Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 20 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Feast

This celebration falls in the Time after Pentecost, the long season of the Church year when families reflect on the life of the Church, the growth of Christian charity, and the call to follow Christ in everyday life. No octave or vigil is indicated here, so the observance is for the single day named.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Cant 2:3
I rest in His shadow Whom I desire, and His fruit is sweet to my mouth.
Ps 83:2-3
How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord.
Glory Be to the Father…

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who wondrously revealed the unsearchable riches of Your Heart to blessed Margaret Mary, the Virgin, grant us, by her merits and through imitating her, to love You in all things and above all things, so that we may be found worthy to possess a lasting dwelling place in Your Heart itself.
Who livest…

Weekly Prayer

Weekly prayer content will appear here once it is scheduled.

Weekly Formation

Disordered Desire and Chastity

The Way of Darkness

Disordered Desire
This capital vice is disordered desire for bodily intimacy outside faithful marriage or apart from the duties of one’s state in life. It treats persons or the body as objects of appetite rather than gifts entrusted to faithful love, purity, and responsibility.

The Way of Light

Chastity
Chastity is the virtue that orders the gift of the body and its powers according to God’s design and one’s state in life. It preserves personal dignity, faithful love, and rightful boundaries by bringing desire under reason, grace, and charity.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Margaret Mary Alacoque

St. Marguerite-Marie Alacoque, Virgin

Catholic Saint and Mystic (1647-1690)

Born: 1647-07-22 · Verosvres
Died: 1690-10-17 · Paray-le-Monial

Margaret Mary Alacoque was a French Visitation nun and mystic who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.

Learn more about Margaret Mary Alacoque

Today in Church History

The Theft of Caravaggio's Nativity Painting
1969Event
In 1969, the theft of Caravaggio's 'Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence' from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo marked a significant loss for the Catholic artistic heritage. This event highlights the intersection of art, faith, and the ongoing challenges faced by the Church in preserving its cultural treasures.
The loss of sacred art reminds us of the importance of safeguarding our spiritual heritage.
First State Visit by a British Monarch to the Vatican
1980Event
In 1980, Queen Elizabeth II made history by becoming the first British monarch to visit the Vatican. This visit marked a significant moment in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the United Kingdom, reflecting a growing dialogue and reconciliation between the two institutions.
This event underscores the importance of dialogue and reconciliation in fostering unity among Christians.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism teaches that scientific, medical, and psychological experiments can contribute to healing the sick and advancing public health. Science and technology are valuable resources when they serve the human person and the good of all, yet they cannot by themselves reveal the meaning of life or human progress. They must always respect fundamental moral criteria, the dignity and rights of every person, and God’s plan (CCC 2292-2295). Experimentation must never involve acts contrary to human dignity or the moral law, disproportionate or avoidable risks, or a lack of informed consent. Organ donation after death can be a noble and meritorious gift of solidarity when explicit consent has been given (CCC 2296). Families can lovingly care for relatives who are dying through attention, prayer, and timely access to the sacraments. They are also encouraged to treat the bodies of the dead with respect and charity through burial, in faith and hope in the resurrection; cremation is permitted when it does not deny this faith (CCC 2299-2301).

In these paragraphs, the Catechism teaches that peace is rooted in charity, justice, respect for human dignity, and the safeguarding of human life. Murderous anger, deliberate hatred, and the desire for revenge are contrary to charity, while Christ calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Peace is more than the absence of war: it is the tranquillity of order, born from justice and charity. Christ is our peace, and he blesses peacemakers. As we pray and live these teachings, we can ask for hearts that reject hatred and seek the good of others. Those who renounce violence and bloodshed while safeguarding human rights through means available to the weakest bear witness to evangelical charity, provided they respect the rights and obligations of others.

Today's Mass Readings

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