The BreadCast

(Amos 7:10-17; Ps.19:8-11; Mt.9:1-8) "The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." Amos says of himself in our first reading: "The Lord took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people, Israel." And so he can say, "Now hear the word of the Lord!" And so he can speak for God. And so he can reveal the Lord's will to the people, calling them to return to His pres...

O missionary of the New World inspired to leave your classroom and go forth to win souls for Christ, despite continuous battles with cold and hunger and long journeys with an injured leg, praying throughout the night you persevered and stayed with the thousands you baptized into the fold of Mother Church, bringing them not only the gift of faith but better living conditions as well; fighting ever...

(Amos 5:14-15,21-24; Ps.50:7-13,16-17,23; Mt.8:28-34) "Hear, my people, and I will speak; Israel, I will testify against you." The chastising continues in our readings today. Against the people's vain sacrifices and "noisy songs," both Amos and our psalmist speak in the Lord's name. In need of healing as the two men "possessed by demons" do we find ourselves in the sight of God. "Why do you recite...

O first of souls to shed blood, whose sacrifice began the great persecution, you indeed handed your bodies over to torture, to the mad king of this dark world, but everlasting reward you have gained for yourselves and for the Church; your robes washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, you served to nourish the growth of the people of God – pray your holy offering shall always be remembered, that the...

(Amos 3:1-8,4:11-12; Ps.5:4-9; Mt.8:23-27) "The lion roars – who will not be afraid! The Lord God speaks – who will not prophesy!" Yes, the Lord prophesies against Israel today like a lion rending and roaring: "You alone have I favored, more than all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your crimes." He brings upon His chosen "such upheaval as when God overthrew Sodom and...

O most blessed apostles of the Lord upon whom the Church is founded and the faith goes forth, in you we cannot be shaken and the Lord's reign extends to the ends of the earth – pray we always take refuge in His House and in the teaching of His mouth. It is you who preserve the authenticity of the faith; through you we may be assured the Spirit of God is with us, leading us out of the dark prison o...

Acts 12:1-11; Ps.34:2-9; 2Tm.4:6-8,17-18; Mt.16:13-19) "On this rock I will build my Church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it." We go through death to life, for death has no power over us: the power of Jesus founded firmly on Peter, brought forward by Paul, and present in all the members of the Church and in its faith, has conquered death and leads us all to heaven. Today we cele...

O great teacher of the Catholic faith who served to set a foundation upon which she could grow in peace and in truth, in the Spirit of God, you who valiantly defended her against attacks of heresy and shed your blood in the battle – pray we shall find shepherds today to explicate the faith of the apostles as clearly and loyally as you have done, that none shall be led astray into false doctrine by...

(2Kgs.4:8-11,14-16a; Ps.89:2-3,16-19; Rom.6:3-4,8-11; Mt.10:37-42) "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." The Lord encourages us today to "take up [our] cross and follow [Him]," to place Him first in our lives to find the reward He holds. And in our second reading Paul says the same, reminding us that "we were indeed buried with Christ through baptism into death," that we have "died wi...

O great defender of the Mother of God and of the faith itself, courageously you declared that Jesus is God indeed, become Man in Mary His Mother; this you made plain for all to see, O shepherd of the people of God, that truth might reign and the Virgin might find her proper place among us – pray, O brave teacher, that we shall not be afraid to proclaim the truths inscribed by the Spirit upon the h...

(Lam.2:2,10-14,18-19; Ps.74:1-7,19-21; Mt.8:5-17) "It was our infirmities He bore, our sufferings He endured." And oh how deep are those sufferings; "great as the sea is [our] downfall." And graphically are they seen in the destruction of Jerusalem; sharply they pierce the flesh of the Son. Yes, the Lord "has torn down in His anger the fortresses of daughter Judah… On the ground in silence sit the...

(2Kgs.25:1-12; Ps.137:1-6; Mt.8:1-4) "Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city." And so the exile is complete. Not a soul remains in the holy city. And their captors "burned the house of the Lord, the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem." Not a stone is left standing one upon another. Not even the government appointed by th...

(2Kgs.24:8-17; Ps.79:1-5,8,9; Mt.7:21-29) "The rains fell, the torrents came, the winds blew and lashed against his house. It collapsed under all this and was completely ruined." Yes, "the officials of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem, and the city came under siege," and "Jehoiachin, king of Judah, together with his mother, his ministers, officers, and functionaries, surrendered...

O greatest of men born of woman, before you were formed in the womb the Lord called you; while still in this cave you leapt for joy at His presence come to you… a sharp, two-edged sword He made you to hail the coming Messiah, the Light in our midst, the New Covenant born of the Old – how shall we humble ourselves as you have done; how shall our call be realized in flesh and blood as was your own?...

(Is.49:1-6; Ps.139:1-3,13-15; Acts 13:22-26: Lk.1:57-66,80) "I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." The voice of one crying in the wilderness, he who hails the coming of the Lord, is born today. This voice speaks of the Word among us. And from before his birth he is called, in the womb he is formed, to proclaim with the sword of truth God's s...

(2Kgs.19:9-11,14-21,31-36; Ps.48:2-4,9-11; Mt.7:6,12-14) "I will shield and save this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David." Brothers and sisters, "renowned is He as a stronghold," the Lord our God. And faithfully does He watch over His chosen one. Our psalmist proclaims, "Great is the Lord and wholly to be praised in the city of our God." He extols the glory of Mount Zion, o...

O kings of martyrdom who indeed laid down your very lives rather than heed the dictates of an evil emperor, whose loyalty to the Lord and the Church He established stands unparalleled, your defense of the faith and conscience written in the blood you shed – pray that the mediocrity, the utter inability to stand for truth in this relativist age, will be defeated by souls founded firmly in the Spiri...

O lover of poverty who gave up great wealth to find her abiding within the walls of your heart, a heart which turned thus to God's people and the shepherding of them with great care – pray that we too may hear and come to realize in our lives the call of our Lord to give up all things for the sake of the kingdom, to be attached to nothing but service of the poor, service of God Himself in the humb...

(2Kgs.17:5-8,13-15,18; Ps.60:3-5,7,12-13; Mt.7:1-5) "In His great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of His sight." Jesus instructs His disciples today, "If you want to avoid judgment, stop passing judgment." In other words, "Judge not and you shall not be judged." Here is the prerequisite not only for avoiding judgment and condemnation at the hand of God, but also for assisting and...

O patron of youth whose innocence was unsurpassed, whose desire to give yourself to the Lord in poverty and purity led you to relinquish your wealth in this world at a tender age that you might embrace Jesus fully – pray for the youth of our day and the child in each of our souls, that all might turn away from the temptations which surround and threaten to enter and enslave; let all turn toward th...

(Jer.20:10-13; Ps.69:8-10,14,17,33-35; Rom.5:12-15; Mt.10:26-33) "For your sake I bear insult, and shame covers my face." Jeremiah "hear[s] the whisperings of many" who seek to "denounce him"; those who "watch for any misstep" plot his destruction: "Perhaps he will be trapped, then we can prevail, and take our revenge on him." Like David he has "become an outcast to [his] brothers, a stranger to [...

(2Chr.24:17-25; Ps.89:4-5,29-34; Mt.6:24-34) "Because you have abandoned the Lord, He has abandoned you." How quickly Joash the king of Judah, who so recently had restored true worship in the temple at Jerusalem, "transgress[es] the Lord's commands." After Jehoiada the priest died, the people "forsook the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and began to serve the sacred poles and the ido...

O sign of perfect solitude who heeded so well the Lord's command to enter into your closet in order to pray, whose great measure of self-denial led you to the peak of contemplation in God's holy presence, whose only desire was that souls might draw close to Him – pray all who seek the Lord may approach Him with a whole heart, a heart set on Him alone, that in such perfect devotion all might find H...

(2Kgs.11:1-4,9-18,20; Ps.132:11-14,17-18; Mt.6:19-23) "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your body will be filled with light; if your eye is bad, your body will be in darkness." And "how deep the darkness" is upon Athaliah. For her eye is evil, her "light is darkness," as so desperately she seeks to "lay up for [herself] an earthly treasure" by unjust and murderous means. Seein...

(Sir.48:1-14; Ps.97:1-7,12; Mt.6:7-15) "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Our psalm sings of the greatness of our God; in our first reading we hear of how this greatness was revealed in the prophets Elijah and Elisha; and in the Lord's Prayer we call for this greatness to be present in our midst. "Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes round about," our psalmis...