Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament

August 24, 2026

Story Time.

Our lives begin with story. Parents recount the weather on the day of their firstborn’s birth, the details of getting to the hospital, and the story does not end. The child begins to remember and tell its own story. And then we have stories handed down from generation to generation. In those stories, there are waypoints to take notice of: the Holocaust, wars, epidemics, natural disasters, and some positive urges that don’t have a raison d’être.

For instance, one day you are sitting under a tree or relaxing in your hammock, and, without doing anything, you are called to get up and get moving. At our business or academic desks, we are called upon all day. The evening is no different—the family calls for the husband and father to do something. And every moment is a story to which we have responded. Now, unlike a certain hen in a children’s storybook, the Little Red Hen, the hen asks the animals, a cat, dog, cow, pig, or goose, to help plant, harvest, and bake bread, but the response is “Not I!” And so, the little red hen did the work. The bread is not shared because the animals did nothing. Work hard, value work, take charge, and there are consequences for being lazy. The animals do not participate and so have no story to tell or remember.

Bartholomew (Nathanael), at Philip’s urging, meets the Man from Nazareth, and his story begins. We want everyone to know the Real Presence in the Eucharistic bread, so we can all share in this amazing story of our Catholic lives.

Prayer

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD, and let your faithful ones bless you. Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom and speak of your might. (Psalm 145:10-11)