Our Morning Offering – 17 December – Gaudete Sunday
Alma Redemptoris Mater
(Loving Mother of the Redeemer)
Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven,
star of the sea,
assist your people
who have fallen
yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature
you bore your Creator,
Yet remained a virgin
after as before.
You who received
Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.
Marian Antiphon Traditionally Said from Advent to Candlemas
Our Morning Offering – 10 December – The Second Sunday of Advent and the Memorial of Our Lady and the Holy House of Loreto
Maiden yet a Mother
By Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
Tr Msgr Ronald A Knox (1888-1957)
Maiden yet a mother,
daughter of thy Son,
high beyond all other,
lowlier is none;
thou the consummation
planned by God’s decree,
when our lost creation
nobler rose in thee!
Thus His place prepared,
he who all things made
‘mid his creatures tarried,
in thy bosom laid;
there His love He nourished,
warmth that gave increase
to the root whence flourished
our eternal peace.
Nor alone thou hearest
When thy name we hail;
Often thou art nearest
When our voices fail;
Mirrored in thy fashion
All creation’s gird,
Mercy, might compassion
Grace thy womanhood.
Lady, let our vision
Striving heavenward, fail,
Still let thy petition
With thy Son prevail,
Unto whom all merit,
prayer and majesty,
With the Holy Spirit
And the Father be.
Maiden Yet A Mother is a translation of a poem by Durante (Dante) degli Alighieri (c 1265–1321). It is based upon the opening verses of Canto 33 of the Paradiso from his Divine Comedy in which St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153) praises and prays to the Virgin Mother on behalf of Dante. It was translated from the original Italian into English by the Catholic convert, Monsignior Ronald A Knox (1888-1957).
Our Morning Offering – 26 November – The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
From the Psalter Hymn or Prayer to Christ our King
Alone with none but Thee, my God,
I journey on my way.
What need I fear, when Thou art near,
O King of night and day?
More safe am I within Thy hand,
than if a host did round me stand.
My destined time is fixed by Thee
and death doth know his hour.
Did warriors strong around me throng,
they could not stay His power.
No walls of stone can man defend,
when Thou Thy messenger dost send.
My life I yield to Thy decree
and bow to Thy control.
In peaceful calm, for from Thine arm,
no power can wrest my soul.
Could earthly omens e’er appal,
a man that heeds the heavenly call!
The child of God, can fear no ill,
His chosen dread no foe,
we leave our fate with Thee and wait,
Thy bidding when to go.
‘Tis not from chance our comfort springs,
Thou art our trust, O King of kings!
Our Morning Offering – 17 November – St Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231)
Blest are the Pure in Heart” – From the Breviary
(A perfect hymn/prayer for the Feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary)
Blest are the pure in heart,
for they shall see our God,
the secret of the Lord is theirs,
their soul is Christ’s abode.
The Lord, who left the heavens,
our life and peace to bring,
to dwell in lowliness with men,
their pattern and their King.
Still to the lowly soul,
He does Himself impart
and for His dwelling and His throne,
chooses the pure in heart.
Lord, we Thy presence seek,
May ours this blessing be:
give us a pure and lowly heart,
a temple fit for Thee
Pope Benedict XVI on the Commemoration of the fourth centenary of the Canonisation of St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) – 4 November 2010
With the Church, we pray,
Preserve in the midst of Your people, we ask, O Lord, the spirit with which you filled the Bishop Saint Charles Borromeo, that Your Church may be constantly renewed and, by conforming herself to the likeness of Christ, may show His face to the world.
The Pope emeritus writes:
Lumen caritatis. The light of charity of St Charles Borromeo has illumined the whole Church and, by renewing the miracles of the love of Christ, our Supreme and Eternal Pastor, has brought new life and new youthfulness to God’s flock, which was going through sorrowful and difficult times. For this reason I join with all my heart in the joy of the Ambrogian Archdiocese in commemorating the fourth centenary of the Canonisation of this great Pastor on 1 November 1610.
1. The time in which Charles Borromeo lived was very delicate for Christianity. In it the Archbishop of Milan gave a splendid example of what it means to work for the reform of the Church. There were many disorders to sanction, many errors to correct and many structures to renew; yet St Charles strove for a profound reform of the Church, starting with his own life. It was in himself, in fact, that the young Borromeo promoted the first and most radical work of renewal. His career had begun promisingly in accordance with the canons of that time: for the younger son of the noble family Borromeo, a future of prosperity and success lay in store, an ecclesiastical life full of honours but without any ministerial responsibilities; he also had the possibility of assuming the direction of the family after the unexpected death of his brother Federico.
Yet Charles Borromeo, illumined by Grace, was attentive to the call with which the Lord was attracting him and desiring him to dedicate the whole of himself to the service of his people. Thus he was capable of making a clear and heroic detachment from the lifestyle characterised by his worldly dignity and dedication without reserve to the service of God and of the Church. In times that were darkened by numerous trials for the Christian community, with divisions and confusions of doctrine, with the clouding of the purity of the faith and of morals and with the bad example of various sacred ministries, Charles Borromeo neither limited himself to deploring or condemning nor merely to hoping that others would change but rather set about reforming his own life which, after he had abandoned wealth and ease, he filled with prayer, penance and loving dedication to his people. St Charles lived heroically the evangelical virtues of poverty, humility and chastity, in a continuous process of ascetic purification and Christian perfection.
He was aware that a serious and credible reform had to begin precisely with Pastors if it was to have beneficial and lasting effects on the whole People of God. In this action of reform he was able to draw from the traditional and ever living sources of the Catholic Church: the centrality of the Eucharist, in which he recognised and proposed anew the adorable presence of the Lord Jesus and of his Sacrifice of love for our salvation; the spirituality of the Cross as a force of renewal, capable of inspiring the daily exercise of the evangelical virtues; assiduous reception of the Sacraments in which to accept with faith the action of Christ who saves and purifies His Church; the word of God, meditated upon, read and interpreted in the channel of Tradition; love for and devotion to the Supreme Pontiff in prompt and filial obedience to his instructions as a guarantee of full ecclesial communion.
The extraordinary reform that St Charles carried out in the structures of the Church in total fidelity to the mandate of the Council of Trent was also born from his holy life, ever more closely conformed to Christ. His work in guiding the People of God, as a meticulous legislator and a brilliant organizer was marvellous. All this, however, found strength and fruitfulness in his personal commitment to penance and holiness. Indeed this is the Church’s primary and most urgent need in every epoch: that each and every one of her members should be converted to God. Nor does the ecclesial community lack trials and suffering in our day and it shows that it stands in need of purification and reform. May St Charles’ example always spur us to start from a serious commitment of personal and community conversion to transform hearts, believing with steadfast certainty in the power of prayer and penance. I encourage sacred ministers, priests and deacons in particular to make their life a courageous journey of holiness, not to fear being drunk with that trusting love for Christ that made Bishop Charles ready to forget himself and to leave everything. Dear brothers in the ministry, may the Ambrogian Church always find in you a clear faith and a sober and pure life that can renew the apostolic zeal which St Ambrose, St Charles and many of your holy Pastors possessed!
2. During St Charles’ episcopate, the whole of his vast diocese felt infected with a current of holiness that spread to the entire people. How did this Bishop, so demanding and strict, manage to fascinate and to win over the Christian people? The answer is easy: St Charles enlightened the people and enticed them with the ardour of his love. “Deus caritas est”, and where there is a living experience of love the profound Face of God who attracts us and makes us His own is revealed.
The love of St Charles Borromeo was first and foremost the love of the Good Shepherd who is ready to give his whole life for the flock entrusted to his care, putting the demands and duties of his ministry before any form of personal interest, amenity or advantage. Thus the Archbishop of Milan, faithful to the Tridentine directives, visited several times his immense Diocese even the most remote localities, and took care of his people, nourishing them ceaselessly with the Sacraments and with the word of God through his rich and effective preaching; he was never afraid to face adversities and dangers to defend the faith of the simple and the rights of the poor.
St Charles, moreover, was recognised as a true and loving father of the poor. Love impelled him to empty his home and to give away his possessions in order to provide for the needy, to support the hungry, to clothe and relieve the sick. He set up institutions that aimed to provide social assistance and to rescue people in need; but his charity for the poor and the suffering shone out in an extraordinary way during the plague of 1576 when the holy Archbishop chose to stay in the midst of his people to encourage them, serve them and defend them with the weapons of prayer, penance and love.
Furthermore it was charity that spurred Borromeo to become an authentic and enterprising educator: for his people with schools of Christian doctrine; for the clergy with the establishment of seminaries; for children and young people with special initiatives for them and by encouraging the foundation of religious congregations and confraternities dedicated to the formation of children and young people.
Charity was always the deep motive of the severity with which St Charles practiced fasting, penance and mortification. For the holy Bishop it was not only a matter of ascetic practices aiming for his own spiritual perfection but rather of a true ministerial means for expiating sins, for invoking the conversion of sinners and for interceding for his children’s needs.
Throughout his life, therefore, we may contemplate the light of evangelical charity, of forbearing, patient and strong love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7). I thank God that the Church of Milan has always had a wealth of vocations especially dedicated to charity; I praise the Lord for the splendid fruits of love for the poor, of service to the suffering and of attention to youth of which it can be proud. May St Charles’ example of prayer obtain that you may be faithful to this heritage, so that every baptised person can live out in contemporary society that fascinating prophecy which, in every epoch, is the love of Christ alive in us.
3. However it is impossible to understand the charity of St Charles Borromeo without knowing his relationship of passionate love with the Lord Jesus. He contemplated this love in the holy mysteries of the Eucharist and of the Cross, venerated in very close union with the mystery of the Church. The Eucharist and the Crucified One immersed St Charles in Christ’s love and this transfigured and kindled fervour in his entire life, filled his nights spent in prayer, motivated his every action, inspired the solemn Liturgies he celebrated with the people and touched his heart so deeply that he was often moved to tears.
His contemplative gaze at the holy Mystery of the Altar and at the Crucified one stirred within him feelings of compassion for the miseries of humankind and kindled in his heart the apostolic yearning to proclaim the Gospel to all. On the other hand we know well that there is no mission in the Church which does not stem from “abiding” in the love of the Lord Jesus, made present within us in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Let us learn from this great Mystery! Let us make the Eucharist the true centre of our communities and allow ourselves to be educated and moulded by this abyss of love! Every apostolic and charitable deed will draw strength and fruitfulness from this source!
4. The splendid figure of St Charles suggests to me a final reflection which I address to young people in particular. The history of this great Bishop was in fact totally determined by some courageous “yeses”, spoken when he was still very young. When he was only 24 years old he decided to give up being head of the family to respond generously to the Lord’s call; the following year he accepted priestly and episcopal Ordination. At the age of 27 he took possession of the Ambrogian Diocese and gave himself entirely to pastoral ministry. In the years of his youth St Charles realized that holiness was possible and that the conversion of his life could overcome every bad habit. Thus he made his whole youth a gift of love to Christ and to the Church, becoming an all-time giant of holiness.
Dear young people, let yourselves be renewed by this appeal that I have very much at heart: God wants you to be holy, for He knows you in your depths and loves you with a love that exceeds all human understanding. God knows what is in your hearts and is waiting to see the marvellous gift He has planted within you blossom and bear fruit. Like St Charles, you too can make your youth an offering to Christ and to your brethren. Like him you can decide, in this season of life, “to put your stakes” on God and on the Gospel. Dear young people, you are not only the hope of the Church; you are already part of her present! And if you dare to believe in holiness you will be the greatest treasure of your Ambrogian Church which is founded on Saints.
Venerable Brother, I joyfully entrust these reflections to you and as I invoke the heavenly intercession of St Charles Borromeo and the constant protection of Mary Most Holy, I warmly impart to you and to the entire Archdiocese a special Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 1 November 2010, the fourth centenary of the canonization of St Charles Borromeo.
Pope Benedict XVI
This letter addressed Dionigi Cardinal Tettamanzi, Archbishop of Milan, on the occasion of the 400th Anniversary of the Canonisation of Saint Charles Borromeo.
Our Morning Offering – 2 November – The Commemoration of All Souls Day
Psalm 130 (129) The De Profundis
Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let Your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication.
If You, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?
But with You is forgiveness, that You may be revered.
I trust in the Lord;
my soul trusts in His word.
My soul waits for the Lord,
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
More than sentinels wait for the dawn,
let Israel wait for the Lord,
For with the Lord is kindness
and with Him is plenteous redemption;
And He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.
The De Profundis is the common name for the 130th Psalm (in the modern numbering system; in the traditional numbering system, it is the 129th Psalm). The Psalm takes its name from the first two words of the psalm in its Latin phrasing (see below). This Psalm has a varied history of usage in many traditions.
In Catholicism, the rule of St. Benedict, established around 530 CE, assigned the De Profundis to be recited at the beginning of the vespers service on Tuesday, followed by Psalm 131.
It is a penitential psalm that is also sung in commemoration of the dead and it is also a good psalm to express our sorrow as we prepare for the Sacrament of Confession.
For Catholics, every time a believer recites the De Profundis, they are said to receive a partial indulgence (the remission of a portion of punishment for sin).
The De Profundis also has a variety of uses in Judaism. It is recited as part of the liturgy for the high holidays, for example and is traditionally recited as a prayer for the sick.
The De Profundis has also appeared in world literature, in the works of the Spanish author Federico García Lorca and in a long letter by Oscar Wilde to his lover.
The Psalm has frequently been set to music, with many of the melodies written by some the world’s most renowned composers, including Bach, Handel, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, as well as modern composers such as Vangelis and Leonard Bernstein.
THE 130TH PSALM IN LATIN
De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuæ intendentes
in vocem deprecationis meæ.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus:
Speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israël in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israël ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
One Minute Reflection – 7 October – The Memorial of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
Open your petals, like roses planted near running waters...Sirach 39:13
REFLECTION – “To discover whether people are of God, I have found no better way than the following.
Observe whether they say the Hail Mary and the Rosary.”……St Louis Marie de Montfort
PRAYER – Lord, open our hearts to Your grace. May we, who learned to believe through the angel’s message, in the Incarnation of Christ, Your Son, be brought by His Passion and Cross, at the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to the glory of His Resurrection. Through Him who redeemed us in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 3 October
Psalter Week 2 Tuesday – Morning Prayer
Now that the daylight fills the sky,
we life our hearts to God on high,
that He, in all we do or say,
would keep us free from harm today.
Would guard our hearts and tongues from strife,
from anger’s din would hide our life,
from all ill sights would turn our eyes,
would close our ears from vanities.
Would keep our inmost conscience pure,
our souls from folly would secure,
would bid us check the pride of sense
with due and holy abstinence.
Se we, when this new day is gone
and night in turn is drawing on,
with conscience by the world unstained,
shall praise His Name for victory gained.
Morning Hymn/Prayer from the Divine Office – 2 October – The Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
They come, God’s messengers of love,
they come from realms of peace above,
from homes of never-fading light,
from blissful mansions ever bright.
They come to watch around us here,
to soothe our sorrow, calm our fear.
Ye heavenly guides, speed not away,
God willeth you with us to stay.
But chiefly at its journey’s end
“tis yours the spirit to befriends
and whisper to the willing heart,
“o Christian soul, in peace depart.”
To us the zeal of angels give,
with love to serve thee while we live.
To us an Angel-guard supply,
when on the bed of death we lie.
Our Morning Offering – 29 September – The Feast of Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Morning Hymn from the Breviary
Angels of God, you see the Father’s Face,
sharing His splendour, clothed in fire and flame,
worshipping Him, the terrible and great,
singing forever – Holy is His Name!
Angels you sang when Christ ame down to earth
gave Him your comfort in the hour of dread,
solaced His spirit, anguished and alone,
shouted His triumph, risen from the dead.
Angels, archangels, when He comes again,
compassed in glory, fearful in His might,
open for Him the King’s eternal gates –
then will He lead His faithful into light.
When to the Father, Son and Spirit blest,
angels and men united worship bring,
from all creation, from the world unseen,
up to the Godhead, perfect praise will spring.
Our Morning Offering – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
We thank You, heavenly Father,
for the witness of Your apostle
and evangelist Matthew
to the Gospel of Your Son our Saviour
and we pray that, after his example,
we may with ready wills and hearts
obey the calling of our Lord to follow Him;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen
St John Chrysostom and St Paul – 13 September the Memorial of St John Chrysostum (347-407) of the “Golden Mouth”
St John Chrysostom and St Paul
John Chrysostom here gives eloquent praise to the passionate love of Christ that drove St. Paul to face persecution and hardship with joy and leave behind the honours and benefits of the world. It is read each year on January 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, persecutor turned apostle.
Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is and in what our nobility consists and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardour and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: “I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead.” When he saw death imminent, he bade others share his joy: “Rejoice and be glad with me!” And when danger, injustice and abuse threatened, he said: “I am content with weakness, mistreatment and persecution.” These he called the weapons of righteousness, thus telling us that he derived immense profit from them.
Thus, amid the traps set for him by his enemies, with exultant heart he turned their every attack into a victory for himself; constantly beaten, abused and cursed, he boasted of it as though he were celebrating a triumphal procession and taking trophies home, and offered thanks to God for it all: “Thanks be to God who is always victorious in us!” This is why he was far more eager for the shameful abuse that his zeal in preaching brought upon him than we are for the most pleasing honours, more eager for death than we are for life, for poverty than we are for wealth; he yearned for toil far more than others yearn for rest after toil. The one thing he feared, indeed dreaded, was to offend God; nothing else could sway him. Therefore, the only thing he really wanted was always to please God.
The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else; were he without it, it would be no satisfaction to be the friend of principalities and powers. He preferred to be thus loved and be the least of all, or even to be among the damned, than to be without that love and be among the great and honoured.
To be separated from that love was, in his eyes, the greatest and most extraordinary of torments the pain of that loss would alone have been hell and endless, unbearable torture. So too, in being loved by Christ he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promise and countless blessings. Apart from that love nothing saddened or delighted him; for nothing earthly did he regard as bitter or sweet.
Paul set no store by the things that fill our visible world, any more than a man sets value on the withered grass of the field. As for tyrannical rulers or the people enraged against him, he paid them no more heed than gnats. Death itself and pain and whatever torments might come were but child’s play to him, provided that thereby he might bear some burden for the sake of Christ.
This excerpt from a homily preached by St. John Chrysostom around c 400 in praise of St. Paul (Hom. 2 de laudibus sancti Pauli: PG 50, 477-480) is used in the Roman Office of Readings for the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul on January 25 with the biblical reading taken from Galatians 1, the story of Paul’s Conversion on the road to Damascus.
One Minute Reflection – 8 September – The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Forsake her not and she will preserve you;
love her and she will safeguard you…..Wisdom 4:6
REFLECTION – “Go to Mary and sing her praises and you will be enlightened.
For it is through her that the true Light shines on the sea of this life.”…St Ildephonsus
PRAYER – Lord God, the day of our salvation dawned when the Blessed Virgin gave birth to Your Son.
As we celebrate her nativity, grant us Your grace and Your peace.
Through Christ, our Lord, Your Son in union with the Holy Spirit.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 8 September – The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
God Our Father,
Give Your chosen people
Your help and strength.
The birth of the Virgin Mary’s son
was the dawn of our salvation.
May our celebration of her nativity
bring us closer to lasting peace
and may the virtues that she modeled
develop in our lives,
to love You and our neighbours more perfectly.
Grant this through Mary’s Son,
who is Christ our Lord. Amen
Adapted from “The Liturgy of the Hours”
Our Morning Offering – 1 September – World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
When God had filled the earth with life
and blessed it, to increase,
then cattle dwelt with creeping things
and lion with lamb, at peace.
He gave them vast, untrodden lands,
with plants to be their food;
then God saw all that He had made
and found it very good.
Praise God, the Father of all life,
His Son and Spirit blest,
by whom creation lives and moves,
in Whom it comes to rest.
Our Morning Offering – 5 August The Feast of the Dedication of Mary Major
O glorious Maid, exalted far
Beyond the light of burning star,
From Him who made thee thou hast won
Grace to be Mother of his Son.
That which was lost in hapless Eve
Thy holy Scion did retrieve;
The tear-worn sons of Adam’s race
Through thee have seen the heavenly place.
Thou wast the gate of heaven’s high Lord,
The door through which the light hath poured.
Christians rejoice, for through a Maid
To all mankind is life conveyed!
All honour, laud and glory be,
O Jesus, Virgin-born to thee!
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete. Amen
Our Morning Offering- 11 June 2017 – The Solemnity of the Holy Trinity
The hymn Te Deum is a moving tribute to God in His triune majesty. Its authorship has been traditionally attributed to Saints Ambrose (it has often been called an Ambrosian Hymn) and Augustine on the occasion of the latter’s baptism by the former in AD 387
It was more likely written by St. Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana at about the same time period. It is still part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the public prayers of the Church that are recited daily by the clergy and other religious, along with many of the laity as well.
Te Deum has been set to music by such illustrious composers as Mozart, Haydn, Verdi, Dvorak, Britten and Penderecki. Its name comes from its opening words in Latin, “Te Deum Laudamus” (“O God we praise you”).
As you read the text of this hymn printed below (which can also be recited as a prayer, of course), you can get a sense of its grandeur! It gives us a glimpse of heaven, with saints and angels praising God, before focusing on Christ in lines suggestive of the Apostle’s Creed. It also includes some verses from the Psalms added at a later date (the lines after the space below).
TE DEUM
O, God, we praise You and acknowledge You
to be the supreme Lord.
Everlasting Father, all the earth worships You.
All the angels, the heavens and all angelic powers,
All the cherubim and seraphim, continually cry to you:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Your glory.
The glorious choir of the apostles,
The wonderful company of prophets,
The white-robed army of martyrs, praise You.
Holy Church throughout the world acknowledges You:
The Father of infinite majesty;
Your adorable, true and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
O Christ, You are the King of glory!
You are the everlasting Son of the Father.
When You took it upon Yourself to deliver man,
You did not disdain the Virgin’s womb.
Having overcome the sting of death,
You opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You sit at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
We believe that You will come to be our Judge.
We, therefore, beg You to help Your servants
whom You have redeemed with Your Precious Blood.
Let them be numbered with Your saints in everlasting glory.
Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance!
Govern them and raise them up forever.
Every day we thank You.
And we praise Your name forever; yes, forever and ever.
O Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.
Let your mercy, O lord be upon us, for we have hoped in You.
O Lord, in you I have put my trust; never let me be put to shame.
Te Deum combines important elements of prayer to God, including adoration, supplication (particularly towards the end in its appeal for God’s mercy) and thanksgiving. (It is often referred to as a Hymn of Thanksgiving). The Church triumphant (those in heaven) and the Church militant (those on earth) sing God’s praises in adoration in this hymn.
We can see thanksgiving here in the acknowledgement of Christ’s opening “the kingdom of heaven to all believers” and redeeming us with His Precious Blood at Calvary.
The reference to Christ’s having overcome the sting of death also brings to mind the words of St. Paul, who spoke of our Lord as having overcome sin and death in His passion, saying “death, where is thy sting?” (1 Cor 15:55).
We see another good example of gratitude in Te Deum as well in the line that our Lord “did not disdain the Virgin’s womb”, becoming human like us in order to save us. (Indeed, as we hear in the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass, Jesus “humbled Himself to share in our humanity”!)
The last line, taken from Psalm 25, verse 2, is particularly moving. It brings to mind the importance of trusting in our Lord to see us through our troubles if we stay close to Him in prayer, obedience and love. And we are reminded here as well of the importance of asking God for His mercy in our often challenging journey towards Eternal Life with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven!
Our Morning Offering – 3 April
Lord Jesus, think on me,
and purge away my sin.
From earth-born passions set me free,
and make me pure within.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
amid the battle’s strife.
In all my pain and misery
be Thou my health and life.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
nor let me go astray.
Through darkness and perplexity
point Thou the heavenly way.
Lord Jesus, think on me,
that, when this life is past,
I may the eternal brightness see,
and share Thy joy at last.
By Bishop Synesius of Cyrene (370-430)
From the Breviary – Lent
AnaStpaul 
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