Morning Offering: 01. 02. 26

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Today’s Reflection: Drenched in Holiness Prayer: Prayer for a New Year    

Dear God,
On this day I ask You to grant this request,
May I know who I am and what I am,
Every moment of every day.
May I be a catalyst for light and love,
And bring inspiration to those whose eyes I meet.
May I have the strength to stand tall in the face of conflict,
And the courage to speak my voice, even when I’m scared.
May I have the humility to follow my heart,
And the passion to live my soul’s desires.
May I seek to know the highest truth
And dismiss the gravitational pull of my lower self.
May I embrace and love the totality of myself,
My darkness as well as my light.
May I be brave enough to hear my heart,
To let it soften so that I may gracefully
Choose faith over fear.
Today is my day to surrender anything that stands
Between the sacredness of my humanity and my divinity.
May I be drenched in my Holiness
And engulfed by Your love.
May all else melt away.
And so it is. —   Debbie Ford  

 Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 01. 01. 26

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Today’s Reflection: A Wish For The New Year

Dear Lord, please give me…
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value, without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come. —  Author Unknown      Source: Xavier University  Prayers for the New Year   

  Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

 Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Editor’s note: Best wishes for a blessed, healthy, happy New Year! Thank you for reading/following Morning Offering.

Morning Offering: 12. 31. 25

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Today’s Reflection: Peace Prayer

We cannot merely pray to you, O God, to end war;
For we know that You have made the world in a way
That man must find his own path to peace.
Within himself and with his neighbor.

We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end starvation;
For You have already given us the resources
With which to feed the entire world,
If we would only use them wisely.

We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to root out prejudice;
For You have already given us eyes
With which to see the good in all men,
If we would only use them rightly.

We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end despair,
For You have already given us the power
To clear away slums and to give hope,
If we would only use our power justly.

We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end disease;
For You have already given us great minds
With which to search out cures and healing,
If we would only use them constructively.
Therefore we pray to You instead, O God,
For strength, determination and will power,
To do instead of just pray,
To become instead of merely to wish. —Rabbi Jack Reimer

  Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 12. 28. 25

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Today’s Reflection: The Work of Christmas Begins

The work of Christmas begins: When the carols have been stilled; When the star-topped tree is taken down; When family and friends are gone home; When we are back to our schedules.

The work of Christmas begins:
  To welcome the refugee,
  To heal a broken planet,
  To feed the hungry,
  To build bridges of trust, not walls of fear,
  To share our gifts,
  To seek justice and peace for all people,
  To bring Christ’s light to the world. — by Michael Dougherty, a variation on Howard Thurman’s ‘When the Song of the Angels is Stilled’     

Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich. 

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 12. 27. 25

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Today’s Reflection: Jesus never said, ‘Worship me’, but he often said, ‘Follow me’. — Fr. Richard Rohr 

 Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

 Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 12. 26. 25

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Today’s Reflection: Prayer

In these damp, dark, dreary days,
a star so brilliant beacons
beckons believers forth
from fallow fields and faraway fiefdoms
to a manger most mundane…
        we who have walked in darkness,
        have seen a great light.

—Excerpt from Simple Savior Born in a Manger by Fr. Aaron Malnick, from Poems to Retreat By 

 Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

 Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

Morning Offering: 12. 25. 25

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Today’s Reflection: Are you one of the Inn crowd or one of the Stable few? — Unknown

 Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

 Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.

 Best wishes to our readers and followers for a blessed, happy, peaceful Christmas!

Morning Offering: 12. 24. 25

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Today’s Reflection: A Cook’s Advent Prayer

What joy this brings me, Lord.  Thank you for guiding me into the kitchen for some time of silence with you.  The room fills with wonderful smells and I share tastes and samples with my family as they make extra trips through the kitchen on days like this.  Thank you for each and every one of these special people in my family.  They are like the ingredients of my own life, adding spice and heat and wonderful flavor and melding together into a unique dish designed to glorify you. 

You know, God, cooking is quite a bit like my life.  It’s messy, I get careless and sometimes things don’t turn out as I had planned.  But in the mess of my life, that’s where I can turn to you.  Help me when I have to deal with being so imperfect.  Bless me with humility when I grapple with my own poverty.  Let me feel how deeply you love me, even when all I have to offer is scorched and humble.

Be with me Lord, in this kitchen today.  Help me to take the time in this intimate silence with you, to pray for each person who will eat this food.  Allow me to remember all of those around the world who have so little food, and bless those who share what little they have. — Creighton University Online Ministries  

 Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.   

Morning Offering: 12. 23. 25

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Today’s Reflection: God, help me to slow down and rest in the peace of your presence. — Catholic Advent prayer site

 Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

 Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.    

Morning Offering: 12. 22. 25

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Today’s Reflection: He comes in the form of the beggar, of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help. He confronts you in every person that you meet. As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as your neighbour.— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 Morning Offering  is a daily post by Joe Barkovich, who lives in his hometown of Welland, Ontario. Daily photo by Joe Barkovich.

 Morning Offering is posted by 8 a.m.