May 4, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of the 4th week of Eastertide
First reading – Acts 13:26-33
“‘We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but it is to us, their children, that he has fulfilled it, by raising Jesus from the dead. As scripture says in the second psalm: You are my son: today I have become your father’”. God promises and saves. Promise is made to our forefathers in faith. But the promise is fulfilled in Jesus. Promise is fulfilled by raising Jesus from the dead. How is the promise fulfilled by the resurrection? The promise is fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus because in Jesus Risen, we become sons and daughters of God the father. Jesus the only Son of God died for our sins. But He gained victory over death because He was raised by God the Father. So, in Jesus Risen we are liberated to become sons and daughters of God. Our faith in Jesus Risen is the faith that liberates us to be sons and daughters of God the Father. Our sins are forgiven in Jesus Christ and in Him we are liberated. Let’s reflect: How much am I grateful to God for fulfilling His promise to our forefathers?
May 3, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of the 4th week of Eastertide
First reading – Acts 13:13-25
“To keep his promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David’s descendants, Jesus, as Saviour, whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel”. Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise of God. Jesus is the descendent of King David. Jesus is Savior. The coming of Jesus was heralded by John the Baptist. The same John the Baptist proclaimed a baptism of repentance. In these dynamics we can see that God is promising but it involves a role from God and a responsibility from the people of God. God promised the redemption and Jesus became the Savior. John became the preacher of repentance so that we repent and accept Jesus as our Savior. When we don’t recognize the need of salvation, we don’t accept Jesus as Savior. When we forget the need of repentance, we forget to accept the Jesus as Savior. Let’s reflect: Do I recognize my need of repentance to accept Jesus as my Savior?
May 2, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Philip and James, Apostles – Feast
First reading – 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything”. This Word of God is very important because St. Paul is very precise. You must believe EXACTLY what he preached. Believing anything else will not lead to anything. This is important because we would like to add to the gospel what is convenient to us and what is comfortable to us. This is unacceptable. We must believe exactly what is in the gospel. So, we must be faithful to the essence of the preaching of the Apostles. That is why we also celebrate their feast and maintain a special devotion to them. We want to believe exactly what they preached. The devotion to the Apostles is very vital to remain faithful to their teachings. To follow exactly what they preached and nothing else. Let’s reflect: How much authentic is my faith to the teachings of the Apostles?
May 2, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Athanasius, Bishop, Doctor
Tuesday of the 4th week of Eastertide
First reading – Acts 11:19-26
“for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith”. This is the description about Barnabas in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. He was a good man. He was a good man who is filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. These three components are very important in the life of testimony. Because we read after this description about Barnabas that, “And a large number of people were won over to the Lord”. This is in the sense that because of what Barnabas is, a large number of people were won over to the Lord. So, these qualities, being a good person, being filled with the Holy Spirit and being filled with faith, caused this effective mission. It could be that these qualities can exist alone. One can be a good person but without faith. One can have faith but not open to Holy Spirit. One can have the Holy Spirit but not faith. So, it’s important to have these three qualities together to give a true witness which could win people over to the Lord. Let’s reflect: Do my witness include being good, being filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith?
May 1, 2023 | POSITIVE IMPULSES
Work is the source of transcendence. It’s more than a means of living. Work is the means to connect ourselves to something more than ourselves. It’s the means to connect our talents to something bigger than ourselves. It’s a means to participate in a higher mission that goes beyond the immediate tasks and responsibilities. This larger goal also encompasses a growth in sense of camaraderie with those sharing the purpose. It’s the means to bring out the best in us. It’s not you becoming work but work becoming a mission. A mission of transcendence.
Don Giorgio
