MEMORIAL OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, PRIEST AND SAINT FILIPPO SMALDONE, PRIEST ~ FEAST DAY: JUNE 4TH 2026

THURSDAY OF THE NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME | YEAR A | JUNE 4, 2026 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/thursday-of-the-ninth-week-in-ordinary-time-year-a-june-4-2026/

SAINTS OF THE DAY | JUNE 4, 2026 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-june-4th/

MEMORIAL OF SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, PRIEST AND SAINT FILIPPO SMALDONE, PRIEST

History of the Saints | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/saints-of-the-day

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN | June 4, 2026 | “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-masss-june-4-2026/

DAILY PRAYERS:St. Michael the Archangel Prayer; Angelus Prayer; and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy Prayer | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/st-michael-the-archangel-prayer-angelus-prayer-and-the-chaplet-of-divine-mercy-prayer-2/

Prayer of the Holy Rosary with Pope Leo XIV for the Closing of the Marian Month of May | May 30, 2026 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/prayer-of-the-holy-rosary-with-pope-leo-xiv-for-the-closing-of-the-marian-month-of-may-may-30-2026/

THE HOLY ROSARY: WHAT IS THE HOLY ROSARY AND WHY DO WE PRAY THE HOLY ROSARY? | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/the-holy-rosary-what-is-the-holy-rosary-and-why-do-we-pray-the-holy-rosary/

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Greetings and blessings, beloved family!

“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” Alleluia! Welcome to this beautiful Thursday! Today, the Church matches Scripture with the fiery witness of Saint Francis Caracciolo and Saint Filippo Smaldone. These two priests show us what it looks like to love God with all our strength. Whether it was Francis Caracciolo living with a Eucharistic zeal so intense that “Zeal for Your house has consumed me” was found physically burned into his heart after death, or Filippo Smaldone nearly failing his exams because he refused to abandon his exhausting ministry to deaf and abandoned children, they proved that true faith demands our absolute all. In today’s Gospel (Mark 12:28–34), Jesus cuts through legalistic debates to name the greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” He pairs this with a second: to love your neighbor as yourself. When a scribe recognizes that this wholehearted, interior love is worth more than all empty ritual sacrifices, Jesus affirms his clarity, telling him he is “not far from the Kingdom of God.” The First Reading (2 Timothy 2:8–15) puts this commitment into action. Writing from a prison cell where he is chained like a criminal, Saint Paul declares triumphantly: “But the word of God is not chained.” He bears his hardships cheerfully, charging us to stop wasting energy on useless arguments and to stand as unashamed workmen who handle the word of truth correctly. As we ask the Lord to guide our steps in this truth, we confidently echo today’s Responsorial Psalm: “Teach me your ways, O Lord.”

The Word of God cannot be chained, but is your heart currently chained by worldly distractions? As you step out today, are you loving God with all your strength, or are you just offering Him empty, ritualistic routines while withholding your real heart from Him and your neighbor? Are you standing firm as a reliable workman of truth?

BIBLE READINGS FOR TODAY’S HOLY MASS:

Ninth Week in Ordinary Time | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Today’s Bible Readings: Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time | June 4, 2026
Reading I: 2 Timothy 2:8–15
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4–5ab, 8–9, 10 and 14
Gospel: Mark 12:28–34

Gospel Reading ~ Mark 12:28–34

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

In the Gospel, Christ cuts through centuries of dense legalistic debates to reveal the warm, beating heart of the entire divine law. This reflection centers on The Supremacy of Undivided Love and True Worship. While religious scholars routinely argued over the hierarchy of their hundreds of laws, a sincere scribe approaches Jesus to ask which commandment is the absolute first of all. Pulling from the ancient Shema, Jesus reclaims total territory for the Creator, declaring that because God is Lord alone, He demands a love that consumes every facet of human existence, heart, soul, mind, and strength. He immediately ties this to a second, inseparable command: to love one’s neighbor as oneself. When the scribe wisely responds that this integrated, wholehearted love carries far greater value than all empty temple rituals, burnt offerings, or animal sacrifices, Jesus affirms his spiritual clarity, telling him he is “not far from the Kingdom of God.” Christ shows us that true faith is never about external performance; it is about absolute interior surrender.

The First Reading provides an unyielding, real-world example of this total love put into sacrificial action, presenting The Unchained Word and the Workman of Truth. Writing from deep within a Roman dungeon, Saint Paul demonstrates what it looks like to love God with all your strength as he suffers to the point of chains like a common criminal. Yet, Paul delivers a triumphant, immortal declaration: “But the word of God is not chained.” Driven by a deep love for God’s chosen people, he cheerfully endures absolute hardship so that others might touch eternal glory. He anchors his suffering in a trustworthy hymn of divine constancy—reminding us that if we die with Christ, we will live with Him, and if we persevere, we will reign with Him. Paul urges Timothy, and all believers, to stop wasting precious energy disputing over useless words that only harm the listener, charging us instead to be eager, diligent workmen who handle the word of truth without deviation or disgrace.

The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 25) serves as our humble, daily blueprint for walking out this double commandment of love, singing with profound dependency: “Teach me your ways, O Lord.” Recognizing our own human limitations, we ask the Savior to make His unique paths known to us and to guide us securely in His truth. The psalmist reminds us that the Lord is fundamentally good and upright, actively guiding the humble to true justice and instructing them in His ways. For those who abandon pride and choose to keep His holy covenant, every single path of the Lord reveals itself as constant kindness. It promises an extraordinary spiritual reward: the intimate, protective friendship of the LORD belongs exclusively to those who hold Him in holy fear and reverence.

As we move deeper into this week, let us take a serious look at the nature of our daily devotion. Reflect today: Are you loving God with all your heart, mind, and strength, or are you offering Him an fractured, distracted devotion while giving your best energy to worldly anxieties? Are you treating your faith like a list of ritualistic “burnt offerings”—going through external motions while withholding your heart and neglecting your neighbor? Are you standing strong like a workman of truth, confident that even when you feel restricted by life’s circumstances, the Word of God remains entirely unchained in your life?

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the Supreme Lawgiver who has shown us that the path to Your Kingdom is paved with wholehearted love. Forgive us for the times we have offered You a divided heart, empty rituals, or a faith that ignores the needs of our neighbors. Teach us Your ways, O Lord, and guide us securely in Your truth. Give us the grace and supernatural endurance to stand like Saint Paul, confident that Your Word can never be chained by our difficult circumstances. Strip away our pride, make us humble, and let us experience the deep beauty of Your divine friendship. We make You the absolute center of our minds, our strengths, and our families, trusting that as we persevere with You, we shall also live and reign with You for all eternity. Amen. 🙏🏽

SAINTS OF THE DAY | JUNE 4TH:

Link to Saints of the Day with Daily Reflections | June 4th https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com

Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Francis Caracciolo and Saint Filippo Smaldone | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-june-4th/

SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, PRIEST: Saint Francis Caracciolo (1563–1608 A.D.), born Ascanio Pisquizio, was a brilliant Italian nobleman and relative of Saint Thomas Aquinas who co-founded the Congregation of the Clerics Regular Minor. In his youth, he contracted a severe form of leprosy; begging God for a cure, he promised to immediately embrace the priesthood if healed. He was cured instantly, moved to Naples to study, and joined a confraternity dedicated to spiritually preparing condemned criminals for holy deaths. Through a misdelivered letter intended for a distant relative, Francis accidentally discovered Father Giovanni Agostino Adorno’s vision to launch a new order. Recognizing this as divine providence, the two men drew up a rule established upon both an active and contemplative life, driven by a foundational fourth vow forbidding them from ever seeking ecclesiastical honors. Taking the name Francis in honor of the Saint of Assisi, his life was marked by an intense devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, frequently falling into ecstasies and repeating the phrase, “Zeal for Your house has consumed me.” Following his death from a violent fever on the eve of Corpus Christi, this exact phrase was found supernaturally burned into the flesh of his heart, securing his legacy as an unquenchable apostle of Eucharistic love.

PRAYER: O God, You adorned Saint Francis Caracciolo with an extraordinary zeal for prayer and a deep love for penance. Help Your servants to make such progress by imitating his beautiful example that, by praying unceasingly and bringing our bodies into subjection, we may be worthy to attain Your heavenly glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽

SAINT FILIPPO SMALDONE, PRIEST: Saint Filippo Smaldone (1848–1923 A.D.) was a resilient Italian priest and the compassionate founder of the Salesian Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, widely revered as the “Apostle of the Deaf.” Born in Naples during a time of great civil upheaval, Filippo discovered a profound personal apostolate to marginalized deaf, mute, blind, and abandoned children while still a seminarian. He poured so much energy into their care that he nearly failed his academic exams, refusing to abandon his students for status. Facing severe discouragement and depression over the intense difficulty of educating the mute, he begged to be reassigned to foreign missions, but his spiritual director firmly guided him to stay. Surviving a near-fatal bout of cholera in 1884 through the intercession of Our Lady of Pompeii, Smaldone committed his entire life to building specialized institutions, training teachers, and establishing both the Priestly and Women’s Eucharistic Leagues of Adorers. He collapsed the walls of isolation for thousands of disabled individuals, gaining immense civic praise and religious honors before dying of heart and diabetic complications, leaving behind an enduring global legacy of structural charity.

PRAYER: Dear Saint Filippo Smaldone, in your earthly life you were a perfect model of charity, breaking through walls of isolation to serve those with disabilities. In your heavenly home, please intercede for us here on earth that we may clearly see Jesus in those hardest for us to love. Take our hands, gently guide us on the surest way to salvation, and place our family petitions before the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽

HONORING THE SAINTS OF THE DAY:
As we draw deep inspiration today from the Eucharistic devotion of Saint Francis Caracciolo and the compassionate, pioneering heart of Saint Filippo Smaldone, we also lift our hearts to the entire holy assembly sharing this June 4th feast day. Today, we prayerfully honor and remember SAINT ALEXANDER, SAINT ARETIUS, SAINT BREACA, SAINT CLATEUS, SAINT CORNELIUS OF ARMAGH, SAINT CROIDAN, SAINT ELSIAR, SAINT MARY ELIZABETH HESSELBLAD, SAINT METROPHANES OF BYZANTIUM, SAINT NENNOC, SAINT OPTATUS OF MILEVIS, SAINT PETROC, SAINT QUIRINUS OF TIVOLI, SAINT QUIRINUS OF SISCIA, SAINTS RUTILIUS AND COMPANIONS, SAINT SATURNINA, AND SAINT WALTER. Spanning across centuries and nations, from early courageous martyrs who stood unbroken in their witness to dedicated builders of religious communities and quiet, holy hermits their diverse journeys all reflect the same brilliant divine grace. Remembering them reminds us that we belong to an incredibly vast and diverse family of faith, encouraging us to live out our own unique call to holiness exactly where we are today.

Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Francis Caracciolo, Saint Filippo Smaldone, and all the Saints we celebrate today ~ Pray for us. 🙏🏽

PRAYER INTENTION: FOR UNDIVIDED LOVE, SPIRITUAL ZEAL, AND COMPASSION FOR THE DISABLED

On this Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time, we turn to You, Lord, our Savior, asking You to make Your unique paths known to us. Guide us securely in Your truth and teach us Your ways, as we anchor our hearts and families in Your constant kindness and covenant protection. We pray for a heart of wholehearted, undivided love for You and our neighbors; Lord, grant us the grace to love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Deliver us from the temptation of offering empty rituals or divided focus. Make us diligent, unashamed workmen of Your truth, confident that even when we face difficult, restrictive circumstances in life, Your Holy Word can never be chained. We pray for an unquenchable spiritual zeal and deep Eucharistic love; through the powerful intercession of Saint Francis Caracciolo (Patron Saint of Eucharistic Congresses and Italian chefs), ignite an absolute fire within our souls. Forgive our spiritual passivity and let a deep zeal for Your house consume our hearts. We pray for all clergy and religious, asking that they may be granted the grace to remain humble, bringing their bodies into subjection and refusing to chase worldly honors. We pray for the sick, the disabled, and the marginalized; through the loving prayers of Saint Filippo Smaldone (Apostle and Patron Saint of the Deaf and Mute), we bring before You all those suffering from physical ailments, cholera, and long-term health complications. We beg for Your divine healing touch upon the disabled, the blind, orphans, and abandoned children. Give us the grace to see the face of Jesus in those hardest to love, breaking through all social barriers to serve them with genuine charity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽

PRAYER FOR PEACE | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/a-prayer-for-peace/

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2026: FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE: For the values of sports. Let us pray that sports be an instrument of peace, encounter, and dialogue among cultures and nations, and that they promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth.

(https://popesprayerusa.net/popes-intentions/)

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF JUNE | MONTH OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS: June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a powerful sign of Christ’s love and mercy. His Heart, pierced and crowned with thorns, burns with compassion for all humanity. This devotion calls us to return love for love to console His Heart and make reparation for sin and indifference. Rooted in the revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Church invites us this month to deepen our trust in Jesus, especially through First Friday devotions, the Litany of the Sacred Heart, and acts of consecration. His words echo in our hearts: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29).

The Sacred Heart shows us what true love looks like patient, humble, and self-giving. In a world often cold and restless, we find peace and healing in His Heart.

“Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You”

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, teach us to love as You love. Fill our hearts with compassion, mercy, and a deep desire to follow You. Amen 🙏🏽

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/month.cfm?y=2026&m=6

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD
We pray for the repose of the gentle souls of our loved ones and souls of all the faithful departed. 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 🙏🏽

Thanking God for His love and the gift of this glorious day, we offer Him a prayer of gratitude for the graces of the past months and entrust this month of June to His loving providence. We pray for God’s grace and mercy as we anchor ourselves in the steady, life-giving rhythm of Ordinary Time. May the profound mysteries of the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the fresh fire of the Holy Spirit, which we have so beautifully celebrated, continue to help us seek You in every moment of our lives. May the peace, hope, and divine communion that flow from the Most Holy Trinity shape our steps, inform our decisions, and strengthen our resolve to live each day in the light of Christ and the daily guidance of the Advocate. As we journey onward through the rest of this month, may God bless our families and loved ones, and may His light continue to shine brightly in every home. Let us draw closer to God and be renewed through the joy of the Gospel, the gifts of the Spirit, and generosity to the poor. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times. Wishing us all a spiritually enriching, most blessed, and grace-filled journey ahead. Amen. 🙏🏽

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Francis Caracciolo, Saint Filippo Smaldone, and all the Saints we celebrate today ~ Pray for us. 🙏🏽

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Jesus, I trust in you! Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Amen 🙏🏽

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

DEVOTIONAL RESOURCES

A Guide to Catholic Prayer & Faith Resources: Prayers, Devotions, Teachings,and the Liturgical Year | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/catholic-prayer-faith-resources/

Catholic Mission & Witness: Foundations, Media Features, Global Outreach and Podcast Interview | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/catholic-mission-witness-foundations-media-features-and-global-outreach/

Pope Leo XIV’s Historic Apostolic Journey to Africa | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/live-updates-pope-leo-xivs-historic-apostolic-journey-to-africa/

Sir G.L.I Opiepe’s Health and Education Foundation | https://gliopiepehe.org/

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