The BreadCast

O simple and devout layman, husband and father and clerk, suddenly you were forced to flee your homeland and family with your missionary companions, but death for the faith each one of you met without wavering upon disembarking in a foreign land – pray, O blessed martyrs, our faith shall be strong as your own, that should we be called to witness even with our lives to the faith which gives us life...

O faithful ruler whose devotion served to bring your death, though you loved all your subjects, caring especially for the poor, and loved God and His Church above all, your care and your faith caused you to be killed by those so jealous and selfish – pray for us, good king, and for the rulers in our midst, that they will be inspired as you with a self-effacing humility and a desire for the truth o...

(Amos 6:1,4-7; Ps.146:2,5-10; 1Tm.6:11-16; Lk.16:19-31) "Keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ." The Lord is coming. First of all, know this. "The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see" will reveal Himself "at the proper time." Shall come the...

O blessed help of the poor, slave to widows and orphans and all those most outcast and in need, the least of Christ's brothers you indeed gave your life to serve, completely spending yourself in their assistance and leading your own brother priests to do the same… and so Christ Himself you waited upon day in and day out upon this earth – pray that we, too, shall be like Jesus, filled with compassi...

(Zec.2:5-9,14-15; Jer.31:10-13; Lk.9:43-45) "They shall come streaming to the Lord's blessings." The Kingdom is being prepared. And as bleak as things may seem upon this earth, the glory of the Lord awaits us all. This is the message of Jeremiah in our psalm and the message given Zechariah by the angel in our first reading. "I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them afte...

O highly honored martyrs whose tomb drew many pilgrims and brought about many miracles, you laid down your lives as one in the Lord, taking up His bitter and saving cup of suffering all for your faith in Him and His Church, and so, precious in His sight was your death in His name – from beyond the grave pray for us this day, that the healing blood of Christ our Savior be poured upon our souls, tha...

(Hg.1:15-2:9; Ps.43:1-5; Lk.9:18-22) "Greater will be the future glory of this house than the former, says the Lord of hosts." "Take courage… and work! For I am with you," the Lord says through the prophet Haggai to the remnant of the people returned from exile as they prepare to rebuild the temple. "My spirit continues in your midst; do not fear!" Of course, we know these words of encouragement a...

(Hg.1:1-8; Ps.149:1-6,9; Lk.9:7-9) "He who earned wages earned them for a bag with holes in it." "Bring timber, and build the house that I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory." Rebuild the house of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit you are. Shore up the breaches in its walls and solidify its foundation, that you might "sing to the Lord a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful...

(Ezra 9:5-9; Tb.13:1-4,6-8; Lk.9:1-6) "Turn back, you sinners! do the right before Him: perhaps He may look with favor upon you, and show you mercy." As the Word of the Lord comes to our villages and enters our houses, we must treasure it and heed its warning to turn from our sins. If we harden our hearts against its grace and mercy, if we fail to recognize our sin in the blessed light it brings,...

O holy priest who bore the wounds of Christ in your hands and in your ministry, who served the Lord so greatly in casting out many demons in your confessional, and whom He thus blessed with miracles of the Spirit – pray for us of lukewarm faith who falter day to day in following our dear Jesus' path. So close to Him you were in His suffering and His love; so far are we from His Cross and so His gr...

(Ezra 6:7-8,12,14-20; Ps.122:1-5; Lk.8:19-21) "The elders of the Jews continued to make progress in the building, supported by the message of the prophets." And so, returning from exile and with the permission and indeed the financial support of the Gentile king, Darius, the Jews completed the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem. And so, the prophecy of the return to the Lord from their sins is...

(Ezra 1:1-6; Ps.126:1-6; Lk.8:16-18) "Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing." The Israelites toiled in tears for four hundred years under the yoke of the Egyptians, then rejoiced to finally enter the Promised Land (after wandering forty years in the desert). For seventy years Judah had been exiled to Babylon, but rejoiced when, remarkably, the king of Persia called them to return to Jerusal...

O faithful apostle who so readily answered the call of the Lord, leaving your station in this world to follow in His footsteps and so find your place in Heaven, who even with these first steps brought others to the Christ as you opened your heart as well as your home to Him and to the least of His brothers – pray, dear brother through whom the Spirit has spoken, that we too shall follow Jesus and...

(Amos 8:4-7; Ps.113:1-2,4-8; 1Tm.2:1-8; Lk.16:1-13) "If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?" This world and the things of it are not our own; we are children of heaven. Yet we are here amongst these things which are foreign to us. And so, what should we do? With all the Lord puts in our hands as we pass through this generation we must honor God. T...

O blessed, holy martyrs who won for yourselves the crown of salvation by your undying faith in God, who cherished well the prize of persecution the Lord offered your souls, who stood fast despite the death that raged around you – pray we shall know as you that all the hairs of our head are numbered by God and in His all-embracing providence He has care over us all, that we might stand as strong in...

(1Tm.6:13-16; Ps.100:2-5; Lk.8:4-15) "Keep God's command without blame or reproach until our Lord Jesus shall appear." The Lord's "kindness endures forever, and His faithfulness, to all generations," and we must endure with Him, ever showing forth His kindness and faithfulness to the world, until we come to dwell with Him eternally "in inapproachable light." When God brings His appearance "to pass...

O protector of your sheep, you laid down your life for them, giving your blood for the service of souls that all might witness the surpassing love of the Lord and the glory that awaits those who die in Him – pray for shepherds who feed their sheep, not lording it over them or seeking what gain they might find for themselves, taking the milk and wool of their flock and leaving them naked and lifele...

(1Tm.6:2-12; Ps.49:6-10,17-20,Mt.5:3; Lk.8:1-3) "Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation, and a trap." Today we hear Paul's famous words: "The love of money is the root of all evil." They are oft-quoted, but how well are they understood and practiced in the avoidance of excessive possessions and inflated bank accounts. Paul tells us, verifiably so, that men "have come to grief amid g...

(1Tm.4:12-16; Ps.111:2,7-10; Lk.7:36-50) "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who live by it." If "the works of His hands are faithful and just," as His children living in His Word and as His image, we must "be a continuing example of love, faith, and purity." If we do not attend to this duty, "so that everyone may see [our] progress," how shall we "bring to salvation [our...

O wise doctor whose intellect served well in defense of the Church and her teachings, who bore well the light yoke of Christ that leads to eternal life and shepherded your flock in following you along this path of our Lord – speak to us this day your words of grace that the souls of all within the Church's gates might be founded well on the truths of the faith and on the love of God. Pray we shall...

(1Tm.3:14-16; Ps.111:1-6; Lk.7:31-35) "God's wisdom is vindicated by all who accept it." "The Church of the living God" is the "pillar and bulwark of truth," as Paul tells us. And it is those who live the faith, "professing it" with all their beings, who prove its truth. "Wonderful, indeed, is the mystery of our faith"; no greater grace or wisdom could we hope to attain. "He was manifested in the...

O brothers in Christ, in death and in life you gave yourselves as one for the sake of the flock; for the cause of the faith readily you shed your blood to serve the growth of God's Church – pray we today will be zealous as you in defending the faith with our lives; by fasting and by prayer, by standing courageously before the courts of the world and offering our flesh in sacrifice, may we imitate...

(1Tm.3:1-13; Ps.101:1-3,5-6; Lk.7:11-17) "He who walks in the way of integrity shall be in my service." "God has visited His people." What the people said when Jesus raised the widow's son from the dead should be said of us all as we pass through this world. That same love that moved Jesus to pity upon seeing the tears of this poor mother should move us all. To all we should say, "Do not cry." To...

O sorrowful Mother whose heart was pierced by a sword, who stood at the foot of the Cross dying in spirit as your Son died in the flesh… Jesus was sent to suffer and die for our sins, and how intimately you shared in the profound pain He carried about all His life; how preeminently you filled up what was lacking in His suffering, suffering the whole Church must share with our crucified Lord – pray...

(1Tm.2:1-8; Ps.28:2,6-9; Lk.7:1-10) "Offer prayers with blameless hands held aloft." We must pray. We must petition the Lord for the good of the world, that the good of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ, might be known to all. If we do not intercede, if we do not seek the healing of a people sick with sin, who shall do so? The Lord desires "all men to be saved and come to know the truth." It is our...