Morning Offering - The Most Important Daily Catholic Prayer
Recently, I was at a Catholic Retreat. Our retreat director was speaking to a group of lay men, reminding us that our mission was to be out in the world. He made it clear to us, that one of the most important things we can do, is offer our day to the Lord. By praying the Catholic Morning Offering to begin our day, we offer all our actions and feelings to the Lord. By saying this short prayer, we sanctify our days. Please find the prayer below, it’s history, and a free Catholic Morning Offering Prayer Card.
Catholic Morning Offering
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,
for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,
and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.
Amen.
(Written in 1844 by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet; found in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, pg. 48)
Where did the Catholic Morning Offering Come from?
The Morning Offering began in 1844, as part of the League of the Sacred Heart of Jesus' "Apostleship of Prayer," in a Jesuit seminary. The seminarians were on mission to evangelize in Indian and American missions. Their spiritual Father, Fr. Francois Xavier Gautrelet, wanted to remind them that salvation is supernatural. He focused on reminding them that they should connect their apostleship and sufferings to Christ. St. Paul reminds us in Colossians 1:23-24: "I Paul am made a minister; who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church.” Fr. Gautrelet originally captured this in the Morning Offering. The Morning Offering Prayer encourages the faithful to begin each day by offering that day and its sufferings for the good of the Church and the Holy Father's intentions – that is, the Pope's general intentions for each month.
The "Morning Offering" originally contained "prayers, works, and suffering," but a nun persuaded Pope Pius XII to include the element of joy as well. As a result of the Holy Father's agreement, various variants of the Morning offering now incorporate the offering of "our prayers, works, joys, and suffering."
How should we pray the Catholic Morning Offering?
The Morning Offering is intended to be prayed first thing in the morning, thereby dedicating the day to the Lord. It allows us to focus on Jesus and give Him all that we do throughout the day. The Morning Offering has a few variations, with some giving our oblations to Jesus in imitation of Mary's Immaculate Heart. The Traditional Offering from Father Gautrelet is listed above.
The Morning Offering can be renewed throughout the day with simple short prayers, for ex., "All for Thee, Jesus!" This helps remind us to continually offer the day to him.
Pray a Morning Offering with Father Mark Mary
Want someone to pray the Morning offering with? Father Mark Mary from Ascension Presents, offers a great extended morning offering in the video below. The video is about 12 minutes long, and Father will lead you through a Morning Offering Prayer, a renewal of baptism promises, and a meditation practice to start your day.
Catholic Morning Offering Prayer Card
Download your printable Morning Offering Prayer Card. It's sized tp fit in your wallet and always carry with you. Download link.
Looking for other prayers?
Here are links to some other prayers to incorporate in your daily routine:
A prayer to help us recognize our need for God: Litany of Humility
Want to learn more about the Holy Spirit? Try this prayer to learn about His gifts.
Trying to increase your trust in God? Start praying this litany.
Great Catholic Prayers to say in the evening
The Rosary Card - Built For Convenience
This article was brought to you buy the Everyday Prayer Co, if you found it helpful, please check out our Rosary Cards. They are designed for convenience (same size as a Credit Card) and make it much easier to pray the Rosary often.
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