Prayers
On the Medal of St. Benedict are found the following letters which are an abbreviation for a powerful prayer of protection. Everyone should wear a medal of St. Benedict!
C. S. S. M. L. (Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux)
N. D. S. M. D. (Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux)
V. R. S. (Vade Retro Satana)
N. S. M. V. (Nunquam Suade Mihi Vana)
S. M. Q. L. (Sunt Mala Quae Libas)
I. V. B. (Ipse Venena Biba! Amen.)
Translation:
May the Holy Cross be my light
Let not the dragon be my guide
Begone Satan
Never tempt me with your vanities
All that pours from you is evil.
Drink your own poison. Amen.
Father, in Your goodness
grant me the intellect to comprehend You,
the perception to discern You,
and the reason to appreciate You.
In Your kindness
endow me with the diligence to look for You,
the wisdom, to discover You,
and the spirit to apprehend You.
In Your graciousness
bestow on me a heart to contemplate You,
ears to hear You,
eyes to see You,
and a tongue to speak of You.
In Your mercy to confer on me
a conversation pleasing to You,
the patience to wait for You,
and the perseverance to long for You.
Grant me a perfect end, Your holy presence. I ask this in the name of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
-St. Benedict
Dear God, we praise and thank You for Who You are: The Creator and Master of the Universe, and our Father who loves us and has sent Your Son Jesus to save us from our sins.
Dear Father, You provided your holy monk, Benedict, as a leader and master in the spiritual life for a countless number of followers. Filled as he was with the spirit of all the just, You flooded him with the splendor of Your light. In the intense radiance of this light his mind was freed of hindrance and he was able to discern how incomplete all things are here below. Because of this the entire monastic company in every part of the world sings out its joy, and the Virtues on high, with all the angels, continuously praise Your glory in song.
Stir up in your Church, O Lord, the spirit that animated our Father Benedict. Fill us again with Your Holy Spirit, in order that we may learn to love what he loved and practice what he taught. As You filled Saint Benedict with the spirit of all the righteous, grant us, your servants, who celebrate his life and all the good You have accomplished through him, his followers, and his holy Rule, to be filled with his spirit, that we may faithfully accomplish Your complete Will. We ask all this through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who with You lives and reigns, one God, world without end. Amen.
Sources: Saint Benedict Prayer Book, 2008, Bart Tesoriero