Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Lent

Week

Week 4 of Lent

Rank

Weekday

Lent is a penitential season of forty days preparing Catholics for the mystery of Easter through prayer, fasting, and works of charity. The rank “Greater Non-Privileged Feria” means this is an ordinary weekday in the liturgical calendar with greater importance than a simple feria: the day’s Mass and Office follow the proper weekday texts of Lent rather than optional memorials of saints, so the Lenten character—penitential prayers, readings, and prefatory material—takes precedence. There is no octave or vigil associated specifically with this day.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Ps 18:15
Let the thought of my heart find favor before You, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Ps 18:2
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.
Glory Be to the Father…

O God, Who by your wondrous sacraments renew the world, grant that Your church may benefit from Your eternal decrees and not be deprived of temporal help.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Prayer for the Home

Visit, we beseech Thee, O Lord, this home,
and drive far from it all snares of the enemy.

Let Thy holy angels dwell herein to preserve us in peace;
and may Thy blessing be always upon us.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Weekly Formation

Beatitude 4

The Beatitudes

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for justice; for they shall be satisfied.
To hunger and thirst for justice is to desire holiness and every virtue with the urgency of bodily hunger and thirst. The promise of being filled means that God satisfies this sincere desire through grace now and perfect righteousness in heaven.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebrationCalendar title

Friday of Week 4 of Lent

A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.

Customs & Fasting

Traditional fast · Complete abstinence

Traditional Lenten Friday fast and complete abstinence.

Today in Church History

Death of King Henry IV of England
1413Event
King Henry IV of England, who had a complex relationship with the Catholic Church, died on March 20, 1413. His reign was marked by political turmoil and religious tensions, including the Lollard heresy.
The Church navigates through political and religious challenges, maintaining its mission.
Pope John Paul II's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
2000Papal
On March 20, 2000, Pope John Paul II visited Mount Nebo in Jordan, marking a significant moment in interfaith dialogue and reconciliation with Judaism and Islam.
Pilgrimage fosters unity and peace among diverse faiths.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Church, as the Body of Christ, thrives through the vital action of the Holy Spirit, who unites all its members in love and purpose. Just as the soul animates the body, the Holy Spirit empowers each believer through sacraments, virtues, and special graces known as charisms, which are essential for the growth and renewal of the Church. These charisms, whether grand or humble, should be embraced with gratitude and discerned within the community, always aligning with charity and the guidance of Church authority. For Catholic families, this means recognizing and nurturing the diverse gifts within their households, fostering a spirit of unity and service that reflects their call to be living members of the Body of Christ.

¶ 797

"What the soul is to the human body, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, which is the Church." "To this Spirit of Christ, as an invisible principle, is to be ascribed the fact that all the parts of the body are joined one with the other and with their exalted head; for the whole Spirit of Christ is in the head, the whole Spirit is in the body, and the whole Spirit is in each of the members." The Holy Spirit makes the Church "the temple of the living God":

¶ 798

The Holy Spirit is "the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body." He works in many ways to build up the whole Body in charity: by God's Word "which is able to build you up"; by Baptism, through which he forms Christ's Body; by the sacraments, which give growth and healing to Christ's members; by "the grace of the apostles, which holds first place among his gifts"; by the virtues, which make us act according to what is good; finally, by the many special graces (called "charisms"), by which he makes the faithful "fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church."

Today's Mass Readings

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

Friday of Week 4 of Lent

Understanding the Day

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Collect

Weekly Prayer

Prayer for the Home

Weekly Formation

Beatitude 4

The Beatitudes

Saint & Feast

Friday of Week 4 of Lent

Customs & Fasting

Today in Church History

Death of King Henry IV of England

Pope John Paul II's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Today's Mass Readings

Baltimore Catechism No. 3