The BreadCast

O priest of Jesus and Mary so dedicated to the Hearts of our Lord and Lady and the formation of your fellow priests, how well you preached of our need to be one with Christ our Head; with what zeal you cared for the poorest among us – pray that priests and indeed all Christians will have hearts and souls beating and breathing as one with the Lord, in union with our Blessed Mother; may all serve and glorify the Father by using all their faculties as if they were His alone. O that we might indeed belong to the Son of God and be ruled by Him, His own eternal life coursing through our very veins, His breath upon our tongue!

(Ez.34:1-11; Ps.23:1-6; Mt.20:1-16) "I myself will look after and tend my sheep." How grateful we should be that "the Lord is [our] shepherd," for with Him we want for nothing. Indeed, our "cup overflows" and "only goodness and kindness follow [us] all the days of [our] life"; for it is He who watches over our every step, and He is only goodness, He is only kindness – His mercy endures forever. How the Lord's hand contrasts with the false shepherds' of the house of Israel. These "pastured themselves and did not pasture [the Lord's] sheep." They "fed off their milk, wor[e] their wool, and slaughtered the fatlings," but the sheep they allowed to be "scattered over the whole earth, with no one to look after them or to search for them." But where these shepherds "lorded it over [the sheep of Israel] harshly and brutally," the Lord Himself is "generous." Though under them the sheep "were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and became food for all the wild beasts," the Lord, the owner of the vineyard, the Good Shepherd, goes forth at all times of day seeking every straying sheep, gathering all into His fold and seeing that we have wages enough to feed each of our families. And whether the laborer works many hours or few, yet he is provided all his needs. Here, of course, is notice that the Gentiles, who come late to salvation history, enter the kingdom before the Jews, who have always been in the Lord's house. Here is word that the generosity of our God extends to all, that His loving arms will not be shortened. And we may learn, too, from the response of the workers to the owner's questioning why they have been "idle all day" – "No one has hired us" – that the Lord looks upon the heart and pays us not so much for the work accomplished but for the intention of our will. For these would have worked all day had they earlier been approached. "In verdant pastures He gives me repose." In the Lord's loving arms we all find our home. Had He not come Himself to shepherd us, still we would be wandering alone. But as it is we work now in His vineyard, sharing in the very blood of the Son. As it is we are well cared for by a Father whose generosity knows no bounds. He whose mercy alone could redeem us has come with His staff to guide us on the "right paths" that lead to His kingdom. And so we say, gratefully, "Thank you, Jesus, for your kindness." ******* O LORD, thank you for your generosity in saving us; your Son is the true Shepherd, the Shepherd of love – pasture us well this day in Him. YHWH, because you are our Shepherd, we are well cared for; we have all we need for the day. If our desire is to do your will, to work for you in your vineyard, you will reward us well. For it is your desire but to see your children safe in your House, and to achieve this goal you are diligent in seeking us out. To this end, you send your own Son to take on our flesh and blood; He becomes one of us that we might become one with you, LORD, fed by His Body and Blood. He shepherds us into your kingdom with great care. O let us work for you, LORD, day in and day out! Let our hearts not be set on the wage we receive but on doing your will. For if we are with you in your vineyard, though the sun beat down on us, we shall be at peace. Nothing can disturb the soul set on serving you – our cup overflows with the wonder of your presence. Let us be blessed to be gathered into your pasture, LORD, with all our brothers and sisters.

(Ez.28:1-10; Dt.32:26-28,30,35-36,39; Mt.19:23-30) "Only with difficulty will a rich man enter the kingdom of God." Yes, "close at hand is the day of their disaster, and their doom is rushing upon them!" – those like the prince of Tyre who are "haughty of heart, and say, 'A god am I! I occupy a godly throne in the heart of the sea!'" What condemnation they mount up for themselves, those who by their "great wisdom applied to [their] trading… have heaped up [their] riches," for "the most barbarous of nations… shall draw their swords… [and] run them through [their] splendid apparel." These shall be "thrust down to the pit, there to die a bloodied corpse in the heart of the sea." How else shall they learn that they "are a man, not a god"? How else might they find the humility necessary for the kingdom of heaven? It is tragic how riches and power turn men's hearts away from truth, making them "a people devoid of reason, having no understanding." For what do such as these say of their state but, "Our own hand won the victory; the Lord had nothing to do with it," thus blinding themselves to the fact that all comes only from God? And so the Lord's warning against those inflated by the riches of this world; and so "it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." For how their swollen pride makes it impossible to squeeze through the gates which admit only the humblest of children. Brothers and sisters, store not up for yourselves a heap of riches which serve but to block the light of the Sun of God. Use not "your wisdom and your intelligence… [to make] riches for yourself." This is not the proper end for the gifts God gives, and will serve only to bring the destruction of your haughty soul, along with the riches themselves. If you desire to "inherit everlasting life," it is upon this your heart, your wisdom, your desire for riches, must be set. For the heavenly riches from the hand of God do not fail and cannot be run through by the sword of the nations; and in this kingdom "the last shall come first." ******* O LORD, it is those who keep nothing for themselves to whom you give everything, including eternal life. YHWH, how can a man whose heart is set on the things of this world come to the riches of Heaven? How can he who thinks himself a god know the God who rules over all? Only if we give up the riches of this world, only if we humble ourselves as servants, will we come to know you and so enter into your reign. Otherwise, we shall be trampled into dust. You are life, LORD; you alone possess everlasting life, for the world and all it contains are in your hands – our very breath is your own. And so, how can we speak against you, how can we exalt ourselves above you, and expect to live, and expect to thrive? It is death we court by our insolent pride, not life. It is our condemnation we embrace by turning away from you. O LORD, help us to give up the things of this world, entrusting all into your hands, for then you will care for our lives here, and share with us the life of Heaven.

(Ez.24:15-24; Dt.32:18-21; Mt.19:16-22) "Son of man, by a sudden blow I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes, but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears." A striking similarity there is between our first reading and our gospel: as Ezekial's wife dies, and so his most valuable treasure is taken from him by the Lord, so the rich young man is told by Jesus, "Go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor," thus calling him to give up his treasure. But an ironic contrast also exists: Ezekial is asked by the Lord not to mourn his loss, though custom and conscience and righteousness would inform him otherwise, while the young man goes away in sadness when really he should be rejoicing that the Christ is calling him to follow Him. For the death of a loved one we should rightfully weep – for here is a life taken from us – but our possessions, what are they? And more so should we weep when it is our sins which have caused our loss to befall us, as is the case with the Israelites. The Lord teaches them that He shall remove Jerusalem and its temple from their sight, for they have forgotten God and "angered [Him] with their vain idols," and so He is "filled with loathing… toward His sons and daughters." But will they cry out to Him for the loss their sin has brought about? Will they turn and seek Him in prayer and fasting? No. He tells them, "You shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another." The hardness of their hearts shall keep their tongues from crying out, and so they shall not find the grace of God. And oh the sad fate of the rich, who likewise are prevented from entering the realm of God, in this case by their wealth of possessions. These vain things should mean no more than the dust of the earth, and when called from them and the anxiety they produce, what should one do but rejoice to approach the gates of heaven? But rather than this, the soul is made sad. It is a twisted world which only the grace of God can remedy. But who of this "fickle race" will come to the font of life and drink in the Word of salvation? Who will mourn in earnest the loss of life granted by God and have no care for the dead things of our earthly existence? And who shall continue the wicked twisting? ******* O LORD, we should mourn the loss of our souls, our hearts turning away from you, not the loss of our possessions. YHWH, why should we weep over the loss of our possessions, the vain things of this earth, these riches which keep us from knowing your face? Should we not rather rejoice when you call us from them to walk in your way? All we should care for is the life you give to our soul and that of our neighbor; all we need is to worship you. Yet we rot away in our sins, LORD, mourning not the loss of your light in our midst as we embrace darkness and death itself. What hope is there for such a fickle race, sons and daughters who forget their God and turn rather to vain idols? What can you do but destroy those who desecrate your sanctuary? We are your children, LORD, and you call us close to you, desiring but to share your goodness with us. O let our hearts be set on your love for us and following in your way. Turn not your face away from us but let us return to you.

O faithful king, loyal son of MotherChurch and just ruler of your people, in peace and piety, humbly and honorably you executed your duties, never showing favor to anyone but always respecting all and maintaining above all the faith and the Church which propagates that faith in Christ – where is true Christian profession today, where those in positions of power truly dedicated to right service of the Lord and His people? Do pray for us, dear king, that others shall follow in your footsteps as has your son so that all shall become faithful followers of our Lord in whatever position He grants them. Pray especially for leaders whose hearts are set on love of God and holy Church.

(Is.56:1,6-7; Ps.67:2-3,5-6,8; Rom.11:13-15,29-32; Mt.15:21-28) "God delivered all to disobedience, that He might have mercy upon all." (In love let me speak, O Lord.) Brothers and sisters, the Lord has said, "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." Yet our scholars and leaders make it a den of unbelief. Like the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day, they are deaf and blind to the light of God. We must not follow in their steps, but speak the truth of the presence of Christ that all might enter the portals of the Lord. I ask you: How shall the Lord's "way be known upon earth; among all nations, [His] salvation," if His Truth is blunted, if His Word is watered down into an alphabet soup? The commentary of the missal I read states of our gospel: "Matthew took this story from Mark… He molded it to bring out a message for the Church of his day." And so again, and continuously, those who presume to speak for the Church know nothing of God's Word. In their excessive analyzing, in their presumption and fabrication, they themselves attempt to mold the divine Scriptures to fit the vision of their blinded eyes, unable to see the Lord who stands before them. It is remarkable how ignorant these "intelligent" beings are to the simple fact that "prophecy has never been put forth by man's willing it," that "men impelled by the Holy Spirit have spoken under God's influence" (2Pt.1:21). And so they seek to make the Bible as any other sacred text, and the Church no different than the next. Why? So that there will be "an open-minded respect for all who seriously follow their religious convictions, provided of course that they fulfill their obligation to find the truth." But what they do not see is that the very condemnation of people they seek so anxiously to avoid, they are themselves effecting, in an eternal fashion. For they do not open the loving arms of the Catholic Church and speak of the acceptance of all into its grace and favors. They themselves do not "fulfill their obligation" to the truth for they know not what truth is: that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life is not heard by those who thirst for it most of all. And they do not see the absolute beauty of the woman's cry, "Please, Lord, even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters." (Or Jesus' wonderful exclamation, "O woman, great is your faith!") They do not see the way is not easy for any to come to salvation – be it the Gentile to whom the gates had seemed to be shuttered (though even throughout the Old Testament the Lord makes it very clear that "foreigners who join themselves to the Lord… them [He] will bring to [His] holy mountain") or the Jew who must repent of the hardness of his heart. They do not witness that all must come crawling on their knees to Jesus, and so how can they preach it? Their eyes are not open to see that the daughter who is healed is more than just the woman's blood offspring, but all the Gentile race; and they do not call all these to the light of His face. May the Lord have mercy on their disobedience. "May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earth fear Him." Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "The Whole Whale" (second half) from The Whole Whale, eighth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, lift us up from the pit and baptize us with your fire. YHWH, opposition from sinners we must indeed endure if we are to be called by the Name of your Son. The Cross we must carry through this world if we are to come to where Christ is at your right hand. If we are lowered into a muddy cistern, what should that matter to us, as long as we ourselves are not guilty of sin. Should we not take great strength in the suffering of Jesus and all those who have followed Him so faithfully to the Cross? Have they not proven that you come, O LORD, to save those who cry out to you? We shall be delivered even from death by the grace upon your Son, and so why should we fear the shedding of our blood? Your sword of truth cannot but divide the evil from the good, those who look to you from those who take their refuge in the things of this earth. Let your fire come, dear God, and burn away all sin from our midst, that all your afflicted and poor may rise from the ground blessed.

O glorious Virgin Mary, preserved from sin from the moment of your conception and now raised with your Son unto Heaven, blessed are you among women, most blessed of all God's creatures; kept from all corruption, you His lowly servant now reign with Jesus in His kingdom – pray all generations will call you blessed that all may indeed share in your blessing and come by the grace of the Lord to stand at His side in the Father's presence. Above the choirs of angels, where poor mortal man is called to take his place in union with the immortal Godhead, you precede us, O Immaculate Mother, by virtue of your eternal union with the only Son. Pray we shall truly follow you to perfection, conquering death by the Cross and entering the light of the Lord.

(Rv.11:19a,12:1-6a,10ab; Ps.45:10-12,16; 1Cor.15:20-26; Lk.1:39-56) "A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." The Queen of Heaven here appears to us in her glory. She who has been taken up by her Son to His heavenly kingdom to stand at His side: "The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir." Yes, Lord, the Mother you preserved from sin for all eternity you have preserved from the jaws of death; she who has suffered so intimately with you here on earth now shares your glory in heaven. And as she has said, "All generations will call me blessed," for you have "lifted up the lowly" and she your humblest and most holy of all creatures can be nowhere but with you in your eternal life. May she bless us from her place with you this holy day. In Mary we find our hope, brothers and sisters; in her we find it fulfilled, made real by the hand of God. We know that "in Christ shall all be brought to life," and "in proper order" she so blessed in life is now so blessed in death, having been preserved from its clutches and preceding us into God's heavenly realm. The devil would have devoured her and her child, but she and He, and we with them, have escaped his gaping mouth and the fire it breathes; this enemy and the death he wrought is destroyed by our Lord and His birth through the Virgin Mary, and so, "now have salvation and power come." "The kingdom of our God and the authority of His Anointed One" now reign supreme, and she who has been His special instrument in bringing such salvation now stands at His side in His paradise. "How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" asks Elizabeth in wonder at the blessed presence of Mary in her midst. She who carries the Lord shares in His divinity in a way beyond our comprehension, for if her own kinswoman could be filled with such awe, recognizing whence Mary comes, how much more should we be filled with veneration for the Virgin daughter of Israel? Indeed, it is her voice which causes the Baptist to leap for joy in the womb; with such joy we should approach this sacred day. As intimately as she was with Jesus, and is with Jesus now, so intimately is she with His Church here on earth as well as in heaven. From her place at His side she watches over us and cares for our needs as any mother for her son. We are her sons and daughters, united to her through the One Lord, Jesus Christ. She comes to us now at the end of the age, granting wisdom and direction to those who seek their place with her Son. Call her blessed, brothers and sisters in Christ, and see her glory shining forth at the right hand of God. In her you will find light greater than sun and moon and stars. You will find the presence of our Lord and our God. Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by Carie Fortney. Music by Carie Fortney; used by permission. ******* O LORD, look upon all your lowly servants with favor, that we might join Mary at your Son's side in the kingdom. YHWH, your promise of mercy is fulfilled in our midst as she who is blessed comes to us bearing your Son. And our hearts leap for joy at her approach, for indeed she brings salvation with her, and so the destruction of death. In her Son is your kingdom, your power come, and to His glory we are all called. Dearest Mary, who are we that you should come to us, O Mother of our Lord? O what blessing you are for those who rejoice with you in God our Savior! For as He has looked upon you, His lowly servant, so He looks upon all poor creatures and fills our emptiness with His presence. O that we might stand with you at His side this day! LORD, in Jesus death is conquered and all souls are brought to life again. His Virgin Mother is the first to join Him in your glory, for you prepared a place for her. May we all find the place prepared for us in your kingdom.

O soldier of the Immaculate Virgin and martyr for our Lord, well you spread the fame of the Mother of all graces, calling all souls to repentance that she might apply her Son's blood to save the straying among us; and well you heeded our Savior's call to lay down your life for others – pray this day we have such strength, such conviction and determination in serving our Lord and Lady, in publishing the Good News of salvation, that by our dedication we too may serve well upon this earth in the army of the faithful, also leading souls through the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that peoples and nations may be converted and so learn in turn to serve the surpassing glory of God.

(Ez.16:1-15,60,63 or Ez.16:59-63; Is.12:1-6; Mt.19:3-12) "I will remember the covenant I made with you when you were a girl, and I will set up an everlasting covenant with you." Ezekial first "make[s] known to Jerusalem her abominations," telling the people, "You were thrown out on the ground as something loathsome, the day you were born." And though by the Lord's blessing they "grew and developed"; and though when they were "old enough for love" He "spread the corner of [His] cloak over [them]"; and though when He "swore an oath to [them] and entered into a covenant with [them]" they became His, the recipient of all the bride's gifts and graces – "You were adorned with gold and silver; your garments were of fine linen, silk, and embroidered cloth. Fine flour, honey, and oil were your food" – yet they took the beauty with which the Lord had endowed them, and turned to harlotry. The wisdom of the Lord, His laws and decrees with which He favored no other people, which were the source of their glory, they spurned in favor of the wickedness of the nations. The hardness of the hearts of the Israelites we find well illustrated in our gospel today; their attitude toward the marriage covenant reveals their level of faithfulness to the Word of the Lord. A covenant is made binding for all generations, yet the Lord relates the truth to those who question Him: "Because of your stubbornness Moses let you divorce your wives." Never was it meant to be so. This promise, this sacrament Paul later tells us mirrors the love of God for His Church, was ever meant to be lasting. But how weak is the faith and the love of even His chosen, causing even the disciples to marvel at all that is asked of them. But the covenant the Lord made with His people in their immaturity, the marriage He called them to when they were but profligate children, He now comes to make everlasting through the grace brought by His only Son. He forgets us not in our sin and weakness; He remembers our humble origins. Now may we "be utterly silenced for shame when [He] pardon[s] all [we] have done"; now may we declare, "God indeed is my savior" and rely entirely upon His strength and the word from His mouth. "Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!" and He comes now to wed you to Himself forever. ******* O LORD, let your Covenant with us never be broken; may we be wed to you forever. YHWH, if anyone ever had the right to divorce his wife, you have the right to separate us from yourself. For how unfaithful we have been! How profligate have been our actions against you who took us from the ground, from the gutter, and gathered us to yourself… washing us clean of our sin, of the blood upon our hands, and clothing us as a queen before your majesty. How foolish we have been, and yet you show us mercy. Indeed, we are utterly silenced for shame at your grace at work in our lives, at the gifts you bestow on your rebellious child. O LORD, to yourself once again you take us, and for this what can we do but shout with exultation? We do not deserve your faithfulness toward us, yet you renew your Covenant with us in Jesus our Bridegroom; and even greater are the blessings now as we return to you. In His blood let us be washed, and clothed in His wedding garment.