Sep 7, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First reading Micah 5:1-4
The prophet Micah speaks of the woman who is to give birth, and the Church, guided by Tradition, has always recognized in these words the mystery of Mary. Her nativity is not simply the birth of a child—it is the dawn of salvation, the opening of history to the Incarnation. The birth of Mary is the birth of hope for humanity, because in her, God prepared the pure vessel through whom the Word would take flesh. She is the beginning of peace, for from her comes the Shepherd who will feed His flock with the majesty of the Lord’s name. In her very existence, Mary embodies the Church’s destiny: chosen, preserved, and made fruitful for the sake of the world. To celebrate her birth is to rejoice that God’s plan is faithful and that He has already provided the Mother for His Son and for His people. In Mary’s nativity we see the radical generosity of God, who gives us not only a Savior but also a Mother whose very life is peace and whose presence is hope. Let’s reflect: Do I recognize in Mary’s birth the dawn of hope and peace for humanity, and do I entrust myself to her maternal care so that Christ, born of her, may be more fully alive in me?
Don Giorgio
Sep 6, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Wisdom 9:13-18; Philemon 9-10,12-17
The readings today remind us of two essential gifts that shape Christian life: wisdom from the Holy Spirit and relationships rooted in Christ. The book of Wisdom asks who can truly know the will of God unless the Spirit is given—and it is true, without His guidance, our thoughts are scattered, and we become distracted by passing concerns. It is only through the Spirit that we can discern what is lasting, what is holy, and what God desires for us. Saint Paul’s letter to Philemon then shows us how faith transforms relationships: Onesimus, once seen as a mere servant, is now to be received as a beloved brother in the Lord. When the Spirit dwells within us, kindness is no longer forced but flows naturally, and human bonds are elevated into communion in Christ. This Sunday invites us to open ourselves to the Spirit, to seek His wisdom in discerning God’s will, and to let our relationships be reshaped by the love of Christ, where generosity and kindness become the spontaneous language of our hearts. Let’s reflect: Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me into God’s wisdom so that I can discern His will clearly, and do my relationships reflect the transforming power of Christ, where kindness and love flow naturally?
Don Giorgio
Sep 6, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saturday of week 22 in Ordinary Time
First Saturday – let us entrust ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
First reading Colossians 1:21-23
Saint Paul gives us the core of the Christian mystery: “He has reconciled us, by his death and in that mortal body.” The reconciliation of humanity with God is not an idea, nor an abstract doctrine, but an event in history, Jesus Christ offering His mortal body on the Cross so that we might appear before Him holy, pure, and blameless. Our identity as reconciled children rests solely on His sacrifice, not on our own merits. Yet Paul also warns that this gift must be safeguarded: “as long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never drifting from the hope promised by the Good News.” Christ’s death is the foundation, but perseverance in faith is the way we remain anchored to Him. On this First Saturday, we entrust ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, whose entire life was a perfect response to Christ’s reconciling love. She teaches us to remain faithful, never drifting, and to keep our hope alive in her Son who has already bridged the distance between us and God. Let’s reflect: Do I remain firmly anchored in the reconciling love of Christ, persevering in faith and hope, or do I allow myself to drift from the Good News that He sealed with His mortal body on the Cross?
Don Giorgio
Sep 5, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of week 22 in Ordinary Time
Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
First reading Colossians 1:15-20
In today’s passage, Saint Paul gives us one of the most profound Christological hymns of the New Testament: Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation… all things were created through him and for him.” Here the mystery of Christ is laid bare. He is not only the Savior of the world but also its origin and center. The universe itself holds together in Him; creation has its meaning and destiny in Him. Yet this cosmic Christ is also the crucified Christ, who reconciles all things through the blood of His cross. The Church, as His Body, draws its life from Him, who is the Head, ensuring that her mission is inseparable from His person. On this day we recall Saint Teresa of Calcutta, who lived this truth with radical simplicity: seeing Christ in the poorest of the poor, serving Him in the broken and abandoned. To contemplate Christ as Head of the Church is not an abstract theology but a call to recognize that everything, our faith, our service, our hope, flows from Him and must return to Him, for in Him “all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” Let’s reflect: Do I truly recognize Christ as the Head and center of all creation and of the Church, letting my life, my service, and my hope flow from Him and return to Him?
Don Giorgio
Sep 4, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 22 in Ordinary Time
First reading Colossians 1:9-14
Saint Paul reminds the Colossians, and us, what our true goal in life should be: to draw our strength from the glorious power of Jesus, so that we never give in to discouragement, but bear every trial with joy. This strength is not about endurance in our own capacity but about living in constant dependence on the One who has already conquered darkness. Gratitude becomes the natural response: “thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.” Here we are reminded that Christian perseverance is not grim survival, but joyful participation in a destiny already secured by Christ. To live as heirs of the light means to walk each day with a hope that cannot be dimmed and a gratitude that transforms even suffering into praise. Today’s reading invites us to stop measuring life by ease or difficulty and to start seeing it through the lens of inheritance, what matters most is that Christ has already given us a share in His kingdom of light. Let’s reflect: Do I draw my strength from Christ’s power so that I can endure trials with joy and gratitude, remembering that I already share in the inheritance of His kingdom of light?
Don Giorgio
