Catholic Morning Offering, Monday, July 14, 2025

Starting the morning off with God is the key to strength and success in your day!

Join me in praying the Catholic morning offering, as well as hear meditations, learn about the saint of the day,  and hear today's Scripture readings from Holy Mass.

To sign up to receive a daily email of the Morning Offering through The Catholic Company, go to https://www.morningoffering.com/

Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

The Morning Glory Consecration Prayer is excerpted from "33 Days to Morning Glory:  A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration" by Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, © 2011 Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M., p. 137.

If you have any comments, please email me at Deanna.pierre25@gmail.com.

Transcript

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Starting the morning off with God is the key to strength and success in your day. Good morning! Today is Monday, July 14, 2025, the Memorial of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin. Please join me in praying the morning offering prayer and prayers for our Holy Father. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Prayers for the Holy Father Almighty and everlasting God, have mercy upon thy servant, Pope Leo XIV, our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him, according to thy lovingkindness, in the way of eternal salvation, that of thy gift he may ever desire that which is pleasing unto thee, and may accomplish it with all his might, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Quote from Saint Padre Pio You must speak to Jesus, not only with your lips, but also with your heart. Actually, on certain occasions, you should speak with only your heart. Meditation of the Day, an excerpt from Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, page 95 Chastity is the most unpopular of the Christian virtues. There is no getting away from it. The Christian rule is either marriage with complete faithfulness to your partner or else total abstinence. Now this is so difficult and so contrary to our instincts that obviously either Christianity is wrong or our sexual instinct, as it is now, has gone wrong, one or the other. Of course, being a Christian, I think it is the instinct which has gone wrong. God knows our situation. He will not judge us as if we had no difficulties to overcome. What matters is the sincerity and perseverance of our will to overcome them. Before we can be cured, we must want to be cured. Those who really wish for help will get it, but for many modern people, even the wish is difficult. We may indeed be sure that perfect chastity, like perfect charity, will not be attained by any merely human efforts. You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help or less help than you need is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often, what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself, but just this power of always trying again. For however important chastity or courage or truthfulness or any other virtue may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still— Scripture verse of the day. Isaiah chapter 1 verses 18 through 20. Saint of the Day The Saint of the Day for July 14th is St. Kateri Tekakwitha. St. Kateri Tekakwitha lived between 1656 and 1680. She was also known as the Lily of the Mohawks. She was born in present-day New York. Her father was a Mohawk chief and her mother an Algonquin who had been converted to the Christian faith by Jesuit missionaries. When Kateri was four years old, A smallpox epidemic killed her entire family and left her partially blind, disfigured, and crippled. She was raised by her uncle, who detested the Christians. As she grew up, Kateri longed for the Catholic faith of her mother and was very drawn to the missionaries evangelizing near her village. At the age of 20, she was baptized with the name Catherine, which was translated as Kateri, after St. Catherine of Siena. Her uncle opposed her conversion to Christianity, and as a result, she was ostracized by her people and treated harshly. When it was clear that her life was in danger, a priest helped her flee to a French Jesuit mission in Montreal, Canada, a journey of over 200 miles, alone and on foot. There she lived a solitary life of prayer and penance, rejecting an opportunity for marriage. Her great sanctity, virtue, and love for Christ amazed everyone who knew her. She was also known as a miracle worker. Kateri died of illness at the age of 24. She was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II in 1980 and canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI as the first Native American saint. Kateri is the patron saint of environmentalists, orphans, exiles, and those who are ridiculed for their piety. Devotion of the Month July is the month of the Precious Blood. The month of July traditionally honors the most precious blood of Jesus. It is the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God, which cleanses us from sin. Therefore, the Church developed a devotion to Jesus' physical blood and its mystical power, just as it did for his sacred heart from which his blood poured out on the cross. The precious blood of Jesus courses through the Church spiritually, giving eternal life to the body of Christ through the sacraments. Many saints had a devotion to the precious blood of Jesus Especially St. Catherine of Siena. Devotion to the Precious Blood spread widely through the preaching of St. Gaspar del Bufalo, who was a 19th century priest and the founder of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. This devotion was later approved and recommended by the Holy See. The feast day of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus is July 1st. A reading from the book of Exodus, chapter 1, verses 8-14 and verse 22. A new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt. He said to his subjects, Look how numerous and powerful the people of the children of Israel are growing, more so than we ourselves. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them to stop their increase. Otherwise, in time of war, they too may join our enemies to fight against us. And so leave our country. Accordingly, taskmasters were set over the children of Israel to oppress them with forced labor. Thus they had to build for Pharaoh the supply cities of Pithom and Ramses. Yet the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. The Egyptians then dreaded the children of Israel and reduced them to cruel slavery, making life bitter for them with hard work in mortar and brick and all kinds of field work. the whole cruel fate of slaves. Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects, Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews, but you may let all the girls live. The Word of the Lord. Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 124 Our help is in the name of the Lord. Had not the Lord been with us, let Israel say, Had not the Lord been with us when men rose up against us, Then would they have swallowed us alive when their fury was inflamed against us. Our help is in the name of the Lord. Then would the waters have overwhelmed us. The torrent would have swept over us. Over us then would have swept the raging waters. Blessed be the Lord who did not leave us a prey to their teeth. Our help is in the name of the Lord. We were rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare. Broken was the snare, and we were freed. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Our help is in the name of the Lord. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 10, verse 34 through chapter 11, verse 1. Jesus said to his apostles, Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace, but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and one's enemies will be those of his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple, Amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward. When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. The Gospel of the Lord Prayer of Spiritual Communion In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most blessed sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there, and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen. Morning Glory Consecration Prayer Prayer to Saint Joseph O glorious Saint Joseph, chosen by God to be the guardian of the Holy Family, whose protection is so great, so strong, in union with the Blessed Virgin Mary and our Savior Jesus Christ, send down from heaven a blessing from God to protect us from any harm, strengthen us in body, soul, and spirit. We ask this through thy powerful intercession. Holy Family, pray for us. Amen. Guardian Angel Prayer O angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits, who prowl throughout the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. The Three Hail Marys Devotion The first Hail Mary, in honor of God the Father. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The second Hail Mary, in honor of God the Son. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The third Hail Mary, in honor of God the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. O my mother, preserve my soul from mortal sin during this day. Amen. Memorare to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen. Oh my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man, died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because you have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. In this faith I intend to live and die. Amen. Act of Hope Oh my God, relying on your almighty power, infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon for my sins, the help of your grace, and the life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen. Act of Love Oh my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of all love. Prayer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory O gentle heart of Jesus, ever present in the blessed sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in purgatory, have mercy on them. Be not severe in thy judgment, but let some drops of thy precious blood fall upon the devouring flames. Merciful Savior, send thy angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment, light and peace. Amen. Act of Resignation to the Divine Will O Lord my God, from this moment do I accept from thy hands, with burning love and sincere contrition, with a calm and willing disposition, whatsoever death thou shalt choose to send me, with its pains and griefs. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Starting the morning off with God is the key to strength and success in your day.