Catholic Morning Offering, Thursday, February 19, 2026

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.

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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.

I want to assure you that I never use AI in recording this podcast!

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, February 19th, 2026. 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 Francis de Sales We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God. Meditation of the Day an excerpt from twelve steps to holiness and salvation from the works of Saint Alphonsus Ligory by Reverend Cornelius J. Warren CSSR Pages one hundred seven through one hundred nine. Above all things I would recommend to you charity toward your enemies. Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven. Matthew chapter five forty four. How sad it is to see Christians who go to church and even to Holy Communion and still retain enmity in their hearts. If anyone has injured you and you wish to be revenged, try to act as the saints have done. Saint Paulinus tells us that to love one's enemy is a heavenly revenge. Saint Catherine of Sienna took revenge on a woman who had attacked her honor, and this was her revenge. During a long and severe illness the woman suffered, Saint Catherine waited on her as a servant. Saint Acusius sold his possessions in order to assist a man who had robbed him of his good name. Saint Ambrose supported a man who had made an attempt on his life. Venustian, the governor of Umbria, a persecutor of the church, had the hands of Saint Sabinus, Bishop of Spoleto, cut off because the saint, instead of adoring an idol, broke it to pieces. Hereupon the governor was seized with such violent pains in the eyes that he called on the saint to help him. Sabinus prayed for him and cured not only his body but also his soul. The governor embraced the true faith. Saint Chrysostom relates the following example. When Saint Meletius, patriarch of Antioch, saw the people about to stone the officer who was leading him into exile, the saint stretched out his arms and embraced him, thus saving his life. But someone will say, These were saints, I have no such strength in grace. Saint Ambrose replies, If strength is wanting, pray to God and he will give it to you. If we forgive others, we are certain of forgiveness ourselves. Forgive, and you will be forgiven, says our Lord, Luke chapter six thirty seven. If I called a dead person to life, says Saint Baptist Veroni, I would be less certain of being loved by God than when I am prepared to do good to him who has done evil to me. Our Lord himself said one day to Saint Angela de Foligno, The surest sign of mutual love between me and my servants consists in their loving someone who has offended them. If you can do nothing else, dear reader, pray for those who have offended or injured you. Her sisters in religion used to say of Saint Joanna of the Cross, If you want Mother Joanna to pray for you, all that is necessary is to offend her. One day when Saint Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, was praying for a person who had injured her, she heard our Lord say, You have never uttered a prayer that was more agreeable to me than this. In consequence I forgive you all your sins. Scripture verse of the day Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Psalm sixty one verses one through four. Saint of the Day. The saint of the day for february nineteenth is Blessed Alvarez of Cordova. Blessed Alvarez of Cordova lived between thirteen fifty and fourteen thirty. He was born to a noble family in Zamora, Spain. He joined the Dominican Order and preached throughout Spain and served at the court of Queen Catherine. He went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and upon his return preached the crusades against the Muslims. He founded the famous priory of Scala Chele, Ladder of Heaven, at Cordova, a convent of strict observance, and it is said that angels helped provide its building materials. He erected pictures of the holy places in Jerusalem and its gardens, popularizing the custom of the stations of the cross. He lived a life of great austerity and begged for alms, even though he could easily obtain what he needed from the royal court. Numerous miracles are attributed to him. It is told that he once found a dying beggar, wrapped him in a blanket, and carried him back to the convent. Upon unwrapping the cloth, he found only a crucifix. Blessed Alvarez was dedicated to Christ's Passion and helped spread devotion to the way of the cross throughout Western Europe. He also successfully led a resistance against the Anti Pope and brought Spain under allegiance to the true Pope in Rome. Blessed Alvarez of Cordova, pray for us. Readings for Holy Mass for Thursday after Ash Wednesday A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter thirty verses fifteen through twenty. Moses said to the people, Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes, and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you will certainly perish. You will not have a long life on the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy. I call heaven and earth today to witness against you. I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life then, that you and your descendants may live by loving the Lord your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him, for that will mean life for you, a long life, for you to live on the land that your Lord swore he would give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Word of the Lord Responsorial Psalm Psalm one. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked, nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does prospers. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. Not so the wicked, not so. They are like chaff which the wind drives away, for the Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke, chapter nine verses twenty two through twenty five. Jesus said to his disciples, The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. Then he said to all, If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me, for whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit himself? 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.