Jul 18, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 15 in Ordinary Time
First reading Exodus 11:10-12:14
In today’s reading, the blood of the lamb marked on the doorposts becomes a sign of deliverance for the Israelites, a powerful prefiguration of the saving blood of Christ poured out for our redemption. Just as that blood shielded them from death and marked the beginning of their liberation, so the blood of Jesus frees us from the slavery of sin and opens the way to new life. This act is not merely symbolic, it is deeply personal, revealing the cost of our salvation and the depth of God’s love. It reminds us that redemption is not a distant hope but a lived reality, written not on doorposts but upon the heart of every believer who receives Christ with faith. As we recall this moment, we are called to live as people marked by the blood of the Lamb, not in fear, but in the freedom and gratitude that come from knowing we have been claimed, protected, and saved by a love that never fails. Let’s reflect: Do I live each day with the awareness and gratitude that I have been redeemed and set free by the saving blood of Christ?
Don Giorgio
Jul 17, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 15 in Ordinary Time
First reading Exodus 3:13-20
In today’s reading, God reveals His name to Moses as “I Am who I Am”, a name that defies all human categories and resists every attempt to limit or control the divine mystery. This revelation is not an answer meant to satisfy curiosity, but an invitation to enter into the vastness of God’s being, where eternity touches time and the ungraspable becomes near. It reminds us that God is not a concept to be understood, but a Presence to be encountered. Rather than fitting Him into our frameworks, we are called to let go of our need for control and allow ourselves to be drawn into His freedom and depth. This divine self-disclosure opens a door to faith that rests not on clarity, but on trust, a trust in the One who is ever-present, ever-faithful, and beyond all that we can imagine. Today, we are challenged to approach God not with definitions, but with reverence, allowing His mystery to transform our limited understanding into awe and surrender. Let’s reflect: Am I willing to let go of my need to define or control God, and instead open my heart to trust and encounter the mystery of who He truly is?
Don Giorgio
Jul 16, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Wednesday of week 15 in Ordinary Time
First reading Exodus 3:1-6,9-12
On this feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the image of the burning bush in today’s reading takes on profound symbolic meaning. The bush that burns without being consumed prefigures the mystery of the Incarnation, God dwelling within the womb of the Virgin Mary without diminishing her virginity, just as the divine flame burned without destroying the bush. This moment also reminds us of that God’s response to human suffering is never passive; the fire of His presence is kindled by the cry of His people. Mary, in her quiet and faithful “yes,” becomes the living vessel through which God comes close to our pain, revealing that divine intervention often begins in silence, in hidden places, and through humble hearts. As Moses was drawn to the mystery of the burning bush, so are we invited to draw near to the mystery of Mary, who bore the fire of God’s love and gave Him to the world. Let’s reflect: Am I open, like Mary, to becoming a vessel of God’s presence, allowing His compassion to respond through me to the cries and suffering of the world around me?
Don Giorgio
Jul 15, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Bonaventure, Bishop, Doctor
Tuesday of week 15 in Ordinary Time
First reading Exodus 2:1-15
In today’s reading, we witness the mysterious and often paradoxical ways of God, who calls Moses to be part of His divine plan of liberation by first saving him through the very household that sought to oppress his people. Pharaoh’s own daughter becomes an instrument of God’s providence, revealing that even the most unlikely circumstances can serve His purpose. This moment in Moses’ life reminds us that God’s plans are not limited by human logic or power structures; rather, He works through them, above them, and often in surprising ways. Just as Moses was preserved and prepared through a hidden and unlikely path, so too our lives may carry within them a divine calling that is unfolding even through events we do not yet understand. On this feast of Saint Bonaventure, a man of profound insight and humble faith, we are reminded to trust in the hidden workings of grace. God sees beyond our fears and limitations and is able to draw beauty, purpose, and vocation from the most unexpected places. Let’s reflect: Am I open to recognizing God’s hand at work in the unexpected or unlikely parts of my life, trusting that He may be using them to prepare me for a greater purpose?
Don Giorgio
Jul 14, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 15 in Ordinary Time
Saint Camillus of Lellis, Priest
First reading Exodus 1:8-14,22
Today’s reading from Exodus reminds us how quickly the security of worldly favor can fade. Joseph, once honored in Egypt, is now forgotten, and with him, his people are reduced to slavery under a new king who “knew nothing of Joseph.” This change of fortune speaks to the fragility of depending on external circumstances, positions, recognition, or human approval, for our peace and identity. Sooner or later, situations change, people forget, and what once seemed stable begins to crumble. But in contrast to the shifting powers of the world stands the constancy of God, who never forgets His people and whose promises remain firm through every season. The life of Saint Camillus of Lellis, who found his calling among the sick and abandoned, reflects this same truth: only in God can we place our ultimate trust. He is the one who sees, remembers, and upholds us when everything else changes. Today, we are invited to re-center our trust, not in what can be taken from us, but in the God who never changes and never forgets those who are His. Let’s reflect: Am I placing my trust in changing circumstances or human approval, or is my security rooted in the unchanging faithfulness of God who never forgets me?
Don Giorgio
