The BreadCast

O teacher and Mother who served to reform your sisters and the lives of all Christians, you led all souls along the way of perfection, which is Christ Himself – pray his love may fill our hearts that union with the Father we indeed may find; inspire us by your teaching to seek Him who makes His home in us… and pray we shall have your courage, your faith in the face of trials, as we work to bring Him to others and so suffer under His Cross. Pray we shall know as you the joy of such persecution, which brings us only closer to God, our spirits wed to His surpassing peace. O pray, dear Mother, we shall be entirely forgetful of ourselves as we remember His presence in our lives.

O slave become Shepherd of the universal Church, firmly you defended her teaching and recognized that all sins may be forgiven by the Lord through her; then after serving faithfully at the helm of Peter’s bark, you died and were buried with your martyr brothers, whose grave you so treasured – pray we, too, remain firm through all the difficult trials and temptations of this world, that our death may be as blessed as your own and we come to rest safely in God’s arms. O that by such incorrupt faith and unshaken courage we too shall be raised from the dust, from our humble origins, to sit with our Lord in His kingdom.

O caretaker of souls who sought so diligently and with wisdom and love to reform the Church and all her members, beginning with those in higher office, and so were persecuted by men who would not be healed of their disease – pray that all will be taught the true doctrine of the faith, from early childhood to adult vocation; may all know to what they are called as Christians in this world. And may that Word go forth to the ends of the earth, that the faith will be propagated in all lands and in all hearts and the Lord’s holy discipline serve as treasured guide for all who would come to the kingdom of Heaven.

O shepherd of a faithful people, you shed your blood with your brothers as a holy offering unto the Lord after drawing many souls into His fold; beheaded for your success as Christ’s evangelist, still you lead faithful souls to God – pray we shall be so ready to lay down our own lives for the propagation of the Word of God, and that on our journey we shall be protected from all the snares of the devil, that nothing shall prevent our standing at Jesus’ side both in this world and the next.

O Mother of prayer and of this prayer in which we meditate on the life of our Lord and Savior through your blessed intercession, it is through you we gain victory in Christ; His life, death, and resurrection become fruitful in you, and united with you, and so with Jesus, we repel our enemies. O dear Lady, our saving Lord comes not to us except through you: He is born in you, He dies with you at His side, and He raises you to life but to draw us all unto Himself, that we might walk in light with Him even in this world – pray, yes, pray for us! you through whom all Christians come.

O crown of contemplation whom none excels in solitude, in knowing the presence of the Lord alone in a cell, apart from the world – a simple chapel pray we find in the chambers of our heart that we might chant His praises all the time in the quiet, in His sight. Let us ever work to discover His breathing in our souls, that one with Him and with our brothers ever we might remain. Obedience is all we need and He will lead us there; then no questions will persist as we dwell in perfect peace. Pray such grace upon all souls.

O apostle of mercy, the mercy of Christ poured freely upon all souls for the salvation of the whole world, especially the worst of sinners… you suffered with our divine Lord that souls might indeed be saved; with His Passion you were intimate, blessed with fellowship with Jesus and His Mother and vision of their presence – pray a measure of your penitential devotion, a drop of our Savior’s holy blood, might fall upon our hearts and make us fruitful as you in His cause; pray we shall be blessed with deeper awareness of our wretchedness, our misery, that we might know the infinite majesty of the Lord and immerse ourselves and all souls in His measureless mercy. Let all sins be atoned for in Him!

O image of Christ, simple, humble, and pure, indeed you bore the marks of Jesus in your own body and in your own soul; wed to lady poverty, you embraced loving chastity and boasted of nothing but the Lord alone – pray, dear brother, for all children of God, for all your wayward brothers distracted by the wealth of this world, that we may be so blessed by the Spirit to serve the Lord and our neighbor as completely as you have done. May our lives, too, be prayers rising as a fragrant offering unto the Lord our God as we reflect His image in this world. Pray our hearts be set upon Jesus that we might follow in His blood-soaked footsteps in joy.

O messengers of God sent to protect and guide we poor humans on our way to the heavenly kingdom, you whom He in His grace and wisdom has appointed to carry us home, lest we dash our foot against a stone – keep us ever in the way of the Lord; stay close to us, remaining always at our side, for we are but weak and sinful men so prone to be led astray. We entrust ourselves into your hands: bring us to look upon the Father’s face. For you behold Him always, you stand loyally in His light, and we, how shall we gaze upon Him without your hand to guide? Cover us with your wings, protect us from the heat of day and temptation’s sway till we stand with you in the Lord’s eternal reign.

O little flower of Jesus, with great innocence and humility you loved the Lord and prayed for His Church and especially His priests; in all the little things of your day you gave yourself to God’s service, and so your work reached to the ends of the earth – shower roses upon us from above, where you now sit with Jesus; teach us to walk your little way that we might join you with our Savior. Pray we too might find His love and live in His heart as deeply as you; pray all souls shall indeed be saved by the blood He shed for our sake. And pray that families will be blessed as your own with children who heed so well the call of the Lord.