Help
With Your Rule
Getting a Good Start to the Morning
"Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to Thy Word"
"Let that saying inflame your heart on your awakening every morning. Respond to the love of your dear Mother by rising punctually and promptly, for she is there near you wanting to gather the first fruit of your heart. Do as the Child Jesus did; greet Our Lady as soon as you awake, and offer yourself to God through her. As a token of your love and dependence, kiss your crucifix, your scapular, or your medal and say: "I am all thine, my dear Mother, and all that I have is thine." Follow the example of the saints and humbly beg Mary to bless you. Interior joy will be the reward of this pious practice."
Gabriel Denis, s.m.m., The Reign of Jesus Through Mary, Bay Shore NY, The Montfor Fathers, 1951, p57.
posted by Holly at 10:36 AM
4 Comments:
How many times do we find ourselves rolling over at the sound of the alarm and groaning with negativity about getting out of bed?
Those first moments when we awake are truly significant, in that they set the mind and heart on their path for the day. How much better to focus them immediately on a holy path - a recollected turning of ourselves to God.
Perhaps for our rules, we could decide upon a prayer which we can mentally utter at the very first moment we awake - something which will turn our attention immediately to God.
And then, can we not make a conscious decision to get out of bed promptly, just for God, immediately, determinedly - and set our wills automatically in the direction of where we want to spend our days? Responding to God on all levels - choosing to do His Will?
By including Mary, we thus call down the prayers of the most powerful woman in heaven, and secure her involvement in our day as well... Sounds like a pretty simple way to get on track and an excellent method of self-mastery.
I just have to say that I love this post! I find it encouraging and consoling to think that such a simple action can reap such benefits.
Lately, my 17month old has been waking up off and on throughout the night (I think it's teething) and sometimes I'm not quite sure where my morning even starts! (For example, yesterday she was up from 5-6:00am and I usually get up at 6:30. But I was exhausted so stayed in better a little longer and missed some of my morning prayer time by doing so.) This simple practice would all me to consecrate my day and life to Mary at anytime, in the middle of the night even! And help me to start my day recalling my consecration to her, even when my morning routine is disrupted.
Thank you, Holly, for posting this! I think it was an answer to some of my own questions regarding how to juggle my spiritual needs and desires with that of my family right now.
Blessings,
Diane
I have found it truly beneficial to get into the habit of making the sign of the cross as soon as you open your eyes in the morning. I can relate, Diane, with not knowing when morning begins. I have a nine month old who sleeps very little. Being tired makes me irritable and negative - not the way I want to start the day for myself or my family. So I make the sign of the cross when I wake and then try to "Be who I am". By recalling my baptism, I am recommitting myself to Christ and when my feet hit the floor I belong to Him. It may not seem like much, but I have observed the fruit of this simple habit in my own life. Give it a try...
I had begun to say an Angel of God prayer the first moment of waking with the intention -Please help me to just get out of bed. It has been powerful. Sometimes I drift off back to sleep and I'll hear a noise of some kind. Thanks to my guardian angel for waking me up.
I believe after this is when I can add these other prayers to Mary. It will surely add to my day!
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