Our Morning Offering – 8 August – The Memorial of St Dominic (1170-1221)
St Dominic’s Blessing
May God the Father,
who made us, bless us.
May God the Son,
send His healing among us.
May God the Holy Spirit,
move within us
and give us eyes to see with,
ears to hear with,
and hands, that Your work,
might be done.
May we walk and preach
the word of God to all.
May the angel of peace
watch over us
and lead us at last,
by God’s grace,
to the Kingdom.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 7 August – The Memorial of St Cajetan (1480-1547)
Look down, O Lord
By St Cajetan (1480-1547)
Look down, O Lord, from Your sanctuary
and from the high habitation of heaven
and behold this sacred oblation
which our great High Priest,
Your holy Servant, the Lord Jesus,
immolates unto You for the sins of His brethren
and be propitious to the multitude of our iniquities.
Behold, the voice of the blood of Jesus,
our brother, cries to You from the Cross.
Graciously hear, O Lord,
be appeased, O Lord, hearken and do?
Delay not for Your own sake, my God,
because Your name is invoked upon this city
and upon Your people
and do with us according to Your mercy.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 5 August – Monday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of the Dedication of Mary Major
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). It is one of the Marian Hymns in the Breviary.
Our Morning Offering – 4 August – Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C and The Memorial of St John Vianney (1786-1859)
St John Vianney’s prayer which is quoted in the CCC
I Love You, O My God
By St John Vianney (1786-1859)
I love You,
O my God
and my only desire is to love You
until the last breath of my life.
I love You,
O my infinitely lovable God,
and I would rather die loving You,
than live without loving You.
I love You, Lord
and the only grace I ask,
is to love You eternally
My God,
if my tongue cannot say
in every moment that I love You,
I want my heart to repeat it to You
as often as I draw breath.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 3 August – Saturday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and a Marian Saturday
Mary Our Strength
By Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)
(Pontiff 1939-1958)
O Virgin, fair as the moon,
delight of the angels and saints in heaven,
grant that we may become like you
and that our souls may receive a ray of your beauty,
which does not decline with the years
but shines forth into eternity.
O Mary, sun of heaven,
restore life where there is death
and enlighten spirits, where there is darkness.
Turn your countenance to your children
and radiate on us your light and your fervour.
O Mary, powerful as an army,
grant victory to our ranks.
We are very weak
and our enemy rages with uttermost conceit.
But under your banner
we are confident of overcoming him. ….
Save us, O Mary,
fair as the moon,
bright as the sun,
awe-inspiring as an army set in battle array
and sustained not by hatred
but by the ardour of love.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 2 August – The Memorial of By St Peter Julian Eymard SSS (1811-1868) “Apostle of the Eucharist”
Lord Jesus, Come and Reign!
By St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)
O Yes, Lord Jesus,
come and reign!
Let my body
be Your temple,
my heart,
Your throne,
my will,
Your devoted servant,
let me be Yours forever,
living only in You
and for You!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 1 August – Thursday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church
Prayer of Saint Alphonsus to the Holy Spirit
You made Mary full of grace
and inflamed the hearts of the apostles
with a holy zeal.
Inflame our hearts with Your love
You are the spirit of goodness,
Give us the courage to confront evil
You are fire,
Set us ablaze with Your love
You are light,
Enlighten our minds,
that we may see what is truly important.
You are the dove,
Give us gentleness
You are a soothing breeze,
Bring calm to the storms that rage within us.
You are the tongue,
May our lips ever sing God’s praises
You are the cloud,
Shelter us under the shadow of Your protection
O Holy Spirit,
melt the frozen,
warm the chilled
and enkindle in us an earnest desire to please You.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 31 July – The Memorial of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
Suscipe
By St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
Take, Lord
and receive all my liberty,
my memory,
my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.
You have given all to me.
To You, Lord,
I return it.
Everything is Yours,
do with it what You will.
Give me only Your love
and Your grace,
that is enough for me.
Amen
Teach Us, Good Lord
By St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)
Teach us, good Lord,
to serve You as You deserve;
to give
and not to count the cost,
to fight
and not to heed the wounds,
to toil
and not to seek for rest,
to labour
and not to ask for reward,
except that of knowing
that we are doing Your will.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 30 July – Tuesday of the 17th week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Traditional Morning Offering
for Unity with God’s Will
My God,
I do not know what may happen to me this day
but of one thing I am certain,
that nothing will happen
but what You have foreseen
and ordered from all eternity.
I submit myself to Your eternal plan
and accept it with a willing heart.
I unite myself
to the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, my Saviour,
In His name
and through His merits,
I ask of You, patience,
in all my trials and disappointments
and a total submission
to all that will happen to me
according to Your divine plan.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 29 July – Monday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Martha
Lord God Look Down upon Us!
(A Prayer for Workers)
By Pope Francis
Lord God look down upon us!
Look at this city, this island.
Look upon our families.
Lord, You were not without a job,
You were a carpenter,
You were happy.
Lord, we have no work.
The idols want to rob us of our dignity.
The unjust systems want to rob us of hope.
Lord, do not leave us on our own.
Help us to help each other;
so that we forget our selfishness a little
and feel in our heart the “we”,
the we of a people
who want to keep on going.
Lord Jesus, You were never out of work,
give us work and teach us to fight for work
and bless us all.
In the name of the Father,
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.
Amen
*Prayer to the Lord at the conclusion of the meeting with workers (Cagliari, 22 September 2013)
Our Morning Offering – 28 July – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Make Your Dwelling in Me
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Hold dominion over my heart, O Lord!
Keep it as Your inheritance.
Make Your dwelling in me,
along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Widen in me
the cords of Your tabernacle,
even the operations
of Your Most Holy Spirit.
For You are my God
and I will praise You,
together with the Eternal Father
and your quickening Spirit,
now, henceforth and forever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 27 July – Saturday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C – a “Marian Saturday”
Shelter Me Under Your Mantle
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of the Church
Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary,
to you who are the Mother of my Lord,
the Queen of the Universe, the Advocate,
the hope, the refuge of sinners,
I, who am the most miserable of all sinners,
have recourse this day.
I venerate you, great Queen
and I thank you for the many graces
you have bestowed upon me even unto this day,
in particular for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often served by my sins.
I love you, my dearest Lady
and because of that love,
I promise to serve you willingly forever
and to do what I can,
to make you loved by others also.
I place in you all my hopes for salvation,
accept me as your servant
and shelter me under your mantle,
you who are the Mother of Mercy.
And since you are so powerful with God,
deliver me from all temptations,
or at least obtain for me the strength
to overcome them until death.
From you I implore a true love for Jesus Christ.
Through you I hope to die a holy death.
My dear Mother, by your love for Almighty God,
I pray you to assist me always
but most of all, at the last moment of my life.
Forsake me not then,
until you shall see me safe in heaven,
there to bless you
and sing of your mercies through all eternity.
Such is my hope.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 26 July – Friday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Breviary Hymn – Psalter Week 3
It were my Soul’s Desire
It were my soul’s desire
To see the face of God;
It were my soul’s desire
To rest in His abode.
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire,
Deep waves of cleansing sighs;
Grant, Lord, my soul’s desire
From earthly cares to rise.
It were my soul’s desire
To imitate my King,
It were my soul’s desire
His ceaseless praise to sing.
It were my soul’s desire
When heaven’s gate is won
To find my soul’s desire
Clear shining like the sun.
This still my soul’s desire
Whatever life afford,
To gain my soul’s desire
And see Thy face, O Lord.
Our Morning Offering – 25 July – The Memorial of St Christopher (died c 251)
The Christopher Prayer
Father, grant that we may be,
bearers of Christ Jesus, Your Son.
Allow us to fill with Your light
the world around us.
Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit
to carry out our mission
of living and following
the path of Jesus, our Lord.
Help us to understand,
that by Your grace
our gifts are Your blessings,
to be shared with others.
Fill us with Your Spirit of love
to give glory to You
in loving all
and preaching by our love.
Nourish in us the desire
to go forth
as the bearers of Your Son
fearless and gentle,
loving and merciful.
Make us true Christ bearers,
that in seeing us
only He is visible.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 24 July – Wednesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Lord God, Lift Me Up
By St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Lord God, my Beloved,
if Thou art still mindful of my sins
and wilt not grant my petitions,
let Thy will be done,
for this is my main desire.
Show Thy goodness and mercy
and Thou shalt be known for them.
If Thou art waiting for me
to do good works
and upon their performance,
Thou wilt grant my petitions,
cause them to be accomplished in me, O Lord!
Send also, the punishment for my sins,
which is acceptable to Thee.
For how will I raise myself up to Thee,
born and bred as I am, in misery,
unless Thou, O Lord,
wilt lift me up
with the Hand which made me?!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 23 July – Tuesday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Gaelic Morning Offering
I am bending my knee
in the eye of the Father
who created me.
In the eye of the Son
who purchased me.
In the eye of the Spirit,
who cleansed me.
In friendship and affection.
Through Your own Annointed One, O God,
bestow upon us fulfilment of our need,
Love toward God,
the affection of God,
the smile of God,
the grace of God,
the fear of God
and the will of God,
to do in the world of the Three,
as angels and saints
do in heaven.
Each shade and light,
each day and night,
each time in kindness,
give us Your Spirit,
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 July – Feast of St Mary of Magdala
O Lord, Bless and Sanctify Us
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord,
bless those who bless You
and sanctify those who trust in You.
save Your people and bless their inheritance
and keep Your household, the Church,
under Your protection.
Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house,
reward them with glory through Your divine power
and do not forsake those who hope in You.
To the sick,
give Your aid, healing and comfort.
Keep safe all who travel by land or water.
Send us seasonable weather
and bless the fruits of the earth.
Keep peace in the world
and among all Your people.
Grant rest to the departed
and remember those
who have offered gifts to You.
Save those who are in any way
afflicted or distressed
and grant us all Your heavenly grace.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 21 July – Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Dear Lord, I Approach You
(Prayer before Holy Communion)
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
Dear Lord,
with simplicity of heart,
in good and stable faith
and at Your command,
I approach You,
full of confidence and adoration,
truly believing that You are present
in this Sacrament, God and Man.
It is Your will that I receive You
and bind myself to You in love.
Most merciful Lord,
I beg of You that special grace,
that my soul may melt and overflow
with Your love,
never concerning myself again
with any other comfort but Your own.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 20 July – Saturday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and a Marian Saturday
Hail Mary, Queen of Mercy
By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
Hail Mary, Queen of Mercy,
olive-branch of forgiveness,
through whom we receive
the medicine that heals our sickness,
the balsam of pardon.
Virgin Mother of the divine off-spring,
through your Son,
your only Child who stooped
to become the brother of humankind,
you are the true Mother of us all.
For the sake of His love,
take me, unworthy as I am,
into your motherly care.
Sustain, preserve
and enlighten my conversion.
Be for me, for all eternity,
my cherished mother,
tenderly caring for me
throughout my earthly life
and enfolding me in your arms,
at the hour of my death.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 19 July – Friday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time and the memorial of St Macina the Younger – sister of St Gregory of Nyssa
Below is an edited and simplified version
of St Gregory’s famous
“To the Good Shepherd” prayer.
O Good Shepherd
By St Gregory Of Nyssa (c 335–395)
Father of the Church
O Good Shepherd,
Who carries the whole flock on Your shoulders,
Where are You pasturing Your flock?
Show me the place of peace,
lead me to the good grass that will nourish me,
call me by name so that I hear Your voice,
Answer me,
For You are the One my soul loves.
I call You ‘the One my soul loves’
because Your name is above every name
and above all understanding
and no one can utter or comprehend it.
How could I not love You,
when You loved me so much?
Even though I was stained dark with sin,
You laid down Your life for the sheep of Your flock.
A greater love cannot be imagined,
than exchanging Your life for my freedom!
Show me where You pasture Your flock,
so that I can find that saving pasture too,
and fill myself with the food of heaven
without which no-one can come to eternal life,
and run to the spring
and be filled with the drink of God.
You give it, as from a spring, to those who thirst –
water pouring from Your side,
water that is a spring welling up to eternal life.
If You lead me to pasture here,
You will make me lie down at noon,
sleeping at peace and taking my rest in light
unconquered by any shade.
For the noon has no darkness
and the sun stands far above the mountain peaks.
You bring Your flock to lie in this light,
You bring Your children to rest in You.
Show me how I should sleep
and how I should graze,
and where the path is to my noonday rest.
Do not let me fall away from Your flock
and become lost.
O Good shepherd,
Who carries the whole flock on Your shoulders.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 18 July – Thursday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Morning Offering
Of St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Doctor of Church
My most sweet Lord,
I offer and consecrate
to Thee this morning
all that I am and have –
my senses,
my thoughts,
my affections,
my desires,
my pleasures,
my inclinations,
my liberty.
In a word,
I place my whole body
and soul in Thy Hands.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 July – Wednesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, C – Today’s Gospel Matthew 11:25-27.
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father, except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”...Matthew 11:27
May the Lord Jesus Touch Our Eyes
Origen (c 185-253) Father of the Church
May the Lord Jesus touch our eyes,
as He did those of the blind.
Then we shall begin to see in visible things
those which are invisible.
May He open our eyes to gaze,
not on present realities
but on the blessings to come.
May He open the eyes of our heart,
to contemplate God in Spirit,
through Jesus Christ the Lord,
to whom belong,
power and glory,
through all eternity.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 15 July – Monday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
Prayer for the Gifts
of the Holy Spirit
By St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor of the Church
We beg the all-merciful Father through You,
His only-begotten Son made man for our sake,
crucified and glorified for us,
to send upon us, from His treasure-house,
the Spirit of sevenfold grace,
Who rested upon You in all His fullness.
The spirit of wisdom,
enabling us to relish the fruit of the tree of life,
which is indeed Yourself.
The gift of understanding:
to enlighten our perceptions.
The gift of prudence,
enabling us to follow in Your footsteps.
The gift of strength:
to withstand our adversary’s onslaught.
The gift of knowledge,
to distinguish good from evil
by the light of Your holy teaching.
The gift of piety,
to clothe ourselves with charity and mercy.
The gift of fear,
to withdraw from all ill-doing
and live quietly in awe
of Your eternal majesty.
These are the things for which we petition.
Grant them for the honour of Your Holy Name,
to which, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
be all honour and glory, thanksgiving, renown
and Lordship forever and ever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 July – Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Prayer before Holy Communion
By Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O my God, holiness becomes Your House,
and yet You make Your abode in my breast.
My Lord, my Saviour, to me You come,
hidden under the semblance of earthly things,
yet in that very flesh and blood
which You took from Mary,
You, who did first inhabit Mary’s breast,
come to me.
My God, You see me;
I cannot see myself…
You see how unworthy, so great a sinner is,
to receive the One Holy God,
whom the Seraphim adore with trembling…
My God, enable me to bear You,
for You alone can.
Cleanse my heart and mind from all that is past…
give me a true perception of things unseen,
and make me truly, practically,
and in the details of life,
prefer You to anything on earth,
and the future world,
to the present.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 13 July – Saturday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and a Marian Saturday
A Morning Salutation to Mary
A Coptic Catholic Prayer
We greet you,
glorious Mother of the Light
O Blessed Mary,
from the rising of the sun
to its setting
praise is due to you,
O Mother of God.
You are the second heaven,
the bright unfading flower,
the ever-virgin mother.
For the Father chose you
and the Holy Spirit overshadowed you
and the Son humbled Himself
and took flesh from you.
Therefore, ask Him to give peace
to the world He has created
and to deliver it from every tribulation.
And we shall sing to Him a new song
and bless Him,
now and forever,
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 12 July – The Memorial of Sts Louis & Zelie Martin – Parents of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Morning Offering
By St Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897)
O my God!
I offer You all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify
every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them to Its infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins,
by casting them into the furnace
of Its Merciful Love.
O my God!
I ask You for myself and for those
whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfil perfectly
Your Holy Will,
to accept for love of You
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together,
in Heaven for all Eternity.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 11 July – Thursday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
With All My Heart
I Seek You
By St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
With all my heart
I seek You,
let me not stray
from Your commands…
Open my eyes,
that I may consider
the wonders of Your law.
I am a wayfarer of earth,
hide not Your commands from me…
Make me understand
the way of Your precepts,
and I will meditate
on Your wondrous deeds…
Your compassion is great, O Lord…
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 10 July – Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
I Bind Unto Myself Today
Lauds Prayer/Hymn
I bind unto myself today
the strong name of the Trinity
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One and One in Three.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
(derived from St Patrick’s breastplate
also known as The Deer Cry)
Our Morning Offering – 9 July – Tuesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of Saints St Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions
Lord God, You have Considered me Worthy
St Polycarp (69-155)
Before Martyrdom
Lord God almighty,
Father of Jesus Christ,
Your dear Son through
whom we have come to know You,
God of the angels and powers,
God of all creation,
God of those who live in Your presence,
the race of the just – I bless You.
You have considered me
worthy of this day and hour,
worthy to be numbered with the martyrs
and to drink the cup of Your Anointed One,
and thus to rise and live forever,
body and soul,
in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 8 July – Monday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
By St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
Father & Doctor of the Church
Father, keep us from vain strife of words.
Grant to us constant profession of the Truth!
Preserve us in a true and undefiled faith
so that we may hold fast to that
which we professed
when we were baptised
in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
that we may have You for our Father,
that we may abide in Your Son
and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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