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 Christ’s Resurrection and the new life it brings. A “Double” in older liturgical terminology indicates a higher rank of celebration: this feast has fuller prayers and proper readings, and it takes precedence over ordinary weekday observances of the season. The given title, S. Athanasii Episcopi Confessoris et Ecclesiæ Doctoris, identifies St. Athanasius as a bishop, confessor (one who suffered for the faith but not by martyrdom), and Doctor of the Church, recognized for his teaching. There is no octave or vigil attached in the supplied data, so this stands as a single, commemorated feast within the fourth week of Eastertide.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Ecclus 15:5.
In the midst of the assembly he opened his mouth; and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding; He clothed him with a robe of glory, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps 91:2
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to Your name, Most High.
Glory Be to the Father…

Hear, we beseech You, O Lord, our prayers which we offer You on the feast of blessed Athanasius, Your Bishop and Confessor, and absolve us from all our sins by the merits and prayers of him who had the grace to serve You worthily.
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

Athanasius

S. Athanasius, Confessor and Doctor of the Church

Pope of Alexandria from 328 to 373

Born: 0296-00-00 · Alexandria
Died: 0373-05-02 · Alexandria

Athanasius I of Alexandria, also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria. His intermittent episcopacy spanned 45 years, of which over 17 encompassed five exiles, when he was replaced on the order of four different Roman emperors. Athanasius was a Church Father, the chief proponent of Trinitarianism against Arianism, and a noted Egyptian Christian leader of the fourth century.

Learn more about Athanasius

Today in Church History

Death of Leonardo da Vinci
1519Event
Leonardo da Vinci, who passed away on May 2, 1519, was a renowned polymath whose works were deeply influenced by Catholic themes. His art, including 'The Last Supper,' reflects profound theological insights.
Art can be a powerful medium to express and explore the mysteries of faith.
Death of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria
373Church Father
Saint Athanasius, a key figure in the fight against Arianism, died on May 2, 373. As Bishop of Alexandria, he was a staunch defender of Trinitarian doctrine and played a crucial role in the formation of the Nicene Creed.
Athanasius' unwavering defense of the faith reminds us to stand firm in truth.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism presents the Holy Trinity at the heart of God’s plan for salvation: the Father gives his beloved Son and the Holy Spirit for the salvation of the world and the glory of his name. Christ accomplishes this work through his Paschal mystery—his Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension—and the Church proclaims and celebrates this mystery in the liturgy. In the liturgy, Christ our redeemer continues the work of redemption through his Church, drawing the faithful into conscious, active, and fruitful participation. Liturgy includes divine worship, the proclamation of the Gospel, and active charity, calling us to serve God and neighbor. As we gather with the Church in prayer and worship, the liturgy helps root us in the Father’s love, strengthens the community’s new life in the Spirit, and sends us into the Church’s mission and service to unity.

At Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit made the Church manifest to the world and began the age in which Christ makes present and communicates his saving work. God’s eternal plan blesses us in Christ and calls us to be holy and blameless before him as his children through Jesus Christ. Throughout salvation history, God’s blessings guide humanity toward life, and Scripture recalls these saving gifts with praise and thanksgiving. In the Church’s liturgy, the Father’s blessings of creation and salvation are fully revealed and communicated. As we pray together, we can respond with adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and trust in the gift of the Holy Spirit.

¶ 1072

"The sacred liturgy does not exhaust the entire activity of the Church": it must be preceded by evangelization, faith, and conversion. It can then produce its fruits in the lives of the faithful: new life in the Spirit, involvement in the mission of the Church, and service to her unity.

Today's Mass Readings

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