Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Eastertide

Week

Week 4 of Eastertide

Rank

Feast

Eastertide is the fifty-day season from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, a time when the Church celebrates the risen Christ and the new life he brings. A feast in this season highlights how the saint’s life and example reflect the joy and hope of Easter. The rank listed as “Double” indicates a celebration of notable importance in the older liturgical classification: it is more solemn than ordinary commemorations and typically includes the principal prayers and readings proper to the saint, though it is not as solemn as higher ranks like “double major” or “solemnity.” There is no octave or vigil noted here, so the observance is kept on the assigned day without extended octave celebrations or a special vigil.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Ps 44:8
Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (Alleluja, alleluja.)
Ps 44:2
My heart hath uttered a good word I speak my works to the king.
Glory Be to the Father…

Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we which do keep the birthday of thy blessed Virgin Catherine, and do year by year renew her memorial with solemn gladness in thy presence, may likewise be conformed to the pattern of her saintly walk with thee.
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

Commandment 1

The Ten Commandments

I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.
The First Commandment requires the worship, faith, hope, and love owed to God alone. A strange god is not only an idol, but anything treated as more important than God or trusted in place of His providence.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin

Italian Dominican saint (1347-1380)

Born: 1347-03-25 · Siena
Died: 1380-04-29 · Rome

Caterina di Jacopo di Benincasa, known as Catherine of Siena, was an Italian mystic and pious laywoman who engaged in papal and Italian politics through extensive letter-writing and advocacy. Canonized in 1461, she is revered as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church due to her extensive theological authorship. She is also considered to have influenced Italian literature.

Learn more about Catherine of Siena

Today in Church History

Canonization of Saint Faustina Kowalska
2000Canonization
In the year 2000, Saint Faustina Kowalska was canonized by Pope John Paul II, marking a significant moment in the Church's recognition of the Divine Mercy devotion. This event was celebrated by over 200,000 attendees and established the first Divine Mercy Sunday, emphasizing God's mercy in the Catholic faith.
The canonization of Saint Faustina reminds us of the profound mercy of God and encourages us to embrace and share that mercy with others.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of Christian faith, affirming His divine authority and fulfilling the promises of Scripture. It signifies not only liberation from sin through His death but also the invitation to a new life in grace, where we are adopted as God's children and called to share in the life of Christ. This transformative event assures us of our future resurrection, as Christ, the firstborn from the dead, offers us a glimpse of divine life. For Catholic families, this means embracing a life rooted in faith, living not for ourselves but for Christ, and fostering a hope that looks forward to the fullness of life in Him.

In the journey of faith, every person receives an eternal recompense in a particular judgment by Christ from the moment of death. Those who die in Christ’s grace are the People of God beyond death and, on the day of resurrection, will be reunited with their bodies. In heaven, the multitude gathered around Jesus and Mary sees God in eternal blessedness, is associated with the holy angels, and intercedes for us with fraternal concern. Those who die in God’s grace and friendship but are imperfectly purified are assured of eternal salvation and undergo purification after death so as to enter the joy of God. As families, we can commend our deceased loved ones to God’s mercy and pray for them, especially through the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist. We are also called to take seriously the reality of hell, eternal separation from God, while praying that no one may be lost and trusting that God desires all to be saved.

The Catechism teaches that on the Day of Judgment all people will appear before Christ’s tribunal in their own bodies to render an account of their deeds (CCC 1059). At the end of time, God’s Kingdom will come in its fullness: the just will reign with Christ forever, glorified in body and soul, and the material universe will be transformed as God becomes “all in all” (CCC 1060). The word “Amen,” which concludes the Creed and the Church’s prayers, is rooted in belief and expresses solidity, trustworthiness, faithfulness, and trust in God (CCC 1061-1063). When we say “Amen,” we confirm our “I believe,” entrusting ourselves to God’s words, promises, and commandments. Jesus himself is the definitive “Amen” of the Father’s love, and through him we offer our Amen to God’s glory (CCC 1064-1065).

Today's Mass Readings

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