Understanding the Day
Season
Ascensiontide
Week
Week 1 of Ascensiontide
Rank
First-class feast
Ascension of the Lord falls in Ascensiontide, the week after Easter that focuses on Christ’s return to the Father and the unfolding of the Church’s mission. There is no octave specified here, but its placement in the first week of Ascensiontide means the readings and prayers of the season shape the day.
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 5
The Ten Commandments
Thou shalt not kill.
The Fifth Commandment protects human life because every person is made by God and belongs ultimately to Him. It forbids unjust killing and deliberate injury, and it also condemns hatred, revenge, and conduct that recklessly endangers oneself or another.
Saint & Feast
Principal celebrationCalendar title
Ascension of the Lord
A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.
Today in Church History
No Church history reflection has been prepared for this date yet.
Catechism
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Catechism teaches that every person who has not yet been baptized may receive Baptism. Where the Gospel is newly proclaimed, adult Baptism is common, and the catechumenate has an important place in preparing adults to receive God’s gift in Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. This formation helps catechumens’ conversion and faith mature within the Church, introducing them to Christian life, faith, liturgy, charity, and the practice of the evangelical virtues through successive sacred rites. Catechumens are already joined to the Church and are embraced with love and care.
Children also need the new birth of Baptism because they are born with a fallen human nature and original sin. In Baptism, they are freed from the power of darkness and brought into the freedom of God’s children. The Church encourages parents to have their children baptized shortly after birth, recognizing both the priceless grace offered to the child and parents’ role as nurturers of the life God has entrusted to them. Infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church, with explicit testimony from the second century onward.
Children also need the new birth of Baptism because they are born with a fallen human nature and original sin. In Baptism, they are freed from the power of darkness and brought into the freedom of God’s children. The Church encourages parents to have their children baptized shortly after birth, recognizing both the priceless grace offered to the child and parents’ role as nurturers of the life God has entrusted to them. Infant Baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church, with explicit testimony from the second century onward.
Baptism is the sacrament of faith and the source of new life in Christ, from which the whole Christian life begins. Faith is received and grows within the community of the Church, and after Baptism it is called to develop. Parents, godparents, and the whole ecclesial community share responsibility for helping the baptized—children and adults alike—grow in faith and for safeguarding the grace given in Baptism. The Church teaches that Baptism is necessary for salvation for those who have received the Gospel and can ask for it, while trusting God’s mercy for those who desire Baptism but cannot receive it, including catechumens who die before Baptism. For children who die without Baptism, the Church entrusts them to God’s mercy and hopes in his saving love. For Catholic families, these teachings encourage us to nurture faith at home, support the baptized on their Christian path, and not prevent little children from coming to Christ through the gift of holy Baptism.