Today is the commemoration of St. Benedict. Ran across an excellent prayer attributed to him:

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 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. Amen.

This fits St. Benedict’s apothegm that prayer ought to be brief and pure.

Whenever I think of St. Benedict or of the Benedictines, I immediately think of the liturgy of the hours (formerly known as the Divine Office). You probably know about this already, but there’s a convenient website for the liturgy of the hours that even includes a downloadable version for PDA users: It’s Universalis. I’m not enthralled with the translation of the Psalter that they use, but it is a very useful site.