Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 26 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Feast

St. Clement, Pope and Martyr is celebrated in Ordinary Time after Pentecost. This season focuses on the life and mission of the Church, following the Easter mystery and the sending of the Holy Spirit. The rank “Double” is an older liturgical term indicating a fully observed feast with its own prayers and readings; in family terms, it means this day has particular importance in the community’s prayer life and liturgy, more than an optional memorial. There is no octave or vigil noted here, so the celebration is observed on the single calendar day.

Introit (Daily Prayer)

Isa 59:21; 56:7
The Lord says, My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth; and your gifts shall be accepted upon My altar.
Ps 111:1
Happy the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commands.
Glory Be to the Father…

Commemoration St. Felicity
We humbly beseech You, almighty God, that by the intercession of Your Saints, You will multiply Your gifts in us and direct the course of our lives.
Through our Lord…

Weekly Prayer

Weekly prayer content will appear here once it is scheduled.

Weekly Formation

Faith and Charity

Sins Against the Theological Virtues

Resisting or attacking the known truth
Resisting known truth means opposing a truth recognized as coming from God because accepting it would require conversion or surrender. The sin lies not in honest difficulty or inquiry, but in a willful refusal of light already understood.
Envy at another’s spiritual good
Envy of another’s spiritual good is sadness or resentment at the grace, virtue, holiness, or service of God found in someone else. It is especially contrary to charity because it grieves over the very good by which God is honored and souls are helped.

The Theological Virtues

Faith
Faith is the infused virtue by which the mind firmly assents to the truths God has revealed because He can neither deceive nor be deceived. It rests on God’s authority and gives the foundation by which the believer knows Him and orders life toward Him.
Charity
Charity is the infused virtue by which God is loved above all things for His own sake and one’s neighbor is loved for God. It gives supernatural life to the other virtues by directing the whole person toward friendship with God and eternal union with Him.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Clement I

St. Clement, Pope and Martyr

4th Pope of the Catholic Church

Born: 0100-00-00 · Rome
Died: 0099-00-00 · Chersonesus

Clement of Rome, also known as Pope Clement I, was the Bishop of Rome in the late first century. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church.

Learn more about Clement I

Commemoration

Seven Holy Brothers

St. Felicity, Martyr

Today in Church History

The Manchester Martyrs: A Symbol of Irish Nationalism
1867Martyrdom
The Manchester Martyrs, executed for their role in freeing Irish Republican Brotherhood members, are viewed by many in the Catholic community as martyrs for the cause of Irish nationalism. Their actions and subsequent martyrdom resonate with the Catholic faith's emphasis on sacrifice and justice, reflecting the struggles faced by Irish Catholics in the 19th century.
Their sacrifice inspires reflection on the call to stand for justice and faith amidst persecution.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism teaches that the Temple educated the People of God in prayer through pilgrimages, feasts, sacrifices, and other signs of God’s holiness and closeness. Yet external worship alone was not enough: the people needed faith and conversion of heart, a mission carried out by the prophets. Elijah especially shows sincere prayer, faith in God’s Word, and powerful intercession, while the prophets’ prayer remains attentive to God’s Word and awaits the saving action of the Lord.

The Psalms, the Old Testament’s masterwork of prayer, express prayer for oneself and for others. They are both personal and communal, recalling God’s saving deeds and promises while awaiting the Messiah. In Christ, who prayed and fulfilled them, the Psalms remain essential to the prayer of the Church. Their hymns, laments, thanksgivings, and praises give voice to the many experiences of believers and continue to teach us how to pray.

Prayer is the raising of our minds and hearts to God and the asking of good things from Him. God tirelessly calls each person into this mysterious encounter, and prayer unfolds throughout salvation history as a reciprocal call between God and humanity. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets show us prayer marked by faith, trust in God’s faithfulness, perseverance, conversion of heart, and intercession for others. The Psalms are the masterwork of Old Testament prayer, bringing together personal and communal prayer as they recall God’s fulfilled promises and await the Messiah. Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms remain an essential and permanent part of the Church’s prayer, suitable for people of every condition and time.

¶ 2584

In their "one to one" encounters with God, the prophets draw light and strength for their mission. Their prayer is not flight from this unfaithful world, but rather attentiveness to the Word of God. At times their prayer is an argument or a complaint, but it is always an intercession that awaits and prepares for the intervention of the Savior God, the Lord of history.

Today's Mass Readings

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