Jun 4, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of the 7th week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 20:28-38
“There is more happiness in giving than in receiving” (Acts 20:35) beautifully encapsulates the spirit of this waiting time between the Ascension and Pentecost—a time when the Church is called to rediscover the joy of selfless service. As Paul bids farewell to the elders of Ephesus, he reminds them that every role in the Church is a gift of the Holy Spirit, entrusted not for personal advantage but for the good of others. This period of anticipation becomes, therefore, a sacred opportunity to purify our intentions, to embrace again the truth that authentic Christian leadership is marked by generosity, not status. In giving of ourselves—our time, our gifts, our love—we participate more deeply in the life of Christ, who gave everything for our salvation. As we await the fire of Pentecost, let us prepare our hearts to receive the Spirit by choosing the path of joyful sacrifice, remembering that it is in self-giving that we most resemble the Lord we serve.
Don Giorgio
Jun 3, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Charles Lwanga and his Companions, Martyrs
Tuesday of the 7th week of Eastertide
First reading Acts 20:17-27
The time between the Ascension and Pentecost is a sacred interval marked by both anticipation and interior preparation, a moment when the Church, like the apostles, gathers in prayerful stillness, waiting to be clothed with power from on high. In the reading from Acts 20:17–27, we encounter the figure of Saint Paul, who, guided by the Holy Spirit, journeys forward in humility, fully aware of the trials that await him yet unwavering in his commitment to the mission the Lord Jesus entrusted to him. Paul’s words to the elders of Ephesus are not merely a farewell, but a testimony of a life poured out—he has not withheld anything that would build up the People of God, offering both his teaching and his very self with apostolic courage. This is a time to deepen our surrender, to ask not for comfort but for the boldness to serve with humility, to be faithful stewards of the Gospel, and to prepare our hearts for the fire of Pentecost, which transforms waiting into witness and prayer into power. Paul’s example challenges us during this liturgical waiting: are we, too, ready to be led by the Spirit into the unknown, to live with open hands and fearless hearts, to speak the truth in love, and to carry out the mission of Christ without compromise?
Don Giorgio
Jun 1, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of the 7th week of Eastertide
Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs
First reading Acts 19:1-8
The days between the Ascension and Pentecost are marked by a sacred expectancy—an interior waiting that is not passive but prayerful, echoing the experience of the early disciples. In Acts 19:1–8, we are reminded that repentance, while essential, is not complete without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The disciples in Ephesus had turned their hearts toward God, but it was only when the Holy Spirit came upon them that their faith became fully alive, bearing the fruits of bold proclamation and interior transformation. Likewise, in this in-between time, the Church is called to wait not with anxiety but with desire: to open herself anew to the gift of the Spirit who alone completes the work of conversion, fills the soul with divine life, and empowers the mission of Christ in the world. Let’s reflect: This period is a sacred time of expectant prayer in which repentance opens the heart to receive the transforming gift of the Holy Spirit.
Don Giorgio
May 31, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
7th Sunday of Easter
First reading Acts 7:55-60
The Ascension marks not an absence, but a deeper presence: Christ, now seated at the right hand of the Father, draws all creation into His glorified humanity. As the disciples stood gazing upward, they were not left alone but entered a sacred time of waiting, a novena of silence and expectancy, preparing to receive the Holy Spirit. This time between Ascension and Pentecost is emblematic of the Christian life: we are caught between the vision of glory and the struggles of earth, between the promise of the Kingdom and the pain of witness. In the First Reading, Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, does not flee from persecution; rather, he gazes into heaven and beholds Jesus standing in glory. The Spirit does not remove suffering but grants the vision to see beyond it, the heavens thrown open, the Son of Man not seated in rest but standing in active intercession. So too for us: to live in the Spirit is to live with unveiled eyes, seeing beyond what the world offers or threatens, and anchoring our lives in Christ’s victorious presence. This period of waiting is thus not idle, it is the Church’s upper room, where hearts are kindled with longing and prepared for mission, where suffering is not meaningless but becomes a window into eternal glory.
Don Giorgio
May 31, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Zephaniah 3:14-18
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a luminous moment in salvation history, where joy is not merely spoken—it is lived, shared, and embodied. As Mary hastens through the hill country to Elizabeth, she carries more than herself; she brings the living presence of the Lord, the victorious warrior foretold by the prophet Zephaniah, who is already at work in the quiet rhythms of human encounter. In their meeting, the prophecy is fulfilled: “The Lord your God is in your midst… He will renew you by His love, He will dance with shouts of joy for you.” The unborn Christ and the unborn Baptist rejoice together in a hidden but cosmic liturgy of joy. Mary, in her humility and faith, becomes the first evangelizer, bringing Christ not through words, but through presence, through service, through love. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognizes this sacred mystery and blesses Mary for her belief. Their encounter is a testament to the renewing power of divine love: God’s saving plan is already unfolding, not through grand displays of power, but in the quiet sanctuary of two faithful women. Let’s reflect: The Visitation reminds us that joy is the echo of God’s presence, and wherever Christ is carried with love and received with faith, heaven breaks into the world, not with noise, but with the gentle music of grace, of leaping hearts and whispered blessings.
Don Giorgio
