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10 Verses for Students

For students, the start of a new school year can bring a dizzying mixture of excitement and anxiety. You wonder if you will have the same friend group as the year before, or if your classes will be challenging. Balancing the demands of extracurricular activities and difficult coursework can seem daunting and stressful. But with school, just as in every other area of our lives, God is there to help us and give us strength.

As you and your friends prepare to return to school this fall, we invite you to reflect on these verses of encouragement, and pray that they lighten your heart and uplift your spirit.

St. Catherine Chapel
St. Catherine is one of the patron saints of students

Learning Is a Blessing

It can be easy to take educational opportunity for granted – or even to view it as a tedious duty. But the opportunity to learn is a blessing. Through learning, we can better understand God, the source of all wisdom, and the world He has created, growing stronger in our faith.

“For the Lord gives wisdom,
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
He has success in store for the upright,
    is the shield of those who walk honestly.” — Proverbs 2:5-7

 

“How much better to get wisdom than gold!
    To get understanding is preferable to silver.” — Proverbs 16:16

The Call to Excellence

As Christians, we are called to do our best for the Lord in all our pursuits, and school is no exception.

“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” — Colossians 3:17

 

“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

— James 3:13

Bring Your Prayer and Praises to God

When the demands of school seem overwhelming, it can be tempting to let spiritual obligations become neglected. But no matter how busy you become, staying connected to God should always stay paramount. Bring your concerns to God in prayer, and rest in the assurance that He cares about all of your anxieties and struggles.

Young men praying at the Basilica

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it.” — James 1:5

 

“My strength and my refuge is the Lord,
    and he has become my savior.
This is my God, I praise him;
    the God of my father, I extol him.” — Exodus 15:2

 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened… If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.” — Matthew 7:7-8, 11

Saint Elizabeth Anne Seton portrayed in mosaic tile in the Trinity Dome
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton founded the Parochial School System in the United States and is the Patroness of Catholic Schools.

God Gives Students Endurance

Between tests, papers, and extracurriculars, being a student can be exhausting. As you strive to balance it all, remember that God sees you, and will give you the strength you need to endure.

“He gives power to the faint,
    abundant strength to the weak.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
    and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength,
    they will soar on eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
    walk and not grow faint.” — Isaiah 40:29-31

“Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.” — Romans 12:12

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.” — Hebrews 12:1-3

6 Inspiring Quotes for Students from the Holy Fathers
Virtually Tour the St. Dominic Chapel