A few months back I was staring at my ‘Divine Mercy Calendar’ which hangs on the back of the toilet door, like I do every day at some point or another, and I learnt something.
Forgive me if I am way behind the curve here, but I just noticed that every month is dedicated to a devotion! I thought that was pretty cool. Furthermore, reading “The Little Oratory” this past month in our YCM book club, I learnt that not only do we have monthly devotions in the Catholic Church, we also have daily ones too. I am constantly amazed at what I didn’t know about this beautiful church. As that old saying goes “the more you learn the more you realise how much you don’t know”! Anyway we have a deep a beautiful faith and I am always so excited to learn more about it and delve deeper into its mysteries!
For your convenience I have shared my findings below!
The Devotions for the Days of the Week:
(Taken from “The Little Oratory” ~ David Clayton & Leila Lawler, Chapter 7 )
“Sunday – the Resurrection, the Trinity. Sunday is a day of rest and a “little Easter” – a celebration of the Resurrection and Redemption.
Monday – the Holy Spirit; the souls in Purgatory. We should pray for our beloved dead and the dead who have no one to pray for them (2 Macc. 12:46).
Tuesday – the angels. Remember that we each have a guardian angel. Thank your angel for his protection! To know more about what the Church teaches about angels, consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 325 – 354.
Wednesday – St. Joseph. This is the day the week turns on. It’s no wonder that the wisdom of popular piety put St Joseph here, in the centre of daily life. St Joseph represents fatherhood, care, protection, a happy death, and sanctified work. He has been called the Shadow of the Father.
Thursday – the Blessed Sacrament. Our Lord instituted the Eucharist and the priesthood at the Last Supper.
Friday – Christ’s Passion and the Sacred Heart. Our Lord suffered and died for us, which is why Catholics abstain from meat on this day and perhaps in general view it in a penitential light.
Saturday – the Blessed Virgin. An ancient devotion rooted in the Liturgy… [I]t is interesting to note that by the fifteenth century, the Dominicans were speaking (and chanting) of our Lady as the one through whom salvation was accomplished – thus, the last day of creation, being fulfilled in the Salvation offered by her Son, is seen as a fitting day to honour her.
Mothers especially will see how it may come about naturally, when teaching their children about the days of the week, that they raise their eyes to these supernatural thoughts on each of the days. Children love to embellish. Thinking of each day with its special character will draw them into a lively faith.” (Chapter 7, The Little Oratory)
Devotions for Each Month
January – The Holy Name of Jesus
February – The Holy family
March – St. Joseph
April – The Blessed Sacrament
May – Our Lady
June – The Sacred Heart
July – The Precious Blood of Jesus
August – The Immaculate Heart of Mary
September – The Seven Sorrows of Mary:
the prophecy of Simeon; the flight of the Holy family into Egypt; the loss of the Child Jesus in Jerusalem; the meeting with Christ on the road to Calvary; the Crucifixion of Jesus; the taking down of Jesus’ body from the Cross; and the burial of Jesus.
October – The Holy Rosary, The Holy Angels.
November – All Saints and All Souls.
December – The Immaculate Conception, The Nativity of Our Lord.
I urge you to research more into each of these devotions and what you can do with your family each month. You could start by simply displaying an image or icon that represents that feast and explain it to your children, say a prayer or sing or chant. I have simply given the titles here, but if you read “The Little Oratory” it gives a beautiful description for each, as well as what you can do with your prayer table.
Originally posted 2015-08-25 12:00:47.