May 5, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of the 6th week of Eastertide
Gospel John 15:26-16:4
“‘When the Advocate comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the outset”. From these words of Jesus, we can understand that the truth of incarnation and resurrection is not something we can comprehend and witness without a divine help. This is the Holy Spirit. The third person in the Holy Trinity who is the Spirit of truth as Jesus the second person of the Holy Trinity calls. This Spirit of truth brings out the truth of God’s love for us. All activities of God are manifestation of His love. And the Holy Spirit brings out the truth of this love in all these activities. The same in incarnation too. And now this Spirit of truth is necessary for us to understand the truth of God’s love and to proclaim it. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the humanity got prepared to receive this Spirit of truth. Let’s reflect: Easter is understanding that we need the Spirit of truth to understand the truth of God’s love.
May 4, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
6th Sunday of Easter
Gospel - John 15:9-17
“You are my friends… I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father”. Jesus is calling us, “Friends”. What a joy! That’s the joy of Easter. Jesus called the Apostles, “Friends” because they were chosen by Jesus. Everything is revealed to them by Jesus. But, when Jesus calls them, “Friends”, He made a condition. “You are my friends, if you do what I command you”. And He also says what does He command: “This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends”. If I want to become a friend of Jesus, I must learn to love all those persons around me. And I should learn to love so much that I can give my life. This is the condition to become a friend of Jesus. When we read this together, we can come to the conclusion that, Jesus chose me to His friend because He wants that I love the persons around me to the point of giving up my life for them. This is the friendship with Jesus: to give up our life for others as Jesus gave up His life on the cross. This friendship brings us joy and peace. Let’s reflect: Easter is being a friend of Jesus Risen by loving those around me.
May 4, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of the 5th week of Eastertide
Gospel – John 15:18-21
“‘If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you”. With these words, Jesus is preparing the disciples to face the reality of challenges in our Christian life. The life of Christ is our model. Following Him is our mission. So, if His path led Him to Cross, we who follow Him will also reach in the same destiny. We will also reach in the Cross. But the path did not end in the Cross. The Cross opened the mystery of resurrection. So, whenever we have challenges in our Christian life, it is an assurance that we are on the right path. And that path leads us to the cross and from the cross to the light of resurrection. If we are following the standards and criteria of the world, we can avoid the crosses but then we will also miss the light of the resurrection. So, let’s follow Jesus expecting challenges and difficulties. Because they are occasions to see the light of resurrection. Let’s reflect: Easter is embracing cross as the path to the light of resurrection.
May 2, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Philip and James, Apostles - Feast
Gospel – John 14:6-14
Today we are celebrating the Feast of Apostles Philip and James. James was one of the three Apostles whom Jesus chose to be with Him in important moments. Philip, we know from his request, “Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.” Philip understood the essence of the message of Jesus Christ. This is why there was this ardent desire to see the Father. And Jesus reveals the mystery of Trinity to Philip. “To have seen me is to have seen the Father”. Again, “The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work”. To be clearer, Jesus says, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me”. So, the clear revelation of Trinity comes from this request of Philip. That concludes that the mysteries of God will be revealed to the one who ardently desires for that. And not only desire but also have the courage to ask for that. Philip had the courage to ask for that. Often our relationship with Jesus does not advance because we fail to ask to Him. We fail to dialogue with Him. Let’s reflect: Easter is engaging in dialogue with Risen Christ.
May 1, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Athanasius, Bishop, Doctor
Thursday of the 5th week of Eastertide
Gospel - Matthew 10:22-25
“The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master. It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, what will they not say of his household?”. In this passage we can find different aspects of being a disciple of Jesus like St. Athanasius. In our witness and in our Christian life, the teacher is always superior to us. Jesus is superior to us. But sometimes, our testimonies and witness become instruments for us to be superiors. But remember Jesus is the superior and we are disciples. Then the second point here is about our goal. Our goal is to be like the teacher, Jesus Christ. Whatever we are doing, wherever we are living, we have only one mission, to be like Jesus Christ. We don’t have any other goals or objectives. We are called to follow Jesus Christ and our aim is to be like Him. Then the last point is that the world around us, will try to demean us in different ways. But never mind because Jesus Christ went through that already. Let’s reflect: Easter calls us to follow Jesus Christ and to become like Him without fear of any humiliation.
May 1, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Joseph the Worker
Wednesday of the 5th week of Eastertide
Gospel – Matthew 13:54-58
Today is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. This is a day to remember the transcendental dimension of the work each one of us does. In the Gospel, Jesus was despised as “carpenter’s son”. And as a result, we read, “he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith”. For miracles to happen in our daily life, we should have faith in the people around us, in their capacities, in their work. Often, we approach people with prejudices and judgments. In these moments, we forget the fact that Jesus Christ is alive, and we all are part of Him. In Him, our activities and work get a transcendental dimension. We work because we want to love each other and help each other. Each worker participates in the work of God the Father through Jesus Christ. With our work we participate in the work of the Creator and as a disciple of Christ we participate as sons and daughters like Him. This is because we participate in the life of Risen Christ. Let’s reflect: Easter is working in our daily life bearing the life of Risen Christ.
