Catholic Family Devotions

Understanding the Day

Season

Time After Pentecost

Week

Week 23 of Time After Pentecost

Rank

Simple feast

The season “Time after Pentecost” (also called Ordinary Time in some calendars) is the portion of the Church year when the community lives out the growth and mission begun at Pentecost. It focuses on the daily and ongoing life of faith, Christian discipleship, and the work of the Church in the world. The rank “Simple” indicates a liturgical celebration that is observed with modest prominence: there may be special prayers, readings, or a collect for the saint, but it does not displace higher-ranking Sundays or solemnities. No octave or vigil is attached to this feast in the given context, so the observance is a one-day commemoration within the ongoing season.

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

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 celebration

Evaristus

St. Evaristus, Pope and Martyr

5th Pope of the Catholic Church from c. 99 to c. 107

Born: 0100-00-00 · Antioch
Died: 0105-00-00 · Rome

Pope Evaristus was the bishop of Rome from c. 99/100 to his death in 107/108. He was also known as Aristus and is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, and Oriental Orthodoxy. It is likely that John the Apostle died during his reign period, marking the end of the Apostolic Age.

Learn more about Evaristus

Today in Church History

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

Catechism

Catechism of the Catholic Church

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.

The Catholic Church teaches that large families reflect God's blessings and parental generosity, emphasizing the beauty of welcoming children into the world. Couples facing infertility often experience deep sorrow, mirroring biblical figures like Abraham and Rachel who longed for children. While research to help overcome sterility is encouraged, it must respect human dignity and the sanctity of marriage. Techniques that separate the marital act from procreation, such as artificial insemination involving third parties, are morally unacceptable as they undermine the unity and rights of parents and children. Ultimately, a child is a precious gift, not a possession, and couples should embrace the potential for spiritual growth through their struggles, possibly through adoption or service to others, aligning their hearts with God's will.

¶ 2368

A particular aspect of this responsibility concerns the regulation of procreation. For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children. It is their duty to make certain that their desire is not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the generosity appropriate to responsible parenthood. Moreover, they should conform their behavior to the objective criteria of morality:

Today's Mass Readings

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