I am going to share a special prayer. It has helped me get my mornings off to a great start.

When I worked in Montreal, my team would meet every morning at 9:30 am to start our day.

My work involved sharing the Catholic faith with students on university campuses and building them as leaders for the renewal of Canada and the world.

It was a good time. We connected with joy and in our morning meetings we would share about our workday ahead.

At the end of our ‘check-in’, as we would call it, our supervisor would task one of us to pray.

One day, my teammate shared us The Daily Decalogue, a prayer made by Saint Pope John XXIII. (The word Decalogue means ‘commandment.’)

Saint Pope John XXIII is considered ‘the Good Pope.’ His papacy lasted several years before his death in 1963. He was known for saving the lives of many Jews in the face of the Nazi regime. He also played a key role in the Cuban Missile Crisis that happened in the 1960s. He had a virtuous and model lifestyle, and much good came from his decision to open the Second Vatican Council.

When I prayed his particular prayer, it did not sink in the first day. But because of its greatness, I kept going back to it. That season in my life, I would read it every morning on my commute into work. It started my day off with great perspective.

And so, I share it with you. May it guide your days to better virtue. My guess is that by reading this, your day too will start off with greater perspective.

The Daily Decalogue

I) Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.

II) Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behaviour; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.

III) Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.

IV) Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.

V) Only for today, I will devote 10 minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.

VI) Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.

VII) Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and if my feelings are hurt, I will make sure that no one notices.

VIII) Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.

IX) Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.

X) Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for 12 hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.

To conclude: here is an all-embracing resolution: “I want to be kind, today and always, to everyone”.