Mar 9, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
Gospel John 3:14-21
“Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost but may have eternal life”. The fourth Sunday of Lent says ‘Lætáre, Ierúsalem, be joyful, Jerusalem, and all who love her!’ because she herself is loved by the Lord. We, the people of God, are called to rejoice because we are loved by the Lord. And today’s Gospel is saying how much the Lord loves us. God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. And we can also read the reason for this love. God loved us so much that we have a life with Him, an eternal life. God’s intervention is not to condemn but to save. When we do sin, we hide ourselves in the darkness of sin. But Jesus brings light into our darkness. We can let this light come into our life by believing in Him. When we believe in Him, we will not be lost in the darkness of sin. We will be saved by Him in grace. Let’s reflect: Lent is to understand how much God loves us so that we can embrace that light by believing in His love.
Mar 8, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent
St Frances of Rome (1384 – 1440)
Gospel – Luke 18:9-14
“Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else”. This happens when we feel happy and virtuous about our own accomplishments without any relationship with God or with our brothers and sisters around us. Everything is around me. I do a lot of good things and the relationship is not with God or with others but with myself. I do prayers or fasting but these prayers or fasting have no connection to my relationship with God. My activities are just actions to make myself happy and to make me feel different from others. Once we are in this vicious circle, we will start despising others also. Then we become more and more centered around ourselves. This is what we can see in this Pharisee. Whereas the tax collector relates his life with God, he recognizes the need for the mercy of God. He gives the apt space for God in his life. Let’s reflect: Lent is to assign the right space for God in our life by eliminating our pride.
Mar 7, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of the 3rd week of Lent
St John of God
Gospel – Mark 12:28-34
“Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true: that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any holocaust or sacrifice”. This scribe understood the essence of all the law. That’s to love God and to love the neighbour is more important than any holocaust or sacrifice. This phrase opens up a big revelation. It means there could be sacrifices which are not acts of love to God or to neighbour. Of course, there are acts and sacrifices which are motivated only by our selfish interests. Or things which we think that they are actions or sacrifices of the love of God or of the love of neighbour. So it is important to make sure that our actions are really related to the love to God and to the love to neighbour. Our actions, and especially sacrifices must be devoid of our selfish interests in order to be oriented by the love to God or to the neighbour. Let’s reflect: Lent must help us to make sure that our sacrifices are motivated by love to God and by love to neighbour and not by selfish interests.
Mar 6, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of the 3rd week of Lent
Saints Perpetua and Felicity
Gospel – Luke 11:14-23
“But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you”. This is very powerful message of Jesus. The Kingdom of God has overtaken us. What a hope filled message. The finger of God is going to cast out devils from our life because our life is overtaken by the Kingdom of God. There is nothing more powerful than the Kingdom of God and the grace of that power is protecting us. That is why Jesus say, “So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed”. There is nothing stronger than the finger of God. And so nothing can attack us. This message of hope must echo in our ears always when we hear about the all the negatives news around us, in the world. Because the truth is that Kingdom of God has overtaken the world through Jesus. The only thing we must do is to be with Jesus. If we are with Jesus, we will stay united. Otherwise, we will be scattered and withered. Let’s reflect: Lent is to hope in the power of the Kingdom of God which has overtaken my life.
Mar 5, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of the 3rd week of Lent
Gospel – Matthew 5:17-19
“I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved”. The law given by the Lord is to let us know His heart and His plan for us. And it will not be changed because His heart and His plan for us will not change. Everything can disappear but His plan for us will not disappear. Because we all are created in His likeness and His image. And the Law guide us to accomplish our vocation. And Jesus is the true face of that Law of God. That is why He is saying, “Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them”. The Law given in the Old Testament was only indications, but Jesus is the fulfillment of that Law. In Jesus, the entire humanity is guided to its perfection. We are transformed by this Law into sons and daughters of God. Jesus is the embodiment of the Law of God. Jesus is our guide. Let’s reflect: Lent is the time to acknowledge Jesus as the supreme law of my life.
