Jun 4, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Boniface, Bishop, Martyr
Monday of week 9 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Tobit 1:3,2:1-8
“See! He is not afraid any more”. This is Tobit who walked in paths of truth and filled his days in good works. When he was invited to a good dinner, he seeks someone poor to share his meal. This is really a model to follow. When we have a good meal, a good situation, a good opportunity, we must be like Tobit. A good opportunity for me is a good opportunity for me to be generous for others. Then when Tobit finds that there is a dead man in the street, he is just leaving his opportunity to have the good meal, he gives it up to bury that dead person. The word we read in the Word of God is, “sprang up at once, left my meal untouched”. This is very significant. The need of the other pushes me to spring up, pushes me to give up the good meal. For this we must be walking in the way of truth. Doing good works is not doing some activities we do according to our conveniences but springing up to the needs of the others leaving behind even the best things in our life. Let’s reflect: How much I spring up to the needs of the others leaving behind my comforts?
Jun 3, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
The Most Holy Trinity – Solemnity
First reading – Exodus 34:4-6,8-9
Moses called the Lord, “‘Lord, Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness.’”. God of tenderness and compassion is God the Father who is tender and have compassion, is God the Son who expresses tenderness and compassion, is God the Holy Spirit who incarnates the tenderness and compassion in our life. The Holy Trinity is the God which is revealed to us by Jesus. He spoke about the Father with whom He is one and also about the Holy Spirit who is one with Him and with the Father. This is the revelation. We cannot know God other than through the revelation. At the same time, if God is love, God must be triune. The one who loves, the one who is love and the love between the one who love and the one who is love. This dynamism is the dynamism in the Trinity, in the Triune God. This is the God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness. Let’s reflect: how much I am affectionate to the Triune God in whom we believe?
Jun 2, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Charles Lwanga and his Companions, Martyrs
Saturday of week 8 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Ecclesiasticus 51:17-27
“I have stretched out my hands to heaven and bewailed my ignorance of her; I have directed my soul towards her, and in purity have found her”. The Word of God is instructing us how to get Wisdom. This Wisdom is the joy of our heart in our relationship with God. Wisdom is achieved by our relationship with God. I have stretched out my hands to heaven. Only in relationship with God we can attain wisdom because God is the source of wisdom. And this relation with God is achieved by two things. First, we have to seek Wisdom in our relationship with God. This is more than just calling God. It is about recognizing the profoundness of God’s love for us. Often, our relationship with God remains in a superficial level of our necessities and concerns. But it can go profound in diving deep into the depth of God’s love for us and its implications in our daily life. And then that Wisdom becomes the delight of our heart. This acquiring of Wisdom happens when we are humble. “By bowing my ear a little I have received her, and have found much instruction”. Wisdom from God is welcomed in being humble. Even it does not stop there, once you have that Wisdom, you put that Wisdom into practice. God’s love pushes you to put love into practice. Let’s reflect: Am I trying to acquire the Wisdom from my relationship with God?
Jun 1, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 8 in Ordinary Time
Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs
First reading – Ecclesiasticus 44:1,9-13
“But here is a list of generous men whose good works have not been forgotten”. The author is speaking about what really remains in life. It is the generosity that lasts. It is the good works that last. Again, there is something special about being generous and good. It is contagious. All those who are in contact with us would also like to be generous and to be good. It’s important to be generous because only in being generous you can imitate God who loves you with generosity. Generosity is not giving more. It is about setting your boundaries of giving. In Jesus the boundary is the last drop of blood. Let’s reflect: How much am I generous with others?
Jun 1, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Justin, Martyr
Thursday of week 8 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Ecclesiasticus 42:15-26
“As the sun in shining looks on all things, so the work of the Lord is full of his glory”. The entire creation is full of the glory of the Lord. It’s only a question of seeing it by our eyes. We must open our eyes to see the glory of the Lord. We get disappointment and we say, “where is God?”. Because we fail to see the glory of the Lord in all the things around us. Most probably we see the glory of God only in this we want to see. But the truth the Word of Gods says today is that the work of the Lord is full of His glory. There is also a reason for that. “By the words of the Lord his works come into being and all creation obeys his will”. Everything is created by the Word of the Lord. Again, “He has imposed an order on the magnificent works of his wisdom, He is from everlasting to everlasting”. So, it’s important to try to understand His wisdom in all the things around us. That is why, the Word of God say, “How desirable are all his works, how dazzling to the eye!” Let us reflect: Am I seeing the glory of God in the entire creation around me?
