Introduction
“Day unto day pours forth speech; night unto night whispers knowledge” (Ps 19:3). God always speaks to us and invites us to converse with him and offer him everything that we undergo. This makes the day – and the night – a constant prayer.
As we begin our day, we lift our eyes with a watchful heart (cf. Ps 57:9), attentive to the Lord who comes to meet us in daily life, in every circumstance, amid the cares of this life (cf. Mt 6:34). We thank him for the gift of a new day and offer our work to the Lord.
We dedicate a few minutes of prayer to remind ourselves that every minute of the day is prayer. Meditation, the Angelus, the Rosary, visits to the Eucharist and spiritual communion are occasions to recover and prolong the prayerful life in the midst of the world.
The evening is reminiscent of the sunset of life and marks the end of the day. It is time to review the day, to give thanks to God and to place in his merciful hands everything that has happened (cf. Ps 32). To this we dedicate our evening prayers.
Sleep and wakefulness, work and leisure, friends and family… everything belongs to God, an occasion to recognize his presence, to proclaim it and to live in the Kingdom.
On Rising
Seeking God’s presence in the morning when we get up helps to set the tone of the day and the meaning of our life. To rise is to be born again, to live with a new heart and a new spirit. It is a time to lift the mind and heart to the Lord and ask him to come down into our life, to touch and awaken it.
Invocation
Christ our King!
Thy Kingdom Come!
Then we pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary, and make the following petition.
Opening prayer
O my Lord and my Father, inspire my thoughts, words, and actions, and accompany them with your grace, so that all my actions may begin and end according to your will and for love of you.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
Morning Offering
Offering our works is a sign of offering our life. It is about becoming an offering ourselves. We propose here three vocal prayers to God and one to the Blessed Mother. We begin them with the sign of the cross to place ourselves in the presence of the Lord. You may find it helpful to incorporate a personal prayer. You can substitute the Lauds of the Liturgy of the Hours for the prayers of the morning offering. In any case, we encourage you to keep the Prayer to Jesus Christ, common to all members of Regnum Christi.
Morning Offering Prayers
† In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayer to the Father
I believe in you, my God, because you are truth itself. I hope in you because you are infinite mercy. I love you above all else because you are infinitely lovable, and because I must love you alone with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength (cf. Dt 6:5). I thank you, Father, for granting me a new day to give you glory and make your Kingdom present. Amen.
Prayer to Jesus Christ
Lord Jesus, I give you my hands to do your work.
I give you my feet to follow your path.
I give you my eyes to see as you see.
I give you my tongue to speak your words.
I give you my mind, so that you can think in me.
I give you my spirit, so you can pray in me.
Above all, I give you my heart, so in me you can love your Father and all people.
I give you my whole self so you can grow in me; till it is you, Christ, who live and work and pray in me. Amen.
Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit, delightful guest and consoler of my soul, artisan of our transformation into Christ, enlighten my mind to know God’s will for me. Inflame my heart to love it passionately. Grant me the fortitude I need to accomplish it as perfectly as you ask of me. Lastly, Spirit of love, grant me the grace of responding faithfully to your holy inspirations. Amen.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mother, I come before you on this new day to consecrate to you all my thoughts, words, and actions, and to ask your blessing for me, my loved ones, and all whom I encounter along my way.
Grant me the heart of an apostle of the Kingdom, and enable me to imitate the life of prayer, obedience, humility, fidelity, sacrifice and simplicity that you shared with your Son, our brother and Lord.
Mother, tell Jesus how much I want to serve him in Regnum Christi, and make his Kingdom present among all people. Amen.
Examen to prepare for the day
We take a few minutes of reflection in God’s presence to review our day’s agenda, offer him our activities, and renew our intention to live in Christ all day long.
Meditation
Meditation or “mental prayer” facilitates an intimate and personal dialogue with God. Like Jesus, we need to pray, speaking freely and listening to our Father. We do so as sons and daughters in the Son, with the Holy Spirit who comes to the aid of our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought (cf. Rom 8:26).
The Word of God must be present in our prayer, either as subject matter for meditation or as part of our conversations with the Lord. Let us recall how the disciples of Emmaus prayed and how their hearts burned within as they listened to the Lord: for Jesus led them to ponder their troubles and discover in the Scriptures the interpretive key for their life (Lk 24:13-35).
It is not enough to reflect and contemplate. Meditation is an attentive and loving dialogue with God. In order to share this intimacy, we must learn to listen to God in the silence of our soul, and to confide in him in colloquies and conversation full of faith and love. It is during these intimate conversations when, under the light and power of the Holy Spirit, our will conforms to the will of God and the decisions that guide our life emerge.
This prayer begins with the sign of the cross and an invocation to the Holy Spirit; it continues with preparatory acts to help us enter into communion with God, to share the same feelings as Jesus when he prayed. At the end of the prayer, we thank the Lord for having spent this time with him and for the fruits we have received, which are always greater than what we perceive. Finally, we ask for his grace to bring to others what he has given us.
† In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invocation of the Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.
O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit, grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Preparatory Acts of Faith, Hope, and Love
These acts are made in direct dialogue with God briefly and spontaneously, without having to resort to written formulas. They introduce us to prayer because they themselves are the essential content of prayer, which consists in believing, hoping, and loving. We offer some helpful words and images from the Gospel, although each person will gradually discover their own and adapt them to the changing rhythm of their own personal relationship with God and his Word.
Faith: be aware that you are in the presence of Almighty God, talking with him.
“Our Father.”
You might recall the moment when Jesus says to doubting Thomas: “Put your finger here and see my hands and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” To which Thomas responds, in words that express his renewed faith: “My Lord and my God” (Jn 20:27-28).&
Hope: trust in God as your supreme good, your Savior, the one from whom you confidently hope to receive grace and help in your weakness.
“Thy Kingdom come.”
You might recall the moment when the prodigal son returns to the house of his father, who receives him in a manner foreshadowing life in the Kingdom: “Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (Lk 15:22-24).
Love: be aware that God is your Father, and you are his beloved child. Address him like a child to their father and listen to him.
“Thy will be done. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
You might recall the moments of fraternal sharing between Jesus and his disciples; or at the house of Lazarus in Bethany; or the supreme moment of his total self-giving, with Mary and John, at the foot of the Cross.
Ask Christ and Mary to help you make the most of the meditation.
At the end of the meditation, give thanks to God. You can use the closing prayer.
Greeting to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary accompanies us all day long with her quiet, motherly presence. We direct our prayer to her at certain times of the day, particularly by praying the Angelus or the Regina Cæli and the Rosary.
The Angelus and Regina Cæli are like a small liturgy of the hours that the Church recommends for those who do not have time to interrupt their activities. For a few minutes, usually at noon, we remember with Mary some mysteries of Christ’s life.
The Angelus is prayed all year round, except during the Easter season.
Angelus
The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary;
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary…
And the Word was made flesh,
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (Three times)
The Regina Cæli is prayed during the Easter Season (from Easter Sunday until noon on the Saturday following Pentecost).
Regina Caeli
Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia!
For the Son you were privileged to bear, alleluia,
Is risen as he said, alleluia.
Pray for us to God, alleluia.
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!
For the Lord is truly risen, alleluia.
Let us pray:
O God, who gave joy to the world by the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant, we beseech you, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. (Three times)
In Regnum Christi, we traditionally entrust ourselves to our Guardian Angel at the end of the Angelus or Regina Caeli.
Prayer to my Guardian Angel
Angel sent by God to guide me, be my light and walk beside me; be my guardian and protect me; on the paths of life direct me. Amen.
Visiting the Eucharist
It is good to accompany Christ in the Eucharist and to converse spontaneously with him. In Regnum Christi, we have the tradition of visiting the Eucharist upon arriving at a place where the Blessed Sacrament is present. When it is not possible to visit Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist, a spiritual communion can be made by reciting this or a similar formula:
Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe you are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and unite myself wholly to you. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
Night Prayers
At the day’s end, we have the opportunity to seek God’s perspective on the day, recognizing his action in us and in the circumstances and events of the day. Where have we responded generously to him? Where have we failed to collaborate with him? Just as the day is an image of life, the night is an image of our final encounter with our merciful Lord.
You can use the prayers presented in this book or pray Compline, a part of the Liturgy of the Hours prayed at the end of the day.
Examination
† In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Petition for Light
My Lord and my God, who are all goodness and infinite mercy, I thank you with all my heart for the countless gifts you have granted me, especially for creating and redeeming me, for calling me to the Catholic faith, for choosing me to make Christ’s Kingdom present among my brothers and sisters, and for freeing me from so many dangers of soul and body. Enlighten my understanding to see where You were acting in my life today, where I drew closer to you and where I turned further away.
It is time to review the story of God’s love for us: We contemplate the good we have done, to discover with faith and gratitude God’s action. We interiorly reject the evil we have committed and embrace the Father’s will. We ask him to keep us in his heart and bring us into his Kingdom. And we invoke his help to continue our journey, confident in his grace.
Antiphon
Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep rest in his peace.
Canticle of Simeon
Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled: Mine own eyes have seen the salvation Which you have prepared in the sight of every people: A light to reveal you to the nations And the glory of your people, Israel.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Conclusion
May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death. Amen.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.