Holy Rule for January 6
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St. Mary's Monastery
Jan 5, 2026, 4:53:20 PM (11 days ago) Jan 5
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 6, May 7, September 6
Prologue (39-44)
So, brothers and sisters, we have asked the Lord who is to dwell in His tent, and we have heard His commands to anyone who would dwell there; it remains for us to fulfill those duties. Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies to do battle under the holy obedience of His commands; and let us ask God that He be pleased to give us the help of His grace for anything which our nature finds hardly possible. And if we want to escape the pains of hell and attain life everlasting, then, while there is still time, while we are still in the body and are able to fulfill all these things by the light of this life, we must hasten to do now what will profit us for eternity.
REFLECTION
The first section of the Prologue asked us to seek God's blessing before doing any work. Today we are asked to prepare our hearts and bodies for the struggles ahead and ask God for His help. Both of these precepts are quite nicely filled by making the Morning Offering. Now I know that is a Roman Catholic prayer, and I also know we have (thanks be to God!) many non-Catholic Oblates among us. Bear with me, please. I think this has applications for everyone.
The morning offering is the perfect capstone, cornerstone and beginning for a great life of intercessory prayer. It unites the poverty of our own lives, prayers, works, joys and sufferings with those of Christ, with those of His Mystical Body. It plunges the finite smallness of our own actions into sea after sea of infinite grace and perfection. Wrapped in that awesome completeness, it offers them to the Father as perhaps the most perfect personal gift we could ever hope for that day, short of martyrdom itself.
Ever forget to pray during the day? The morning offering makes our very heartbeats and breathing prayers, means of grace for ourselves and for all. We have offered ALL our works, even the unconscious ones of our bodies to God, and we have offered them in union with the most perfect sacrifice of Jesus. With a gift tag like that, the Father is quite likely to be pleased, indeed. Each time we blink, or eat, suffer or rejoice, we link that to Christ on His Cross. None of us have enough bytes of memory to really do that. The morning offering is our "hard drive," it is the program that saves to disk and runs automatically.
Our baptism into the Mystical Body allows us to plug into that infinite worth. It would be a shame if we missed the opportunity. On my own merits alone, I assure you that all the works of my entire life couldn't save a flea from drowning in a raindrop. No way. Buried within the depths of Christ, however, their value becomes literally infinite.
Ever feel bad that you forgot to pray for someone who asked, or only whispered a quick: "Lord, help her."? The morning offering makes our life and our prayer an infinite pie, one which can never be sliced too thin. Counting huge groups and individuals, I pray every single day for literally billions of people and not one of them is short-changed at all.
That's the marvel of uniting our lives and hearts, joys and sorrows daily to Christ. Every slice of the pie gets served on the plate of His infinity, every single one. Cloaked in the perfect mercy and offering of Jesus, every single act, even the keys I just struck and the mouse I just moved are wonderful prayers for all, for everyone throughout time. That's not shabby, folks!
Ever wish that your loving heart had all the money in the world to give? How generous you would be! But, with the morning offering, you have daily more than that. Claim your infinite share and spread it around! Name people and groups, sure, but know that God has a memory that never quits. You can say: for all people in all time" and it WILL count!
Heavens, I pray for all Oblates (among lots of other people and groups every day.) Not only could I not name them, I don't even know them, nor is it possible for ANYONE to know them all throughout time. But God does, and it counts! There is no one reading this for whom I have not prayed every single day, many by name, but it doesn't matter. God is my hard drive! The morning offering is a very neat method!
Look, folks, it's a Roman Catholic prayer. I'll give you a version of it at the end of this post, but there are many others. I know that some of our Oblates from other denominations may have to amend it a bit and that's OK, go for what God and your heart allows. I think, however, that all Christians could agree on at least these essentials. Offer all your prayers, works, joys and sufferings to God in union with those of Christ, for the intentions of Christ, for all the Churches and their leaders, for all people throughout time. Say it any way your heart allows, but do at least this much and congratulations: you have just thrust your own prayers and works and joys and sufferings into the very heart of the Cosmos, into the whole of history itself. You now stand beside Christ in HIS perfect work in every age. Other versions, shorter ones, may be found by Googling morning offering, but I like this one.
And, if today is your first morning offering, or your first in some time, make it a habit to pray for all Benedictines each day!
MORNING OFFERING
O my Jesus, I offer You this day my prayers, works, joys and suffering, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy, in union with every sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world and with all the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of Your Mystical Body throughout time, in reparation for our sins and in thanksgiving for all Your benefits. I offer them for the Pope and his intentions, all Church leaders, and for the unity of all.
(Now you can add your own intentions - don't be stingy here, you have infinity! I always end my own list with: for everyone and everything throughout time, created by Your hands, I offer You my life for these and for Your will for them.) End with: Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Yours. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
January 6, May 7, September 6
Prologue (39-44)
So, brothers and sisters, we have asked the Lord who is to dwell in His tent, and we have heard His commands to anyone who would dwell there; it remains for us to fulfill those duties. Therefore we must prepare our hearts and our bodies to do battle under the holy obedience of His commands; and let us ask God that He be pleased to give us the help of His grace for anything which our nature finds hardly possible. And if we want to escape the pains of hell and attain life everlasting, then, while there is still time, while we are still in the body and are able to fulfill all these things by the light of this life, we must hasten to do now what will profit us for eternity.
REFLECTION
The first section of the Prologue asked us to seek God's blessing before doing any work. Today we are asked to prepare our hearts and bodies for the struggles ahead and ask God for His help. Both of these precepts are quite nicely filled by making the Morning Offering. Now I know that is a Roman Catholic prayer, and I also know we have (thanks be to God!) many non-Catholic Oblates among us. Bear with me, please. I think this has applications for everyone.
The morning offering is the perfect capstone, cornerstone and beginning for a great life of intercessory prayer. It unites the poverty of our own lives, prayers, works, joys and sufferings with those of Christ, with those of His Mystical Body. It plunges the finite smallness of our own actions into sea after sea of infinite grace and perfection. Wrapped in that awesome completeness, it offers them to the Father as perhaps the most perfect personal gift we could ever hope for that day, short of martyrdom itself.
Ever forget to pray during the day? The morning offering makes our very heartbeats and breathing prayers, means of grace for ourselves and for all. We have offered ALL our works, even the unconscious ones of our bodies to God, and we have offered them in union with the most perfect sacrifice of Jesus. With a gift tag like that, the Father is quite likely to be pleased, indeed. Each time we blink, or eat, suffer or rejoice, we link that to Christ on His Cross. None of us have enough bytes of memory to really do that. The morning offering is our "hard drive," it is the program that saves to disk and runs automatically.
Our baptism into the Mystical Body allows us to plug into that infinite worth. It would be a shame if we missed the opportunity. On my own merits alone, I assure you that all the works of my entire life couldn't save a flea from drowning in a raindrop. No way. Buried within the depths of Christ, however, their value becomes literally infinite.
Ever feel bad that you forgot to pray for someone who asked, or only whispered a quick: "Lord, help her."? The morning offering makes our life and our prayer an infinite pie, one which can never be sliced too thin. Counting huge groups and individuals, I pray every single day for literally billions of people and not one of them is short-changed at all.
That's the marvel of uniting our lives and hearts, joys and sorrows daily to Christ. Every slice of the pie gets served on the plate of His infinity, every single one. Cloaked in the perfect mercy and offering of Jesus, every single act, even the keys I just struck and the mouse I just moved are wonderful prayers for all, for everyone throughout time. That's not shabby, folks!
Ever wish that your loving heart had all the money in the world to give? How generous you would be! But, with the morning offering, you have daily more than that. Claim your infinite share and spread it around! Name people and groups, sure, but know that God has a memory that never quits. You can say: for all people in all time" and it WILL count!
Heavens, I pray for all Oblates (among lots of other people and groups every day.) Not only could I not name them, I don't even know them, nor is it possible for ANYONE to know them all throughout time. But God does, and it counts! There is no one reading this for whom I have not prayed every single day, many by name, but it doesn't matter. God is my hard drive! The morning offering is a very neat method!
Look, folks, it's a Roman Catholic prayer. I'll give you a version of it at the end of this post, but there are many others. I know that some of our Oblates from other denominations may have to amend it a bit and that's OK, go for what God and your heart allows. I think, however, that all Christians could agree on at least these essentials. Offer all your prayers, works, joys and sufferings to God in union with those of Christ, for the intentions of Christ, for all the Churches and their leaders, for all people throughout time. Say it any way your heart allows, but do at least this much and congratulations: you have just thrust your own prayers and works and joys and sufferings into the very heart of the Cosmos, into the whole of history itself. You now stand beside Christ in HIS perfect work in every age. Other versions, shorter ones, may be found by Googling morning offering, but I like this one.
And, if today is your first morning offering, or your first in some time, make it a habit to pray for all Benedictines each day!
MORNING OFFERING
O my Jesus, I offer You this day my prayers, works, joys and suffering, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy, in union with every sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world and with all the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of Your Mystical Body throughout time, in reparation for our sins and in thanksgiving for all Your benefits. I offer them for the Pope and his intentions, all Church leaders, and for the unity of all.
(Now you can add your own intentions - don't be stingy here, you have infinity! I always end my own list with: for everyone and everything throughout time, created by Your hands, I offer You my life for these and for Your will for them.) End with: Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Yours. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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