Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Epiphany

Week

Week 3 of Time After Epiphany

Rank

Feast

This celebration falls in the Time After Epiphany, the liturgical season focused on how Christ’s revelation unfolds in the world after his baptism and early ministry. The rank “Double” is an older liturgical term signaling a celebration of higher importance than ordinary memorials; in practical family terms, it means the day is kept with special prayers and attention in the home and parish rather than being passed over for lesser observances. There is no octave or vigil noted here, so the observance is celebrated on the listed day itself without an extended eight-day period or a preparatory liturgy specific to this feast.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Dan 3:84, 87
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord; holy men of humble heart, praise God.
Dan 3:57
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt Him above all forever.
Glory Be to the Father…

O God, who year by year dost gladden us by the solemn feast day of thy Blessed Martyr and Bishop Polycarp, mercifully grant that we who keep his birthday, may ever feel the joyful effects of his protection.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Confiteor

I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault;

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Weekly Formation

Purity and Self-Control

The Works of the Flesh

Conduct contrary to purity and faithfulness
Conduct against purity and faithfulness follows bodily appetite outside the order of faithful love established by God. St. Paul calls such conduct a work of the flesh because fallen desire, rather than grace and right reason, is allowed to govern the person.
Disrespect for purity and personal boundaries
Disrespect for purity and personal boundaries treats another person’s dignity, commitments, or rightful limits as obstacles to appetite. It belongs to the works of the flesh because desire is separated from charity, responsibility, and reverence for the person.
Reckless indulgence that dishonors God’s gift of the body
Reckless indulgence is the deliberate abandonment of moderation in bodily pleasure. It dishonors the body by making immediate satisfaction rule over reason, duty, health, and the spiritual purpose for which human freedom is given.
Indulgent gatherings that cast aside modesty and self-control
Indulgent gatherings are social occasions ordered toward excess and the abandonment of modesty or self-control. Their fault is not celebration itself, but a shared atmosphere that encourages participants to set aside reason, purity, and responsibility.

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Polycarp

St. Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

Christian bishop of Smyrna

Born: 0069-00-00 · İzmir
Died: 0155-02-23 · İzmir

Polycarp was a Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body. Polycarp is regarded as a saint and Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Lutheranism, and Anglicanism.

Learn more about Polycarp

Today in Church History

Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical 'Au Milieu des Sollicitudes'
1892Doctrine
On January 26, 1892, Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical 'Au Milieu des Sollicitudes', addressing the relationship between the Church and the State in France, emphasizing the need for Catholics to engage in political life.
Pope Leo XIII's guidance encourages Catholics to actively participate in civic life while upholding their faith.
Feast Day of Saints Timothy and Titus
c. 250Event
January 26 is the feast day of Saints Timothy and Titus, early Christian bishops and companions of St. Paul. They are celebrated for their leadership and dedication to spreading the Gospel.
The lives of Saints Timothy and Titus remind us of the importance of faithful leadership in the Church.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism teaches that when we say “I believe,” we pledge ourselves to the faith we share, using a common language that unites believers in one confession. From the beginning, the Church handed on this faith in brief summaries, especially for those preparing for Baptism. These summaries are called professions of faith, creeds, or symbols of faith because they gather the principal truths Christians profess and serve as a fundamental reference for catechesis. The first profession of faith is made at Baptism, and its truths are expressed in relation to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As we reflect on the Creed together, we can recognize it as a shared summary of the faith and a sign of communion among believers.

¶ 185

Whoever says "I believe" says "I pledge myself to what we believe." Communion in faith needs a common language of faith, normative for all and uniting all in the same confession of faith.

¶ 186

From the beginning, the apostolic Church expressed and handed on her faith in brief formulae normative for all. But already very early on, the Church also wanted to gather the essential elements of her faith into organic and articulated summaries, intended especially for candidates for Baptism:

Today's Mass Readings

Open the day's Sancta MissaDivinum Officium · Divino Afflatu - 1954View readings