25 Ways to Become a Saint offers simple practices to draw you closer to God each day. Read on for spiritual counsel on how to orient your day toward Christ from the moment you wake up.
1. Begin With God
We can begin nothing well unless it is begun in God, the sole Fountain of all real good; begin, therefore, each day by raising your mind and heart to God. On awaking in the morning, let your first thoughts be devoted to this great truth: God is here present; and make an act of lively faith in His Divine Presence. Let your first action be the Sign of the Cross, according to the custom of the early Christians; your first words the holy Names of Jesus and Mary; and the first impulse of your heart an offering of yourself to God, by saying with the deepest feelings of respect:
I adore You, O my God; I love You with my whole heart; I thank You for all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and especially for dying for me on the Cross, shedding all Your blood for the salvation of my soul, and preserving me in life up to the present moment; to You I consecrate my heart and my whole self.
2. Rise Early
Remember that the day you are now entering upon may be your last, and let your mind be deeply impressed with this truth. Thus, death will never find you unprepared, and you will pass each day in a manner worthy of a Christian.
An Act of Petition
Behold me, then, my God, prostrate at Your feet, for the purpose of beginning my meditation; O, assist me by Your grace that my soul may benefit from it; enlighten my mind that I may know how much You have loved me, and give an impulse to my will that I may form an efficacious resolution of loving You.
Give me courage to devote myself without delay to the fulfillment of Your Will, whatever it may be, and grace faithfully to correspond with all Your holy inspirations. Most holy Virgin Mary, my dear Mother, and thou, my blessed Angel Guardian, obtain for me the assistance necessary to make this meditation in a manner profitable to me. Amen.
3. Kneel and Pray
As soon as you are dressed, kneel down and say your prayers with the greatest possible devotion. You will be wanting in religious duty if you omit this practice, and such negligence is the fatal source of many misfortunes, and the cause of the loss of innumerable souls. If you defer the payment of this tribute to God, other occupations will intervene, and you will not be able to find time for fulfilling so important a duty.
Prayer Containing the Principal Acts Which a Christian Ought to Make
I believe, O Lord; but increase my faith. All my hopes are in You; secure them. I love You with my whole heart; teach me to love You daily more and more. I am sorry for having offended You; increase my sorrow.
O my God, grant that my will may be ever conformable to Yours, so that I may will whatever You will, because it is Your Will, and in the manner You will. Grant that I may in everything seek to please You, and to promote Your greater glory.
Grant that I may strenuously labor to serve You faithfully, to observe the greatest modesty in my deportment, preserve my purity unsullied, overcome every temptation, avoid all occasions of sin, and persevere in Your grace.
To You, O my God, do I offer all my thoughts, that they may ever be wholly Yours; my words, that they may always be conformable to Your Will; my actions, that they may all be in accordance with Your law; and my sufferings, that they may be made acceptable in Your sight.
I offer every breath I draw, every step I take, and all my labors, cares, anxieties, sorrows, weaknesses, and feelings of repugnance to suffering, in union with the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, and the Dolors of the most Blessed Virgin Mary. I offer them all to You in honor of the Passion and Death of my Redeemer, in satisfaction for my sins, to obtain the eternal salvation of poor sinners, and by way of suffrage for the holy souls in Purgatory.
O my God, bestow upon me the gift of Your love, a sincere hatred for every kind of sin, love for my neighbor, and a contempt of the world. Make me prudent in my undertakings, constant in good works, patient in affliction, humble in prosperity, and resigned to Your holy Will in whatever may befall me.
Enlighten my understanding, in order that I may know You, O my God, to love You, the vanities of the world to abhor them, the deceits of the devil to avoid them, and the malice of sin to detest it. Impart strength and fervor to my will, so that it may never yield to any of the fatal insinuations of the devil, but may courageously resist all temptations. Purify my body, and sanctify my soul.
Grant that I may spend this day in preparing for a good death, that I may fear Your judgments, endeavor to escape Hell, never fall into sin, and gain Heaven through Your great mercy. Amen.
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This article is taken from a chapter in 25 Ways to Become a Saint by TAN Books which is available from TAN Books.
