The BreadCast

(Sir.27:30-28:9; Ps.103:1-4,8-12; Rom.14:7-9; Mt.18:21-35) "Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?" How like the Lord's own wisdom is that of Sirach; how like His teaching. For have we not heard the Master say, "Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven," in His instruction to His disciples on how to pray? And does He not impart this same lesson by parable today? "Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight." Oh the woe of the unforgiving heart! "Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?" How can we "refuse mercy to another" and "seek pardon for [our] own sins"? Do we not know that anger is itself a deadly sin, mortally wounding our anxious souls? Do we who sit in judgment think in our hearts that we are without sin, that we are perfect as He who is Most High? If indeed "we are the Lord's" then we will act as the Lord and look with "kindness and compassion" upon others. Instead of condemnation we would practice divine forgiveness, for indeed mercy is the Father's defining trait in His relationship with His children. But no, rather than putting "wrath" and "enmity" and "hate" as far from our hearts as the Lord has "put our transgressions from us," we cherish these abominations, setting them as trophies in our corrupted souls. Again, what woe there is for the unforgiving soul! For the same torture we would inflict upon others for their sins against us shall be the torture we ourselves shall face – then we will know what justice is! Then we will know the wrath of God! Then He who alone has power and wisdom and love to judge rightly shall inflict His punishment on all His wicked servants. My brothers and sisters, fellow servants of the Lord in both life and in death, the Lord cannot emphasize enough to us the need for forgiveness. We must first and always recognize and remember the sinners we have been and the grace we have received at our Lord's hands. And with this ever in mind and heart we must come to others with that same mercy. It is this He desires of us, and He will accept nothing less. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "It Takes One To Know One" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, surpassing is your kindness toward us; help us to transcend our vengeful hearts and forgive as you have done. YHWH, have mercy on our souls by helping us to show mercy toward others; even your own mercy let us share. Then how blessed we shall be to be like you, O compassionate God! Then your mercy shall pour forth like a refreshing stream and become an overflowing torrent. But your kindness and compassion are far from us, LORD, so long as our sins remain near. So long as we cherish anger, we choke our souls and so cannot breathe in the light of your glory. If only we would turn and forgive, freely and without limit, then we would fully know the great blessing of your forgiveness, and find our sins put far from us. Why should we wish to live or die except in you? Why would we separate ourselves from your loving presence? O let us rather die to the wrath we hold! Let us set all vengeance aside. Then we shall rise to where you are, LORD, to where your Son would lead us.

O Mary, sweetest of creatures, whose name on our lips brings joy to our hearts… inflamed with love toward God and you we become in speaking your blessed name – pray we shall call your name, dear Lady, in our time of need, that you will be quick to intercede with your Son for our salvation. Washed in the water from His side and in His holy blood, pray we shall rise above the sea, beyond all rebellion, that obedient as you, His Handmaid, we shall find favor with the Lord and enter into Heaven, our names written beside your own in the Book of Life, dearest Mary.

(1Cor.10:14-22; Ps.116:12-13,17-18; Lk.6:43-49) "Is not the cup of blessing we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread we break a sharing in the body of Christ?" The Body and Blood of Christ we have upon our altar and in the Word of His teaching. It is these which set a firm foundation within ourselves, these by which we bear fruit in His Name – these by which we come to be as He is. Paul tells the Corinthians today "to shun the worship of idols," not because they are real, for they are not, but because these sacrifices are made "to demons and not to God" and we, as sons and daughters of a jealous God, "cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons" nor "partake of the table of the Lord and likewise the table of demons." As "a good tree does not produce decayed fruit any more than a decayed tree produces good fruit," so evil has no place with good and demons no place in the house of God. Partaking of this table is like building a "house on the ground without any foundation" and will only serve to weaken and eventually destroy our faith in the Lord. And so we should have no share in the things of the world or in the decayed fruit which such mammon bears. This unholy food and drink is but to be vomited out in the sickness it produces. And calling upon the name of the powers of the earth and the air will but cause us to choke in an unholy fear. We must "call upon the name of the Lord" and upon His Name alone build our home. It is "the cup of salvation [we must] take up" and drink of the blood that is sanctified by the sacrifice of our Lord and God. And what does our psalmist mean when he sings, "My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people" but that, as Jesus Himself instructs us in our gospel, we must "put into practice" the promises we make unto God. Else our words are empty; else our words are evil, for else our words will bear no fruit and our worship will be in vain. A great call have we, brothers and sisters: to be like the Lord. And this call is within our reach. His Body and Blood are upon our table; His words are ringing in our ears. We have but to eat; we have but to listen… we have but to accept these gifts and do His will, and even the torrents of death shall not shake our souls. For we shall be as "the man, who, in building a house, dug deeply and laid the foundation on a rock"; we shall stand solidly with unshakable trust in the eternal Lord. For Him we shall have become by sharing in His sacrifice. ******* O LORD, let us put your Word into practice, living as your only Son, sharing in His Body and Blood. YHWH, let us dig deep and make our foundation in you, in your Word and in your Body and Blood, and we shall bear fruit unto your kingdom, and our house shall stand strong on your holy Day. Let us shun entirely the table of the wicked; let us not partake of the food of demons. Our hearts be set only upon you, and all sin will be purged from our midst. If we act in evil, LORD, what are we but evil? But if we act in goodness, we shall be made good by you. Let us praise you each day for your goodness and your grace that we might be sharers in your glory, that we might be members of your Body. The cup of salvation let us take up each morning and live all our days wedded in the blood of the Lamb. What a gift you give us, LORD, in holy Mass; your own presence in the flesh and blood of your Son. In your Word and in your food let us build our home, and we shall become holy as you.

(1Cor.9:16-19,22-27; Ps.84:2-6,8,12; Lk.6:39-42) "Although I am not bound to anyone, I made myself the slave of all so as to win over as many as possible." How like His Lord is Paul in his declaration, "To the weak I became a weak person with a view to winning the weak." For as Jesus descended from heaven to take on flesh and save those corrupted by its sin, so the Apostle has made himself "all things to all people," stepping inside their skin "in order to save at least some of them." Indeed, Paul proves himself to be "on a par with his teacher" in sacrifice and fruitfulness, for how well he serves "to remove the speck from [his] brother's eye" that he might see Jesus in the clear light of day. The Apostle has been "entrusted with a charge," that of "preaching the Gospel." And doing so willingly he finds his "recompense." And what is this recompense but that he receive nothing in return for his work, nothing here on earth except of course the blessing of persecution such work for the Master entails? Then why engage in such toil, and why call others to such a life of self-sacrifice? Ah yes, because of the "crown that is imperishable" which awaits the runner of such a race. This heavenly blessing, too, is found when one does all "for the sake of the Gospel." "My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God," our psalmist intones today, and goes on to proclaim the happiness of those "who dwell in [God's] house." "Continually they praise [Him]… They go from strength to strength," for "grace and glory He bestows." This is the goal Paul has in mind when he says, "I do not run like a man who loses sight of the finish line." All his tribulations never distract him from his final destination; the kingdom of heaven remains ever upon his heart. And ever does he strain forward that he and so many others might attain that crown for which "our soul yearns and pines." Brothers and sisters, we must "discipline [our] own body and master it"; we must "remove the plank lodged in [our] own [eye]" if we hope to join Paul in the place where "even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest in which she puts her young." And our young we, too, must bring there – all those in our charge must know of the kingdom of God. And so let us join Paul and our holy Lord in here becoming slaves of all, enduring our exile bravely that we might draw others to the eternal home found on the altar of the living God. ******* O LORD, let us be led by your holy apostles to lay down our lives with your Son, that we might find our home in you. YHWH, all holy hearts long for your presence, long to make their home in your house; and you send to us apostles, teachers of your way, that we might find you. O may the vision of all be made clear to see your glory! May all learn the lesson they need to know, taught by your Son in His sacrifice and carried on by His disciples. We long to praise you, LORD, but there is a log in our eye that blinds us to your coming kingdom. Help us to remove all obstruction, all distraction, all our blindness, that we might not lose sight of the blessings you offer to those who spend their lives for the sake of the Gospel. Let us rather carry that Good News of salvation to all souls, serving to remove the specks from their eyes by your grace and mercy. Help us to be slaves of all that all might make their home in you. Keep us from the pit, we pray, by your guidance and secure protection. Let us always yearn for you.

(1Cor.8:1-7,11-13; Ps.139:1-3,13-14,23-24; Lk.6:27-38) "The measure you measure with will be measured back to you." And what is your measuring stick, brother? Is it the ruler of this earth, limited by eyes of flesh? Or is it the yardstick of heaven, which reaches unto the Lord's side and finds us in His sight? Do you toil on this plane alone, or do you climb the mountain where He sits, where He teaches? Do your ears hear only of the debits and credits recorded in the book of this world; or are they open to the word the Lord speaks, and the generous outpouring of His grace? In our first reading Paul states: "'Knowledge' inflates, but love upbuilds." What he means is that our knowledge of earthly things can do little but inflate our pride, and thinking that this is true knowledge makes us blind. The "knowledge" that we should seek is the love of God, which comes from God and teaches us all things. "If anyone loves God, that man is known by Him," and living thus in His sight, in His light, we see all with heavenly vision. With this wisdom we understand that "there is no God but one" and that "an idol is really nothing": all the idols man makes upon this earth are empty and vain, and all the teaching which comes from such has no resonance, falls short of truth. Yet we are called to be patient with the weakness of others, with their failures in faith. We must "not be an occasion of sin" for others but always be prepared to pardon and love even those who hate us. For if someone does violence to us, what do we teach these who cannot measure beyond earthly passion if we do them violence in return? If we answer with violence, what language do we speak but that of the world? But we are called to converse with heavenly tongues, even with the word of our Lord, and cannot rightly be called His sons if we do not do so. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them." And you are thus but saying that you are a child of the earth and not heaven, living in the flesh and not the spirit. "Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb," is David's song of joy to God. He gives thanks that he is "fearfully, wonderfully made." And if made by God should we not reflect God and the love He has revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ? Should we not be as His Son? And so, should we not with David call upon the Lord to "probe" us and to "know [our] heart" and our "thoughts," that He might straighten out our "crooked" ways and set us on the path His love prepares? Do we not desire the overflowing joy He brings? Then we must measure as He, with the heavenly yardstick that reaches up to where the Trinity is. ******* O LORD, if we could but learn to love as you, how blessed we would be! YHWH, let us learn your lesson of love, your perfect knowledge, by putting into practice love of all, even our worst enemies. If we repay evil with good, then we shall be like you; then we shall know as you know, that nothing surpasses love. LORD, you know all things for you see all things, even the hidden matters of the heart. Nothing is hidden from your eye but all is bathed in your wonderful light. But we shall not find that light or your knowledge if we do not love, and love without measure. All remains dark for those lacking love. Let us but be concerned for our brother's welfare, LORD, that he shall not sin, that he shall turn from his sin to find you. And so, let us not judge, let us not condemn, or we shall not show him your holy face and he will never come to you – and we will not know you either. Let us rejoice to turn the other cheek, to give to all who would take from us, to be compassionate even toward those who hurt us. For then we will know you and your love.

O slave to the slaves, to those who came in chains to the new world, those whose dark skin made them seem to eyes of flesh less than men… to you these were children of God, souls to be saved by His love and through His Church, and so the thousands baptized by your hands celebrate your glorious sacrifice this day in God's presence – pray for us, dear brother, that the shackles of racial prejudice, the pride that exalts man above man, shall fall from our hands, our tongues and our hearts, and that all of the Lord's holy people will work so diligently as you, His blessed slave, for the care of the weakest among us and the salvation of all souls.

(1Cor.7:25-31; Ps.45:11-12,14-17; Lk.6:20-26) "The world as we know it is passing away." And so, "hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear, forget your people and your father's house," for the King is calling you from this passing world to the heavenly marriage feast – "He is your Lord, and you must worship Him." This call is for every chosen soul, for who is the Lord's virgin daughter, who is His Bride but the Church? It is she who is called, even as the Virgin Mother who has preceded her to heaven, and each of our souls must be wed to Him alone. And we who leave all behind to follow Him "shall be filled" and "shall laugh" on the Day of our marriage, for "the reign of God" will be ours. It is not in this world we take our "consolation" – how sad those who do so. For the riches of this world will rust and rot, and its laughter shall prove so hollow. Thus Paul instructs the wise: "Buyers should conduct themselves as though they owned nothing," for in truth they have nothing at all: of what worth is that which does not last? Only an illusion are the temporary pleasures and vain accolades of this dying earth. The trials we find are all that should cause us to "rejoice and exult, for [our] reward shall be great in heaven" if we endure our exile well. To those who consider marriage, Paul gives the instruction: "[You] will have trials in this life, and these I should like to spare you." Certainly marriage is not sinful, and is even a fruitful sacrament, but even this which can be such a blessing is but passing in the eyes of God. And the attachment we find to our spouse, again, though blessed by the Lord, is a union that is also passing – one which must be ultimately left as well. Since only our marriage to the living God is that which endures, Paul in his wisdom offers this word: "Those with wives should live as though they had none"; for this beauty, too, shall fade, and it is not in it we are called to make our home. Yes, "the time is short," brothers and sisters. The time is always short because time itself is passing – only eternity remains. And so, set not your hearts on the fading things of this life. The Lord who has died now prepares a place for you in His heavenly kingdom. And "all glorious is the King's daughter as she enters; her raiment is threaded with spun gold." So, to His palace be "borne in with gladness and joy"… join now the song of all His saints in our heavenly homeland. ******* O LORD, let us turn from the things of this world and set our hearts on your kingdom, which passes not away. YHWH, help us to remember that this world is passing away, that we should thus be attached to nothing of this world, and certainly not make our home in it, seeking the riches it offers. Help us to set our hearts on you and seek you alone, forgetting all that is not of you. For we wish to enter your kingdom, to sing your praises with all your saints, but how shall we come there if fattened on the fruits of this earth? LORD, your Apostle's counsel is a very wise one – to make use of the things of this world as if we were not using them at all, always with an eye to their temporal nature, that they are indeed passing away. For if we remember this world is passing, we shall better remember you who are eternal. You are all that matters. You are all that matters, LORD, and so let us cry out for your presence, hungering for your kingdom. Let us give up all of this world that we might find you present to us, and make our home in your palace forever.

O Virgin who bore the Son of God, who became the divine dwelling place for the Creator of us all, should we not celebrate your birth this day, the blessing of the generation of you who signal our salvation? Pray for us, dear Mother, pray for all your children, all who would call themselves sons of God and brothers of our Lord Jesus Christ... pray that all generations will call you blessed, that all will hail you as Mother of our Savior and glorify the Lord who has filled you with His grace. You are one of us, dear Virgin Mary, one of the human creation, yet in you God deigns to dwell; pray we shall all be made worthy to be such a temple for the Lord.

(Mic.5:1-4 or Rm.8:28-30; Ps.13:6,Is.61:9; Mt.1:1-16,18-23 Note: I shall treat of both first readings) "It is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this child." "God is with us," brothers and sisters, and how has He chosen to come among us but through a woman, but through a virgin found with child? And this Virgin daughter of Israel from "Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah" – she the humblest of the chosen people, the meekest servant of our race – has been thus greatly blessed "according to His decree," for she is the first whom God "predestined to share the image of His Son." She is the first of Christians prepared and called by the Lord, and now "in turn glorified" in His presence. It is her birth, it is her role in our salvation we celebrate today, for by her complicity with the will of God "now His greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; He shall be peace." The fact that "God makes all things work together for the good of those who have been called" is evident both in the situation of Mary's life as Mother of the Lord and in the very fact of her call itself. First of all, God chooses this woman, this humble creature of the chosen race of His most humble creation to participate with Him in bringing His Son and His salvation into the world. The lengthy genealogy at the start of our gospel also bears witness to the very human nature of Jesus, whose "family record" can indeed be traced so precisely, and among whose ancestors are many who were far less perfect than He – including a prostitute, an adulterer, and evil kings. God chooses to come through man, through a woman, to make quite real His redemptive power over the sins of our race, to put flesh to the eternal Word of the Father. And in the particular situations of Mary's life, we see how difficulties, how "bitterness," if you will, is turned to sweetness, too, for we note that Joseph was prepared to divorce his yet-to-be wife when found with child, and we know that the prophet tells us a sword shall pierce her heart as well as her Son's; but that notwithstanding, and indeed through that cross she bears with Him, she shall find the glorification promised all children of the Most High. She certainly shares now in the fruits of His redemption. And we also share in these same fruits, brothers and sisters. We are likewise predestined and called and justified and glorified if we make ourselves as obedient as our Mother in the faith. He "whose origin is from of old" is with us now, too, and so we should "sing of the Lord, 'He has been good to me'" as we "rejoice in [His] salvation" at work within us, a salvation whose coming was prepared in the birth of the Immaculate Virgin Mary and by the power of the Holy Spirit brought to us through she who shares our own flesh. Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by Carie Fortney. Muisc by Carie Fortney; used by permission. ******* O LORD, through the Blessed Virgin Mary you have sent your only Son to save us from our sins – may He be always with us. YHWH, your Son has come among us through the Virgin Mary, to be with us and save us from our sins. May we welcome Him into our lives as has Mary, as has Joseph, and so find ourselves led to glory with you. In you do we trust; let us sing of your salvation. So humbly Jesus has come to us, through a humble virgin, a child called by you to share His image, to encompass Him with devotion that she might bear Him to us – and He has allowed Himself to be made so humble, to be found in her womb as a child of our race. He has come to this place, O LORD, as the leaven of peace and truth that the darkness which surrounds us might be dispelled by His majestic presence. O let His glory reach to the ends of the earth! By the Holy Spirit, Mary has conceived and served to bring Christ to us. Prepare us, O LORD, as you have prepared her to fulfill your Word among us.

(1Cor.5:1-8; Ps.5:5-7,9,12; Lk.6:6-11) "Let us celebrate the feast not with the old yeast, that of corruption and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." For indeed, "Christ our Passover has been sacrificed"; indeed, the new Sabbath has come. And on the Day of the Lord only goodness remains. "Get rid of the old yeast to make of yourselves fresh dough," Paul commands the Corinthians as he chastises them for their "boasting" and self-satisfaction even while tolerating a professed sinner in their midst. He writes here to insist that they should be "grieving and getting rid of the offender," both for the sake of the community and that the sinful man's "spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord." For, as David makes quite evident in his psalm, God "delight[s] not in wickedness; no evil remains with [Him]." And as for the vain pride of the community: "the arrogant may not stand in [His] sight." It is not an unkind exaggeration to say that the Lord "hate[s] all evildoers." The sharp line dividing evil and good Jesus would make clear as He confronts the scribes and Pharisees in the synagogue on the sabbath, "a man whose right hand was withered" standing before Him: "I ask you," He says, "is it lawful to do good on the sabbath – or evil? To preserve life – or destroy it?" Then He heals the man, much to the chagrin of the scribes and Pharisees who deem this unlawful work for the day. But in the Lord's House and on His Day good is always and only done – and certainly this healing is a blessed act. And since only the good remain in His House, just as the man who is "living with his own father's wife" will be purged from the Corinthian community at Paul's urging, so by the word of our Lord Jesus Christ these false leaders who harbor such distrust and jealousy will be cast from within the walls of the Lord's Church; for "the bloodthirsty and deceitful the Lord abhors," and indeed the blood of the Son is upon their hearts, and will be upon their hands. But we, brothers and sisters, we have the new feast, the new Sabbath before us now. We come now into His House to eat His Body and drink His Blood. Each day, in fact, we may celebrate the greatness of God's glory and the grace of His presence in our midst. And so, let us celebrate with a pure spirit, with His cleansing blood upon our hearts, that our goodness may be preserved and we who "love [His] name" and "take refuge in [Him]" may "be glad and exult forever." ******* O LORD, why is man's heart so set against you? YHWH, the arrogant cannot stand before you, those who have the desire for evil in their hearts and blood upon their hands. How can they begin to know your undying love, those who would condemn even the Son of Man? Should not the broken and sinful man always stretch his hand out to you? Is your arm somehow shortened in its merciful reach? Should we think that you, O LORD and God, are somehow limited in the dispensing of your grace? Will not Jesus show us otherwise as He stretches His arms out on the Cross? And what shall save those who do not accept His embrace, who would rather embrace this corrupt and wicked generation? Condemnation shall be pronounced over the rebellious soul, unless he repents of his evil. O LORD, let us eat only the bread of sincerity and truth; let us desire only your goodness upon all. O let us embrace your Son!