Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 5 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

First-class feast

Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles is celebrated in the season called Time after Pentecost, the part of the Church year when we live out the mission given at Pentecost. This feast honors the two principal apostles: Peter, the shepherd and visible source of unity, and Paul, the missionary to the Gentiles. The rank “Double of the I Class” signals a principal feast of the universal Church: liturgically it outranks ordinary memorials and solemnities and calls for fuller celebration in Mass and the Divine Office. In this calendar system the day is observed as a major feast rather than an optional commemoration; where octaves or vigils apply they are indicated by the calendar, but none is required beyond the celebration itself unless your local liturgical books specify otherwise.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Acts 12:11
Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and rescued me from the power of Herod, and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.
Ps 138:1-2
O Lord, You have probed me and You know me; You know when I sit and when I stand.
Glory Be to the Father…

O God, Who made this day holy by the martyrdom of Your Apostles Peter and Paul, grant Your Church to follow in all things the teaching of those from whom she first received the faith.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Act of Faith

O my God, I firmly believe that Thou art one God in Three Divine Persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

I believe that Thy Divine Son became Man, and died for our sins, and that He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because Thou hast revealed them, Who canst neither deceive nor be deceived.

Weekly Formation

Commandment 10

The Ten Commandments

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
The Tenth Commandment governs desire for possessions and calls the heart to contentment and justice. It forbids wishing to obtain another’s goods wrongfully or resenting another’s prosperity, while still allowing honest work to improve one’s condition.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles

anniversary

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Christian origin, the date selected being the anniversary of either their death or the translation of their relics.

Learn more about Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Today in Church History

1170 Earthquake in Syria and Its Impact
1170Event
The 1170 earthquake in Syria significantly affected towns like Hama and Shaizar, as well as important structures such as the cathedral of St. Peter in Antioch. This event underscores the vulnerability of the region's physical heritage and the resilience of the local community in the face of natural disasters.
Natural disasters remind us of our reliance on God's providence and the importance of community support.
Sverre Crowned King of Norway and Excommunication
1194Event
Sverre Sigurdsson was crowned King of Norway in 1194, but the exact date of June 29 is not traditionally associated with his coronation. His excommunication by the Catholic Church occurred due to conflicts with the Church, highlighting the tension between secular rulers and ecclesiastical authority during the medieval period.
The struggle for power reminds us of the importance of humility and obedience to God's will.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The sacrament of confession invites us to face our sins honestly, take responsibility for them, and open ourselves again to God and to the communion of the Church, making a new future possible (CCC 1455). Confession of all mortal sins of which we are conscious after diligent self-examination is an essential part of the sacrament, and those aware of mortal sin ordinarily must receive sacramental absolution before receiving Holy Communion (CCC 1456-1457). Although confession of venial sins is not strictly necessary, the Church strongly recommends it because regular confession helps form our conscience, resist evil tendencies, receive Christ’s healing, and grow in the life of the Spirit (CCC 1458). True repentance also includes doing what we can to repair harm done to our neighbor and accepting penance that seeks our spiritual good. Through prayer, works of mercy, service, self-denial, sacrifice, and patient acceptance of the cross, we are configured more closely to Christ (CCC 1459-1460).

The Catechism teaches that Christ entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the apostles, and that bishops and priests continue this ministry through the sacrament of Penance. Forgiveness of sins brings reconciliation with God and with the Church. The faithful are encouraged to come to this sacrament, and priests are to make themselves available when Christians reasonably ask for it. In confession, the priest serves as a sign and instrument of God’s merciful love, seeking to guide the penitent patiently toward healing. Families can take comfort in knowing that priests are bound by absolute secrecy regarding sins confessed, so that what is shared in confession remains sealed by the sacrament.

Today's Mass Readings

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