The BreadCast

(Is.26:1-6; Ps.118:1,8-9,19-21,25-27; Mt.7:21,24-27) "Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an eternal rock." Sand or rock? Upon which do we build our house? If we "take refuge in the Lord" and enter "the gates of justice," we shall find salvation in the Lord's kingdom; if we "trust in man" and "princes," we shall be leveled with the dust – our house shall collapse and we be "completely ruine...

O holy apostle of the Lord, model of faith in God and love of the Church, has there been a soul to match your zeal for the salvation of the world? Convict us of our laziness, of our sloth, of our distraction by the things not of the kingdom of God; of what worth are our lives if not spent in service of the Lord and of neighbor? O missionary of missionaries, by your prayer let the Church on earth,...

(Is.25:6-10; Ps.23:1-6; Mt.15:29-37) "The hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain." And He will heal us. And He will lead us. And He will feed us. Jesus went up onto a mountainside along the Sea of Galilee and sat down to teach and to heal. The sick were laid at His feet. Isaiah says, "On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples." This mountain is the Lord. It is Jesus who...

(Is.11:1-10; Ps.72:1,7-8,12-13,17; Lk.10:21-24) "The earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea." And so, "there shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain," says the Lord. The vision is sure: "The wolf shall be the guest of the lamb… the lion shall eat hay like the ox… the child shall lay his hand on the adder's lair," for all shall live as one in the Spirit o...

(Is.2:1-5 or Is.4:2-6; Ps.122:1-9; Mt.8:5-11 I shall treat of both first readings) "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!" For it shall come. "The mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest mountain…. All nations shall stream toward it," and there the Lord will give judgment. And His judgment will cause the banishment of war, for all shall be one in Him, and to all He shall grant...

O brother of the Rock of our Church, you who brought him to our Lord, you who were crucified on the Cross of our Savior, who shed your blood freely for His cause… you who thirsted for His coming and welcomed Him so readily into your life – bring us also to the Messiah's side and pray we shall receive Him as well as your brother has done; pray we, too, will abandon our boats, our moorings in this w...

(Is.2:1-5; Ps.122:1-9; Rm.13:11-14; Mt.24:37-44) "Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may instruct us in His ways, and we may walk in His paths." "Beat [your] swords into plowshares." "Throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." "It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep," and to "stay awake! For you do not know on which day yo...

(Dn.7:15-27; Dn.3:59,82-87; Lk.21:34-36) "The day I speak of will come upon all who dwell on the face of the earth." And so we must "pray constantly for the strength to escape whatever is in prospect, and to stand before the Son of Man." The vision is explained to Daniel, and really it is quite simple: evil shall come, but good shall triumph in the end. Kingdoms of the Beast, of the evil one, "sha...

(Dn.7:2-14; Dn.3:59,75-81; Lk.21:29-33) "The beast was slain and its body thrown into the fire to be burnt up." Daniel prophesies the coming of pagan empires in his vision of the four beasts. The vision is, in short, an overview of the coming salvation. Notice that even as Daniel watches the beasts emerge with their horns and tusks and great iron teeth, even as he watches these terrible creatures...

(Dn.6:12-28; Dn.3:59,68-74; Lk.21:20-28) "Your ransom is near at hand." "He is a deliverer and savior, working signs and wonders in heaven and on earth." And as "He delivered Daniel from the lions' power," so He shall save our souls from the destruction to come upon the face of the earth. The king's prayer is answered: "To Daniel he said, 'May your God whom you serve so constantly, save you.'" And...

(Dn.5:1-6,13-14,16-17,23-28; Dn.3:59,62-67; Lk.21:12-19) "You will be brought to give witness." "Daniel was brought into the presence of the king." And what did this wisest of men have to say to this pagan king who ruled the earth? "You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven." He did not hesitate to tell him of the emptiness of his "gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, that...

O virgin pure and brilliant, you gave your life in defense of the faith, refuting all arguments to its contrary; though you were but a child yourself, you stood strong before your tormentors, enduring the persecution and torture they struggled in vain to muster against you, ever shining the light of purity and truth before their corrupted minds and hearts – pray for those who defend the faith and...

(Dn.2:31-45; Dn.3:57-61; Lk.21:5-11) "The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace." So shall the kingdom of this world be destroyed by "a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it"; so shall Jesus come – the Son of God, the King of kings – and make al...

O you who were martyred over three centuries of persecution in a country so bitter toward the faith, bishops and priests and laymen alike, native to the land and foreign-born, all innocent souls who suffered even torture in joy, all for the sake of the Lord and His Church – pray we shall be as ready as you to bear witness to the faith with our lives, that all as one in the Body of Christ we will b...

(Dn.1:1-6,8-20; Dn.3:52-56; Lk.21:1-4) "To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency in all literature and science, and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams." God is the giver of all good gifts; all is a gift from God. Whatever we give to Him can only seem paltry to Him "who look[s] into the depths from [His] throne upon the cherubim." But He makes any gift we give,...

O father of holy monasteries who dug deeply in the earth, in the heart of man, and laid their foundation on the Rock that is Christ that they might be made in His image, in the image of Him who created us – pray we shall love the Lord as He commands and so be holy as He is holy, truly reflecting the image of our God and living in His surpassing peace. Pray austerity serve well to make us in the Lo...

O successor to Peter, Shepherd of God's Church, Father of all the churches in the Body of Christ, these you instructed well; these you gave a shepherd's care… for these and for the Lord you shed your blood – pray for God's Church even this day, that she shall remain united under her one Lord and Savior, each member serving the good of all as wholly as you have done. Pray we all work together in Je...

(2Sm.5:1-3; Ps.122:1-5; Col.1:12-20; Lk.23:35-43) "This is the King of the Jews." On earth, our King rules from a cross; in Paradise, upon a glorious throne. O Lord Jesus, "here we are, your bone and your flesh." May we die with you that we might reign with you in your holy kingdom. "All the tribes of Israel came to David" and anointed him king of Israel. He had been called by the Lord as shepherd...

O holy virgin and martyr, you sang a song of love to Jesus, a song that could not be dimmed, could not be taken away, for you were protected by an angel of the Lord and willing to give your life to maintain your love for Him – pray for us poor souls of this day and age from whom purity is so far removed, who need deep conversion to believe, to see the angel at your side, to know the path to which...

(1Mac.6:1-13; Ps.9:2-4,6,16,19; Lk.20:27-40) "The needy shall not always be forgotten, nor shall the hope of the afflicted forever perish." Death comes, yes. Death is upon us and surrounds us in this world. But the suffering we face in this life has its reward. Jesus has brought redemption: He has been resurrected, and we with Him. And this new life is eternal. It seemed the Israelites were doomed...

O holy Temple of the Lord, preeminent member of His Church, you who were destined from all ages to bear the Son of God, to be His chosen dwelling place… you were weaned into His Temple; there you ever remained, becoming yourself the House of God, where He now ever stays – pray we be built into His Temple; pray we become sons and daughters unto you. In you let us make our home, dear Mother, that th...

(1Mac.4:36-37,52-59; 1Chr.29:10-13; Lk.19:45-48) "Let us go up to purify the sanctuary and rededicate it." In both our reading and gospel today, we hear of the cleansing of the temple, and we see its purpose and fulfillment. "My house is meant for a house of prayer," declares Jesus. A house of prayer, and a house for teaching: "He was teaching in the temple area from day to day." It is a house of...

(1Mac.2:15-29; Ps.50:1-2,5-6,14-15,23; Lk.19:41-44) "We will not obey the words of the king nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree." The king of heaven shall soon come into the city of peace, humble and riding on an ass, but today He weeps as He sees Jerusalem and knows of its imminent destruction for its sins. Yet He shall ride into Jerusalem, yet He shall be dragged within its wall...

(2Mac.7:1,20-31; Ps.17:1,5-6,8,15; Lk.19:11-28) "He, in His mercy, will give you back both breath and life, because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of His Law." When the Lord returns "crowned as king" He will call all before Himself and judge each according to the profit he has made with his life. If we are like the seven brothers who suffered and died for the faith, if we have been like...

O woman who prayed always and had great mercy on souls, whose missionary zeal led you across the ocean, thousands of miles from your home, to educate the poor and care for the sick, to bring the love of Jesus to those most in need – pray we too shall have a heart set on service of the Lord and remembrance of His presence, that our concern for those apart from Christ will drive us to great ends, ev...