Page 5 - One Bread News Today

public speaking “[Anna] talked about the Child to all.” —Luke 2:38 The Baby Jesus could not speak for Himself at His Presentation in the Temple, for He was only forty days old. Others, however, spoke for Him. Joseph and Mary would have spoken to the temple officials as His parents, Simeon (Lk 2:29ff) and Anna (Lk 2:38) prophesied for Him. It’s still like this today. Though the Baby Jesus did grow up and speak eloquently about the Kingdom of God, many are unable to hear Him. That’s why...

out of egypt? “They were begging Him to go away from their district.” —Mark 5:17 It is thought by some that the devotion of Catholics to the Crucified Jesus, to His Passion and sufferings, the Stations of the Cross, the Precious Blood of Jesus, and to the relics of martyrs is morbid. This is hard for a non-Catholic to understand. Yet there is fascination with the macabre in the secular culture of death. Rock groups celebrate the Grateful Dead, the Satanic and Gothic. Halloween is often t...

faith-full? “Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see.” —Hebrews 11:1 Faith is an assurance. This confident assurance concerns what we hope for but can’t see. We are saved by faith in Jesus (Eph 2:8). “All depends on faith” (Rm 4:16). Without faith, it’s impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). The conquerors of the world are those who have faith that Jesus is the Son of God (1 Jn 5:5). When Jesus comes back a second and final...

spiritual suicide? “Do not, then, surrender your confidence; it will have great reward.” —Hebrews 10:35 Satan is trying to get us to surrender our confidence, to draw back (Heb 10:38-39), to give up, to commit spiritual suicide. To keep the faith, we have to endure “a great contest of suffering” (Heb 10:32). This contest lasts a long time. Relief in our sufferings seems indefinitely delayed (see Heb 10:37). Any benefits from our sufferings seem to be invisible or negligible. Under the...

miracle grow “But those sown on good soil are the ones who listen to the word, take it to heart, and yield at thirty- and sixty- and a hundredfold.” —Mark 4:20 Jesus tells the crowds about the fruitfulness of good soil and the reasons why soil does not bear fruit. He also gives advice on how to turn unproductive soil into fruitful ground. Jesus can soften the hardest, rockiest ground, as He did with St. Paul. But we are God’s coworkers, and Jesus plans to use us to till the ground and c...

family tree “For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God bestowed when my hands were laid on you.” —2 Timothy 1:6 How well do you know your Catholic ancestry? Do you realize Timothy and Titus were ordained bishops? (see 2 Tm 1:6) By the laying on of hands, the Apostle Paul commissioned them for evangelistic work. “As for Titus, he is my companion and fellow worker in your behalf” (2 Cor 8:23). This illustrates New Testament-era apostolic succession. Paul also assi...

jesus and food Jesus “returned to the house with them and again the crowd assembled, making it impossible for them to get any food whatever.” —Mark 3:20 Jesus was and is a sign of contradiction (Lk 2:34). As the Prophet, He did and said things which were challenging, confrontational, even shocking. Although He “ruffled a few feathers,” people didn’t get too upset over these things. Yet when Jesus put Himself in such a crowded situation that it was impossible even to get food to Him,...

dying to live “He named twelve as His companions whom He would send to preach the good news; they were likewise to have authority to expel demons.” —Mark 3:14-15 This week we are involved in a series of celebrations of those who suffered bloody martyrdoms for Jesus. Saints Fabian, Sebastian, Agnes, and Vincent followed in Jesus’ footsteps, choosing to be killed rather than kill. Today we also recall the most disastrous judicial decision in American history, the legalizing of abortion in...

anniversary of shame “Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry now, just as He is Mediator of a better covenant, founded on better promises.” —Hebrews 8:6 Tomorrow marks the 48th anniversary of the tragic Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the U.S. On this day a law was enacted that turned our nation into a cemetery, that turned the wombs of mothers into the tombs of babies. However, we have hope. Jesus “is always able to save those who approach God through Him, since He ...

sleepy head “Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was.” —1 Samuel 3:3 Will you sleep through 2021 or will you wake up and answer God’s call? Many people, even religious people, will tell you to “go back to sleep” (1 Sm 3:5, 6). Instead, you should turn to God and say: “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening” (1 Sm 3:9). 2021 can be the greatest year of your life. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what G...