Catholic Morning Offering, Saturday, December 20. 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

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

Starting the morning off with God is the key to strength and success in your day. Good morning. Today is Saturday, December 20th, 2025. 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. 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 holy intentions of the Holy Father this month, amen. Prayers for the Holy Father Almighty and everlasting God, have mercy upon thy servant, Pope Leo XV, our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him according to thy loving kindness 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. The O Antiphons of Advent The Roman Church has been singing the O Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the magnificent canticle of evening prayer from december seventeenth through the twenty third. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the Messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative come embodies the longing of all for the divine Messiah. The O Antiphon for december twentieth, O Key of David, opening the gates of God's eternal kingdom, come and free the prisoners of darkness. A quote from Saint Philip Neri If you wish to go to extremes, let it be in sweetness, patience, humility, and charity. Meditation of the day, an excerpt from Spiritual Steps to Christmas, a daily devotional throughout Advent by Monsignor Aloysius Coogan, pages 100 through 101. Unto his own he comes this Christmas, just as he came the first night when the angel's voices broke out in song over the hills of Bethlehem. Whether he finds a place in the inn of our beings or not remains our decision to make. We are the innkeepers to have and to hold, or to turn him away, and here recorded once again those tragic, terrifying words, and his own received him not. Do we ever stop to think how little pure love of God there is in the world? By pure love of God we mean loving him for his own sake. When we are motivated by fear of losing heaven and deserving hell, we are moved by selfish interests rather than divine love. This is love worthy of redemption, but it is not the highest type of love. Unto his own he came and we are writing the remaining lines deep down in the secret recesses of our hearts. What are we writing? Do we two finish that line with and they received him not? How are we living? We know that Saint John tells us his own received him not. God have mercy on us, grant us the grace to write in our hearts, and they received him. Scripture verse of the day for as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah chapter fifty five verses nine through eleven. Saint of the day, the saint of the day for december twentieth is Saint Dominic of Silos. Saint Dominic of Silos lived between 1000 and 1073 AD. He was born in Navarre, Spain, to a peasant family. He grew up herding his father's sheep in the Pyrenees Mountains. This work endeared in him a love of solitude, leading him to enter the local Benedictine monastery in Navarre. He eventually became its prior, but was driven out when the King of Navarre seized its lands. Dominic then fled to another monastery under the protection of King Ferdinand I of Lyon. Though the monastery was dilapidated, he became abbot and restored it both materially and spiritually, turning it into a significant center of scholarship and charity to the poor. The funds of the monastery were used to ransom Christian captives who were enslaved by Muslims. Saint Dominic of Silos was known during his life and after death as a miracle worker, making him a popular Spanish saint. The Spanish mother of Saint Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Dominican Order, prayed for a son at Saint Dominic of Silos's shrine. When she conceived, she named her son after him. Saint Dominic of Silos's special patronage became connected with pregnancy, and until 1931, his crozier was used to bless the queens of Spain and was placed beside their beds when they were in labor. Saint Dominic of Silos is also the patron of prisoners and shepherds. Saint Dominic of Silos, pray for us. Readings for Holy Mass for december twentieth A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter seven verses ten through fourteen. The Lord spoke to Ahaz, ask for a sign from the Lord your God, let it be deep as the netherworld or high as the sky. But Ahaz answered, I will not ask, I will not tempt the Lord. Then Isaiah said, Listen, O house of David, is it not enough for you to weary men? Must you also weary my God? Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign The Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emanuel The Word of the Lord Responsorial Psalm Psalm twenty four Let the Lord enter, he is the King of Glory. The Lord's are the earth and its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it, for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Let the Lord enter, he is the King of Glory. Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord, or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. Let the Lord enter he is the King of Gory. He shall receive a blessing from his Lord, a reward from God his Savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. Let the Lord enter, he is the King of Gory. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke, chapter one verses twenty six thirty eight. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her he said, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at what was said, and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. But Mary said to the angel, How can this be since I have no relations with the man? And the angel said to her in reply, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren, for nothing will be impossible for God. Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. Then the angel departed from her. 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. Mary, my mother, I give myself totally to you as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all that I am and have, whatever most pleases you. Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for bringing the greatest possible glory to God. Amen. 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 Mary's 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. Memori 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. Act of Faith. O 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. O 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. 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. I forgive all who have injured me and ask pardon of all whom I have injured. Amen. 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.