Oct 13, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel Mark 10:17-30
“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” It’s hard for those who have riches because the Kingdom of God has a different criterion to be in. Worldly riches are considered to be a blessing but that is not enough to enter into the Kingdom of God. It could be a blessing. But that is not enough. The Kingdom of God is for the followers of Jesus Christ. It can be inherited by following the words of Jesus Christ. “Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me”. This is what He said to the man who wanted to inherit the Kingdom of God. Kingdom of God is a different reality. It’s the result of the intervention of God in the human history. It’s about God made man so that man can be with God. Kingdom of God is about giving up whatever to be with Jesus Christ. It’s about making Jesus Christ the center of your world, your life and everything you have. Let’s reflect: What is the place of Jesus Christ in my life?
Don Giorgio
Oct 11, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gospel Luke 11:27-28
‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’ Because the Word of God is the source of happiness. So those who hear the Word of God and keep it, are happier. The woman in the crowd praised Mother Mary. How happy she is! Yes, she is praiseworthy because in her, Word became flesh. Word incarnated! This is what Jesus is also stating. When you hear the Word of God and practice it, the Word of God becomes incarnated in your life. What we must do is to hear the Word of God. Many times, we don’t want to hear the Word of God. We want to hear other words, other voices. But we are called to hear the Word of God. When we hear the Word of God, we will be put before a choice. A choice to follow the Word of God or to ignore. Mother Mary followed the Word of God with her “Yes”. We also must also do the same. Hear the Word of God and say “Yes”, so that the Word of God can take flesh in our life, so that the Word of God stays with us. Let’s reflect: How much effort I take to keep in my life the Word of God which I hear?
Don Giorgio
Oct 11, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Saint John XXIII, Pope
Gospel – Luke 11:15-26
In this passage of Gospel Jesus is teaching about the necessity of understanding the action of God in our life. Our life must be with God. “He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters”. Whether we agree or not, God is with us in every moment of our life. If we accept this reality with gratitude, our life gets a very important sense. If we are not accepting this blessing, our life goes to a different direction where we must find meaning for everything that happens in our life. When we understand that God is with us in every step of our life, the life naturally acquires a meaning and significance. The people who did not accept the miracles of Jesus as miracles were looking for strange explanations about what was happening. Unfortunately, they failed to be the part of the plan of God. But when we accept everything that happens in our life as plan of God, we are living our life with Jesus and there is no need to search for the meaning of events in our life. We gather our life with Jesus. The kingdom of God is reigning us. Let’s reflect: Do I live my life with Jesus without search for the meaning of what is happening in my life?
Don Giorgio
Oct 10, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Gospel – Luke 11:5-13
“persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants”. This is such a great promise by Jesus in the context of His teaching on prayer. One of the most important things in prayer is persistence. Keep praying even though we don’t see any results. Keep praying even though we don’t see any change. Keep praying even though things apparently are getting worse. Keep praying even though the contrary happened. Because of these words of Jesus: “persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants”. Persistence will be enough not only to get answers but all we want. This faith in the words of Jesus must motivate our prayer life. This persistence is not only about intercessory prayers or prayer for some needs. But this is more about the daily prayers, this is about our relationship with God. As we read in the gospel, “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say”. We go in the middle of the night to a friend when we need something. We go to a friend. Prayer is like going to a friend. Prayer is persisting in this friendship. Let’s reflect: How much persistent am I in my prayers?
Don Giorgio
Oct 9, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 27 in Ordinary Time
Saints Denis, Bishop, and his Companions, Martyrs
Saint John Leonardi, Priest
“Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples”. This itself is the best pray to repeat. We must have the attitude of the disciples. We must be humble enough to make this conversation. The disciples came to know that John taught his disciples to pray. Then the disciples of Jesus also wanted that Jesus teach them. We must have the courage and openness to pray like that. First of all, it’s an admission that we don’t know how to pray. Then it’s a faith that Jesus will teach us to pray. And finally, it is love that we want to pray in the best way which the Father wants, and Jesus is the best person to teach us. Let’s reflect: Do I have the courage and humility to pray as disciples pray to Jesus about teaching them how to pray?
Don Giorgio
