Category: Our MORNING Offering

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 16 December – Hark, a Herald Voice is Calling

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Our Morning Offering – 16 December – Wednesday of the Third week of Advent

Hark, a Herald Voice is Calling
En Clara Vox Redarguit
Trans. Fr E Caswall, 1695

Hark, a herald voice is calling,
“Christ is nigh,” it seems to say;
“Cast away the dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day.”

Startled at the solemn warning,
Let the earthbound soul arise;
Christ her Sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines up on the morning skies.

Lo, the Lamb so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heav’n;
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all to be forgiv’n.

So when next He comes with glory,
Shrounding all the earth in fear,
May He then as our defender,
On the clouds of heav’n appear.

Translated from En Clara Vox Redarguit, which is a 5th or 6th century hymn whose author is unknown. It was revised in the 1632 Roman Breviary and the English translation found above, is by Fr E Caswall, 1695.

Posted in ADVENT QUOTES, ADVENT REFLECTIONS, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 12 December – Mary Immaculate! By St John Damascene

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Our Morning Offering – 12 December – “Month of the Immaculate Conception” – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Readings: Zechariah 2:14-17, Judith 13:18, 19, Luke 1:26-38.

Mary Immaculate!
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Today, the root of Jesse has produced its shoot,
she will bring forth a Divine flower for the world.
Today, the Creator of all things,
God the Word,
composes a new book:
a book issuing from the heart of His Father
and written by the Holy Spirit,
who is the tongue to God.

O daughter of King David and Mother of God,
the universal King.
O Divine and living object
whose beauty has charmed God the Creator;
your whole soul is completely open
to God’s action and attentive to God alone.

All your desires are centred
only on what merits to be sought
and is worthy of love.
You harbour anger only for sin and its author.
You will have a life superior to nature,
but not for your own sake.
For it has not been created for you
but has been entirely consecrated to God,
who has introduced you into the world
to help bring about our salvation
in fulfillment of His plan,
the Incarnation of His Son
and the Divinisation of the human race.

Your heart will find nourishment in the words of God,
like the tree planted near the living waters of the Spirit,
like the tree of life
that has yielded its fruit in due time,
the incarnate God who is the life of all things.

Your ears will be ever attentive to the Divine words
and the sounds of the harp of the Spirit,
through whom the Word has come to take on our flesh.
Your nostrils will inhale the fragrance of the Bridegroom,
the Divine fragrance with which He scented His humanity.

Your lips will savour the words of God
and will rejoice in their Divine sweetness.
Your most pure heart,
free from all stain,
will ever see the God of all purity
and will experience ardent desire for Him.

Your womb will be the abode
of the one whom no place can contain.
Your milk will provide nourishment for God,
in the little Infant Jesus.
Your hands will carry God
and your knees will serve
as a throne for Him
that is more noble
than the throne of the Cherubim.

Your feet, led by the light of the Divine Law,
will follow Him along an undeviating course
and guide you to the possession of the Beloved.

You are the temple of the Holy Spirit,
the city of the living God,
made joyous by abundant flowers,
the sacred flowers of Divine grace.
You are all-beautiful
and very close to God,
above the Cherubim
and higher than the Seraphim,
right near God Himself!

Image Excerpt

O daughter of King David
and Mother of God,
the universal King.
O Divine and living object
whose beauty has charmed God the Creator;
your whole soul is completely open
to God’s action and attentive to God alone.
… Your womb will be the abode
of the one whom no place can contain.
Your milk will provide nourishment for God,
in the little Infant Jesus.
Your hands will carry God
and your knees will serve
as a throne for Him
that is more noble
than the throne of the Cherubim.
… You are the temple of the Holy Spirit,
the city of the living God,
made joyous by abundant flowers,
the sacred flowers of Divine grace.
You are all-beautiful
and very close to God,
above the Cherubim
and higher than the Seraphim,
right near God Himself!
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 10 December – MARY, I BEG YOU By St Anselm

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Our Morning Offering – 10 December – Thursday of the Second week of Advent and the Month of The Immaculate Conception

MARY, I BEG YOU
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor

Mary, I beg you,
by that grace through which
the Lord is with you
and you will, to be with Him,
let your mercy be with me.
Let love for you always be with me,
and the care for me, be always with you.
Let the cry of my need,
as long as it persists,
be with you
and the care of your goodness,
as long as I need it,
be with me.
Let joy in your blessedness
be always with me,
and compassion for my wretchedness,
where I need it,
be with you.
Amen

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRISTMASTIDE!, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, The CHRIST CHILD, The DIVINE INFANT, The INCARNATION, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Our Morning Offering – 9 December – St Bernard’s Let Thy goodness, Lord, Appear to Us

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Our Morning Offering – 9 December – Wednesday of the Second week of Advent

Let Thy goodness, Lord, Appear to Us
An Advent Prayer
By St Bernard (1090-1153)
Father and Mellifluous Doctor of the Church

Let Thy goodness, Lord,
appear to us,
that we, made in Thy image,
conform ourselves to it.
In our own strength, we cannot imitate
Thy majesty, power and wonder,
nor is it fitting for us to try.
But Thy mercy reaches from the heavens
through the clouds, to the earth below.
Thou hast come to us as a small child
but Thou hast brought us the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love.
Caress us with Thy tiny hands,
embrace us with Thy tiny arms
and pierce our hearts
with Thy soft, sweet cries.
Amen

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, DOGMA, FATHERS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Our Morning Offering – 8 December – O Pure and Immaculate Blessed Virgin

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Our Morning Offering – 8 December – The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

O Pure and Immaculate Blessed Virgin
By St Ephrem (306-373)
Father and Doctor of the Church

O Pure and Immaculate
and likewise Blessed Virgin,
who art the sinless Mother of thy Son,
the mighty Lord of the universe,
thou who art inviolate and altogether holy,
the hope of the hopeless and sinful,
we sing thy praises.
We bless thee, as full of every grace,
thou who didst bear the God-Man:
we bow low before thee;
we invoke thee and implore thine aid.
Rescue us, O holy and inviolate Virgin,
from every necessity that presses upon us
and from all the temptations of the devil.
Be our intercessor and advocate
at the hour of death and judgement,
deliver us from the fire
that is not extinguished
and from the outer darkness;
make us worthy of the glory of thy Son,
O dearest and most clement Virgin Mother.
Thou indeed art our only hope most sure
and sacred in God’s sight,
to Whom be honour and glory
and majesty and dominion
forever and ever,
world without end.
Amen

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The NATIVITY of JESUS

Our Morning Offering – 7 December – St Ambrose’s Advent Hymn, Saviour of the Nations, Come

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Our Morning Offering – 7 December – Monday of the Second Week of Advent and the Memorial of St Ambrose (c 340-397)- Father and Doctor of the Church

Veni Redemptor gentium
Saviour of the Nations, Come
St Ambrose’s Advent Hymn

Saviour of the nations, come;
Virgin’s Son, here make Thy home!
Marvel now, O heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.

Not by human flesh and blood;
By the Spirit of our God
Was the Word of God made flesh,
Woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child
Of the virgin undefiled!
Though by all the world disowned,
Still to be in heaven enthroned.

From the Father forth He came
And returneth to the same,
Captive leading death and hell
High the song of triumph swell!

Thou, the Father’s only Son,
Hast over sin the victory won.
Boundless shall Thy kingdom be;
When shall we its glories see?

Brightly doth Thy manger shine,
Glorious is its light divine.
Let not sin o’ercloud this light;
Ever be our faith thus bright.

Praise to God the Father sing,
Praise to God the Son, our King,
Praise to God the Spirit be
Ever and eternally.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 6 December – Grant us Your Light, O Lord By The Venerable St Bede

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Our Morning Offering – 6 December – Second Sunday of Advent

Grant us Your Light, O Lord
By The Venerable St Bede (673-735)
Father and Doctor of the Church

Grant us Your light, O Lord,
so that the darkness of our hearts,
may wholly pass away
and we may come at last,
to the light of Christ.
For Christ is that morning star,
who, when the night of this world has passed,
brings to His saints,
the promised light of life
and opens to them,
everlasting day.
Amen

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MOTHER of GOD, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for SEASONS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 5 December – Alma Redemptoris Mater

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Our Morning Offering – 5 December – Saturday of the First week of Advent

Alma Redemptoris Mater
Loving Mother of the Redeemer
By Blessed Herman of Reichenau/the Cripple OSB (1013–1054)

Loving Mother of the Redeemer!
Hear thou thy people’s cry,
Star of the deep
and portal of the sky!
Mother of Him
Who thee from nothing made,
Sinking we strive
and call to thee for aid;
Oh, by that joy
which Gabriel brought to thee,
Thou Virgin first and last,
let us thy mercy see.

Alma Redemptóris Mater,
quæ pérvia cæli
Porta manes, et stella maris,
succúrre cadénti,
Súrgere qui curat pópulo:
tu quæ genuísti,
Natúra miránte,
tuum sanctum Genitórem
Virgo prius ac postérius, Gabriélis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave,
peccatórum miserére.

Marian Antiphon Traditionally said from Advent to the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Blessed Herman is the Author of the Salve Regina, the Veni Sancte Spiritus and the Alma Redemptoris Mater amongst others.

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, PRECIOUS BLOOD PRAYERS, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 4 December – God, my God, May I Always Abide in You

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Our Morning Offering – 4 December – Friday of the First Week of Advent and the Memorial of St John Damascene (675-749) Father and Doctor of the Church

God, my God,
May I Always Abide in You
By St John Damascene (675-749)

God, my God,
unextinguishable and invisible fire,
You make Your angels flaming fire.
Out of Your inexpressible love,
You have given me Your divine Flesh as food
and through this communion
of Your immaculate Body and precious Blood,
You receive me as a partaker of Your divinity.
Permeate all my body and soul,
all my bones and sinews.
Consume my sins in fire.
Enlighten my soul and illumine my mind.
Sanctify my body and make Your abode in me
together with Your blessed Father and all-holy Spirit,
that I may always abide in You,
through the intercession
of Your immaculate Mother
and all Your saints.
Amen

Posted in ADVENT PRAYERS, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, POETRY, PRAYERS for SEASONS, The CHRIST CHILD

Our Morning Offering – 2 December – Come, Sun and Saviour

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Our Morning Offering – 2 December – Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

Come, Sun and Saviour
8th Century Catholic Advent Prayer/Hymn

Come, Sun and Saviour,
to embrace our gloomy world,
i’s weary race,
As groom to bride, as bride to groom:
The wedding chamber, Mary’s womb.
At Your great Name, O Jesus, now
All knees must bend, all hearts must bow,
All things on earth with one accord,
Like those in heaven, shall call You Lord.
Come in Your holy might, we pray,
Redeem us for eternal day.
Defend us while we dwell below,
From all assaults of our dread foe. Amen

Posted in HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 1 November – Blest Are the Pure in Heart

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Our Morning Offering – 1 November – The Solemnity of All Saints

Blest Are the Pure in Heart

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 doth Himself impart,
And for His dwelling and His throne
Chooseth 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.

By John Keble (1792-1866)

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, MARIAN TITLES, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY ROSARY/ROSARY CRUSADE

Our Morning Offering –31 October – Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary

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Our Morning Offering –31 October – The last day of the Month of the Holy Rosary – Saturday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time

Excerpt from the
Petition to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii
also known as
Supplication to the Queen of the Holy Rosary
By Blessed Bartholomew Longo (1841-1926)
Apostle of the Holy Rosary

O Blessed Rosary of Mary,
sweet Chain,
which binds us to God,
Bond of love,
which unites us to the Angels,
Tower of salvation
against the assaults of hell,
safe Port in our universal shipwreck,
we shall never abandon you.
You will be our comfort
in the hour of agony.
To you, the last kiss of our dying life.
And the last word from our lips
will be your sweet name,
O Queen of the Rosary of Pompeii,
O dearest Mother,
O Refuge of Sinners,
O Sovereign Consoler of the Afflicted.
Be Blessed everywhere,
today and always,
on earth and in Heaven.
Amen

Posted in MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 30 October –An October Prayer

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Our Morning Offering – 30 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary” – Friday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time

An October Prayer

Mother, at thy feet is kneeling
One who loves thee–it’s thy child
Who has sighed so oft’ to see thee,
Bless me, Mother, Mother mild.
And when storms are raging round me,
And when tempests hover near,
In thy own sweet arms enfold me,
Shield me, Mother, Mother dear.
Mother, when my Saviour calls me
From this world of sin and strife,
Clasp me upon thy spotless bosom,
Let me bid farewell to life.
Plead for me when Jesus judges,
Answer for me when He asks
How I’ve spent so many moments,
How performed so many tasks.
Tell Him I was weak and feeble,
Yes, that I so often strayed
From the thorny path of virtue
To the one with roses laid.
Yet, O Mother, tell my Jesus
That I loved Him fond and true
And, O Mother, dearest Mother,
Tell Him I belong to you.
Then He’ll place me (yes, I feel it)
Close to thee, O Mother dear,
Then I’ll praise and bless and thank thee
Thru eternity’s long years.
Amen

Catholic Telegraph Register, 4 October 1957

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, IMMACULATE HEART PRAYERS, JUNE-THE SACRED HEART, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SACRED HEART PRAYERS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 29 October – Prayer to the Two Loving Hearts By St John Eudes

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Our Morning Offering – 29 October – Thursday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of St Gaetano Errico (1791-1860), Founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Prayer to the Two Loving Hearts
By St John Eudes (1501-1680)

O Jesus, only Son of God, only Son of Mary,
I offer You the most loving Heart
of Your divine Mother
which is more precious
and pleasing to You than all hearts.

O Mary, Mother of Jesus,
I offer you the most adorable Heart
of your well-beloved Son,
who is the life and love and joy of your Heart.

Blessed be the Most Loving Heart
and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
and the most glorious
Virgin Mary, His Mother,
in eternity and forever.
Amen

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS

Our Morning Offering – 28 October – One Joyful Hymn of Praise must Greet

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Our Morning Offering – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles and Martyrs

Come, let us worship the Lord, the King of Apostles.

One Joyful Hymn of Praise must Greet
Morning Hymn
On the Feast of Sts Simon and Jude
From the Breviary
The Benedictines of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK

One joyful hymn of praise must greet
Apostles whom we always find
Together in the Gospel’s page,
By faithful love and zeal combined.

To follow Christ in early youth
Was surely Simon’s joy and pride,
Before the Zealot would set forth
To preach His Name both far and wide.

Saint Jude, a kinsman of our Lord,
In heart and mind yet closer still,
Your words remain until this day
With hope and love our souls to fill.

As brothers both in life and death,
A martyr’s crown was your reward,
As shining witnesses to truth
And victims worthy of your Lord.

O gleaming stars in heaven’s light
Help us to tread our thorny way,
That with our faith alert and strong
We may attain to glory’s day.

Be praised the Father evermore,
The Holy Spirit and the Son,
May we rejoice before God’s throne
Eternally when life is done.
Amen

Posted in JESUIT SJ, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering -27 October – Jesus, My Friend By St Claude

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Our Morning Offering -27 October – Tuesday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time

Jesus, My Friend
By St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)
Excerpt

O Jesus!
You are my true Friend,
my only Friend.
You take a part in all my misfortunes;
You take them on Yourself,
You know how to change them into blessings.
You listen to me with the greatest kindness
when I relate my troubles to You,
and You have always balm to pour on my wounds.
I find You at all times,
I find You everywhere,
You never go away,
if I have to change my dwelling,
I find You wherever I go.
You are never weary of listening to me;
You are never tired of doing me good.
O Jesus!
Grant that I may die praising You,
that I may die loving You,
that I may die for the love of You.
Amen

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 26 October – Please Lord, Make me Worthy

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Our Morning Offering – 26 October – Monday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time

Please Lord, Make me Worthy
Prayer of St Thomas à Becket (1118-1170)
Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury

My Lord,
I find it difficult to talk to You.
What can I say?
I, who have turned away from You
so often with indifference.
I have been a stranger to prayer,
undeserving of Your friendship and love.
I’ve been without honour
and feel unworthy.
I am a weak and shallow creature,
clever only in the second-rate
and worldly arts,
seeking my comfort and pleasure.
I gave my love,
such as it was, elsewhere,
putting service to my earthly king,
before my duty to You.
Please Lord,
teach me how to serve You
with all my heart,
to know at last,
what it really is,
to love, to adore.
So that I may worthily administer
Your kingdom here on earth
and find my true honour,
in observing Your divine will.
Please Lord, make me worthy.
Amen

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 25 October – Oh Wondrous God, Oh Infinite Mercy

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Our Morning Offering – 25 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Oh Wondrous God, Oh Infinite Mercy
By St Vincent Pallotti (1795-1850)

My God, in every moment
You nourish me with Your Wisdom
and You destroy my ignorance.
You nourish me
with Your inaccessible Light
and You destroy all my shadows.
You nourish me
with Your infinite Perfection
and you destroy my life
which is a monstrosity of imperfections.
You nourish me with Your infinite Being
and you destroy my brutish life,
my loathsome self, a sinful man
and by a miracle of Your Mercy,
even though I have merited infinite times.
to lose God forever, God Himself,
with all of His Nature,
Person and Attributes
made Himself all mine,
He becomes my nourishment
and He nourishes me always,
so as to transform me into Himself
and make me one with Him.
Therefore, I am all in God
and God is all in me
and with His eternal nature
He brings me to all times
and in His immensity,
He brings me to all places
and I experience myself as eternal
and am immersed in Him.
Oh Wondrous God, oh Infinite Mercy.
Amen

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 24 October – St Philip Neri’s Mary, I Love You

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Our Morning Offering – 24 October – Saturday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time

Mary, I Love You
By St Philip Neri (1515-1595)

Mary, I love you.
Mary, make me live in God,
with God and for God.
Draw me after you, holy mother.
O Mary, may your children persevere in loving you.
Mary, Mother of God and Mother of mercy,
pray for me and for the departed.
Mary, holy Mother of God, be our helper.
In every difficulty and distress,
come to our aid, O Mary.
O Queen of Heaven,
lead us to eternal life with God.
Mother of God, remember me,
and help me always to remember you.
O Mary, conceived without sin,
pray for us who have recourse to you.
Pray for us,
O holy Mother of God,
that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray to Jesus for me.
Amen

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 23 October – Anima Christi

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Our Morning Offering – 23 October – Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer and Friday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus, hear me.
Within Your wounds hide me.
Permit me not to be separated from You.
From the wicked foe, defend me.
At the hour of my death, call me
and bid me come to You
That with Your saints, I may praise You
Forever and ever.
Amen

For many years the prayer was popularly believed to have been composed by Saint Ignatius Loyola, as he puts it at the beginning of his Spiritual Exercises and often refers to it. In the first edition of the Spiritual Exercises Ignatius merely mentions it, evidently supposing that the reader would know it. In later editions, it was printed in full. It was by assuming that everything in the book was written by Ignatius that it came to be looked upon as his composition. On this account the prayer is sometimes referred to as the Aspirations of St Ignatius Loyola.

However, the prayer actually dates to the early fourteenth century and was possibly written by Pope John XXII but its authorship remains uncertain. It has been found in a number of prayer books printed during the youth of Ignatius and is in manuscripts which were written a hundred years before his birth.

The English hymnologist James Mearns found it in a manuscript of the British Museum which dates back to about 1370. In the library of Avignon there is preserved a prayer book of Cardinal Pierre de Luxembourg (died 1387), which contains the prayer in practically the same form as we have it today. It has also been found inscribed on one of the gates of the Alcázar of Seville, which dates back to the time of Pedro the Cruel (1350–1369).

Posted in CHRIST the KING Prayers, Our MORNING Offering, The HOLY GHOST

Our Morning Offering – 22 October – O Holy Spirit of God

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Our Morning Offering – 22 October – Thursday of the Twent Ninth week in Ordinary Time

O Holy Spirit of God
By Cardinal Henry Edward Manning (1806-1892)

O Holy Spirit of God,
take me as Your disciple;
guide me,
illuminate me,
sanctify me.
Bind my hands,
that they may do no evil;
cover my eyes,
that they may see it no more;
sanctify my heart,
that evil may not dwell within me.
Be You my God;
be You my guide.
Wherever You lead me,
I will go;
whatever You forbid me,
I will renounce;
whatever You command me,
in Your strength, I will do.
Lead me, then,
unto the fullness of Your truth.
Amen

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The HOLY NAME, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 21 October – Write Your Blessed Name, Upon My Heart

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 21 October – Wednesday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time

Write Your Blessed Name, Upon My Heart
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Write Your blessed name,
O Lord,
upon my heart,
there to remain so indelibly engraved,
that no prosperity,
no adversity shall ever move me
from Your love.
Be to me a strong tower of defence,
a comforter in tribulation,
a deliverer in distress,
a very present help in trouble
and a guide to heaven
through the many temptations
and dangers of this life.
Amen

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, Thomas a Kempis

Our Morning Offering – 20 October – Only What You Will or Will Not

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 October – Tuesday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time

Only What You Will or Will Not
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)

Grant me Your grace,
most merciful Jesus,
so that it may be with me
and work with me
and persevere with me to the end.
Grant that I may always want
and desire that which is
most acceptable and pleasing to You.
Let Your will be mine
and let my will always follow Yours
and be in perfect accord with it.
Let me always will or not will,
the same with You
and may I not be able to will
or not will
anything, except
what You will or will not.
Amen

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, Our MORNING Offering, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on ALMS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 October – “What shall I do?” Luke 12:17

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One Minute Reflection – 19 October – Monday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Readings: Ephesians 2:1-10, Psalms 100:1-2, 3,4, 4-5, Luke 12:13-21 and the Memorial of St Paul of the Cross CP (1604-1775)

“What shall I do? For I do not have space to store my harvest ” – Luke 12:17

REFLECTION – “What shall I do?” There was a ready response to this: “I will satisfy hungry souls, open up my barns, call in everyone in need… I will speak out words of generosity – all you, who are short of bread, come to me; each according to your needs, take your share of God’s gifts flowing like a public fountain.” Yet you, you foolish rich man, are very far from doing this! And why? Jealous of seeing others enjoy their wealth you give yourself up to wretched calculations – you are not anxious about how to distribute to each according to their need but how to take everything and deprive everyone else, of the profit they might have drawn from it…

So then, my brethren, take care you don’t experience the same fate as that man! If Scripture gives us this example, it is so, that we can avoid behaving in the same way. Imitate the earth! – bear fruit and don’t prove yourself worse than it, soulless as it is. It yields crops, not for it’s own pleasure but to serve you. To the contrary, all the fruit of the kindnesses you show, will be gathered for yourself, since the graces that arise from good works, return to those who bestow them. You have given to the hungry and what you gave, remains with you and even comes back to you, with increase. As the grain of wheat that fell into the earth brings profit to the sower, so the bread given to the hungry, will bring you superabundant profit later on. May the end of all your labours, be for you, the commencement of your sowing in heaven.” – St Basil The Great (329-379) Monk and Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Father and Doctor of the Church – Sermon 6, on Wealth

PRAYER – Almighty God, Your Priest Saint Paul, loved only the cross. May he obtain Your grace for us, so that, inspired with a new courage and the virtue of obedience and sacrifice, by his example, we may take up our cross without flinching. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God now and for all eternity, amen.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 19 October – Oh Jesus, My Love By St Paul of the Cross

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 October – Monday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of St Paul of the Cross CP (1604-1775)

Oh Jesus, My Love
By St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)

Oh Jesus,
my Love,
may my heart be consumed
in loving Thee.
Make me humble and holy;
giving me childlike simplicity;
transform me into Thy holy Love.
O Jesus,
life of my life,
joy of my soul,
God of my heart,
accept my heart as an altar,
on which I will sacrifice to Thee,
the gold of ardent charity,
the incense of continual,
humble and fervent prayer
and the myrrh of constant sacrifices!
Amen

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, HYMNS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 18 October – I Am Not Worthy, Holy Lord

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 18 October – Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

I Am Not Worthy, Holy Lord

I am not worthy, holy Lord,
That Thou shouldst come to me;
Speak but the word –
one gracious word
Can set the sinner free.
I am not worthy;
cold and bare
The lodging of my soul;
How canst Thou deign to enter there?
Lord, speak
and make me whole.
Amen

Author – Rev H W Baker (1821–1877), was an English hymn writer.

Posted in MARIAN PRAYERS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, The BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Our Morning Offering – 17 October – Dear and Sweet Mother Mary

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Our Morning Offering – 17 October – Saturday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time

Dear and Sweet Mother Mary
By Blessed James Alberione (1884-1971)

Dear and sweet Mother Mary,
keep your holy hand upon me;
guard my mind,
my heart and my senses,
that I may never commit sin.
Sanctify my thoughts,
affections,
words and actions,
so that I may please you
and your Jesus, my God,
and reach heaven with you.
Jesus and Mary,
give me your holy blessing;
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen

Posted in GOD ALONE!, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 16 October – May We Love Only You By St Columban

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Our Morning Offering – 16 October – Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time and the Memorial of St Gall (c 550–c 646) Missionary to Switzerland with St Columban

May We Love Only You
By St Columban (543-615)

Loving Saviour,
be pleased to show Yourself to us who knock,
so that in knowing You,
we may love only You,
love You alone,
desire You alone,
contemplate only You, day and night
and always think of You.
Inspire in us the depth of love
that is fitting for You to receive as God.
So may Your love pervade our whole being,
possess us completely
and fill all our senses,
that we may know no other love
but love for You,
Who are everlasting.
May our love be so great,
that the many waters of sky, land and sea
cannot extinguish it in us –
many waters could not extinguish love.
May this saying be fulfilled
in us also, at least in part,
by Your gift,
Jesus Christ, our Lord,
to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen

Posted in GOD the FATHER, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 15 October – Eternal God, Our Refuge By St Boniface

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Our Morning Offering – 15 October – Thursday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time – The Memorial of St Thecla of Kitzengen OSB (Died c 790) Missionary apostle with St Boniface

Eternal God, Our Refuge
By St Boniface (672-754)
“The Apostle of Germany”

Eternal God,
the refuge and help of all Your children,
we praise You
for all You have given us,
for all You have done for us,
for all that You are to us.
In our weakness,
You are strength,
in our darkness,
You are light,
in our sorrow,
You are comfort and peace.
We cannot number Your blessings,
we cannot declare Your love.
For all Your blessings,
we bless You.
May we live as in Your presence,
and love the things that You love,
and serve You in our daily lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 14 October – To You, O Master

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 14 October – Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time

To You, O Master
By St Macarius the Wonder-Worker (Died 850)

To You, O Master,
who loves all mankind
I hasten on rising from sleep.
By Your mercy,
I go out to do Your work
and I make my prayer to You.
Help me at all times and in all things.
Deliver me from every evil thing of this world
and from pursuit by the devil.
Save me and bring me to Your eternal kingdom,
For You are my Creator,
You inspire all good thoughts in me.
In You is all my hope
and to You I give glory,
now and forever.
Amen