April 14 Is National Not Ashamed of Jesus Day!

Mark this date on your calendar: April 14. Circle it and highlight it, not just this year, but every year. I’ll explain why in a moment, but let me say this first: Together, we can make history. Together, we can send a message. Together, we can help turn the tide. Together, we can overcome cancel culture and push back against the silencing of the lambs. Together, we can – and will – be heard.

But what’s so special about April 14? Right now, there’s nothing of particular significance about that day in America, other than the fact that it’s one day before Tax Day. Or that it’s National Dolphin Day, National Ex-Spouse Day, National Gardening Day, and National Pecan Day. Who knew?

From here on, though, we are proclaiming April 14 to be National Not Ashamed of Jesus Day. On that day, we’re encouraging every one of us to make a public statement of our faith in whatever way we can.

You can wear a gospel-themed t-shirt to school or bring a Bible to work and put it on your desk. You can share the good news with someone new or make a clear proclamation of your faith on social media. Whatever is permitted and whatever is good and right, this will be the day to send a simple message: we are followers of Jesus and we are not ashamed.

You might say, “But shouldn’t we do that every day? Shouldn’t we look for opportunities to lift up the Lord every day of the week? Shouldn’t we always be known as believers?”

Absolutely, we should, as the Lord leads and as the doors are open. Being witnesses is our 24/7 calling 365 days a year.

But here’s the thing. Many have us have floated under the radar for years. Our colleagues at work don’t know we are believers. Our friends don’t know about our faith, at least, the depth of our faith. Our neighbors are unaware that we are believers. We may be sincere, but we are stealth.

In some cases, it’s because we have been ashamed of our faith, not wanting to suffer rejection or mockery or reproach. In other cases, it’s because we haven’t found the right setting to share our testimony or we haven’t been forced to stand for our convictions. And so, despite the large number of real Jesus-followers in America – we could be as many as 90 or 100 million – it feels as if we are an insignificant minority. We almost feel sorry for ourselves.

The fact is that we are not some tiny, hidden group forced to cower the corner in fear for our lives. We are represented in every area of society, from the government to the courts and from the media to the schools. We give tens of billions of dollars every year to Christian and humanitarian causes, we broadcast around the clock on every many as 90 or 100 million – it feels as if we are an insignificant minority. We almost feel sorry for ourselves.

The fact is that we are not some tiny, hidden group forced to cower the corner in fear for our lives. We are represented in every area of society, from the government to the courts and from the media to the schools. We give tens of billions of dollars every year to Christian and humanitarian causes, we broadcast around the clock on every conceivable media outlet, and our messages flood the internet.

How wrong of us to have a “Woe is me” mentality. How wrong of us to throw a pity party. How wrong to feel that the odds are stacked against us.

The reality is that if God is for us, no one and nothing can be against us. And even if the world literally kills us (as has happened through Church history, to this day), even death does not scare us. We overcome in Him!

And so, on April 14, we will proclaim, “We’re here. We’re not ashamed. We love Jesus. And we love you.”

But why April 14? It’s because of Esther 4:14, which quotes the famous words of Mordechai to Queen Esther when their Jewish people were facing mass attack and even annihilation at the provocation of Haman. Mordechai said to her, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

If we are alive today, we are alive by God’s will, and that means that He put us here in this generation at this very hour, for such a time as this. We are the lambs who will not remain silent, the believers who will not be cancelled, the followers of Jesus who will not be muzzled.

Now is the time for us to join together and stand and speak and act. Cancel culture will be overcome by the cross. Our Savior died, and we died with Him. But Jesus also rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. We rose with Him too, and now we live by Him.

For many years now, we have watched LGBTQ activists overcome the stigma associated with identifying as gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender or queer by being out and proud, also launching the Day of Silence in public schools and National Coming Out Day. This, in turn, has emboldened countless thousands of others to come out of the closet, to overcome their sense of rejection, to face their pain, and to be and out and proud themselves.

But that was only the beginning. Today, things have shifted to the point that many of those who fought shame and stigma in the past are seeking to shame and stigmatize those who oppose their ideology. Those who came out of the closet want to put us in the closet.

But as I’ve said before, we are not about to go into the closet. No way, no how. And there is no way under heaven that we will allow gays and lesbians and drag queens and trans activists to march proudly down our streets while we are too ashamed to be who we are. Not a chance!

And so, while we pray for those who identify as LGBTQ, while we reach out to those on the radical left, while we bless those who curse us, we also stand up in the power of the Spirit and proclaim to the world WE ARE NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL. WE ARE NOT ASHAMED OF JESUS. WE ARE NOT ASHAMED OF GOD’S WORD. AND WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED.

So let’s make a statement on April 14, and let’s live by that statement every day of the year. And let’s refuse to be silenced or cancelled.

You’ll find lots of practical ideas, along with a special information for leaders, at NotAshamedofJesus.org.

If this resonates with you, please share the website widely on social media, since this is a grass roots movement, without major funding or a big PR campaign. And then, on April 14, share your experience on your social media platforms so others can be encouraged too, using the hashtag #Jesus414.

Well; they had to pick SOME day!

The liturgical calendar doesn't leave much room to swing a cat.

When Is Holy Thursday in Future Years?

Here are some dates of Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday 2022: April 14, 2022

Holy Thursday 2023: April 6, 2023

Holy Thursday 2024: March 28, 2024

Holy Thursday 2025: April 17, 2025

General Calendar

January[edit]

1 January: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – Solemnity
2 January: Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church – Memorial
3 January: The Most Holy Name of Jesus – Optional Memorial
6 January: Epiphany (celebrated on the first Sunday after 1 January in countries where this feast is not a Holy Day of Obligation) – Solemnity
7 January: Saint Raymond of Penyafort, priest – Optional Memorial
13 January: Saint Hilary of Poitiers, bishop and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
17 January: Saint Anthony of Egypt, abbot – Memorial
20 January: Saint Fabian, pope and martyr; or Saint Sebastian, martyr – Optional Memorial
21 January: Saint Agnes, virgin and martyr – Memorial
22 January: Saint Vincent, deacon and martyr – Optional Memorial
24 January: Saint Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church – Memorial
25 January: The Conversion of Saint Paul, apostle – Feast
26 January: Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops – Memorial
27 January: Saint Angela Merici, virgin – Optional Memorial
28 January: Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church – Memorial
31 January: Saint John Bosco, priest – Memorial

February[edit]

2 February: Presentation of the Lord – Feast
3 February: Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr; or Saint Ansgar, bishop – Optional Memorial
5 February: Saint Agatha, virgin and martyr – Memorial
6 February: Saints Paul Miki and companions, martyrs – Memorial
8 February: Saint Jerome Emiliani, priest; or Saint Josephine Bakhita, virgin – Optional Memorial
10 February: Saint Scholastica, virgin – Memorial
11 February: Our Lady of Lourdes – Optional Memorial
14 February: Saints Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop – Memorial, in Europe a Feast
17 February: Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order – Optional Memorial
21 February: Saint Peter Damian, bishop and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
22 February: Chair of Saint Peter, apostle – Feast
23 February: Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr – Memorial
27 February: Saint Gregory of Narek, abbot and doctor of the Church – optional memorial^[16]

March[edit]

4 March: Saint Casimir – Optional Memorial
7 March: Saints Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs – Memorial
8 March: Saint John of God, religious – Optional Memorial
9 March: Saint Frances of Rome, religious – Optional Memorial
17 March: Saint Patrick, bishop – Optional Memorial
18 March: Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, bishop and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
19 March: Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Solemnity
23 March: Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo, bishop – Optional Memorial
25 March: Annunciation of the Lord – Solemnity

April[edit]

2 April: Saint Francis of Paola, hermit – Optional Memorial
4 April: Saint Isidore, bishop and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
5 April: Saint Vincent Ferrer, priest – Optional Memorial
7 April: Saint John Baptist de la Salle, priest – Memorial
11 April: Saint Stanislaus, bishop and martyr – Memorial
13 April: Saint Martin I, pope and martyr – Optional Memorial
21 April: Saint Anselm of Canterbury, bishop and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
23 April: Saint George, martyr; or Saint Adalbert, bishop and martyr – Optional Memorial
24 April: Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, priest and martyr – Optional Memorial
25 April: Saint Mark the Evangelist – Feast
28 April: Saint Peter Chanel, priest and martyr; or Saint Louis Grignon de Montfort, priest – Optional Memorial
29 April: Saint Catherine of Siena, virgin and doctor of the Church – Memorial
30 April: Saint Pius V, pope – Optional Memorial

May[edit]

1 May: Saint Joseph the Worker – Optional Memorial
2 May: Saint Athanasius, bishop and doctor of the Church – Memorial
3 May: Saints Philip and James, Apostles – Feast
10 May: Saint John of Ávila, priest and doctor of the Church – optional memorial^[16]
12 May: Saints Nereus and Achilleus, martyrs; or Saint Pancras, martyr – Optional Memorial
13 May: Our Lady of Fatima – Optional Memorial
14 May: Saint Matthias the Apostle – Feast
18 May: Saint John I, pope and martyr – Optional Memorial
20 May: Saint Bernardine of Siena, priest – Optional Memorial
21 May: Saint Christopher Magallanes and companions, martyrs – Optional Memorial
22 May: Saint Rita of Cascia, religious – Optional Memorial
25 May: Saint Bede the Venerable, priest and doctor of the Church; or Saint Gregory VII, pope; or Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, virgin – Optional Memorial
26 May: Saint Philip Neri, priest – Memorial
27 May: Saint Augustine (Austin) of Canterbury, bishop – Optional Memorial
29 May: Saint Paul VI, pope – Optional Memorial
31 May: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Feast
Monday after Pentecost: Mary Mother of the Church – Memorial
First Sunday after Pentecost: Holy Trinity – Solemnity
Thursday after Holy Trinity or, where this is not a holyday of obligation, on the following Sunday: Body and Blood of Christ – Solemnity

June[edit]

1 June: Saint Justin Martyr – Memorial
2 June: Saints Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs – Optional Memorial
3 June: Saints Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs – Memorial
5 June: Saint Boniface, bishop and martyr – Memorial
6 June: Saint Norbert, bishop – Optional Memorial
9 June: Saint Ephrem, deacon and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
11 June: Saint Barnabas the Apostle – Memorial
13 June: Saint Anthony of Padua, priest and doctor of the Church – Memorial
19 June: Saint Romuald, abbot – Optional Memorial
21 June: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious – Memorial
22 June: Saint Paulinus of Nola, bishop; or Saints John Fisher, bishop and martyr, and Thomas More, martyr – Optional Memorial
24 June: Birth of Saint John the Baptist – Solemnity
27 June: Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
28 June: Saint Irenaeus, bishop, martyr and doctor of the Church – Memorial
29 June: Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles – Solemnity
30 June: First Martyrs of the Church of Rome – Optional Memorial
Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost: Sacred Heart of Jesus – Solemnity (In 2022 this solemnity will coincide with another solemnity [24 June, the Nativity of John the Baptist]. The Holy See has indicated that the Sacred Heart should be kept on Friday 24 June and the Nativity of John the Baptist transferred to Thursday 23 June, except in instances where John the Baptist is a patron saint, where the reverse should apply.)^[17]
Saturday following the second Sunday after Pentecost: Immaculate Heart of Mary – Memorial (in years when this memorial coincides with another obligatory memorial, as happened in 2014 [28 June, Saint Irenaeus] and 2015 [13 June, Saint Anthony of Padua], both must be considered optional for that year)^[18]

July[edit]

3 July: Saint Thomas the Apostle – Feast
4 July: Saint Elizabeth of Portugal – Optional Memorial
5 July: Saint Anthony Zaccaria, priest – Optional Memorial
6 July: Saint Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr – Optional Memorial
9 July: Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and companions, martyrs – Optional Memorial
11 July: Saint Benedict, abbot – Memorial, in Europe a Feast
13 July: Saint Henry – Optional Memorial
14 July: Saint Camillus de Lellis, priest – Optional Memorial
15 July: Saint Bonaventure, bishop and doctor of the Church – Memorial
16 July: Our Lady of Mount Carmel – Optional Memorial
20 July: Saint Apollinaris, bishop and martyr – Optional Memorial
21 July: Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, priest and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
22 July: Saint Mary Magdalene – Feast^[19]
23 July: Saint Birgitta, religious – Optional Memorial, in Europe a Feast
24 July: Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, priest – Optional Memorial
25 July: Saint James, apostle – Feast
26 July: Saints Joachim and Anne – Memorial
29 July: Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus – Memorial^[20]
30 July: Saint Peter Chrysologus, bishop and doctor – Optional Memorial
31 July: Saint Ignatius of Loyola, priest – Memorial

August[edit]

1 August: Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, bishop and doctor of the Church – Memorial
2 August: Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop; or Saint Peter Julian Eymard, priest – Optional Memorial
4 August: Saint Jean Vianney (the Curé of Ars), priest – Memorial
5 August: Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major – Optional Memorial
6 August: Transfiguration of the Lord – Feast
7 August: Saint Sixtus II, pope, and companions, martyrs; or Saint Cajetan, priest – Optional Memorial
8 August: Saint Dominic, priest – Memorial
9 August: Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), virgin and martyr – Optional Memorial, in Europe a Feast
10 August: Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr – Feast
11 August: Saint Clare, virgin – Memorial
12 August: Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, religious – Optional Memorial
13 August: Saints Pontian, pope, and Hippolytus, priest, martyrs – Optional Memorial
14 August: Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, priest and martyr – Memorial
15 August: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Solemnity
16 August: Saint Stephen of Hungary – Optional Memorial
19 August: Saint John Eudes, priest – Optional Memorial
20 August: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, abbot and doctor of the Church – Memorial
21 August: Saint Pius X, pope – Memorial
22 August: Queenship of Blessed Virgin Mary – Memorial
23 August: Saint Rose of Lima, virgin – Optional Memorial
24 August: Saint Bartholomew the Apostle – Feast
25 August: Saint Louis or Saint Joseph of Calasanz, priest – Optional Memorial
27 August: Saint Monica – Memorial
28 August: Saint Augustine of Hippo, bishop and doctor of the Church – Memorial
29 August: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, martyr – Memorial

September[edit]

3 September: Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church – Memorial
8 September: Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Feast
9 September: Saint Peter Claver, priest – Optional Memorial
12 September: Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Optional Memorial
13 September: Saint John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor of the Church – Memorial
14 September: Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Feast
15 September: Our Lady of Sorrows – Memorial
16 September: Saints Cornelius, pope, and Cyprian, bishop, martyrs – Memorial
17 September: Saint Robert Bellarmine, bishop and doctor of the Church; or Saint Hildegard of Bingen, virgin and doctor of the Church^[16] – Optional Memorial
19 September: Saint Januarius, bishop and martyr – Optional Memorial
20 September: Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, priest, Paul Chong Hasang, and companions, martyrs – Memorial
21 September: Saint Matthew the Evangelist, Apostle, Evangelist – Feast
23 September: Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), priest – Memorial
26 September: Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs – Optional Memorial
27 September: Saint Vincent de Paul, priest – Memorial
28 September: Saint Wenceslaus, martyr; or Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and companions, martyrs – Optional Memorial
29 September: Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels – Feast
30 September: Saint Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church – Memorial

October[edit]

1 October: Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church – Memorial
2 October: Guardian Angels – Memorial
4 October: Saint Francis of Assisi – Memorial
5 October: Saint Faustina Kowalska, virgin – Optional Memorial^[21]
6 October: Saint Bruno, priest – Optional Memorial
7 October: Our Lady of the Rosary – Memorial
9 October: Saint Denis and companions, martyrs; or Saint John Leonardi, priest – Optional Memorial
11 October: Saint John XXIII, pope – Optional Memorial
14 October: Saint Callistus I, pope and martyr – Optional Memorial
15 October: Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church – Memorial
16 October: Saint Hedwig, religious; or Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin – Optional Memorial
17 October: Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr – Memorial
18 October: Saint Luke the Evangelist – Feast
19 October: Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, priests and martyrs, and their companions, martyrs; or Saint Paul of the Cross, priest – Optional Memorial
22 October: Saint John Paul II, pope – Optional Memorial
23 October: Saint John of Capistrano, priest – Optional Memorial
24 October: Saint Anthony Mary Claret, bishop – Optional Memorial
28 October: Saint Simon and Saint Jude, apostles – Feast

November[edit]

1 November: All Saints – Solemnity
2 November: All Souls – ranked with solemnities
3 November: Saint Martin de Porres, religious – Optional Memorial
4 November: Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop – Memorial
9 November: Dedication of the Lateran basilica – Feast
10 November: Saint Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the Church – Memorial
11 November: Saint Martin of Tours, bishop – Memorial
12 November: Saint Josaphat, bishop and martyr – Memorial
15 November: Saint Albert the Great, bishop and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
16 November: Saint Margaret of Scotland or Saint Gertrude the Great, virgin – Optional Memorial
17 November: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, religious – Memorial
18 November: Dedication of the basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles – Optional Memorial
21 November: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Memorial
22 November: Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr – Memorial
23 November: Saint Clement I, pope and martyr; or Saint Columban, religious – Optional Memorial
24 November: Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and his companions, martyrs – Memorial
25 November: Saint Catherine of Alexandria – Optional Memorial
30 November: Saint Andrew the Apostle – Feast
Last Sunday in Ordinary Time (last Sunday before 27 November): Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – Solemnity

December[edit]

3 December: Saint Francis Xavier, priest – Memorial
4 December: Saint John Damascene, priest and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
6 December: Saint Nicholas, bishop – Optional Memorial
7 December: Saint Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church – Memorial
8 December: Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Solemnity
9 December: Saint Juan Diego – Optional Memorial
10 December: Our Lady of Loreto – Optional Memorial^[22]
11 December: Saint Damasus I, pope – Optional Memorial
12 December: Our Lady of Guadalupe – Optional Memorial
13 December: Saint Lucy of Syracuse, virgin and martyr – Memorial
14 December: Saint John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church – Memorial
21 December: Saint Peter Canisius, priest and doctor of the Church – Optional Memorial
23 December: Saint John of Kanty, priest – Optional Memorial
25 December: Nativity of the Lord – Solemnity
26 December: Saint Stephen, the first martyr – Feast
27 December: Saint John, Apostle and evangelist – Feast
28 December: Holy Innocents, martyrs – Feast
29 December: Saint Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr – Optional Memorial
31 December: Saint Sylvester I, pope – Optional Memorial
Sunday within the Octave of Christmas (or, if there is no such Sunday, 30 December): The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph – Feast

The earliest date on which Holy Thursday can fall is March 19, and the latest is April 22.

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