Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 1 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Sunday or semidouble observance

This is Day 2 within the Octave of Corpus Christi, observed in the Time After Pentecost. An octave is an eight-day extension of a principal feast that allows more sustained prayer, so this day continues the celebration begun on Corpus Christi itself. The rank “Semidouble” indicates an older liturgical classification meaning the day has its own prayers and readings but allows certain antiphons or parts of the feast to be used; in plain terms, it is a meaningful celebration without displacing all ordinary weekday observances.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Isa. 65:19; 65:23
I will rejoice in Jerusalem and exult in My people. No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there, or the sound of crying. My elect shall not toil in vain, nor beget children for sudden destruction; for a race blessed by the Lord are they and their offspring.
Ps 43:2
O God, our ears have heard, our fathers have declared to us, the deeds You did in their days.
Glory Be to the Father…

O God, Who, through the zeal of blessed Boniface, Your Martyr and Bishop, graciously called a multitude of people to the knowledge of Your name, mercifully grant that we who keep his feast may also enjoy his patronage.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus,
I believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love Thee above all things,
and I desire to receive Thee into my soul.

Since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace Thee as if Thou wert already there,
and unite myself wholly to Thee.

Never permit me to be separated from Thee. Amen.

Weekly Formation

Commandment 6

The Ten Commandments

Be faithful in marriage and respect God’s gift of the body.
The Sixth Commandment guards fidelity in marriage and the holiness of God’s gift of the body. It requires purity appropriate to each state of life, respect for personal boundaries, and faithful conduct in thought, word, and action.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebrationCalendar title

Day 2 within the Octave of Corpus Christi

A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.

Commemoration

Boniface

St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire

Born: 0675-00-00 · Crediton
Died: 0754-06-05 · Dokkum

Boniface was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of Francia during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations of the church in Germany and was made Archbishop of Mainz by Pope Gregory III. He was martyred in Frisia in 754, along with 52 others, and his remains were returned to Fulda, where they rest in a sarcophagus which remains a site of Christian pilgrimage.

Customs & Fasting

No traditional fast · Complete abstinence

Traditional Friday complete abstinence.

Today in Church History

Death of Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo
1849Founding
Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, founder of the Little House of Divine Providence, died on April 30, 1842. He was known for his charitable works, especially in caring for the sick and poor in Turin, Italy.
Saints like Cottolengo inspire us to serve the marginalized with love and compassion.
Election of Pope Clement V
1305Papal
Pope Clement V was elected on June 5, 1305. His papacy marked the beginning of the Avignon Papacy, where the papal court moved to Avignon, France, significantly impacting the Church's political and spiritual influence.
Even in times of political turmoil, the Church seeks to maintain its spiritual mission.
Martyrdom of Saint Boniface
754Martyrdom
Saint Boniface, known as the Apostle of the Germans, was martyred on June 5, 754, while on a mission in Frisia. His efforts were crucial in the Christianization of Germany and the reform of the Frankish Church.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

As we reflect together, the many names for the Eucharist reveal the inexhaustible richness of this sacrament. It is Eucharist, an action of thanksgiving to God for his works of creation, redemption, and sanctification. As the Lord’s Supper, it recalls the supper Jesus shared with his disciples before his Passion and anticipates the wedding feast of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem. In the Breaking of Bread, those who receive the one broken bread, Christ, enter into communion with him and become one body in him. The Eucharist is also the memorial of the Lord’s Passion and Resurrection and the Holy Sacrifice, making present Christ’s one sacrifice and including the Church’s offering. At Holy Mass, the faithful are sent forth to fulfill God’s will in their daily lives.

At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are bread and wine, which, through the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become his Body and Blood. As we gather in faith, we remember the Last Supper, Christ’s death and Resurrection, and the new Passover fulfilled in him. In the Offertory, the Church gives thanks to the Creator for the gifts of bread and wine, fruits of the earth, the vine, and human hands. The Eucharist is a pledge of Christ’s love, given so that he may never depart from his own and may make them sharers in his Passover. Though this mystery can be difficult and even a stumbling block, the Lord lovingly invites us to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist—and so to receive the Lord himself.

Baptism is the sacrament of faith and the source of new life in Christ, from which the whole Christian life begins. Faith is received and grows within the community of the Church, and after Baptism it is called to develop. Parents, godparents, and the whole ecclesial community share responsibility for helping the baptized—children and adults alike—grow in faith and for safeguarding the grace given in Baptism. The Church teaches that Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have received the Gospel and can ask for it, while trusting God’s mercy for those who desire Baptism but cannot receive it, including catechumens who die before Baptism. For children who die without Baptism, the Church entrusts them to God’s mercy and hopes in his saving love. For Catholic families, these teachings encourage us to nurture faith at home, support the baptized on their Christian path, and not prevent little children from coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.

Today's Mass Readings

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

Day 2 within the Octave of Corpus Christi

Understanding the Day

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Collect

Weekly Prayer

Act of Spiritual Communion

Weekly Formation

Commandment 6

The Ten Commandments

Saint & Feast

Day 2 within the Octave of Corpus Christi

Boniface

Customs & Fasting

Today in Church History

Death of Saint Joseph Benedict Cottolengo

Election of Pope Clement V

Martyrdom of Saint Boniface

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Today's Mass Readings

Baltimore Catechism No. 3