Aug 11, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 19 in Ordinary Time
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Religious
Gospel – Matthew 17:22-27
“However, so as not to offend these people, go to the lake and cast a hook; take the first fish that bites, open its mouth and there you will find a shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for you”. This is one of the passages where we can find how much Jesus is sensitive to the feelings of others. He announced that He is going to be put to death. Jesus is going to deliver himself on the cross, but He is sensitive to pay the tax. And He wants that Peter pays that. When we want to imitate Jesus, this sensitivity of Jesus is very much to follow. Whenever we are doing some sacrifice, we lose our sensitivity. Everyone around us must be attentive to the sacrifice we make. Look, how much I suffer! Look, how much I sacrifice! And in these moments, we forget about others around: their concerns and their questions. Jesus is aware about the question of the tax collectors and is sensitive to their concern even though it should not be His concern as He is going to offer His life for the salvation of the world. Our sacrifices must not shut down our sensitivity, but it should be the manifestation of our sensitivity. Let’s reflect: Do my sacrifices shut down my sensitivity towards the questions and concerns of others?
Don Giorgio
Aug 10, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saint Clare (1193/4 – 1253)
Gospel John 6:41-51
“Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world”. This belongs to the passage about the Eucharist. In this sentence, Jesus is speaking about three things. First, whoever eats this bread will live for ever. Second, this bread is His flesh. Third, this is for the life of the world. Actually, one message. The Body of Jesus is the bread from heaven for the life of each one of us. This is from heaven because this is gift from God. This gift is God himself. The second person of the Holy Trinity, the Son. He incarnates so that He can be bread that gives life to us. He incarnates so that He can give himself up totally to us. He can give His life to us. At the Cross, He becomes the bread for us which was celebrated at the last Supper. And this bread is the life of the world because He is Risen and is alive. This is Eucharist. So, in Eucharist, the love of God the Father becomes real through the real presence of the Son, who incarnated and gave Himself up on the cross for us, and which is realized by the working of the Holy Spirit. Let’s reflect: How much am I grateful for the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist?
Don Giorgio
Aug 9, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Laurence, Deacon, Martyr
Gospel – John 12:24-26
“I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest”. The grain has to fall down and the grain has to die. This is the vocation of the grain. But in this falling and dying something amazing happens. In this falling, everything falls off from the grain and in the darkness of soil, in the moisture of the soil, the grain dies to give birth to a new life. The new life sprouts out of the grain throught his process This process is also necessary in us to bring out the life of Christ which we received in the baptism. When the sufferings, challenges, tensions and difficulties make us fall, this fall is painful. Again the coldness around us, which changes nothing but adds pain to us, we are stuck. We have to chose between the accept the pain to make our life and those of others difficult or to accept the pain to bring the life of Christ alive in us so that we can make our life and the life of others beautiful. The former is always murmuring and complaining. The latter is always smiling and welcoming. The former produces negative vibes. The latter produces positive vibes. The former brings our the evil in us. The latter brings out the best in us. Our difficulties and sufferings are opportunities to bring out the life of Christ in us. Let’s reflect: Am I using the challenges in my life to bring out the life of Christ in us?
Don Giorgio
Aug 9, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 18 in Ordinary Time
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Virgin, Martyr
Gospel – Matthew 16:24-28
“What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? These words of Jesus mean you can gain the whole world, but you can lose your life. How is that possible? That means, what you are gaining or achieving does not have the space for your life. It has space for everything else but not space for your soul, for your heart, for your life. We are occupying many things in our life in the way that we don’t find space for our life. It’s a contradiction but that it’s the truth. Sometimes, we experience this as an emptiness even if our day is full of activities and engagements. This happens because, amidst of all our activities, our soul or our heart was not taken care of. We go behind the desires of our egoism but not behind Jesus. Only by belonging to Jesus, our soul feels fulfilled. Because only in Jesus we have space for our life. Whenever we try to find space for ourselves elsewhere, we end up having empty feeling. Because it takes our time, energy and everything. But in Jesus, we find life because Jesus is life. And He gives us everything. In the life of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, we can see that. Let’s reflect: Do I go behind the desires of my egoism or behind Jesus?
Don Giorgio
Aug 7, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Dominic, Priest
Thursday of week 18 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 9:57-62
This is the teaching of Jesus about following Him. In His conversation between the three persons, there are certain things very clear. The first is that there is no comfort in following Jesus. The second is that everything else become secondary when you are following Jesus. The third is that one cannot follow Jesus with doubts. The true discipleship is a personal relationship with Jesus. Only by that we can attain the three qualities which are illustrated in these three encounters. Only a personal relationship with Jesus can liberate you from the thoughts of material security and comforts. Only a personal relationship with Jesus will make everything else secondary. Only a personal relationship with Jesus will eliminate our doubts. This personal relationship with Jesus can be achieved only when you relate your life with the life of Jesus. Whether it’s a pain or it’s a joy in your life, your primary attempt must be to relate that to Jesus Christ. There the journey starts. Let’s reflect: How much I relate my daily experiences to Jesus Christ?
Don Giorgio
