{"ok":true,"date":"2028-02-21","dateKey":"02-21","liturgicalDay":"Feria of Septuagesima","rank":"Feria","color":"violet","quoteOfTheDay":{"text":"His mother saith to the ministers: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.","author":"Holy Scripture","source":"John 2:5, Original Douay-Rheims","treasuryHref":"/wisdom#do-what-christ-commands","category":"Under Our Lady's Rule"},"season":"Septuagesima","novenas":[{"title":"Novena to the Holy Face","feast":"Holy Face of Jesus","day":2,"totalDays":9,"startIsoDate":"2028-02-20","feastIsoDate":"2028-02-29","intention":"Ask for reparation, reverence, hatred of blasphemy, and love for the suffering Face of Christ before Lent begins.","prayer":null,"practice":"Offer the day's prayers, sacrifices, and duties in reparation for blasphemy, irreverence, false worship, and sins against the first three commandments.","sources":[]}],"octaveContexts":[],"subject":"City of God in Exile: Feria of Septuagesima - 2028-02-21","previewText":"Feria of Septuagesima. Grace Heals and Elevates Nature. Resist naturalism, which treats human improvement as though it could take the place of supernatural life.","plainText":"CITY OF GOD IN EXILE\nFeria of Septuagesima\n2028-02-21 - Septuagesima - Feria - violet\nPLAIN-LANGUAGE GUIDE FOR TODAY\nSeptuagesima: the first Sunday of the traditional pre-Lenten season; it begins the Church's gradual preparation for the fasting and penance of Lent.\nFeria: a weekday without a higher feast of its own; its prayers usually follow the current liturgical season.\nTODAY IN THE ROMAN YEAR\nThe Church does not leave the faithful to pass through time as though days were neutral. This observance teaches the soul to receive the day under grace, to remember what God has done, and to let sacred time order study, prayer, and perseverance. With Mary, let the hidden mysteries of Christ become more precious than the passing noise of the world. Make a quiet Magnificat by naming God's graces and returning all praise to Him through Mary.\n\n\"He that is mighty hath done great things to me.\"\nSt. Louis-Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, no. 6, citing Luke 1:49\n\nOur Lady names the greatness of what has been done in her without taking possession of the glory. This is the balance humility preserves. It neither denies grace nor converts grace into self-importance. It sees clearly that God is mighty, that His works are great, and that the creature remains a grateful receiver.\n\nRecall God's mercies today, especially those that have become ordinary through familiarity. Thank Him for them with Mary. Then ask whether you have used His gifts for His service or treated them as personal property. Gratitude becomes fruitful when it returns every gift, with interest, to the purpose of the Giver.\n\nPRACTICE\nStand with difficult Catholic truths today even when silence would be easier.\n\nQUOTE OF THE DAY\n\"His mother saith to the ministers: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.\"\nHoly Scripture, John 2:5, Original Douay-Rheims\n\nNOVENA IN PROGRESS\nNovena to the Holy Face - Day 2 of 9\nPreparing for Holy Face of Jesus on 2028-02-29.\nAsk for reparation, reverence, hatred of blasphemy, and love for the suffering Face of Christ before Lent begins.\n\nOffer the day's prayers, sacrifices, and duties in reparation for blasphemy, irreverence, false worship, and sins against the first three commandments.\n\nROMAN MARTYROLOGY - February 21\nAt N Sicily, in the reign of Diocletian, the birthday - of seventy-nine holy martyrs, who deserved by various torments to receive an immortal crown for the confession of their faith. — At Adrumetum, in Africa, during the persecution of the Vandals, the holy martyrs Verulus, Secundinus, Syricius, Felix, Servulus, Saturninus, Fortunatus, and sixteen others, who were crowned with martyrdom for the confession of the Catholic faith. — At Scythopolis, in Palestine, St. Severian, bishop and martyr. — At Damascus, St. Peter Mavimenus, who was killed by some Arabs who visited him in his sickness, because he said to them: \"Whoever does not embrace the Christian and Catholic faith is lost, like your false prophet Mahomet.\" — At Ravenna, St. Maximian, bishop and confessor. — At Metz, St. Felix, bishop. — At Brescia, St. Paterius, bishop.\n\nTHE PILGRIM'S SPIRITUAL CONFERENCE\nGrace Heals and Elevates Nature\nThe Church places this truth before you today: Man is not saved by natural goodness, sentiment, or progress. He needs sanctifying grace, the merits of Christ, and persevering conversion. Do not hurry past it as though doctrine belonged only to books and controversies. A revealed truth is also a light by which the soul must judge its loyalties, its fears, its habits, and the duties immediately before it. The Church is holy because Christ is holy, because she possesses holy doctrine and sacraments, and because she forms saints by grace.\nThe grace to be practiced is Faithful obedience to the grace of the present day, drawn from the daily rule of fidelity. Ask God for more than the natural appearance of this virtue. Temperament may make an action seem easy for a time, but supernatural virtue remains faithful because God is worthy of obedience, even when feeling offers no assistance and no one notices the cost. Practice gratitude without self-congratulation: acknowledge the gift and glorify the Giver.\nThere is also an enemy to recognize: Resist naturalism, which treats human improvement as though it could take the place of supernatural life. Do not study this danger only in other people. Look quietly for the door by which it seeks entrance into your own soul - perhaps through delay, curiosity, resentment, human respect, attachment to comfort, or the desire to control the outcome. Dying to self today means choosing faithful obedience to the grace of the present day when pride, comfort, fear, resentment, or human respect asks for control.\nDo the faithful act and entrust its fruit to divine Providence, God's wise and loving governance of all things. Place effort and outcome into Our Lady's hands so that the whole offering may be presented to her Divine Son. Confidence in God is not passivity: obey, pray, work, and accept that visible success, consolation, or immediate relief may not be given. God remains faithful when the duty is hidden and the outcome uncertain. Therefore, perform the duty that belongs to you, use the lawful means God has provided, and then surrender the fruit. When a gift is absent or withdrawn, trust the same divine wisdom that first bestowed it. Use your abilities, possessions, and opportunities deliberately for God's service today.\nThe Church's witness: this truth manifests the Church's mark of holy; the witness placed beside it is St. Thomas Aquinas.\nYour resolution before God: Stand with difficult Catholic truths today even when silence would be easier.\nCarry this word: The faithful remain at the Cross when the multitude walks past it.\nTHE PILGRIM'S MIRROR\n\"Thou alone art the true refection of the soul, and he that worthily eateth Thee shall be partaker and heir of eternal glory.\"\nThomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book IV, chapter 14, p. 203\nThe Blessed Sacrament is not one devotion among many: it is Jesus Christ, the soul's true food. Let every Marian offering lead you more faithfully to her Eucharistic Son.\n\nIf you can assist at Mass and receive worthily, approach with recollection and hunger rather than habit. If you cannot, do not allow absence to become forgetfulness. Turn toward the tabernacle, confess your desire, and ask Our Lady to prepare in you a more faithful welcome for Jesus.\nToday's Practice: Make a reverent Spiritual Communion, or prepare carefully for Holy Communion if you will receive today.\nDAILY EXAMEN\nThank God before counting disappointments, and entrust every received grace to Our Lady.\n- For what grace or mercy should I thank God today?\n- What sin, fault, neglected duty, or resistance to grace must I confess?\n- What definite amendment will I carry into tomorrow?\nPRAYER\nO Lord, keep me near Thy Cross when comfort, acceptance, and ease invite me elsewhere. Let fidelity be stronger than the desire to belong.\nDAILY RULE FOR THE PILGRIM\nA brief rule to keep every day:\nBegin with morning prayer\nAdore the Blessed Trinity and offer the whole day to Jesus through Mary before other duties claim the mind.\nKeep the Angelus\nPause morning, noon, and evening to remember the Incarnation.\nSeek Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament\nAttend Holy Mass when duty permits; otherwise make a Spiritual Communion and renew desire for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.\nReturn to Jesus and Mary\nUse frequent holy aspirations during work, waiting, suffering, and temptation.\nPray the Rosary\nKeep the mysteries of Christ before the mind with Our Lady and learn to imitate what they contain.\nEnd with night prayer and examen\nGive thanks, confess faults, forgive injuries, make a practical amendment, and entrust the night to Our Lady.\nCONTINUE STUDY\nWhat Is Grace?: https://cityofgodinexile.com/catechism-foundations/what-is-grace?entered=1\nOpen this day in the Sacred Calendar: https://cityofgodinexile.com/sacred-calendar?date=2028-02-21&entered=1\nOpen this day's Daily Pilgrimage: https://cityofgodinexile.com/daily-dispatch?date=2028-02-21&entered=1\nBrowse the Formation Index: https://cityofgodinexile.com/daily-dispatch/formation?entered=1","html":"\n\n \n \n \n City of God in Exile: Feria of Septuagesima - 2028-02-21\n \n \n
\n Feria of Septuagesima. Grace Heals and Elevates Nature. Resist naturalism, which treats human improvement as though it could take the place of supernatural life.\n
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City of God in Exile

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Feria of Septuagesima

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2028-02-21 - Septuagesima - Feria - violet

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“Walk whilst you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not.”
John 12:35
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Plain-Language Guide for Today

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Septuagesima
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the first Sunday of the traditional pre-Lenten season; it begins the Church's gradual preparation for the fasting and penance of Lent.
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Feria
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a weekday without a higher feast of its own; its prayers usually follow the current liturgical season.
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Today in the Roman Year

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The Church does not leave the faithful to pass through time as though days were neutral. This observance teaches the soul to receive the day under grace, to remember what God has done, and to let sacred time order study, prayer, and perseverance.

With Mary, let the hidden mysteries of Christ become more precious than the passing noise of the world.

Make a quiet Magnificat by naming God's graces and returning all praise to Him through Mary.

“He that is mighty hath done great things to me.”

St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, no. 6, citing Luke 1:49

Our Lady names the greatness of what has been done in her without taking possession of the glory. This is the balance humility preserves. It neither denies grace nor converts grace into self-importance. It sees clearly that God is mighty, that His works are great, and that the creature remains a grateful receiver.

Recall God's mercies today, especially those that have become ordinary through familiarity. Thank Him for them with Mary. Then ask whether you have used His gifts for His service or treated them as personal property. Gratitude becomes fruitful when it returns every gift, with interest, to the purpose of the Giver.

Stand with difficult Catholic truths today even when silence would be easier.

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Quote of the Day

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“His mother saith to the ministers: Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye.”
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Holy Scripture, John 2:5, Original Douay-Rheims

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Novena in Progress

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Novena to the Holy Face - Day 2 of 9

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Preparing for Holy Face of Jesus on 2028-02-29.

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Ask for reparation, reverence, hatred of blasphemy, and love for the suffering Face of Christ before Lent begins.

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Offer the day's prayers, sacrifices, and duties in reparation for blasphemy, irreverence, false worship, and sins against the first three commandments.

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Roman Martyrology - February 21

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At N Sicily, in the reign of Diocletian, the birthday - of seventy-nine holy martyrs, who deserved by various torments to receive an immortal crown for the confession of their faith. — At Adrumetum, in Africa, during the persecution of the Vandals, the holy martyrs Verulus, Secundinus, Syricius, Felix, Servulus, Saturninus, Fortunatus, and sixteen others, who were crowned with martyrdom for the confession of the Catholic faith. — At Scythopolis, in Palestine, St. Severian, bishop and martyr. — At Damascus, St. Peter Mavimenus, who was killed by some Arabs who visited him in his sickness, because he said to them: "Whoever does not embrace the Christian and Catholic faith is lost, like your false prophet Mahomet." — At Ravenna, St. Maximian, bishop and confessor. — At Metz, St. Felix, bishop. — At Brescia, St. Paterius, bishop.

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The Pilgrim's Spiritual Conference

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Grace Heals and Elevates Nature

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The Church places this truth before you today: Man is not saved by natural goodness, sentiment, or progress. He needs sanctifying grace, the merits of Christ, and persevering conversion. Do not hurry past it as though doctrine belonged only to books and controversies. A revealed truth is also a light by which the soul must judge its loyalties, its fears, its habits, and the duties immediately before it. The Church is holy because Christ is holy, because she possesses holy doctrine and sacraments, and because she forms saints by grace.

The grace to be practiced is Faithful obedience to the grace of the present day, drawn from the daily rule of fidelity. Ask God for more than the natural appearance of this virtue. Temperament may make an action seem easy for a time, but supernatural virtue remains faithful because God is worthy of obedience, even when feeling offers no assistance and no one notices the cost. Practice gratitude without self-congratulation: acknowledge the gift and glorify the Giver.

There is also an enemy to recognize: Resist naturalism, which treats human improvement as though it could take the place of supernatural life. Do not study this danger only in other people. Look quietly for the door by which it seeks entrance into your own soul - perhaps through delay, curiosity, resentment, human respect, attachment to comfort, or the desire to control the outcome. Dying to self today means choosing faithful obedience to the grace of the present day when pride, comfort, fear, resentment, or human respect asks for control.

Do the faithful act and entrust its fruit to divine Providence, God's wise and loving governance of all things. Place effort and outcome into Our Lady's hands so that the whole offering may be presented to her Divine Son. Confidence in God is not passivity: obey, pray, work, and accept that visible success, consolation, or immediate relief may not be given. God remains faithful when the duty is hidden and the outcome uncertain. Therefore, perform the duty that belongs to you, use the lawful means God has provided, and then surrender the fruit. When a gift is absent or withdrawn, trust the same divine wisdom that first bestowed it. Use your abilities, possessions, and opportunities deliberately for God's service today.

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The Church's witness: this truth manifests the Church's mark of holy; the witness placed beside it is St. Thomas Aquinas.

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Your Resolution Before God

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Stand with difficult Catholic truths today even when silence would be easier.

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The faithful remain at the Cross when the multitude walks past it.
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The Pilgrim's Mirror

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How shall I imitate Christ today?

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“Thou alone art the true refection of the soul, and he that worthily eateth Thee shall be partaker and heir of eternal glory.”
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Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book IV, chapter 14, p. 203

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The Blessed Sacrament is not one devotion among many: it is Jesus Christ, the soul's true food. Let every Marian offering lead you more faithfully to her Eucharistic Son.

If you can assist at Mass and receive worthily, approach with recollection and hunger rather than habit. If you cannot, do not allow absence to become forgetfulness. Turn toward the tabernacle, confess your desire, and ask Our Lady to prepare in you a more faithful welcome for Jesus.

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Today's Practice

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Make a reverent Spiritual Communion, or prepare carefully for Holy Communion if you will receive today.

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Daily Examen

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Three questions before night prayer

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Thank God before counting disappointments, and entrust every received grace to Our Lady.

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  • For what grace or mercy should I thank God today?
  • What sin, fault, neglected duty, or resistance to grace must I confess?
  • What definite amendment will I carry into tomorrow?
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Prayer

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O Lord, keep me near Thy Cross when comfort, acceptance, and ease invite me elsewhere. Let fidelity be stronger than the desire to belong.

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Daily Rule for the Pilgrim

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A brief rule to keep every day:

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Begin with morning prayer

Adore the Blessed Trinity and offer the whole day to Jesus through Mary before other duties claim the mind.

Keep the Angelus

Pause morning, noon, and evening to remember the Incarnation.

Seek Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament

Attend Holy Mass when duty permits; otherwise make a Spiritual Communion and renew desire for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Return to Jesus and Mary

Use frequent holy aspirations during work, waiting, suffering, and temptation.

Pray the Rosary

Keep the mysteries of Christ before the mind with Our Lady and learn to imitate what they contain.

End with night prayer and examen

Give thanks, confess faults, forgive injuries, make a practical amendment, and entrust the night to Our Lady.

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Continue Study

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Carry today's lesson into a focused chapter from the library.

\n What Is Grace?\n
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Persevere, pilgrim.

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The gates remain open to the faithful.

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\n \n","links":{"sacredCalendar":"/sacred-calendar?date=2028-02-21","webPreview":"/daily-dispatch?date=2028-02-21","emailPreview":"/daily-dispatch/email?date=2028-02-21","formationIndex":"/daily-dispatch/formation","subscribe":"/daily-dispatch/subscribe"},"included":{"martyrology":true,"gospelReflection":false,"saintlyWitness":false,"breviaryReading":false,"patristicBreviaryLesson":false,"faithPoint":"Grace Heals and Elevates Nature"}}