Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 2 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Feast

This feast falls in Ordinary Time after Pentecost, a season focused on the growth of the Church and the Christian life following the descent of the Holy Spirit. In plain terms, the rank “Double” indicates a liturgical celebration of notable importance: it is more solemn than everyday memorials and requires the proper prayers, readings, and liturgical colors for the saint. There is no octave or vigil specified here, so the celebration is observed on its appointed day without extended octave observance.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Sir 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. (Allelúja, allelúja.)
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…

May the solemn feast of blessed Anthony, Your Confessor and Doctor, make Your Church rejoice, O God, so that, ever sustained by spiritual help, she may deserve to reap everlasting joy.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Prayer to the Holy Family

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
bless us and grant us the grace
to love and serve God faithfully,
to honor one another with patience and charity,
and to make our home a dwelling place of peace.

Holy Family of Nazareth,
help us to grow in faith, hope, and love.
Guide our work, our rest, our words, and our choices,
so that in all things we may seek the will of God.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
pray for us and protect our family. Amen.

Weekly Formation

Commandment 7

The Ten Commandments

Thou shalt not steal.
The Seventh Commandment protects another person’s rightful goods and the justice owed in work, trade, promises, and contracts. It forbids taking, keeping, damaging, or using what belongs to another without right and requires restitution when an injustice can be repaired.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony of Padua, Confessor

Anthony of Padua was a Portuguese Franciscan friar and priest renowned for preaching and knowledge of Scripture.

Anthony of Padua was a Portuguese Franciscan friar and priest renowned for preaching and knowledge of Scripture. He died on June 13, 1231, was canonized in 1232, and was later declared a Doctor of the Church.

Learn more about Anthony of Padua

CommemorationCalendar title

Day 2 within the Octave of the Sacred Heart

Today in Church History

Marriage of Charles I and Henrietta Maria
1625Event
The marriage of King Charles I to Henrietta Maria, a Catholic princess, was significant as it highlighted the tensions between Catholicism and Protestantism in England during the 17th century. This union had implications for the royal family's relationship with the Catholic Church and contributed to the political and religious conflicts leading to the English Civil War.
The union exemplifies the importance of faith in personal and political alliances.
Martin Luther's Marriage and Its Impact on Catholicism
1525Schism Heresy
In 1525, Martin Luther's marriage to Katharina von Bora marked a significant departure from the Catholic Church's teachings on clerical celibacy. This event not only highlighted the growing rift between Protestant reformers and the Catholic Church but also challenged long-held traditions regarding the priesthood, influencing the future of Christian practice.
The event reminds us of the importance of fidelity to Church teachings and the challenges posed by personal choices.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Eucharist is the Lord’s invitation to receive him in the sacrament, for he tells us that unless we eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, we have no life in us. As we prepare for this holy moment, we are called to examine our consciences and, if aware of grave sin, to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before Communion. With humble and ardent faith, we can echo the Centurion: “Lord, I am not worthy.” We also prepare by observing the required fast and by showing respect, solemnity, and joy in our gestures and clothing as Christ becomes our guest. The Church warmly encourages the faithful who are properly disposed to receive Communion whenever they participate in Mass, especially on Sundays and feast days, and even more often.

Receiving Holy Communion deepens our union with Christ, who invites us to abide in him and live because of him. This sacred nourishment strengthens, preserves, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism, sustaining us on our Christian pilgrimage. The Eucharist also separates us from sin: Christ’s gift of himself cleanses us from past sins, strengthens our charity, and helps us resist breaking away from him through mortal sin. As we receive Communion, we are encouraged to grow in Christ’s friendship and root our lives more deeply in him.

Baptism incorporates believers into the Body of Christ and the Church, making them members of the one People of God. The baptized become “living stones” in a spiritual house, sharing in Christ’s priesthood and his prophetic and royal mission, and are called to proclaim the wonderful deeds of God. Baptism brings both gifts and responsibilities: the baptized may receive the sacraments, be nourished by God’s Word, and receive the Church’s spiritual helps; they are also called to serve others in the Church’s communion, profess their faith, and take part in the apostolic and missionary activity of God’s people. Baptism also unites all who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized in a real, though sometimes imperfect, communion. Sealed with an indelible mark of belonging to Christ, Christians are committed to worship, holy lives, and practical charity.

Today's Mass Readings

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