Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Rank

First-class feast

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King is celebrated at the end of the liturgical year in the Time after Pentecost to focus our minds on Christ’s sovereignty over all creation and history. There is no octave or vigil required beyond the usual norms for great feasts unless the local calendar adds one, so preparations are liturgical and devotional rather than extended by eight days. This celebration matters because it gathers Christians to acknowledge that every aspect of life—work, family, politics, and faith—falls under Christ’s loving rule.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Apoc 5:12; 1:6
Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.
Ps 71:1
O God, with Your judgment endow the King and with Your justice, the King's son.
Glory Be to the Father…

Almighty and eternal God, Who willed to restore all things in Your beloved Son, the King of the Universe, graciously grant that the peoples of the earth torn asunder by the wound of sin, may submit to His most gentle rule.
Who livest and reignest with God the Father…

Weekly Prayer

Weekly prayer content will appear here once it is scheduled.

Weekly Formation

Gluttony and Temperance

The Way of Darkness

Gluttony
Gluttony is an unreasonable attachment to eating, drinking, or similar bodily satisfactions. Its disorder lies not simply in quantity but in allowing appetite to rule reason, damage health or duty, or place bodily pleasure above the good of the soul.

The Way of Light

Temperance
Temperance moderates attraction to pleasure and keeps the use of created goods within the order of reason. It does not condemn bodily goods, but prevents appetite from ruling the person or crowding out health, duty, charity, and spiritual good.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebrationCalendar title

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.

CommemorationCalendar title

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.

Today in Church History

Declaration of Teresa of Ávila as Doctor of the Church
1970Doctrine
On October 25, 1970, Pope Paul VI declared Teresa of Ávila a Doctor of the Church, recognizing her profound contributions to Christian mysticism and spirituality.
Teresa of Ávila's teachings guide us to a deeper union with God through prayer.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism teaches that homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law and cannot be approved (CCC 2357). At the same time, men and women with deep-seated homosexual tendencies are to be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity, and every sign of unjust discrimination should be avoided (CCC 2358). Homosexual persons are called to chastity and can grow toward Christian perfection through self-mastery, disinterested friendship, prayer, and sacramental grace (CCC 2359). Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman; in marriage, the spouses’ physical intimacy signifies and pledges their spiritual communion (CCC 2360). This self-giving love is lived through the acts proper and exclusive to spouses, within their total commitment to one another until death (CCC 2361). The spouses’ union serves both their own good and the transmission of life, calling conjugal love to fidelity and fecundity (CCC 2363).

The Catechism emphasizes that marriage is a sacred covenant established by God, where spouses unite as one through their irrevocable consent and commitment to one another. This bond calls for fidelity, mirroring God's faithfulness, and highlights the importance of open-hearted love that naturally seeks to be fruitful in welcoming children. Married couples are invited to embrace their role as co-creators with God, responsibly transmitting life and nurturing their children, while also recognizing the moral dimensions of family planning. Ultimately, the Church teaches that the sacredness of marriage and family life should guide families in making choices that align with their divine mission, fostering a loving and responsible environment for future generations.

Today's Mass Readings

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

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

Understanding the Day

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Collect

Weekly Prayer

Weekly Formation

Gluttony and Temperance

The Way of Darkness

The Way of Light

Saint & Feast

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost

Today in Church History

Declaration of Teresa of Ávila as Doctor of the Church

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Today's Mass Readings

Baltimore Catechism No. 3