“The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day” (St. Augustine).
It is a great wisdom to think of our Father as soon as we wake up and to dedicate our first thoughts to praising and thanking Him. This is not always easy, because sometimes we bring with us the restlessness of our dreams, or certain thoughts and feelings rush in and want to dominate us immediately, or sleep does not want to let us go straight away.
Therefore, it is wise to make it a rule and discipline ourselves so that our first thoughts and words of the day belong to God, whether they are concrete prayers or an intimate dialog with the Lord. A rabbi told me that it is customary for observant Jews to say certain prayers upon waking.
If circumstances permit, the best way to ensure the fruitfulness of our day would be to dedicate the first hour of the morning entirely to the Lord. We must be zealous with this time!
The adage “the early bird catches the worm” can never be more true than when we give our Heavenly Father the “virgin hour” of our day, consciously handing over the reins of that day to Him. If we ask the Holy Spirit to subtly guide us, to strengthen us, and to correct us with His goodness when we lose the thread or do not follow it properly, He will greatly help us to do what is best for our spiritual life according to the principle of Christian prudence.
In this way, our journey will have a clear direction: may it be fruitful for the Kingdom of God! Our Father will be very pleased if we begin our journey in this way.