Aug 5, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of week 17 in Ordinary Time
Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major
First Saturday: Let us entrust ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
First reading – Leviticus 25:1,8-17
“This is to be a jubilee for you… The jubilee is to be a holy thing to you, you will eat what comes from the fields”. Jubilee is Grace. It’s the grace of freedom which God grants to all in the family of God. It’s the grace of freedom from the debts incurred. It’s the grace of freedom from the liabilities which I made during the last seven years. God stands in front of me and takes responsibilities of all the debts. Jubilee is a law made by God so that God can take over the human caprice with this divine magnanimity. The celebration of the Jubilee is a celebration of the liberty. It’s the celebration of the liberty of the sons and daughters of God. “You will declare this fiftieth year sacred and proclaim the liberation of all the inhabitants of the land”. In the Old Testament it recalled the liberation of the people of God from Egypt. In the New Testament it recalls the liberation granted by the Jesus through His sacrifice. This liberation which we gained by His blood must be continued in our life through the celebration of Jubilee. So, Jubilee is the way to extend the liberation we enjoyed from God to all those around us. Let’s reflect: Am I extending the liberation which Jesus gained for me to others around me?
Aug 3, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint John Mary Vianney, Priest
Friday of week 17 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Ezekiel 3:17-21
“If, however, you warn the upright man not to sin and he abstains from sinning, he shall live, thanks to your warning, and you too will have saved your life”. God is giving us the task of taking care of others. The Word of God must be transmitted to others so that they can keep it. We must transmit the Word of God in His name The Lord says, “Whenever you hear a word from me, warn them in my Name”. So, first we must listen to God to hear what He is saying and then we must transmit to others. Because we all have the vocation of a sentry to the House of Israel. We have the vocation of being a guard of the other. We must take care of the other. By taking care of the other we can also save ourselves. The best way of taking care of the other is being testimony to the Word of God which we listen. Let’s reflect: Am I a sentry to the People of God by being a testimony to the Word of God?
Aug 2, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 17 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Exodus 40:16-21,34-38
“For the cloud of the Lord rested on the tabernacle by day, and a fire shone within the cloud by night, for all the House of Israel to see. And so it was for every stage of their journey”. A beautiful image of God accompanying the journey of the People of God to the promised land. Moses making the tabernacle according to the directions of the Lord. The Word of God says, “Moses did exactly as the Lord had directed him”. When we do exactly like what the Lord says, we become tabernacles where the glory of God fills. This accompanying of the Lord in our journey is magnificent. The Word of God says that the presence of God was there at every stage of their journey. And the people of God did not have their plans. We read, “At every stage of their journey, whenever the cloud rose from the tabernacle the sons of Israel would resume their march”. So, it was not their plans that guide them. But the presence of the Lord that guided them. “If the cloud did not rise, they waited and would not march until it did”. They waited. The trust in the plan of God. The beauty in waiting is the beauty of trusting in the Lord. Let’s reflect: How much patience I have in waiting to the answer of the Lord?
Aug 2, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 17 in Ordinary Time
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop
First reading – Exodus 34:29-35
The face of Moses shone when he spoke to the Lord. This is the true experience of God. His face was radiant after speaking with the Lord. What is happening with him? He assimilates the light from the Lord. He receives this light from the Lord. “And when he came out, he would tell the sons of Israel what he had been ordered to pass on to them, and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses radiant”. This encounter of Moses with the Lord is for the sons of Israel. He is being just an instrument of the Lord. This radiance in the face of Moses is an assurance for the sons of Israel that the Lord is really communicating with Moses and what he says is the will of the Lord. This is very important. Whatever privilege or grace we get in the service of the Lord is because we are His instruments, and the radiance is the gift of the Lord to the people to give them an assurance that it’s Him who is taking care of them. Let’s reflect: Am I able to relate the graces which I get to the people of God?
Aug 1, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Alphonsus Mary de’ Liguori, Bishop, Doctor
Tuesday of week 17 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Romans 8:1-4
“The reason why those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned is that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death”. This Word of God explains a lot. This is the precise comparison between the salvation which Jesus Christ has brought and all the concepts of salvation outside this. The law of the of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus and the law of sin and death are the two concepts of law which leads to salvations. The latter is the law which judges your actions and condemns you because of your actions. The former is the law which absolves your wrong doings and gives the grace to do better things. St. Paul is saying that the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free. So, it’s a life in which Jesus Christ takes the lead. It is a life in which Jesus Christ makes the move, makes the decision. The effect of this life in Jesus Christ is the freedom from the law of sin and death. This freedom is the freedom of the sons and daughters of God. Let’s reflect: How much I enjoy the freedom gained in the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus?
