Catholic Morning Offering, Friday, August 1, 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 Friday, August 1, 2025, the Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. 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. Quote from St. Thomas Aquinas. Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends, even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious. Meditation of the Day, an excerpt from The Sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori for All the Sundays of the Year, by St. Alphonsus Liguori, pages 306-307. St. Augustine says that the devil deludes Christians in two ways, by despair and After a person has committed sin, the enemy, by placing before his eyes the rigor of divine justice, tempts him to despair of the mercy of God. But before he sins, the devil, by representing to him the divine mercy, labors to make him fearless of the chastisement due to sin. Hence, the saint gives the following advice. After sin, hope for mercy. Before sin... Fear justice. If after sin you despair of God's pardon, you offend him by a new and more grievous sin. Have recourse to his mercy, and he will pardon you. But before sin, fear God's justice, and trust not to his mercy. For they who abuse the mercy of God to offend him do not deserve to be treated with mercy. Abulensis says that the man who offends justice may have recourse to mercy, but to whom can they have recourse who offend and provoke mercy against themselves? Saint of the Day The Saint of the Day for August 1st is St. Alphonsus Liguori. St. Alphonsus Liguori lived between 1696 and 1787. He was born near Naples, the eldest of eight children of a noble family. He became a lawyer after receiving doctorates in canon and civil law at the age of 16. For many years he was successful in practicing law, but grew disenchanted with the profession. After losing a case for the first time at the age of 27, after eight years of practicing the law, he discerned a call to enter the seminary and become a priest. Alfonso spent the early years of his priesthood ministering to homeless and marginalized youth, and through this work, eventually founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as the Redemptorists, which aimed to preach in city slums. He was known best for his sermons, especially his ability to convert those who were estranged from the faith, and for his great works in moral and spiritual theology. He was a practical and prudent theologian, avoiding the extremes of being too rigid and legalistic on the one hand and too lax on the other, despite the fact that he struggled with scrupulosity in his personal life. He suffered much from arthritis in his old age, his neck becoming so bent that his chin left an open sore on his chest. His most famous written works were on the Virgin Mary and the Blessed Sacrament. For his work in moral theology, he was declared a doctor of the church. He is the patron saint of moral theologians, vocations, arthritis sufferers, and those who struggle with scrupulosity. St. Alphonsus Liguori, pray for us. Devotion of the Month August is the month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Church dedicates the month of August to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is a dogma of the Catholic faith that Mary is the Immaculate Conception. That is, in preparation for the incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity in her womb, she was conceived without the corruption of sin through the infinite merits of her Son, Jesus Christ. Over the centuries, as saints and theologians reflected on how Mary pondered and treasured the sacred events from the life of Christ in her holy heart, as attested in Scripture, her pure heart was recognized as something to be imitated. Devotion to Our Lady's purity of heart began to flower, so much so that in the 17th century, St. John Eudes promoted it alongside the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion rose to a new level after the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima when Mary revealed an image of her Immaculate Heart to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco. Readings for Holy Mass The Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church A reading from the book of Leviticus, chapter 23, verses 1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, and 34-37. The Lord said to Moses, These are the festivals of the Lord which you shall celebrate at their proper time with the sacred assembly. The Passover of the Lord falls on the fourteenth day of the first month, at the evening twilight. The fifteenth day of this month is the Lord's Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the children of Israel and tell them, When you come into the land which I am giving you and reap your harvest— you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, who shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, that it may be acceptable for you. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest shall do this. Beginning with the day after the Sabbath, the day on which you bring the offering sheaf, you shall count seven full weeks, and then on the day after the seventh week, the fiftieth day, you shall present the new cereal offering to the Lord. The tenth of this seventh month is the day of atonement, when you shall hold a sacred assembly and mortify yourselves and offer an oblation to the Lord. The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Lord's Feast of Booths, which shall continue for seven days. On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly, and you shall do no sort of work. For seven days you shall offer an oblation to the Lord, and on the eighth day you shall again hold a sacred assembly and offer an oblation to the Lord. On that solemn closing you shall do no sort of work. These, therefore, are the festivals of the Lord on which you shall proclaim a sacred assembly and offer as an oblation to the Lord burnt offerings and cereal offerings, sacrifices and libations as prescribed for each day. The Word of the Lord Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 81 Sing with joy to God our help. Take up a melody and sound the timbrel, the pleasant harp and the lyre. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast. Sing with joy to God our help. For it is a statute in Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob, who made it a decree for Joseph when he came forth from the land of Egypt. Sing with joy to God our help. There shall be no strange God among you, nor shall you worship any alien god. I, the Lord, am your God, who led you forth from the land of Egypt. Sing with joy to God our help. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 13, verses 54-58. Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, Where does this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this? And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own home. And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith. 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. 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, 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 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.