BREAD FOR YOUTH

  34th    week Tuesday in Ordinary Time Year one Dan 2:31-45 Meditation Thank God for Dreams! People sleep in the temple to dream and thus to know the wishes of God. In dreams one’s wishful thinking is revealed as dream. Dreams have a say in one’s life but it is good not break head to seek meaning and purpose of it. Take dreams at their face values. The dream of the king in the word of God today tells that the king can have authority over the people. It also tells the king through Daniel that the ultimate power and authority is of God. Authority in the world is much sort after and desired but the authority is granted by God to those whom he wishes. To those whom God gives authority should use well for the people of God. Everyone should submit to God’s power who is the ultimate end of power and authority. Do we give too much importance to dreams? Year Two Rev 14:14-19 The Son of Man Will Come Sitting on the Cloud! These are harvest days in our country. Th...

  34th week Monday in Ordinary Time Year One Dan 1:1-6, 8-20 Meditation God has Power Over Us! Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and captured king Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, who died because of the siege of Jerusalem. They captured people and valuables from the temple and treasury. Taking men from royal families and temple vessels is a sign of capturing the people and their gods to keep them under control. The king employed the best of men of Israel to serve at table and in his rule of the nation. The king wanted to show his power over the people of Israel. At this capture of Jerusalem the people of Israel have gone for seventy years of exile. The way to have dictatorial power is to have a say in one’s religious beliefs and to make one to be at the beck and call of the rulers. This sort of power over religious matters and power over the people of Israel is painful to them for they believe in   God Yahweh and serve him alone. At times we are   not aware we sel...

  33rd week Saturday in Ordinary Time Year One 1 Macc 6:1-13 Mediation Surrender to God! King Antiochus wanted to do much for God and for the people of Israel, in the way of uniting them and bringing people together but he was not able to actualize it. He dies in foreign land. At his death bed he regrets for what he has done in using force at times in his rule. Intention could be good but sometimes one tries to achieve the good end with bad policy; unity is needed but not at the expense of destroying the beautiful diversity that exists. One needs wisdom and God's lead to do what God wants not what one wishes. It happens in the lives of people at the death bed one may regret what has happened or lack of failure. Whatever may be the result and situation of life, it is better to offer oneself entirely with faith, hope and love. What do we do at the regrets of life and at the close of the day or life? Year Two Rev 11:4-12 The Victory Belongs to the Lord...

  33rd week Friday in Ordinary Time Year One 1 Macc 4:36-37, 52-59 Meditation Pray in the Church has Value! The worship was done to sanctify the altar of God for 2300 mornings and evenings or 1150 days that is about two and half years which roughly corresponds to length of   the desecration of the sanctuary.   The scripture is not only the facts of life but it corresponds to life and reality of life of the persons of the dead and living. The word of God is alive and leading us on the right path. We are called to worship the Lord in the temple of hearts and much more in the church which are built in his name and honour. King Solomon built the temple of Jerusalem and dedicated to God and knowing that God would not be contained in the temple. God is present all over the universe. People build and rebuild temple and places for God to pray and to gather together in the name of God to worship and praise him. It is true that we worship God in temple but humans should...

  33rd    week Thursday in Ordinary Time Year One 1 Macc 2:15-29 Meditation God Gives Courage to Follow His Laws! Mattathias and sons were asked to give up the law of the their ancestor but they chose not to give up the law of God.   Some are given zest and zeal for the law of God and his commandments. Mattathias and sons were ready to suffer and fight against the king taking extreme step to attack the king’s official instead of giving up the law they learned and valued for life. This great zeal and love for the love of God’s law shows their commitment to God and values of life.  ]The committed life of Mattathias and sons shows the human beings love for God and for his law. Humans are not just weak and fragile persons. Love of God’s rule and command can give humans immense strength and determination and even to give up life for the law of God.   Human life is nothing in the pursuit of the path of following God’s law and rule. Let us realise the love...

  33rd week Wednesday in Ordinary Time Year One 2 Macc 7:1,20-31 Meditation One Needs Steadfastness to Keep Laws of God! Commitment to laws, rules and ways of God is gift. God gives strength to keep his commandment, such people are witness to God and benefit of keeping commandment of God. The seven brothers were forced eat swine flesh and thus disobey their law of God and God himself. The law and rule they believed was followed even at the death of these seven brothers. Their mother encouraged them to love God and follow the command of God at cost of her own sons death. She is really a courageous mother and model to all mothers to let her sons choose God and his laws before the temporal life. The younger brother is promised money, honour, position and status by the king but even though he was young at the encouragement of his mother choose death for the sake of keeping the law of God. It is really heroic and great lesion to keep in mind as we are inclined to trespass the ...

  33rd week Tuesday in Ordinary Time Year One 2 Macc 6:18-31 Meditation Love God! Eleazar was forced eat the flesh of swine, but he chooses to death rather than eating undefiled food. Even if life is short span of life, it is better to live by the law and be holy. Eleazar shows us a right and clear path to holiness and to follow the law of God. At time the present generation of people are not able to have clear mind set and steadiness to follow the law of God. The sweetness of life and allurements of the world attract them, to give up the holy law and God’s ways of holy life. It is easy to choose evil and sin than God and goodness. Eleazar is model for us to live a life of discipline, to love God above everything and everyone. What is the sacrifice we make to love God? Year Two Rev 3:1-6, 14-22 If We Open the Door, the Lord will Come to Eat with Us. No one, rich or poor, powerful or knowledgeable, escapes pain in life. Troubles, trials, and suffering purify the ...

  33rd week Monday in Ordinary Time Year One 1 Macc 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-7 Meditation Try to Know God! Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and that all should give up their particular customs. 43 All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king. Many even from Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath. (V 41-42) Good living, well-being, feel good action, self-care, self-satisfaction can lead us away from God. Going away from true God, genuine tradition and worshipping gods of human making can take us away from God. The people Israel living in foreign land and foreign culture forgot their God. Our God is jealous God. He wants us to love him. God loved humans much; God is unhappy and angry, when they go way in worshiping other gods who are not real. God revealed himself to humans from ages. God continues to reveal himself to us from our experience and the situation of life. One should be able to li...

  32nd    week Saturday in Ordinary Time Year One Wis 18:14-16; 19:6-9 Meditation Keep in Mind the Wonders of God! The Red Sea experience is an unforgettable experience for Israel. For generations, remember the crossing of the Red Sea as God’s guidance and protection of Israel. We do have similar experiences of God in our own lives. God intervenes in our lives through great manifestations of his wonders and miracles. God not only does wonders in our lives but also in our families, neighbourhood, culture and history.   One needs an eye of faith and grace to note the marvels of God. The people of Israel had a good memory of God’s wonders. We too should develop and cultivate the memory of God's deeds in our lives, in our families and in our national history. Lifetime is not enough to count the wonders of God in our lives. Every moment of our existence is a grace and a wonder of God. Do we keep the memory of God's wonders? Year Two 3Jn 1:5-8 Encourage...

  32nd week Friday in Ordinary Time Year One Wis 13:1-9 Meditation Humans can Know God! The creator is greater than the creation. The ignorant take the created for the creator. The entire creation, all created, and every creature should turn to the creator as the beginning and end. It is sad to note that humans are limited; they worship the beings that are created by God. Ture, the created beings are powerful; they only point towards God, they are not Divine.   One has to go beyond the external created world to see the wonder of God. God is beyond human imagination; he manifests himself to humans in a simple, intelligent manner. God could be comprehended to some extent by the human mind, but not entirely. The human mind explores the concept of God, and through human intelligence, they can know God, and this faculty is given by God himself to humans. Are we aware that humans can comprehend God? Year Two 2 Jn 1:4-9 Meditation Believe in Jesus! Believing i...

  32nd week Thursday in Ordinary Time Year One Wis 7:22-8:1 Meditation Check If Our Actions are Wise! The one who has wisdom has everything. King Solomon asked God for the gift of wisdom. He asked for wisdom because if one possesses wisdom, one possesses everything. God gave King Solomon wisdom and riches. He forgot about God; rather, his wives misled him, and they forgot about the God who gave him wisdom. In the case of humans, it is not certain that the persons who possess wisdom remain in wisdom; they can be misled by the evil one. As long as one desires to do God’s will in the wisdom of God, one will be wise. The scripture describes wisdom wonderfully: “There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent, pure, an...

  32nd week Wednesday in Ordinary Time Year One Wis 6:1-11 Meditation Power is to Serve! Kings, rulers and those in any authority need to listen to God, listen to themselves and listen to others and do the needful. Any authority is difficult, and so it becomes a service; therefore, we need to pray for those in authority. The mighty and powerful will be judged mightily by the Lord. The lowly will be judged in mercy and pardoned. The more power one wields, the more one is liable for judgment. It could happen that great rulers’ achievements could cause harm with or without intention, and also serve. Kings and rulers should seek wisdom for good rule. It is the spirit of God who gives us inspiration, discernment and wisdom to do good and avoid evil and wrong. One should submit to God in all that one does and seek earnestly to do the will of God. When the rulers are clear with good intentions rather than evil, God will guide their ways on the right path. Are we aware that t...

  32nd week Tuesday in Ordinary Time Year One Wis 2:23-3:9 Meditation Be Aware of Devil! God created us in his image and likeness. He created us from nothing. Once he created us, he wants us to be with him for eternity. He does not want us to be corrupted but to be immortal. God created us in his image means he wants us to be like him forever. God shares himself to some extent with creatures and humans. God’s love is manifested in this aspect of sharing his nature to some extent with humans. God created us in freedom. But humans struggle and fight for freedom, and in fact, God gave us freedom without any limit. God is not an oppressor or controller but a liberator in all possible ways. Since the choice is important in freedom, God allows those who choose to be lost in sin or to be saved to make their own free choice. The devil is envious of human freedom and humans sharing God’s nature, so the devil, through her envy, brings death into the world. Are we aware the devi...

  32nd week Monday in Ordinary Time Year One Wis 1:1-7 Meditation Use Authority for Good! Truth and Goodness will win. Deceit and evil will lose. Many take a shortcut to achieve success. The way to truth and goodness is hard. The way to destruction is easy and wide. The evil doers are destined to be losers. The genuine souls will have the joy of the Lord. The faith-filled persons will not put the Lord to the test, but they trust in him. The evil persons put the Lord to the test. The Lord loves those who do not test him, for God is to be trusted and believed. The evil persons choose the wrong way of life. The word of God today invites the rulers of the earth to choose and love righteousness. The rulers have the power and authority to use it for the good of others. The power and authority of the rulers are sometimes wrongly used for their personal gain and in the game of life. Is the love of authority used for righteousness? Year Two Titus 1:1-9 Lead by Example! G...

  31st Week Saturday in Ordinary Time Year One Rom 16:3-9, 16, 22-27 Meditation Humans Like to Know! Humans like to know the secrets of life. In humans, there is a thirst for knowing and to be satisfied with the knowledge.   God has been manifesting himself to humanity in various ways. Humans as they are not able to understand the ways and wonders of God. God has definitively revealed himself through Jesus Christ to humanity. This is made known to Israel and to the Gentiles.   The truth and secret is that Jesus is the Saviour. He is to be known, loved and adored. Jesus will fulfil all the needs of humanity. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Blessed is those who find Jesus. Jesus can make human life meaningful. Blessed are those who live by the message of Jesus and proclaim him as Master and Saviour of humanity. Are we content with the Knowledge of Jesus as Truth? Year Two Phil 4:10-19 One has to Learn to be Happy! St Paul’s words, “I have lea...

  31st Week Friday in Ordinary Time Year One Rom 15:14-21 Meditation Preach Christ! St Paul is given grace to be an Apostle of the Gentiles. Being a Jew, he became a preacher and teacher of Jesus to outside Jewish circles. St Paul was convinced that it was grace given to him to preach Christ. He boasts about his weakness and the power of God at work in him. He boasts about his ministry to the Gentiles. The work he did was for the name of Jesus. He is ambitious about preaching the Good News to the nations. St. Paul says, "Woe to me if I do not preach the Good News." He was full of Christ. He has nothing else to do than to preach and make known the message of Jesus. His knowledge and experience of Christ is so deep that he was able to communicate to the people so well in those days to form Christ in them. St. Paul encourages us to be transformed by Christ and to have the mind of Christ in each one of us. In what way would we like to proclaim Christ to the world? Yea...

  31st Week Thursday in Ordinary Time Year One Meditation Rom 14:7-12 We Belong to God! St Paul reminds us that our lives are not our own, they belong entirely to God. Every moment, from life to death, is lived in relationship to the Lord who gives us being and purpose. This truth frees us from the illusion of self-ownership and invites us to live with a deeper sense of responsibility, gratitude, and reverence. Standing before God’s judgment seat is not meant to instil fear, but humility. It reminds us that only God sees hearts perfectly. Our task is to live in such a way that, when our lives are laid bare before Him, they show love, mercy, and faithfulness. Do we love God? Year Two Phil 3:3-8 The Greatest Knowledge is to Know Christ! St Paul accepted that he was a practicing Jew and persecuted the church. He was righteous new and blameless by the law of Jews. After the encounter with Jesus St Paul considers everything as a loss except the person of Christ. Th...

  31st Week: Ordinary Time, Wednesday Year One Rom 13:8-10 Meditation True Love! No words can describe the true love of God and true love of the other. Love is the fulfilment of the natural law and Divine law. One who loves is in perfect harmony with God and the other. True love is above everything. Often it is said, love and do what you like. An authentic love is not fickle and for advantage but calls for responsibility and faithfulness in the sight of God and in the sight of men/women. Divine love in not strange to us. It is given to us by God himself and it is manifested to us by Jesus on the cross. Genuine love is seen in our parents, elders and those who sacrifice their life to be embodiments of true love. God, who is Love enables each one to participate in his Divine love to be holy, pure, joyful and happy in life. Let everyone entrust himself/herself to the Divine Love; which will lead one, on the right path to genuine love of God. How to check one’s love is genuin...

  31st Week: Ordinary Time, Tuesday Year One Rom 12: 5-16 Meditation God Gives Us Manifold Gifts! God gives humans manifold gifts. God gives to those whom he loves a Christian vocation. Christian vocation is holy and joyful. It is so because Christians are called to follow the teaching of Christ. The teaching of Jesus is loving God, loving oneself and loving others. It is very simple but difficult to practice. St Pual in today’s reading explains how to love.   “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.   Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but...

  31st Week Monday in Ordinary Time Year One Meditation Rom 11:29-36 Who can Know the Mind of God! We are called to obey God. Obeying God would mean following the commands of God. The written laws of God are available to all. The laws of God is taken by family, community and state. In keeping the law, we keep ourselves for good. Obeying God is obeying those around us, especially elders and those in authority. No one can know the mind of God. We do not completely understand the mind of God. One thing we can note is that God wants us to be happy.   All that does not keep us happy is not of God. It is the work of the devil to keep one sad. Be happy and be cheerful. Thank God and thank one another. A happy life will let us know the mind of God. Are we aware that humans are called to be happy? Year Two Phil 2:1-4 Consider Others Better than Yourself! St Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, feels that if the community has encouragement, consolation, compassi...