CROSS-FIRE - One Bread, One Body, 09/14/2025

Sunday, September 14, 2025, Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Numbers 21:4-9
Philippians 2:6-11
Psalm 78:1-2, 34-38
John 3:13-17
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CROSS-FIRE
"Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life in Him." —John 3:14-15

“When I behold the wondrous cross on which the King of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.” These words from a traditional hymn are my prayer for you today.

May you see in a new way the cross and the One Who hung and died on it for love of you. May the cross be a prophecy which penetrates, divides, and judges the thoughts and reflections of your heart (Heb 4:12). Through the cross, may you be crucified to the world and the world to you (Gal 6:14). May this celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross be the occasion for breakthroughs in the hearts of millions throughout the world and breakdowns of the strongholds of the evil one (see 2 Cor 10:4). Today, may Jesus, Who has been lifted up on the cross, draw all people to Himself (Jn 12:32).

“Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, till all the world adore His sacred name.”

Prayer: Father, may my life be accurately described as the triumph of the cross.

Promise: "At Jesus' name every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!" —Phil 2:10-11

Praise: "We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world."

(For a related teaching on Crucified to the World listen to, download or order AV40-3 or DVD 40A on our website.)

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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body."

"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 8, 2025"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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THE FUTURE FLOODS - One Bread, One Body, 09/13/2025

Saturday, September 13, 2025, St. John Chrysostom

1 Timothy 1:15-17
Psalm 113:1-7
Luke 6:43-49

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THE FUTURE FLOODS
"He may be likened to the man who, in building a house, dug deeply and laid the foundation on a rock." —Luke 6:48

Our lives are like houses which are about to face the tremendous force of floods. Only the houses with solid foundations will stand (Lk 6:48). We are well founded if we hear and do God’s Word (Lk 6:47). We must lay no “foundation other than the one that has been laid, namely Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3:11). We must also be founded on the Body of Christ, the Church, which is founded on the apostles and the prophets (Eph 2:20; Rv 21:14).

We build the solid foundation for our lives by giving our lives to Jesus and living our Baptisms fully. We must also be like Jesus and love the Church so much that we give up our lives for her (Eph 5:25). To have a solid foundation, we must know what the bishops, the successors of the apostles, have taught throughout the world over the centuries. Then we are able to be in submission to their authority. We must listen especially to the Pope (see Mt 16:18), who has a prophetic ministry and who, with the bishops, discerns the authenticity of prophecies.

Foundations are usually built years before floods hit. Build the foundation of your life now. Build it to withstand anything (see Mt 7:24-25).

Prayer: Father, the rivers are rising, but by Your grace I am not afraid.

Promise: "You can depend on this as worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." —1 Tm 1:15

Praise: St. John Chrysostom began reforming his archdiocese by reforming the archbishop's household.

(For a related teaching on Living in Reality view, download or order our booklet on our website.)

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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body."

"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 8, 2025"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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GOD’S DOUBLE STANDARD - One Bread, One Body, 09/12/2025

Friday, September 12, 2025, Most Holy Name of Mary

1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11
Luke 6:39-42

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GOD'S DOUBLE STANDARD
"Because I did not know what I was doing in my unbelief, I have been treated mercifully." —1 Timothy 1:13

Jesus has a double standard in working with people. He is lenient with the unbeliever. He continues to pray: “Forgive them; they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34). “These were enemies of Your servants, doomed to death; yet, while You punished them with such solicitude and pleading, granting time and opportunity to abandon wickedness, with what exactitude You judged Your sons” (Wis 12:20-21).

However, there’s discipline for the believer (Heb 12:6-7). “The slave who knew his master’s wishes but did not prepare to fulfill them will get a severe beating, whereas the one who did not know them and nonetheless deserved to be flogged will get off with fewer stripes. When much has been given a man, much will be required of him” (Lk 12:47-48).

The Lord must be strict with us, His disciples, so we will spread His salvation to the ends of the earth. He must get the plank out of our eyes so we can “see clearly enough to remove the speck” from our brother’s eye (Lk 6:42). “The season of judgment has begun, and begun with God’s own household” (1 Pt 4:17).

Even though the Lord is stricter with believers, now is still the time of mercy. Later, there will not be the combination of mercy and judgment we experience on this earth, but only judgment. The season of mercy will be over. Before it’s too late, repent. You’re first.

Prayer: Father, send the Spirit to motivate me to confess my sins as soon as possible in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Promise: "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, Who has strengthened me, that He has made me His servant and judged me faithful. I was once a blasphemer." —1 Tm 1:12-13

Praise: "My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior" (Lk 1:46-47).



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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body."

"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 8, 2025"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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THE DISTINCTIVE MARK OF A CHRISTIAN - One Bread, One Body, 09/11/2025

Thursday, September 11, 2025,

Colossians 3:12-17
Psalm 150:1-6
Luke 6:27-38

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THE DISTINCTIVE MARK OF A CHRISTIAN
"To you who hear Me, I say: love your enemies." —Luke 6:27

What if your family was a victim of a terrorist attack? What if someone robbed and beat you? Jesus tells us to treat terrorists, murderers, rapists, and robbers in a certain way. Jesus commands us to:

• love our enemies (Lk 6:27),
• “do good to those who hate” us (Lk 6:27),
• “bless those who curse” us (Lk 6:28),
• “pray for those who maltreat” us (Lk 6:28),
• even remain vulnerable to our enemies (Lk 6:29),
• give to them (Lk 6:30),
• do to them as we would have them do to us (Lk 6:31),
• lend to them “without expecting repayment” (Lk 6:35), and
• be clothed in mercy and forgiveness toward all people, especially our enemies (see Col 3:12-13; Lk 6:36-37).

If we do so, we will heap burning coals of love on our enemies (Rm 12:20; see Lk 15:20ff).

To those not baptized into Jesus, His commands seem unjust, preposterous, and impossible; but Jesus died on the cross for His enemies. He literally practiced what He preached. He taught us to pray that we are forgiven as we forgive our enemies (Mt 6:12), and He promises us grace sufficient to forgive and love our enemies immediately and totally. By Jesus’ grace, receive and perform the miracle of forgiveness and of love for all your enemies.

Prayer: Father, give me a forgiveness and love inexplicable except in the light of Jesus.

Promise: "Over all these virtues put on love, which binds the rest together and makes them perfect. Christ's peace must reign in your hearts." —Col 3:14-15

Praise: Al, a non-Catholic, happened to stop in to a Catholic Church the same evening a Eucharistic procession was occurring. As the monstrance neared the pew where he had sat, an awe came upon him and he dropped to his knees in worship. He converted to Catholicism soon afterward.



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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body."

"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 8, 2025"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW - One Bread, One Body, 09/10/2025

Wednesday, September 10, 2025,

Colossians 3:1-11
Psalm 145:2-3, 10-13
Luke 6:20-26

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OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
"You must put that aside now...put aside your old self with its past deeds and put on a new man, one who grows in knowledge as he is formed anew in the image of his Creator." —Colossians 3:8, 9-10

Today’s Eucharistic readings address two opposite ways of life. St. Paul calls these two ways the “old self” and the “new self” (see Col 3:9-10). The old self is our life without Jesus, ruled by the world, the flesh, and the devil (see 1 Jn 2:16). This old self lives a lifestyle characterized by anger, malice, insults, lying, evil desires, lust (Col 3:5, 8-9), the desires for pleasure and the things of this world (Lk 6:24-26). The new self is shaped entirely by allowing Jesus to form our actions, thoughts, words, and lifestyle. When we live in the new self, we are set free from sin and set free for service, worship, and evangelization.

Those who live according to the new self are blessed; those who live under the old self have nothing to anticipate but woes (see Lk 6:20-26). In Baptism, our old self died with Christ, drowned in the waters of Baptism. Yet our lives after Baptism sometimes seem like a civil war (see Jas 4:1). We want to live a good and holy life for the Lord, yet we sin (see Rm 7:7-25).

The key is to daily live our Baptism. Each time you bless yourself with holy water, that is, the water of Baptism, renew your baptismal vows and pray: “I am a baptized child of Almighty God! Lord Jesus, drown my old self with You in this holy water. Help me put on the pure, victorious garments of my new self that lives in You. May I live the new life of blessings and not the old life of woes.”

Prayer: Father, "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me" (Gal 2:19-20).

Promise: "Set your heart on what pertains to higher realms where Christ is seated at God's right hand." —Col 3:1

Praise: Lisa made a decision to praise God every day in all circumstances.

(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body."

"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 8, 2025"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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THE TWELVE - One Bread, One Body, 09/09/2025

Tuesday, September 9, 2025, St. Peter Claver

Colossians 2:6-15
Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11
Luke 6:12-19

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THE TWELVE
"At daybreak He called His disciples and selected twelve of them to be His apostles." —Luke 6:13

Jesus chose twelve apostles in whom He invested the last three years of His life. We, as followers of Jesus, are also called to invest our lives in not just a nuclear family or a circle of friends, but in a small Christian community. By virtue of our Baptisms, we are called to live as brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be brothers and sisters not only in name but in practice. We are called to devote ourselves “to the apostles’ instruction and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). “The community of believers were of one heart and one mind” (Acts 4:32), and we are called to be the same. “Behold, how good it is, and how pleasant, where brethren dwell at one!” (Ps 133:1) We are not only called to go to church together, work together, and pray together. Our unity is not to be superficial. We are called to Trinitarian unity — to be one as Jesus and the Father are one (Jn 17:21).

The Holy Spirit makes us one (Eph 4:3). Repent! Stir into flame the gift of the Holy Spirit (2 Tm 1:6-7). In obedience to the Lord, accept twelve disciples with whom the Lord is calling you to share your life. Be one. Be holy. Be Christian.

Prayer: Father, free me to live my baptismal brotherhood or sisterhood to the fullest.

Promise: "Continue, therefore, to live in Christ Jesus the Lord, in the spirit in which you received Him." —Col 2:6

Praise: St. Peter Claver spent the final forty-four years of his life serving slaves in Colombia who had been kidnapped from Africa. He called himself the "slave of the slaves forever."

(For more teaching on this subject, view, download or order our booklet Introduction to Small Christian Communities on our website.)

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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body."

"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 8, 2025"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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NOT ON THE MAP - One Bread, One Body, 09/08/2025

Monday, September 8, 2025, Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Micah 5:1-4 or Psalm 13:6
Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23
Romans 8:28-30

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NOT ON THE MAP
"But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me One Who is to be Ruler in Israel." —Micah 5:1

The “little town” of Bethlehem was too small to be on the map of the tribe of Judah, even though it lay within Judah’s borders. God, however, has a different map, and Bethlehem was big in His plans, for it would be the birthplace of the Ruler of Israel and Savior of the world (Lk 2:4).

Mary was a humble teenage girl from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. Nazareth was not well regarded (see Jn 1:46) and neither was the region of Galilee (see Jn 7:52; Mt 4:15). Nazareth and Galilee were not on the spiritual map of the Jews, nor was a teenage virgin girl from that town. Yet that which is last in the eyes of the world would become first in the eyes of God (see Mt 20:16). Mary said “Yes” to the Lord and became the mother of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. So the young girl in the town too small for the map bore a Son Whose greatness reached beyond all four corners of the world (see Mi 5:3).

Perhaps you are insignificant in the eyes of the world. Nonetheless, you are on God’s map. You are precious in His sight and your name is carved upon His hands (Is 49:16). He will do great things through your obedient, faithful service to Him (see Jn 14:12). Therefore, “go out now and take your place” on God’s map (see Acts 5:20).

Prayer: Father, You are in the center of my map. Let it be done to me according to Your will.

Promise: "His greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; He shall be Peace." —Mi 5:3-4

Praise: Alleluia! Jesus became man in the womb of Mary (see Lk 1:31-32). Praise the Lord for His loving-kindness!

(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)

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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body."

"In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from August 1, 2025, through September 30, 2025. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 8, 2025"

The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.

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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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Copyright © Presentation Ministries

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