Jul 17, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 15 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Exodus 1:8-14,22
“The Egyptians forced the sons of Israel into slavery, and made their lives unbearable with hard labour, work with clay and with brick, all kinds of work in the fields; they forced on them every kind of labour”. The Egyptians are afraid of the sons of Israel. Because they saw that here is something special in the sons of Israel. So they force them into slavery. There are moments in the history when we think that we don’t see the power of God. We see only the power of the people who have authority and influence. Even we see that their power is going to overcome the power of the good and needy. But this is not true. This is the moment in the history where the great truth is revealed. Even in the heights of human power, God can work the history according to His plan. We just must trust in the Lord even when we see things which are very negative around us. God is still present in the human history. Let’s reflect: In the sight of evil around us, do I lose faith in the plan of God?
Jul 15, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
First reading – Isaiah 55:10-11
“so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’”. The Word of God is powerful as it’s the word of God. The Word of God is pronounced with love. God is love and this love is pronounced in His Word. The Prophet says that the Word of God comes down like the rain and snow and make the earth yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating. It is very important the sequence. The Word of God is not coming to make bread. It is making to earth produce more. It is facilitating. The sower must sow, cultivate and make the bread. The role of the Word of God is to give us grace to work better and to be more productive. Often we want that the Word of God take the role of sower. No. That is not the plan of God. Let’s reflect: Do I think that the Word of God must substitute my efforts or do I think that the Word of God assists my efforts?
Jul 14, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Bonaventure, Bishop, Doctor
Saturday of week 14 in Ordinary Time
First reading
Genesis 49:29-33,50:15-26
“The evil you planned to do me has by God’s design been turned to good, that he might bring about, as indeed he has, the deliverance of a numerous people. So you need not be afraid; I myself will provide for you and your dependants.’ In this way he reassured them with words that touched their hearts”. Here we can see two important messages. First is that we should not be worried about the evil others plan against us. Because the design of God can turn the evil plans of others into good. This is the Lord in whom we trust. We are not afraid of the evil plans of others but we are confident of the design of God. Then the second message: we see the decision of Joseph to do the same. Against the evil done by his brothers he decides to do go good. Here we can see how the plan of God which changes the evil plan into good and the decision of Joseph to do the good instead of evil what they did to him are correlated or parallel. The plan of God coincides with ours. Let’s reflect: Are our plans correlated to the plan of God which turns evil into good?
Jul 13, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 14 in Ordinary Time
Saint Camillus of Lellis, Priest
First reading – Genesis 46:1-7,28-30
Jacob reached Beersheba. He must make a big decision. He is living the land which was given to him by the Lord. He offered sacrifices and waiting for the confirmation from the Lord that his decision to go to Egypt is right. God appears in a vision and confirms, “Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I myself will go down to Egypt with you. I myself will bring you back again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.’” The confirmation of the Lord is the strength of Jacob to go to Egypt. He goes to Egypt with this affirmation from the Lord. This interaction with the Lord is the real relationship which we must develop in our life. The communication between us and the Lord. The relationship of what happening in our life and this communication. Not that the communication with the Lord is one direction and the life events in other direction. Jacob was going to see his son whom he thought is dead. But his desire to see that son did not overtake his desire to get the confirmation from the Lord. Life events are directly connected to the relationship with God. Let’s reflect: how much my life events are connected to my communication with the Lord?
Jul 13, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 14 in Ordinary Time
Saint Henry
First reading – Genesis 44:18-21,23-29,45:1-5
“I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.’”. Joseph forgave without conditions. And he says something also very important. Do not reproach yourselves for having sold me. The main challenge of forgiving is to forgive yourselves. We make mistakes. But we must learn how to live with our mistakes. We must learn how to forgive yourselves. How not to remain in the moment of mistake in our life. But to go forward with our life. Let’s reflect: Am I stuck with my mistakes or Am I moving forward?
