Live in the Light

(Note:  There should be two slices of Daily Bread...Yesterday's did not meet the deadline)

John 3:16-21

 

For God so loved the world

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

This consoling passage offers us much hope and the incentive to live clean, pure and productive lives in a world that daily seems to grow darker.  Mass shootings, headlines shocking us with revelations of heinous crimes performed in secret by respectable leaders, tales of unhappy people saturating our TV screens. and reports of the never-ending Pandemic. Not very encouraging on a  Monday morning. But the reminder that God gave us his only Son to keep us from perishing under the weight of all of this and urges us to remain faithful in small as well as big things. to trust that the Light will prevail. Let us make it a point to turn away from every cloud of darkness and seek with all our hearts to live in the light. The seeking, the desire, will not be ignored; Jesus will fill in whatever is lacking. "Ask and you shall receive." (Mt 7:7)

Bro. Rene

Eternal Life

 John 3: 7b-15

Born of the Spirit

⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

We can imagine how a well-educated man like Nicodemus was struggling to digest this strange concept of being born again.  Did Jesus mean it literally?  And, if not, what did this "born of the Spirit" mean?  Certainly, at that time, no one understood the Holy Spirit as we do today, and even now our understanding is incomplete and keeps growing.  Yes, we must be echoing with Nicodemus, "How can this be?"  We won't fully understand until we leave this life and enter Eternal Life, but in our communities and through prayer, we can know, feel, and experience his Presence.  When impossible situations are resolved "mysteriously" in answer to our prayers, we can assume that it's the Spirit. When we are guided on the right path during our "journey" through life, it's the Spirit. Again and again, let us pray for the coming of the Spirit into our daily lives, making each day a "mini-Pentecost." 

Bro, Rene

Bro. Rene

Born Again

 John 3: 1-8

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

The notion of being born again has fascinated humans for ages.  Reincarnation intrigues us, and for Hindus, is a "given."  Is that the new life, the "being born again" that Jesus speaks of?  No, it is a new life in the Spirit, which brings us into a deeper relationship with him, the Father and all others "born of the Spirit."  It is the new life of grace, the life that enables us to do what we thought was impossible, to bring the Presence of God into our world to help others find purpose, meaning, and their own personal relationship with the Father. We can be born again, we must be born again.  Now that we have risen with Jesus, we look ahead to Pentecost, and the "baptism" of the Spirit.  "Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and in our hearts take up thy rest."

Bro. Rene

 

My Lord And My God

 

John 20:19-31

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus^[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The Easter Octave ends with these unforgetable appearances of Jesus, in which he gives his apostles the power to forgive sins and draws this life-changing confession of faith from "Doubting Thomas".  We have looked at all the post-resurrection appearances and come today with Thomas to profess our faith along with him, "My Lord and my God."

Pope St John Paul II designated this as "Mercy Sunday", a day on which we seek God's mercy and renew our efforts to be merciful to others. May we pray with Thomas for an increase of faith, and along with others who gather world wide, pray for God's loving mercy and for the grace to be merciful.

Bro. Rene  

 

Our Mission

(Note:  Due to a lack of technological finesse, I was not able to post a slice of Bread yesterday.  Instruction from a young knowledgeable young man has helped me get back on track.)        

Mark 16: 9-15

Go Preach the Gospel

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

¹² Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. ¹³ These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

¹⁴ Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

The more we read these accounts of the Resurrection, the more we see how difficult it was for the followers of Jesus to accept it. We are so accustomed to hearing about it that its impact is partially lost.  We get some flavor of how astounding it was for the first hearers.  An event that was not part of human experience.  Yet, Jesus doesn't dismiss his "chosen ones" because of their difficulty in coming to believe, but with his usual patience, accepts them where they are, giving them more than a nudge, while they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit. A lesson for us as we sometimes want to kick ourselves for our lack of belief or are impatience with others because of theirs. And, above all, our mission, despite our weak or wavering faith is to preach the Gospel.  May we learn to focus our attention on that call rather than on the many paralyzing questions that can prevent us from accomplishing it.

Bro. Rene

Jesus Cooks Breakfast

 John 21: 1-14

 The Third Apparition

 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: ² Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³ “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴ Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

⁵ He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶ He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

⁷ Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸ The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. ⁹ When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, " Bring some of the fish you just caught. So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

What a wonderful and comforting scene:  Frustrated apostles, Jesus filling their empty nets and cooking them breakfast!  How often do we find ourselves frustrated, even exasperated, when things are not going our way, yet Jesus is there to take care of our needs and remind us that there's no need to fret. As much as we may say, "I'll never doubt again," we do,  We need to put ourselves on the shore with Jesus and let him cook for us.  Evidently, he's most willing to do so.  "Feed me, Lord, I'm starving!"

 Bro Rene

Peace Be With You

Luke  24: 35-48

³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

³⁶ While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

³⁷ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ³⁸ He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

⁴⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹ And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate it in their presence.

⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things.

Jesus asks us as he asked the disciples, "Why are you troubled, and why do you have doubts in your mind?" (Lk 24: 38) We might answer, the Pandemic, the Political climate, the social and economic inequality that is cause so much division, or simply my own insecurity.  These are not easy times in which to remain stable or hopeful.  We seem to be cut off from our foundation, set adrift.  Who cut off whom? Who set whom adrift?  If we are seriously interested in recovering Peace, we need to accept the Presence of Jesus, eat with him, believe in him,  This passage bears much reflection and prayerful meditation; for it invites us to open our doors, our hearts, our lives to welcome Jesus and accept his offer of Peace.

Bro. Rene