Aug 15, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 19 in Ordinary Time
Saint Stephen of Hungary
First reading – Deuteronomy 34:1-12
“I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross into it.”. This is very important message from the Word of God. In the last part of the today’s first reading, we read that, “Since then, never has there been such a prophet in Israel as Moses, the man the Lord knew face to face. What signs and wonders the Lord caused him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole land! How mighty the hand and great the fear that Moses wielded in the sight of all Israel!”. But still he did not enter into the promised land. How do we want to rate it? As a failure or as a success? The criteria of determining what is a success or a failure before God is not the one we have for other circumstances. What do you want more if you could know the Lord face to face? It is not about the achievements but it’s about our relationship with God that counts. It’s not about how many things we did in our life but how much profound is my relationship with the Lord. Let’s reflect: Am I concerned about my achievements or about my relationship with the Lord?
Aug 14, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First reading – Apocalypse 11:19,12:1-6,10
“The woman brought a male child into the world, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne, while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had made a place of safety ready”. We are celebrating the Feast of the Assumption, The commemoration of the death of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Dormition, or falling asleep, as it was known in the East) is known as the Assumption because of the tradition that her body did not decay but that she was raised up, body and soul, into heaven. It’s a feast because Mother Mary is our forerunner and with her, we all have a space in heaven. In the First reading we can see the figure of Mother Mary who gave birth to the child who was to rule all the nations and sitting in the throne. But the woman escaped into the desert where God had made a place of safety. This is the point of our reflection: she is in the desert, place of isolation and sufferings. But she has a safe place. She is together with us in the desert of our isolation and suffering. When we are with her, at the same time we are in a safe place because God had made a place of safety for her. So being with Mother Mary is being in a safe place albeit the loneliness and suffering of the desert. Let’s reflect: am I together with Mother Mary in the safe place prepared by God in the midst of the my desert?
Aug 14, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest, Martyr
Monday of week 19 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Deuteronomy 10:12-22
“Circumcise your heart then and be obstinate no longer; for the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords”. Circumcise your heart and not to be obstinate anymore. This is about not being obstinate and let giving the Lord the true place in our life. Not being afraid of anything else and about loving justice. He is never partial and new to be bribed. That is why the Word of God says, “It is he who sees justice done for the orphan and the widow, who loves the stranger and gives him food and clothing”. So, our being not obstinate is welcoming the stranger and giving food and clothing. Welcoming others into our life. It’s a social liberation. In the life of St. Maximilian Koble we see a greater model. He gave his life to a stranger because of what Jesus said. It is you winning over your fear to being side-lined because you are with the God who is God of gods and Lord of lords. Let’s reflect: Am I enjoy the freedom to do justice to the poor and to the stranger?
Aug 12, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
First reading – 1 Kings 19:9,11-13
“And after the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze”. When Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. In this beginning of the reading, we read that the prophet reached the mountain of God, and he went into the cave and spent the night in it. This is very symbolic. He is in the mountain of the Lord, but he is going into the cave and spending the night there. We must go out of our caves. The caves of our doubts, caves of our fears, caves of our anger: we must go out of these caves and stand on the mountain before the Lord. The Lord comes in a gentle breeze. The gentle breeze of His love and kindness. We must have the courage to come out of our caves and stand in the presence of the Lord who comes in gentleness and kindness. Let’s reflect: Am I ready to come of the caves of my doubts and my fears to be in the presence of the Lord who passes with the gentleness of a breeze?
Aug 11, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of week 18 in Ordinary Time
Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious
First reading – Deuteronomy 6:4-13
“Let these words I urge on you today be written on your heart”. There are two important things about the Word of God which is communicated in this verse. The place of the Word of God and the context of the Word of God. The context of the Word of God is today. The today of the Word of God is the present. The Word of God is that which urges today, in the present moment. It’s not something from the past but of the present. It is that which should lead us now. In this moment. And how? It should be written in our heart. The Word of God is not to be just listened or heard. It must be in our heart. It must be written in heart. How can you write in the heart? You can write in the heart only with love. That means we must love the Word of God now. This love for the Word of God will engrave the Word of God in our heart and then it will lead us. Let’s reflect: Do I love the Word of God enough that the Word of God be written in my heart?
