FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 3, 2025
MEMORIAL OF SAINT GERARD OF BROGNE, ABBOT AND SAINT THEODORE (THEODORA) GUERIN, RELIGIOUS | OCTOBER 3RD | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/saints-of-the-day
(Direct link to the detailed of Saint Gerard of Brogne, and Saint Theodore Guérin | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-october-3rd/ )
FIRST FRIDAYS AND FIRST SATURDAYS DEVOTIONS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/02/01/first-fridays-and-first-saturdays-devotions/
FIRST FRIDAYS DEVOTION: https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/03/first-friday-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus/
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN | October 3, 2025 | “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/catholic-daily-mass-october-3-2025/
OCTOBER IS MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY | THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/
JUBILEE OF HOPE 2025: JUBILEE PRAYER | Link to the prayer of the Jubilee of Hope 2025 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/08/the-jubilee-prayer/
Daily Reflections with Philomena | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
Greetings and blessings, beloved family!
Today, Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time is First Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The devotion is a way to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to atone for our sins.
Welcome to October! May this new month bring you God’s blessings, peace, and joy in abundance. We pray for eternal repose of our loved ones who recently passed. May this month bring peace to troubled hearts, direction to the lost, comfort to the grieving, and strength to the weary. In all things, may His will be done and His name be glorified. Amen🙏🏽
Today, we joyfully thank God for the gift of life and for leading us into the new month of October. Lord Almighty, we lift our hearts in gratitude for Your unfailing love, protection, and mercy that carried us through the past month. As we begin this new month, we entrust every day into Your hands, asking for Your blessings, guidance, and peace in our lives and families. May October be for us a season of renewed faith, deeper hope, and overflowing joy. We pray especially for all families, for children, parents, and teachers, that they may be strengthened and protected. Bless those who will celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, new opportunities, and milestones this month, and comfort those who enter October with heavy hearts or struggles. Lord, go before us, walk beside us, and remain with us always, now and forever. Amen. 🙏🏽
On this special feast day, through the intercession of the Saint(s) we celebrate today, Saint Gerard of Brogne, Abbot and Saint Theodore (Theodora) Guérin, Religious, we humbly pray for the poor, abandoned, and those in need, for all those who are marginalized in our society. For those who are imprisoned, especially those who are unjustly imprisoned. We lift charitable organizations, asking God’s blessing upon their mission. We pray for those who fight for truth, peace, justice, love, and unity in our families and our world. May God protect us all and keep us safe and united in peace, love and faith. Amen 🙏🏽
Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary on this special Feast day, we lift our prayers for the protection, safety and well-being of missionaries, pilots, and all travelers. We ask for healing for the sick and dying, especially those who are suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases, strength for the weary, peace in troubled homes, and provision for all in need. Guide our steps in righteousness, protect us from harm, and fill our hearts with faith, joy, and gratitude. May this month draw us closer to Your will, and may every day be a testimony of Your goodness and mercy in our lives. We begin this month with trust in Your unfailing love, Lord, and we surrender all that lies ahead into Your hands. Amen 🙏🏾
We continue to pray for the Church, the Clergy, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, the Cardinals, Bishops, all Priests, that they be sanctified in their ministry to God’s people. We pray for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world suffering from political and religious unrest.
Through the intercession of St. Joseph, we pray for all fathers, mothers, workers, and all those who labor in this world. May the Lord bless the work of their hands, and may God’s grace and mercy be with us all during this season of Ordinary Time. Wishing us all and our loved ones a joyful, peaceful, and grace-filled month of October. 🙏🏽
We remember in prayer all who began this journey of life with us but are no longer here. We pray for the gentle repose of the souls of our loved ones who recently passed away, and we continue to pray for the souls in Purgatory; lost souls. For the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” ~ Matthew 5:4
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD: In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters. In this life, you embraced them with your tender love; deliver them now from every evil, and bid them eternal rest. The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise, where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain, but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen🙏🏽
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His Saints.” ~ Psalm 116:15
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏🏽 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
LIST OF ALL NOVENAS | Month of October | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/list-of-all-novenas-october/
COMMON CATHOLIC PRAYERS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/common-catholic-prayers/
FIRST FRIDAYS AND FIRST SATURDAYS DEVOTIONS:
The FIRST FRIDAY DEVOTION is a Catholic practice that involves attending Mass, receiving Holy Communion and praying and adoring before the Blessed Sacrament on the first Friday of each month for nine months in a row. The devotion originated in the 17th century after Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary and spoke of His Sacred Heart. Jesus promised that those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays of nine consecutive months will receive the grace of final perseverance. The devotion is a way to honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to atone for sins. The devotion is also known as the Communions of Reparation to the Sacred Heart or the Nine First Fridays Devotion. The Roman Catholic Church fully approved the devotion.
Some elements of the First Fridays Devotion include:
Sacramental Confession: A preparation for the devotion
Holy Communion: Received on the first Friday of each month for nine months in a row
Holy Hour: Spent in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament
Prayer for the Holy Father: A prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father
The devotion is said to offer many spiritual blessings, including:
Increased Grace: The soul is strengthened and intimacy with Christ is deepened through the frequent reception of the Eucharist
Inner Peace: Trusting in Jesus’ promises can bring comfort in times of trial
Forgiveness and Healing: Reparation for sins can bring peace to the heart and renewal in Christ
Final Perseverance: Those who complete the devotion with love and faith are assured of Christ’s presence at the moment of death
The FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS DEVOTION originated from the 1917 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal. During these apparitions, Our Lady asked for acts of reparation to be made on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, with the intention of atoning for the sins committed against her Immaculate Heart. While the Sacred Heart of Jesus promises abundant blessings, including peace, consolation, and assistance at the hour of death, to those who faithfully observe nine consecutive First Fridays. Similarly, Our Lady extends her maternal protection and the promise of salvation to those who commit to five consecutive First Saturdays in honor of her Immaculate Heart.
Our Lady promises her assistance and graces especially at the hour of death, as well as peace and consolation in families and eventual salvation for those who faithfully practice the First Five Saturdays devotion. It involves attending Mass, receiving communion, praying the Rosary, and meditating on its mysteries on 5 consecutive first Saturdays with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The promises of Mary for the First Five Saturdays devotion:
On each First Saturday, after receiving communion, reciting the Rosary, and meditating for 15 minutes on the mysteries of the Rosary, Our Lady promised to assist at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation all those who make this devotion in reparation to Her Immaculate Heart.
Our Lady promised to grant peace to families who fulfill this devotion.
Those who fulfill the devotion will be consoled by Our Lady and will see Her eventually in heaven.
Our Lady promised to assist in the salvation of those who practice this devotion by the graces of Her Immaculate Heart.
These First Saturday Prayers to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are recommended for those participating in the Five First Saturdays devotion.
Please see links below for both First Fridays and First Saturdays Devotions:
First Fridays Devotion: https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/03/first-friday-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart-of-jesus/
First Fridays and First Saturdays Devotions: https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/03/first-fridays-first-saturdays-devotions/
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today’s Holy Mass, Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Today’s Bible Readings: Friday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time | October 3, 2025
Reading 1: Baruch 1:15–22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 79:1b–2, 3–5, 8, 9
Gospel: Luke 10:13–16
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 10:13–16
“Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
“Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus seems frustrated and laments over some of the towns of Galilee, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, towns where Jesus engaged in a great deal of His ministry and witnessed His mighty works but refused to repent. He is exasperated that the response of many in these towns to Him has been so ungenerous. They witnessed His deeds of power and, yet, were unmoved by what they saw. They heard His preaching and teaching and, yet, were unresponsive to what they heard. Their indifference to His miracles becomes a severe warning, privilege comes with responsibility. The greater the grace we receive, the greater the accountability before God. Jesus makes it clear that rejecting His messengers is equivalent to rejecting Him and ultimately rejecting the Father who sent Him. This reminds us that faith is not simply about hearing or witnessing signs but about responding with conversion of heart. Like the people of those towns named by Jesus, we too can be unresponsive to the Lord who continues to speak and work among us. Like them, we can be blind and deaf to His coming to us, His daily coming. The Lord may be as frustrated with us at times as He was with them. We need to keep our ears and our eyes open to the many ways the Lord speaks to us and moves among us, and, then, respond to His presence with that generosity of heart which many of His contemporaries lacked.
At the end of the Gospel reading, Jesus identifies Himself very closely with His disciples, ‘whoever listens to you, listens to me’. We are being reminded that the Lord continues to come to us in and through His followers, the community of His disciples, which we call the Church, just as He came in person to the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. The risen Lord continues to identify Himself with His disciples today, with each one of us. Each of us is called to be a living sign of the Lord’s presence. The Lord wants to be present in our world through each one of us. We have each received the extraordinary calling to be the Lord’s ambassador in our world, to reveal His presence to others. We are all aware of our capacity to hide the Lord as well as reveal Him. We can relate to others in ways that are not of the Lord. Yet, that does not stop the Lord from continuing to call us to be His presence to others. He continues to want to live in us, to speak and act through us. We are the members of His body. As He was present in Galilee and Judea in and through His physical body, He wishes to be present in our world today in and through His body, the church, and in and through each individual member of that body. He needs all of us if He is to be fully present because each of us can reveal a different facet of the Lord. As Saint Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians, every member of the body of the Church has a vital role to play in ensuring that Christ’s body is fully alive. For us today, the Gospel challenges complacency in our spiritual lives. We may be surrounded by blessings, sacraments, and opportunities to grow in faith, yet remain unmoved. The Lord calls us to awaken from indifference, to allow His word and works to bring about genuine repentance and transformation. It is not enough to admire His miracles we must let them change us.
In the first reading, the prayer from Baruch is a confession of guilt by Israel during their exile. They acknowledge that shame and suffering have come because of their sins, disobedience, and stubbornness in following their own hearts rather than God’s law. Yet, this prayer is also a turning point it shows humility, awareness, and repentance. Like Israel, we too are called to recognize the ways we have strayed from God and return to Him with contrite hearts.
Reflecting on the Responsorial Psalm, Psalm 79 is a cry of anguish and a plea for deliverance. The psalmist voices deep sorrow over destruction and humiliation but also appeals to God’s mercy: “For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.” This prayer teaches us to place our trust not in our own strength but in God’s compassion. Even in moments of disgrace and struggle, we can call upon His name, confident that He will forgive, heal, and restore.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are called to ask ourselves, Do I take for granted the blessings and graces God has given me, failing to let them lead to deeper conversion? How do I respond to the voice of God in Scripture, in the sacraments, and through those He sends to me? Do I acknowledge my sins with humility, as Israel did, or do I resist repentance out of pride? In times of personal or communal suffering, do I call upon God’s mercy with trust, believing He can deliver and restore? Beloved in Christ, today’s readings remind us that God’s mercy is always greater than our sin, but His mercy calls for our response. Like the people of Israel, let us humbly confess our faults and turn back to the Lord, trusting in His compassion. Let us not be like the towns in the Gospel who ignored the signs and graces before them but instead let us welcome God’s word with open hearts, allowing it to bring true conversion. May we never grow complacent in our faith but remain attentive, repentant, and obedient, walking each day in the light of Christ. And when trials weigh heavily, let our cry always be, “For the glory of Your name, O Lord, deliver us.” May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace as we remain steadfast in faith and continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. 🙏🏽
Merciful Father, we come before You in humility, confessing our sins and failures. Deliver us from the hardness of heart that resists Your call to repentance. Like the people of Israel, may we turn back to You with contrite hearts, trusting in Your boundless mercy. Teach us to treasure the grace we have received and to live in gratitude, obedience, and faith. Lord, forgive our sins, heal our wounds, and lead us into the joy of Your salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽
MEMORIAL OF SAINT GERARD OF BROGNE, ABBOT, AND SAINT THEODORE (THEODORA) GUERIN, RELIGIOUS ~ FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 3RD: Today, the Church honors the Memorial of Saint Gerard of Brogne, Abbot (Patron of Saint-Gérard, Namur, Belgium) and Saint Theodore (Theodora) Guérin, Religious (Patroness of the Diocese of Lafayette, Indiana, and of Catholic education in the United States). Their lives remind us of the call to holiness in both the cloister and the mission field: Gerard through his reform of monasteries in fidelity to the Rule of St. Benedict, and Theodore through her missionary zeal in the American frontier, serving the poor, educating the young, and building institutions of hope. Through their intercession, and with the help of our Blessed Mother Mary, we pray today for peace, unity, and love in our marriages and families. We lift up the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancer, mental illness, and other terminal diseases. We pray for widows, widowers, the poor, and the most vulnerable. We remember the souls in Purgatory and ask God’s mercy upon the faithful departed. We entrust to the Lord our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, the bishops, priests, religious, and all Christians, asking for vocations, perseverance in faith, and renewed zeal in proclaiming Christ in our world. Amen. 🙏🏾
Saints of the Day with Daily Reflections | October 3rd | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Gerard of Brogne, and Saint Theodore Guérin | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-october-3rd/)
SAINT GERARD OF BROGNE, ABBOT (C. 895–959): Born into nobility in Namur, Belgium, Gerard was raised in a military household and trained as a soldier. Yet, amid worldly honors, he felt the stirrings of a higher call. While on a mission to France, he encountered the monastic life at the Abbey of Saint-Denis and was deeply moved by its simplicity and devotion. Leaving behind wealth and privilege, Gerard entered religious life and embraced the Rule of St. Benedict with humility. Ordained a priest, he was sent to establish a monastery on his estate at Brogne, where he became abbot and formed a community marked by prayer, discipline, and holiness. His reputation for reform spread, and he was entrusted with restoring discipline in nearly eighteen monasteries across Belgium and France. Despite his responsibilities, Gerard lived in humility and penitence, spending his final years in solitude and prayer near his abbey. He died on October 3, 959, leaving behind a legacy of renewal and fidelity to the Benedictine tradition. His relics are preserved in Saint-Gérard, Namur, where he is venerated as patron.
PRAYER: O God, who called Saint Gerard to renew Your Church through fidelity to prayer and the Rule of Saint Benedict, grant that we too may seek first the things of heaven, living with humility and zeal for Your glory. Amen. 🙏🏾
SAINT THEODORE (THEODORA) GUÉRIN, RELIGIOUS (1798–1856): Born Anne-Thérèse Guérin in Brittany, France, during the upheaval of the French Revolution, Saint Theodora endured personal loss and family hardship from an early age. Called to religious life, she entered the Sisters of Providence and devoted herself to education and care for the poor. In 1840, she courageously accepted a mission to the United States, where she founded the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Despite frail health, prejudice against Catholics, and severe hardships, she established schools, orphanages, and pharmacies, and opened Indiana’s first Catholic women’s liberal arts college, which thrives to this day. Known for her wisdom, humility, and unwavering trust in Providence, she guided her community through trials, even enduring unjust excommunication, later lifted. Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, Saint Theodora remains a model of perseverance, faith, and missionary zeal.
PRAYER: Loving God, You sustained Saint Theodora Guérin in times of trial and blessed her with courage to bring education and hope to many. Through her intercession, strengthen us to trust in Your providence, persevere in faith, and serve with generosity. Amen. 🙏🏾
Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Gerard of Brogne, and Saint Theodore Guérin ~ Pray for us. 🙏🏾
GENERAL PRAYERS AND INTENTIONS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/general-prayers-and-intentions/
Please find below links to the websites for Daily Reflections, Foundation, and interesting topics and articles about our Catholic faith and doctrines | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2025/01/30/daily-reflections-and-prayer-links/
THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2025: FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER: For collaboration between different religious traditions. Let us pray that believers in different religious traditions might work together to defend and promote peace, justice and human fraternity.
(https://popesprayerusa.net/popes-intentions/)
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF OCTOBER | MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY: October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, a powerful prayer that draws us into the heart of the Gospel through the eyes of Mary. The Rosary is more than repetition, it is a meditation on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, united with the loving presence of His Blessed Mother. As Pope St. John Paul II reminded us, the Rosary is “a compendium of the Gospel,” helping us to contemplate Christ’s face with Mary.
The twenty mysteries of the Rosary, Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous, invite us to journey with Christ from His Incarnation to His Passion and His triumph over death. Each mystery opens us to God’s saving love, strengthens our faith, and leads us to imitate the virtues of Jesus and Mary in our daily lives. This month, the Church invites us to renew our devotion to the Rosary by praying it daily, whether alone, in families, or in community. Through it, we find peace in times of trial, strength against temptation, and deeper trust in God’s providence. Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, intercedes for us and leads us always to her Son.
“O Mary, our Blessed Mother and Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, teach us to pray with a pure heart and a steadfast spirit. As we meditate on the mysteries of Christ, help us to grow in faith, hope, and love. Intercede for us before your Son, that our families, our Church, and our world may be filled with peace and the light of the Gospel. Amen.” 🙏🏽
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=12540
THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/2024/11/21/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/
PRAYER INTENTIONS: Heavenly Father, in humility we acknowledge our sins and turn to You with contrite hearts, asking for mercy and renewal. Through the intercession of Saints Gerard of Brogne and Theodora Guerin, we pray for the grace of true repentance in our lives, our families, and our communities. May we embrace the call to conversion, reform, and fidelity to Your Word. We pray for all missionaries, religious, and clergy, that they may be strengthened in their service, especially in difficult and hostile environments. We lift up marriages and families, asking for unity, peace, and healing where there is division. We remember the sick, the dying, and all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially those weighed down by terminal illness and despair. We commend to You the poor, the vulnerable, widows, and orphans, that they may be comforted by Your providence. We pray for the persecuted Church, for vocations to priesthood and religious life, and for the souls in Purgatory and the faithful departed. Grant us the courage to witness Christ faithfully, even when faced with rejection or trials.
LET US PRAY:
My merciful Lord, You call me to daily repent of my sin and to do so through the manifest signs of sitting “in sackcloth and ashes.” Give me the grace of true sorrow for my sins and help me to sincerely repent as I trust in Your mercy. As I do, please also guide me so that I may humble myself and express my sorrow in manifest ways toward those against whom I have sinned. May this humble act bring healing and unity in You. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen 🙏🏽
Lord God, You sent Your prophets to call Your people to repentance and Your Saints to guide the Church in holiness. Grant that, following the example of Saint Gerard’s fidelity to reform and Saint Theodora Guerin’s courage in mission, we may live as true witnesses of Your mercy and truth. Forgive our sins, renew our hearts, and strengthen our faith, that we may never grow complacent but remain steadfast in love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏾
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Saint Gerard of Brogne, and Saint Theodore Guérin~ Pray for us 🙏🏾
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Amen 🙏🏽
Thanking God for the precious gift of this new day, and during this gentle rhythm of Ordinary Time, may our hearts remain open to the quiet working of the Holy Spirit who continues to guide, renew, and strengthen us each day. As we begin this new month of October, we lift our hearts in gratitude for the blessings of the past and entrust the days ahead into God’s loving hands. May this month be filled with hope, safety, and the quiet joy that comes from knowing that Christ walks with us always. Alleluia! Have a blessed, safe, and fruitful Friday, and a relaxing weekend and grace-filled beginning to the month of October. 🙏🏽
Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖
Daily Reflections with Philomena | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org
Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation | Global Missions Now Awards |
https://youtu.be/gB31nuOFx0A?si=mSoZs-wiByhGs
North Texas Catholic Magazine | Dr. Philomena Ikowe – Life on Purpose (pages 44-45) | https://www.flipsnack.com/A9DFE877C6F/north-texas-catholic-magazine-mar-apr-issue-2025/full-view.html