Our Morning Offering – 16 February
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
Our Morning Offering – 15 February – The Memorial of St Claude de la Colombiere SJ (1641-1682) “Apostle of the Sacred Heart”
Lord, be the Centre of Our Hearts
By St Claude de la Colombiere
O God, what will You do to conquer
the fearful hardness of our hearts?
Lord, You must give us new hearts,
tender hearts, sensitive hearts,
to replace hearts
that are made of marble and of bronze.
You must give us Your own Heart, Jesus.
Come, lovable Heart of Jesus.
Place Your Heart deep in the centre of our hearts
and enkindle in each heart a flame of love
as strong, as great, as the sum of all the reasons
that I have for loving You, my God.
O holy Heart of Jesus, dwell hidden in my heart,
so that I may live only in You
and only for You,
so that, in the end,
I may live with You
eternally in heaven.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 14 February – Readings: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46, Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11, 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1, Mark 1:40-45
“You can make me clean”
“It is the greatest punishment to commit sin,
though we may remain unpunished –
it is the greatest honour and repose to live virtuously,
though we may be punished.”
“I have hidden My glory and,
out of My great love for you,
have freely made My richness poor.
For you, I suffered hunger, thirst, fatigue.
I roamed the mountains, ravines and valleys
looking for you, my lost sheep.
I took the name of Lamb, to bring you back,
calling you with My shepherd’s voice.
And I want to give My life for you,
to tear you away from claws of the wolf.
I bear everything so that you may cry out :
“Blessed are You, the one who comes to call Adam.”
“But He still follows behind us and counsels us,
that we have despised Him
but He still does not cease to call us.
We turn our backs on His face, so to speak,
when we reject His words,
when we trample His commandments underfoot
but He who sees that we reject Him,
still calls out to us by His commandments
and waits for us by His patience,
stands behind us and calls us back
when we have turned away.”
O Jesus!
Cast upon us a look of mercy,
turn Your Face towards each of us
as You did to Veronica,
not that we may see it with our bodily eyes,
for this we do not deserve
but turn it towards our hearts,
so that, remembering You,
we may ever draw from this fountain of strength,
the vigour necessary to
sustain the combats of life.
Amen
“… Recollect, that heavy Cross
is the weight of our sins.
As it fell upon His neck and shoulders,
it came down with a shock.
Alas! what a sudden, heavy weight
have I laid upon Thee, O Jesus.
… Ah! how great a misery is it
that I have lifted up my hand
against my God.”
Our Morning Offering – 13 February – The Memorial of Blessed Jordan of Saxony OP (1190-1237) and a blessed Marian Saturday
It was Jordan who initiated the custom of singing the Salve Regina in procession each night after Compline, to ask Our Lady’s protection of the brothers against temptations from the devil. This is a custom still practised by Dominicans throughout the world and by our community each night.
Salve Regina
Hail Holy Queen
By Blessed Herman the Cripple of Reichenau (1013–1054)
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
Hail our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry,
Poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs,
Mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
Thine eyes of mercy toward us;
And after this our exile,
Show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
This line, below, by St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Doctor of the Church
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.
℣ Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
℟ that we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Almighty, everlasting God,
who by the co-operation of the Holy Spirit
didst prepare the body and soul
of the glorious Virgin-Mother Mary
to become a dwelling-place fit for Thy Son,
grant that as we rejoice in her commemoration,
so by her fervent intercession,
we may be delivered from present evils
and from everlasting death.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 11 February – The Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes
Queen on Whose Starry Brow Doth Rest
St Venantius Fortunatus (c 530-c 609)
Translation by Monsignor Ronald A Knox (1888 – 1957)
Queen, on whose starry brow doth rest
The crown of perfect maidenhood,
The God who made thee, from thy brest
Drew, for our sakes, His earthly food.
The grace that sinful Eve denied,
With thy Child-bearing, reppears;
Heaven’s lingering door, set open wide,
Welcomes the children of her tears.
Fate, for such royal progress meet,
Beacon, whose rays such light can give,
Look, how the ransomed nations greet
The virgin-womb that bade them live!
O Jesus, whom the Vrgin bore,
Be praise and glory unto Thee.
Praise to the Father evermore
And His life-givine Spirit be.
Amen!
Saint Venantius Fortunatus (c 530 – c 609) Bishop, Poet, Hymnist, Writer – born c 530 at Rreviso, Italy and died c 609 at Poitiers, modern France of natural causes.
St Venantius was unique, first a travelling lay poet, he later became a Priest and then a Bishop. But he always remained a professional author of poetry, a “troubadour” of Christ.
He is the author of the Ave Maris Stella, amongst many others.
Our Morning Offering – 10 February – The Memorial of St Scholastica (480-547) Twin sister of St Benedict (480-547)
Father, In Your Goodness
By St Benedict of Nursia (480-547)
Father, in Your goodness
grant me the intellect, to comprehend You,
the perception, to discern You,
and the reason, to appreciate You.
In Your kindness
endow me with the diligence, to look for You,
the wisdom, to discover You
and the spirit, to apprehend You.
In Your graciousness
bestow on me a heart, to contemplate You,
ears to hear You,
eyes to see You,
and a tongue, to speak of You.
In Your mercy confer on me
a conversation pleasing to You,
the patience to wait for You,
and the perseverance to long for You.
Grant me a perfect end –
Your holy presence.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 8 February
Help us, Defend us,
O Lord, our God
By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Mellifluous Doctor
Help us, O Lord, our God,
since we cannot flee from the body,
nor the body flee from us,
we must carry it about
because it is bound up with us.
We cannot destroy it,
we are forced to preserve it.
But the world surrounds us and assails us
through the five gateways of sense.
Alas! Everywhere we are in conflict,
everywhere darts fly against us,
everywhere there are temptations,
there are snares!
Deliver us, we beseech You,
from our enemies,
defend us from all dangers to the soul
and to the body, Lord,
that at length we may come to Your eternal rest,
through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 7 February – Sexagesima Sunday
God, my God
May I Always Abide in You
By St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church
God, my God,
inextinguishable 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
Our Morning Offering – 6 February – “Month of the Holy Family” and a Marian Saturday
Blessed are You, O Mary!
By St Jacob of Sarug (c 451-521)
Syrian Bishop and Monk
Blessed are you, O Mary
and blessed is your holy soul,
for your beatitude surpasses
that of all the Blessed.
Blessed are you who have borne,
embraced and caressed as a Baby,
the One who upholds the ages with His secret word.
Blessed are you,
from whom the Saviour appeared on this exile earth,
subjugating the seducer and bringing peace to the world.
Blessed are you,
whose pure mouth touched the lips
of the One, whom the Seraphim
look upon in His splendour.
Blessed are you,
who have nourished, with your pure milk
the source, from whom the living obtain life and light.
Blessed are you,
because the whole universe
resounds with your memory
and the Angels and human beings,
celebrate your feast.
Daughter of the poor,
you became the Mother of the King of kings.
You gave to the poor world
the riches that can make it live.
You are the bark, laden with the goodness
and the treasures of the Father,
Who sent His riches once again,
into our empty home.
Blessed are you, O Mary!
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 5 February
Let Your Will be Mine
By Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
O most merciful Jesus,
grant me Your grace,
that it may remain with me always
and persevere with me to the end.
Grant me always to will and desire,
what is more pleasing and acceptable to You.
Let Your will be mine
and let my will always follow Yours
in perfect conformity with it.
Let my will and desires, always be one with Yours
and let me be unable to will or not to will,
except as You will or do not will.
Grant that I may die to all worldly things
and that I may be despised and unknown
for love of You.
Grant, above all things to be desired,
that I may find rest in You
and that in Your Heart alone, may be my peace.
You, O Lord, give true peace to the heart
and perfect rest to body and soul.
Apart from You, all is difficult and never still.
In that peace, in You Who are the one,
supreme and eternal Good,
I will sleep and take my rest.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 4 February – The Memorial of Blessed Rabanus Maurus (776-856)
Veni Creator Spiritus
The Golden Sequence
By Blessed Rabanus Maurus (776-856)
Come, Creator, Spirit,
come from Your bright heavenly throne,
come take possession of our souls
and make them all Your own.
You who are called the Paraclete,
best gift of God above,
the living spring,
the vital fire,
sweet christ’ning and true love. . . .
O guide our minds with Your best light,
with love our hearts inflame
and with Your strength,
which ne’er decays,
confirm our mortal frame.
Far from us drive our deadly foe,
true peace unto us bring
and through all perils lead us safe,
beneath Your sacred wing.
Through You, may we the Father know,
through You, th’eternal Son
and You, the Spirit of them both,
thrice-blessed Three in One. . . .
Amen!
Quote of the Day – 3 February – The Memorial of St Blaise Bishop Martyr (Died c 316)
The Blessing of the Throats is a Sacramental of the Church, ordinarily celebrated today, the Feast day of Saint Blaise.
Saint Blase was, according to various accounts, a Physician before becoming a Bishop. His cult spread throughout the entire Church in the Middle Ages because he miraculously cured a little boy who nearly died due to a fishbone in his throat. From the eighth century he has been invoked on behalf of the sick, especially those afflicted with illnesses of the throat.
If the Blessing is conferred during Mass, the Blessing follows the homily and general intercessions, or, for pastoral reasons, the Prayer of Blessing may take the place of the final Blessing of the Mass. When the Blessing is given outside Mass, it is preceded by a brief celebration of the Word of God. If the Blessing is to be celebrated at Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, it is given after the Reading and Responsory (and homily) and before the Gospel Canticle.
The Blessing may be given by touching the throat of each person with two candles which have been Blessed yesterday, on the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. The candles are held together in the form of a Cross.
Through the intercession
of Saint Blaise,
Bishop and Martyr,
may God deliver you
from ailments of the throat
and from every other evil.
In the name of the Father
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 1 February
O Lord, the House of My Soul is Narrow
By St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor of Grace
O God,
the Light of the heart, that sees You,
The Life of the soul, that loves You,
The Strength of the mind, that seeks You,
May I ever continue to be steadfast in Your love.
Be the joy of my heart,
Take all of me to Yourself and abide therein.
The house of my soul is, I confess,
too narrow for You.
Enlarge it that You may enter.
It is ruinous but do repair it.
It has within it what must offend Your eyes,
I confess and know it,
But whose help shall I seek in cleansing it but Yours alone?
To You, O God, I cry urgently.
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep me from false pride and sensuality
That they not get dominion over me.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 29 January – The Memorial of St Dallan Forgaill (c 530- 598) Martyr, Monk, Reformer, Poet
Be Thou My Vision
By St Dallan Forgaill (c 530- 598)
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord.
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Son,
Heart of my heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.
Quote/s of the Day – 28 January – The Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
“O precious and wonderful banquet
that brings us salvation
and contains all sweetness!”
“O how unspeakable is this Sacrament
which sets our affections ablaze with charity.
… It is the fulfillment of Christ’s Mystical Body.”
“The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love.
It signifies Love,
It produces love.
The Eucharist is the consummation
of the whole spiritual life.”
“The proper effect of the Eucharist
is the transformation of man into God.”
“As Christ’s Passion does not produce it’s effect
on those who do not hold Him as they should,
so also, those do not attain heaven
through this Sacrament, who receive Him unworthily.
Accordingly, Augustine writes:
“The Sacrament is one thing, it’s virtue another.
Many receive from the altar and, receiving it, are dead.
Eat, therefore, heavenly bread, carry innocence to the altar.”
So it is not surprising, that those who do not keep a pure heart,
fail to gain the effect of the Sacrament.”
Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows,
shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at Thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God Thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in Thee deceived –
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed,
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do,
Truth Himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.
On the cross Thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here Thy very manhood steals from human ken –
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.
I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call Thee Lord and God as he,
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.
O Thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom He died,
Lend this life to me then – feed and feast my mind,
There be Thou the sweetness man was meant to find.
Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican,
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what Thy bosom ran—
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.
Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech Thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on Thee face to face in light
And be blest forever with Thy glory’s sight.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 28 January – The Memorial of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Doctor of the Church
O Merciful God
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis
O merciful God,
grant that I may ever perfectly
do Your Will in all things.
Let it be my ambition to work
only for Your honour and glory.
Let me rejoice in nothing but that leads to You,
nor grieve for anything, that leads away from You.
May all passing things be as nothing in my eyes
and may all that is Yours be dear to me
and You, my God, dear above them all.
May all joy be meaningless without You
and may I desire nothing apart from You.
May all labour and toil delight me when it is for You.
Make me, O Lord, obedient without complaint,
poor without regret,
patient without murmur,
humble without pretense,
joyous without frivolity,
and truthful without disguise.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 27 January
Grant Us This Day, O Lord
By St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus
Doctor Communis
Grant us this day, O Lord
a vigilant heart,
that no alien thought
can lure away from Thee,
a pure heart.
that no unworthy love can soil,
an upright heart,
that no crooked intentions
can lead astray.
And give us Lord,
understanding to know Thee,
zeal to seek Thee,
wisdom to find Thee
and a hope,
that will one day
take hold of Thee.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 26 January
Jesus, Like a Mother
By St Anselm OSB (1033-1109)
Doctor magnificus (Magnificent Doctor)
Doctor Marianus (Marian Doctor)
Jesus, like a mother
You gather Your people to Yourself.
You are gentle with us,
as a mother with her children.
Often you weep over our sins and our pride,
tenderly You draw us, from hatred and judgement.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds,
in sickness You nurse us
and with pure milk You feed us.
Jesus, by Your dying, we are born to new life;
by Your anguish and labour, we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope through Your sweet goodness;
through Your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth, gives life to the dead,
Your touch, makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in Your mercy, heal us;
in Your love and tenderness, remake us.
In Your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness.
For the beauty of heaven, may Your love prepare us.
Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 25 January – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, Readings: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9: 1-22, Psalms 117:1, 2, Mark 16:15-18
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
And he said, “Who are you, Lord?”
And he said, “I am Jesus,
whom you are persecuting.”
“ … He is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before the Gentiles
and kings and the children of Israel.
For I will show him
how much he must suffer
or the sake of my name.”
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
“The most important thing of all to him, however,
was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ.
… 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.”
“The Apostle Paul, formerly Saul,
was changed from a robbing wolf into a meek lamb.
Formerly, he was an enemy of the Church,
then, is manifest as an Apostle.
Formerly, he stalked it,
then, preached it.”
Our Morning Offering – 25 January – Feast of the Conversion of St Paul
Great and Glorious God
By St Francis of Assisi (c 1181-1226)
Great and glorious God,
my Lord Jesus Christ!
I implore Thee to enlighten me
and to disperse the darkness of my soul.
Give me true faith, firm hope and perfect charity.
Grant me, O Lord, to know Thee so well
that in all things I may act by Thy light
and in accordance with Thy holy will.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 23 January – The Memorial of St Ildephonsus (c 607-670) and a Marian Saturday
Let Me Love Your Jesus
By St Ildephonsus (c 607-670)
Virgin Mary, hear my prayer,
through the Holy Spirit,
you became the Mother of Jesus,
from the Holy Spirit,
may I too have Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit,
your flesh conceived Jesus,
through the same Spirit,
may my soul receive Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit,
you were able to know Jesus,
to possess Jesus
and to bring Him into the world.
Through the Holy Spirit,
may I too come to know your Jesus.
Imbued with the Spirit, Mary, you could say
“I am the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to your word,”
in the Holy Spirit, lowly as I am,
let me proclaim the great truths about Jesus.
In the Spirit, you now adore Jesus as Lord
and look on Him as Son,
in the same Spirit, Mary,
let me love your Jesus.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 January – The memorial of St Vincent Pallotti (1795-1850)
My God, In Your Infinite Love
By St Vincent Pallotti (1795-1850)
“My God,
in Your infinite love
You created me
according to Your image and likeness.
You gave me a free will.
Help me to use Your gifts
and improve myself
so as to become totally Your living image,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
an image of Your infinite
qualities and perfections.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 21 January
O Most Compassionate Jesus!
By Bl Pope Pius IX (1792-1878)
Indulgence of 100 days, once a day
6 October 1870
O Most compassionate Jesus!
Thou alone art our salvation,
our life and our resurrection.
We implore Thee, therefore,
do not forsake us
in our needs and afflictions
but by the agony of
Thy Most Sacred Heart
and by the sorrows of
Thy Immaculate Mother,
succour Thy servants,
whom Thou hast redeemed
by Thy most Precious Blood.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 19 January – Tuesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
An Act of Oblation
By St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of Charity
I vow and consecrate to God
all that is in me,
my memory and my actions,
to God the Father;
my understanding and my words,
to God the Son;
my will and my thoughts,
to God the Holy Spirit.
I consecrate my heart, my body,
my tongue, my senses and all my sorrows,
to the sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ,
Who consented to be betrayed
into the hands of wicked men
and to suffer the torment
of the Cross for me.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 January – Sunday in Ordinary Time
O Lord, My God,
I Am Not Worthy
Prayer Before Holy Communion
By St John Chrysostom (347-407)
Father and Doctor of the Church
O Lord, my God,
I am not worthy
that You should come into my soul
but I rejoice that You have come to me
because, in Your loving kindness
You desire to dwell in me.
You ask me to open the door of my soul,
which You alone have created,
so that You may enter into it
with Your loving kindness
and dispel the darkness of my mind.
I believe that You will do this,
for You did not turn away Mary Magdalene
when she approached You in tears.
Neither did You withhold forgiveness
from the tax collector
who repented of his sins
or from the good thief
who asked to be received into Your kingdom.
Indeed, You numbered as Your friends,
all who came to You with repentant hearts.
O God, You alone are blessed always,
now and forever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 16 January – Saturday of the First week in Ordinary Time and the Feast of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners (Spain)
Shelter Me Under Your Mantle
Refuge of Sinners
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor
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 – 14 January – Month of the Most Holy Name
Jesus, Name Full of Glory
By St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)
Jesus,
Name full of glory,
grace, love and strength!
You are the refuge of those who repent,
our banner of warfare in this life,
the medicine of souls,
the comfort of those who morn,
the delight of those who believe,
the light of those
who preach the true faith,
the wages of those who toil,
the healing of the sick.
To You our devotion aspires,
by You our prayers are received;
we delight in contemplating You.
O Name of Jesus,
You are the glory of all the saints for eternity.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 13 January – The Octave of Epiphany and the Memorial of St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368) Father & Doctor of the Church
I Owe You a Most Particular Duty
By St Hilary of Poitiers (315-368)
I am well aware, Almighty God and Father,
that in my life I owe You a most particular duty.
It is to make my every thought
and word speak of You.
In fact, You have conferred on me,
this gift of speech
and it can yield no greater return
than to be at Your service.
It is for making You known as Father,
the Father of the only-begotten God
and preaching this to the world,
that knows You not
and to the heretics,
who refuse to believe in You.
… Grant that I may express what I believe.
Amen
Excerpt from a Sermon On the Trinity (Lib 1, 37-38: PL 10, 48-49) by Saint Hilary of Poitiers. It is used in the Roman Office of Readings for the feast of St Hilary, today.
Our Morning Offering – 12 January – Seventh day in the Octave of Epiphany and the Memorial of St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167) “St Bernard of the North”
Behold Me, O Sweet Lord, Behold Me!
By St Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)
Behold me, O sweet Lord, behold me!
For I hope. that in Your loving kindness,
O Most Merciful One,
You will behold me,
either as a loving physician to heal,
a kind teacher to correct,
or an indulgent father to pardon…
confident in Your sweet powerful mercy
and most merciful power,
I ask in virtue of Your sweet Name
and of the mystery of Your sacred humanity
that, mindful of Your kindness
and unmindful of my ingratitude,
You forgive me my sins
and heal the languors of my soul.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 10 January – Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
O Christ, our Master and God
St Basil the Great (329-379)
Father and Doctor of the Church
O Christ, our Master and God,
King of the ages and Creator of all,
I thank You for all the Good things
that You have given to me
and for the reception of Your most pure
and life-giving Mysteries.
I pray You, therefore, O good Lover of mankind,
keep me under Your protection
in the shadow of Your wings.
Grant that with a pure conscience,
until my last breath,
I may worthily partake of Your Holy Things,
for the forgiveness of sins
and for life everlasting.
For You are the bread of Life,
the Fountain of holiness
and the Bestower of blessings
and to You, we give glory
together with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
now nad forever and ever.
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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