Sep 15, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Friday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 8:1-3
“…several others who provided for them out of their own resources.” The Gospel is speaking about brave women who were following Jesus and adds this phrase, ‘provided for Jesus and his disciples out of their own resources’. Often our following of Jesus is a search for resources. We become victims of our own search for resources for helping others and doing projects. But in the Gospel today, we see these brave women who is following Jesus and providing for them with “THEIR OWN RESOURCES”. We must follow Jesus with our own resources. Most of the time we look for resources and we lament that we did not find resources. For some other, the search for resources rest in search for courses. This is the not what the message of Gospel is telling us. Follow Jesus with our own resources, with our own heart, help those around us with our own resources. To do good we don’t need a course or a project, just open your heart and mind to the cries and tears of the others.
Sep 14, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
Our Lady of Sorrows
Thursday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – John 19:25-27
Below the cross Mary participated and embraced the pain of her son on the cross for the salvation of humanity. She participated in the pain of Jesus for the salvation of each of us. Even more Jesus said, “Woman, this is your son”. She embraces each one of us, our pains, our fears, and our aspirations. And she transmits the love of God to us. We must be close to her to feel that embrace, when Our Lady of sorrows takes our sorrows and comforts us with the love of God expressed and experienced in her son. “This is your mother”. This is the gift of Jesus from the Cross. Why are we waiting to hug her when we are in troubles? Run to her! She is always there below our crosses participating in our sufferings and pains.
Sep 14, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Gospel – John 3:13-17
On this Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, my reflection is: is the Holy Cross exalted in my life? It’s the love and the devotion towards the Holy Cross that Exalt the Holy Cross in our life. Holy Cross is the summary of the Salvation History. It’s the foundation of faith. It’s the source of hope and it’s the expression of love. The Holy Cross is that makes the difference in our sufferings. The Holy Cross purifies our personal sufferings, those which we undertake for our attaining our goals, by the love of the other. The Holy Cross transforms our sufferings inflicted by others into instruments of grace for the same. The Holy Cross elevates the unexplainable sufferings into the awaiting with love for the third day – day of resurrection.
Sep 13, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop, Doctor
Gospel – Luke 7:11-17
Seeing the miracle, lot of people started admiring Jesus. Jesus became an object of admiration. Don’t think that it’s good news. When Jesus becomes an object of admiration nothing changes in our life or around us. Just admiration. Whereas if we want changes in our life, we must make Jesus not an object of our admiration, but we must make Jesus the reason of our life. How to make Jesus the reason of our life? We can do that by participating in the same compassion of Jesus. “When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her”. When we feel the same compassion before the sorrows of others, Jesus becomes the reason of our life. We have the same sentiments of Jesus. What is your relationship with Jesus? Is He the reason of your life or is He an object of your admiration?
Sep 12, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
or The Most Holy Name of Mary
Gospel – Luke 7:1-10
“…. but give the word and let my servant be cured” Here we see an example where faith turning into complete abandonment of oneself in to the hands of God. When faith turns into abandonment of oneself, faith becomes love. This is the faith which is free of all presumptions. When faith lacks love, faith becomes a series of presumptions and premises. Faith becomes a solution not a relationship. Whereas when faith is love, faith becomes a relationship. It is the joy of walking together with Jesus. Nothing more is needed. Before the faith of this Centurion from Capernaum, let us analyze the quality of our faith. Is our faith, a faith filled with love, a relationship ? Or is our faith, filled with presumptions, a solution?
