THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: OCTOBER 16, 2025
MEMORIAL OF SAINT HEDWIG, RELIGIOUS; SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN; SAINT GERARD MAJELLA, REDEMPTORIST; SAINT MARGUERITE D’YOUVILLE, SGM, RELIGIOUS AND SAINT GALL, ABBOT | OCTOBER 16TH | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/saints-of-the-day
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Hedwig, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint Gerard Majella, Saint Marguerite d’Youville, and Saint Gal | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-october-16th/)
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN | October 16, 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-16-2025/
GENERAL PRAYERS AND INTENTIONS | PRAYERS FOR PEACE | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/general-prayers-and-intentions/
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, Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time, we joyfully thank God for the gift of life and for leading us into the month of October. May this 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. 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🙏🏽
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, Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time | October 16, 2025
Reading 1: Romans 3:21–30
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130:1b–2, 3–4, 5–6ab
Gospel: Luke 11:47–54
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 11:47–54
“The blood of the prophets is required, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah”
“The Lord said: “Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood! Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus criticizes the lawyers, the experts in the Jewish Law, the Law of God, for taking away the key of knowledge. The “key of knowledge” mentioned by Jesus symbolizes understanding of God’s will a gift meant to open hearts to divine truth. But instead of guiding the people, these religious leaders used their authority to exclude and condemn. They distorted the very law that was meant to bring life and communion with God. They have failed to come to know God themselves, as Jesus reveals Him, and have prevented others from coming to know God. Their calling was to be teachers of the ways of God, but they have not been true to that calling. Jesus Himself was the key to the knowledge of God, because He reveals God more fully than any other human being could. In rejecting Jesus, the lawyers were taking away the key of knowledge, failing to recognize God at work in Jesus for themselves and not allowing others to discover God in Jesus either. God has given us the key to knowing Him, by giving us Jesus. Jesus is the key to the knowledge of God, and we are all learners. Indeed, we will always be learners when it comes to God. The mistake is to think ourselves learned and clever when it comes to God. On the contrary we are more like infants, always having much to learn. Only if we recognize that will we come to know God more fully. That is why Jesus prayed a little earlier in Luke’s Gospel, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the learned and the clever and have revealed them to infants’.
As Jesus continues His rebuke of the Pharisees and the scholars of the law, He condemns their hypocrisy, they honor the prophets with monuments but share in the guilt of those who killed them. Their actions show that they value appearances more than obedience to God. By rejecting the truth proclaimed by the prophets, they stand in opposition to God’s saving plan. Jesus exposes how their pride and resistance to divine wisdom prevent them and others from entering into the fullness of God’s revelation.
Our Gospel reading today, warns us against spiritual arrogance, the belief that knowledge or status makes us righteous. True faith is not about mastery of rules, but humble surrender to God’s grace. Christ’s rebuke reminds us that we can build “memorials” to faith in our own lives, outward religious acts, devotions, or symbols while failing to live out the message they represent. To honor the prophets truly means to heed their call to conversion, mercy, and justice. Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of all prophecy; to reject His message of truth and love is to repeat the same mistakes of the past.
Reflecting on the first reading, in his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul proclaims the heart of the Gospel, salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not through works of the law. All have sinned and are in need of God’s mercy, but through Christ’s sacrifice, we are freely justified by grace. Paul reminds both Jews and Gentiles that there is no distinction before God everyone stands in need of redemption.
This message cuts to the root of human pride. We cannot boast of righteousness based on our efforts or religious observances; our justification is a gift, received through faith. Faith is not a mere belief but a living trust that transforms our hearts and leads us to love. God’s justice is revealed not in punishment, but in His mercy in the gift of His Son, who redeems humanity.
Reflecting on the Responsorial Psalm, the psalmist cries out, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.” It is a humble prayer of repentance and hope in divine mercy. The refrain “With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption” captures the essence of today’s readings. God does not mark our iniquities to condemn us but to call us to conversion. Those who wait on the Lord with trust will find forgiveness and peace.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are called to ask ourselves, Do I sometimes appear religious on the outside while resisting God’s call to change within? Have I ever let pride, knowledge, or self-righteousness keep me from listening to God’s truth? How can I use the “key of knowledge” my faith and understanding to bring others closer to Christ rather than turn them away? Today’s readings remind us that faith is not a badge of pride but a path of humility and mercy. We are saved not by our deeds or our knowledge, but by the grace of God revealed in Christ Jesus. Let us, then, live our faith with sincerity not building monuments of outward religion, but becoming living witnesses of God’s compassion. Like Saint Paul, may we glory only in the Cross of Christ, and like the psalmist, trust in the Lord’s mercy as our refuge and redemption. Let us guard against the hypocrisy that honors God in words yet resists Him in action. Instead, may our hearts be open to truth, our lives shaped by grace, and our faith expressed through love. For it is in humble obedience and mercy that we truly enter the Kingdom of God. 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. 🙏🏽
Lord Jesus, You are the way, the truth, and the life. Forgive me for the times I have honored You with my lips but failed to follow You with my heart. Free me from the pride that blinds and the fear that hardens my soul. Grant me the grace to live my faith with sincerity, to seek mercy before judgment, and to share Your truth with love. May Your Word dwell richly in me, guiding all that I think, say, and do. Amen. 🙏🏽
MEMORIAL OF SAINT HEDWIG, RELIGIOUS; SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN; SAINT GERARD MAJELLA, REDEMPTORIST; SAINT MARGUERITE D’YOUVILLE, SGM, RELIGIOUS AND SAINT GALL, ABBOT – FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 16TH: Today, the Church honors a beautiful communion of saints, Saint Hedwig, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint Gerard Majella, Saint Marguerite d’Youville, and Saint Gall—each of whom reflected God’s mercy in unique and inspiring ways. Through their intercession and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray for all mothers and expectant women, for the protection of unborn children, and for couples longing for the gift of life. We pray for the sick, the poor, and the lonely; for widows and widowers; for peace and unity in families; and for the Church, her shepherds, and all consecrated souls striving for holiness. May their example strengthen our faith and draw us closer to Christ. Amen. 🙏🏾
Saints of the Day with Daily Reflections | October 16th | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Hedwig, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint Gerard Majella, Saint Marguerite d’Youville, and Saint Gal | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-october-16th/)
SAINT HEDWIG, RELIGIOUS: Born in 1174 in Bavaria, Saint Hedwig was the aunt of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and the wife of Duke Henry of Silesia. A devoted mother and woman of deep charity, she used her wealth to serve the poor and founded a Cistercian monastery at Trebnitz, where her daughter became abbess. After her husband’s death, she renounced worldly life and entered the monastery she had founded. Known for her humility and compassion, she died in 1243 and was canonized in 1267.
Patroness of: Bavaria, widows, those who suffer the loss of children, and families in distress.
PRAYER: Almighty God, through the example of Saint Hedwig’s humility and charity, teach us to trust in Your providence and serve You in simplicity of heart. Amen. 🙏🏾
SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE, VIRGIN: (1647–1690) A French Visitation nun and mystic, Saint Margaret Mary was chosen by Christ to spread devotion to His Sacred Heart. Despite poor health and personal trials, she faithfully shared this divine message of mercy and love at Paray-le-Monial. Her revelations inspired the Feast of the Sacred Heart and a renewal of faith across the Church.
Patroness of: Devotees of the Sacred Heart, loss of parents, and those suffering from polio.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, inflame our hearts with the same love You revealed to Saint Margaret Mary, that we may live each day in the light of Your Sacred Heart. Amen. 🙏🏾
SAINT GERARD MAJELLA, REDEMPTORIST: (1726–1755) Born in Italy, Saint Gerard was a humble Redemptorist lay brother known for his holiness, obedience, and miraculous works. Despite frail health, he served joyfully, performing acts of healing and charity. Many miracles are attributed to his intercession, especially for expectant mothers.
Patron of: Mothers, unborn children, and those falsely accused.
PRAYER: O God, who raised Saint Gerard as a model of humility and faith, grant that through his prayers we may follow Christ more faithfully and serve You with joyful hearts. Amen. 🙏🏾
SAINT MARGUERITE D’YOUVILLE, SGM RELIGIOUS: (1701–1771) The first native-born Canadian saint, Marguerite d’Youville was a widow who founded the Sisters of Charity of Montreal—the Grey Nuns. Known as “Mother of Universal Charity,” she and her companions cared for the poor, the sick, and the abandoned with tireless compassion.
Patroness of: Widows, difficult marriages, and the death of young children.
PRAYER: Loving God, through the example of Saint Marguerite d’Youville, inspire in us a spirit of mercy and charity toward all who suffer. Amen. 🙏🏾
SAINT GALL, ABBOT: (c. 550–c. 645) An Irish monk and companion of Saint Columbanus, Saint Gall evangelized in Switzerland, where he lived as a hermit devoted to prayer and service. His hermitage later became the Abbey of Saint Gall, a center of faith and learning.
Patron of: Switzerland, birds, and poultry.
PRAYER: Lord, through the prayers of Saint Gall, strengthen us in faith and simplicity of heart, that we may proclaim Your Gospel through quiet holiness. Amen. 🙏🏾
Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Hedwig, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint Gerard Majella, Saint Marguerite d’Youville, and Saint Gal ~ 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, we come before You with hearts open to Your mercy and truth. As we reflect on Your Word today, help us to recognize that righteousness comes not through our works, but through faith in Jesus Christ. May we, like Saint Hedwig, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint Gerard Majella, Saint Marguerite D’Youville, and Saint Gall, live lives rooted in humility, charity, and steadfast devotion to You. We pray for all who serve others selflessly, the poor, the sick, and the abandoned, that they may find strength in Your love. We remember those struggling with faith or burdened by guilt; may Your mercy restore them. Lord, purify our hearts from hypocrisy and pride, that we may walk sincerely in Your light and build a world shaped by justice, compassion, and truth.
LET US PRAY:
My patient and kind Lord, You were falsely accused and condemned by many of the religious leaders of Your time because You spoke the pure truth with love, clarity and boldness. When I act with hostility and anger toward another, help me to turn from these sins so that I will never condemn, never judge and never manipulate Your divine Law for my own purposes. Fill me with Your peace and charity alone, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen 🙏🏽
Lord Jesus, teach us to trust completely in Your saving grace and to live as witnesses of Your love in our daily lives. Through the intercession of these holy saints whose lives reflected Your mercy, help us to remain faithful and generous in spirit. May we always seek unity in faith and charity in action, proclaiming with our lives that You alone are Lord and Savior. Amen. 🙏🏾
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed, Saint Hedwig, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint Gerard Majella, Saint Marguerite d’Youville, and Saint Gal ~ 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, grace-filled, and fruitful Thursday and week, and a fulfilling 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