Sep 26, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
Friday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 9:35-37
“The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest”. These are words of Jesus Christ regarding the flock which is following Jesus Christ. This is true even today. The people who really want to follow Jesus Christ are many. But there are very few labourers who are ready to work for that. Those who want to work, want to work for themselves. But in this passage, we can also see how much Jesus is counting in each one of us to be labourers for the Kingdom of God. And He asks us to pray to the Father to send labourers for the harvest. But that is also a call to be labourers. St. Vincent de Paul became a labourer by being close to the poor and marginalised. He harvested for the Lord by becoming His love for the poor. So, whenever someone is in need around you, you have the call to be a labourer for the Kingdom of God by being the face of God to that person. Let’s reflect: Am I becoming the labourer for the Kingdom of God by being the love of God for the one in need in front of me?
Don Giorgio
Sep 25, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs
Gospel – Luke 9:7-9
“And he was anxious to see Jesus”. From where the anxiousness of Herod does the tetrarch comes from. It comes from his guilt feeling for what he had done to John the Baptist. It comes from the news what some people were saying, “that John had risen from the dead”. So, his curiosity is not for knowing Jesus. But to see how the John is Risen, the Risen John. The reason to know Jesus can be many in our life. What we must do is to purify our intention of following Jesus. Our intention to follow Jesus must not be a curiosity but love to Him. Often, our intentions can be contaminated. Then we must purify our intentions. Let’s reflect: Do I follow Jesus?
Don Giorgio
Sep 24, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 9:1-6
“Take nothing for the journey”. Because it’s a journey of Grace. The journey to proclaim the Good News is a journey of Grace. It is neither your staff nor haversack that will give you the sufficient support for your mission. It will be the Grace that will make the difference. The money or the spare tunic are not the adapt resources for the mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God. It’s the Grace of God. It is the Grace which you received from Jesus Christ. It’s your personal relationship with Jesus that gave you this Grace. We all have the same mission as baptized faithful. We are called to proclaim the Good News, wherever we have. Don’t think about anything else. Don’t focus on anything else—simply trust in God’s grace and nurture your relationship with Jesus. Then you will be a great missionary. Let’s reflect: In proclaiming the Good News, do I trust in the Grace, or do I rely on other things?
Don Giorgio
Sep 24, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 8:19-21
When Jesus said, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice”. He is also referring to what they were doing at that moment. Mother Mary came to see Him, but she was standing outside and waiting to see you. This happens when you listen to the Word of God and put it into practice. You listen to the Word of God and learn to stand outside for the Lord. You listen to the Word of God and learn to wait for the Lord. When you listen to the Word of God and put it into practice, it will not be anymore, who you are that determines your actions, but it will be the Word of God that determines your actions. Often, we want to practice the Word of God as who we are. But that is not the right way to practice the Word of God. We must become what the Word of God asks us. And not to practice the Word of God as we are. Let the Word of God, model you. And not to practice the Word of God, as a model. Let’s reflect: How do I practice the Word of God, as who I am or as whom I want to become?
Don Giorgio
Sep 22, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Priest
Monday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Matthew 16:24-27
“Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it”. Following Jesus is not only renouncing oneself and taking up his cross but also there is something equally important. That is what is explained in this sentence. Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. The first part of this sentence is about the renouncing and taking up the cross. That is what happens in losing the life for the sake of Jesus Christ. But here He makes a promise. Those who lose their life for His sake will find it. That means, after losing our life, we must search for it and we must find it. Jesus promises that we will find it. Where? We will find the life in the person of Jesus Christ. It’s our personal relationship of Jesus that this life is found. Sacramentally we do it in Baptism, in the Holy Communion. But this must become personalized in our personal relationship with Jesus. Many times, what happens in our Christian life is that, we renounce ourselves and take our cross but we fail to encounter the life in the our personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus, this Person, must remodel you. Let’s reflect: How much my sacrifices improve my personal relationship with Jesus?
Don Giorgio
