SATURDAY OF THE EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: AUGUST 9, 2025
MEMORIAL OF SAINT TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS (SAINT EDITH STEIN), VIRGIN AND MARTYR AND SAINT ROMANUS, MARTYR | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/saints-of-the-day
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Teresa Benedicta and Saint Romanus| https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-august-9th/)
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN | August 9, 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-154/
NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION: The 2025 Novena for the Assumption of Mary into Heaven is scheduled to begin Wednesday, August 6 and end on August 14th. The novena is a prayer that commemorates the death of Mary and her assumption into Heaven, which is celebrated on August 15. Novena link below: https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/novena-to-our-lady-of-the-assumption/
NOVENA TO SAINT PHILOMENA | AUGUST 2ND-10TH | The 2025 Novena to Saint Philomena is scheduled to begin Saturday, August 2nd and end on August 10th. This novena honors Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr, a powerful intercessor and Wonder-Worker, asking her help for purity, courage, and trust in God. Feast of St. Philomena is celebrated on August 11th. She’s the Patron Saint of Children, youth, babies, infants, priests, lost causes, sterility, virgins, Children of Mary, The Universal Living Rosary Association and places.
Novena to Saint Philomena link: https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/novena-to-saint-philomena/
Daily Reflections with Philomena | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
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/
Greetings and blessings, beloved family!
Today is Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time! We thank the Lord for the gift of this day! During this month of August, we entrust our lives, our plans, our fears, and our dreams into God’s loving hands. We pray that this month will be filled with divine blessings, new opportunities, and the strength to overcome every challenge that may come our way.
We pray and celebrate with those marking birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs, weddings, and other joyful milestones this August. May this be a month of peace for the anxious, healing for the sick, comfort for the brokenhearted, and provision for the needy. As we walk through the days ahead, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ go before us, the love of God surround us, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit guide every decision we make. May this month bring us closer to holiness, deeper in faith, and stronger in hope. In all things, may God’s name be paised. Amen🙏🏽
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” ~ Matthew 5:4
We remember in prayer all who began this journey of life with us but are no longer here, may their souls rest in perfect peace. Amen🙏🏽
We pray for the sick and dying. We especially pray for our loved ones who have recently died and we continue to pray for the repose of their gentle souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. 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 🙏🏽 ✝️🕯✝️🕯✝️🕯
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints” ~ Psalm 116:15
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 & the Holy Spirit forever & ever. Amen🙏🏽
On this special feast day, with special intention through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Saints, we continue to humbly pray for the well-being and safety of all parents, grandparents and the elderly. We pray for justice, peace, love and unity in our families and our divided and conflicted world today. We continue to pray for all families and for the safety and well-being of our children and children all over the world. We pray for all those who are marginalized in our society, the poor and the needy. We 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. May God protect us all and keep united in peace, love and faith. Amen 🙏🏽
Through the intercession of St. Joseph, we pray for all fathers, workers and all those who labour 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 the Ordinary Time. Wishing us all and our loved ones a joyful, peaceful, and grace-filled month of July.🙏🏽
LIST OF ALL NOVENAS | Month of August | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/list-of-all-novenas-august/
COMMON CATHOLIC PRAYERS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/common-catholic-prayers/
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today’s Holy Mass, Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Today’s Bible Readings: Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time | August 9, 2025
Reading 1: Deuteronomy 6:4–13
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 18:2–3a, 3bc–4, 47 and 51
Gospel: Matthew 17:14–20
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you”
“A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before Him, and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
In today’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus rebukes His disciples for their little faith. He doesn’t say that they have no faith but tells them that they have little faith. They had just failed in their efforts to do the work that Jesus had sent them to do, bringing healing to a sick child. Jesus attributes this failure to their little faith. It is a feature of Matthew’s Gospel that the disciples are often portrayed as people of little faith. Many of us may find it easy to identify with the disciples. We think of ourselves as people of faith but we sense that our faith is not as strong as it could be. We don’t trust the Lord enough. We have that striking promise of Jesus in the Gospel reading that if our faith was as small even as a mustard seed we could move mountains. Jesus wanted His disciples to grow in their faith; it is what He wants for all of us. In response to that desire of Jesus for a stronger faith within us, we could make our own the prayer of the father of the sick child that we find in Mark’s version of this story, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief’.
In the Gospel, we witness a father’s desperate plea for his son’s healing and the disciples’ inability to help. Jesus’ response is both a rebuke and an invitation: “Because of your little faith.” He reminds His followers that even faith as small as a mustard seed can unleash God’s power. This is not a call to rely on our own strength or confidence, but to trust completely in the One who holds all things together. Faith, even in its smallest form, becomes the channel through which God’s grace moves mountains, mountains of fear, doubt, sin, and despair. Jesus is not promising that we will always get exactly what we ask for, but He is revealing that genuine trust in God opens the way for His will to be done in our lives. Sometimes, our “mountains” are not physical obstacles but inner struggles addictions, wounds, and anxieties. Faith may not remove these instantly, but it transforms how we carry them. It changes our posture from defeat to hope, from self-reliance to divine dependence. The disciples’ struggle in this story reminds us that spiritual authority is not mechanical; it flows from intimacy with Christ, a life rooted in prayer, humility, and trust.
In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses proclaims the Shema: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This command is the heartbeat of true faith a love for God that shapes every word we speak, every action we take, and every choice we make. Moses warns the people not to forget the Lord once they enjoy His blessings. Gratitude and remembrance protect us from pride and spiritual complacency. When we remember what God has done, our faith grows, and our trust deepens.
The Responsorial Psalm becomes our personal prayer today: “I love you, Lord, my strength.” God is our Rock, Fortress, Deliverer, and Shield. This declaration is not just a statement of belief but an expression of relationship. When we know God personally, faith is no longer merely an idea it is the very foundation of our lives. Even when the ground seems to shake beneath us, we can stand firm because He is our refuge.
Today’s readings invite us to see faith not as a one-time act, but as a daily surrender. It is a love that remembers God’s faithfulness in the past, trusts Him in the present, and clings to His promises for the future. We must ask ourselves: What “mountain” in my life needs to be entrusted to God today? Do I truly believe that nothing is impossible for Him? Am I living with a love for the Lord that fills my whole heart, soul, and strength, or am I distracted by the comforts of the blessings He has given me? Faith is not about having everything figured out it is about holding on to God when nothing makes sense, believing that His power is greater than our weakness. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and may we take courage from Jesus’ words, allowing even the smallest seed of faith to grow through prayer, obedience, and love. When rooted in God, that seed will not remain small it will become a living testimony that with Him, nothing will be impossible. 🙏🏽
Lord Jesus, strengthen my faith, even when it feels as small as a mustard seed. Teach me to love You with all my heart, soul, and strength, and to remember Your goodness in every season. Help me to surrender my mountains to You, trusting that Your power works perfectly in my weakness. May my life bear witness to the truth that nothing is impossible for You, and may my trust in You grow each day through prayer, love, and obedience. Amen. 🙏🏾
MEMORIAL OF SAINT TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS (SAINT EDITH STEIN), VIRGIN AND MARTYR AND SAINT ROMANUS, MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY – AUGUST 9TH: Today, the Church honors two courageous witnesses of Christ: Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Saint Edith Stein), Virgin and Martyr (Patroness of Europe), and Saint Romanus, Martyr (Patron of the City of Lucca). Their lives though separated by centuries speak the same language of faith, sacrifice, and unwavering love for God. Through their intercession, we pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from cancer and other terminal illnesses; for the poor and needy; for peace, love, and unity in our families and our world. We also lift up our Holy Father, the clergy, and all vocations to the priesthood and religious life. May persecuted Christians be strengthened in faith, sinners be converted, and all the faithful persevere in living the Gospel with courage. 🙏🏾
Saint (s) of the Day with Daily Reflections | August 9th | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Teresa Benedicta and Saint Romanus | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-august-9th/)
SAINT TERESA BENEDICTA OF THE CROSS (ST. EDITH STEIN), VIRGIN AND MARTYR: Born in 1891 in Breslau, Poland, Edith Stein was a brilliant philosopher raised in a devout Jewish family. Drawn to truth through her studies, she encountered the autobiography of Saint Teresa of Avila in 1921, declaring, “This is the truth.” She was baptized the following year and, after years of teaching and writing, entered the Carmel of Cologne in 1933, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
Offering her life for the salvation of her people, she was arrested by the Nazis in 1942 and died at Auschwitz on August 9. Canonized in 1998, she was declared co-patroness of Europe the following year.
PRAYER: God of our fathers, You led Saint Teresa Benedicta to know and love Your Crucified Son, and to imitate Him even unto death. Through her intercession, may all come to know Christ the Savior and attain the vision of Your eternal glory. Amen. 🙏🏾
SAINT ROMANUS, MARTYR: A soldier under Emperor Valerian, Romanus was moved by the courage of Saint Lawrence during his torture and asked to be baptized. Lawrence baptized him in prison, after which Romanus publicly declared his faith. Arrested and condemned, he was beheaded on August 9, 258. His relics rest in the church dedicated to him in Lucca, Italy.
PRAYER: Almighty and ever-living God, pour out Your Spirit upon us. Fill our hearts with the same love that strengthened Your martyr Romanus to endure suffering for Christ, so that we too may remain faithful in every trial. Amen. 🙏🏾
Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Teresa Benedicta and Saint Romanus ~ 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 AUGUST: For mutual coexistence. Let us pray that societies where coexistence seems more difficult might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation for ethnic, political, religious or ideological reasons.
(https://popesprayerusa.net/popes-intentions/)
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF AUGUST | MONTH OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY: August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, inviting us to reflect on her pure love, deep sorrow, and unwavering obedience to God. Her heart, aflame with charity and pierced by suffering, mirrors the life of Christ and calls us to follow Him more closely through her example. This month, the Church encourages us to console her sorrowful heart and grow in holiness through prayers like the Rosary, the Litany of the Immaculate Heart, and the First Saturday Devotion. Through Mary’s heart, we are led ever closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
“O Immaculate Heart of Mary, be our refuge and the way that leads us to God.”
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us and draw us into deeper love and trust in your Son. Amen🙏🏽
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=12540
PRAYER INTENTIONS: As we honor Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and Saint Romanus, let us lift our hearts to God in gratitude for their courageous witness. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those battling cancer and other terminal illnesses; for the poor, the hungry, and the homeless; for peace, love, and unity in our families, communities, and the world. We pray for our Holy Father, for bishops, priests, deacons, and all who serve the Church, that they may be strengthened in holiness. We ask for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the conversion of sinners, for perseverance among persecuted Christians, and for each of us to remain steadfast in our faith, even in times of trial. May the light of Christ guide our steps, and may our lives bear witness to His mercy and truth. 🙏🏾
LET US PRAY
My saving Lord, You have done incredible things in the lives of so many. You have transformed souls and recreated them in Your mercy. Please bestow upon me the gift of faith so that I will hear Your Voice and respond with the utmost generosity and belief. Use me, dear Lord, to also become an instrument of Your unimaginable grace in the lives of others. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen 🙏🏽
Lord God, through the intercession of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and Saint Romanus, grant us the grace to live with courage, love, and unwavering trust in You. Strengthen the weak, comfort the afflicted, and renew our hearts in Your truth. May we, like these holy martyrs, embrace the Cross and follow Your Son faithfully, until we share in the joy of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏾
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Teresa Benedicta and Saint Romanus ~ 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 as we now enter the 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. May this new month be filled with blessings, safety, and the quiet joy that comes from knowing that Christ walks with us always. Alleluia! Have a blessed, safe, grace-filled Saturday and relaxing weekend 🙏🏽
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