Apr 23, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of the 4th week of Eastertide
Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest, Martyr
Gospel John 12:44-50
“I, the light, have come into the world, so that whoever believes in me need not stay in the dark any more”. This is so clear a message from Jesus Christ who came to save us. He is the light. He came to the world so that anyone who believes in Him needs not stay in the darkness. We must recognize this truth of Jesus Christ that He is the light. This comes from the fact that we see in Jesus Christ the face of the Father. “Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me”. In Jesus we may forget to see the face of the Father, we fail to believe Him as God. Then we cannot embrace Him as the light. This seeing of the face of the Father in Jesus Christ happens when we listen to the Words of Jesus as the Words which will give eternal life. So the Word of God is the eyeopener to see Jesus Christ as the light which saves us from the darkness. Let’s reflect: Easter is seeing Jesus Christ as the light which keeps me away from darkness.
Apr 22, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of the 4th week of Eastertide
Saint George, Martyr
Gospel – John 10:22-30
“The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one”. In this passage we can find the whole dynamics of our relationship with God. Jesus became the Good Shepherd so that He can lead us to His Father. To be with the Father is the desire of Son. God the Father has given each one of us to Jesus, so the Jesus the Good Shepherd leads each one of us to the Father. When we understand the Jesus is the Good Shepherd, we will listen to His voice. And then we will follow Him. And He will give us eternal life and we will never be lost. Because we receive the life of the Good Shepherd and in His life we get the Eternal life and we will never be lost or no one can steal us from Him. This bond of relationship is what we have in our relationship with the Good Shepherd. And this dynamism begins from the unity between the Father and the Son. The will of Father to save us coincides with the will of the Son to give His life to save us. Let’s reflect: Easter is recognizing the voice of the Good Shepherd and following Him.
Apr 21, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of the 4th week of Eastertide
Gospel John 10:1-10
“I am the gate of the sheepfold”. Yesterday we celebrated the Sunday of the Good Shepherd where we meditated about Jesus being the Good Shepherd. But in this passage, we are finding out another identity of this Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd is not only a Shepherd but, in the sheepfold, He is the gate. When all the sheep return to the sheepfold, the Shepherd is not going to get rest as He was travelling with the sheep all day, but He becomes the gate of the sheepfold. This shows how much this Shepherd is connected to His sheep. Practically His life is a life with the sheep. In the sheepfold, He is the gate. He protects the sheep; He protects each one of us from being attacked by the thieves and brigands. He is the Shepherd in the field, and He is the gate in the sheepfold because the sheep belong to Him. There is a personal relationship between the sheep and the Shepherd. There is this personal relationship between Jesus and us. Let’s reflect: Easter is living the personal relationship between Jesus and me.
Apr 20, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
4th Sunday of Easter
Gospel – John 10:11-18
Good Shepherd Sunday
World Day of Prayer for Vocations
The image of Good Shepherd comes from this passage when Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep”. This passage is so beautiful when our relationship with Jesus Christ is explained in a personal relationship with Good Shepherd. A Shepherd who knows me and who is ready to lay down His life for me. Jesus loves me as I am as He knows me. He loves me as a shepherd. The shepherd has a protective love. A protective love which protects me from all my enemies. The love of the Shepherd is special because when the shepherd knows when a sheep is weak, he gives special attention. A shepherd is not judgemental. He loves the sheep as they are. The love of this shepherd is identified with his voice. His words, His voice, is the assurance of His presence. That is Jesus, the good Shepherd. A love which even the death can’t stop. A love which continues forever with Resurrection. Nothing can stop the love of this good Shepherd. Let’s reflect: Easter is recognizing the voice of Jesus, the good shepherd.
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/vocations/documents/20240421-messaggio-61-gm-vocazioni.html
Apr 19, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
Gospel – John 6:60-69
“It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life”. This statement of Jesus made a great reaction among his disciples. According to the Gospel, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him. What is the reason? The reason is that Jesus said that the flesh has nothing to offer. Many of the disciples of Jesus who were following Him, wanted to see the victory of the flesh. The victory of one of the powers of this world gaining power over the rest. But the victory which Jesus speaks is completely different. This is the victory of the spirit. The victory of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Love. The victory of the flesh is power and strength, it’s about domination and muscle, it’s about command and authority. But the Spirit is about humility and service, it’s about selflessness and meekness, it’s about life and love. Jesus is the source of that. That is what Simon Peter is confessing, “Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.” Easter is recognizing Jesus as the source of Holy Spirit who is the source of life.
Apr 18, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Friday of the 3rd week of Eastertide
Gospel John 6:52-59
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” This is a very natural question. But the answer of Jesus is this: “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink”. How can we understand this question and this answer? The solution to this dilemma is the resurrection. Resurrection is the reality that resolves the dilemma. Jesus Risen is the bread of life. The flesh of Jesus tortured and crucified and dead is Risen. That is the body of the Risen Christ. This suffering is for us, for our salvation. He shed each drop of blood from His flesh for us. This same body is Risen. This same body has conquered the death. This body is powerful than the death and it became life. It became bread as wished by Jesus Christ himself. In resurrection Jesus Christ becomes the bread of life. In resurrection His flesh becomes real food because in His death on the cross each cell of His body became the reparation of our sins. In resurrection His blood becomes real drink for the same reason. His life is our life. He becomes the bread of life. Let’s reflect: Easter is understanding the process of Jesus Christ becoming the bread of life.
