The following prayer was written by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptysky.
O Great and Almighty God, send down upon me from Your high and holy heavens and from the throne of Your holy glory, Your holy wisdom, that sits at Your side.
Grant me the wisdom of Your good pleasure so that in my life I may know how to desire fervently, seek wisely, acknowledge in truth and fulfil perfectly that which is pleasing to You, to the glory and honour of You holy Name, “to the praise of the glory of Your grace.”
Grant me, O God, the wisdom of my state, so that I may do what You desire; grant that I may understand my obligations, grant me the wisdom of my duties, and grant that I may do them as they ought to be done and as is fitting to Your glory and for the benefit of my soul.
Grant me the wisdom of Your ways and the wisdom to walk the paths of Your holy will.
Grant me the wisdom of success and failure so that I would know how not to exalt myself in the former and not to be downcast in the latter.
Grant me the wisdom of joy and the wisdom of sadness; may I rejoice only in that which leads to You and be sad only in that which separates from You.
Grant me the wisdom of everything that passes and everything that lasts; may the first decrease in my sight, and the second grow.
Grant me the wisdom of work and the wisdom of rest; may work for You be luxury for me, and rest without You – fatigue.
Grant me the wisdom of a sincere and straight-forward intention, the wisdom of simplicity, the wisdom of sincerity. May my heart turn to You and seek You in all things all my life long.
Grant me the wisdom of obedience for Your law, for Your Church.
Grant me the wisdom of poverty, so that I would never value goods in any other way except according to their real worth.
Grant me the wisdom of chastity according to my state and vocation.
Grant me the wisdom of patience, the wisdom of humility, the wisdom of gladness and seriousness, the wisdom of the fear of the Lord; the wisdom of truthfulness and of good deeds; may I be patient with no complaining, humble without the least pretending, joyful without inordinate laughter, serious without severity; that I may fear You without the temptation to despair; that I may be truthful without the shadow of duplicity; may all my good deeds be free from self-complacence.
Grant me the wisdom to admonish my neighbour when necessary without exalting myself; grant that I may edify in word and deed without hypocrisy.
Grant me, O Lord, the wisdom of vigilance, attention and wariness; may no vain thought lead me astray.
Grant me the wisdom of nobleness; may I never be brought down by any impure and unworthy attachment.
Grant me the wisdom of what is right; may no selfish intention ever lead me away from the path of my duties.
Grant me the wisdom of courage and strength; may no storm overthrow me. Grant me the wisdom of freedom; may no powerful passion ever enslave me.
Grant me the wisdom of the theological virtues and the moral virtues: faith, hope, love, prudence, devotion, temperance and fortitude.
Grant me, O Lord, the wisdom of the apostles, the wisdom of the martyrs; grant me a priestly and pastoral wisdom; grant me the wisdom of preachers and teachers; grant me the wisdom of those who administer the Holy Mysteries; grant me the Eucharistic wisdom and mystical wisdom – the wisdom of prayer and spiritual wisdom, and above all, O Lord, grant me the wisdom of sincere repentance, imperfect and perfect contrition; grant me the wisdom of to know myself in my weakness and malice; grant me the wisdom of mortification and fasting; grant me the wisdom of self-denial and self-sacrifice; grant me the wisdom of sacrifice, the wisdom of the Cross, the wisdom of Blood.
O God, grant me, finally, that wisdom which, in accord with Your holy purpose, leads to the unity of churches under one supreme pastor, the Universal Pontiff; grant me the wisdom to cherish the work of holy unity, to love it and to consecrate my life to it.
Grant me the wisdom of our Eastern rite, to hold it, to renew it and develop it. Grant me the wisdom of the Fathers of the holy Eastern Church and all the great ecclesiastical teachers.
Grant me the wisdom of Your great apostle, Paul, so that I would at least well understand his epistles, remember them and know how to explain them to Your people.
Grant me the wisdom of Your first Vicar that I may understand the designs of Your Divine Providence, which governs the Church through the Roman Pontiffs; grant me the wisdom of obedience to them and to the Universal Catholic Church; grant me the wisdom of church history and theology; grant me the wisdom that I and my people lack; grant me the wisdom of true satisfaction, true happiness. Amen.
