Catholic Morning Offering, Wednesday, January 21, 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.

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, january twenty first, twenty twenty-six. 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 Paul of the Cross The Cross is the way to paradise, but only when it is born willingly. Meditation of the Day an excerpt from I Believe in Love, a personal retreat based on the teaching of Saint Therese of Lesoux by Father Jean CG Daleby Pages 128 to 130. Some great saints have been abundantly gifted. Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas were geniuses. Saint Teresa Vavila was beautiful, a marvel of natural grace and wit. Saint Francis de Sales, an exquisite being with refinement of intelligence and delicacy of heart and manners. But I think that these gifts served especially to help them fulfill their special mission in the church, and that they were saints in the measure to which they realized the gratuitousness of the gifts and their own fundamental poverty. St. Thomas considered all his theological works as straw. We must be humble in accepting our lack of success. The intoxication of praise, of adulation, turns a person's head, sometimes to the point of dizziness. When everything is successful, when a person receives nothing but applause, how could he not believe himself to be something or someone important? That is the danger of prominent positions. Therefore, bless the humiliation which disillusions and which saves. We must strive to be humble in accepting our mistakes, to know how to say I was wrong. It is not easy, it costs something. To know how to hold ourselves in contempt, to seek counsel, and at the same time, not to be preoccupied with the opinion of creatures with what people will say. When we decide on some action, nine times out of ten we keep asking ourselves, what are people going to think? What will so and so think if I do that? And not what will Jesus think? I have often seen souls paralyzed by a small humiliation. This soul cannot bear the slightest pinprick, while that one cannot stand a contradiction, and chasms are thus created between souls. Each one shuts himself up in his revolt and bitterness spreads in his heart. Another consequence of offended self-love is getting all upset. After a man falls and sees himself on the ground, rather than simply recognizing his own weakness and impotence and remaining in peace, he concludes I shall never succeed. I give up. It is useless. That is really rebellious discouragement. The one who is truly childlike is not surprised that he stumbles, he falls and picks himself up again without wearying, each time more determined to attain his goal. A ravishing form of humility is simplicity. It is the charm of those who know how to put themselves in their proper place and are not puffed up in their own eyes. Have you noticed that to say of someone that he is simple is the praise which crowns all others? There is a remarkable man people will say, What intelligence, what erudition, what authority, and he is so simple. Simplicity creates an agreeable atmosphere for everyone, puts people at their ease, brings hearts back together. This is because it presupposes a true forgetfulness of self. Scripture verse of the day Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage, be not frightened, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua chapter one verse nine. Saint of the day, the saint of the day for january twenty first is Saint Agnes of Rome. Saint Agnes of Rome lived between two hundred ninety one and three hundred four AD. She was born to a noble Roman family. She was a beautiful young woman of twelve or thirteen years of age when many suitors desired her hand in marriage. Instead of marrying, Saint Agnes committed herself to a life of consecrated virginity as a spouse of Christ. She was then denounced to the authorities as a Christian during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Diocletian. She was condemned to be dragged naked through the streets into a brothel and to be sexually abused. She miraculously escaped from this predicament with her virginity preserved, and was then condemned to be burned at the stake. Again, by a miracle, her persecutors were unable to carry out her sentence. Finally, they put her to death by beheading. Of all the virgin martyrs, Saint Agnes is held in the first place by the Church. She is one of the seven women, besides the Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Roman canon of the Mass. Saint Agnes' name means chaste, and she is the patroness of girls, chastity, engaged couples, virgins, and rape victims. Saint Agnes of Rome, pray for us. Readings for Holy Mass for Wednesday of the second week in ordinary time. A reading from the first book of Samuel, chapter seventeen verses thirty two through thirty three, thirty seven and forty through fifty one. David spoke to Saul, let your Majesty not lose courage, I am at your service to go and fight this Philistine. But Saul answered David, You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him, for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth. David continued, The Lord who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will also keep me safe from the clutches of this Philistine. Saul answered David, Go, the Lord will be with you. Then staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's bag. With his sling also ready to hand, he approached the Philistine. With his shield bearer marching before him, the Philistine also advanced closer and closer to David. When he had sized David up and seen that he was youthful and ruddy and handsome in appearance, the Philistine held David in contempt. The Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff? Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods and said to him, Come here to me and I will leave your flesh for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. David answered him, You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the god of the armies of Israel that you have insulted. Today the Lord shall deliver you into my hands. I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will leave your corpse and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. Thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a god, and this multitude too shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord's, and he shall deliver you into our hands. The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters, while David ran quickly toward the battle line in the direction of the Philistine. David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone, hurled it with the sling, and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone embedded itself in his brow, and he fell prostrate on the ground. Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone. He struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword. Then David ran and stood over him, with the Philistine's own sword which he drew from its sheath, he dispatched him and cut off his head. The word of the Lord Responsorial Psalm Psalm one hundred forty four Blessed be the Lord, my rock. Blessed be the Lord my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war. Blessed be the Lord my rock, my refuge and my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield in whom I trust, who subdues my people under me. Blessed be the Lord my rock. O God, I will sing a new song to you, with a tin stringed lyre I will chant your praise, you who gave victory to kings and delivered David your servant from the evil sword. Blessed be the Lord my rock. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark, chapter three, verses one through six. Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, Come up here before us. Then he said to the Pharisees, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it? But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, Stretch out your hand. He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death. 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.