Aug 19, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 20 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 19:16-22
“But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth”. This happened to the man who wanted to possess eternal life. This happened to the man who was keeping all the commandments. So what happened to this man who had the intention to have the eternal life and who has been keeping all the commandments? Why did he go away sad from Jesus? Because he had lot of wealth which he did not want to share. This is the truth. We can be following all the commandments, and we can be saying all the prayers, but we will not be close to Jesus. And we will be sad. Why? Because we are not ready to share what we have with the poor and needy. If we want to be close to Jesus, we must be close to poor and needy. It can happen also that even our prayers and devotions become a cover up not to be close to Jesus. If we are close to Jesus, we will be close to poor and needy. We will see the needs of others and we will share we have. If not, we are not close to Jesus. Let’s reflect: Am I close to poor and needy, and do I see their needs?
Don Giorgio
Aug 17, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel – John 6:51-58
“Then the Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” Jesus said to the crowd that He is the living bread that has come down from heaven and this bread is His flesh for the life of the world. One of the reactions was this. One group started arguing with one another, “how is this possible?” Many projects of God are struck up in our life because of this “how” question. We must believe in the words of Jesus. When Jesus says, “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink”, what we must say is to thank Him and not to ask “how”. If Jesus says this, He also finds a way for that. That is the Eucharist. And that is what happens in the Holy Mass. The bread becomes the body of Christ, and the wine becomes the blood of Christ. Jesus shares His body and blood with us so that we have eternal life. Jesus shares His body and blood so that we can live in Him and He can live in us. This is love. We live through His love and His love lives in us. This is the meaning of Christian life too, two aspects: We live through Christ’s life and His love lives in us. Only with these two aspects, we become real Christians. Let’s reflect: How much I live through the life of Christ and How much the life of Christ is alive in me?
Don Giorgio
Aug 17, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of week 19 in Ordinary Time
Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gospel – Matthew 19:13-15
“Let the little children alone, and do not stop them coming to me; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs”. The disciples turned the children from approaching Jesus, but Jesus welcomed them. Because Jesus recognizes how important is the figure of a child in our relationship to God. The only Son, in the Holy Trinity, became man, Jesus Christ. And in Him we are all sons and daughter of God the Almighty. This relationship as sons and daughters gets a better understanding when it’s about children. We are the children of God. When we recognize the fatherhood of God the Father, we recognize our dignity as sons and daughters of God. Often, we are sad, disappointed, and even frustrated because we don’t recognize our dignity as sons and daughters of God. That also means, we don’t recognize the love of God the Father. So, in those dark moments of our life, the fact that we are sons and daughters of God must brighten up our life. Things may not be going well but I am a son or daughter of God. And my Father will take of it in the right time and in the right way. That’s recognizing the fatherhood of God in our life. Let’s reflect: How much I recognize that God is my Father, especially in my moments of difficulty?
Don Giorgio
Aug 15, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 19 in Ordinary Time
Saint Stephen of Hungary
Gospel – Matthew 19:3-12
“It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted. There are eunuchs born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by men and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom of heaven”. The different vocations in our life are all about serving the will of God. Whether it’s a marriage life or it’s a consecrated life, the motive is the same. That’s to carry out the will of God. In marriage it’s to show the unity which God wanted in a man-woman relationship in marriage. In the consecrated life, it’s to testimony the Kingdom of God. The former shows unity in marriage as the plan of God. The latter shows how the Kingdom of heaven transforms the life of a person. This is a gift of God. So, in both cases, whether it’s the unity in the marriage or the testimony in a consecrated life, depends on the relationship to God by this individual. When it’s made personal devoid of God, personal plans appear in this and damages everything. Let’s reflect: How much I relate my vocation to my personal relationship to Jesus Christ?
Don Giorgio
Aug 14, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gospel – Luke 1:39-56
Three thoughts to share on this great feast when we celebrate our destiny which we can see in the Assumption of Mother Mary. The three thoughts about a Marian way of life which we can see in the song of Magnificat. First, recognize the greatness of the Lord. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit exults in God my saviour”. How great is our Lord! Second, recognize the gifts and grace which I received in my life. “…for the Almighty has done great things for me”. Recognize every blessing we received in our life, in every moment. Third, recognize the plan of God which is to pull down princes from their thrones and exalt the lowly. “He has pulled down princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things, the rich sent empty away”. The Lord wants to be with the humble. If we want to be close to the Lord, be humble and gentle. Let’s reflect: How much I belong to the Marian way, which recognizes the greatness of the Lord, the gifts of the Lord, and the way of the Lord?
Don Giorgio
