Jan 19, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 2 in Ordinary Time
Saint Sebastian, Martyr
Saint Fabian, Pope, Martyr
First reading – Hebrews 8:6-13
“I will put my laws into their minds and write them on their hearts…. I will forgive their iniquities and never call their sins to mind”. This new relationship of God with us is something revolutionary. It is something very personal to each one of us. This is a new relationship. I will establish a new covenant. And it’s not like the previous one, not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors. This is a covenant where the Lord takes care of each one of us. “‘There will be no further need for neighbor to try to teach neighbor, or brother to say to brother, ‘Learn to know the Lord.’”. The Lord takes care of each mind and heart. He will put His laws into each mind and write it on each heart. This intimacy reminds us of the gift of Eucharist where the Lord comes to each one of us in a very special way. The Lord is so close to us. This is the new covenant, a covenant of personal relationship where the Lord became one with me to write His laws in my heart. He forgave all my sins to be one with me. Let’s reflect: In Eucharist God becomes one with me to write His law of love in my heart.
Jan 19, 2023 | POSITIVE IMPULSES
“I know”, this is a phrase which we repeat very often. But how many times we can really say that we know? Do we take it seriously what we say, or we just say because we don’t want to say that we don’t know. So, it’s very important to think before we say, “I know”. Let’s try not to say, “I know”, to save our ego. There is no shame in saying that I don’t know. Even some basic things. Be honest to say that “I don’t know”. The phrase, “I know” is a responsibility. Especially when we are dealing with people and their emotions, we should be extra careful to say, “I know”, because it is often a judgement.
Don Giorgio
Jan 18, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 2 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Hebrews 7:25-8:6
“The power of Jesus to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.” The power of Jesus Christ to save us is utterly certain. So why are we not standing close to Him? Why are we not keeping a close relationship with Him? The reason for this certainty are several. He is living for ever. He is interceding for ever. He is holy, innocent, and uncontaminated, and is raised up above the heavens. He has his place at the right of the throne of divine Majesty in the heavens. He is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tent of the Meeting. He is perfect. He is actually the true Tent, where man and God meet. Our presence before God is mediated through Him. Through Him we can be meet the Lord. Jesus is the true mediator. He is the divine space where I can meet my God. “We have seen that he has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises”. Let’s reflect: How far I recognize Jesus as the only space to meet God?
Jan 17, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 2 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Hebrews 7:1-3,15-17
“This becomes even more clearly evident when there appears a second Melchizedek, who is a priest not by virtue of a law about physical descent, but by the power of an indestructible life”. The distinction between a priest by virtue of a law of physical descent and by virtue of an indestructible life is very clear. “He remains a priest for ever”. The grace has the power of indestructible life which can transform us for ever. The changes we make in our life, the transformation we make in our life, must be through by the power of this grace. If we try to make changes or transformation because of the pressures of the situation or because of our egoistic intentions, it will not last. The good which comes out of us through the grace of God will last for ever. So, it’s very important to make sure that our conversion and transformation is through the working of the grace of God. Then the effects will remain for ever. Let’s reflect: Is our transformation and conversion really motivated by grace or just a necessity of the situation?
Jan 17, 2023 | NEWS
In the last week of 2022, a retreat for sisters from Tanzania, who serve in Poland, Germany and Rome, took place in our house in Poznań. The retreat in Swahili was preached by Fr. Alex, who is currently studying in Poznań. The priest reminded us that as consecrated persons, we are to transform the world and not let it be the other way around, that the world changes us and shapes our religious life. After the retreat, the sisters and the priest came to Wrocław to pray at the tomb of the Founder.
