MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA, VIRGIN; BLESSED FRANCIS XAVIER SEELOS, PRIEST; SAINT FLORA OF BEAULIEU, VIRGIN AND SAINT PLACID, MARTYR

SUNDAY OF THE TWENTY-SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR C)

SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 5, 2025

MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA, VIRGIN; BLESSED FRANCIS XAVIER SEELOS, PRIEST; SAINT FLORA OF BEAULIEU, VIRGIN AND SAINT PLACID, MARTYR | OCTOBER 5TH | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/saints-of-the-day

(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Saint Flora of Beaulieu, and Saint Placid | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-october-5th/)

Watch “Holy Mass and Angelus Presided by Pope Leo XIV | Jubilee of the Missions and Migrants | LIVE From the Vatican, St. Peter’s Square | October 5, 2025 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/catholic-daily-mass-october-5-2025/

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN | October 5, 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-5-2025/

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 and Happy Sunday!

Today, Sunday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time, we joyfully thank God for the gift of life and for leading us into the new month of October. May this new month bring us 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🙏🏽

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, 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 pray for charitable organizations, asking God’s blessing upon their mission and we lift our prayers for peace, love, justice and unity in our families, marriages 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/

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:

Bible Readings for today’s Holy Mass, Sunday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Today’s Bible Readings: Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time | Sunday, October 5, 2025
Reading 1: Habakkuk 1:2–3; 2:2–4
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 95:1–2, 6–7, 8–9
Reading 2: 2 Timothy 1:6–8, 13–14
Gospel: Luke 17:5–10

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 17:5–10

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you”

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished’? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

Today’s Gospel highlights two important truths: the power of faith, even when small, and the humility of discipleship. The apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, but He reminds them that even faith as tiny as a mustard seed can accomplish what seems impossible. True faith is not about quantity but about trust in God’s power. Jesus then shifts to the example of the servant, teaching that our service to God is not about seeking recognition or reward but about humble obedience. As disciples, we are called to serve with a heart that expects nothing in return, recognizing that everything we do is only possible by God’s grace. This message challenges us to live out our faith with humility and perseverance. Faith grows not when we focus on ourselves, but when we surrender to God and allow Him to work through us. The true fruit of discipleship is not found in achievements or applause but in the quiet, steady fidelity of doing God’s will day by day.

The prayer of the disciples in today’s Gospel reading is one we find easy to identify with. We can sometimes feel vaguely dissatisfied about our faith, and wonder about the state of our relationship with God. We might even describe ourselves as hanging on by a thread. If Jesus takes mustard seeds seriously, He probably takes threads seriously too. The thread may be all that the Lord needs to continue relating to us. At the end of the day, faith as small as a mustard seed is all that God needs. Today’s parable suggests that what really matters in our relationship with God is that we stay the course, that we hang on in there. According to the Gospel, the setting of the story Jesus told is drawn from the culture in which Jesus lived. The servant in the story did what was asked of him; he dutifully kept to his routine day after day. He embodies faithfulness and reliability. In our relationship with God, we are simply called to be faithful, to stay the course, even when our faith seems no bigger than a mustard seed. At times we may feel that God is very distant from us. We may consider that our religious practice has become something of a routine with little excitement; we may wonder if we are just going through the motions, with nothing much underpinning what we do. We may even suspect that we are loosing faith. The parable assures us that God sees our faithfulness, even when we might doubt it, and that God values our faithful service, even when we are tempted to make light of it. It is worth remembering that God will keep us faithful, if we ask him to do so. In that sense, faith is more of God’s doing than ours. Faith is always God’s gift to us, and it is given to all who desire it, no matter how small that desire may appear to us. A desire the size of a mustard seed is all God needs to bestow His gifts.

In the first reading, the prophet Habakkuk cries out to God in anguish, asking why He allows violence and suffering. God responds with assurance: His justice will come in His time, and “the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” This timeless message speaks to us in moments of struggle or discouragement. Faith sustains us when answers seem delayed. Trusting in God’s vision means believing that His promises will not fail, even when circumstances are difficult.

Reflecting on the Responsorial Psalm, the Psalm exhorts us: “If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” It is a reminder that faith requires openness and attentiveness to God’s voice. The same God who led Israel in the desert still guides us today. Hardening our hearts closes us off from His blessings, but a listening heart receives His guidance and peace.

In the second reading, Saint Paul encourages Timothy to “stir into flame the gift of God” received through the laying on of hands. Faith must be nurtured, strengthened, and lived courageously. God gives us not a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. Like Timothy, we are called to guard the treasure of faith entrusted to us and to live boldly as witnesses of the Gospel, relying on the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.

Today we are alll invited to treasure the gift of faith that God has given us, even if it appears to us to be no bigger than a mustard seed. As St. Paul reminds Timothy in today’s second reading, ‘you have been trusted to look after something precious’. We look after this precious gift of faith by trying to live it faithfully, while ‘relying on the power of God’ in doing so, as St. Paul says to Timothy. However, we will need the support of other believers if we are to be faithful. We are very dependant on each other’s mustard seed of faith.

As we reflect and meditate on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we might ask ourselves, Do I trust in God’s timing when life feels uncertain, just like Habakkuk did in his cry to the Lord? Am I open to hearing God’s voice today, or do I allow pride and stubbornness to harden my heart? How am I nurturing the gift of faith God has given me, am I stirring it into flame or allowing it to grow dim? Do I serve God with humility, recognizing that I am His servant, or do I seek recognition for what I do? Beloved in Christ, today we are reminded that faith, even small, is mighty when rooted in God. Let us not grow weary in waiting for His promises, but trust that He is always at work. Let us serve with humility, without seeking recognition, knowing that we belong to a faithful God. May we go forth strengthened in faith, open in heart, and steadfast in living out the Gospel in our daily lives. 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. 🙏🏽

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of faith, small as a mustard seed, yet powerful through Your grace. Teach us to trust in Your promises even when we do not see immediate answers. Keep our hearts open to Your voice, and help us to serve You with humility and joy. May we stir into flame the gift of Your Spirit and live courageously as witnesses to Your love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽

MEMORIAL OF SAINT MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA, VIRGIN; BLESSED FRANCIS XAVIER SEELOS, PRIEST; SAINT FLORA OF BEAULIEU, VIRGIN; AND SAINT PLACID, MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 5TH: Today, the Church honors four radiant witnesses of Christ: Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Virgin (Apostle and Secretary of Divine Mercy); Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Priest (Missionary to the poor and comforter of the sick, Patron against cancer); Saint Flora of Beaulieu, Virgin (Patron of the abandoned, converts, and single laywomen); and Saint Placid, Martyr (Disciple of Saint Benedict and Patron of Messina). Their lives reflect mercy, missionary zeal, mystical devotion, and fidelity to Christ even unto death. Through their intercession, and with the help of our Blessed Mother Mary, we lift up prayers for the sick and dying, especially those battling cancer, depression, and terminal illness; for widows, widowers, and the poor; for the souls in Purgatory and the faithful departed; for peace, love, and unity in families and throughout the world. We entrust to God our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, all bishops, priests, and religious, asking for renewed vocations and holiness in the Church. We pray for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and for all who seek God’s mercy. Amen. 🙏🏾

Saints of the Day with Daily Reflections | October 5th| https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com

(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Saint Flora of Beaulieu, and Saint Placid | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-october-5th/ )

SAINT MARIA FAUSTINA KOWALSKA, VIRGIN (1905–1938): Born Helena Kowalska in Poland, Saint Faustina came from a humble family of ten children. Rejected by several convents because of her poverty and lack of education, she was finally accepted into the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in 1925. There she lived a hidden life as cook, gardener, and porter, yet nourished a deep interior union with Christ. Jesus entrusted to her the mission of spreading devotion to His Divine Mercy. He revealed to her the image of Divine Mercy, the Chaplet of Mercy, and the call to proclaim His merciful love, especially for sinners and the dying. Her nearly 700-page spiritual Diary remains a treasure of mystical wisdom, where she wrote: “My sanctity and perfection consist in the close union of my will with the will of God.” She died of tuberculosis at age 33 on October 5, 1938. Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000, she is forever linked to Divine Mercy Sunday, the Chaplet, and the 3 o’clock prayer.

PRAYER: O Jesus, through the intercession of Saint Faustina, help us to trust completely in Your Divine Mercy and to proclaim it to the world. Amen. 🙏🏾

BLESSED FRANCIS XAVIER SEELOS, PRIEST (1819–1867): Born in Bavaria, Francis Seelos joined the Redemptorists and came to America as a missionary priest in 1843. Ordained in Baltimore, he worked alongside St. John Neumann in Pittsburgh, where he became known as a gentle confessor, a wise spiritual director, and a dedicated servant of the poor. He was called the “Cheerful Ascetic” for his joyful simplicity, and many sought his intercession for healing of body and soul. He tirelessly served in various parishes and missions across the United States, until his final assignment in New Orleans during a Yellow Fever epidemic. Caring for the sick, he contracted the disease and died at only 48 years of age on October 4, 1867. Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 2000, he is honored as a patron against cancer.

PRAYER: O God, who made Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos a joyful missionary and comforter of the suffering, grant that through his intercession we may serve You faithfully and bring hope to others. Amen. 🙏🏾

SAINT FLORA OF BEAULIEU, VIRGIN (1309–1347): Saint Flora was born in France and, at 15, entered the Hospitaller Priory of Beaulieu. She endured misunderstandings, ridicule, and inner trials but remained faithful in her devotion. God granted her mystical ecstasies, levitations, and the stigmata, which she bore with humility. Despite suffering, she offered wise counsel to those who sought her guidance. She died in 1347, and miracles occurred at her tomb. She is venerated as patron of the abandoned, converts, those betrayed, and single laywomen.

PRAYER: Lord, through the intercession of Saint Flora, strengthen those who feel abandoned or betrayed, and grant them hope in Your unfailing love. Amen. 🙏🏾

SAINT PLACID, MARTYR (515–541): A disciple of Saint Benedict, Placid was dedicated to God at the age of seven. He grew in holiness under Benedict’s guidance and later founded a monastery in Sicily. In 541, he and thirty companions — including his brothers and sister Flavia were martyred by raiders, remaining steadfast in their faith until death. Honored as the patron of Messina and other towns in Italy, Saint Placid is remembered as a model of youthful fidelity and monastic courage.

PRAYER: Almighty God, through the witness of Saint Placid and his companions, help us to remain steadfast in faith, even in times of trial. Amen. 🙏🏾

Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Saint Flora of Beaulieu, and Saint Placid ~ 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: As we gather on this Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time and honor Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Saint Flora of Beaulieu, and Saint Placid, we turn to God with hearts full of trust and humility. We pray that the gift of faith within us may be strengthened, faith that perseveres in trial, listens to God’s voice, and serves without seeking reward. We remember our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, the bishops, priests, deacons, and all consecrated men and women, asking that they be renewed in zeal and fidelity to their vocation. We pray for families throughout the world, especially those wounded by division or hardship, that they may be united in peace and love. We lift up the sick, the lonely, and the dying, those who, like Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, bear suffering with courage, that they may find healing and consolation in Christ. We pray for all who struggle with despair, depression, or fear, that through the intercession of Saint Faustina, they may experience God’s boundless mercy. We remember the poor and abandoned, inspired by Saint Flora’s compassion and Saint Placid’s steadfastness, and we commend to God’s mercy the souls in Purgatory and all the faithful departed. May the Divine Mercy of Jesus enfold our world in peace and draw every heart closer to His love.

LET US PRAY:

Most glorious Lord, Increase my faith. Give me a pure faith—a faith that enables You to lead me down the unknown path to Your glory. With this gift of faith, please use me to bring forth Your miraculous power by which sin is uprooted and souls are nourished by You alone. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen 🙏🏽

Merciful and loving Father, You are our strength and our salvation. Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the saints we honor today, increase our faith and teach us to serve You with humble hearts. May we, like Saint Faustina, trust completely in Your mercy; like Blessed Francis Seelos, bring comfort to those who suffer; like Saint Flora, remain steadfast in purity and prayer; and like Saint Placid, witness courageously to the Gospel. Renew our spirits, guide our steps in holiness, and let Your mercy flow through us to heal our world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏾

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Saint Flora of Beaulieu, and Saint Placid ~ 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 grace-filled Sunday, and a fruitful beginning to the month of October. 🙏🏽

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

Daily Reflections with Philomena | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/

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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