# Thursday, May 14, 2026 > [!quote] Carmelite Morning Offering (St. Thérèse) > O my God, I offer You all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its merciful love. O my God, I ask of You for myself and for those whom I hold dear the grace to know You, and to know and fulfill perfectly Your holy will, to accept for love of You the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in Heaven for all eternity. Amen. --- [[20260515-morning-offering|Next →]] ## 🕰️ Liturgy of the Hours > [!links] Universalis & Office > - [Office of Readings](http://www.universalis.com/20260514/readings.htm) | [Morning Prayer (Lauds)](http://www.universalis.com/20260514/lauds.htm) > - [Evening Prayer (Vespers)](http://www.universalis.com/20260514/vespers.htm) | [Night Prayer (Compline)](http://www.universalis.com/20260514/compline.htm) --- ## 📖 Daily Readings & Verse > [!cite] Daily Readings > **Verse:** "And they prayed and said, 'Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosento take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.'And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthi′as; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles."Acts 1:24-26 > > **Resources:** [USCCB Readings](http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/051426.cfm) | [Daily Reflections (Evangeli.net)](https://evangeli.net/gospel) --- ## 🕊️ Today's Meditation > [!abstract]- Daily Reflection > "Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him."St. Augustine > > There is a symbolic beauty in the circumstance that the tomb of Jesus was only a few paces from His Cross. Suffering and death are but two aspects of the same thing; the one lays us low, and the other completes the work of destruction. Yet through Jesus they both raise us up, and our joint ascension presents the three stages of the Cross, the tomb, and Heaven. – A.G. Sertillanges, p. 197-198 > [!abstract]- Divine Intimacy Meditation > [[179-the-ascension-of-our-lord|Meditation #179 — The Ascension of Our Lord]] --- ## 🏛️ Saint of the Day: St. Matthias the Apostle > [!info] The Cloud of Witnesses > > > St. Matthias the Apostle (1st c.) followed Jesus during his entire earthly ministry and was one of his 72 disciples. Matthias was chosen by the 11 Apostles to replace Judas Iscariot after his betrayal of Christ and subsequent suicide. After Christ's Ascension into heaven, St. Matthias devoted himself to preaching Christianity among the pagans, some of them barbarians and cannibals, all over Judea, Cappadocia, and Ethiopia for over 30 years. Many miracles are ascribed to him as the pagans sought to kill him: that he was unharmed after being forced to drink poison, that he once hid by becoming invisible, and that the earth opened up and swallowed his attackers. St. Matthias also preached the need for mortification of the flesh as an aid to growth in holiness. Eventually, at God's appointed time, he was martyred for the cause of Christ, though there are conflicting traditions as to exactly where and how. St. Matthias is the patron saint of carpenters, tailors, and reformed alcoholics. His feast day is May 14th. --- ## 🕯️ Monthly Devotion: Month ofOur Lady > [!attention] Focus: Month ofOur Lady > > > Prayer to Mary, Queen of Heaven by Pope Pius XII:From the depths of this vale of tears where sorrowing humanity makes weary progress, through the surges of this sea of ours, endlessly buffeted by the winds of passion, we raise our eyes to you, O most beloved Mother Mary, to be comforted by the contemplation of your glory and to hail you as Queen of heaven and earth, Queen of mankind.In the heights of heaven, you exercise your primacy over the choirs of angels who acclaim you as their sovereign, and over the legions of saints who delight in beholding your dazzling beauty. So, too, reign over the entire human race, above all by opening the path of faith to those who do not yet know your Divine Son.Reign over the Church, which acknowledges and extols your gentle dominion and has recourse to you as a safe refuge amid the calamities of our day.Reign over men’s minds, that they may seek only what is true. Reign over individuals and over families, as well as over societies and nations. Reign in the streets and in the squares, in the cities and the villages, in the valleys and in the mountains, in the air, on land and on the sea; and hear the pious prayers of all those who recognize that yours is a reign of mercy, in which every petition is heard, every sorrow comforted, every misfortune relieved, every infirmity healed, and in which, at a gesture from your gentle hands, from death itself there arises smiling life.Obtain for us that all who now in every corner of the world acclaim and hail you Queen and Lady may one day in heaven enjoy the fullness of your kingdom in the vision of your Divine Son, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, live and reign forever and ever.Amen. --- ## 🙏 Daily Prayers > [!todo] Spiritual Communion > My Jesus, I believe that 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 now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. > [!todo]- Intercessions & Intentions > **Prayer for Seminarians & Priests:** [[day-14-daily-prayer-for-seminarians-and-priests|Day 14 - Prayer for Seminarians]] > > **Prayer for the Dead:** In Your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life You embraced them with Your tender love; deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest. > > **For the Holy Father:** Almighty and everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy servant, our Supreme Pontiff, and direct him, according to Thy loving kindness, in the way of eternal salvation. ---