The How-To Book of Catholic Devotions, Second Edition. Mike Aquilina

is an alternate Morning Offering:

       Most Holy and Adorable Trinity, one God in three Persons, I praise you and give you thanks for all the favors you have bestowed on me. Your goodness has preserved me until now. I offer you my whole being and in particular all my thoughts, words, and deeds, together with all the trials I may undergo today. Give them your blessing. May your divine Love animate them, and may they serve your greater glory. I make this Morning Offering in union with the divine intentions of Jesus Christ, who offers himself daily in the Sacrifice of the Mass and in union with Mary, his Virgin Mother and our Mother, who was always the faithful handmaid of the Lord.

4. How to Pray at Mealtimes

      There is something special about sharing a meal. It is often a moment of peace in a hectic day, drawing together those who share in it.

      Whenever we eat, whether alone or together, we want to acknowledge that God is present and ask Him to bless our food and those who partake of it. After everyone is comfortably settled at table, the prayer begins with the Sign of the Cross. The traditional mealtime prayer, often called Grace, is:

       Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts,

       which we are about to receive from your bounty,

       through Christ our Lord. Amen.

      A Sign of the Cross normally ends the prayer.

      One added value to this practice is that it helps us acknowledge God’s presence in all the aspects of our daily lives. It creates a sense of thankfulness and of the presence of God. Scripture directs us: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31, NABRE).

      Food nourishes our bodies, and it also reminds us that Jesus nourishes us spiritually through the gift of Himself in the Eucharist. He chose to make a family meal the central sacrament, the source and summit, of the Christian faith. Our moment of prayer at mealtime is an acknowledgment that, as our ordinary meal will eliminate our bodily hunger, we long for Jesus to satisfy our spiritual hunger through the Eucharist.

       A Teachable Moment

      The blessing before meals is a great teaching opportunity with children. They will learn both the prayer and the Sign of the Cross. They will also learn that faith in God is an important part of family identity. It is important to be consistent so that children realize: “As a Catholic family, we begin our meals with prayer.” Your meals ought to begin with Grace not only when your gathering includes just the family but also when you have company for dinner or when you’re eating at a restaurant.

       Blessings at Meals

      “Lord Jesus Christ, may our Lenten fasting turn us toward all our brothers and sisters who are in need. Bless this table, our good food, and ourselves. Send us through Lent with good cheer, and bring us to the fullness of your passover. Amen.”

      — Meal Prayer for Lent

      (from Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers)

      “We joyfully sing your praises, Lord Jesus Christ, who on the day of your resurrection was recognized by your disciples in the breaking of the bread. Remain here with us as we gratefully partake of the gifts, and at the banquet table in heaven welcome us, who have welcomed you in our brothers and sisters, for you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.”

      — Meal Prayer for Easter (from Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers)

5. How to Make an Act of Faith

      Objectively, the word faith refers to the truths revealed by God in the Scriptures and through Tradition as preserved and handed on by the Church. That’s what we mean when we speak of the Catholic faith. Subjectively, faith is one of the three theological virtues, which also include hope and love. Faith, in this sense, is the virtue by which we accept what has been revealed by God. That’s what it means to say, “I have faith.”

      To make an act of faith, then, is to recite a prayer that expresses your personal acceptance of all that the Lord has revealed to be true. This is something we all should do often, perhaps weekly or even daily if we feel the need. The traditional Act of Faith is:

       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 and 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.

      Faith is primarily a divine gift. When Peter made his profession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus said: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 16:17). Apart from the action of God, faith is impossible for humanity. However, the Holy Spirit supernaturally bestows the gift of faith upon us. The Holy Spirit not only gives the gift; He also works in our will through grace so that we may respond.

       “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

      — St. Augustine

      This points to the other aspect of faith: God gives the gift, but we must reply. It’s as if a friend gave you a new article of clothing. It does you no good unless you accept it and wear it. The gift of faith is free; we only need to put it on — and the Holy Spirit even helps us to get dressed!

      The Catechism of the Catholic Church goes right to the point: “Believing is possible only by grace and the interior helps of the Holy Spirit. But it is no less true that believing is an authentically human act…. In faith, the human intellect and will cooperate with divine grace” (nn. 154-155). The act of faith, then, is a personal act by which we freely respond to the initiative of God.

      Yet if we have made an initial profession of faith, why do we need to continue reciting creeds and praying the formal prayer called the Act of Faith? One reason is that our personal “yes” to God — our acceptance of His gift — is not merely a one-time event. Responding to faith is a constant, daily part of our Christian life. As we continue to actively receive the gift, God continues to give the gift to us. Our spiritual wardrobe gets filled with faith gifts as we continue to respond.

      Also, faith needs to grow in understanding. St. Augustine wrote that “understanding is the reward of faith.” As we make statements of faith in prayer and meditate upon these truths, our intellect will come to embrace the truth more fully. We must remember, after all, that our faith is not primarily in statements and decrees, but in God. We believe in the Fatherhood of God, not as something dry and sterile, but rather as a lived reality that makes a profound difference in our lives. Belief that God is our Father changes our view of ourselves and of others. It affects how we relate to others and how we deal with difficulties. To pray and meditate about our faith allows us to grow in our understanding of the truth and in our love with the giver of truth.

       Stepping Out in Faith

      Most people will endure times when they struggle with faith. That is not unusual. Yet our struggles can lead us closer to God if we step up to Him from the foundation of the faith He has given us. The Gospel gives us a good illustration of this principle in the story of a man whose son was possessed by a devil (Mk 9:14-29). The man brought the boy to the disciples of Jesus with the request that they heal the boy, but the disciples were unable to do so. By the time Jesus joined the group, the father seemed to have been struggling with faith that Jesus could actually heal the boy. He even qualifies his request: “If you can do anything … help us.” Jesus responded by telling the father: “All things are possible to him who believes.” The father then responds with both a statement of faith and a prayer for the strengthening of that faith: “I believe; help my unbelief!”

      We can follow the same pattern. When we struggle with some issue of faith, we can begin with a statement of faith. “Lord, I believe in You,