May 2, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Athanasius, Bishop, Doctor
Friday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
First Friday: Let’s entrust ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
First reading Acts 5:34-42
In Acts 5:34–42, the intervention of Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the law, offers a moment of surprising clarity and wisdom amid growing hostility toward the Apostles. He counsels restraint, suggesting that if their movement is of human origin, it will collapse on its own, but if it is of God, no force can stop it, and opposing it would be to fight against God Himself. This scene is a profound Eastertide reflection: the Resurrection of Christ has set into motion a divine work that cannot be silenced or undone by human resistance. The Apostles, emboldened by the Risen Lord, willingly embrace suffering for the sake of His Name, rejoicing not in triumphalism, but in faithfulness to God’s will. In the face of persecution, they do not retaliate or despair, they persevere in hope, daily proclaiming Jesus as the Christ. Gamaliel’s wisdom, though perhaps cautious and uncommitted, nonetheless speaks a vital truth for every believer: our task is not to control outcomes, but to align ourselves with the will of God and to trust that His purposes, often hidden and unfolding gradually, will prevail. Let’s reflect: Easter is the season in which we celebrate the triumph of God’s will through the Resurrection of Christ, inviting us to live with bold trust in His enduring purpose, even amid trials.
Don Giorgio
May 1, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Joseph the Worker
Thursday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
First reading Genesis 1:26-2:3
On this Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, the reading from Genesis (1:26–2:3) invites us to contemplate work as a sacred reality rooted in the very act of creation. God, who made man and woman in His own image, entrusted them with the stewardship of the earth, an invitation not merely to use creation, but to collaborate with the Creator in shaping it responsibly and reverently. In this perspective, labour is not a burden or a punishment, but a noble expression of human dignity and vocation. The light of Easter, which illumines all aspects of life with the hope of resurrection, allows us to see that work is not just about earning a living or achieving results; it is a path to communion with God and service to others. It becomes a means of sanctification when animated by love, justice, and dedication. St. Joseph, the silent guardian of the Redeemer, exemplifies this truth through his hidden, faithful labour, transforming the workshop of Nazareth into a place of grace. In him, we see that every honest task, no matter how humble, is a participation in God’s ongoing creation and a contribution to the redemption of the world. Let’s reflect: Easter is the radiant celebration of Christ’s Resurrection that transforms every aspect of life, including human labour, into a sacred participation in God’s creative and redemptive work.
Don Giorgio
Apr 30, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Pius V, Pope
Wednesday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 5:17-26
“We found the gaol securely locked and the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door, we found no one inside”. The mysterious release of the apostles from the securely locked prison in Acts 5 is not merely an extraordinary event; it is a powerful symbol of the inner liberation that the Resurrection of Christ offers to every believer. Easter is not only about the stone rolled away from the tomb, but also about the chains that fall away from the heart, the fear, guilt, and despair that once confined us. The guards, doors, and walls remain, but the prisoners are gone, for the Risen Lord cannot be contained by human limits or closed systems. This is the transformative freedom that Christ bestows: not merely an escape from external oppression, but a deep, personal release into the light of truth, courage, and joyful witness. In the quiet prisons of our minds and hearts, He enters unseen and leads us out to proclaim the Gospel without fear. Let’s reflect: Easter is the liberating power of the Risen Christ who breaks through every confinement, external or internal, and sets us free to live in truth, courage, and joyful witness.
Don Giorgio
Apr 30, 2025 | NEWS
On April 16, 2025, we had the great joy of welcoming the first three young women from Indonesia into our community as postulants.
In preparation, the Superior General, who was visiting Flores at the time, held a three-day retreat for them.
During Holy Mass on the afternoon of April 16, Filomena, Ursula, and Veronika were accepted as postulants. Holy Mass was celebrated by Fr. Jan (a local Steyler missionary, SVD), who accompanies our candidates and postulants as spiritual director and confessor. Concelebrants were Fr. Tadeusz and Fr. Bosco (both SVD). After the homily, the candidates knelt before the altar and asked Our Lady, our patroness, for help, protection, and guidance to her Son, our Lord, to whom they now wish to belong completely in our congregation.
As a sign of acceptance, the Superior General presented each of them with a small Miraculous Medal.
After Holy Mass, everyone congratulated the new postulants, and the day ended with a joyful dinner together.
Let us accompany our postulants and the new beginning of our congregation in Indonesia with our prayers, so that the work of our founder may grow there and become a blessing for the people.
Apr 29, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor
Tuesday of the 2nd week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 4:32-37
The life in the Risen Christ, as witnessed in the early Christian community described in the Acts of the Apostles, reveals a new way of being in the world — one marked by a deep unity of heart and soul, and a radical sharing of life and possessions. This unity was not enforced by external obligation but flowed naturally from the inner liberation that Christ had won for them through His Resurrection. In Christ, they were freed from the chains of selfishness, fear, and possessiveness; they no longer clung to material things as sources of security or identity. Everything they owned was held in common, not because they were compelled, but because love had transformed their understanding of what it meant to belong to one another. Easter is not merely a celebration of Christ’s triumph over death; it is an invitation to enter into a new existence where personal barriers are broken down, where generosity flows from the abundance of grace, and where the needs of the other become our own. To live the Easter life is to be liberated from the prison of self-centeredness and to be drawn into a community where Christ is truly alive, where we see Him not only in the breaking of the bread but also in the breaking open of our own hearts for the good of our brothers and sisters. In this way, Easter continues to unfold in the life of the Church and in the life of each believer who allows the Risen Lord to make all things new. Let’s reflect: Easter is the joyful entrance into a new life of freedom in the Risen Christ, where hearts are united, possessions are shared, and love overcomes all selfishness.
Don Giorgio
