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
Sep 3, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor
Wednesday of week 22 in Ordinary Time
First reading Colossians 1:1-8
Saint Paul opens his letter to the Colossians with gratitude, rejoicing in their faith and love, and in the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. His words remind us that another’s faith is not just their blessing but also our reason for joy, because faith always bears fruit beyond the individual, it strengthens the whole Body of Christ. To give thanks for the witness of others is to recognize that God’s grace is alive and working in ways far larger than our own experience. On this feast of Saint Gregory the Great, we see this truth lived out: his pastoral wisdom, humility, and missionary zeal helped the Gospel take root in distant lands and shaped the life of the Church for centuries. The Good News is still spreading, not only geographically but also into hearts, cultures, and communities, and we are called to rejoice whenever Christ is made known. Gratitude for the faith of others transforms jealousy or indifference into celebration, and keeps our hearts open to the great mystery of God’s work in the world. Let’s reflect: Do I give thanks and rejoice in the faith and witness of others, seeing in them the work of God’s grace and the ongoing spread of the Gospel, or do I focus only on my own journey?
Don Giorgio
Sep 1, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of week 22 in Ordinary Time
First reading 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6,9-11
Saint Paul reminds us of our identity as “sons of light and sons of the day.” To belong to the light means living with clarity, truth, and vigilance, not allowing the darkness of sin, fear, or indifference to define us. As children of the day, we are called to stay awake and alert, walking in a way that reflects the presence of Christ who is our light. This identity is not lived in isolation but in communion: “give encouragement to each other and keep strengthening one another.” Faith grows stronger when shared, and hope deepens when nurtured within community. Light is meant to be reflected, and each word of encouragement or act of kindness becomes a spark that helps another persevere. Today’s reading calls us to examine not only how we live in the light personally, but also how we help others walk in it, so that together we remain awake, strengthened, and ready for the Lord’s coming. Let’s reflect: Am I living each day as a true child of the light, encouraging, strengthening, and guiding others in faith, so that together we remain awake and ready for the Lord?
Don Giorgio
Sep 1, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 22 in Ordinary Time
First reading 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Saint Paul consoles the Thessalonians with a truth that transcends sorrow: “Do not grieve about those who have died in Jesus.” Our faith teaches us that death is not an end but a passage into the fullness of life with Christ, for those who have died in Him now live in Him. The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of this hope; just as He rose, so too will all who belong to Him. This transforms the way we approach loss—not with despair, but with a hope that is stronger than death. Grief is natural, but Christian grief is always pierced by light, because the life of Christ continues in those who have gone before us. Each funeral, each prayer for the dead, is an act of trust that God’s promise is true: the dead in Christ will rise, and we shall be with Him forever. This hope does not erase our pain, but it gives it meaning, anchoring it in the love of the One who has conquered death. Let’s reflect: When I face the grief of losing someone I love, do I allow my sorrow to be transformed by the hope of Christ’s resurrection, trusting that their life is now hidden in Him?
Don Giorgio
