Mar 31, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of the 4th week of Lent
First reading Ezekiel 47:1-9,12
The reading from Ezekiel 47 on this Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent presents a striking image of the mercy of God flowing like a river from the Temple—gentle at first, then deep and strong, bringing life wherever it goes. This living water is a symbol of God’s grace that never runs dry, a mercy that seeks not only to cleanse but to renew and transform. As we journey through Lent, we are invited to step into this river, to open the dry and hardened places of our hearts to its healing flow. Lent is a sacred season of encounter—where God’s mercy meets our weakness and bears fruit. Like the trees growing along the riverbanks in the prophet’s vision, whose leaves never wither and whose fruit is plentiful, we too can become sources of nourishment, consolation, and love for others when we are rooted in God’s mercy. Every prayer offered, every sin confessed, every act of charity becomes a channel through which this divine water flows through us and beyond us. The more we allow this mercy to penetrate our lives, the more we will find ourselves transformed into instruments of peace, agents of compassion, and signs of hope in a thirsty world. Let’s reflect: Lent is opening up of our heart to the boundless mercy of God.
Don Giorgio
Mar 30, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of the 4th week of Lent
First reading Isaiah 65:17-21
“No more will the sound of weeping or the sound of cries be heard in her” (Isaiah 65:19)—this tender promise reveals the heart of God’s desire for His people: not only to forgive, but to heal; not only to cleanse, but to restore joy. On this Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent, we are invited to enter into that vision of newness. God is not simply erasing the past—He is creating something altogether new: new heavens, a new earth, a new heart within each of us. The sorrow that once echoed through the streets of our lives—the weeping caused by sin, by loss, by fear—is silenced by the mercy of a God who makes all things new. Through Christ, we are offered the grace to become a new creation. Lent is the sacred season when we allow that transformation to begin. Through repentance, prayer, and acts of charity, we take part in this transformation. Let us not only long for the day when no more cries will be heard, but let us also become people who dry the tears of others, who carry peace instead of judgment, and who, renewed in Christ, become living signs of the world God is already bringing to birth. Let’s reflect: Lent is the transformation of heart to be part of new heavens and new earth which God created in Jesus.
Don Giorgio
Mar 30, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
Readings, Joshua 5:9-12; Psalm 33(34):2-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3,11-32
Laetare Sunday offers a moment of joyful pause amid the Lenten journey, inviting us to look ahead to the fulfillment of God’s promises. In the reading from Joshua, the end of manna and the beginning of eating the produce of Canaan marks a shift from wandering to belonging, from dependence on daily miracles to a deeper participation in the fruits of God’s promise. This transition symbolizes not an absence of God, but a new phase of His faithful accompaniment. Likewise, Lent calls us to leave behind the wilderness of sin and to enter the land of reconciliation, as Paul urges in his letter to the Corinthians: “Be reconciled to God.” Repentance is our way of stepping into this promised land—not only a turning away from sin, but a stepping into maturity, trust, and a life sustained by grace. Like the prodigal son in Luke’s Gospel, we are invited to return home, where the Father waits not with reproach, but with a feast. Let’s reflect: Lent is embracing the joy of reconciliation by penitence.
Don Giorgio
Mar 29, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of the 3rd week of Lent
First reading Hosea 5:15-6:6
On this Saturday of the third week of Lent, the prophet Hosea invites us into a deeper examination of our hearts: “What I want is love, not sacrifice; knowledge of God, not holocausts.” These words are a powerful reminder that God does not delight in ritual for its own sake, nor is He moved by outward displays of piety if they are not rooted in sincere love and a desire to know Him. Our love for God is not meant to be like the morning cloud or the dew that vanishes with the first heat of day—beautiful perhaps, but shallow and short-lived. Lent is not merely about fasting, ashes, or giving things up; it is about returning to the Lord with a whole and undivided heart. It is about letting go of the illusion that we can earn God’s favor through performance, and instead embracing the truth that God desires a living relationship with us. When we love with steadfastness, when we seek Him with a hunger to know Him more intimately, our actions naturally become offerings that please Him—not because of their perfection, but because of the love from which they spring. Let us reflect: Lent is moving beyond superficial devotion to a real love to God which permeates in all our actions.
Don Giorgio
Mar 28, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of the 3rd week of Lent
First reading Hosea 14:2-10
Lent is a journey of return—a sacred season that gently beckons us back into communion with God, where true life begins again. In Hosea’s powerful imagery, we are reminded that God does not respond to our disloyalty with condemnation, but with a love that seeks to restore and renew. “I will heal their disloyalty, I will love them with all my heart,” says the Lord, revealing a divine tenderness that surpasses our failures. When we turn our hearts toward Him, He comes to us like dew—quiet, constant, and life-giving—reviving the dryness within us. Our souls, once withered by sin, begin to bloom again like lilies, putting down deep roots in His grace, and stretching outward in beauty and purpose. Lent, then, is not merely a time of denial or sorrow; it is an invitation to rediscover the joy of living in God’s presence. It is a season to step out from under the weight of our own will and dwell again in His shade, where our lives bear fruit—where we grow, flourish, and take on the fragrance of holiness. The beauty of Lent lies in this truth: when we return to God, we are not just forgiven—we are transformed. Let’s reflect: Lent is understanding the beauty of living with God.
Don Giorgio
