ARMED AND DANGEROUS - One Bread, One Body, 10/29/2026

Thursday, October 29, 2026 ,

Ephesians 6:10-20
Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10
Luke 13:31-35

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ARMED AND DANGEROUS
“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.” —Ephesians 6:17

Life is a wrestling match against demons (Eph 6:12). Our offensive weapon in this battle is the Holy Spirit working through His Word and in prayer (Eph 6:17-18).

To defeat the devil, we need to do what Jesus did when He was tempted (Mt 4:4, 7, 10) — we must wield the sword of God’s Word (see Rv 1:16) in the power of the Spirit. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (see Rm 10:17). Therefore, the Word of God is the basis for faith. Moreover, we must grow strong in our “holy faith through prayer in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20). Both proclaiming God’s Word in the Spirit and praying in the Spirit strengthen our faith. By such faith, we conquer the world (1 Jn 5:5) and claim Jesus’ victory over Satan, the prince of the world. The Spirit gives us the gift of faith (1 Cor 12:9) and the fruit of faith (Gal 5:22). Moreover, faith is how we move mountains (Mt 17:20) and destroy the strongholds of the evil one (2 Cor 10:4).

Consequently, Satan repeatedly tempts us to sin and thereby stifle the Spirit (1 Thes 5:19). This is his attempt to disarm us. We must resist his temptations and thus live the life in the Spirit, the life of faith and victory.

Prayer: Father, may I be armed and Satan disarmed (Lk 11:22), and not vice versa.

Promise: “Pray that I may have courage to proclaim it as I ought.” —Eph 6:20

Praise: Jim’s wife felt her parish was dead and wanted to leave the Catholic Church. Jim refused to allow her to leave. Years later, the two are major leaders in several Catholic ministries.

(For a related teaching on Spiritual Warfare, view, download or order our leaflet 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 One Bread, One Body covering the period October 1, 2026, through November 30, 2026, by Presentation Ministries. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 1, 2026"

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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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE? - One Bread, One Body, 10/28/2026

Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Sts. Simon & Jude

Ephesians 2:19-22
Psalm 19:2-5
Luke 6:12-16

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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?
“He called His disciples and selected twelve of them to be His apostles…Judas son of James.” —Luke 6:13, 16

At the Last Supper, St. Jude, also called Thaddeus (Mt 10:3; Mk 3:18), asked Jesus the question, “Lord, why is it that You will reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” (Jn 14:22) Because of Jude’s foresight, all of us know how Jesus answered that question: “Anyone who loves Me will be true to My word, and My Father will love him; We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words” (Jn 14:23-24). We receive the revelation of Jesus and the indwelling of the Father and the Son by knowing and obeying Jesus’ words.

St. Jude might be lesser known among the apostles, but he is:

• chosen personally by Jesus to be one of the twelve Apostles (Lk 6:13-16),
• a martyr,
• a foundation stone in the heavenly Jerusalem (Rv 21:14),
• part of the foundation of the one holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church (Eph 2:20),
• a traveling evangelist, preaching God’s Word in Iraq, Libya, Turkey, and Armenia, and
• a patron saint of impossible cases, along with St. Rita of Cascia. Believe with St. Jude that “nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37).

Prayer: Father, may I “persevere in [Your] love, and welcome the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ which leads to life eternal” (Jude 21).

Promise: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.” —Ps 19:2

Praise: “Glory be to this only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Majesty, too, be His, might and power from ages past, now and for ages to come. Amen” (Jude 25).

(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 One Bread, One Body covering the period October 1, 2026, through November 30, 2026, by Presentation Ministries. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 1, 2026"

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 VICTORY OF THE SMALL AND SLOW - One Bread, One Body, 10/27/2026

Tuesday, October 27, 2026,

Ephesians 5:21-33
Psalm 128:1-5
Luke 13:18-21

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THE VICTORY OF THE SMALL AND SLOW
“To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?” —Luke 13:20, RSV-CE

The kingdom of God at first appears to be small while our culture of death is mammoth. Furthermore, the kingdom of God often seems slow in developing. It seems as if it takes forever to make even a little progress. This could be very discouraging. However, a tiny mustard seed will eventually grow to become “a large shrub” (Lk 13:19), and yeast will slowly, imperceptibly, yet effectively cause a mass of dough to rise (Lk 13:21). If we’re small and slow in a big-time, high-speed, high-tech culture of death, we can still have hope for victory in Jesus’ parables and promises.

Jesus promises to do what we think impossible (see Lk 1:37). In our weakness, His power will reach perfection (2 Cor 12:9). He makes “all things work together for the good of those who love” Him (Rm 8:28). If we believe in Jesus, we will do greater works than He did (Jn 14:12). Jesus will do more than we ever “ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20). “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9). The small, slow people of God’s kingdom will be the conquerors of the world (1 Jn 5:5; cf 2 Pt 3:9) and even more than conquerors (Rm 8:37). Praise Jesus!

Prayer: Father, make the small and slow big-hearted and quick to hear (Jas 1:19), forgive, and love.

Promise: “Defer to one another out of reverence for Christ.” —Eph 5:21

Praise: Thirty-five years ago, a few Catholic home-schooling families began a small support group. After growing slowly for a few years, the group now consists of dozens of families.

(If you think you may be called to homeschool your children, consider viewing, downloading or ordering our leaflets Home-Schooling and Home-Discipling and/or There’s No Place Like Home-(Schooling) 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 One Bread, One Body covering the period October 1, 2026, through November 30, 2026, by Presentation Ministries. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 1, 2026"

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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UNSHACKLED - One Bread, One Body, 10/26/2026

Monday, October 26, 2026,

Ephesians 4:32—5:8
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Luke 13:10-17

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UNSHACKLED
“Should not this daughter of Abraham here who has been in the bondage of Satan for eighteen years have been released from her shackles on the sabbath?” —Luke 13:16

Jesus laid His hand on a woman who had been shackled, bound, and chained for eighteen years with health problems, and she was freed (Lk 13:11-13). “Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch” (Acts 12:6). Jesus freed Peter from the shackles of his chains in prison shortly before he was to be executed.

Jesus came “to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord” (Lk 4:18-19). Jesus brought a perpetual jubilee year of liberation. When Jesus “ascended on high, He took a host of captives and gave gifts to men” (Eph 4:8).

Jesus is called the Lamb, which is the symbol of the Israelite nation being freed from the shackles of Egyptian slavery. Jesus is called the Redeemer, that is, the One Who has paid the price to set us free. Jesus is the Truth (Jn 14:6), and the Truth will set us free (Jn 8:32). “That is why, if the Son frees you, you will really be free” (Jn 8:36).

Right now, ask Jesus to free you from the shackles of any chains, bondage, compulsions, or addictions. Even if you have had these chains for years, Jesus will free you now. Pray: “Jesus, Lamb, Redeemer, Truth, Lord, Savior, and God, have mercy on me and set me free.” You are free in Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, unshackle me for a ministry of setting captives free.

Promise: “As for lewd conduct or promiscuousness or lust of any sort, let them not even be mentioned among you; your holiness forbids this.” —Eph 5:3

Praise: After twenty years of drug addiction, John was set free in an instant, the instant he turned to his Redeemer.

(To help you become unshackled, view, download or order our booklet The Truth Will Set You Free 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 One Bread, One Body covering the period October 1, 2026, through November 30, 2026, by Presentation Ministries. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 1, 2026"

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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A “WHOLE” IN MY HEART - One Bread, One Body, 10/25/2026

Sunday, October 25, 2026, 30th Sunday Ordinary Time

Exodus 22:20-26
1 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51
Matthew 22:34-40
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A “WHOLE” IN MY HEART
“You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart.” —Matthew 22:37

We disciples of Christ are called to holiness. We are also called to “whole-liness.” We are to love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind (Mt 22:37).

It all begins with God’s love for us. “The love of God [is] poured out in our hearts” (Rm 5:5). God’s poured-out love fills our hearts with love for Him and for others (Mt 22:37). So “we, for our part, love because He first loved us” (1 Jn 4:19). Now we are full of God’s love.

True love, however, is not satisfied with being full. Love wants to grow and is always searching for a never-ending increase of still more love. Impelled by love (2 Cor 5:14), we ask God to give us a new heart (Ez 36:26). Now God pours out His love again (Rm 5:5) and our whole heart is filled. Overflowing with love, we can’t help but respond to God with more love. Therefore, we ask God to “enlarge” our hearts (Acts 20:32) so we can love Him more deeply. We even reach the point where we love God so much that we abide in God and God in us (1 Jn 4:16).

This cycle of love continues until the day of our death. On that day, we should have a huge heart of love for the Lord. At our death, we who love the Lord with our whole heart will rejoice as we see “what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9). We will see Him “face to face” (1 Cor 13:12).

Prayer: Father, I can’t love You if I don’t love Your people. Help me to love myself, then love my neighbor as myself (Mt 22:39).

Promise: “Praised be the Lord, I exclaim, and I am safe from my enemies.” —Ps 18:4

Praise: “Praise the Lord, O my soul; I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live” (Ps 146:1-2).

(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 One Bread, One Body covering the period October 1, 2026, through November 30, 2026, by Presentation Ministries. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 1, 2026"

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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HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? - One Bread, One Body, 10/24/2026

Saturday, October 24, 2026, St. Anthony Mary Claret

Ephesians 4:7-16
Psalm 122:1-5
Luke 13:1-9

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HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
“Cut it down.” —Luke 13:7

One possible way to view the parable in today’s Gospel passage is to consider yourself to be the owner of the vineyard and God to be the Gardener. As the owner, we want to discard the fig tree which has not produced any fruit for three years. God is the Gardener (see Gn 2:8), and He never gives up on any person. Think of a person you would like to remove from the garden of your life. This person never does anything productive for you. He or she clutters up your life and exhausts your energy (see Lk 13:7, NAB), and so you want to discard this person.

As the owner of the vineyard, we are tempted to say, “Kill it! Rid the garden of the likes of it! It’s not worthy to live!” (see Acts 22:22) Yet God, the Gardener, is ever patient, ever caring, ever “fertilizing” (see Lk 13:8). God’s patience is always focused on salvation (2 Pt 3:9; 1 Tm 2:4). God “descends” (see Eph 4:9) to give special care to what we, the owners, want to discard. But God the Gardener won’t even let us “pull up the weeds,” for He knows that, mysteriously, we ourselves might also be uprooted (see Mt 13:29).

How patient God is! How much He longs to seek and save the lost (Lk 19:10). He sends fertilization in the form of His nourishing Word (Mt 4:4) and His Sacraments, especially His Eucharistic Body, to those most in need. Ask the Lord to give you His own mind (1 Cor 2:16) and His heart of love for the unlovable.

Prayer: Father, give me Your eyes, heart, and mind (1 Cor 2:16), so I might view the people in my life as You view them (1 Jn 4:17).

Promise: “Let us profess the truth in love and grow to the full maturity of Christ the Head.” —Eph 4:15

Praise: St. Anthony Mary Claret founded a religious institute of missionaries known as the Claretians.

(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
(Give our Bible Telephone Line a try. Call 513-823-3111.)

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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 One Bread, One Body covering the period October 1, 2026, through November 30, 2026, by Presentation Ministries. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 1, 2026"

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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TRINITY-UNITY - One Bread, One Body, 10/23/2026

Friday, October 23, 2026, St. John of Capistrano

Ephesians 4:1-6
Psalm 24:1-6
Luke 12:54-59

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TRINITY-UNITY
“Make every effort to preserve the unity.” —Ephesians 4:3

The Lord has called us to unity — to be one as the Trinity is one (see Jn 17:21). Jesus died (Jn 11:51-52) so that we would be baptized into one body, in one Spirit (1 Cor 12:13), in one hope, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father” (Eph 4:4-6).

Because our Trinity-unity is at the heart of God’s plan, it is the prime target of the evil one. Consequently, we must “make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force” (Eph 4:3). To preserve and deepen unity with the Lord, in the Church, and in marriage and family, we should:

• “be filled with the Spirit” (see Eph 5:18) and never stifle the Spirit of unity (see 1 Thes 5:19),
• repent of sins, for sins always divide the body of Christ,
• receive Holy Communion daily or as frequently as possible,
• submit to the authority of the Church, for there is no unity without authority, and
• forgive 70 X 7 (Mt 18:22).

The Lord commands us: “Make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin” (Eph 4:3). Obey the Lord of unity.

Prayer: Father, to preserve unity I will accept Your grace to take up the cross and humble myself. Give us a new Pentecost of unity.

Promise: “He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his Savior.” —Ps 24:5

Praise: St. John of Capistrano devoted himself to increasing the fruitfulness of his own Franciscan brothers and sisters.

(For a related teaching on Don’t Stifle the Spirit, listen to, download or order AV 56-3 or V 56 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 One Bread, One Body covering the period October 1, 2026, through November 30, 2026, by Presentation Ministries. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 1, 2026"

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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