A Prayer from Lectio 365

I recently heard this on the App Lectio 365.

You are wisdom, uncreated and eternal,   
the supreme first cause, above all being, 
sovereign Godhead, sovereign goodness,
watching unseen,
the God-inspired wisdom of Christian people.
Raise us we pray, that we may totally respond 
to the supreme, unknown, ultimate, and
splendid height of your words,
mysterious and inspired…
You fill to the full with most beautiful splendour
those souls who close their eyes that they may see.


St Denis prayer from The Cloud of Unknowing ,
written anonymously in the fourteenth century.

If you have never used this app, I highly recommend it. No, I do not use it every single day, but I find it worthwhile practically every time I do use it.

The above prayer has kept me praising for several weeks now. I know it is from the 14th century, but it still applies to the God I worship in 2026! Scroll back to the top, then pray it instead of just reading it. When might you be finished praying this one?

The legend of Saint Denis is surrounded by fictional tales and a few facts. All I can be certain of is that if he indeed prayed like the prayer quoted above, he knew my God and how to draw me into a closer relationship with the Trinity.

The prayer is said to come from The Cloud of Unknowing, a powerful tome. “The medieval spiritual guidebook called The Cloud of Unknowing was written by an anonymous English monk. At the core is a mystical approach to Christian prayer, in which God is found not through rote knowledge, but through ‘blind love.’ It has been described as Christianity with a Zen outlook.” J.B. Hare

Saint Denis in his prayer is no less powerful. Come, Lord, and make us more like those who loved you then. Help us to totally respond to You! “You fill to the full with most beautiful splendour those souls who close their eyes that they may see.

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