Jan 26, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 3 in Ordinary Time
or Saint Angela Merici, Virgin
First reading – Hebrews 10:32-39
“For you not only shared in the sufferings of those who were in prison, but you happily accepted being stripped of your belongings, knowing that you owned something that was better and lasting”. This is the key to welcome all challenges and difficulties on our way of following Christ, the light of our life. That is why we read, “Remember all the sufferings that you had to meet after you received the light, in earlier days”. When we start following the light, we meet with challenges and difficulties. Not only inner difficulties but also public difficulties and challenges. “sometimes by being yourselves publicly exposed to insults and violence, and sometimes as associates of others who were treated in the same way”. Then the question is how do you face it? The Letter says that we can do it when we own something that is better and lasting. Owning something, being identified with something. This is not something but that is a person, the person of Jesus Christ. When we feel that we belong to Jesus Christ, we have His love and His love is better and last forever, we can face any difficulties in following Him. We accept the difficulties not ourselves alone, but together with Jesus Christ. And then even we go to a further level. We will try to share the sufferings of others, “not only shared in the sufferings of those were in prison”. The more I feel like being part of Jesus Christ, driven by Jesus Christ, the more happily I face difficulties and I share the difficulties of others. We don’t draw back or drown in it. We keep going with the light to be light for others. Let’s reflect: Do I feel that I belong to Jesus Christ when I face difficulties in my life?
Jan 25, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops
on Thursday of week 3 in Ordinary Time
First reading – 2 Timothy 1:1-8
St. Paul is wishing Timothy, “… grace, mercy and peace…”. Grace to activate our gifts, mercy to absolve our weakness and peace to endure the challenges. Grace is needed not to have a spirit of timidity. Grace is needed to have the Spirit of power, love, and self-control. Mercy is needed not to be ashamed of witnessing to the Lord. We are ashamed when we have weaknesses or shortcomings. But there the mercy of God will help. Then peace is needed to bear the hardships for the sake of the Good News. For all this, we must rely on the power of God. For all this St. Paul is praying for Timothy. In prayer, Paul is uniting his wishes to Timothy and his advises to Timothy. Advises must be accompanied by wishes and both be united in prayer. Let’s reflect: how much we unite in our prayers our advices to others with wishes for grace, mercy and peace?
Jan 24, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle
First reading – Acts 22:3-16
“The light had been so dazzling that I was blind, and my companions had to take me by the hand; and so I came to Damascus.” This is what St. Paul is saying about his first encounter with Jesus Christ. The light which made Paul completely blind. Everything Paul thought and seen until that moment is gone. He is going to see everything in a new way. Until now he was guided by his studies and his strict observances of the law. But that all became darkness by this dazzling light. The dazzling light of the encounter with Jesus Christ. It is not anymore, the law that is guiding him but the person of Jesus Christ. From the top of the horse to the ground by the bright light. From the top of his convictions to the reality of incarnation of Jesus. Everything becomes new in Jesus. The effect of the dazzling light brings the light of Jesus Christ to the life of Paul. And he accepted it totally. When the light of Christ comes to our life, we must start seeing things in our life in a different way. We will be thinking of freedom and liberation. Let’s reflect: how far we let the light of Christ change our way of seeing things in our life?
Jan 23, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop, Doctor
on Tuesday of week 3 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Hebrews 10:1-10
The Law is just a signpost indicating the way of the Lord. It does have the capacity to save us. That is what the author of the Letter to Hebrews is saying, “Since the Law has no more than a reflection of these realities, and no finished picture of them, it is quite incapable of bringing the worshippers to perfection, with the same sacrifices repeatedly offered year after year”. So in Jesus Christ, the law is substituted by His person, by Himself. He wants to share His life so that we are not anymore subject to the law which cannot save us but to His love which can save us. “He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.” Law suggests for external observance and Love suggests for internal adherence. Jesus Christ offers Himself so that each of us can be united to His body. “You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me.” We become his members and we are saved. We are saved in Him. This interior unity with Jesus Christ is that which makes the difference. Let’s reflect: How far I am united to the body of Christ?
Jan 22, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 3 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Hebrews 9:15,24-28
“Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.” The author clearly speaks about the redemption offered to us by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ offered himself in the cross to cancel our sins. “…his death took place to cancel the sins that infringed the earlier covenant.” When humanity disobeyed God, our relationship with our Creator got altered by our wrong choice. Jesus Christ by His sacrifice he redeemed us once and for all. His choice corrected all our wrong choices. Now in Him, we make the right choices. We follow Him to relate ourselves with God. The redemption which we got is not to be found in a man-made sanctuary but in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the sacrifice which is eternal. By His sacrifice, for us each moment is a moment of redemption in so far as we relate ourselves to Jesus Christ. Let’s reflect: am I making this moment, a redemptive moment by my relation to Jesus Christ?
