Dec 5, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of the 1st week of Advent
Saint Nicholas, Bishop
First reading – Isaiah 25:6-10
This is a beautiful description about the change the Lord brought about with His presence in the world, with His incarnation. He became the host of a banquet where all peoples are invited, without exceptions. He offered the best food, the Eucharist. He removes the mourning veil covering each person. He destroyed the death by His resurrection. His presence is personal. He wipes the tears from every cheek. He also takes away any shame. This wonderful presence of the Lord is what the incarnation gifted us. So as the Prophet Isaiah says, “See, this is our God in whom we hoped for salvation; the Lord is the one in whom we hoped. We exult and we rejoice that he has saved us;”. Let’s reflect: Do I recognize that the Lord wipes away the tears from my cheek?
Dec 4, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of the 1st week of Advent
First reading – Isaiah 11:1-10
The Prophet is speaking of the Messianic time. Very specific feature of this is the lack of cruelty and enmity which seem normal according to our standards. The Prophet explains it, “The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion feed together, with a little boy to lead them”. Everything seems strange and even impossible. It goes even deeper. “The cow and the bear make friends, their young lie down together”. And it does not stop there. Even we see each one behaves completely different; the lion eats straw like the ox and the child puts his hand in the cobra’s hole and it does not bite. The Prophet explains the reason: “They do no hurt, no harm, on all my holy mountain, for the country is filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters swell the sea”. No one hurts the other in the holy mountain, in the presence of the Lord because the hearts are filled with the knowledge of the Lord. The heart is filled in a very special way. It is like the waters that swell the sea! It is abundance and active. The knowledge which the presence of the Lord brings to our heart. The Lord becomes a presence in our heart. He fills our being! Let’s reflect: How much is my heart filled with the presence of the Lord?
Dec 3, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of the 1st week of Advent
Saint John Damascene, Priest, Doctor
First reading – Isaiah 2:1-5
This mediation is very important it teaches the way to bring peace into the world stopping all wars and conflicts. The key is the last sentence. “Let us walk in the light of the Lord”. When we start walking in the light of the Lord everything changes. We will hammer our swords into ploughshares and our spears into sickles. We will not lift sword against each other, and we will not train ourselves in fighting. We will turn every occasion to hate the other into an occasion to love and do good, every occasion to speak bad into an opportunity to speak good. Because we walk in the light of the Lord and not in the light of our selfishness. To walk in the light of the Lord, we must learn to accept the authority of the Lord over us. This we must learn from the mountain of the Lord, in the Temple of God. That means, we learn it from prayer and from the Word of God. Let’s reflect: Am I walking in the light of the Lord or in the light of my selfishness?
Dec 2, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
1st Sunday of Advent
First reading – Isaiah 63:16-17,64:1,3-8
“And yet, Lord, you are our Father; we the clay, you the potter, we are all the work of your hand”. This is a very good description of whom we are. The Lord is our Father. He molds us. We are work of His hands. But we have our freedom and our free choice. With our freedom we can resist the work of His hands. The potter works with the clay because the clay let the potter to work with it. The clay adapts itself to the hands of the potter without resisting. Because the clay soft with water. When we don’t let ourselves to be molded by the Lord our Father, we move away from being the work of His hands. We must cooperate to grace so that we are soft and docile to the hands of our Lord. When we don’t cooperate with the grace we are hard and not docile. Let’s reflect: Am I docile to the hands of the Lord who is molding me?
Dec 2, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of week 34 in Ordinary Time
Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First Saturday : Let us entrust ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
First reading – Daniel 7:15-27
The book of Daniel often frightens us with all the images of different beasts. In the original situation, the author was speaking about the different powerful kings and kingdoms of that period, who did not care anything else but their power and positions. They were ready to become anyone. But the message is that at the end of the tunnel there will be light. But before we enter the tunnel there is so much of fear and anxiety. And each step we make with distress. But what is necessary in these moments is faith that God will do good. God will not abandon us. God will establish His Kingdom in Jesus Christ. “His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty, and every empire will serve and obey him”. In His reign everything will have a new dimension. Because He is sovereign not to reign but to love us. Let’s reflect: Did I grow from fear to faith, in relationship with the sovereignty of God?
