Feb 17, 2023 | POSITIVE IMPULSES
Babel tower always inspires to make deep reflection about the desire of our pride filled ego. Our ego which wants to touch to the sky and to keep the whole world around us. We use our convenient concepts and opportune ideas to make this tower of our pride. Even though we know that sky is far away we keep trying to build this tower of ego up on the illusion that it’s very close. We convince others to contribute to building our pride-filled ego with invented necessities and fictitious proposals. Remember, this is a failed attempt, always failed. Our pride will only destroy us.
Don Giorgio
Feb 16, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 6 in Ordinary Time
The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order
First reading – Genesis 11:1-9
They wanted to build a tower reaching the heaven with man made bricks. “‘Come,’ they said ‘let us build ourselves a town and a tower with its top reaching heaven. Let us make a name for ourselves, so that we may not be scattered about the whole earth.’” They wanted to reduce the relationship of man with heaven and with God as something man made and one way relationship – a tower with its top reaching heaven. The reason for this is to make a name for oneself. It shows how much bigger can be the ego of a person. How much place the ego would like to take for its own. How much all other things become unimportant before our ego. Then the man wants to keep his pride to be the point of unity of humanity. The entire place God is taken away by the ideas of man. This also happens in our life. We want to replace God with our ideas. We want to substitute Him with our beautiful concepts. That will not stand. Let’s reflect: how much my ego determines my relationship with God?
Feb 15, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 6 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Genesis 9:1-13
“Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth”. The Lord is trying to make the world a place of peace by making a Covenant with us. With everyone of us. The sign of the Covenant is in the clouds, in the sky. Sky is accessible to everyone everywhere. God our Lord considers each one of us everywhere in the world as important and He made this covenant with each one of us. A covenant between God and us. This “us” feeling before God is very important. That “us” feeling is the being the “People of God”. This belonging to the People of God is what we lack sometimes. Whatever we do we do under the sky and therefore it has these two dimensions: a dimension towards God and a dimension towards others. Everything we do, we do as a member of the People of God. We do it under the covenant placed in the sky. Let’s reflect: How much am I aware that I belong to the People of God in my daily actions?
Feb 14, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 6 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Genesis 8:6-13,20-22
The Ark of Noah is a symbol of how much we need each other in this creation. We all belong to the one nature which God created. He not only created but also protects it. He protected it through the ark of Noah. The humanity cannot be isolated from the nature. We are in symphony with the entire creation. It’s very symbolic when Noah waits on the reactions of the nature. He sent a raven and waited. Then he sent a dove and waited. The patience of man before the nature is what bring peace to the nature. When our selfishness and egoism want to produce more and more without listening to the nature, the olive-branch bring dove disappears from the nature. Everything is seen as part of a frenetic production unit. So as a coexistence of created beings in harmony under the Lordship of God. It’s important to listen to the nature with patience and see the entire creation as interdepending organism. This harmony is what makes the creation produce the appeasing fragrance to the Lord. Let’s reflect: Do I see the nature around me as production units for me or as members of the created world along with me?
Feb 13, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Cyril, monk, and Methodius, Bishop
First reading – Acts 13:46-49
“I have made you a light for the nations, so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.” For this reason, Paul and Barnabas, speaking boldly about proclaiming the word of God to whole world. Jesus Christ is the light for all the nations. Preaching the Gospel to whole world is important. Whoever we meet in our life, we have to witness this truth to this person. “I would like to show the light to your life because I believe in Jesus Christ who is the light for the nations which include you”. Each person we meet in our life is entitled to have this light and we are supposed to be the instrument to tell this person about it. Paul and Barnabas were convinced about this. That is why they spoke boldly about this. Sometimes, we are not so bold about this. Maybe we are not convinced about it. Let’s reflect: are we speaking boldly enough to others that Jesus Christ is the light in their life?
