Sep 24, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
First reading: Haggai 1:1-8
Through the prophet Haggai, the Lord confronts His people with the emptiness of human endeavors pursued without Him. They worked hard, but their efforts yielded little; they built houses for themselves while neglecting the house of God. The message is clear: when we seek fulfillment in our own projects, detached from God’s glory, our lives remain unsatisfied and restless. True fulfillment is not found in possessions, success, or endless striving, but in aligning our lives with the Lord’s will and giving Him the first place. The people of Israel were called to rebuild the Temple, not merely as a building, but as a sign that God belonged at the center of their lives. In the same way, we are invited to examine what we prioritize. We must honor the Lord by placing His glory at the heart of all we do without seeking our own comfort and recognition.Only His way fills the emptiness; only His presence transforms our work into lasting joy. Let’s reflect: Am I seeking fulfillment in my own projects and comforts, or am I placing God’s glory at the center of my life, trusting that only His presence can satisfy my heart?
Don Giorgio
Sep 23, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Wednesday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
First reading Ezra 9:5-9
Ezra’s prayer acknowledges a profound truth: even in the midst of failure and exile, mercy came from the Lord. His mercy brightened the eyes of His people, gave them relief, and reminded them that they were never abandoned. This passage is a reminder that God’s mercy is not a temporary gesture but a constant presence that restores and sustains us. When we feel crushed by our own sins, or weighed down by circumstances that seem beyond repair, the light of His mercy lifts our eyes from despair to hope. God does not abandon His people, nor does He abandon us. His mercy gives us not only forgiveness but also the strength to rise again and rebuild our lives. The challenge is to recognize this mercy in our daily lives, to see in small moments of kindness, unexpected relief, or inner peace, the hand of God reminding us that His love is always greater than our weakness. Let’s reflect: When I feel weighed down by my own weakness or struggles, do I recognize the mercy of God that brightens my eyes, gives me relief, and assures me that He has never abandoned me?
Don Giorgio
Don Giorgio
Sep 22, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Pius of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Priest
Tuesday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
First reading Ezra 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20
The people of Israel, after years of exile and struggle, finally celebrated the dedication of the rebuilt Temple with joy. Their joy was not merely about stones and walls but about the presence of God dwelling once again in their midst. The Temple was the visible sign of God’s faithfulness, the assurance that His promises endure even after seasons of suffering. On this day, as we remember Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Padre Pio, we see a living “house of God” in his own person. Through his prayer, his sacrificial love, and his bearing of the stigmata, he showed that holiness is not only celebrated in buildings but lived in hearts entirely open to God. Just as Israel rejoiced in the Temple, so too we are called to rejoice that God makes His dwelling within us. Every act of fidelity, every prayer offered with sincerity, is a dedication of our own lives to Him. Joy is the right response, for God’s presence is not distant, it is alive, close, and transforming us into His living temples. Let’s reflect: Do I rejoice, like Israel at the dedication of the Temple, in God’s presence dwelling within me, and do I live each day as a living temple, offering myself to Him with joy as Padre Pio did?
Don Giorgio
Sep 21, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Monday of week 25 in Ordinary Time
First reading Ezra 1:1-6
The book of Ezra begins with a surprising instrument of God’s plan: Cyrus, the king of Persia, a foreign ruler, is moved by the Lord to allow the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. This passage is a reminder that God’s providence is not confined to the faithful or the expected; He can stir the hearts of anyone, believer or non-believer, to accomplish His will. What matters is not human power but God’s sovereignty. Sometimes, we may be tempted to limit how God can act or through whom He can work, but today’s reading encourages us to look wider, to trust that His Spirit is at work in ways beyond our imagination. The rebuilding of the Temple through Cyrus shows that God can weave even the decisions of kings into His plan for salvation. Our task is to stay attentive and cooperative with His will, recognizing that even unlikely people and unexpected events may carry the fingerprints of God’s guiding hand. Let’s reflect: Do I trust that God can work through anyone and any circumstance, even the most unexpected, to accomplish His plan, and am I attentive enough to recognize His hand at work?
Don Giorgio
Sep 20, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
Readings: Amos 8:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-8;
The prophet Amos gives us a sobering reminder of God’s justice: “Never will I forget a single thing you have done.” Every act of exploitation, dishonesty, or indifference toward the poor stands before God. Nothing escapes His gaze, for He is a God who loves truth and defends the vulnerable. Yet Paul balances this word of judgment with a word of hope: “God our Savior wants everyone to be saved and reach full knowledge of the truth.” The same God who remembers injustice also desires to heal and redeem us, offering the possibility of salvation through Christ. This tension between justice and mercy calls us to conversion: to let go of selfish pursuits, to act with integrity, and to intercede in prayer for all people. Today we are reminded that God’s desire is not condemnation but salvation, not exclusion but fullness of truth. To live this truth is to stand honestly before Him, acknowledging both our failures and our hope, and to commit ourselves to prayer, mercy, and justice, so that God’s will for all people to be saved may shine through our lives. Let’s reflect: Do I live each day mindful that God sees every action, and do I let this awareness move me away from selfishness and toward prayer, justice, and the desire that all people come to know His saving truth?
Don Giorgio
Sep 19, 2025 | DAILY BREAD
Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Priest, and Paul Chong Hasang, and their Companions, Martyrs
Saturday of week 24 in Ordinary Time
First reading 1 Timothy 6:13-16
Saint Paul urges Timothy to “keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This command is not a temporary guideline, but a lifelong commitment rooted in the majesty of God Himself, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light. Our perseverance in faith is framed by this vision of God’s sovereignty, He is beyond human grasp, yet He reveals Himself in Christ who will return in glory at the proper time. The Korean martyrs we honor today embody this fidelity. In the face of persecution, they did not waver but lived and died with the conviction that Christ is the eternal ruler, worth every sacrifice. Their witness teaches us that to keep the commandment is to live with integrity, courage, and hope, even when the cost is high. In a world often distracted by passing powers and fleeting lights, this reading calls us to fix our gaze on the One who is eternal and to let our lives reflect unwavering devotion until He comes again. Let’s reflect: Am I keeping the commandment of Christ with faithfulness and integrity, inspired by the martyrs’ courage, and fixing my gaze on the eternal King who dwells in unapproachable light until He is revealed in glory?
Don Giorgio
