Catholic Morning Offering, Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Merry Christmas!

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 Wednesday, december thirty first, twenty twenty five. 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. Quote from Saint Teresa of Avila Quote from Saint Therese of Les one glance at the Holy Gospel and the life of Jesus becomes a perfume that fills the very air I breathe. Meditation of the Day an excerpt from A Year with Mary by Saint Alphonsus Lagory, page three hundred thirty one While other martyrs suffered by sacrificing their own lives, the Blessed Virgin suffered by sacrificing her son's life, a life that she loved far more than her own. So she not only suffered in her soul all that her son endured in his body, in addition, the sight of her son's torments brought more grief to her heart than if she had endured them all in her own person. No one can doubt that Mary suffered in her heart all the outrages that she saw inflicted on her beloved Jesus. Anyone can understand that the sufferings of children are also those of their mothers who witness them. Scripture verse of the day Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. Isaiah chapter fifty eight verses nine through eleven. Saint of the Day The Saint of the Day for december thirty first is Pope Saint Sylvester. Pope Saint Sylvester lived between two hundred and fifty and three hundred thirty five AD. He was born in Rome and raised as a Christian under the care of pious parents, and the religious instruction of a devout priest. He was later ordained to holy orders in Rome and witnessed the outbreak of Christian persecution under the Emperor Diocletian. During this time he became well known as a good and holy priest, so much so that when the Pope died, Sylvester was appointed the new bishop of Rome. Little is known about Pope Saint Sylvester, other than the many important events in church history that occurred under his pontificate. He was the reigning pope during the Council of Nicaea, which condemned the Arian heresy and established the Nicene Creed. He was the Holy Father who converted and baptized the Roman Emperor Constantine. Rome's greatest churches were built under his direction by Constantine, including Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter's, and Santa Croce, and the Church saw the beginnings of temporal prosperity and the establishment of the Christian Roman Empire. Sylvester was Pope from three hundred fourteen AD until his death in three hundred thirty five AD. Pope Saint Sylvester, pray for us. Readings for Holy Mass for the seventh day within the octave of the Nativity of the Lord A reading from the first letter of Saint John chapter two verses eighteen through twenty one Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the Antichrist was coming, so now many Antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of our number. If they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them were of our number. But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. I write to you not because you do not know the truth, but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth the word of the Lord. Responsorial Psalm Psalm ninety six Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice. Sing to the Lord a new song, sing to the Lord all you lands. Sing to the Lord, bless his name, announce his salvation day after day. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, let the sea and what fills it resound, let the plains be joyful and all that is in them. Then shall all the trees of the forest exalt before the Lord. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice. The Lord comes, he comes to rule the earth. He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice. A reading from the beginning of the Holy Gospel according to John chapter one verses one through eighteen. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation, nor by human choice, nor by a man's decision, but of God. And the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only begotten Son, full of grace and truth. John testified to him and cried out, saying, This was he of whom I said, The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me. From his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, the only begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him. 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.