Jul 24, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint James, Apostle – Feast
Gospel – Matthew 20:20-28
Today we are celebrating the Feast of Apostle James, the brother of St. John. Both were fishermen. He was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration and one of those who slept through most of the Agony in the Garden. He was the first of the apostles to be martyred, being beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I to please the opponents of Christianity. He was buried in Jerusalem. The question Jesus poses when the mother of the sons of Zebedee ( John & James) wanted her sons to sit one at his right hand and the other at his left hand is, “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?”. What is the cup Jesus was going to drink? It’s the prize to love. It’s the cup of humiliation. It’s what costed Jesus to love us, His life, His last drop of blood. It’s the cup of being a slave like the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. This is the being at the left or right of Jesus. Serve others without question or conditions, you are at the left hand or right hand of Jesus. Not for one time. But continuously, without conditions. Let’s reflect: How much can I be a servant of others so that I am be at the left or right of Jesus in His Kingdom?
Jul 23, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 16 in Ordinary Time
St Charbel Makhlouf (1828 - 1898)
Gospel – Matthew 13:1-9
“Listen, anyone who has ears”. This is a powerful statement of Jesus. We all have ears. Then why did Jesus tell us like this. That is the inner meaning of this statement. It’s simple. There is a possibility that even if we have ears, we will not hear, what Jesus want us to hear. So, we need the ears to listen what Jesus wants us to hear. What’s that? It’s the ear to listen to the fall of seeds. Our ears should be able to identify where are the seeds falling, the seeds of grace. We often think that the seeds are falling always in the rich soil. The Word of God we listen, we read, the inspiration we get, the resolutions we make, all of these have the chance to fall in the rich soil. But they also have the chance to fall on the edges of the path, to fall on the patches of rock, or to fall among thorns. We must listen to the sound of seeds falling in the silence of heart and in prayer. Then we can see where the seeds are falling. Let’s reflect: Do I listen to the sound of seeds of grace falling in my life to identify where are they falling?
Don Giorgio
Jul 22, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Bridget of Sweden, Patroness of Europe
Gospel – John 15:1-8
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty”. Today we are celebrating the Feast of St. Bridget of Sweden, who was married to a nobleman and had eight children. After a pilgrimage to the shrine of St James at Compostela in Spain, Bridget and her husband Ulf decided to spend the rest of their lives in monasteries. She later became founder of monastic orders, she cared the poor and sick in Rome, and had mystical visions which are partially devotional and partly prophetic. This is the true story of a branch which tried to remain in the vine, Jesus Christ. By remaining in Him, St. Bridget produced fruits in plenty. This is the true identity of a Christian. I am a branch of Christ, the true vine, whose vinedresser is God the Father. How to remain in this vine as a branch? Jesus answers in this passage. It’s through His words that we remain in Him. When we follow His words, we remain in Him. His words are “to love one another”. So, when we love one another as He loved us, we remain in Him, the true vine. Then we will produce fruits of love. Every time, we do an act of love, we confirm ourselves as a branch of true vine. Let’s reflect: Are my today’s actions confirming my identity as a branch of true vine or am I a separated branch from the true vine?
Don Giorgio
Jul 21, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Mary Magdalen
Gospel - John 20:1-2,11-18
Today we are celebrating the Feast of St. Mary of Magdalen who is an important figure in the Resurrection Narration. Let’s concentrate on the figure of Mary of Magdalen which appears in the Gospel of St. John chapter 20. Mary who came to the tomb of Jesus very early on the first day of the week and still dark. What must have moved her to come to the tomb where all their expectations were shattered about the Savior? Her love for the Savior was more than her expectations. Her hope was unconditional It’s very beautiful to read what she is narrating to Simon Peter: “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him”. She is talking not as if it’s about a corpse, she is speaking about the Lord. The love she felt from the Lord can never die. That is the love of God. It can never die. She felt that love, that unconditional eternal love. That’s why her hope was never destroyed. Ever after the scene of the violent death of Jesus on the Cross, her hope did not die because she felt the eternal unconditional love of God from Jesus. That is why Jesus appeared to her and asked her to be the messenger to the Apostles, “But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. Understanding the unconditional love of God gave St. Mary of Magdalen, grace for unconditional hope in the love of God. Let’s reflect: Is my hope unconditional like St. Mary of Magdalen or it vanishes when I see my expectations are shattered?
Don Giorgio
Jul 20, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel Mark 6:30-34
“So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length”. This is one of the passages in the New Testament we can really see how Jesus sees us. How God sees us. In the beginning of this episode, we read that Jesus, and disciples decided to go to a lonely place to rest. Then they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be themselves, in their private space. But when they reached there, they found this big crowd waiting for them. By seeing them, He became compassionate. He forgot Himself and He took care of them for a long time. This is the same thing that happened in incarnation. God found us like sheep without a shepherd. God became man to be with us. This is the way God loved us, and this love is requested from us – a little bit of extra love. We often get irritated when our personal time is disturbed. We often get annoyed, when some extra love is requested, or when our personal space is invaded by someone in need. That is the moment we must remember this image of Jesus who forgot Himself when He saw the crowd. When we forget ourselves before the necessity of the other, we are continuing this love of Jesus. Let’s reflect: How do I react when my personal space is invaded by someone in necessity?
