Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Ascensiontide

Week

Week 1 of Ascensiontide

Rank

Feast

Eastertide is the fifty-day season from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, a time the Church celebrates the risen Christ and the new life he brings. A feast in this season focuses our prayer on the joy and hope of resurrection. The rank “Double” is an older liturgical classification meaning this celebration is observed with particular liturgical importance: special propers (texts) are used at Mass and the Office, and the day takes precedence over ordinary weekday observances. There is no octave or vigil information beyond the seasonal placement given here.

Daily Prayer

The Introit for this day has not yet been generated.

Weekly Prayer

Weekly prayer content will appear here once it is scheduled.

Weekly Formation

Commandment 2

The Ten Commandments

Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
The Second Commandment protects the holiness of God’s name and everything specially dedicated to Him. It forbids using sacred names carelessly or falsely and requires reverence in oaths, vows, prayer, and speech about holy things.

Saint & Feast

Principal celebration

Stanislaus

St. Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr

Polish Catholic bishop, saint, the principal patron of Poland

Born: 1030-07-26 · Szczepanów, Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Died: 1079-04-11 · Kraków

Stanislaus of Szczepanów was a Polish Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Kraków and was martyred by the Polish King Bolesław II the Bold. He is the patron saint of Poland.

Learn more about Stanislaus

CommemorationCalendar title

Day 2 within the Octave of the Ascension

Customs & Fasting

No traditional fast · Complete abstinence

Traditional Friday complete abstinence.

Today in Church History

No Church history reflection has been prepared for this date yet.

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

In the Christian liturgy, the Paschal mystery of Christ is celebrated and made present through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At the heart of the sacramental celebrations, especially the Eucharist, the epiclesis invokes the Father to send the Holy Spirit so that the offerings may become the Body and Blood of Christ and the faithful may become a living offering to God. The Spirit brings us into communion with Christ, forms us as his Body, and bears the fruits of communion with the Holy Trinity and with one another. As we pray and participate together, the Church asks that the Spirit transform our lives into the image of Christ, strengthen her unity, and lead us to witness and serve through charity. In the liturgy, we also anticipate the fullness of communion with the Holy Trinity and take part, even now, in the mystery of salvation.

¶ 1104

Christian liturgy not only recalls the events that saved us but actualizes them, makes them present. the Paschal mystery of Christ is celebrated, not repeated. It is the celebrations that are repeated, and in each celebration there is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that makes the unique mystery present.

¶ 1105

The Epiclesis ("invocation upon") is the intercession in which the priest begs the Father to send the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, so that the offerings may become the body and blood of Christ and that the faithful by receiving them, may themselves become a living offering to God.

Today's Mass Readings

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