Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 4 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Simple feast

The Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is a simple, family-friendly observance that prepares us to celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, a key figure who points to Christ. The rank “Simple” indicates a modest liturgical importance: it is recognized in the Church’s calendar and celebrated with prayer and remembrance, but it does not carry the extended rites of higher-ranking solemnities or feasts. There is no octave attached to this observance here; its primary purpose is preparation. This vigil matters because it helps households enter more deliberately into the mystery of John’s role in salvation history and to reflect on themes of witness, repentance, and pointing others toward Christ as the community celebrates his nativity the next day.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Luke 1:13; 1:15; 1:14
Do not be afraid, Zachary, your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John; and he shall be great before the Lord, and shall be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb; and many will rejoice at his birth.
Ps 20:2
O Lord, in Your strength the king is glad; in Your victory how greatly he rejoices.
Glory Be to the Father…

Grant, we beseech You, almighty God, that Your household may walk in the way of salvation and, by following the counsels of blessed John the Herald, safely come to our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Whom he foretold.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father…

Weekly Prayer

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.

Weekly Formation

Commandment 9

The Ten Commandments

Thou shalt not covet another person’s spouse.
The Ninth Commandment guards purity and marital fidelity within the heart, where deliberate desires begin. It distinguishes an unwanted temptation from a chosen desire and forbids willingly entertaining thoughts that would violate another person or another marriage.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Nativity of John the Baptist

Vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The Nativity of John the Baptist celebrates the birth of John as narrated in the Gospel of Luke.

The Nativity of John the Baptist celebrates the birth of John as narrated in the Gospel of Luke. The feast is observed on June 24, six months before Christmas in the liturgical calendar.

Learn more about Nativity of John the Baptist

Today in Church History

Martyrdom of Saint John Fisher
1535Martyrdom
Saint John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, was executed for refusing to accept King Henry VIII as the Supreme Head of the Church of England, remaining loyal to the Pope.
Standing firm in faith can lead to the ultimate sacrifice.
Encyclical Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae Issued
1894Doctrine
Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Praeclara Gratulationis Publicae, addressing the unity of Christianity and calling for the reunion of Eastern Orthodox Churches with the Roman Catholic Church.
Unity among Christians reflects the unity of the Body of Christ.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism teaches that every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive Confirmation. Along with Baptism and the Eucharist, Confirmation belongs to the unity of Christian initiation; without Confirmation and Eucharist, initiation remains incomplete. In the Latin tradition, the age of discretion is the usual reference point, though children in danger of death should be confirmed even before that age. Confirmation preparation helps candidates grow in closer union with Christ, deeper familiarity with the Holy Spirit, and readiness for the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. Candidates should prepare through Penance and more intense prayer, and may fittingly seek the spiritual help of a sponsor, ideally a baptismal godparent. The parish community has a special responsibility in preparing confirmands. In the Latin Rite, the bishop is the ordinary minister of Confirmation, showing the sacrament’s close connection with the Church’s apostolic origins and mission to bear witness to Christ.

Confirmation perfects the grace received at Baptism, giving the Holy Spirit to root us more deeply in our divine filiation, strengthen our union with Christ and the Church, and help us witness to the Christian faith through both words and deeds. It seals the Christian with an indelible spiritual mark and can therefore be received only once. In the Eastern tradition, Confirmation is given immediately after Baptism and followed by the Eucharist, highlighting the unity of Christian initiation. When Confirmation is celebrated separately from Baptism, the renewal of baptismal promises expresses its close connection with Baptism. Candidates who have reached the age of reason are called to profess the faith, be in the state of grace, intend to receive the sacrament, and prepare to live as disciples and witnesses of Christ in the Church and in the world.

¶ 1311

Today's Mass Readings

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