Our God, one in three, is eternal and unchanging.
“The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity.”
— St. Caesarius of Arles
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
“The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them.”
— CCC, n. 234
3. How to Make a Morning Offering
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “The Tradition of the Church proposes to the faithful certain rhythms of praying intended to nourish continual prayer. Some are daily, such as morning and evening…. [These] are also basic rhythms of the Christian’s life of prayer” (n. 2698). As they rise from bed, many people will make the Sign of the Cross and recite a prayer that gives the day to our Lord. This action testifies to the fact we are the Lord’s and that we begin everything in and through Him.
In 1844, Jesuit Father Francois Xavier Gaulrelet penned a prayer that is still used to this day. The prayer is the Morning Offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all my relatives and friends, and in particular for the intentions of our Holy Father. Amen.
The tradition of offering our day to God is an ancient practice, but Father Gaulrelet’s prayer formalized that intention in a memorable (and easily memorized) way. Through this prayer, we join our plea to the Eucharistic prayer of each Mass. The Mass is the liturgical re-presentation of the loving sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. We, by the Morning Offering, unite our thoughts and actions to that one eternal sacrifice. This union grants rich meaning and value to every aspect of our day. In the Morning Offering, we also ask the intercession of our mother, Mary, as we pray through her Immaculate Heart. Our prayers are united with those of millions of Catholics all over the world who offer the same intention of prayer every morning.
Pope St. John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful.” In the box on page 32 is a quote from Jesuit Father Walter Ciszek, who for years was jailed in communist prison camps. He had very little control over the outer aspects of his life. His daily sufferings often included torture and deprivation of food and water. Yet he lived by his Morning Offering and accepted everything from God’s hand, and he offered it all together with the suffering of Jesus. Communism has come and gone in Russia, but surely the holy offering of Father Ciszek still brings grace to the land.
Our Prayer United With the Vicar of Christ
The Morning Offering includes the intentions of our bishops and especially the intentions of the Holy Father as part of the prayer. The burdens carried by the Holy Father and the bishops are great. The faithful have an obligation to pray for them regularly. A good practice is to pray, each morning, specifically for the pope and the bishop of your diocese. Many people say an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be with the specific intention of the needs of the pope, and then pray another set specifically for their bishop.
Morning prayers can also be offered privately while preparing for the day (while shaving, bathing, fixing hair, and so on). Yet there is great advantage to saying at least some morning prayer, perhaps the Morning Offering, as a family. It sets the tone not only for the individual but also for the family. By so doing, we unite our corporate family life under the Lordship and merciful heart of Christ.
Get a Good Start
“The simple soul who each day makes a Morning Offering of ‘all the prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day’ — and who then acts upon it by accepting unquestioningly and responding lovingly to all the situations of the day as truly sent by God — has perceived with an almost childlike faith the profound truth about the will of God. The plain and simple truth is that His will is what He actually wills to send us each day, in the way of circumstances, places, people, and problems. The trick is to see that … every day.”
— from He Leadeth Me, by Father Walter J. Ciszek, S.J.
“Their work, prayers, and apostolic endeavors, their ordinary married and family life, their daily labor, their mental and physical relaxation … all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. During the celebration of the Eucharist these sacrifices are most lovingly offered to the Father along with the Lord’s body. Thus as worshipers whose deed is holy, the lay faithful consecrate the world itself to God.”
— Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), n. 34
Here is an alternate Morning Offering:
Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, one God in three Persons, I praise you and give you thanks for all the favors you have bestowed on me. Your goodness has preserved me until now. I offer you my whole being and in particular all my thoughts, words, and deeds, together with all the trials I may undergo today. Give them your blessing. May your divine Love animate them, and may they serve your greater glory. I make this Morning Offering in union with the divine intentions of Jesus Christ, who offers himself daily in the Sacrifice of the Mass and in union with Mary, his Virgin Mother and our Mother, who was always the faithful handmaid of the Lord.
4. How to Pray at Mealtimes
There is something special about sharing a meal. It is often a moment of peace in a hectic day, drawing together those who share in it.
Whenever we eat, whether alone or together, we want to acknowledge that God is present and ask Him to bless our food and those who partake of it. After everyone is comfortably settled at table, the prayer begins with the Sign of the Cross. The traditional mealtime prayer, often called Grace, is:
Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts,
which we are about to receive from your bounty,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Sign of the Cross normally ends the prayer.
One added value to this practice is that it helps us acknowledge God’s presence in all the aspects of our daily lives. It creates a sense of thankfulness and of the presence of God. Scripture directs us: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31, NABRE).
Food nourishes our bodies, and it also reminds us that Jesus nourishes us spiritually through the gift of Himself in the Eucharist. He chose to make a family meal the central sacrament, the source and summit, of the Christian faith. Our moment of prayer at mealtime is an acknowledgment that, as our ordinary meal will eliminate our bodily hunger, we long for Jesus to satisfy our spiritual hunger through the Eucharist.
A Teachable Moment
The blessing before meals is a great teaching opportunity with children. They will learn both the prayer and the Sign of the Cross. They will also learn that faith in God is an important part of family identity. It is important to be consistent so that children realize:
