Grant to me keenness of mind,
Capacity to remember,
Skill in learning, subtlety to interpret,
And eloquence of speech.
May you guide the beginning of my work,
Direct its progress,
And bring it to completion.
from a prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas, Ante Studium ("Before Study")
quoted in Kevin Vost's Memorize the Faith
Not a bad prayer for Catholic bloggers, either!
In 1867, Matthew Arnold wrote "Dover Beach", a haunting poem evoking the "melancholy, long, withdrawing roar" of the Sea of Faith. As a boomer who finished Catholic elementary school in 1964 and then watched my Church falter, I've found the roar all too audible. So here I wait, listening for the whispers of that Sea's invincible return.
