Sep 19, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and their Companions, Martyrs
Saturday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
First reading 1 Timothy 6:13-16
Saint Paul urges Timothy to “keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This command is not a temporary guideline, but a lifelong commitment rooted in the majesty of God Himself, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light. Our perseverance in faith is framed by this vision of God’s sovereignty, He is beyond human grasp, yet He reveals Himself in Christ who will return in glory at the proper time. The Korean martyrs we honor today embody this fidelity. In the face of persecution, they did not waver but lived and died with the conviction that Christ is the eternal ruler, worth every sacrifice. Their witness teaches us that to keep the commandment is to live with integrity, courage, and hope, even when the cost is high. In a world often distracted by passing powers and fleeting lights, this reading calls us to fix our gaze on the One who is eternal and to let our lives reflect unwavering devotion until He comes again. Let’s reflect: Am I keeping the commandment of Christ with faithfulness and integrity, inspired by the martyrs’ courage, and fixing my gaze on the eternal King who dwells in unapproachable light until He is revealed in glory?
Don Giorgio
Sep 18, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
Saint Januarius, Bishop, Martyr
First reading 1 Timothy 6:2c-12
Saint Paul warns Timothy against distorted teachings that twist religion into arguments, pride, or even personal gain. Such attitudes, far from nurturing faith, give rise to envy, rivalry, insults, and divisions. The danger is clear: when faith is reduced to self-interest or intellectual battles, it loses its heart which is the living relationship with Christ. Instead, Paul points to the true path: “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.” These virtues are not abstract ideals but the fabric of authentic discipleship, visible in daily life. To live them is to “compete well for the faith”, not against others, but against the temptations that drag us away from the Gospel. On the feast of Saint Januarius, who laid down his life as a witness to Christ, we see the noblest confession of faith: to embrace eternal life with courage, perseverance, and love. This reading challenges us to examine whether our faith leads us to division or to holiness, to selfish gain or to the generosity of Christ who calls us to eternal life. Let’s reflect: Does my faith lead me into arguments and self-interest, or am I sincerely pursuing righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness so that I may truly grasp the eternal life to which I am called?
Don Giorgio
Sep 17, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
First reading 1 Timothy 4:12-16
Saint Paul encourages Timothy with a message that resonates for all of us: “Do not neglect the gift you have.” Every person has been entrusted with a grace, a calling, a charism that is meant to be cultivated and offered in service to others. These gifts are not accidental, they are God’s deliberate choice, placed within us for the building up of His Church and for the good of the world. Paul also insists on diligence: faithfulness requires attention, discipline, and perseverance. Gifts left unused or taken for granted risk being diminished, but gifts nurtured through prayer, humility, and effort grow into a powerful witness of Christ’s presence. This passage challenges us to see our lives as entrusted treasures, not for our glory, but for God’s. To honor the Giver means living with courage, gratitude, and constancy, allowing His grace in us to bear fruit in the lives of others. Let’s reflect: Am I nurturing and using the unique gift God has entrusted to me with diligence and perseverance, or do I risk neglecting His grace by letting it remain dormant?
Don Giorgio
Sep 16, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop, Doctor
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin, Doctor
First reading: 1 Timothy 3:14-16
Saint Paul summarizes in a hymn the heart of the Christian faith: the mystery of devotion. It is the mystery of Christ, which is manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the nations, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory. This is the core of our devotion, the reason for our worship, and the foundation of our hope. Faith is not built on abstract ideas but on the living Person of Jesus, whose life, death, and resurrection reveal God’s plan of salvation. Saints Robert Bellarmine and Hildegard of Bingen, both Doctors of the Church, lived this mystery deeply: Robert through his theological clarity and defence of the faith, Hildegard through her mystical vision and prophetic voice. Their lives remind us that to hold fast to Christ is to be rooted in this mystery, a truth so vast it can never be exhausted, yet so concrete it transforms daily life. To profess Christ in word and deed is to let this mystery of devotion shine through us, proclaiming Him not just with lips but with a life lived in His light. Let’s reflect: Do I let the great mystery of Christ, manifested in the flesh, proclaimed to the nations, and glorified in heaven, shape not only my faith but also the way I live, and bear witness each day?
Don Giorgio
Sep 16, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs
Tuesday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
First reading 1 Timothy 3:1-13
Saint Paul outlines the qualities expected of leaders in the Church: integrity, moderation, fidelity, self-control, hospitality, and a good reputation both within and outside the community. Leadership in the Gospel is not about power or prestige but about witness. To live in such a way that the Gospel is made visible in daily life. Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, whose memory we celebrate today, embody these qualities not in comfort but in suffering. They led the Church with courage and fidelity during times of persecution, showing that true authority is rooted in service and sacrifice. Their example reminds us that every Christian, in their own capacity, is called to lead through witness, whether in family, community, or Church. What matters most is not eloquence or position, but the quality of life shaped by the Gospel: a life where love, humility, and perseverance speak louder than words. Let’s reflect: Does the quality of my daily life marked by integrity, humility, and service, bear witness to the Gospel in such a way that others can see Christ alive in me, even without words?
Don Giorgio
Sep 15, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Our Lady of Sorrows
Monday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
First reading 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Saint Paul exhorts us to pray for everyone because Christ gave Himself as a ransom for all. His sacrifice was not limited, selective, or partial—it was universal, flowing from the infinite love of God. Prayer, then, is not just a pious act but a participation in this same love. To pray for all people is to echo the heart of Christ who stretched out His arms on the cross for every soul. Paul also reminds us that this prayer must be free of anger and argument; it is not a tool to justify ourselves or condemn others, but a way of interceding in the spirit of Christ’s self-giving. On this memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, we see in Mary the perfect example of this love: at the foot of the cross, she stood in silent prayer, uniting her own pierced heart to her Son’s sacrifice. Her sorrow was not bitterness but love, offered for all humanity. To stand with Mary is to learn how to let our prayers be shaped by the cross, universal, selfless, and rooted in the love that saves. Let’s reflect: Do I let my prayer flow from the universal love of Christ, free of anger or argument, and, like Mary at the foot of the Cross, intercede with a heart open to all, even in sorrow?
Don Giorgio
