Jan 14, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 1 in Ordinary Time
First reading Hebrews 2:14-18
Today the first reading from Hebrews 2:14-18 reminds us of the profound mystery of Christ's incarnation and its significance for our daily lives. The passage speaks to the heart of Jesus' mission: He identified Himself fully with our human condition, embracing our frailty, suffering, and temptations. By sharing in our humanity, He carried not only our pains and fears but also bore the weight of our sins, making atonement on our behalf. This solidarity with our struggles is what makes Him the compassionate and trustworthy high priest, ever ready to intercede for us. His experience of temptation was real, and yet He overcame it, enabling Him to offer both understanding and the strength we need in our own battles. In Christ, we find God who does not remain distant or removed from our trials but one who walks with us, offering freedom, hope, and the assurance that we are never alone. Let’s reflection: How can I turn to Christ more fully in my moments of temptation and struggle, trusting in His compassion and understanding of my humanity?
Don Giorgio
Jan 14, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of week 1 in Ordinary Time
First reading Hebrews 2:5-12
In the first reading, from Hebrews 2:5-12, we are reminded of the profound mystery of Jesus Christ, who, through His suffering, brought creation to its perfection by granting us the gift of salvation. This passage illuminates the divine love and humility of Jesus, who, though divine, chose to unite Himself with us through the Incarnation. In becoming human, He not only took on our nature but also shared in our trials and suffering, sanctifying them through His redemptive act. Jesus, as the sanctifier, is inseparably united with us, not as a distant deity but as a loving brother who walks alongside us. By His grace, we are made His brothers and sisters, called into a relationship of profound intimacy and shared inheritance in the glory of God’s kingdom. This reading is a powerful reminder of the closeness of Christ to each of us, His solidarity with our humanity, and His unceasing work to sanctify and perfect us through His love. Let’s reflect: How can I deepen my awareness of Jesus as my brother and sanctifier, and allow His love and solidarity to transform the way I face my own trials and extend grace to others?
Don Giorgio
Jan 12, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 1 in Ordinary Time
Saint Hilary, Bishop, Doctor
First reading – Hebrews 1:1-6
In today’s first reading from Hebrews 1:1-6, we are reminded of the profound truth about Jesus Christ: “He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command." This passage invites us to reflect deeply on the divinity and mission of Christ. Jesus as the Son of God is the visible manifestation of God’s glory. He is the radiant light that illuminates the path to the Father, making the invisible God accessible and knowable to us. As the “perfect copy” of God’s nature, Jesus reveals the essence of God—His boundless love, mercy, and truth. Moreover, He is not a passive presence in creation but actively sustains the universe through the power of His love. It is a love that commands, yet does not compel; it invites, yet does not coerce. Jesus, the face of the Father, calls us to participate in this divine love, to recognize that the same powerful command that upholds the cosmos is also the source of our redemption and hope. On this day, as we remember Saint Hilary, a defender of the faith, we are encouraged to deepen our understanding and appreciation of the mystery of Christ, who sustains not only the universe but also the hearts of all who turn to Him. Let’s reflect: How am I allowing the radiant light of Christ’s glory and the sustaining power of His love to illuminate and guide my life, especially in moments when I struggle to see the presence of God in the world around me?
Don Giorgio
Jan 11, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
The Baptism of the Lord – Feast
First reading – Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and offers profound insight into His mission as the Good Shepherd, as reflected in the first reading from Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11. In this passage, the prophet proclaims the arrival of the Lord with great power, yet it is a power marked not by domination but by tender, compassionate care for His people. Jesus Christ is revealed as the shepherd who feeds His flock, gathering the vulnerable lambs in His arms and gently holding them close to His heart. He does not lead through coercion but through love, offering guidance and rest to those burdened or weary, especially the mother ewes, who symbolize the caretakers and nurturers among the faithful. This image of Christ as the divine shepherd encapsulates the paradox of His mission: though He comes in power, He conquers not through force but through mercy, humility, and love. His final victory is the restoration of all creation to God's loving embrace, as He leads each soul toward the peace and rest that only He can provide. Through this lens, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord reminds us that Christ’s mission is not merely one of personal salvation but one of collective, tender guidance for His flock, making Him the shepherd par excellence. Let’s reflect: How can I open my heart to Christ as my shepherd, allowing His tender guidance to lead me through the challenges and burdens of my life toward the peace and rest He promises?
Don Giorgio
Jan 11, 2025 | NEWS
On the eve of our founder's birthday, we also met in our small convent to reflect on him and his life.
During the introduction I recalled his birthday…
Our sister Bernarda (87J and sometimes a little forgetful)
asked:
“How old do you think he might be?”
My answer:” He would have been 201 years old…..
Sister Bernarda again …
you can't get that old,
he has already died - hasn't he?
He did enough good things for us…..
But now he can live on in our hearts…..”
I was very impressed by this reaction
and I have to say …
Sister Bernarda understood a lot!
Yes - let us always take our founder as an example in our everyday lives.
The needs of today are just as relevant in all countries as they were back then.
If we open our eyes, ears and hearts - we can do a lot in his spirit and the people we accompany in conversation, in and with our prayers,
are grateful for it -
I experience this again and again.
Sister M. Felicitas
with Sister Augustina and Sister Bernarda
