May 10, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 9:1-20
Saint John of Ávila, Priest, Doctor
Eastertide is the season of Resurrection, not only of Christ, but of our own hearts—raised, restored, and renewed by the silent power of the Holy Spirit. As the Acts of the Apostles remind us, the early Church grew strong not through triumphalism, but by living in reverent awe of the Lord and in the quiet consolation of the Spirit. This same Spirit, still active today, works miracles not only in the extraordinary, but also in the daily resurrections we experience—when we rise from fear, failure, or sorrow, and find ourselves standing again with hope. Let us not overlook these hidden marvels. The Spirit’s gentle hand is often what lifts us when we cannot lift ourselves. That is Easter at work within us. Let’s reflect: Easter is the quiet miracle of being raised by the Holy Spirit from fear, failure, and sorrow into new life, hope, and strength.
Don Giorgio
May 9, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 9:1-20 ·
The story of Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus is not merely a dramatic episode of personal transformation—it is the radiant sign of the Risen Christ continuing His work in the world through us. In the brilliance of Easter light, we come to see that every encounter with the living Lord becomes a turning point, a reorientation of life and purpose. Saul the persecutor becomes Paul the apostle; Ananias, once hesitant and afraid, becomes a courageous vessel of divine mercy. In this sacred dynamic, Easter is no longer confined to an empty tomb but unfolds in every heart that hears the Lord’s call and dares to respond. The Resurrection thus becomes not only a past event, but a present mission: to be transformed, and to transform. Let’s reflect: Easter is the living encounter with the Risen Christ who transforms hearts, calls unlikely instruments, and renews the world through the power of grace and mission.
Don Giorgio
May 7, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 8:26-40
The story of Philip and the Ethiopian in the Acts of the Apostles is a luminous reminder during this Eastertide that the Risen Lord is actively at work through the Holy Spirit, guiding the Church’s mission and awakening hearts to faith. The Ethiopian’s question—“Is there anything to stop me from being baptized?”—is not merely a moment of personal desire, but a profound manifestation of the Spirit’s movement. It speaks to the universal accessibility of salvation, made possible through the death and resurrection of Christ. The response of Philip is equally significant: there is no barrier, no delay, no exclusion—only a joyful urgency to welcome, to baptize, to share the Good News. In the light of Easter, we are reminded that the Church is born not of human plans but of divine initiative; that the impulse to evangelize, to preach, and to bring others into the life of Christ is not optional but essential. Easter does not end at the empty tomb—it presses us outward to the desert roads, to the margins, to those who are searching, often unknowingly, for the One who already walks beside them. Let us, like Philip, listen to the prompting of the Spirit, run to meet those who are seeking, and proclaim without hesitation that in Christ risen, nothing stands in the way of grace. Let’s reflect: Easter is the radiant proclamation that in the Risen Christ, nothing can hinder the work of the Spirit.
Don Giorgio
May 7, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 8:1-8
The Easter season invites us to see life through the lens of the Resurrection—not as an escape from suffering, but as a transformation of it. In today’s reading from Acts, we hear that “a bitter persecution started against the Church in Jerusalem,” forcing many believers to flee. And yet, far from extinguishing the flame of faith, this scattering became the very means by which the Good News spread far and wide. What appeared to be a crisis was, in fact, the hidden movement of the Holy Spirit. This is the paradox of Easter: that out of death comes life, out of defeat comes victory, and out of fear, the Spirit draws courage and witness. The Church was not broken by the persecution; it was multiplied. In the same way, when we face trials—whether in our families, communities, or hearts—we are invited to trust that God is not absent. On the contrary, He is most powerfully at work in those very moments. The tomb is not the end, and neither are our sufferings. Easter teaches us that difficulties are not roadblocks but invitations—opportunities for the Spirit to bring forth something new. Let us then walk with Easter eyes, believing that even in the hardest circumstances, the Risen Christ is already ahead of us, turning every cross into a path of grace. Let’s reflect: Easter is the triumph of Christ’s Resurrection, revealing that through His victory over death, even suffering and hardship can become instruments of grace, renewal, and the spread of God’s saving love.
Don Giorgio
May 6, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 7:51-8:1
In the account of St. Stephen’s martyrdom, proclaimed on this Tuesday of the third week of Eastertide, we are confronted with the stark contrast between resistance to the Holy Spirit and surrender to divine grace. Stephen, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” speaks with courage and clarity, even as his words are met with fury and violence. Yet it is not anger or fear that marks his final moments, but forgiveness, peace, and trust. “Lord, do not hold this sin against them,” he prays, echoing the very words of Jesus on the Cross. His death is not described in terms of agony or finality, but as a sleep—a quiet falling into the hands of the Lord. This Easter season, we are reminded that the Resurrection does not only concern life after death; it transforms the meaning of death itself. For those who live in the Spirit, even suffering becomes a seed of glory. Stephen’s peace in the face of brutality shows us what it means to be truly conformed to Christ: to be so united with the Risen One that even in the most violent rejection, we answer with mercy, and even in death, we fall asleep in hope. Let us, then, ask for the grace to welcome the Holy Spirit daily, that we might, like Stephen, become witnesses of the Resurrection not only in word, but in the radical love and forgiveness that mark our lives. Let’s reflect: Easter is the triumph of Christ’s mercy and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, by which even death becomes a peaceful falling asleep for those who live in Him.
Don Giorgio
