Catholic Morning Offering, Thursday, August 21, 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 Thursday, August 21, 2025, the Memorial of St. Pius X, Pope. 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 Pope Saint Pius X. Whilst Jesus was kind to sinners and to those who went astray, he did not respect their false ideas. Meditation of the Day, an excerpt from Quotable Newman by St. John Henry Newman, page 25 For it is our plain duty to preach and defend the truth in a straightforward way. Those who are to stumble must stumble. rather than the heirs of grace should not hear. While we offend and alienate one man, we secure another. If we drive one man further the wrong way, we drive another further the right way. The cause of truth, the heavenly company of saints, gains on the whole more in one way than in the other. Scripture verse of the day. 1 Peter 3.8-9 Saint of the Day The saint of the day for August 21st is Pope Saint Pius X. Pope Saint Pius X lived between 1835 and 1914. He was born Giuseppe Melchior Sarto, one of ten children from an impoverished family living in Venetia, then under the political control of the Austrian Empire. His parents valued education and ensured that Giuseppe walked nearly four miles to school every day. Drawn to the priesthood, he received a scholarship to enter one of the best seminaries of his day and was ordained in 1858. After the death of Pope Leo III, who made him cardinal, he was elected supreme pontiff in 1903. St. Pius X was a man of virtue, sanctity, and zeal and a great defender of the Catholic faith against heresy. He ranks as one of the greatest reforming popes in history. In his 11-year pontificate, he contributed to reforms in papal elections, seminary life, Eucharistic practice, liturgy, biblical studies, the divine office, catechesis, the organization of the Roman Curia, and canon law. He was also known as a pastoral pope for encouraging Catholic social action as well as the development of personal holiness, piety, and a daily lifestyle which reflected deep Christian values. He promoted the reading of sacred scripture by all the lay faithful and harshly denounced the evil of modernism as the summation of all heresies. He also lured the age of First Holy Communion to the age of reason. He was particularly devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Confidence. Pope St. Pius X is the patron of Pilgrims and First Communicants. Pope St. Pius X, pray for us. Readings for Holy Mass for Thursday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time A reading from the Book of Judges, chapter 11, verses 29-39 The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and through Mizpah Gilead as well. And from there he went on to the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. If you deliver the Ammonites into my power, he said, whoever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites shall belong to the Lord. I shall offer him up as a burnt offering. Jephthah then went on to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the Lord delivered them into his power, so that he inflicted a severe defeat on them, from Aurora to the approach of Mineth, twenty cities in all, and as far as Abel-Karamim. Thus were the Ammonites brought into subjection by the children of Israel. When Jephthah returned to his house in Mizpah, it was his daughter who came forth, playing the tambourines and dancing. She was an only child. He had neither son nor daughter besides When he saw her, he rent his garments and said, Then she said to her father, Let me have this favor. Spare me for two months, that I may go off down the mountains to mourn my virginity with my companions. Go, he replied, and sent her away for two months. So she departed with her companions and mourned her virginity on the mountains. At the end of the two months she returned to her father, who did to her as he had vowed. The Word of the Lord Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 40, verses 5 and 7-10 Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will. Blessed the man who makes the Lord his trust, who turns not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood. Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will. Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears, open to obedience you gave me. Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not. Then said I, Behold, I come. Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will. In the written scroll it is prescribed for me to do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart. Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will. I announced your justice in the vast assembly. I did not restrain my lips, as you, O Lord, know. Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 22, verses 1-14. Jesus again, in reply, spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king said to his servants, The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out therefore into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find. The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment? But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, Bind his hands and feet and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Many are invited, but few are chosen. 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. 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, 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 a life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen. Act of Love O my God, I love you above all things with my whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of all love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. 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. Active 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.