to the praise and glory of Your holy name”

“I might know what you would have me to do and for me to fulfill it as is necessary and profitable to my soul.”

“Give me a way of life pleasing to You; perseverance to trust and await You in confidence that I shall embrace You at the last”

To me, these are just a few examples of ways St. Thomas is asking to be guided to find the reason he was created–and anyone reciting the prayer is asking the same.

I hesitated to share such a specific religious text because I genuinely believe that regardless of your belief system, you can find similar passages in the various sacred texts that tell you that the Higher Power you believe in created you for a specific reason and that it is your responsibility to find out what that reason is. And I believe in that reason, or your purpose, you find and live the Good Life we all desire.

Please don’t lose the point of today’s note because of the religion the prayer comes from—it’s not the denomination that is most important but the concept of the prayer.

The concept of the authentic life is not new—it’s been around for centuries, right in front of all of our faces, but we didn’t know that we were supposed to be looking for it.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC