Understanding the Day
Season
Ascensiontide
Week
Week 2 of Ascensiontide
Rank
Sunday or semidouble observance
Ascensiontide is the period after the Lord’s Ascension into heaven, a time when the Church celebrates Jesus’ presence with the Father and prepares for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Friday after the Octave of the Ascension falls within this season and continues the focus on Christ’s glorification and the mission he gave to his disciples. The rank “Semidouble” is an older liturgical classification: in plain terms it means this day has its own proper prayers and readings that are to be used, but they do not suppress higher-ranking feasts; the celebration is more solemn than an ordinary weekday but not as solemn as the principal feasts. The phrase “after the Octave” indicates this day comes within the eight-day extension of the Ascension feast, so the themes and texts remain tied to that major celebration.
Introit (Daily Prayer)
Ps. 26:7-9.
Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call, alleluia; to You my heart speaks; Your glance I seek; Your presence, O Lord, I seek. Hide not Your face from me, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. 26:1.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
Glory Be to the Father…
Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call, alleluia; to You my heart speaks; Your glance I seek; Your presence, O Lord, I seek. Hide not Your face from me, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. 26:1.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
Glory Be to the Father…
Almighty and eternal God, give us a will ever dedicated to You, and a true heart to serve Your majesty.
Through our Lord…
Through our Lord…
Weekly Prayer
Prayer to St. Joseph
Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so prompt, so strong,
before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession,
and obtain for me from your Divine Son
all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power,
I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms;
I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart.
Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me and
ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, patron of departing souls - pray for me.
Amen.
before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession,
and obtain for me from your Divine Son
all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power,
I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms;
I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart.
Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me and
ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, patron of departing souls - pray for me.
Amen.
Weekly Formation
Commandment 4
The Ten Commandments
Honor thy father and thy mother.
The Fourth Commandment concerns the honor, gratitude, obedience, and care owed to parents and to lawful authority. It also binds parents and superiors to govern justly, provide what is needed, and seek the true good of those entrusted to them.
Saint & Feast
Principal celebrationCalendar title
Friday after the Octave of the Ascension
A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.
Customs & Fasting
No traditional fast · Complete abstinence
Traditional Friday complete abstinence.
Today in Church History
Pope Gregory XI Condemns Wycliffe's Doctrines
1377Schism HeresyIn 1377, Pope Gregory XI issued five papal bulls to denounce John Wycliffe's teachings, which challenged the authority of the Church and the nature of the sacraments. This event marked a significant response to early reformist ideas that threatened the unity and doctrine of the Catholic Church.
The Church's commitment to uphold its teachings is essential for maintaining the integrity of the faith.
Catechism
Catechism of the Catholic Church
In the Catechism, we learn that all the prefigurations of the Old Covenant find their fulfillment in Christ, who began his public life by being baptized by St. John. This voluntary act manifests Jesus’ self-emptying, and the descent of the Spirit upon him is a prelude to the new creation. Through his Passover, Christ opened the fountain of Baptism to all, so that we may be born of water and the Spirit and enter the Kingdom of God. From Pentecost onward, the Church has celebrated and administered Baptism, calling believers to repent, believe in Jesus, receive forgiveness of sins, and welcome the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism unites the believer with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection; through water and the life-giving Word of God, it becomes a sacrament of new life. For families, these passages offer a beautiful invitation to remember Baptism as God’s gift, through which believers are brought into communion with Christ.
From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has involved a journey with essential elements: hearing the Word, accepting the Gospel through conversion, professing faith, receiving Baptism, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and admission to Eucharistic communion. The forms of this initiation have varied through the centuries. Today, adult initiation reaches its culmination in Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist, while infant Baptism calls for continued instruction and a post-baptismal catechumenate so that baptismal grace may grow in personal life. As we reflect together, we can give thanks for the Church’s care in leading people step by step into the fullness of Christian initiation.
¶ 1223
All the Old Covenant prefigurations find their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. He begins his public life after having himself baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan. After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."