The BreadCast

O great Shepherd, watchman of the House of God and protector of His flock, though in the monastery you would have stayed, when called to the Chair of Peter you guided the Church well through difficult times – pray that as difficult days continue a firm hand may continue to be found at the helm of MotherChurch. O pray that the faith be strengthened, that the Rock upon which this House is set will remain unshakable and its light, its wisdom, serve ever as a beacon calling straying souls into the Lord’s welcoming arms. Humility and holiness may all our leaders embody, that by the Word of God on their tongues and His wounds in their hands all the poor of the earth will be carried unto Heaven.

O tireless worker for the Lord who when cut off from everything dearest to you gave yourself completely to God, you who have shown the way of the martyrdom of love, of dying entirely to self and serving our Savior in the sick and the poor, in whose guise He comes – pray our lives shall not wallow in mediocrity or sin; pray we shall have the same thirst for love as you, that by our love we may die and so overcome death to live forever in the presence of our Redeemer. Visit us this day in our weakness that our hearts, too, might be strong and our lives be laid down in the blood of the only Son.

O bride of Christ whose poverty matched His own, whose humility made Him known, whose love indeed approached His throne and the embrace of His holy arms – pray all souls will gaze into the mirror that is our Lord born in a manger, dead upon a Cross, risen unto Heaven. Pray we shall be driven on through the death we all must die, through His marvelous poverty, His wondrous humility, to the indescribable delights of those who remain at His side. O that we might be poor as you were poor, as He is poor for the sake of every soul, that we might come to embrace His blessed sacrifice and so know the glories of His kingdom.

O generous soul, you gave your life freely to the poor and your death completely to the Lord; a grain of wheat fallen to the earth, you have indeed produced much fruit, so closely have you followed Christ – pray for us miserable souls who cannot seem to draw near your thorough sacrifice, made without fear of the fire ignited by your torturers, made in joy of uniting your death to Jesus’ own. How shall we approach your love, your blood so closely mingled with that of our crucified Lord; how shall we match your generosity in serving His blessed call? Pray we will find the courage to give everything over to God and know we are in His arms.

O sacrificial victim seeking to bring peace to a dark world, you found your wisdom in love, in the love of Christ and in His Cross, and died three times for His sake: once in entering His Church, once in taking His habit, and once in laying down your life at the hands of the enemies of His peace – pray, O blessed teacher and sister to all men, that the death of this life be something we shall not fear but embrace with the same grace with which the Lord blessed you. Why should we hold to the things of the earth when Jesus waits to embrace us in His loving arms and carry us unto Heaven? Pray we shall be ready to answer His call.

O humble preacher who walked in poverty with Christ your King and spoke in power to destroy lie by truth, you gathered men around you to be bearers of the grace of God, to be men of the Gospel inspired by love divine – pray we shall be taught well the faith and walk with you in Jesus’ way, that all we do will be for the salvation of souls, our lives even as our Savior’s. May His Word and deep love for others lead us in all our work on earth that always and in all things we may beseech the Lord to be with all His brothers. Pray our hearts be set on His will and we serve as His apostles.

O reformer of the Church and leader of her priests and people, calling all to live the Gospel, to give their hearts in the service of Christ, who alone can save men’s souls – pray that your love for the Lord and His holy Church will be known in all the members of His Body, and so that apostles will be sent forth to preach and to heal even this day. Pray we shall be one with Him who made us, eating His Body and drinking His Blood and living according to the Word He speaks to our souls through MotherChurch and all her faithful servants. It is the Lord alone who must be our concern; pray we, too, shall walk in His footsteps.

O martyrs of the faith ordained by the Lord to shed blood for His sake and the sake of His Church, to give witness to the glory of Christ and so win the crown of eternal life… it is in your blood and by your sacrifice the Church has grown and become strong – pray it shall always stand firm in confessing the faith despite any threat from the powers of this world; pray every soul shall give his life in joy and so emerge victorious in the spiritual combat. Handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, may we, too, come to life eternal.

O priest exemplar, O preacher and confessor extraordinaire, healer of souls who by prayer and penance was made holy unto God and brought others to that same holiness before the Lord and Maker of all poor souls – pray indeed this day that our hearts will be set on Heaven, that our longing will be for the Lord, and so that by prayer we shall come to union with Him. Pray all your fellow priests will be filled with your same zeal for the salvation of their flock and so serve to bring them to blessed union with the God of all. Pray the Lord send out holy priests to labor in His vineyard as diligently, as tirelessly, as you.

O priest of the Blessed Sacrament, you gave your life in sacrifice at the altar of the Lord and in all the trials of this earth; you suffered all for Jesus and desired only to bring souls, all the children of God, to receive Him and His grace in the Sacrament of Communion, in oneness with our Lord – pray, O priest of Christ, that our very lives shall also be offered in sacrifice, especially in the holy sacrifice of the Mass and in reception of His Body and Blood in the Blessed Sacrament. Pray particularly that our priests will know the profound call upon their souls to make Him present in this world and be as inspired with holy devotion as were you, dear saint. Pray our hunger for His Presence increase.