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.
Apr 29, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Wtorek 5. tygodnia okresu wielkanocnego
Święty Pius V, papież
Ewangelia – Jan 14:27-31
„Pokój zostawiam wam, pokój mój własny daję wam, pokój, którego świat dać nie może, to jest dar mój dla was”. Cóż za piękny dar otrzymaliśmy od Jezusa Chrystusa, Boga, który stał się człowiekiem. Tym darem jest pokój. Ale nie jest to żaden inny rodzaj pokoju. Ten pokój jest określony przez samego Jezusa jako „mój własny pokój”. Ten pokój jest pokojem, który Jezus posiada w sobie. Zwykle, gdy myślimy o pokoju, oznacza to brak konfliktów, brak lęków itp. To nie jest rodzaj pokoju, o którym mówi Jezus. Dlatego mówi On: „pokój, którego świat dać nie może”. Ponieważ pokój, który daje Jezus, to On sam. On sam jest pokojem danym nam w darze. Obecność Jezusa Chrystusa w naszym życiu jest naszym pokojem. Nic nie może niepokoić naszych serc. Nic nie może sprawić, że będziemy się bać. Ponieważ Jezus Chrystus jest z nami. Książę tego świata nie ma władzy nad Jezusem Chrystusem. Ojciec sprawia, że Syn, Jezus Chrystus, może być darem dla ludzkości. Darem pokoju dla nas. Zastanówmy się: Wielkanoc to przyjęcie Jezusa Chrystusa, prawdziwego pokoju, w naszym życiu.
Apr 28, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor
Monday of the 5th week of Eastertide
Gospel – Matthew 11:25-30
“I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children”. Today we are celebrating the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, who dictated books full of sound doctrine and spiritual inspiration. In 1970 Pope Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church. In her we can see the truth of this Bible passage. God the Father, Lord of heaven and of earth revealed the mysteries of faith to children, who approach the truth with the openness of a child and the passion of a child. This is made possible through the resurrection. After resurrection, as we read in the Word of God, the Risen Christ was not visible to all but to those in faith. The same is with the truth of the Gospel. Those who have the strength of faith and the simplicity of heart can see and hear the truth of the Gospel. This strength comes from our relationship to Jesus Christ. When we understand Jesus, gentle and humble in heart, we will learn the truth of the Gospel. We find peace. We can bear the yoke of Christ which is easy. Let’s reflect: Easter is learning from Jesus, who is gentle and humble in heart.
Apr 27, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
5th Sunday of Easter
Gospel John 15:1-8
“I am the vine, you are the branches”. In this chapter of St. John, Jesus teaches us the relationship between Him and each one of us. And also the relationship between each one of us to the Father. We are the branches of Jesus the vine. Each one of us is totally dependent on the vine as each one of us is a branch of Him. The branches live because they get the sap from the vine. The life of Christ we get from Him is the sap for our life, when we are united to Him. Jesus in His resurrection became the true vine for all of us. If we are united to Him we can produce plenty of fruits. If not, we are useless in the sense of producing fruits which Jesus wishes. The fruits of which the branches of the Jesus, the true vine, are the acts of love and charity towards others. If we are not united to Christ, we cannot be the continuation of the action of Christ. We will do things but it will not be the continuation of the actions of Christ. Only with the actions of Christ, we can be glory to God the Father. This is what Jesus says, “It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples”. Let’s reflect: Easter is being united to Jesus Christ, the true vine.
Apr 26, 2024 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday of the 4th week of Eastertide
Gospel John 14:7-14
“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”. The relationship between the Son and the Father is very important to understand the Resurrection. Because as Jesus says, it’s the “Father, living in me, who is doing this work”. Resurrection happens because, Jesus is God, He is the second person of the Holy Trinity. And the Father is in Him. “‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father, so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” This is why our faith in Jesus Christ is very important. We believe in Jesus Christ, so that we are connected to the Father through Him. And this connection to God the Father happens in our belief in Jesus Christ. The more we can enter into a interpersonal relationship with Jesus Christ, the more we become part of His life. And we can do the works of Jesus Christ, to be the testimony of God the Father. Let’s reflect: Easter is understanding that Jesus Christ is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus Christ.
