THE HIGHEST STANDARDS - One Bread, One Body, 03/11/2022

Friday, March 11, 2022,

Ezekiel 18:21-28
Psalm 130:1-8
Matthew 5:20-26
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THE HIGHEST STANDARDS
"Everyone who grows angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment." —Matthew 5:22

Jesus has a higher standard for personal relationships than we do. No one but Christ demands such love in our relationships. Here are some of Jesus’ standards for relationships:

1) immediate removal of resentment, unforgiveness, and anger (Mt 5:25),

2) loving enemies even to laying down our lives for them (Mt 5:44; 1 Jn 3:16),

3) sharing fellowship with the poor, lame, and blind (Lk 14:13),

4) anticipating each other in showing respect (Rm 12:10),

5) building up one another instead of acting out of rivalry and jealousy (Rm 15:2),

6) unity with one another as Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are One (Jn 17:21),

7) no judging of people’s motives (Mt 7:1),

8) no lustful glances, thoughts, or words (Mt 5:28; Eph 5:3-4),

9) serving each other at great personal cost (Lk 10:33-35), and

10) bearing one another’s burdens, and suffering with others (Gal 6:2; 1 Cor 12:26).

Jesus’ standards for relationships are impossible by human power. However, “nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37).

Prayer: Father, beginning this Lent may I have an impossible, unconditional love for the people You've put in my life.

Promise: "If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all My statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die." —Ez 18:21

Praise: In loving faith, Marcie sacrificed a career in the government to raise, care for, and homeschool her neurologically disabled daughter.



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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 February 01/2022 through March 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 16, 2021"

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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FRESH SPRING AIR - One Bread, One Body, 03/10/2022

Thursday, March 10, 2022,

Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 138:1-3, 7-8
Matthew 7:7-12
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FRESH SPRING AIR
"If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to anyone who asks Him!" —Matthew 7:11

Lent means “springtime.” As nature awakens from the dormancy of winter to the vitality of spring, so should our life in the Spirit break forth into new life. The Lord wants to give us a freshness and a newness in our relationship with Him. He wants to go on a “second honeymoon” with us and restore our early love (see Rv 2:4). He desires to bring us back to the childlike awareness of His loving presence which we had when we first started to love Him (see Lk 18:17).

To give us a spiritual springtime, the Lord may lead us through a time of crisis. Like Esther, we may be “seized with mortal anguish” and cry out to the Lord from the depths of our hearts (Est C:12). Or we may experience the Lord’s glory and power through a conversion, deliverance, breakthrough, or healing in our lives. Then our relationship will be so refreshed that we will pray with childlike faith and simply ask and receive (Mt 7:7). We will no longer gasp for breath amid the secularist pollution of doubt and confusion. We can take a deep breath for the first time in a long time and breathe in the fresh, warm air of a Lenten springtime.

Prayer: "My Lord, our King, You alone are God. Help me, who am alone and have no help but You, for I am taking my life in my hand" (Est C:14-15).

Promise: "Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion." —Est C:24

Praise: Thomas returned to Confession again after an absence of several years and the peace he experienced melted his heart.

(For a related teaching on Conversion-Conversations, 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 February 01/2022 through March 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 16, 2021"

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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A SIGN FOR THE TIMES - One Bread, One Body, 03/09/2022

Wednesday, March 9, 2022, St. Frances of Rome

Jonah 3:1-10
Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19
Luke 11:29-32
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A SIGN FOR THE TIMES
"Just as Jonah was a sign for the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be a sign for the present age." —Luke 11:30

For modern-day readers of today’s Gospel, the sign of Jonah is that he spent three days buried in the belly of the large fish (Jon 2:1). After three days, the fish spit him alive onto the shore. Thus, Jonah prefigured Jesus’ three-day burial and subsequent Resurrection.

In today’s text, Jesus refers to Jonah being “a sign for the Ninevites” (Lk 11:30). The Old Testament book of Jonah makes no mention of Jonah telling the people of Nineveh about his “fish story.” In addition, Jonah despised Nineveh (see Jon 4:1-2). While he may have enjoyed prophesying their destruction, in his pride he likely wouldn’t have shared his humiliating experience with those he hated. Exactly how, then, was Jonah “a sign for the Ninevites”?

From the standpoint of the Ninevites, Jonah’s sign would have been the prophetic words he spoke. To prophesy means simply to speak what God is speaking when He is speaking it. Jonah’s timely prophetic words carried the awesome convicting power of Almighty God. The immediate and total repentance of the Ninevites proved the power of prophecy.

Your words may be eloquent, but God’s prophetic words have the power. “The time is short” (1 Cor 7:29). Let’s spend the rest of our lives (1 Pt 4:2) speaking God’s words, not ours. His words spoken at the proper time change hearts (1 Thes 2:13; Heb 4:12-13). “Set your hearts on...the gift of prophecy” (1 Cor 14:1).

Prayer: Father, teach me "what to say and how to speak" (Jn 12:49). May I be a sign of Your power to the present generation.

Promise: "The people of Nineveh believed God." —Jon 3:5

Praise: After the death of her nobleman husband, St. Frances of Rome took the "lowest place" (Lk 14:10) by entering the convent as one of the humblest of sisters. God soon raised her up to the role of a superior.

(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 February 01/2022 through March 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 16, 2021"

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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FORGIVE FOR YOUR ETERNITY - One Bread, One Body, 03/08/2022

Tuesday, March 8, 2022, St. John of God

Isaiah 55:10-11
Psalm 34:4-7, 16-19
Matthew 6:7-15
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FORGIVE FOR YOUR ETERNITY
"If you forgive the faults of others, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours. If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive you." —Matthew 6:14-15

The above Scripture passage from today’s Gospel reading is blunt and clear. “The measure with which you measure will be used to measure you” (Mt 7:2). Our eternal forgiveness and salvation depend upon whether or not we have forgiven those who have wronged us. Yet we are only human, and our sinful nature inherited from original sin makes forgiveness impossible from a human standpoint. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing, particularly when choosing to forgive (Jn 15:5).  Therefore, we must constantly beg the Lord for the grace to forgive “seventy times seven times” those who have harmed us  (Mt 18:22).

So let us:

1)gaze on the crucified Jesus, Who says: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing” (Lk 23:34),

2) pray the Our Father daily, asking the Father to “forgive us the wrong we have done as we forgive those who wrong us” (Mt 6:12),

3) attend Mass as often as possible, even daily, for there we hear that Jesus forgave even on the night He was betrayed,

4) immerse ourselves in the Word of God, which speaks constantly of forgiveness and always achieves God’s will (see Is 55:10-11), and

5) make a Lenten Confession and be immersed in forgiveness.

Prayer: Father, this Lent give me the grace to forgive from the heart all who have hurt me.

Promise: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit He saves." —Ps 34:19

Praise: When St. John's hospital burned, he carried out all the patients through the flames, but no one was burned (see Is 43:2).

(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 February 01/2022 through March 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 16, 2021"

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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STARVED FOR ATTENTION - One Bread, One Body, 03/07/2022

Monday, March 7, 2022, Sts. Perpetua & Felicity

Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Psalm 19:8-10, 15
Matthew 25:31-46
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STARVED FOR ATTENTION
"You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor's life is at stake." —Leviticus 19:16

Lent prepares us to celebrate the Resurrection. But it’s hard for someone starving to death to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead. It’s also hard for Christians to celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection victory when they are at the same time allowing people to starve. “How can God’s love survive in a man who has enough of this world’s goods yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?” (1 Jn 3:17) Jesus Himself is saying: “I was hungry and you gave Me no food” (Mt 25:42). “I assure you, as often as you neglected to do it to one of these least ones, you neglected to do it to Me” (Mt 25:45).

We must do something to feed Jesus. For years we have heard pleas to help the poor and starving, and things have only become worse. The poor have become poorer, and the rich richer. We’ve sent in our contributions, but we have not responded as if we really believe these people are our brothers and sisters in Christ. If our own relatives were starving, we would respond differently. If we really believed serving the poor was serving Jesus, we’d do anything for them. Our resignation to mass starvation is a scandal that casts doubt on the reality of the Resurrection. The risen Jesus is still saying: “If you love Me, feed My sheep” (see Jn 21:17).

Prayer: Jesus, so many need my help immediately or they will die. May I not "save for a rainy day," but put my money where my faith is.

Promise: "These will go off to eternal punishment and the just to eternal life." —Mt 25:46

Praise: St. Perpetua was a noblewoman of Carthage in North Africa. St. Felicity was her slave. Both were imprisoned for their Christian faith and bravely accepted martyrdom. Their happiness in the face of death has witnessed to millions for centuries.



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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 February 01/2022 through March 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 16, 2021"

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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LENT IN THE SPIRIT - One Bread, One Body, 03/06/2022

Sunday, March 6, 2022, First Sunday of Lent

Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Romans 10:8-13
Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15
Luke 4:1-13

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LENT IN THE SPIRIT
"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, then returned from the Jordan and was conducted by the Spirit into the desert for forty days." —Luke 4:1-2

Lent is imitating Jesus’ forty days in the desert. Jesus began His “Lent” filled with and led by the Holy Spirit (see Lk 4:1). He also came out of the Lenten desert “in the power of the Spirit” (Lk 4:14). The Holy Spirit directed Jesus every step of the way through the “first Lent.”

Are we letting the Spirit direct us this Lent? (Gal 5:25) Are we fasting, praying, giving alms, and evangelizing in the Spirit? (Mt 6:3, 5, 16) The Spirit will call us to do things this Lent we’d never thought of before. If these things seem impossible, the Spirit will help us in our weakness (Rm 8:26). By the Spirit, we will be able to fast in some way for each of the forty days of Lent. By praying in the Spirit, we will pray this Lent on a new level, with greater perseverance and depth. With the faith and love of the Spirit, we will give alms so much that we will have to make sacrifices and simplify our lives. Finally, this Lent, we will not only resist temptations but also make a frontal attack on the gates of hell (Mt 16:18-19), as we win the world for Christ through Spirit-filled evangelization.

A Spirit-led Lent is different from the Lents to which many of us have been accustomed. A Spirit-filled Lent is like Jesus’ Lent. Let us follow in His footsteps.

Prayer: Jesus, may this Lent be like the first one.

Promise: "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." —Rm 10:9

Praise: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!

(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 February 01/2022 through March 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 16, 2021"

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 CALL TO FASTING IS A CALL TO GREATNESS - One Bread, One Body, 03/05/2022

Saturday, March 5, 2022,

Isaiah 58:9-14
Psalm 86:1-6
Luke 5:27-32
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THE CALL TO FASTING IS A CALL TO GREATNESS
"The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up." —Isaiah 58:12

When Levi decided to be a tax collector (see Lk 5:27), he separated himself from his people and his family. This perhaps showed that his family relationships were in ruins. But if his family relationships were not yet completely ruined, Levi proceeded to ruin them by becoming a tax collector, an accomplice of the Roman oppression and an enemy of the Jewish people.

After Levi followed Jesus and received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, this man whose house had been in ruins became part of the apostolic foundation of the Church (Eph 2:20; Rv 21:14). Levi, who is also called Matthew, compiled and wrote the first book of the New Testament. After the Lord restored Levi’s ruined homestead, He definitely fulfilled His promise to us and to Levi that we would “ride on the heights of the earth” (Is 58:14).

The amazing process by which the Lord restored Levi’s ruined homestead and transformed countless millions through Levi’s Gospel can be initiated by true fasting (see Is 58:6ff). Our fasting this Lent will also restore ruined homesteads and raise up great leaders so that we too will ride on the heights of the earth.

Fasting begins a march to greatness. Fast and change the world.

Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to guide me to the truth of fasting's place in Your plan of salvation (see Jn 16:13).

Promise: "Then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails." —Is 58:11

Praise: Louis' co-workers challenged him to skip lunch to join them in their Bible study.

(Make plans to join us for our annual women's retreat March 18-19, Mary: Woman of Strength. The Lord is pleased when we turn to His mother for direction. To register, call (937) 587-5464 or e-mail retreats@presentationministries.com.)

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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 February 01/2022 through March 31, 2022 Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 16, 2021"

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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