A GOOD CRY - One Bread, One Body, 11/21/2024

Thursday, November 21, 2024, Presentation of Mary

Revelation 5:1-10
Psalm 149:1-6, 9
Luke 19:41-44

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A GOOD CRY
"I wept bitterly…" —Revelation 5:4

St. John shed many tears because no one had been found worthy to open the heavenly scroll (Rv 5:3-4). That scroll represented the revelation of God’s will, which was the only way to resolve the world’s problems. John wept because the world would be left mired in its problems without hope. Jesus also shed many tears in today’s Gospel passage (Lk 19:41). He wept over Jerusalem because the path to peace was shown to the city, but it refused to follow that path (Lk 19:42) and its rebellion would be deadly (Lk 19:43-44).

It is good to weep for people when their obstinacy blocks the will of God. This is a godly sorrow, and “sorrow for God’s sake produces a repentance without regrets, whereas worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor 7:10). Godly mourning and sorrow can even bring divine protection; those who mourned for Jerusalem’s sins were spared during its destruction (Ez 9:4-6). Jesus calls this godly mourning “blessed” (see Mt 5:4). We weep as God’s will is blocked, even as we pray and work for His will to be done on this earth (Ps 126:5-6).

Today is the patronal feast of Presentation Ministries: the Presentation of Mary in the Temple. Mary grew up to become the Sorrowful Mother, weeping many tears in godly sorrow. Her life of mourning, sorrow, and victory is proof that our godly tears are not in vain. Jesus spoke to the weeping women of Jerusalem (Lk 23:27ff). He also speaks words of comfort to those who weep for God’s will to be done. One day, Jesus will wipe every tear from the eyes of those who mourn, and there shall be no further mourning (Rv 21:4). God sees and cherishes your every tear (Ps 56:9).

Prayer: Father, I choose to offer my sorrows to You rather than drown them in worldly distractions.

Promise: "The Lord loves His people, and He adorns the lowly with victory." —Ps 149:4

Praise: "His mercy is from age to age on those who fear Him" (Lk 1:50).

(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 Octobert 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 24, 2024"

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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HOLY MASS: A HEAVENLY EXPERIENCE - One Bread, One Body, 11/20/2024

Wednesday, November 20, 2024,

Revelation 4:1-11
Psalm 150:1-6
Luke 19:11-28

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HOLY MASS: A HEAVENLY EXPERIENCE
"Holy, holy, holy..." —Revelation 4:8

The book of Revelation gives us a vision that lifts our minds and our spirits from an earthly to a heavenly perspective. St. John’s vision helps us to set our hearts on heaven rather than earth (Col 3:1-2). More than anything else on earth, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass enables us to have not only a heavenly perspective, but even a heavenly experience. In the Mass, Jesus is present in the Eucharist. Jesus Himself said: that He is the Living Bread come down from heaven, given to us so that we may eat and never die (see Jn 6:50, 51). In the Person of the Eucharistic Jesus, heaven is wedded to earth (Easter Vigil Exsultet).

In the Mass, we join with the angels and saints as they sing, “Holy, holy, holy” (Rv 4:8). In the Mass, we spend our lives in heavenly worship and earthly charity until Jesus returns. At Mass, we “praise the Lord in His sanctuary” (Ps 150:1). We wait in joyful hope for Jesus to come again and bring us with Him to heaven. In the Mass, we have “an open door to heaven” (Rv 4:1) as we join in the heavenly worship “around the throne” of God (Rv 4:3). In the Mass, “the Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1354).

At Mass, “we have our citizenship in heaven; it is from there that we eagerly await the coming of our Savior” Jesus Christ (Phil 3:20). “Participation in the Holy Sacrifice [of the Mass]...unites us even now to the Church in heaven” (Catechism, 1419). Go to Mass as often as possible, even daily. Experience heaven on earth. Prepare for life in heaven.

Prayer: Jesus, I invest my life in taking up the cup of salvation, the Bread of Life, and calling on Your name at Mass (Ps 116:12-13).

Promise: "Whoever has will be given more, but the one who has not will lose the little he has." —Lk 19:26

Praise: Praying together as a family has helped the Wesley family weather the storms of health problems.

(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 Octobert 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 24, 2024"

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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SEEING THE BLINDNESS - One Bread, One Body, 11/19/2024

Tuesday, November 19, 2024,

Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22
Psalm 15:2-5
Luke 19:1-10

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SEEING THE BLINDNESS
"Today salvation has come to this house." —Luke 19:9

Salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house when Jesus, the Savior, came to his house and Zacchaeus responded: “I give half my belongings, Lord, to the poor. If I have defrauded anyone in the least, I pay him back fourfold” (Lk 19:8). Zacchaeus accepted Jesus and salvation by loving the poor, making radical changes in his lifestyle, and admitting that he may have defrauded others.

When we sin, we become spiritually blind and even blind to being blind. Nevertheless, Zacchaeus inferred that he may have been blind to injustices that he had done. This is a great grace when someone prays to be cleansed of their unknown faults (Ps 19:13) and thereby admits at least the possibility of spiritual blindness. St. Paul had this grace when he stated: “Mind you, I have nothing on my conscience. But that does not mean that I am declaring myself innocent” (1 Cor 4:4). Paul did not rule out the possibility of spiritual blindness. In contrast, the church of Laodicea did not realize how wretched, pitiable, poor, naked, and blind it was (Rv 3:17). This church needed to have its sight restored by smearing the ointment of repentance on its eyes (see Rv 3:18). However, like some of the Pharisees, the church of Laodicea said: “But we see,” and their sin remained (Jn 9:41).

Eventually, blindness to spiritual blindness can become the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Spirit (Mt 12:31). How can we ask forgiveness when we’ve lost the sense of sin! With Zacchaeus, let us admit the possibility of spiritual blindness in our lives. This is part of accepting salvation into our houses.

Prayer: Father, open the "eyes of [our] hearts" (Eph 1:18, RSV-CE) and of all who read this.

Promise: "I will never erase his name from the book of the living, but will acknowledge him in the presence of My Father." —Rv 3:5

Praise: When Thomas decided to forgive, his elevated blood pressure went down.



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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 Octobert 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 24, 2024"

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 BOOK OF REVELATION - One Bread, One Body, 11/18/2024

Monday, November 18, 2024, Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter & Paul
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Luke 18:35-43

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THE BOOK OF REVELATION
"This is the revelation God gave." —Revelation 1:1

The Bible is a tremendous revelation the Lord has given to us through His Church. Thus, it is appropriate for the Bible to end with the book of Revelation. This book is given:

• “to Jesus Christ” (Rv 1:1),
• through Jesus to us who are His servants (Rv 1:1),
• to us by an angel sent to John (Rv 1:1),
• to show us “what must happen very soon” (Rv 1:1),
• as a “prophetic message” (Rv 1:3),
• to bless us (Rv 1:3),
• to the Church (see Rv 1:4), and
• to call us to repent and return to our “early love” of God (Rv 2:4).

In the book of Revelation, the Lord has saved the best wine until last (see Jn 2:10). It is a great privilege to enter into the mystery of the book of Revelation. Therefore:

• thank the Lord for the book of Revelation,
• ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to all truth in Revelation (see Jn 16:13),
• read the whole book of Revelation in the next two weeks, not only the excerpts read at Mass each day,
• live what you read in Revelation, and
• share what the Holy Spirit teaches you in Revelation.

Let us end the Church’s year learning, loving, and living Revelation.

Prayer: Father, through the book of Revelation, prepare me for Your Son's final coming.

Promise: Lord, "I want to see." —Lk 18:41

Praise: Sts. Peter and Paul, fisherman and tent-maker, became the great apostles to the Jews and Gentiles, respectively (see Gal 2:7-9).



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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 Octobert 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 24, 2024"

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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“HE IS NEAR” (Mk 13:29) - One Bread, One Body, 11/17/2024

Sunday, November 17, 2024, 33rd Sunday Ordinary Time

Daniel 12:1-3
Hebrews 10:11-14, 18
Psalm 16:5, 8-11
Mark 13:24-32
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"HE IS NEAR" (Mk 13:29)
"Then men will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He will dispatch His angels and assemble His chosen." —Mark 13:26-27

In these last two weeks of the Church year, the Church pays special attention to the Second Coming of Christ. Focusing on Jesus’ return in power is critical for our life in Christ and our spiritual well-being.

Some readers of One Bread, One Body live in foreign countries and are actively persecuted for their faith in Jesus. Some of our foreign printers and distributors risk their lives regularly to spread God’s Word. If you “face death every day” (1 Cor 15:31) for your life of courageous faith, be encouraged. The Lord Jesus will always have the final word. Your Redeemer lives, and your eyes will see Him (Jb 19:25, 27). “He is near, even at the door” (Mk 13:29; Rv 3:20), and you will see Him coming with great power and glory to vindicate you (Mk 13:26-27). “Stand erect and hold your heads high, for your deliverance is near at hand” (Lk 21:28).

For those who don’t live for the Lord, Jesus’ Second Coming will not be humble and meek as was His first coming. There will be no gentle Infant lying in an obscure manger. His Second Coming will shake the cosmos in “great power and glory” (Mk 13:26; cf 2 Pt 3:10). Few noticed Him in Bethlehem; this time “every eye shall see Him, even of those who” reject Him (Rv 1:7). He will come as Judge (Jas 5:9). Therefore, repent now before it’s too late! Reconcile with Jesus now, for you know not the day nor the hour of His return (Mk 13:32).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may I know You as Savior as well as Judge.

Promise: "You will show me the path to life, fullness of joys in Your presence, the delights at Your right hand forever." —Ps 16:11

Praise: Praise the risen Jesus, Who will come again in 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 Octobert 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 24, 2024"

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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“FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET” - One Bread, One Body, 11/16/2024

Saturday, November 16, 2024, St. Margaret of Scotland
St. Gertrude the Great

3 John 5-8
Psalm 112:1-6
Luke 18:1-8

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"FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET"
"Will He delay long over them, do you suppose? I tell you, He will give them swift justice." —Luke 18:7-8

God’s timing is different than ours. “This point must not be overlooked, dear friends. In the Lord’s eyes, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day” (2 Pt 3:8). This means that God is both very slow and very fast by our standards (see 2 Pt 3:9). We often emphasize God’s supposed slowness. Yet we should also focus on His speed. God sometimes works “in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor 15:52). God promises to give us “swift justice” (Lk 18:8).

However, the Lord will not force His justice or His swiftness on us. We must pray always and not lose heart (Lk 18:1). Otherwise, we will cause the Lord to delay (Lk 18:7) in stopping the gross injustices of abortion, racism, “ethnic cleansings,” starvation, and other catastrophic evils.

To pray always and receive God’s swift justice, we must have faith. “Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Faith is a gift which the Lord freely gives. Once again, we must pray to receive faith (Lk 17:5), exercise the faith we have, and nourish our faith through hearing God’s Word, for faith comes through hearing, and hearing by God’s Word (Rm 10:17).

Grow in faith; pray always; receive swift justice in a severely unjust world. “The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet” (Rm 16:20). Come Jesus — swiftly!

Prayer: Father, I will hasten Your Son's final coming (2 Pt 3:12) by my holiness and obedience.

Promise: "Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice; he shall never be moved." —Ps 112:5-6

Praise: Though living two very different vocations, one as a mother of eight children and the other as a Benedictine nun, Sts. Margaret and Gertrude both laid down their lives for Love.



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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 Octobert 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 24, 2024"

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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FUTURE NOW - One Bread, One Body, 11/15/2024

Friday, November 15, 2024, St. Albert the Great

2 John 4-9
Psalm 119:1-2, 10-11, 17-18
Luke 17:26-37

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FUTURE NOW
"As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They ate and drank, they took husbands and wives, right up to the day Noah entered the ark — and when the flood came, it destroyed them all." —Luke 17:26-27

At the end of the world, many people will not be prepared. This has also been the case with Noah’s flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and other catastrophes. Thus, to be prepared for the future, we must be prepared in the present for anything.

Are you ready for the end of the world and Jesus’ final coming now? Are you ready to die now? Are you ready to be martyred for Jesus now? If we’re not ready to die now, then we’re not ready to live the abundant life in Christ.

To be ready for anything now, we must be living in and for Jesus alone. Jesus is our only Hope, and the only Hope we need. Jesus is the Lord of the past, the present, and the future (see Heb 13:8). Jesus is the only name “in the whole world given to men by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12). Without Jesus, we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). In Jesus, nothing is impossible (Lk 1:37). Jesus is God, Who “is Love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 Jn 4:16). “There is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rm 8:1). When Jesus is our Life (see Jn 14:6; 11:25), we have eternal life. In Jesus, we will escape “the wrath to come” (1 Thes 1:10), for the Lord has plans for our welfare, not for woe — plans to give us a future full of hope (Jer 29:11). Give your life totally to Jesus now. Then look forward in joy to the future.

Prayer: Father, make all who read this holy in every aspect of their conduct (1 Pt 1:15).

Promise: "Look out that you yourselves do not lose what you have worked for; you must receive your reward in full." —2 Jn 8

Praise: One of St. Albert's greatest works was to help in discipling of one of his students, St. Thomas Aquinas.



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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 Octobert 1, 2024, through November 30, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 24, 2024"

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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