Feb 18, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of the 1st week of Lent
Gospel – Matthew 25:31-46
““I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” This is the greatest gift we have received from Jesus. The great revelation from the incarnation of the second person of the Holy Trinity. We know how we can really serve God. How we can truly serve Jesus. That is by serving one of the least of the brothers around me. That is by serving the one in need. And it also makes us understand that whenever I am not serving one who is in need, I am ignoring Jesus. In other words, Jesus is present in anyone in need. Anything we do to the one in need is done to Jesus. Anything we are not doing to the one in need, is ignoring Jesus present in that person. This is what we must learn and practice. To see the face of Jesus in a person who is in need and reach out to that person. Also it’s important to note one more thing in this passage. All these persons who are in need are not asking for help. The one who helps, recognizes the need and go to them. Recognizing the need and going to them and sharing what you have is that makes the difference. Let’s reflect: Lent is the time to recognize the needs of others and to share what we have with them.
Feb 18, 2024 | POSITIVE IMPULSES
When someone judges you unjustly, try not to take it personally. People judge unjustly for various reasons. Because of the lack of sufficient data to make the right judgement. Because of overzealous to do good. Because of past experiences. Because of lack of experiences. Because of wrong concepts. Because of wrong perceptions. There can be lots of reasons. So, when the thorns of such judgments try to pierce into your heart, try to arm yourself with the shield of discernment. Try to take care of yourself with your intelligence by separating your real self and the judged self. Embrace the wisdom to see beyond the ephemeral fog of others’ perceptions, to the enduring light of your true self. Emotionally affected, don’t try to degrade your real self into the image of your judged self. There lies the danger of losing yourself into the darkness of negativities. Remember, how you respond to unjust judgment is within your control. By choosing not to internalize it, by choosing to uphold the sanctity of your self-worth, you protect your self-esteem and maintain your focus on what truly matters—your own path and growth.
Don Giorgio
Feb 17, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
1st Sunday of Lent
Gospel – Mark 1:12-15
“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness, and he remained there for forty days, and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him”. Jesus was led into the wilderness and there he remained for forty days. This is very significant and symbolic. The wilderness in the bible is a place of encounter with God. The People of God was accompanied by God in the wilderness and encountered God in the wilderness. They were in the desert for forty years. In those years, they were constantly tempted to betray the true God and they betrayed. The result of betrayal was destruction of themselves. In the Gospel, in the person of Jesus Christ, the new Israel is writing the New Testament. In the wilderness Jesus was in profound communion with God and he overcame the temptations as a man. In Jesus, the redemption is there. We are called to follow Jesus. In the desert, He was with wild beasts, but the angels looked after Him. This shows the assistance of grace in our life. In the wilderness of our spiritual journey, we will be with wild beasts but angels will take care of us. Let’s reflect: Lent is the time to be in communion with God to over temptations in life.
Feb 16, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Gospel – Luke 5:27-32
“Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’ This is a very core of Jesus’ message of love, mercy, and redemption. His mission is to be with everyone who is in need especially who are aware of their own failings and in need of God’s grace. And He wants to be with those who are in need because He wants to take care of them. He wants to lead them to their own renewal. He wants them to repent and find the presence of God in them. God’s love is open to all, and it calls to repent and to transform. The word of Jesus emphasizes the importance of compassion over condemnation and seeks to restore each person to a right relationship with God. The call to repentance is fundamentally about turning towards God, recognizing His presence and sovereignty in our lives. Let’s reflect: Lent is recognizing the presence of Jesus in our life which invites us to repent.
Feb 15, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Gospel – Matthew 9:14-15
“‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’” In these words, we can see the meaning of Fasting. The period when the bridegroom is with them is a time for celebration, not mourning or fasting. However, Jesus foretells a time when the bridegroom will be “taken away” from them, indicating his death, and it is during this time that fasting becomes appropriate as an expression of longing for His presence. Fasting is to make alive the presence of the bridegroom who is Jesus. Fasting is the way to live in the presence of Jesus who is the bridegroom. Fasting is seen not merely as an act of penance or self-denial but as a spiritual exercise that makes the presence of Jesus more alive in our life. In the absence of the bridegroom, fasting becomes a way to express longing for his presence, to prepare oneself for His return, and to live in closer communion with Him. It’s a tangible expression of the spiritual reality that the Church, as the bride, yearns for a deeper union with Christ, the bridegroom. Let’s reflect: Lent is the way to make the presence of Jesus alive in our life.
