What Tuesdays mean to Catholics

A day to pay extra attention to the ways the Holy Face of Christ was wronged and pained.

This is Part III in our series on popular devotions linked to each day of the week. Previous days: Sunday, Monday.

Tuesday, a relatively humble day of the week often lost in the shuffle, is of great importance in our Catholic faith. One or more of these devotions can be just the right fit to enhance your experiences of kairos, or sacred time, this Tuesday.

Tuesdays are the day to honor theHoly Face of Jesus. “I firmly wish that My Face reflecting the intimate pains of My Soul, the suffering and love of My Heart, be more honored,” Blessed Maria Pierina was told by Jesus.

It’s an especially great day to try to make it to daily Mass, with the intention of making special reparation to the Holy Face, and/or to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, where the Holy Face is present.

Beautiful prayers for Tuesday include the Golden Arrow Prayer or the Litany of the Holy Face.

Since it is customary to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary on Tuesdays, it is an especially good day to unite our sorrows with the sorrows of Christ, perhaps paying extra attention to the ways the Holy Face of Christ was wronged and pained in the Sorrowful Mysteries, through the betraying kiss, insults, injuries, spittle, blood, sweat, and the crown of thorns.

In our Catholic tradition, Tuesdays and Mondays are both known as appointed days for extra devotions to the angels. I personally choose Tuesdays to devote extra prayers to the angels. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “From infancy to death, human life is surrounded by their (the angels) watchful care and intercession. Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life. Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united to God (CCC #336).”

So why not make it a habit to pray this famous, simple prayer to your guardian angel: “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guard, rule and guide. Amen.”

What a great way to start the day, asking your guardian angel for help!

Here is another powerful, brief prayer: St. Michael the Archangel,  defend us in battle.  Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.  May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,  and do thou,  O Prince of the heavenly hosts,  by the power of God,  thrust into hell Satan,  and all the evil spirits,  who prowl about the world  seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Some also dedicate Tuesdays to the Apostles. If you would like to invoke their help today, why not pray the Apostles Creed, the forerunner of the Nicene Creed, in a special way? There is a beautiful video that helps to focus our prayer along with gratitude for the wonders of creation.

And here is one idea for making Tuesdays special for the children in your family. Find a small box and fill it with post-it size pieces of paper with the names of each of the archangels (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael) and apostles (include St. Paul; although not one of the original twelve, he is referred to as an apostle, and don’t forget to include St. Matthias who took the place of Judas the Betrayer). This box can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. Call it “The Angels & Apostles Box.” Make it a Tuesday tradition that at dinner, one member of the family gets to pick out which angel or apostle will be invoked in prayer as part of your grace before meals.

Unofficially, Tuesday is also a common day to honor St. Anthony of Padua, (since many miracles occurred the Tuesday after his death) especially through prayer or a novena. Here’s the beautiful “Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony.”