Jun 23, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Mark 4:35-41
“And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again”. The disciples wanted to cross over to the other side. Jesus was sleeping in the boat. But He was present. His presence will save but the disciples did not have enough faith to recognize that. The waves frightened them. In that troublesome boat, Jesus could sleep because He had faith in His Father. But the disciples couldn’t. They thought that they are going down. But it will not happen because Jesus is there. In our daily life situations also there can be moments in which we think that we are going down. But do not be frightened. Jesus is with us. His presence with us has the saving power. Trust in Him. Let’s reflect: Do I get frightened when there are moments of going down or I look towards the presence of Jesus in our life?
Jun 22, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of week 11 in Ordinary Time
Saints John Fisher, Bishop, and Thomas More, Martyrs
Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop
Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gospel Matthew 6:24-34
“So do not worry; do not say, “What are we to eat? What are we to drink? How are we to be clothed?” It is the pagans who set their hearts on all these things. Your heavenly Father knows you need them all. Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ This is the way of life which the Gospel is asking of us. Setting our heart on the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And not to worry about other things because it will be given to us. God has a plan for each one of us. This plan of God will unfold as the flowers growing in the fields. They sprout and grow into beautiful flowers in so far as they are attached to the ground. The same the birds of the sky. They will find their food as long as they are in the sky. We also will find our necessities, in so far as we are grounded in the will of God. If we follow the will of God, there is no need for worry. Each day, the Lord will take care of us. And not even worry about tomorrow, because today is the will of God, and we are called to live the will of God today in its fullness. Often the worry is the sign that we are not trusting enough. We must trust and avoid worries. Let’s reflect. Is your worry about tomorrow is the result of your lack of trust in the Lord?
Jun 20, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
Friday of week 11 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 22:34-40
“The second resembles it”. The first commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles the first. The second is the “You must love you neighbour as yourself”. This second resembles the first. Loving the neighbour resembles the loving the Lord. This is very important to remember that the second commandment resembles the first. So, if we are not following the second, we are not following the first. Because the second resembles the first. The first commandment cannot be followed if we are not following the second because the second resembles the first. This inter-relatedness between the commandment to love God our Lord and to love our neighbour as ourselves is so intrinsic that the two commandments go hand in hand always. Let’s reflect: Do I recognize when I separate the commandment to love God and to love our neighbour?
Jun 19, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 11 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 6:7-15
In this famous passage, we have the Lord’s prayer. But before the prayer and after the prayer, Jesus teaches us how to prepare for saying this prayer and how to behave after prayer. Before the prayer, we should have complete confidence in the Lord who knows what we need and what are our problems. Our prayers is not to someone who is not aware of us. We are praying to our Father in heaven who is well aware of each one of us. So this confidence, this trust of a child must be the attitude when we pray. That attitude will help us say, “Thy will be done on earth as it’s in heaven”. Then we must forgive so that our prayers are heard. Without forgiving, we will not receive forgiveness. The Lord’s prayer asks to trust like a child and to forgive like the heavenly Father. Let’s reflect: Do I have the trust of a child and forgiving attitude of the heavenly Father when I pray “Lord’s Prayer”?
Jun 18, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 11 in Ordinary Time
Saint Romuald, Abbot
Gospel – Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
“But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you”. In this we can see that the relationship between God and us happens in the intimate heart and not in the public square. God sees our intentions and our desires. Whatever we do, the intention behind the action is very important. The quality of the action depends on the intention. Those who give alms in public, those who pray standing in the streets, and those who put long faces to let men know that they are fasting – the intentions are the same. They want to get the applause of those around them. They are using good actions for their selfish interests. God is not even in the scene. This is what we must be careful. When we are doing good things, keep the intimacy of heart with God. Not in the street but in the silent room of your heart. Let’s reflect: Am I using good actions to get attention from the people around me or to get connected to God who sees my heart?
