Sep 15, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Monday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – John 17:11-19
“Consecrate them in the truth”. This is beautiful. Jesus praying to the Father for us. He is asking that “We are consecrated in the truth”. This is necessary so that we are protected from evil. “I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one”. So, what does “Consecration in the Truth” means? Jesus explains that the Word of the Father is the Truth. And the Word is Jesus Christ. So, it’s to consecrate us in Jesus Christ, in the love of God manifested in His Person. Therefore, to consecrate us in the Truth means make us immersed in the love of God manifested in Jesus Christ. The Truth of God’s love which will never change or disappear irrespective of the conditions and situations. That love will protect us from evil. That love will watch over us. That love will make us happy. That love will make us fully happy. This Truth must be our continuous refuge and pathway. Let’s reflect: Do I understand the Truth to which I am consecrated?
Don Giorgio
Sep 15, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
24th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Our Lady of Sorrows
Gospel Mark 8:27-35
“Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’”. We always ask the question, why? Why God, You are giving me this Cross? But that’s a question we must not ask. Because any “why” before a cross is a question asked without understanding our vocation. Cross is fundamental to love. Any way which avoids the cross is not the way of Jesus Christ. So, if we ask why before a Cross, that means we did not understand the way. We just trying to avoid the sacrifice necessary to love. We are trying to be selfish. This was what St. Peter trying to do when he said to Jesus to avoid the Cross. So, if we want to be disciple of Jesus, we must welcome Cross in our life. “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me”. We must renounce our interests, our wishes and accept the pain accompanied with that and love. Whenever we do that, we are following Jesus Christ who humbled himself to incarnate and to embrace the Cross to love each one of us. Let’s reflect: Do I avoid cross or welcome cross to love the other?
Don Giorgio
Sep 13, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross – Feast
Gospel – John 3:13-17
“so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life”. This is the message of Cross. That’s why it’s the Holy Cross. Because the Cross implies the message of incarnation. The Holy Cross announces the message of Love between God and man. The Holy Cross demonstrates the price of redemption. The Holy Cross is not just a theory of relationship. It’s the real relationship between God and man. And in this real relationship we are saved. The Cross underlines the most difficult part of this relationship, the sacrifice. His sacrifice. The sacrifice which makes all relationships beautiful and profound. This message is what we are carrying around our neck. The sacrifice of Jesus that changed everything. The sacrifice of Jesus which asks for a reciprocal consideration where we accept sacrifice and difficulties in our daily life to keep the love of Jesus more alive. Let’s reflect: How much I carry the message of Cross in our daily life?
Don Giorgio
Sep 12, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop, Doctor
Friday of week 23 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Mark 4:1-10, 13-20
In today’s Gospel we read about the parable of the sower who sows seeds. Some of them fall on the good ground and produce good fruits. But others fall on the unsuitable ground and it doesn’t produce fruits. It’s not because of the fault of the seed but the reason is the receiving ground that makes the difference. We are the receiving ground. So what do you think? What kind of ground I am? By receiving the seeds there is something very positive. That means the sower passed by me. I am a ground in the sight of the sower and the sower trusts in me. I must become a fertile ground. This is our vocation. This is our choice. I must become a fertile ground. I must convert myself. I must respond to the grace of God. Let’s reflect: Do I recognize the need to become a fertile ground to receive the seeds of Grace?
Don Giorgio
Sep 11, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
The Most Holy Name of Mary
Thursday of week 23 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 6:27-38
“Do not judge”. How difficult it is not to judge but it’s very important we follow this commandment of Jesus. This comes after a very fundamental teaching of Jesus. “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate”. And in order to be compassionate like the Father, Jesus is giving the ways. And the first way is “Do not judge”. Then, come the other ones, “do not condemn, grant pardon, give abundantly”. But let’s mediate on the first one, “Do not judge”. Why? Because when you judge you destroy your relationship with that person. When I judge I take a distance from that person. But in Jesus Christ we are all united in His life. We all are united in the heart of Jesus. My unity with the other person in Christ is destroyed by my judgement about that person. Instead, with the life of Christ, I must try to understand that person so I can be compassionate like the Father. Instead of judgement, we understand the other in compassion so that unity in Christ is maintained. With judgements, I distance myself away from the other and from the unity provided in Jesus Christ. Let’s reflect: Do I recognize that my judgements about others are distancing myself from the unity in the heart of Jesus Christ?
Don Giorgio
