Monday 27 February

Monday 27 February

Feb 26, 2023 | DAILY BREAD

Monday of the 1st week of Lent Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church It’s very interesting to notice the connection between the who the Lord is and how we must behave each. These prescriptions begin with the sentence, “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy”. We are called to be holy because the Lord is holy. To deal with Lord who is Holy, we must be holy. And we can become holy by acting according to the instructions of the Lord. These instructions are for us to become holy like the Lord. The key is to make the other person part of you. Treat him or her as he or she is part of you. “You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord”. We can welcome others to us as ourselves only when you recognize the Lordship of the Lord over me and over others in the same way. We often discriminate the other because we forget that the other and us, we have the same Lord, and we all are equally important for Him. Accepting the Lordship of the Lord over the other person is welcoming the other person as myself. Because the Lord is Lord over me too. It’s loving the other person as myself. Let’s reflect: In my Lent, how much I accept the Lordship of the Lord over others as that of mine?

Prayer for peace

Feb 26, 2023 | NEWS

On the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, February 24, a great prayer for peace and for Ukraine was held at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. The basilica was filled with people who wanted to pray together with Ukrainian representatives for the cessation of this war, as well as so many wars currently being waged in the world. Our community from the Generalate also took part in this joint prayer. The choir from Ukraine poignantly sang a prayer for peace, the words of which read: O, great, inimitable God, save our Ukraine! Spread freedom and light for her with your rays. With the light of science and knowledge enlighten us, Your children, In pure love make us grow more and more. We ask Thee, O One God, Save our Ukraine, all Thy grace and generosity be to our nation. Give freedom, give wisdom, give happiness to a good world, Give serenity to Your people with hope for long life.
Sunday 26 February

Sunday 26 February

Feb 25, 2023 | DAILY BREAD

1st Sunday of Lent First reading - Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7 “Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” This is the question of Satan. “Do you want to follow God with your life, or do you want to become like gods?” It is the fundamental question which lies in the heart of every man and woman. The choice to be with God or to pretend be gods. To be close to the source of light or to pretend to be light. The temptation comes with the feeling that the ways to be with God, to be close to God are meaningless or even not necessary. It comes with the temptation of extreme self-empowerment which is very much appealing to our reason. We want to fully ourselves. We don’t want to depend on anything. I decide my life. I decide what to do. This extreme independent is hollow and senseless, as you can never be independent even one side. You are dependent on so many things around you, starting with air, created by God. Moreover our togetherness with God is not a dependency. It’s part of our being. We belong to Him. We are part of His plan. Once we realize this, all norms about following the Lord seem a help and not a restriction, a path and not a wall, a grace and not a law. Let’s reflect: In my Lent how much I see the precepts of the Lord as a grace to be with Him?
Observance of values

Observance of values

Feb 25, 2023 | POSITIVE IMPULSES

Let’s not be happy only with the external observances of values but also internal attitudes. The external observances are important because it makes real changes in our life. Changes which have no life. Because the attitudes and thoughts are those which give life to the external observances. External observances devoid of interiority creates duality in us which is difficult to manage, often even clashes. But when the interior attitude guides the external observances, integrity grows and happiness sprouts. Don Giorgio
Saturday 25 February

Saturday 25 February

Feb 24, 2023 | DAILY BREAD

Saturday after Ash Wednesday First reading - Isaiah 58:9-14 The reading from the Book of Isaiah continues with the insistence of Lord in social justice and its connection to our relationship with God. If there are hungry people around us, if there are oppressed people around us, we cannot be indifferent. We cannot just ignore them and carry out our daily lives and our daily prayers. We must give bread to the hungry and relief to the oppressed. It’s true that we cannot change everything. But do what you can. Moreover, it’s important to keep in our mind this intrinsic connection between our relationship with God and the social justice around us. We must act against the social injustice which comes from the yokes of our system, from clenched fist and wicked word. In our family, in our community and even among our friends there will be persons who suffers from our careless words which hurt them. Some may be suffering from our obstinacy or our clenched fist to conform them to our way of thinking. Let’s reflect: How much importance I give to social justice around me in my relationship to God?