Catholic Morning Offering, Holy Thursday, April 2, 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.

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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 Holy Thursday, April 2nd, 2026. On Thursday of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, the Church celebrates the three pillars of the Catholic Church instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, the priesthood, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the Holy Eucharist. This is the traditional day for priests to gather with their bishop at the Chrism Mass to receive oils blessed by the bishop and to publicly renew their priestly promises. In the evening, the Church celebrates the Mass of the Lord's Supper. After this Mass, the altar is stripped bare and the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the tabernacle and processed to a separate altar of repose. Here the Blessed Sacrament is adored until late in the night to commemorate the time Jesus spent in the Garden of Gethsemane in agonizing prayer, the start of his passion. The blessed sacrament is then taken away and hidden until the Easter vigil in memory of our Lord's death and burial. 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 Alphonsus Lagory If you wish to strengthen your confidence in God still more, often recall the loving way in which He has acted toward you and how mercifully He has tried to bring you out of your sinful life to break your attachment to the things of earth and draw you to His love. Meditation of the Day an excerpt from Meditations on Death Preparing for Eternity by Thomas Akimpus, pages twenty through twenty four. My friend, reflect next upon how much terror and anxiety there will be at the great scene of the final judgment. The miraculous trumpets of angels shall then sound a deafening fanfare. Great bolts of blazing lightning will illuminate the earth and the sky with a blinding luminosity. Tumultuous thunder will roar, penetrating into the very depths of each human heart. The earth, the sea, and heavens themselves will all tremble. Consider the enormity of the wrath of the most just judge, which will blaze against those who have offended him through disobedience and disbelief. From this wrath an abject and paralyzing fear will engulf the minds of all those who are guilty and terrifying even the innocent. And consider the fateful and irreversible division of the assembled multitude which shall then take place, for those who are righteous, humble, and meek will be directed to the right hand of the throne of judgment, whereas the proud, envious, uncharitable, and wicked will be sent away to the left. Those on the right will rejoice, knowing that they are destined for eternal bliss, while those on the left will quake and quail, realizing the horrendous fate that awaits them. And none will know with certainty in advance to which side they will be sent, neither Pope nor bishop, nor king, nor beggar, nor even convicted criminal. For God alone perceives into the depths of the heart and knows all secret thoughts and actions, and he shows mercy to whom he wills. Thus there will be two standing together, apparently similar in their conduct, beliefs, and morals, and one will be taken and the other left behind. How shocked and taken aback will be many of those who are proud and elated in this vain and deceptive world. For the Lord God shall exalt above such presumptuous people the poor, the wretched, the rejected, and the lowly. They will see those whom they regarded as vile and treated with contempt and disdain, being richly rewarded, and being granted all the dignities and splendors of heaven. The proud and haughty will then declare in their hearts, these are the ones whom we held in derision and ridicule. We considered their lives as foolishness and believed that their ends would be without honor, but behold, now they are numbered amongst the children of God. And then all the righteous will stand up boldly against those who mocked and persecuted them in this present life. Consider, my friend, the account and explanation which you will be required to render for all your deeds and thoughts when you stand before that awesome tribunal of judgment. The book of your life shall be opened, which will contain a detailed record of all your actions, utterances, and desires and plans, from the moment of your birth until your final breath, and you may be questioned about anything at all. Imagine the heavenly Jerusalem situated close by the tribunal of judgment and illuminated by an ineffable celestial light. That holy light will shine so brightly that it will expose the very depths of every heart. Within that all revealing luminosity will be an irrefutable witness to every single thing you have ever done or said or thought. There will be no secrets, none at all. And thus sinners will stand condemned both by their own consciences and by the whole universe itself, and Christ will display there the bloody signs of his most noble passion and the wounds which he sustained for the sake of our redemption. Consider the bitter guilt and unspeakable shame which shall then overwhelm the wicked, and the pangs of conscience which shall pierce their very hearts. Imagine also the deafening thunder as if resounding through every particle and atom of creation, and the irrevocable sentence which shall be uttered against the wicked. Go forth ye wicked into the everlasting fires prepared for the devil and his angels. But consider also the sweet and delightful invitation which shall be extended to all the just, calling them to partake in the eternal banquet of indescribable, infinite bliss. Come unto me, ye blessed of my Father. Consider how at that moment every work of mercy and piety which you have performed during this life will be seen clearly by Christ the eternal judge, and that no good work shall fail to receive its due reward. My friend, it is wise to call to mind this final judgment very frequently. Whenever you have to decide upon a course of action, reflect for a moment upon how you will account for it on that last day. Will it cause you to be ashamed or to feel regret or to fear the retributions due to it? Or will it be counted joyfully to your credit before that omniscient tribunal? Always remember that each one of your deeds is done in the full sight of Christ and his angels, and shape your actions accordingly. Scripture verse of the day May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans chapter fifteen verses five through six. Saint of the day. The saint of the day for April 2nd is Saint Francis of Paola. Saint Francis of Paola lived between fourteen sixteen and fifteen oh seven. He was born in Calabria, Italy to a husband and wife known for their holiness. After suffering childlessness for many years, his parents had recourse to prayer, especially the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi. They eventually had three children, and the eldest, Francis, was named after Saint Francis in Thanksgiving for his birth. Francis of Paola grew in sanctity, and after having a vision of Saint Francis, he spent a year in a Franciscan convent to fulfill a vow his parents had made to the saint. After his time there, he returned to his parents and accompanied them on a pilgrimage to Assisi. Upon returning home, Francis retired to a private spot on his parents' estate to live as a hermit. He later moved his dwelling to a lonely cave by the seashore, living there in prayer, solitude, and mortification for six years. Disciples gradually came to him to imitate his manner of life, so many that Saint Francis of Paola, with the permission of his bishop, built a monastery and church to accommodate them. He later obtained permission from the Holy See to found a new religious order called the Minims, or the Least, as they were to live hidden lives of poverty, abstinence, and humility. Saint Francis of Paola became famous and was sought out by others for his prophecies and miracles. He spent the last three months of his life in solitude in preparation for his death. On Good Friday, after receiving last rites, he died while the Passion of Christ was read to him aloud. Saint Francis of Paola, pray for us. Readings for Holy Mass for the evening mass of the Lord's Supper A reading from the Book of Exodus, chapter twelve verses one through eight and eleven through fourteen. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, this month shall stand at the head of your calendar, you shall reckon it the first month of the year. Tell the whole community of Israel, on the tenth of this month every one of your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household. If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join the nearest household in procuring one, and shall share in the lamb in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. The lamb must be a year old male and without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then with the whole assembly of Israel present, it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. They shall take some of its blood, and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every house in which they partake of the lamb. That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. This is how you are to eat it, with your loins girt, sandals on your feet, and your staff in hand. You shall eat like those who are in flight. It is the Passover of the Lord, for on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt, I the Lord. But the blood will mark the houses where you are, seeing the blood I will pass over you. Thus when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you. This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution. The word of the Lord. Responsorial Psalm Psalm one sixteen. Our blessing cup is a communion with the blood of Christ. How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. Our blessing cup is a communion with the blood of Christ. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. I am your servant, the son of your handmaid. You have loosed my bonds. Our blessing cup is a communion with the blood of Christ. To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all his people. Our blessing cup is a communion with the blood of Christ. A reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, chapter eleven, verses twenty three through twenty six. Brothers and sisters, I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. The Word of the Lord A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John, chapter thirteen verses one through fifteen. Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world, and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with a towel around his waist. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Master, are you going to wash my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand later. Peter said to him, You will never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me. Simon Peter said to him, Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well. Jesus said to him, Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over. So you are clean, but not all, for he knew who would betray him. For this reason he said, Not all of you are clean. So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on, and reclined at table again, he said to them, Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me teacher and master, and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done to you, you should also do 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 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 pain and 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.