BREAD FOR YOUTH

  22nd Week Monday in Ordinary Time Year One 1 Thess 4:13-18 Meditation God’s Spirit is at Work! These days, we hear that we may lose anything and everything in life, but not hope. Christians are people of hope. Hoping for a new earth and a new heaven. This life offers trials and hardships with many consolations. Christians hope for everlasting life. Life of joys, satisfaction, contentment and unending bliss in heaven. We know we are not eternal on earth, but there is a possibility for us to be eternal in heaven with our body and soul.   Many faiths believe in life after death in different ways; the idea of Christianity gives a complete picture of salvation for those who have faith in Jesus and live a good life. Every religion teaches that for one to be saved, a virtuous life is needed, but those who have faith in Jesus are graced and saved by the Redemptive Act of Jesus. Do we believe in the Redemptive Act of Jesus? Year Two 1 Cor 2:1-5 God’s Spirit is at...

  21th week Saturday in Ordinary Time Year One 1Thess 4:9-12   Now concerning the love of the brothers and sisters,[a] you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another;   and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters[b] throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1Thess 4:9-12). Life and actions go together in living the love of God and love of the brothers and sisters. St Paul invites the Thessalonians to love God and one another, which we need not be taught by anyone. He tells them to live quietly, to do their work and to earn their living. It can happen that we become dependent on people for our living. We need to earn our bread and living. Let us not take anyone's service for free; let everyo...

  21 st Week of the Ordinary Time, Friday Year One 1 Thess 4:1-8 Meditation Readings are of the Week and not of the Martyrdom of John the Baptist A Life Pleasing to God!   Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more.   For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.   For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honour,   not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one wrong or exploit a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Therefore whoever rejects these rejects not human ...

  21st week Thursday in Ordinary Time Year One 1 Thess 3:7-13 For this reason, brothers and sisters,[a] during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith.   For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord.   How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? 1Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you.   And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.   And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. (1 Thess 3:7-13). Christians are called to holiness. A life of holiness is present in a human community which is broken. Broken i...

  21th week Wednesday in Ordinary Time Year One 1 Thess 2:9-13 Meditation There are people who beg out of humility and not out of laziness.    Humility because they are dedicated to God, and they depend upon God only and the faithful to whom they serve.   Humility reminds them that they are nothing in this world and God and his mission is ultimate.   St Paul is reminding the people of Thessalonica that while they were with them, they worked for their bread, and they encouraged them like a father encourages their children to grow in faith and love of Jesus.   It is a great lesson to learn from St Paul that working in the mission means to learn our own livelihood through our work.   Work itself is valuable and every work has to be paid its due. Do we value work and work to earn our food? Year Two 2 Thess 3:6-10, 16-18 Earn the Food We Eat! All the birds and animals in the world earn their food by searching for it. They do not store fo...

  21th Week Tuesday in Ordinary Year One 1 Thess 2:1-8 Meditation  Listen to Voice of the Spirit in Us! St Paul tells the people of Thessalonica that those who came to preach did not come with their eloquence and knowledge but came because they were sent by God.   They have nothing to preach than what the Lord instructs and inspires.   They are not for name or fame but preach the message of Jesus.   To preach the message of Christ and share what they have with them in the way of knowledge and grace. Even they were willing to share their very selves for the proclamation of the gospel. Do we agree with St Paul that we have to be selfless to preach the gospel message? Year Two 2 Thess 2:1-3, 14-17   Listen to Voice of the Spirit in Us! Every age has false teachings that lead people astray. The Word of God is preached and revealed, and one has to be faithful to it and follow it and not be deceived and misled. St Paul tells the Thessa...

  21th week Monday in Ordinary Time Year One 1 Thess 1:2-5,8-10 Thank God for Others and Pray for them!   We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.   For we know, brothers and sisters[a] beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.( 1 Thess 1:2-5). We are happy to see a vibrant Christian community of faith, hope, love and prayer. This is a gift of God. The grace is because of the Holy Spirit. By ourselves, we can achieve in anything very little, but by the grace of the holy spirit, we do achieve much in the Lord. All the above graces and gifts will bear much fruit in the community of people ...

  20th week Saturday in Ordinary Time Year One Ruth 2:1-3, 8-11; 4:13-17 See the Glory of God Coming! So, Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son.   Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her bosom and became his nurse. The women of the neighbourhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17). The story of Ruth is presented to us in today’s reading. The story is fascinating. Ruth, a Moabite woman, becomes the wife of Boaz, and they have Jesse. Jesse, the father of King David. We know that Jesus...

  20th week Friday in Ordinary Time Year One Ruth 1:1,3-6, 14b-16, 22 Meditation Dry Bones Come Alive! Ruth follows her mother-in-law to Judah. The words of Ruth are very inspiring. She says, “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”   The words of Ruth signify a deeper level of relationship in a family; though her husband had passed away, she is not a Jew’ and the mother-in-law is going back to her native place, but she feels one with her mother-in-law and shows a human love and Love for God. Which is very praiseworthy. A commitment of women not for advantage but for value and for a great relationship.   Most of the relationships in the world are skin deep. They will be good to each other as long as there is advantages and use. Once the need is over, the relationships also end. Ruth shows a different path of commitment and faithfulness in a relationship. Do we manifest our faithfulness to God ...

  20th week Thursday in Ordinary Time Year One Judges 11: 29-39 Meditation Keep the Vows Made to the Lord! Jephthah made a vow that if he won against the Ammonites, he would offer ‘whatever comes forth from the doors of my house to meet him.’   Upon returning from the war, he met his only daughter, and he was dismayed.   The daughter agrees to keep his father's promise to God.   She takes time to be in the desert and comes back to be an offering to the Lord. We make vows to the Lord, but we break them. Great are the men who make vows to the Lord and keep them.   Jephthah is a good example of keeping the vow made to the Lord.   Keeping the word and keeping the vows made to the Lord is keeping the laws of God. Those who keep the laws of God will always be blessed Do we keep the vows made to the Lord? Year Two Ezekiel 36:23-28 The people of Israel were lost in the pagan land.   The Lord promises them that he will bring back Israel to t...

  20th week Wednesday in Ordinary Time Year One Judge 9:6-15 Then all the lords of Shechem and all Beth-millo came together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar[a] at Shechem. When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you lords of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. ( Judge 9:6-7). Abimelech wants become king. He becomes king forcing his way. He kills his own brothers and becomes king. He does not stop with that he keeps doing harm people and even taking lives. He rules as king for three years. In his destructive works at tower a woman drops mill stone on his head and he dies. Thus the rule of kin Abimelech comes to an end. It in normal for every one to seek power and position. It is wise not seek for it forcefully and even to the extent of causing harm to others. Any power and authority is for service and not yet all for name and fame of a person. Let us seekin...

  20th week Tuesday in Ordinary Time Year One Judges 6:11-24 In this passage, the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon while he is secretly threshing wheat in a winepress to hide from the oppressive Midianites. The angel calls him a "mighty warrior" and tells him that God is with him and will use him to save Israel. Gideon, feeling weak and insignificant, questions God's presence and power. As a sign of reassurance, Gideon offers a meal, and the angel miraculously consumes it with fire before disappearing. Gideon realizes he has seen the angel of the Lord and is terrified, but God speaks peace over him. You might see your flaws, fears, or failures. But God sees your potential and His purpose in you. What might God be calling out in you today that you don’t yet see in yourself? Year Two Ezek 28:1-10 Pride wrecks life! A warning to the rulers and those who are proud. Due to the wisdom, wealth and power, man can feel that he is a god. God indeed created humans...

  20th week Time Monday in Ordinary Year One Judge 2:11-19 Meditation The passage outlines a tragic and repeated cycle in Israel's history during the time of the Judges. After the death of Joshua and his generation, the Israelites begin to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, worshiping the Baals and turning away from the God who brought them out of Egypt. In response, God allows them to be oppressed by surrounding nations. Yet, in His mercy, He raises up judges to deliver them. But even then, the people do not fully listen, quickly returning to corruption after each judge dies. It becomes a cycle of sin, oppression, deliverance, and relapse. What practices help us remember and remain grounded in God’s truth? Two Ezek 24:15-24 Know that the Lord is Sovereign! The Lord tells Ezekial that he will take away the delight from his sight. He would give times of trouble and hardships for the people of Israel. His own wife would die, and many others would be put to death. We d...

  19th Week Ordinary Time, Saturday Year One Josh 24:14-29   “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.   Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Josh 24:14-15 In the Old Testament, the concern of Moses, Aran and Joshua was to protect Israel from worshipping other gods. God made us. we belong to him. He is our beginning and end. We exist because of God and have our being. The God who created us has given us freedom to create our own false gods and find shelter under the false gods. In the history of Israel, they created their own gods to satisfy their need for projection and ego. Thus, they went away from God an...

  19th week Friday in Ordinary Time Rev 11:19-12:6,10 Meditation Mary Assumed into Heaven! A virgin birth is something impossible and only Divinely possible. Today the people of the AI generation do believe in the virgin birth. It is right and proper that God be born of a virgin. The woman is chosen and protected from original sin. The child to be born of her will rule the world. God becomes human through the mediation of women. God will protect the woman who gives birth to the Divine child. The mother who gives birth will be a privileged woman. She becomes the mother of the Divine child and the mother of God. The mother of God shares in the life of the Saviour and Redeemer. Her involvement is not over with the giving birth. She continues her mission, but her son wants her aid in his saving action. Jesus loved his mother and did not allow her body to be corrupted. He assumes her into heaven body and soul. Do we believe that we will be with God, Mother Mary in heaven? ...

  19 Week Ordinary Time Thursday Year One Josh 3:7-10a, 11,13-17 Have a Grateful Memory! When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan. (Josh 3:14-17). The ark of the covenant was carried by priests to the river Jorda...

  19th Week Ordinary Time, Wednesday Year One Duet 34:1-12 Meditation Correcting a Brother!   Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Duet 34:9). Moses dies, and he was buried as told. Joshua takes up the lead as the leader of Israel. Moses prepared him to be a leader. He was with him always in leading and guiding the people of Israel. He was prepared to take over the care of Israel. A nation, institute, mission is better led by its leaders who prepare the future leaders to take up the responsibility of leading the mission of God. If the leaders are not prepared, the mission is a failure. Most effective leaders prepare the leaders to carry on the mission. Those who love the mission they do not care of their satisfaction of power but the fulfilment of the mission to see it is carried on by the effective leaders who are prepared. Moses does prep...

  19th Week Ordinary Time Tuesday Year One Deu 31:1-8 At the age of 120, Moses is not able to move much.   The Lord tells him that he need not go to fight.   He tells him to send Joshua.   He will lead the armies, and they will win over the enemies.    The Lord promises through Moses to be strong and courageous.   For the Lord is going before you to fight for you. The one who goes in the name of God need not fear, for the Lord is going to be with us and guide us. Yet, when it happens, the Lord prepares for many places we visit.   The Lord places people before us to take care of us.   Every war we wage in life for good is not ours; it is the Lord's work, and so He takes care and He fights every battle.   We are to be his emissaries. Do you know God sends the right people to fight for you? Year Two Ezek 2:8-34 Meditation A Rebellious Heart! Ezekiel was asked to eat the scroll of lamentation, mourning, and woe. He was ...

  19th week Monday in Ordinary Time Duet 10:12-22  Listen to the Voice of God! So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being.   Although heaven and the heaven of heavens belong to the Lord your God, the earth with all that is in it, yet the Lord set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendants after them, out of all the peoples, as it is today. Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. (Duet 10:12-16) The law of the Lord is very simple: To love God and to love the other. To do this one needs to have fear of the Lord. Fear is the beginning of wisdom. We do not love God out of fear. The fear of God is out of love. There is fea...

  18th Week: Ordinary Time Saturday Year One Duet 6:4-13 Meditation Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.   You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.   Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.   Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem[b] on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.(Deut 6:4-9) A prayer is given to Israel. They were told to recite it. They were told to talk about it. They were told to be in the constant presence of the prayer. This prayer is the Shema. This prayer expresses belief in the oneness and in the comparability of God. A command to follow, to recite, to keep the verse safe in heart, on forehead, on door posts and on the entrance. A scripture so impo...

  18th week Friday in Ordinary Time Year One   Deut 4: 32-40 Meditation Blessed are the Messengers of God! Moses reminds Israel, and us, of God's mighty acts: He created heaven and earth. He chose a people for Himself. He spoke from fire. He rescued with signs and wonders. He disciplines in love. And He calls us to obey, not just for our sake, but for the generations to come. This is the Lord who speaks, acts, and invites. He is: Above us in power, With us in presence, And for us in covenant love. There is no one like Him. We should submit to him. God is powerful and his ways are just and right.   God gave us freedom; we need to use with responsibility. Do we submit ourselves to God’s care? Year Two Nah 1:15; 2:2; 3:1-3, 6-7 Blessed are the Messengers of God! Blessed are those who bring the Good News. The Good News is the message of God. People who bring good news have to walk for a long distance. In the olden days, there was no existing transportation...