Understanding the Day
Season
Eastertide
Week
Week 2 of Eastertide
Rank
Weekday
Eastertide is the fifty-day season from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, a time when the Church celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus and its life-giving effects. The rank “Feria” (a weekday) means this day is an ordinary weekday of the liturgical cycle rather than a feast of a particular saint or solemnity. Because it falls within Easter Week 2, the readings and prayers will continue to focus on post-Resurrection appearances and the new life Christ brings.
Introit (Daily Prayer)
1 Pet 2:2
As newborn babes, alleluia, desire the rational milk without guile, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. 80. 2
Rejoice to God our Helper; sing aloud to the God of Jacob.
Glory Be to the Father…
As newborn babes, alleluia, desire the rational milk without guile, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. 80. 2
Rejoice to God our Helper; sing aloud to the God of Jacob.
Glory Be to the Father…
Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who have celebrated the Paschal Feast, may, by Thy bounty, retain its fruits in our daily habits and behavior.
Through our Lord…
Through our Lord…
Weekly Prayer
Act of Charity
O my God, I love Thee above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because Thou art all-good and worthy of all love.
I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.
I love my neighbor as myself for the love of Thee. I forgive all who have injured me, and ask pardon of all whom I have injured.
Weekly Formation
Beatitude 8
The Beatitudes
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’s sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Persecution for justice’s sake is suffering endured because one remains faithful to God, the faith, or virtue. The blessing belongs not to suffering caused by one’s own wrongdoing, but to steadfastness when fidelity brings loss, hostility, or punishment.
Featured Saint
Modern saintFeatured saintCalendar title
Thursday of Week 2 of Eastertide
Saint Giustino Maria Russolillo
A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.
Today in Church History
Death of Saint Bernadette Soubirous
1879EventSaint Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary of Lourdes, died on April 16, 1879. Her visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858 led to the establishment of Lourdes as a major pilgrimage site. However, she is not considered a Church Father.
Bernadette's humility and faith remind us to trust in God's plans.
Catechism
Catechism of the Catholic Church
In the Church, sacred ministers and lay faithful both serve the Church’s saving mission. Christ sends the apostles and their successors in his mission; the Pope, successor of St. Peter, serves as head of the college of bishops and Pastor of the universal Church, while bishops are visible sources and foundations of unity in their particular Churches. With priests and deacons, bishops teach the faith, celebrate divine worship—especially the Eucharist—and guide God’s people as pastors. Laypeople are called to bring the vigor of their Christian spirit into the world, living their Baptism and Confirmation in personal, family, social, and ecclesial life. They witness to Christ in every circumstance and, through self-denial and holiness, work to uproot the rule of sin in themselves and in the world. Some faithful also consecrate themselves to God through the evangelical counsels, serving God and the good of the whole Church.
The “communion of saints” is a profound aspect of our faith: the Church is the assembly of all the saints, united as one body with Christ as its head. In this communion, the faithful share in Christ’s riches, especially through the sacraments, which unite us with one another and with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also gives special graces for the common good. Practically, this calls Christians to recognize that what we have is entrusted to us by the Lord and to be ready to help neighbors in need. When we live with charity, we share in a communion where the suffering and joy of each member matter to all, strengthening our bonds with God and one another.
¶ 943
By virtue of their kingly mission, lay people have the power to uproot the rule of sin within themselves and in the world, by their self-denial and holiness of life (cf. LG 36).