There are many variations of the Morning Offering, but all share the same purpose: to begin each day by offering oneself to God, along with all the experiences, struggles and blessings that the day will bring.

The ancient Israelites practiced the bikkurim (“first fruits”) as described in Deuteronomy, chapter 26. This was a ritual by which the first fruits of the harvest were offered back to God in a sacrificial act of gratitude and obedience. The theology behind the Morning Offering is similar: giving to God the first moments of each day.

The most traditional form of the Morning Offering, attributed to Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet, begins “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…” A full version of this text can be found at usccb.org/prayers/morning-offering.

©LPi

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 intentions of the Holy Father this month.

Amen.