THE PARACLETE TAKES THE WITNESS STAND - One Bread, One Body,01/08/2021

Friday, January 8, 2021,

1 John 5:5-13
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20
Luke 5:12-16
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THE PARACLETE TAKES THE WITNESS STAND
"It is the Spirit Who testifies to this, and the Spirit is Truth." —1 John 5:6

On this fourteenth day of Christmas, our true Love, Jesus, gives us victory. We defeat the evil one “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of (our) testimony” (Rv 12:11), that is, our witness.

The water of Jesus’ baptism and the blood of His death witness that He is the Son of God (1 Jn 5:6-8). However, these witnesses are not always understood or accepted. So the Spirit witnesses for these witnesses (1 Jn 5:6). He bears witness on  behalf of Jesus (Jn 15:26). “The Spirit Himself gives witness with our” spirits (Rm 8:16). Therefore, by the Holy Spirit, we believe that Jesus is God, for “no one can say: ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 12:3). By the power of the Holy Spirit, we become witnesses for the risen Christ (Acts 1:8) and thereby conquer the world.

The Holy Spirit wants to rest on us (Lk 4:18) and make us witnesses for Jesus and more than conquerors (Rm 8:37). Listen “to the voice of the Spirit” (Toward the Third Millennium, Pope St. John Paul II, 48), and renew the face of the earth (Ps 104:30).

Prayer: Holy Spirit, cry out in my heart "Abba" (Gal 4:6).

Promise: "Great crowds gathered to hear Him and to be cured of their maladies." —Lk 5:15

Praise: Louise has become a dedicated virgin, one of the few in her diocese, dedicated to her Bridegroom.



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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 from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"

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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MOVEMENTS OF THE SPIRIT - One Bread, One Body, 01/07/2021

Thursday, January 7, 2021, St. Raymond of Peñafort

1 John 4:19—5:4
Psalm 72:1-2, 14-15, 17
Luke 4:14-22
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MOVEMENTS OF THE SPIRIT
"Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee." —Luke 4:14

Jesus inaugurated His public ministry by proclaiming: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me” (Lk 4:18). In the Spirit, Jesus preached, prophesied, taught, healed, and delivered many people from the evil one. He called us, His followers, to do the same. He even promised that we would do greater works than He did (Jn 14:12).

Many Christians in our secular humanistic culture doubt whether they can have such power in the Spirit. They don’t see great conversions, healings, and deliverances. Their experiences, or lack of experiences, seem to prove the Bible wrong. Yet what if our experiences, not the Bible, are wrong and woefully limited?

Before Jesus manifested such great power in the Spirit, the Spirit had already performed two other works in His life. At the River Jordan, the Spirit descended on Jesus (Mk 1:10) and cried out in His heart, “Abba” (“Father”) (Gal 4:6). Then, affirmed as the beloved, favored Son of God, Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit (Lk 4:1). To receive the power of the Spirit, we must first go with the Spirit into the waters of the Jordan River and then into the desert. There we will know deeply the Father’s personal love for us. Then we will receive the power of the Spirit to be like Jesus. This Sunday, on the celebration of the Baptism of Jesus, receive the first movement of the Spirit. 

Prayer: Father, in a deeper way give me the Holy Spirit, the only true Christmas Spirit.

Promise: "We...love because He first loved us." —1 Jn 4:19

Praise: St. Raymond of Peñafort lived to be 100 years old and contributed much to the body of the Church. He was a Doctor of Canon Law and Civil Law. He was the successor of St. Dominic in heading the Dominicans and he worked for the conversion of the Moors of Spain.

(For a related teaching on Prophecy, order, listen to, or download our CD 14A-1, CD 14A-3 and CD 14B-1 or our DVD 14A and DVD 14B 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 from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"

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 BEGINNINGS - One Bread, One Body, 01/01/2021

Friday, January 1, 2021, Mary, Mother of God

Numbers 6:22-27
Galatians 4:4-7
Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8
Luke 2:16-21

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THE BEGINNINGS
"When the eighth day arrived for His circumcision, the name Jesus was given the Child, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived." —Luke 2:21

When we become Christians, we start out as babies, “infants in Christ” (1 Cor 3:1). Just as babies must be taught to talk, walk, eat, clothe themselves, etc., so also baby Christians must be taught to talk, walk, think, feel, and act like Christ. We don’t know how to live, or even to start the day or the year. We must be taught every little thing. The world has programmed us to begin the new year by staying up late, altering our consciousness with alcohol, being preoccupied with petty pleasures, and amusing ourselves with the TV-hype of parades and bowl games.

However, the Lord begins His days and years differently. He promised the incredible sign of His birth to a virgin centuries before (Is 7:14). He made her be immaculately conceived a generation before. He began His life in the obscurity of a teenager’s womb in the country village of Nazareth (Lk 1:35). He began His public life as just one of the crowd waiting in line to be baptized by John (Mt 3:13). Then He fasted for forty days in the desert (Mt 4:2). Jesus began His days praying very early in the morning in a deserted place (Mk 1:35).

Jesus’ beginnings were hidden, quiet, humble, and prayerful. How will you begin this year?

Prayer: Jesus, may I let Your mother Mary teach me to live as You did. May this be a day of prayer for peace and justice in our world.

Promise: "Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart." —Lk 2:19

Praise: In 431 AD, the Council of Ephesus decreed the Church was right in calling the holy Virgin Mary "Theotokos" (God-bearer). From this we derive our English title "Mother of God."



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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 from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"

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 END - One Bread, One Body, 12/31/2020

Thursday, December 31, 2020, Pope St. Sylvester I

1 John 2:18-21
Psalm 96:1-2, 11-13
John 1:1-18
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THE END
"Children, it is the final hour." —1 John 2:18

On this last day of the year, you may look back on 2020 and see that many antichrists have appeared (1 Jn 2:18). It may have been a very difficult year. However, tough years need not be bad years. Even the most “impossible” year can be good. Even the most sinful year can be turned to the good by repentance, forgiveness, and total commitment to Jesus. “All’s well that ends well.” End this year by accepting God’s grace.

Even if you have endured such a year as Job had, you have so much for which to be thankful. No suffering or tragedy should overshadow the “love following upon love” (Jn 1:16) that God pours out over you. “Of His fullness we have all had a share” (Jn 1:16). The Lord has again “crowned the year” with His bounty (Ps 65:12). “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right and just” (introduction to the Preface at Mass).

“Give thanks to God the Father always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:20). “Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness” (Col 3:15). “Let the last word be, He is all in all! Let us praise Him the more, since we cannot fathom Him, for greater is He than all His works” (Sir 43:28-29).

Thank You, Jesus, for 2020. I love You with all my heart.

Prayer: Father, may I realize that You don't owe me anything and I owe You everything, even every moment of my life.

Promise: "In the beginning was the Word; the Word was in God's presence, and the Word was God." —Jn 1:1

Praise: In 330 AD, Emperor Constantine moved his capital city from Rome to Constantinople. Constantine gave his Lateran palace to Pope St. Sylvester. Sylvester transformed it into the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

In 330 AD, Emperor Constantine moved his capital city from Rome to Constantinople. Constantine gave his Lateran palace to Pope St. Sylvester. Sylvester transformed it into the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

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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 from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"

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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WILL YOU HAVE A REAL CHRISTMAS? - One Bread, One Body, 12/30/2020

Wednesday, December 30, 2020,

1 John 2:12-17
Psalm 96:7-10
Luke 2:36-40
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WILL YOU HAVE A REAL CHRISTMAS?
"Bring gifts, and enter His courts; worship the Lord." —Psalm 96:8-9

We can have two kinds of Christmases — one real and the other fake. Anna the prophetess had a real Christmas. This eighty-four year old widow “was constantly in the temple, worshiping day and night in fasting and prayer” (Lk 2:37). “She gave thanks to God and talked about the Child” (Lk 2:38). Anna met and loved Christ. Her Christmas and life were Christ-centered.

The fake Christmas is described as “carnal allurements, enticements for the eye, the life of empty show” (1 Jn 2:16). This fake Christmas passes away. It leaves its victims self-centered, empty, and unprepared to deal with the demands of life and the new year. This fake Christmas prevents us from experiencing God the Father’s love (1 Jn 2:15). It leaves us spiritually bankrupt of love.

What if you’ve been deceived into celebrating the fake Christmas? What if you’ve still not decided which Christmas you’ll celebrate? You can repent now. The Lord has called you to read this for that very reason. You don’t have to let the devil rob you of Christmas. There are still thirteen more days remaining in the Christmas season in which you can meet and love Jesus. You can live for Him. You can have a real Christmas.

Prayer: Father, may I "have no love for the world, nor the things that the world affords" (1 Jn 2:15).

Promise: "The man who does God's will endures forever." —1 Jn 2:17

Praise: The secularization of Christmas surprisingly drew Carlos back to the Church of his childhood.



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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 from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"

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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HIS BIRTH AND OUR DEATHS - One Bread, One Body, 12/29/2020

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, St. Thomas Becket

1 John 2:3-11
Psalm 96:1-3, 5-6
Luke 2:22-35
View Readings

HIS BIRTH AND OUR DEATHS
"Now, Master, You can dismiss Your servant in peace." —Luke 2:29

Simeon told the Lord, His Master, that he was ready to die now that he had seen Jesus alive. This points out the connection between our deaths and Jesus’ birth. The Church emphasizes this connection by celebrating the deaths of St. Thomas Becket today, the Holy Innocents yesterday, and St. Stephen on the second day of Christmas.

Jesus’ birth and our deaths go together because Jesus has revealed to us that our deaths are births into the eternal life of heaven (see Rm 6:8). Death is not the end of life, but the end of earthly limitations on life. “Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known” (1 Cor 13:12).

Death in Jesus is the birth into perfect life — a life greater than we can ever see, hear, or conceptualize (1 Cor 2:9). Our earthly life is comparable to being in the womb. In the womb, we are truly human beings; we can experience God (see Lk 1:41); we can know love, be nourished, and grow. However, when we are born, a whole new world opens up for us. Death is the birth by which we are transferred from the womb of earthly life to the light of heavenly life. We know this because we know Life itself, Jesus Christ, the Baby born at Bethlehem.

Prayer: Father, may I not abort myself by sin.

Promise: "The darkness is over and the real light begins to shine." —1 Jn 2:8

Praise: St. Thomas studied law and became Chancellor of England. As Archbishop of Canterbury, he defended the Church against King Henry II's unorthodox innovations. Shortly after, Henry ordered Thomas' assassination.

(For a related teaching on Am I Going to Heaven?, order, listen to, or download our CD 54-3 or DVD 54 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 from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"

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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INNOCENCE OF THE INNOCENTS - One Bread, One Body, 12/28/2020

Monday, December 28, 2020, Holy Innocents

Holy Innocents
Psalm 124:2-5, 7-8
Matthew 2:13-18
View Readings

INNOCENCE OF THE INNOCENTS
"A cry was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation: Rachel bewailing her children; no comfort for her, since they are no more." ––Matthew 2:18

As I sit writing, a glorious spring day beckons from outside my window. Earlier, a cardinal pierced the sun-drenched day with his distinctive song. New life is in the air. This scene contrasts starkly with today’s winter feast day honoring the Holy Innocents. We just celebrated the glorious Nativity.  God became man in the Incarnation (Jn 1:14). Now jolted by cruelty and suffering perpetrated against baby boys, despair may be our natural response. King Herod’s barbarism and self-centeredness rightly appall us (see Mt 2:16).

Although difficult to understand, God intends to bring out of this tragedy a greater good. In His infinite wisdom, all will receive their just recompense. Jesus never promised anyone a life free from sorrow. On the contrary, He promised persecution; but for the righteously persecuted “the reign of God is theirs” (Mt 5:10).

What will be our anchor throughout the sorrow? Lean on the Lord! “I tell you all this that in Me you may find peace. You will suffer in the world. But take courage! I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).

Do we accept God’s divine will, even when our humanity can’t see the wisdom? And how do we tap into these promises of Jesus? Holy Mother Church provides the structure for us. Practice your faith; receive the sacraments. “Fear is useless. What is needed is trust” (Mk 5:36).

Prayer: Father, help me live my faith vigorously during the remaining days of the Christmas season.

Promise: "Here, then, is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: that God is light; in Him there is no darkness." ––1 Jn 1:5

Praise: The Church has honored the Holy Innocents as martyrs since antiquity.

(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 from December 1, 2020 through January 31, 2021. Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 14, 2020"

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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