Feb 3, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Mark 1:29-39
“Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came”. In these words of Jesus, we can see that He wants to reach out to everyone. He is not going to those who already knew Him. He is going to new places and towns so that He can preach there too. The Good News that God loves us is not something exclusive to some. It must be preached to everyone. This is why we cannot consider someone or somewhere as strange. It’s comfortable to be in the midst of people who knows. But when we want to preach Gospel to new people and to new places, we will have different challenges. But that is why we are called for. So don’t turn away our faces to new people to whom also we must preach the Good News. Let’s reflect: We must move out of our comfort zone to preach Gospel to all.
Feb 2, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of week 4 in Ordinary Time
Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint Blaise, Bishop, Martyr
Gospel – Mark 6:30-34
“The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’” This is a beautiful passage because, we see something beautiful from Jesus. When the disciples came back after their missionary activities, Jesus first listened to them. They told him all they had done. Jesus is listening to everything they had done. Then comes the second part which is more beautiful. Jesus said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’. Jesus is asking them to go to a rest in a lonely place. This is the Jesus we believe, and we follow. He really takes care of us. He really wants that we rest after work. This is also a model in our life, to take care of others. A model to listen to others and to make sure that others get sufficient rest. Let’s reflect: It’s is important to know the Jesus who wants to listen to all what I do during the day and who asks me to take rest after a busy day.
Feb 1, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
The Presentation of the Lord – Feast
Gospel – Luke 2:22-40
“My eyes have seen your salvation”. This is the point of departure of every vocation knowingly or unknowingly. When we find that all point of our life is in one person, Jesus Christ, then everything become relative on this person. When Simeon sees the baby Jesus, he is satisfied, he is fulfilled because he was waiting all his life to this moment. The moment to meet with his Lord, Jesus Christ. It’s so appropriate that we celebrate the feast of all consecrated persons on this date. Because like Simeon, we have found that only thing valuable in our life is the relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. Carefully meditate the words of Simeon, “Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel”. With his own eyes he recognized all of these in Jesus Christ. Now it’s our turn, especially we who dedicated fully our life to Jesus. Someone can ask us, “why are you doing this with your life?” Our answer is the same: because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of each person in creation. Let’s reflect: It’s important that our commitment to Jesus is based on our personal recognition of Jesus as the light of each person in darkness.
