PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

The Morning Offering

by Gary Zimak

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, St. Paul instructs us to “Pray without ceasing”. Many people struggle with the meaning of his words, eventually dismissing them as nothing more than a figure of speech.

After all, how can anyone pray constantly? If we followed his advice it would be impossible to work at the office, do housework, go to school, tend to the needs of our family, or just about anything else. We would have to spend all of our time in prayer. This couldn’t possibly be Paul’s intent, could it?

Let me begin by saying that it is possible to follow St. Paul’s directions and still perform your daily work, provided that you know one well kept “secret”. While not actually a secret, the technique that I’m about to discuss is unknown to many Catholics.

It is a practice that has been around for years and provides a way for you to pray constantly while going about all of your normal duties. With this method, your work actually becomes a prayer! Even more incredible is that you can also turn all of your joys and sufferings into prayers as well.

I know it sounds hard to believe, but all of this can be accomplished by adding one simple step to your morning routine – the recitation of the Morning Offering. This traditional Catholic prayer has several variations, but the most common version reads as follows:

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,
in thanksgiving for your favors,
in reparation for my sins,
for the intentions of all my relatives and friends,
and in particular
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.

Let’s take a closer look at this prayer and see why it’s so powerful. The first thing to observe is that we are making our offering through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Why is this important? If you recall, Jesus performed His first miracle (changing water into wine) at the request of the Blessed Mother (Jn 2:1-11).

While attending a wedding at Cana with Jesus, Mary noticed that the supply of wine had run out. If not corrected, this situation would have greatly embarrassed the bride and groom. Realizing that something needed to be done, Mary brought it to the attention of her Son who remedied the problem by turning water into wine.

With this same loving concern, Mary will also present our Morning Offering to Jesus. Knowing the heart of her Son better than anyone else, she will first remove any impurities or selfishness from our prayer and personally deliver it to Jesus.

In addition to our prayers and works, we can also offer up all of our joys and sorrows. Everything that we do or feel throughout the day is offered as a prayer. We then take this offering and ask Jesus to use it for His intentions. Not only are we offering up our entire day, but we say to Christ, “take this offering and apply it where You see fit”.

Since Jesus’ intentions involve the salvation of all mankind, this selfless act will bear great fruit not only in our own lives, but in the lives of countless others. By making this presentation to Christ, we are essentially joining our lives to His mission.

When the sacrifice of Jesus to His Father is made present in each of the Holy Masses around the world, we are now hanging on the cross with Him. Everything that we do and experience becomes part of the offering of Christ. There can be no more powerful sacrifice and, by virtue of this simple prayer, we are a part of it.

We also offer our works in thanksgiving for our many blessings, in reparation for any of our sins, for the intentions of all of our relatives and friends and for the intentions of the pope. It is really incredible that something that takes no more than one or two minutes can have so much power.

Initially, you may forget that you offered up all of your works, but as time goes on, you will become more aware of this as you perform your duties. Because of this, you will have an even greater desire to perform your work to the best of your ability. When presented as an offering to God, no task can remain unimportant. Everything from scrubbing the floor to studying for an exam becomes meaningful, as it is a form of prayer.

How important is it that we offer our entire day to God? According to St. John Vianney, “All that we do without offering it to God is wasted.” Pope John Paul II observed that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful.”

Endorsements like that help us to see the importance of this prayer, especially when one considers its simplicity. If we truly believe that each new day is a gift from God, it follows that we would want to show our gratitude by making the most of that gift. By starting our day with the Morning Offering, we are turning each moment of our lives into a prayer.

The Morning Offering provides a great foundation for building a solid prayer life. We can supplement our offering by speaking to Jesus throughout the day, reaffirming our desire to offer up all daily activities. When problems arise or we are faced with a mundane task, a quick “I offer this to you, Lord” helps us to focus on the prayerful nature of the activity.

On the other hand, saying “Thank you, Jesus” for a pleasant experience is a great way to express our appreciation for the many joys that we are granted. Such comments also allow our friendship with Christ to grow. As time goes on, you will find yourself becoming more aware of Our Lord’s presence in your daily activities.

Why not try the Morning Offering and see what a difference it makes in your life? An investment of a few minutes will pay infinite dividends. It won’t take long before tasks that previously seemed meaningless become much more tolerable and fulfilling.

There is no better way to start your day than by offering all of your daily activities to Christ and turning them into one powerful prayer. By doing so, you are fulfilling the instruction of St. Paul to “pray without ceasing” as

Gary Zimak is the founder of Following The Truth Ministries , a lay apostolate created to assist Catholics in learning more about their Faith. He is a regular guest on EWTN’s “Son Rise Morning Show” and appears frequently on numerous national and local Catholic radio programs.

In addition to writing for Catholic Exchange, Mr. Zimak speaks at various parishes and posts frequently on his blog, Facebook and Twitter. He is a member of Catholics United For The Faith and the Knights of Columbus and resides in New Jersey with his wife Eileen and twin daughters, Mary & Elizabeth. They are actively involved in Sacred Heart Parish in Riverton, NJ.

THE ROSARY IS OUR BEST DEFENSE AGAINST THE DEVIL.

"The very Mysteries of the Rosary are reflections on important times that satan would hate man to look at, to remember, to reflect upon, because the concentration is on God."

TEACHING DELIVERED THROUGH FRANCES M. KLUG
ON MAY 27,1981

"A Sound Look At The Rosary"

"There is little understanding in regard to the full importance of the Rosary. Many people cling to it because holding the Beads makes the prayer feel a bond of true communication with Our Heavenly Mother. This is good.

There are more important reasons for the Rosary, and of course, they're obvious in the thoughts of people. The Holy Rosary is one of the most important prayers to ward off satan. The prayers in the Holy Rosary say everything he hates to be said. The prayers say more than is sometimes realized by those who say the Rosary daily. The continuity of the prayers keeps the enemy, God's and man's, out of the picture.

Some people say, 'I say the Rosary, but I really don't concentrate on it.' Some people say, 'I say the Rosary on my fingers when I don't have the Beads with me.' Some people say, 'I lose count, but it is a habit with me.' Some people say, 'I find it difficult to say because it is so long.' Some people say, 'My intentions are good, but by the time nighttime comes I'm just too tired.'

Let's straighten everyone out right now. The Rosary is a positive, definite form of armor against satan. It is not only the armor, but it is the best weapon anyone can use. It is even more than the weapon, it is the driving force that repels all evil. First, the Crucifix on the Rosary is of the utmost importance. It depicts how The Son of God freed man. It also depicts God's Great Love for man. It also shows the truth of Christianity. It also portrays, without a doubt, the Final Consummation that was left with Holy Mother Church, the True Body and Blood of Christ.

This Crucifix also says many things to God's and man's enemy. The prayer in its very essence Honors God, tells about God, and commits the one who says it to sound belief in God, Our Heavenly Mother, the Virgin Birth, and all the important issues that the enemy of God and man, envies, hates, and fights against.

The next three beads are said with three very important things in mind, and they should be concentrated on, not skimmed over, because the repetitiveness of these three thoughts gives them the importance they should have in everyone's life, Faith, Hope, Charity. In many instances, many people have referred to the Charity as Love, which is right, for Charity is True Love.

The very Mysteries of the Rosary are reflections on important times that satan would hate man to look at, to remember, to reflect upon, because the concentration is on God.

And now we come to the 'Our Father'. There can be no greater love than to Honor God through the very words He gave us Himself. Needless to say, satan hates these words.

Now as we begin the 'Hail Mary' the repetitiveness of this prayer is a great aid to rejecting satan, and as this prayer should be a continuous prayer in the hearts and the minds and the lips of every human being, it should be understood that satan cannot enter when this prayer is said.

Our Heavenly Mother, God's Mother, Our Blessed Mother, Our Heavenly Queen, is Purity beyond what we can understand, what we know purity can be, and She has the Power to stomp out evil with a mere thought,and when Her children pay Honor to Her, She protects Her children from the enemy.

The Rosary is a powerful prayer, more powerful than people realize, for it is, in its continuity, in its content, that satan is cast aside and cannot enter. The power of the Rosary must be seen by all people throughout the world. It is a shield, it is a weapon, it is the greatest act of prayer man has. The Rosary is prayer in action, for every prayer in the Holy Rosary speaks of the Importance of God, the Greatness of God, and of course, the Magnitude in which Our Heavenly Mother stands.

A wise man, a wise woman, a wise child, would never be without the Rosary. Say it, keep it on your person, and never go to bed without it under your pillow. Keep it close, not in a fanatical way, but in a wise way. Realize the importance of it, and keep it as your armor against satan."

This is one of the best teachings on the rosary that we have read.


We have been making rosaries for over 30 years. Free ones to the
missions and now we have been selling rosaries on Ebay and our website
since 2000.


We receive many letters from our customers on how the rosary has
touched their lives. Some have received healing both physical and
spiritual. Many have returned to the Church after they started
praying the rosary again.


The rosary is our weapon against all evil.


Blessings,
Franciscan Rosary House
franciscanrosary@aol.com

IN DEFENSE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

"Put on the armor of GOD, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the Principalities and the Powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness on high. Therefore take up the armor of GOD, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and stand in all things perfect. Stand, therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of justice, and having your feet shod with the readiness of the Gospel of Peace, in all things taking up the shield of faith, with which you may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. And take unto you the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, that is, the Word of GOD." (Ephesians 6:11-17)

We Catholics are under a continuous bombardment of negativism from many sources. How many times have you heard from the pulpit a Catholic priest deliberately attacking a non-Catholic Church? I do not recall one single case in which this has happened.

Yet others take great pleasure in attacking our Catholic Church, and they will do it from the pulpit. It amazes me how some non-Catholic sects seem to spend a significant percentage of their time in attacking our Church, instead of preaching to their own followers, of "love thy neighbor" as taught by the Word of GOD in Holy Scripture.

It is the duty of every Catholic to learn the faith and to defend it. Do not be afraid to speak out when your Church is being attacked by anyone.  When you defend the Church, you are defending its founder, Jesus Christ.

He will remember that when you meet Him face to face someday. He will also remember those who attacked His Church which is His body, with He Himself being the Head and Savior of it (Ephesians 1:22-23, 5:23, Colossians 1:18).

For those who defend Our Blessed Mother, Catholics, and the Catholic Church, from the non-stop barrage of slings and arrows, Holy Scripture has promised that you will certainly receive your reward:

" My brethren, if any of you err from the truth and one convert him: He must know that he who causeth a sinner to be converted from the error of his way shall save his soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins." (James 5:19-20).

Updated by Bob Stanley, March 10, 2007