FRIDAY OF THE SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: AUGUST 1, 2025
FEAST OF SAINT PETER’S CHAINS; SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND THE SEVEN HOLY MACCABEES, MARTYR | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/saints-of-the-day
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Peter, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, and the Seven Holy Maccabees| https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-august-1st/)
Daily Reflections with Philomena | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
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 | August 1, 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-146/
Watch “Jubilee of Youth | Welcome Holy Mass Presided by PopeLeo XIV | LIVE from the Vatican | July 29, 2025” | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/live-from-the-vatican-welcome-mass-jubilee-of-youth-july-29-2025/
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 Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time! We thank the Lord for the gift of a brand-new day and a brand-new month. Happy New Month! As we step into the month of August, we entrust our lives, our plans, our fears, and our dreams into God’s loving hands. We pray that this new 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 praised. 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/
Daily Reflections with Philomena | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
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 below links 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, Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Today’s Bible Readings: Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church | Thursday, August 1, 2025
Reading 1: Leviticus 23:1, 4–11, 15–16, 27, 34b–37
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 81:3–4, 5–6, 10–11ab
Gospel: Matthew 13:54–58
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:54-58
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house”
“Jesus came to His native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.”
In today’s Gospel reading, when Jesus returns to His home town of Nazareth and taught in the synagogue, instead of being welcomed with awe and faith, He was met with skepticism and resistance. The town people recognize Him as the son of the carpenter, whose mother, Mary, and whose brothers and sisters are known to them. He is one of their own, just like themselves. Yet, in other ways He is not like themselves. The townspeople of Nazareth are astonished at His wisdom and His miraculous powers. They wonder where He could have gotten all that from. They were mystified by Him. This is the fundamental mystery of Jesus. He was like us in every way, except sin; He was fully human and, yet, there was more to Him than that. There was a divine wisdom and power at work within Him. According to the Gospel of John, St. John expressed that mystery of Jesus very succinctly when he said at the beginning of his Gospel that the Word who was God became flesh. He was ‘flesh’ like all of us, fully human, the son of a carpenter, from a particular place in Galilee who lived at a particular time in history. Yet, His flesh revealed God in a unique way. This is the scandal of the incarnation that so disturbed the people of Nazareth. God came to us in the ordinary, the familiar, in the life of a carpenter’s son. That son of the carpenter, that son of Mary who is also Son of God, continues to come to us today as risen Lord in and through the familiar and the ordinary. He said to His disciples, ‘whoever welcomes you, welcomes me’, ‘whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me’ and ‘just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me’. We are being reminded that the sacred and the secular are not all that far apart; we encounter the sacred in the secular, the divine in the human. We are always on Holy ground.
According to the Gospel, Jesus had spent the best part of thirty years in Nazareth. During that time He was known by all as the carpenter, the son of Mary. However, after He left Nazareth, Jesus’ life had taken a new direction. He had thrown Himself into the work that God had given Him to do. He had left Nazareth as a carpenter; in today’s Gospel He returns to Nazareth as a teacher and a healer. There was in fact much more to this man that His own townspeople had ever suspected while He was living among them. The Gospel reading suggests that they could not accept this ‘more’; they rejected Him because of it. They wanted Him to be the person they imaged Him to be; they would not allow Him to move on from being the son of the carpenter. It seems to have been Jesus’ very ordinariness that made it difficult for the people of Nazareth to see that there was much more to Him than they thought, to see Him as He really was, in all His mystery. God was powerfully present to them in and through someone who was, in many respects, as ordinary as they themselves. God continues to come to us today in and through the ordinary, in and through those who are most familiar to us. It is the ordinary that is filled with God’s presence. That burning bush that fascinated Moses is all around us. In our Gospel today, the people of Nazareth where Jesus lived for most part of His life could not reconcile His divine wisdom and power with the familiar face they had grown up with. Their hearts were closed, not because of lack of evidence, but because of pride and preconceptions. Today’s passage challenges us to examine our own hearts do we sometimes dismiss God’s work because it comes through people we’re too familiar with? Are we blind to the extraordinary within the ordinary?
Reflecting on the first reading, Leviticus outlines the major feasts of the Lord moments of sacred assembly, remembrance, offering, and rest. These festivals were not mere rituals; they were opportunities for renewal and realignment with God’s covenant. They teach us the value of sacred time of pausing our routines to celebrate God’s saving work. In a world constantly on the move, we are reminded that stopping to worship is not a break from life; it is where true life is found.
Reflecting on the Responsorial Psalm, “Sing with joy to God our help.” Psalm 81 is a call to joyful worship, to remember the God who delivered His people from bondage. It warns against turning to false gods and calls us back to the One who sustains us. In our own lives, it’s easy to drift toward things that seem helpful but cannot truly save us. This psalm invites us to rediscover joy in God as our only help and strength.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, we are challenged to ask: Do I ever let familiarity blind me to God’s voice in others? Have I become indifferent to the sacred times God offers me to reconnect with Him? Am I truly joyful in worship, or has it become routine? What “strange gods” might be subtly taking God’s place in my life approval, success, comfort? Today, choose to honor the sacred in the everyday. Recognize the prophets in your life even those closest to you. May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us His grace and let our faith rise above what is familiar, and let every celebration of God’s goodness be an act of love, not just tradition.🙏🏽
Lord Jesus, give me the grace to see You, not only in extraordinary signs, but also in the people and places I often take for granted. Help me not to resist You out of pride or prejudice. Like the festivals You gave Israel, teach me to honor sacred moments in my life. May I worship You with joy, offer myself in trust, and never lose sight of Your presence, even when hidden in the familiar. Amen.🙏🏾
FEAST OF SAINT PETER’S CHAINS; SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND THE SEVEN HOLY MACCABEES, MARTYRS ~ FEAST DAY – AUGUST 1ST: Today, the Church commemorates three distinct feasts rich in meaning and witness: the Feast of Saint Peter’s Chains (commemorating his miraculous deliverance from prison), Saint Alphonsus Liguori (patron of moral theologians, confessors, and arthritis sufferers), and the Seven Holy Maccabees, Old Testament martyrs who died for their fidelity to God’s law. These powerful intercessors remind us that chains borne for Christ, sufferings endured for truth, and steadfast witness whether before or after the Incarnation unite us in the one Church. Through their prayers and the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, we entrust to God all who are suffering, especially the sick and dying, those battling cancer and terminal illness, the poor and displaced, and all those facing persecution for their faith. May their heroic lives inspire us to live faithfully, preach courageously, and love sacrificially. 🙏🏽
Saint (s) of the Day with Daily Reflections | August 1st | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Peter, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, and the Seven Holy Maccabees| https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-august-1st/)
FEAST OF SAINT PETER’S CHAINS: Also known as Lammas Day (“Loaf Mass”), this feast originated from the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains (San Pietro in Vincoli) in Rome, consecrated on August 1 in the early 5th century. Built under the patronage of Empress Eudoxia to house the chains believed to have bound St. Peter in Jerusalem, the basilica became a place of great veneration. These relics were honored throughout the centuries small filings of the chains were often enclosed in golden crosses or keys and sent to rulers and bishops across Europe. The feast reminds us that God sets His people free not only from literal prison, but from every form of bondage. As St. John Chrysostom once said: “No glittering diadem so adorns the head as a chain borne for Christ.”
PRAYER: O God, who freed Saint Peter from his chains and gave him strength to proclaim the Gospel with boldness, break every chain that binds us, and give us courage to live for You. Amen. 🙏🏾
SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGUORI (1696–1787): Born near Naples to a noble family, Saint Alphonsus was a gifted child who earned a doctorate in law by age 16. After a failed court case shook his conscience, he left his promising legal career and became a priest. He soon founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), dedicated to preaching missions, especially to the poor and forgotten. As bishop of Sant’Agata dei Goti, he combined pastoral care with prolific writing. A master of moral theology, his seminal work Moral Theology charted a compassionate and faithful course between rigorism and laxity. Though he struggled with scrupulosity and debilitating arthritis, his spiritual wisdom deepened. His enduring writings, including The Glories of Mary and The Way of the Cross, remain beloved. Declared a Doctor of the Church, Saint Alphonsus exemplifies courage, intellect, and a heart for the lowly.
Quote: “Realize that you may gain more in a quarter of an hour of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament than in all other practices of the day.”
PRAYER: Loving Redeemer, through the example and prayers of Saint Alphonsus, enkindle in us zeal for souls and compassion for the weary. May we never compromise truth, and always act with mercy. Amen. 🙏🏾
THE SEVEN HOLY MACCABEES, MARTYRS (2nd Century B.C.): The Seven Holy Maccabees along with their mother were martyred during the reign of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes for refusing to violate Jewish law by eating forbidden meat. Their defiance and unwavering faith in the resurrection gave rise to one of the most heroic stories in the Old Testament (2 Maccabees 7).
Honored uniquely in both Eastern and Western Christianity, these martyrs bore witness to the truth of God’s law centuries before Christ, yet their sacrifice pointed to the coming Messiah. Their relics were brought to Rome and enshrined at San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains), making today’s commemorations deeply intertwined. As St. Gregory Nazianzen reflects: “If already before the passion of Christ they suffered death as martyrs, what heroism would they have shown after Christ, and with His death as a model?”
PRAYER: God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through the courage of the Maccabees, You showed that true fidelity requires total surrender. Grant us the faith to hold fast to You in every trial. Amen. 🙏🏾
Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Peter, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, and the Seven Holy Maccabees ~ 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: Heavenly Father, on this memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori and in remembrance of Saint Peter’s miraculous deliverance from prison, we turn to You with hearts full of faith and hope. We pray for all who are spiritually or physically imprisoned those battling addiction, despair, sin, or injustice. May they experience Your liberating grace and be set free like Peter, through the power of prayer and the intervention of Your holy angels. We also lift up missionaries, preachers, and confessors, especially those discouraged in their ministry, that through the example of Saint Alphonsus they may persevere with zeal and compassion. May we, too, be inspired to share Your Word boldly and live as witnesses to Your mercy and truth.
LET US PRAY
My Lord of true greatness, You are truly present all around me. You are alive and living in the lives of those whom I encounter every day. Please give me the eyes of faith to see You and a heart that loves You. Help me to overlook the faults and weaknesses of others. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen 🙏🏽
O God of deliverance and truth, You rescued Peter from chains and inspired Saint Alphonsus to defend Your Church with wisdom and love. Strengthen our faith so that we may trust You even when surrounded by darkness. May we proclaim the Gospel with courage, like Saint Alphonsus, and pray fervently like the early Church. Break the chains that bind our hearts, and fill us with the freedom that comes from living in Your will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏾
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Peter, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, and the Seven Holy Maccabees ~ 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 Friday 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 |
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