Our Morning Offering – 17 July – Tuesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time, B
Steer the Ship of My Life, Lord By St Basil the Great (329-379) Father & Doctor of the Church
Steer the ship of my life, Lord,
to Your quiet harbour,
where I can be safe from
the storms of sin and conflict.
Show me the course I should take.
Renew in me the gift of discernment,
so that I can see the right direction
in which I should go.
And give me the strength
and the courage
to choose the right course,
even when the sea is rough
and the waves are high,
knowing that through enduring
hardship and danger in Your name
we shall find comfort and peace.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 15 July – Fifteenth Sunday of the Year – the Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor
Perhaps not a household name for most people, Saint Bonaventure, nevertheless, played an important role in both the medieval Church and the history of the Franciscan Order. A senior faculty member at the University of Paris, Saint Bonaventure certainly captured the hearts of his students through his academic skills and insights. But more importantly, he captured their hearts through his Franciscan love for Jesus and the Church. Like his model, Saint Francis, Jesus was the centre of everything—his teaching, his administration, his writing, and his life . So much so, that he was given the title “Seraphic Doctor.”
Bonaventure so united holiness and theological knowledge that he rose to the heights of mysticism while remaining a very active preacher and teacher, one beloved by all who met him. To know him was to love him; to read him is still for us today to meet a true Franciscan and a gentleman.
In his bull of Canonisation, Pope Sixtus IV wrote:
Bonaventure was great in learning but no less great in humility and holiness. His innocence and dove-like simplicity were such that Alexander of Hales, the renowned doctor whose disciple Saint Bonaventure became, used to say of him that it seemed as though Adam had never sinned in him.
A man of eminent learning and eloquence and of outstanding holiness, he was known for his kindness, approachableness, gentleness and compassion. – Pope Gregory X on hearing of the death of Bonaventure.
Let us learn from the great Saint himself, to grow in the fruits he possessed in such abundance – humility, kindness, gentleness, charity, chastity, generosity, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, modesty and self-control. (Matthew 7: 15-20)
“We must beg the Holy Spirit, with ardent longing, to give us these fruits. The Holy Spirit alone, knows how to bring to light, the sweetness hidden away under the rugged exterior of the words of the Law. We must go to the Holy Spirit for interior guidance.”
St Bonaventure from Holiness of Life
St Bonaventure, Pray for us!
Prayer To Obtain the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit By St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor
We, therefore, pray to the most kind Father through You, His only-begotten Son, who for us became man, was crucified and glorified, that He send us out of His treasures the Spirit of sevenfold grace who rested upon You in all fullness: the Spirit, I say, of WISDOM, that we may taste the life-giving flavours of the fruit of the tree of life, which You truly are; the gift also of UNDERSTANDING, by which the intentions of our mind are illumined; the gift of COUNSEL, by which we may follow in Your footsteps on the right paths; the gift of FORTITUDE, by which we may be able to weaken the violence of our enemies’ attacks; the gift of KNOWLEDGE, by which we may be filled with the brilliant light of Your sacred teaching to distinguish good and evil; the gift of PIETY, by which we may acquire a merciful heart; the gift of FEAR, by which we may draw away from all evil and be set at peace by submitting in awe to Your eternal majesty. for You have wished that we ask for these things in that sacred prayer which You have taught us; and now we ask to obtain them, through Your cross, for the praise of Your most Holy Name. to You, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be honour and glory, thanksgiving, beauty and power, forever and ever. Amen
-From Prayer “To Obtain the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit” included at the closing The Tree of Life” ― Bonaventure, Bonaventure: The Soul’s Journey into God, the Tree of Life, the Life of St. Francis
Our Morning Offering – 15 July – Fifteenth Sunday of the Year – the Memorial of St Bonaventure (1221-1274) – Seraphic Doctor
Excerpt from the Prayer after Holy Communion By St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor
Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus,
my inmost soul with the most joyous
and healthful wound of Your love
and with true, calm
and most holy apostolic charity,
that my soul may ever languish
and melt with entire love
and longing for You,
may yearn for You
and for Your courts,
may long to be dissolved
and to be with You.
Grant that my soul
may hunger after You,
the Bread of Angels,
the refreshment of holy souls,
our daily and supersubstantial bread,
having all sweetness and savour
and every delightful taste.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 July – Saturday of the 14th Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Sweet Light! By St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942)
Who are You,
sweet Light, that fills me
And illumines
the darkness of my heart?
You lead me like a mother’s hand,
And should You let go of me,
I would not know
how to take another step.
You are the space
That embraces my being
and buries it in Yourself.
Away from You,
it sinks into the abyss
Of nothingness,
from which You raised it to the light.
You, nearer to me than I to myself
And more interior
than my most interior
And still impalpable
and intangible
And beyond any name,
Holy Spirit eternal love!
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 fulfill 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 – St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547)
O God, Be With Us St Benedict (c480-547)
O God,
from Whom to be turned, is to fall,
to Whom to be turned, is to rise,
and in Whom to stand, is to abide forever,
grant us in all our duties, Your help,
in all our perplexities, Your guidance,
in all our dangers, Your protection,
and in all our sorrows, Your peace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 8 July – The Memorial of Sts Priscilla and Aquila
It is appropriate that today, on the Memorial of Saints Priscilla and Aquila that we remember the parents of “the Little Flower”, the first married couple to be formally canonised together, Louis and Zelie Martin.
Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St Thérèse of Lisieux (“The Little Flower”), were the first married couple to be canonised together and just three weeks after the annual feast day of Thérèse. Their canonisation coincided with the Ordinary Synod on the Family in Rome.
Though the Martins were known as a typical French family of their time, Louis and Zélie espoused and upheld a rare and unblemished love for God, each other and their children.
Although Louis intended to become a monk, wishing to enter the Augustinian Great St Bernard Monastery, he was rejected because he did not succeed at learning Latin. Later he decided to become a watchmaker and studied his craft in Rennes and in Strasbourg.
Zélie wanted to become a nun but was turned away by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul due to respiratory difficulties and recurrent headaches. She then prayed for God to give her many children and that they would be consecrated to God. She later decided to become a lacemaker, manufacturing Alençon lace. She fell in love with the watchmaker Louis Martin in 1858 and married him, only three months later, on 12 July 1858, at the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Alençon. Zélie’s business became so successful that, in 1870, Louis sold his watchmaking business to go into partnership with her.
The couple nurtured their marriage and maintained a joyful Catholic home, while balancing the demands of business and day-to-day life with their children. Mr and Mrs Martin exemplified the multi-faceted vocation of being married Catholics and astute parents – putting God first; mentoring, educating and disciplining their children; being honourable business owners and employers; helping local families destitute and in need; and persevering in faith through loss of children, Zélie’s breast cancer and her early death.
As a father, Louis loved nature with a deep sentimental enthusiasm . It was from him that Thérèse inherited her passion for flowers and meadows and for her native landscape, clouds, thunderstorms, the sea and the stars. He made pilgrimages to Chartres and Lourdes, went to Germany and Austria, travelled twice to Rome and even to Constantinople and planned but did not live to carry out, a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Along with this desire for adventure was an impulse towards withdrawal; in Lisieux Louis arranged a little den for himself high up in the attic, a true monastic cell for praying, reading and meditation. Even his daughters were allowed to enter it only if they wished spiritual converse and self-examination. As in a monastery, he divided the day into worship, garden work and relaxation. As a jeweller and watchmaker, Louis loved the precious things with which he dealt. To his daughters he gave touching and naïve pet names: Marie was his “diamond”, Pauline his “noble pearl”, Céline “the bold one” and “the guardian angel”. Thérèse was his “little queen … to whom all treasures belonged”
On 18 October 2015, Louis and Azélie-Marie Martin were canonised as saints by Pope Francis.
“The holy spouses Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin practised Christian service in the family, creating day by day an environment of faith and love which nurtured the vocations of their daughters, among whom was Saint Therese of the Child Jesus.
The radiant witness of these new saints inspires us to persevere in joyful service to our brothers and sisters, trusting in the help of God and the maternal protection of Mary. From heaven may they now watch over us and sustain us by their powerful intercession.”…Pope Francis
Indeed we cry out to God, “Call down your mercy on marriage!
Sts Priscilla and Aquila, Louis and Zélie, pray for all married couples, pray for the sanctity of marriage and for us all!
Prayer for Marriage and Families By St Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)
Lord God, from You,
every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.
Father, You are Love and Life.
Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman
and through the Holy Spirit, fountain of divine charity,
grant that every family on earth may become,
for each successive generation, a true shrine of life and love.
Grant that Your grace may guide the thoughts and actions
of husbands and wives, for the good of their families
and of all the families in the world.
Grant that the young may find in the family,
solid support for their human dignity
and for their growth in truth and love.
Grant that love, strengthened by the grace
of the sacrament of marriage,
may prove mightier than all the weakness
and trials through which our families sometimes pass.
Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth,
grant that the Church
may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission
in the family and through the family.
Through Christ our Lord,
who is the Way, the Truth and the Life
forever and ever.
Amen.+
Our Morning Offering – 7 July – The Memorial of Maria Romero Meneses F.M.A. (1902-1977)
Remember that, O Mary By Blessed Maria Romero Meneses (1902-1977)
I greet you, Mary, my dearest Mother!
Greet Jesus for me.
May your blessing, O Mary, accompany me night and day,
in work and in rest, in life and in death.
Put your hand into this, O my Mother, put it in before mine.
Remember that, I love you with the love of all
and each one of the blessed spirits,
of the angels and saints in heaven
but above all with the love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Remember that, you are the mother of Jesus and my mother.
Remember that, you are full of grace and mother of mercy.
Remember that, I am all yours, totally yours.
Remember that, I have consecrated myself to you
with my whole soul, life and heart.
Remember that, I believe blindly and firmly in you
and that I have placed all my trust in you.
Remember that, I am blindly and firmly sure of you.
Remember that, I hope for everything,
absolutely everything from you.
Remember that, I abandon myself totally to your love.
Remember that, I live closed in the Heart of Jesus,
inside yours that you may form me,
through the work of the Holy Spirit,
with Jesus,
like Jesus,
in Jesus,
for Jesus and for the glory of Jesus.
Yes, my Queen, my august Princess,
my Lady, my consolation, my fortune, my joy,
my delight, the treasure
and enchantment of Jesus and mine.
You are all mine, I am all yours in life,
in death, in time and in eternity.
Amen
Sunday Reflection – 1 July – By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
O my dear Jesus, what can You do to make me love You?
Make me understand, what an excess of love You have shown me, by reducing Yourself to food,
in order to unite Yourself to poor sinners!
You, my dear Redeemer, have so much affection for me,
that You have not refused to give Yourself, again and again, entirely to me in Holy Communion.
And yet, I have had the courage to drive You away from my soul on so many occasions!
You do not despise a humble and contrite heart.
You became human for my sake.
You died for me.
You even went so far as to become my food.
What more can there remain for You to do in order to gain my love?
Oh, that I could die with grief, every time that I remember, that I have despised Your grace.
I repent, O my love, with my whole heart for having offended You.
I love You, O infinite goodness! I love You, O infinite love!
I desire nothing but to love You and I fear nothing but to live without Your love.
My beloved Jesus, do not refuse to come to me.
Come, because I would rather die a thousand times than drive You away again.
I will do all that I can to please You.
Come and inflame my whole soul with Your love.
Grant that I may forget everything, to think only of You,
and to desire You alone,
my sovereign and my only good.
Our Morning Offering – 1 July – Month of the Most Precious Blood
Constant Prayer to the Precious Blood of Jesus By St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) Doctor of the Church
Precious Blood,
ocean of divine mercy,
Flow upon us!
Precious Blood,
most pure offering,
Procure us every grace!
Precious Blood,
hope and refuge of sinners,
Atone for us!
Precious Blood,
delight of holy souls,
Draw us!
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 30 June – The Memorial of The First Holy Martyrs of the Church of Rome & Blessed Raymond Lull T.O.S.F. (c 1232 – c1315) Martyr
My Lord, My Light St Paschal Baylon O.F.M. (1540-1592)
I desire to love You,
my Lord, my Light,
my Strength, my Deliverer,
my God and my All.
What have I in heaven, O Lord,
and what do I want
besides Your love and grace?
You are the God of my heart,
You are my portion,
my inheritance for eternity.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 28 June – The Memorial of St Irenaeus of Lyons (c 135 – c 202) Father of the Church
O Lamb of God By St Irenaeus
O Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world,
look upon us and have mercy upon us;
You who art Yourself, both victim and Priest,
Yourself, both Reward and Redeemer,
keep safe from all evil
those whom You have redeemed,
O Saviour of the world.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 27 June – The Memorial of St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) and the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and the Mother of God of Gietrzwald, Poland
Hail, Mother of God By St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) Father & Doctor of the Church
Hail, Mother and Virgin,
eternal Temple of the Godhead,
Venerable Treasure of Creation,
crown of virginity,
support of the true faith,
on which the Church is founded, throughout the world.
Mother of God,
who contained the infinite God
under your heart,
whom no space can contain.
Through you, the most Holy Trinity, is revealed,
adored and glorified,
demons are vanquished,
Satan cast down from heaven into hell
and our fallen nature again assumed into heaven.
Through you, the human race,
held captive in the bonds of idolatry,
arrives at the knowledge of Truth.
What more shall I say of you?
Hail, through whom kings rule,
through whom the Only-Begotten Son of God
has become the Star of Light
to those sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 26 June – The Memorial of St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)
Come, O Holy Spirit by St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)
Come, O Holy Spirit:
enlighten my understanding
to know Your commands;
strengthen my heart
against the wiles of the enemy;
inflame my will…
I have heard Your voice,
and I don’t want to harden my heart to resisting,
by saying ‘later… tomorrow.’
Nunc coepi! Now!
Lest there be no tomorrow for me!
O, Spirit of truth and wisdom,
Spirit of understanding and counsel,
Spirit of joy and peace!
I want what You want,
I want it because You want it,
I want it as You want it,
I want it when You want it.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 25 June – Monday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B
O Light Eternal Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471)
O Light eternal,
surpassing all created brightness,
flash forth the lightning from above
and enlighten the inmost recesses of my heart.
Cleanse, cheer, enlighten
and vivify my spirit with all its powers,
that it may cleave to You in ecstasies of joy.
Oh, when will that happy
and wished-for hour come,
that You may fill me with Your presence
and become all in all to me?
So long as this is not given me,
my joy will not be complete.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 24 June – The Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist
Prayer Before Holy Communion By St John Chrysostom (347-407) Father & Doctor of the Church
O Lord, my God,
I am not worthy,
that You should come into my soul
but I am glad that You will 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
Wash Me With Your Precious Blood By St Peter Canisius, S.J. (1521-1597) Doctor of the Church
See, O merciful God, what return
I, Your thankless servant, have made
for the innumerable favors
and the wonderful love You have shown me!
What wrongs I have done, what good left undone!
Wash away, I beg You, these faults and stains
with Your precious blood, most kind Redeemer,
and make up for my poverty by applying our merits.
Give me the protection I need to amend my life.
I give and surrender myself wholly to You,
and offer You all I possess,
with the prayer that You bestow Your grace on me,
so that I may be able to devote and employ
all the thinking power of my mind
and the strength of my body in Your holy service,
who are God blessed for ever and ever.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 June – The Memorial of St Thomas More (1478-1535)
During his address to the Roman Curia on the occasion of the presentation of Christmas greetings, Pope Francis affirmed, “A bit of good humour is very good for us! It will do us much good to pray St Thomas More’s prayer frequently, I pray it every day and it helps me.”
Prayer for Good Humour By St Thomas More (1478-1535)
Grant me O Lord, good digestion,
and also something to digest.
Grant me a healthy body
and the necessary good humour to maintain it.
Grant me a simple soul that knows
to treasure all that is good
and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil,
but rather finds the means to put things
back in their place.
Give me a soul that knows not boredom,
grumbles, sighs and laments,
nor excess of stress,
because of that obstructing thing called “I.”
Grant me O Lord, a good sense of humour,
Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke
to discover in life a bit of joy,
and to be able to share it with others.
Amen
One Minute Reflection – 21 June – The Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga S.J. (1568-1591)
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy, to suffer dishonour, for the sake of the name...Acts 5:41
REFLECTION – “He who wishes to love God, does not truly love Him, if he has not an ardent and constant desire, to suffer for His sake.”…St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)
PRAYER – “O Holy Mary! My Mother; into your blessed trust and special custody and into the bosom of your mercy, I this day and every day and in the hour of my death, commend my soul and body. To you, I commit all my anxieties and sorrows, my life and the end of my life, that by your most holy intercession and by your merits, all my actions may be directed and governed by your will and that of your Son.”… by St Aloysius de Gonzaga (1568-1591)
Our Morning Offering – 21 June – The Memorial of St Aloysius de Gonzaga S.J. (1568-1591)
Prayer of a First Jesuit By St Peter Faber S.J. (1506-1546)
With great devotion and new depth of feeling,
I hope and beg, O God, that it finally be given to me
to be the servant and minister of Christ the consoler,
the minister of Christ the redeemer,
the minister of Christ the healer,
the liberator, the enricher the strengthener.
To be able through You to help many–
to console, liberate and give them courage;
to bring them light not only for their spirit
but also for their bodies,
and bring as well other helps
to the soul and bodyof each and every one
of my neighbours.
I ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 20 June – Wednesday Eleventh Week of Ord Time Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 6:1-6.16-18
Litany of Humility By Servant of God Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930)
He was accustomed to recite this prayer daily after the celebration of Holy Mass.
O Jesus meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others, Deliver me Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated, Deliver, me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase
and I may decrease,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I,
provided that I become as holy as I should,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 19 June – Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
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
Our Morning Offering 18 June – Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Excerpt from Jesus, My Friend By St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)
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
Our Morning Offering – 17 June – The Month of the Sacred Heart, Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
I Pray You Lord Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
I pray You Lord,
in Holy Communion,
to give me the grace
of a cheerful heart,
an even temper,
sweetness, gentleness
and brightness of mind,
as walking in Your light
and by Your grace.
I pray You to give me the spirit
of overabundant, ever-springing love,
which empowers and sweeps away,
the vexations of life
by its own richness and strength
and which, above all things,
unites me to You,
who are the fountain
and the centre of all mercy,
loving kindness and joy.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 16 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Be the Heart of My Heart By St John Eudes (1501-1680)
O Heart all lovable
and all loving of my Saviour,
be the Heart of my heart,
the Soul of my soul,
the Spirit of my spirit,
the Life of my life
and the sole principle
of all my thoughts,
words and actions,
of all the faculties of my soul
and of all my senses,
both interior and exterior.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 15 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart By St Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
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 His infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins
by casting them into the furnace
of His Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask of You for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfill 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 – 14 June – June the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Lord Give me Your Heart! 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 the 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
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
Our Morning Offering – 13 June – The Memorial of St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
O God, send forth Your Holy Spirit By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
O God,
send forth Your Holy Spirit
into my heart
that I may perceive,
into my mind,
that I may remember,
and into my soul,
that I may meditate.
Inspire me to speak
with piety,
holiness,
tenderness
and mercy.
Teach, guide and direct my thoughts
and senses, from beginning to end.
May Your grace,
ever help and correct me,
and may I be strengthened now
with wisdom from on high,
for the sake of Your infinite mercy.
Amen
Our Morning Offering – 12 June – June the Month of the Sacred Heart
Most Sacred, Most Loving Heart By Bl John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Most Sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus,
You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist,
And You beat for us still.
Now, as then, You say:
“With desire I have desired.”
I worship You with all my best love and awe,
With fervent affection,
With my most subdued, most resolved will.
For a while You take up Your abode within me.
O make my heart beat with Your Heart!
Purify it of all that is earthly,
All that is proud and sensual,
All that is hard and cruel,
Of all perversity,
Of all disorder,
Of all deadness.
So fill it with You,
That neither the events of the day,
Nor the circumstances of the time,
May have the power to ruffle it;
But that in Your love and Your fear,
It may have peace.
Amen
AnaStpaul 
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