THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
SAINTS OF THE DAY ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 18, 2025
MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO, PRIEST | SEPTEMBER 18TH | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/saints-of-the-day
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Joseph of Cupertino | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saint-of-the-day-feast-day-september-18th/)
Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN | September 18, 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-194/
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, Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time.
We joyfully welcome the gift of this month, September and thank God for the gift of life! Lord Almighty, we thank You for granting us the grace to see this new beginning, and we entrust every day of this month into Your loving hands. May September be a season of renewal, hope, and abundant blessings for us and our families. We continue to pray for all families and for the safety and well-being of children all over the world, especially those beginning the new school year. Bless those who will celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, new opportunities, and milestones this month, and be near to those who carry heavy burdens in their hearts.
Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary on this special Feast day, 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 🙏🏾
On this feast day, through the intercession of the Saints we celebrate today, we humbly pray for the poor 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 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 🙏🏽
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 September. 🙏🏽
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🙏🏽
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 September | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/list-of-all-novenas-september/
COMMON CATHOLIC PRAYERS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/common-catholic-prayers/
PRAYER FOR THE BEGINNING OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/prayer-for-the-beginning-of-a-new-school-year/
MEET THE NEW SAINTS | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/canonization-of-carlo-acutis-pier-giorgio-frassati/
SAINT CARLO ACUTIS (1991–2006): a teenager from Milan, passionate about computer science, he used new media to spread the faith and love for the Eucharist. Beatified in 2020, he is a model of digital evangelization. | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saint-carlo-acutis/
PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI (1901–1925): a young man from Turin, sportsman and mountain enthusiast, he stood out for his charity towards the poor and his joyful witness to the Gospel. Beatified in 1990, he is the patron rewards l/saint-pier-giorgio-frassati/
SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS:
Bible Readings for today’s Holy Mass, Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading
Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time | September 18, 2025
Reading 1: 1 Timothy 4:12–16
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 111:7–8, 9, 10
Gospel: Luke 7:36–50
Gospel Reading ~ Luke 7:36–50
“Her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love; Your faith has saved you; go in peace;
“A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.’ Jesus said to him in reply, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?’ Simon said in reply, ‘The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.’ He said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.’ He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ The others at table said to themselves, ‘Who is this who even forgives sins?’ But he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.'”
In today’s Gospel reading, there is a signigicant contrast between how Simon the Pharisees, Jesus’ host, relates to Him and how an uninvited guest, a woman with a reputation as a sinner, relates to Him. Simon relates to Jesus in a cold, somewhat distant, way, omitting the usual expressions of hospitality in that culture, the washing of the guests’ feet, the welcome kiss. The woman supplied all these expressions of hospitality to an extravagant degree, washing His feet with her tears, and she then proceeds to wipe her tears away from Jesus’ feet with her hair. She then covers His feet with kisses and anoints them with an alabaster jar of ointment she had brought with her. It was an extravagant outpouring by any standards. To the Pharisee who had invited Jesus to His house, the behaviour of this woman was unseemly, unbecoming, and scandalous, especially as she had a reputation as a sinner. Yet, Jesus understood what lay behind the woman’s extravagant and unconventional behaviour. It was loving gratitude for the gift of God’s merciful love earlier conveyed to her through Jesus. It was love in return for love. She had received the gift of God’s unconditional love from Jesus and, now, she was responding in kind. The little parable that Jesus speaks to Simon about the two debtors explains the vast gulf between the woman’s response to Jesus and Simon’s response. The woman loves much because she has been forgiven much; she had earlier received the gift of God’s forgiveness from Jesus. Simon loves little because he has been forgiven little; he has little or no sense of his need of forgiveness. The Gospel reading suggests that we give out of what we have received. If we allow ourselves to be touched by God’s forgiving love, present in Jesus, then we will be loving people. If we think of ourselves as better than we are and do not come before the Lord in our poverty, asking his mercy, then our lives will not display that joyful and generous love that so characterized the life of Jesus Himself. If it is in giving to others that we receive, it is equally true that it is in receiving from the Lord that we are empowered to give.
In the Gospel, Jesus reveals the depth of God’s mercy and the transforming power of forgiveness. The sinful woman, moved by profound repentance and love, approaches Jesus with humility, tears, and costly ointment. Her act of love contrasts sharply with the cold indifference of the Pharisee who invited Jesus. Simon was more concerned with appearances and judgment than with love and mercy. Jesus uses the parable of the two debtors to show that those who recognize the greatness of God’s mercy respond with deeper love. The woman’s sins, though many, were forgiven, not because of her works but because of her faith and repentance expressed in love. Her story reminds us that no sin is beyond God’s mercy and that true love flows from a forgiven heart.
In the first reading, St. Paul exhorts Timothy not to let his youth discourage him but to set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. He reminds Timothy to remain faithful to his calling and to use the spiritual gift he has received through the laying on of hands. This passage calls us to live faithfully, no matter our age, and to recognize that God’s grace equips us to witness to Christ. The integrity of our lives, more than our words, becomes a powerful testimony to the Gospel.
As Jesus says to His host in the Gospel, ‘Her many sins must have been forgiven her or she would not have shown such great love’. St. Paul speaks out of a similar experience of God’s merciful and gracious love in today’s first reading, ‘I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God’s grace that is what I am, and the grace He gave me has not been fruitless’. St. Paul’s extravagant and often unconventional ministry was an outpouring of love and gratitude to the Lord for the gift of His merciful love towards him, the former persecutor of the church. Both the nameless woman and St. Paul show us that allowing ourselves to be touched by God’s gracious and merciful love comes before all else. From this experience will flow lives of loving gratitude that can often seem unconventional to others.
The Responsorial Psalm echoes with praise: “How great are the works of the Lord!” God’s works are faithful, just, and everlasting. His covenant love never fails, and His mercy endures forever. As we reflect on today’s readings, we are reminded that God’s greatest work is His mercy, forgiving our sins, restoring our dignity, and calling us to walk in His truth.
As we reflect on the words of the Sacred Scriptures today, the challenge for us is clear: Do I approach the Lord with humility like the sinful woman, acknowledging my need for His mercy? Or do I, like Simon the Pharisee, focus on others’ faults while neglecting my own heart? Am I truly grateful for the mercy I’ve received, and does my gratitude flow into love and service? Do I live in such a way that others see Christ through my words, actions, and purity of heart? May we, like the woman in the Gospel, come to Jesus with humble hearts, trusting in His mercy, and may we leave with the assurance of His words: “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” May God in His infinite grace and mercy, grant us the grace to remain steadfast in faith and continue to serve Him in spirit and in truth. 🙏🏽
Lord Jesus, You are rich in mercy and slow to anger. Teach me to approach You with humility and repentance, trusting in Your forgiveness. May the awareness of Your mercy deepen my love for You and inspire me to forgive others. Strengthen me to be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. May my life glorify You and bear witness to the greatness of Your works. Amen. 🙏🏾
MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO, PRIEST ~ FEAST DAY: SEPTEMBER 18TH: Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Joseph of Cupertino, Priest (Patron of students, exam-takers, pilots, aviators, astronauts, and air travelers). His life reminds us of the power of humility, simplicity, and trust in God’s providence, showing that God chooses the lowly and makes them instruments of His glory. Through his intercession, and with the help of our Blessed Mother Mary, we lift up prayers today for students everywhere, especially those preparing for or taking examinations, asking for wisdom, understanding, and success. We remember astronauts, pilots, air travelers, and all who journey by land, sea, and air, praying for their safety and God’s protection. We entrust to the Lord the sick and the dying, especially those who suffer from physical and mental illnesses, cancer, and terminal diseases. We pray for the poor, widows, widowers, and all those in need; for peace, love, and unity in our families, marriages, and throughout the world. We commend to God our Holy Father, bishops, priests, religious, and all Christians, asking for perseverance in faith and holiness of life. May the souls in Purgatory and the faithful departed rest in the peace of Christ. Amen. 🙏🏾
Saints of the Day with Daily Reflections | September 18th | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com
(Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Joseph of Cupertino | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saint-of-the-day-feast-day-september-18th/)
SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO, PRIEST (1603–1663): Saint Joseph of Cupertino was born in a stable in Cupertino, Italy, on June 17, 1603, into a family burdened by poverty. His father died before his birth, leaving his mother destitute. From childhood, Joseph was ridiculed as clumsy, absent-minded, and slow to learn. Nicknamed “open-mouthed” for his wandering gaze, he struggled with schooling and was dismissed as unintelligent. Yet behind these difficulties was a soul deeply drawn to God. At the age of seven, he began experiencing mystical visions, a sign of God’s extraordinary presence in his life. Rejected in many attempts at work, Joseph eventually found a place in a Franciscan convent as a stable boy. His humility, simplicity, and devotion to penance impressed the friars, who admitted him to study for the priesthood. Though he was a very poor student, providence guided him: at his final exam he was asked the one question he knew well, and thus was ordained a priest. This moment became symbolic of his life God working through weakness to show His power.
Joseph became widely known for his ecstasies and levitations during prayer. At the mere mention of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, or heaven, he would be lifted into rapture, sometimes rising physically into the air. These miracles, though wondrous, caused great trials for him, as he was often misunderstood, ridiculed, and even investigated by the Inquisition. For the last 35 years of his life, he was unable to celebrate Mass in public because of these frequent ecstasies. Yet he bore these trials with humility, joy, and abandonment to Divine Providence. His life was marked by intense penance fasting, prayer, and total dependence on God. Though unlearned in worldly wisdom, Joseph was gifted with divine understanding and gave wise counsel to many. People flocked to him for confession and guidance, and many conversions were attributed to his intercession. He died on September 18, 1663, at Osimo, Italy, and was canonized in 1767 by Pope Clement XIII. Known as the “Flying Saint,” he remains a patron for all who face difficulties in learning, students preparing for exams, and those who travel by air.
QUOTE OF SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO: “Clearly, what God wants, above all, is our will, which we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God, from whom all good things come … The will is what man has, as his unique possession.”
PRAYER: O God, You filled Saint Joseph of Cupertino with humility and love, raising him to heavenly heights in his devotion to You. Through his intercession, grant that we too may rise above earthly desires and place all our trust in Your divine providence. Bless students with wisdom, travelers with safety, and all of us with hearts made pure in Your service. Amen. 🙏🏾
Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Joseph of Cupertino ~ 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 SEPTEMBER: For our relationship with all of creation. Let us pray that, inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.
(https://popesprayerusa.net/popes-intentions/)
DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER | MONTH OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS: September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, inviting us to unite our hearts with Mary in her profound sharing of Christ’s Passion. As Simeon foretold, “a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:35), and throughout her life Mary endured deep sorrows that culminated at Calvary. In her silent strength and unwavering faith, she became the compassionate Mother of all Christians, offering her suffering with Christ for the salvation of the world.
This month, the Church calls us to meditate on the Seven Sorrows of Mary: Simeon’s prophecy, the Flight into Egypt, the loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple, meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary, standing at the foot of the Cross, receiving His lifeless Body, and placing Him in the tomb. By reflecting on these sorrows, we learn patience in trials, compassion for the suffering, and a deeper love for Jesus who suffered for us.
Prayers such as the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, the Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows, and the Litany of Our Lady of Sorrows help us to walk with Mary in her suffering and to discover hope and consolation in her maternal heart.
“Most Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, teach us to stand with you at the Cross, sharing in Christ’s love and redemptive sacrifice.”
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us. Amen 🙏🏾
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=12540
PRAYER INTENTIONS: Loving Father, Your Word today reminds us to live as examples of faith, love, and purity. We pray for young people and students, especially those facing challenges in their studies or preparing for exams, that they may be encouraged by Saint Paul’s exhortation to Timothy and strengthened through the intercession of Saint Joseph of Cupertino. May their efforts bear fruit and bring glory to You. Lord, we remember those weighed down by sin, guilt, or brokenness, asking that they may, like the woman in the Gospel, approach You with humility and find mercy, healing, and peace. We pray for our Holy Father, bishops, priests, and all who serve the Church, that they may persevere in faithfulness and holiness. Bless air travelers, pilots, and all who journey, granting them protection and safe passage. We lift up the sick, the dying, and all who suffer in mind or body, asking that Your steadfast love, proclaimed in the psalm, may comfort and strengthen them. We also remember the poor, the needy, widows and widowers, the lonely, and all longing for peace and unity in their families and communities. Finally, Lord, we commend to You the souls in Purgatory and all the faithful departed, that they may rejoice forever in Your mercy.
LET US PRAY:
My forgiving Lord, Your mercy and compassion for the sinner is truly awe-inspiring. Thank You for loving me and all Your followers with a love so deep. Please fill my heart with a holy awe at Your incredible mercy. May I always be amazed at Your forgiveness and always be filled with the deepest gratitude as I experience it in my life. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen 🙏🏽
Merciful Lord, You looked with compassion upon the repentant woman and forgave her many sins because she loved much. May we, too, come before You with humble and contrite hearts, seeking not our worthiness but the abundance of Your mercy. Through the prayers of Saint Joseph of Cupertino, help us to rise above doubt, fear, and weakness, and to set an example in our words, actions, and faith. Grant us the grace to live with purity of heart, trust in Your providence, and perseverance in holiness, so that one day we may share eternal joy with You. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽
Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Joseph of Cupertino ~ 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. 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, Thursday and a fulfilling month of September🙏🏽
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