When we arise in the morning, our first thought should be of Our Lord, who loves us so much and whom we want to love and serve with our whole being (cf. Luke 10:25-28). “‘In Him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:28).
Each day we should arise with gratitude for a new day to serve our Lord. “What have you that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).
When you rise, you can pray the Catholic Morning Offering to offer yourself and your day to Our Lord.Jesus Christ. This prayer puts the day ahead into God’s strong hands: “Those who know thy name put their trust in thee, for thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek thee” (Psalm 9). In the Morning Offering we offer all we will say and do during the day to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only is the morning a time to get closer to God, but a traditional Catholic morning prayer is a wonderful way to refresh your mind and to develop a daily habit of Catholic prayer and communion with God. Throughout the day you can renew your offering to Our Lord with simple words such as “O God, I offer you this day.”
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus—also known as “the Little Flower”—became a Carmelite nun at the age of fifteen. She is best known for her “Little Way,” which is a path to holiness through the ordinary events of daily life. Therese’s “Little Way” of offering small daily sacrifices and good deeds to Our Lord is a great source of inspiration for those who are trying to become holy in their everyday lives. Through the little things, we can learn to put our absolute trust in God, our loving Father.
Upon rising in the morning, you can make the Sign of the Cross–“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen,”–and then pray your morning prayers. It would also be wonderful to pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be to the Father, and to pray for all those who will cross your path during the day.
Morning Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart; the salvation of souls, reparation for sin, the reunion of Christians; and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
Morning Prayer from the Roman Breviary
Lord, God Almighty, You have brought us safely to the beginning of this day. Defend us today by Your mighty power, that we may not fall into any sin, but that all our words may so proceed and all our thoughts and actions be so directed as to be always just in your sight. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Morning Prayer by St. Thérèse
O my God! I offer Thee 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 of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all eternity. Amen.
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