Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 6 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Feast

The season “Time after Pentecost” follows the Easter and Pentecost celebrations and covers much of the Church’s ordinary life. There is no octave or vigil indicated here, so the family celebration is properly observed on the day itself.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Ps 131:9-10
May Your priests, O Lord, be clothed with justice; let Your faithful ones shout merrily for joy. For the sake of David, Your servant, reject not the plea of Your anointed. (Allelúja, allelúja.)
Ps 131:1
Remember, O Lord, David and all his meekness.
Glory Be to the Father…

Almighty, eternal God, Who granted to the Slavonic people that they should come to the knowledge of your name through Your blessed Confessors and Bishops, Cyril and Methodius, grant that, as we glory in their festival, we may be joined with them in fellowship.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Act of Hope

O my God, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.

Weekly Formation

The Two Greatest Commandments

You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul and with all your mind.
To love God with the whole heart, soul, and mind is to prefer Him above every created good and to order the whole life toward Him. This love includes worship, obedience, trust, and the willing acceptance of His truth and commandments.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
To love one’s neighbor as oneself is to desire and seek the neighbor’s true good for the love of God. Every human person is a neighbor in this sense, and this charity excludes both deliberate harm and indifference to another’s genuine need.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Cyril and Methodius

Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Bishops and Confessors

9th-century Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries

Cyril and Methodius were brothers, Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".

Learn more about Cyril and Methodius

Today in Church History

Fall of Tyre during the Venetian Crusade (1124)
1124Event
The capture of Tyre by the Venetian Crusade in 1124 marked a significant moment in the history of the Crusades, showcasing the Catholic Church's influence in the military and political efforts to reclaim the Holy Land. This event not only strengthened Christian presence in the region but also highlighted the collaboration between the Church and European powers.
The fall of Tyre reminds us of the enduring commitment to faith and the pursuit of peace in the face of adversity.
Joan of Arc's Acquittal: A Historic Retrial
1456Martyrdom
In 1456, Joan of Arc was posthumously acquitted of heresy, 25 years after her execution, highlighting the Church's recognition of her martyrdom and the injustices she faced. This event marked a significant moment in the Church's history, as it reaffirmed Joan's sanctity and role as a national heroine of France.
Joan's story reminds us of the power of faith and the importance of justice in the eyes of God.
Canonization of Mother Francesca S. Cabrini
1946

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Anointing of the Sick is not only for those at the point of death. It is fitting for a faithful person to receive it when sickness or old age brings danger of death. If someone recovers and later faces another grave illness, or if the same illness becomes more serious, the sacrament may be received again. It is also fitting before a serious operation and when an elderly person’s frailty becomes more pronounced. Only priests administer this sacrament, while family, friends, and the whole Church can encourage the sick to call for a priest and surround them with prayer and fraternal care. Celebrated as a liturgical and communal prayer, sometimes in connection with Penance and the Eucharist, it includes the Liturgy of the Word, the priest’s laying on of hands, prayer in the faith of the Church, and anointing with blessed oil. These prayers and actions ask the Lord for the strength of his Spirit and indicate the grace given to the sick.

The Anointing of the Sick is a profound sacrament that gives spiritual strength, peace, and courage to those facing serious illness or the frailty of old age. Through this sacrament, the sick are strengthened to unite themselves more closely to Christ’s Passion, so that suffering becomes a participation in Jesus’ saving work. The sacrament also serves the whole Church: the Church intercedes for the sick, and those who freely unite themselves to Christ’s passion and death contribute to the good and sanctification of God’s people. For those nearing the end of earthly life, Anointing prepares them for their final journey and strengthens them for the last struggles before entering the Father’s house. The Church also offers the Eucharist as viaticum, Communion for this passing over to the Father, as a seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection. In times of illness and frailty, this sacrament invites the faithful to place their trust in God and receive the Lord’s help.

¶ 1517

Today's Mass Readings

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

Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Bishops and Confessors

Understanding the Day

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Collect

Weekly Prayer

Act of Hope

Weekly Formation

The Two Greatest Commandments

The Two Greatest Commandments

Saint & Feast

Cyril and Methodius

Today in Church History

Fall of Tyre during the Venetian Crusade (1124)

Joan of Arc's Acquittal: A Historic Retrial

Canonization of Mother Francesca S. Cabrini

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Today's Mass Readings

Baltimore Catechism No. 3