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Saturday, January 10, 2009

REJOICING AND DECREASING - One Bread, One Body, 1/10/2009

Read through the whole Bible in 2009. See our reading schedules at:
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Saturday, January 10, 2009

1 John 5:14-21, Psalm 149, John 3:22-30
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/011009.shtml

REJOICING AND DECREASING

"He must increase, while I must decrease." —John 3:30

As we come to the last two days of the Christmas season, we are filled
with joy. During Advent, we have waited, listening for the Lord (Jn 3:29).
In the Christmas season, we have been "overjoyed to hear His voice" (Jn
3:29). With John the Baptizer, we can say: "That is my joy, and it is
complete" (Jn 3:29). John's joy at hearing Jesus' voice led him to make
the resolution: "He [Jesus] must increase, while I must decrease" (Jn
3:30).

We should make the same resolution. After being filled with joy this
Christmas season, we should decrease and resolve to devote this year and
this life to increase Jesus in our world. If we decrease in wealth and
power, all that matters is that Jesus increase as His body the Church
increases in holiness, numbers, and outreach. If we decrease in
popularity, we rejoice as long as Jesus is praised. If we decrease in
strength by spending ourselves in God's service, we're happy to be able to
help increase Christ's kingdom.

Eventually Jesus will increase so much that He with the Father and the
Spirit will "be all in all" (1 Cor 15:28), and we will decrease and become
"like a little child" (Mk 10:15). Then we'll be small enough to come into
God's kingdom through the narrow door (see Lk 13:24).

Prayer: Father, may I joyfully die to myself (see Lk 9:23).

Promise: "We have this confidence in God: that He hears us whenever we ask
for anything according to His will." —1 Jn 5:14

Praise: Martin prayed to be free of the bonds of what others thought or
said of him and he thereby allowed Jesus to be magnified in his life.

(For a related teaching, order our tape "Meeting the Risen Christ" on
audio AV 4A-1 or video V-4A.)

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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant my
permission to publish "One Bread, One Body" covering the period from
December 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009
†Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati, June 17, 2008

The rescript 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 ecclesial permission agree with the contents, opinions, or
statements expressed.

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Friday, January 9, 2009

ONLY JESUS - One Bread, One Body, 1/9/2009

Friday, January 9, 2009

1 John 5:5-13, Psalm 147, Luke 5:12-16
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/010909.shtml

ONLY JESUS

"God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." —1 John 5:11

Some people maintain we have many ways to reach God, although Jesus may be
the best Way in their viewpoint. However, Jesus did not call Himself the
best Way but the Way, the only Way to the Father (Jn 14:6).

"The testimony is this: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. Whoever possesses the Son possesses life; whoever does not possess
the Son of God does not possess life" (1 Jn 5:11-12). God's life is in
Jesus His Son, and only in His Son. "Through Him all things came into
being, and apart from Him nothing came to be" (Jn 1:3).

Jesus Christ is "our only Master and Lord" (Jude 4). "There is no
salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name in the whole world
given to men by which we are to be saved" (Acts 4:12). Any saving work in
the world, even in the lives of those who haven't heard the gospel, is
done by Jesus.

Therefore, we exist to evangelize, to tell the world about Jesus. We want
"to bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one under Christ's
headship" (Eph 1:10). Because Jesus is the only Way, Truth, Life, Savior,
Lord, and God, we must be His witnesses even to the ends of the earth
(Acts 1:8).

Prayer: Father, on these last few days of the Christmas season, may I give
others Christmas by giving them Christ.

Promise: "Jesus stretched out His hand to touch him and said, 'I do will
it. Be cured.' Immediately the leprosy left him." —Lk 5:13

Praise: Thomas experienced a "reality check" when he came to a deeper
understanding that he doesn't have to save himself. He discovered that
Jesus is "Master and Lord."

(For a related teaching, order our leaflet, "Job Performance for Jesus",
or on audio AV 43-3 or video V-43.)

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Thursday, January 8, 2009

Do Not Worry

Source: J. John
Did you know that most people's anxiety is focused and preoccuiped with 40%
of things that will never happen, 30% of things relating to the past that
can't be changed, and 12% of things relating to other people's criticism,
which is generally untrue, and 10% of things relating to health, which often
gets worse with stress and negative thinking. Only 8% of the time do they
worry about real concerns that will need to be faced. So, if only 8% of all
the issues in our lives really turn out to be 'something.' Why is it that we
spend so much time worrying and being highly anxious and being highly
anxious and stressed about all the rest?

I read a story about Arthur Rank who decided to do all his worrying on one
day each week. He chose Wednesdays. When anything happened that gave him
anxiety and annoyed him, he would write it down, put it in his 'worry box'
and forget about it until the following Wednesday. The interesting thing was
that, on the following Wednesday when he opened his worry box, he found that
most of the things that had disturbed him the past six days were no longer
issues of concern. So it would have been useless to have worried about them
in the first place.

Of course, there are important things going on in our lives that we do need
to take seriously. However, if we spend most of our time worrying about the
inconsequential, we won't have time to focus on matters of consequence. When
we are concerned about the things that we can't do anything about, we have a
tendency to miss things which are really important and no time and energy
left to deal with them.

The issue with worry and anxiety raises the issue of our faith and trust in
God. Does God know? Does God care? Is our God sovereign? Can we trust God?

Did Jesus himself not say in Matthew 6: 25-30: "I tell you not to worry
about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough
clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than
clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in
barns, for you heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable
to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how
they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his
glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so
wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire
tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you hvae so little faith?"

I heard about a woman who couldn't sleep at night because she worried that
her home would be burgled. One night her husband heard a noise in the house,
so he went downstairs to investigate. When he got there, he found a burglar.
He immediately said, "Come upstairs and meet my wife. She's been waiting 10
years to meet you."

A real burglar can steal from us once. Worry can steal from us night after
night, for many years. Worry not only steals sleep, it also steals our
health and our ability to cope with life productively.

And what about people who constantly ovsess about their weight? It's all
very well being health conscious, but should we think about food intake to
such an extent that there's no room in our heads to think of anything else?

Elephants live longer than people, maybe because they never worry about
trying to lose weight!

Maybe we should take the following verse like medication three times a day,
morning, noon and night to remind us to renew our minds: "Do not be anxious,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 6-7.

May you know the Lord's SHALOM all around the compass and the clock.

Agapé

J.John

Useful link: www.philotrust.com

WAITING FOR THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT - One Bread, One Body, 1/8/2009

Thursday, January 8, 2009

1 John 4:19—5:4, Psalm 72, Luke 4:14-22
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/010809.shtml

WAITING FOR THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; therefore He has anointed Me." —Luke
4:18

Sometimes our hearts just break. We wish we could wipe out starvation, set
all the captives free, reconcile every broken marriage, and evangelize the
world within twenty-four hours. However, before we try to do anything and
everything, we must wait for the fulfillment of the Father's promise, the
release of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5).

The Christmas season will end Sunday with the celebration of the baptism
of Jesus. When the Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism, He began His
public ministry (Mt 3:16ff). We too can receive the stirring up of the
Spirit at the close of this Christmas season. Then we can begin
ministering "glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives,
recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners" (Lk 4:18).

Jesus didn't move into ministry nor was the Church born until the Spirit
was poured out. We desperately need to end Christmas with the release of
the Spirit. In the next three days, we should grow thirstier for the
Spirit (Jn 7:37), and go to Confession. Then we should wait and pray in
the upper room for Power from on high, the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

Prayer: "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and kindle
in them the fire of Your love."

Promise: "Everyone begotten of God conquers the world, and the power that
has conquered the world is this faith of ours." —1 Jn 5:4

Praise: Gloria forgave the drunk driver that crashed into her car.

(For a related teaching, order our leaflet "Praying for a New Pentecost"
or our audio tapes AV 92A-1, AV 92A-3, AV 92B-1 or our video series of two
tapes that starts with V-92A.)

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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

SHOCKING LOVE - One Bread, One Body, 1/7/2009

Wednesday, January 7, 2009, St. Raymond of Penyafort

1 John 4:11-18, Psalm 72, Mark 6:45-52
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/010709.shtml

SHOCKING LOVE

"They were taken aback by these happenings." —Mark 6:51

Throughout Epiphany week, God's word proclaims Jesus' mastery over
creation. He can heal the sick (Monday), multiply food (Tuesday), and walk
on the water (today) (Mk 6:48). These miracles show us Jesus' almighty
power and how much He emptied Himself (Phil 2:7) when He became a helpless
Infant. The all-powerful Creator of the world could not walk, talk, or
roll over. The second Person of the blessed Trinity talked baby-talk, wet
His diapers, and spit out His food. Almighty God weighed just a few
pounds, shivered, cried, and nursed at His mother's breast.

The message of Christmas and God's incarnation is shocking. He Who created
the billions of galaxies with billions of stars, Who created the countless
creatures on this little planet, became completely dependent on His
parents, just like us. It seems almost blasphemous to suggest that God
became a weak human being. Yet He did, out of love for us, and amazingly,
"we must have the same love for one another" (1 Jn 4:11). "If we love one
another God dwells in us" (1 Jn 4:12). "God is Love, and he who abides in
Love abides in God, and God in him" (1 Jn 4:16). The meaning of Christmas
is shocking, but ultimately, it is love.

Prayer: Infant Jesus, I prostrate myself before You in homage.

Promise: "Love has no room for fear." —1 Jn 4:18

Praise: St. Raymond used his gifted intelligence to further the truth and
to encourage others to do the same.

(The Wise Men followed the star and sought the King. We too are called to
"Seek First the Kingdom of God." Attend a retreat by that title in
Cincinnati on Feb. 28th. This retreat will help you put your priorities in
a "right order." Call 937-587-5464 or 513-373-2397 to register.)

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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

MULTIPLIED MULTIPLICATIONS - One Bread, One Body, 1/6/2009

Tuesday, January 6, 2009, Bl. Andre Bessette

1 John 4:7-10, Psalm 72, Mark 6:34-44
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/010609.shtml

MULTIPLIED MULTIPLICATIONS

"Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus raised His eyes to
heaven, pronounced a blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the
disciples to distribute." —Mark 6:41

Why did the Church select today's Gospel reading? What does the
multiplication of the loaves and fish have to do with the Christmas
season? The point may be that we can have a few gifts for Christmas, or we
can have a miracle, the multiplication of gifts. The Lord is willing to
multiply our resources to feed the masses both physically and spiritually.

Jesus has the same compassion and power today as He had yesterday (see Heb
13:8), but we must do what the little boy in today's Gospel did. We must
give all to Jesus. We may have received a little money or a few presents
this Christmas. If we give them all to Jesus in some way, we can be part
of a Christmas multiplication-miracle. Then we can take these multiplied
resources and give them all to Jesus again. This will result in a second
multiplication miracle. If we keep giving our "alls" as our "alls" keep
multiplying, by the end of this year we will receive more than we can ever
ask or imagine (Eph 3:20).

Give all and keep giving your multiplied "alls" to the Lord. You will not
be disappointed.

Prayer: Father, I can't outgive You, but I can try. Multiply this
Christmas.

Promise: "Love, then, consists in this: not that we have loved God but
that He has loved us and has sent His Son as an Offering for our sins." —1
Jn 4:10

Praise: Bl. Andre gave his littleness to the Lord and "the Almighty did
great things" for him.

(For a related teaching, order our tape "I Believe in Miracles" on audio
AV 63-3 or video V-63.)

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Monday, January 5, 2009

A LIVING HOPE (see 1 Pt 1:3) - One Bread, One Body, 1/5/2009

Monday, January 5, 2009, St. John Neumann

1 John 3:22—4:6, Psalm 2, Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/010509.shtml

A LIVING HOPE (see 1 Pt 1:3)

"On those who inhabit a land overshadowed by death, light has
arisen." —Matthew 4:16

The Christmas season is a time when a greater number of people commit
suicide. Many others are more discouraged than normal because of family
breakdowns that intensify at Christmas. At the very time the Hope of the
World has come to us at Christmas, greater numbers of people are "without
hope...in the world" (Eph 2:12) because they cannot see the light.

Some difficult situations have persisted for so long that it's hard to
believe the situation will ever change for the better. "Hope deferred
makes the heart sick" (Prv 13:12). We wait so long that we're tempted to
be sick at heart, discouraged beyond hope. "But hope is not hope if its
object is seen; how is it possible for one to hope for what he sees?" (Rm
8:24)

Jesus comes this Christmas to give us a living, risen hope (1 Pt 1:3) to
replace any "dead" hope, which is actually hopelessness. "Hope is the
confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of God;
it is also the fear of offending God's love and incurring punishment"
(Catechism, 2090). A living hope based on Jesus gives us strength to
resist sin (1 Jn 3:3) and expect blessing, even when we are repeatedly
faced with difficulties. In fact, in Jesus these constant difficulties and
afflictions give us greater virtue and purity, and lead to greater hope
(Rm 5:3-4) that overcomes disappointment (Rm 5:5).

"So may God, the Source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace in
believing so that through the power of the Holy Spirit you may have hope
in abundance" (Rm 15:13).

Prayer: Father, in You I hope; in You I live.

Promise: "Those who keep His commandments remain in Him and He in
them." —1 Jn 3:24

Praise: St. John's hope of being ordained was deferred, but God rewarded
him with a new vision and ministry for the new world.

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

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