Sep 24, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 16:19-31
The rich man in this parable has no name. Whereas the poor man has a name, “Lazarus”. The poor person has an identity. What is his or her identity? The identity of the poor person is that his or her name is known to God. It is personal. So, the distance you make from the pain of the poor person is the distance you make from God. The rich man in the parable has no name. That means each one of us can be this rich man whenever we try to live in our world of selfishness without seeing the pain of the suffering and the needy. Thus, creating the great gulf between ourselves, and God. Another point of reflection is the silence suffering of Lazarus and the crying out of the rich man in Hades. Lazarus accepted his situation in silence and just “longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table”. Sometimes we also find ourselves in the place of Lazarus. This attitude of Lazarus always challenges us to avoid our continuous complaining of our difficulties. The attitude of Lazarus always challenges us to be satisfied with what is possible. The last point of reflection is, “If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead”. Acknowledge the voice of the Word of God already in you and embrace conversion.
Sep 23, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 9:43-45
“But they did not understand him when he said this; it was hidden from them so that they should not see the meaning of it, and they were afraid to ask him about what he had just said”. The gospel passage points at a very important point in following Jesus Christ. We stop following him to the cross because we don’t understand the cross. We stop with the question, “why this cross, why this suffering?”. This question before the cross comes because of the lack of love. When there is love the meaning of cross will not be hidden anymore. A mother with love understands the meaning of all the suffering needed for raising a child. Meaning of that cross is clear. The absence of love produces questions and even more, fear. Fear, even to search the meaning. We close ourselves in this fear and we stop following Jesus Christ. Have courage to follow Jesus to the cross with love. The more love you have towards Jesus, the clearer is the meaning of Cross. The silence of Mother Mary under the cross is the eloquent expression of her understanding of the meaning of the Cross.
Sep 22, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
Gospel – Luke 9:18-22
One day when Jesus was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, … ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Jesus was praying alone in the presence of the disciples and he asked the question of their relation to him. Prayer is the moment where you find about your relationship to Jesus. He asked about others and then about the disciples themselves. This means, our relationship with Jesus is something we must discover ourselves in the presence of Jesus alone in prayer. Here prayer and being alone with Jesus are important elements. There is an additional element also. Our relationship with Jesus is intrinsically connected to the Paschal mystery. That means, we can find the depth of our relationship with Jesus when we are going through the hard moments of life. If we find light in those moments, we are in true relation with Jesus Crucified and Risen. Otherwise, we know only Jesus in the opinion of others, not Jesus discovered by ourselves in His presence in prayer.
Sep 22, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 9:7-9
“Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was being done by Jesus; and he was puzzled…he was anxious to see Jesus”. Hearing different things about Jesus from others. Then he wanted to see Jesus. Two interesting realities: Activities of Jesus becomes news for him; Jesus becomes an object to be seen. This happens in our life too. Jesus is reduced to activities, and He becomes an object of study. It’s not the activities of Jesus, but the person of Jesus that is important. The second person of Trinity, incarnated into my humanity. His life becomes my life in the baptism. So, it is not more about something happening outside of me, but inside me, in me. When our faith is just reduced to pastoral initiatives, without personal conversions, the same happens. Therefore, the relationship with Jesus is not something to be studied but to be lived. So not someone to be seen, but to be followed.
Sep 20, 2022 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist
Gospel – Matthew 9:9-13
As Jesus was walking on, he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. The love of God takes Mathew out of his place to new place. From the customs house to the path of Jesus. We often see the limits of the person and stop there. But God sees the limits of the person but don’t stop there. God’s love goes precisely where we are and takes us out it. No limits where the love of God cannot reach. Matthew is responding well. He got up and followed Jesus. Our response to God’s love changes our course of life. Matthew is not any more collecting taxes to someone else. Matthew is collecting graces of God’s love for himself and those around him. Matthew is not stuck up, but he is following Jesus. He is liberated. Respond to God’s love and change the course of your life.
