Jun 27, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Irenaeus, Bishop, Doctor, Martyr
Friday of week 12 in Ordinary Time
Gospel John 17:20-26
“I have given them the glory you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one”. What a gift! The second person of the Holy Trinity shared His glory with us. His glory we received in Baptism. His life we received and nurtured by other sacraments. He has given us His life for a specific reason. The reason is to cultivate unity between us. So that the disciples are united as one. And this unity is not any kind of unity. He wants that we are united like the unity in the Trinity. This is what we pray in each Holy Mass also. In this gospel passage, Jesus also explains how this is possible. This is possible only when Jesus is alive in us, “With me in them and you in me,may they be so completely one”. When Jesus is alive in us we can be united. But when our ego is alive in us we will be divided. This is very important because only the unity can be the testimony of the love of God for us, “that the world will realise that it was you who sent me and that I have loved them as much as you loved me”. So, when Jesus is alive in us we can be united. When we are united we become testimonies of His love. Let’s reflect: To what extend Jesus alive in me, urges me to create unity?
Jun 26, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 12 in Ordinary Time
Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop, Doctor
Gospel – Matthew 7:21-29
“Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock”. Only by just calling “Lord, Lord”, we will not become disciples of the Lord. We must do the will of the Father in heaven. In the name of the Lord, we may be doing miracles or casting out demons, but that will not make us His disciples. Miracles work or demons are casted out because of the power of the Lord in others. But in ourselves it will work only when we do the will of the Father. We must convert ourselves. Becoming disciple is like building a house on the rock. A strong relationship with Jesus with concrete actions and decisions. That is what makes the discipleship. This relationship is built by listening to the Word of God and then acting according to the Word of God. Concrete actions of love towards others based on our Word of God create discipleship. Nothing can destroy that bond of discipleship with Jesus. Otherwise it will be like a house on the sand. Easily affected by any little discomfort or challenges. Let’s reflect: How strong is my discipleship to Jesus as a relationship to Jesus?
Jun 25, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 12 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 7:15-20
“You will be able to tell them by their fruits”. This is a very simple teaching which can be verified by the nature around us. From the fruits we can know which is the tree, not only the tree but also the health of the tree. If the tree is healthy, it produces good fruits. Also if the fruits are good, we can call it a good tree. So it’s about the kind and quality of the tree. It’s important to be a good kind of tree and to produce good quality fruit. By baptism we are all good kind of trees bearing within us the life of Christ. Now we have the challenge to produce good fruits which are good actions. We get the energy to produce good actions by cooperating with the graces given through sacraments and through our spiritual life. Our good actions, our good words, our good thoughts, our good temperament are signs that we are producing good fruits. But if we are praying a lot and at the same time we are getting iritated for everything, that means I am not cooperating with the grace. Concrete good actions are the real good fruits which must come from us. Real actions of love and charity. Let’s reflect: Am I producing good fruits by my concrete actions of love?
Jun 25, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of week 12 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 7:6,12-14
“So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets”. This is the golden rule. We want that others treat us good and we are not ready to do that. We must treat others as we would like them to treat us means we must everyone good. Because we want that everyone treats us good. But there is an important point to note in this. This is not a claim that everyone must treat us good. It only suggests how we must behave. Based on this we cannot say that we treat them well and they also should treat us well. We treat them well because we want that they also treat us well. Whether they treat us well or not is not to be considered in this command of Jesus. We must treat everyone well. That is the narrow road leads to life because that is the way of the cross in which there is life. Let’s reflect: Do I claim that others must treat me well because I treat them well or I treat them well without any claims?
Jun 24, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
Gospel – Luke 1:57-66,80
“The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished”. In the birth of St. John the Baptist we can see how God makes His plan work in all circumstances. Zachariah and Elizabeth were old, but the plan of God worked. Zachariah was doubtful about the plan, but the plan of God worked through a very visible sign in Zachariah himself. The family members wanted to name the child after the family, but the plan of God worked. When God has a plan, everything falls into its order. And what we must do is to follow the plan like Zachariah. He asked for a writing-tablet to explain the plan of God to other, to write the name given to the child by God. Often, we don’t have the patience to ask for writing-table to explain the Word of God. It’s important that the people around us understand the Word of God. Don’t get annoyed, irritated, have the patience to explain those around you the Word of God. Let’s reflect: Do I have the patience to explain the Word of God to others?
Jun 23, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Mark 4:35-41
“And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again”. The disciples wanted to cross over to the other side. Jesus was sleeping in the boat. But He was present. His presence will save but the disciples did not have enough faith to recognize that. The waves frightened them. In that troublesome boat, Jesus could sleep because He had faith in His Father. But the disciples couldn’t. They thought that they are going down. But it will not happen because Jesus is there. In our daily life situations also there can be moments in which we think that we are going down. But do not be frightened. Jesus is with us. His presence with us has the saving power. Trust in Him. Let’s reflect: Do I get frightened when there are moments of going down or I look towards the presence of Jesus in our life?
