The BreadCast

(Eph.1:15-23; Ps.8:2-7; Lk.12:8-12) "Whoever acknowledges me before men – the Son of Man will acknowledge him before the angels of God." We are only very small, less than a speck of dust in the eyes of God. Beholding His heavens, "the moon and the stars which [He] set in place," should we not cry out to God with David in our psalm: "What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?" Truly we are but miserable creatures. And yet the Lord of all has deigned to make man "little less than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor"; and yet through Jesus Christ He raises him up to His heavens. How like the acknowledgment the Lord promises is Paul's acknowledgment of the Ephesians: "I have never stopped thanking God for you and recommending you in my prayers." For their "faith in the Lord Jesus and [their] love for all the members of the Church," rightly do they gain honor from the Lord's Apostle, and from the Lord Himself. And all who are like them shall know "the wealth of glorious heritage to be distributed among the members of the Church." "Like the strength [God] showed in raising Christ from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in heaven," so will be the strength and grace Jesus shows in raising us up to be one with Him and His Father among the angels of heaven. "He has put all things under Christ's feet and made Him head of the Church, which is His body." And all who acknowledge His greatness, all who serve the Lord and His members, become part of "the fullness of Him who fills the universe in all its parts." Indeed they will be lifted up with Him who is "high above every principality, power, virtue, and domination, and every name that can be given in this age or in the age to come." For the body shares in the blessing of its head; the oil poured upon our Lord flows down upon all His members through the power of the Holy Spirit. And, yes, the Spirit is with us, brothers and sisters, defending us always and teaching us at every moment just what we need to do and say, if we have but faith. He gives us all the "wisdom and insight" we need to know the greatness of our call in Him and to accomplish all His works, if we but call upon the Lord's Name. Acknowledge Him always in all you do; be among the "babes and sucklings" who praise His majesty and glory, and His blessing you shall know to the depths of your soul, and the heights of heaven. ******* O LORD, let your Spirit be upon us to speak in us and work through us always. YHWH, teach us by the Spirit all we should say and do; may He enlighten our innermost vision that we may know the great hope to which you call us. How great is your power in us who believe! To what glory we are led by the Spirit! For we are thus joined to your Son who has all power in Heaven and on earth – members of His Body do we become. You have put all things under Christ's feet, dear LORD, crowning Him with your own glory and honor. And as you have raised Him from the dead and seated Him at your right hand in Heaven, so you will raise us up with Him whose Name is above all names. And so, what should we do but praise you and honor you with all our lives. O LORD, let us indeed acknowledge your Son here where we stand, before all men, that He might indeed acknowledge us before your angels and they might lift us to your presence at His command. Glory to you forever!

O apostle of Christ's Sacred Heart, in mystic wonder you beheld Him and let Him wash you clean in the streams that flow from His Heart divine – pray indeed we shall unite ourselves to Jesus and His love, that we shall submerge our needs and sorrows in the abyss of His mercy and seek perfection in union with His Sacred Heart. There let us find salvation, reparation for all our sins; there let us find heavenly joy, the peace that surpasses understanding. With you let us enter His presence, let us be bathed in His light, ever progressing toward His kingdom till we are devoted entirely to advancing His eternal glory. Pray His will and His way be known in us as we entrust ourselves to His love.

O mother of the unfortunate and model of prayer and penance, completely you gave yourself to service of the Lord and neighbor, chastising your flesh by constant fast and abstinence and generously offering your goods and your time to all those in need – pray we shall at least desire to imitate your thorough devotion, that our lives will be spent not on things of this world but for the reign of Heaven. All we can do for others let us do, and let all be done for God, that He alone will rule our hearts and lives and we will worship Him alone, dying to ourselves all the while.

(Eph.1:11-14; Ps.33:1-2,4-5,12-13; Lk.12:1-7) "What you have whispered in locked rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops." What we have whispered and what has been whispered to us, the teaching of the Lord, the truth of the Spirit, is destined to grow unto praise of God – to be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. What begins here in a small way in Jesus the Messiah, shall proceed in His disciples to all nations. In the dark, first it is but whispered. It sinks deep into the locked rooms of our guarded hearts. There the truth finds a home, takes root, and grows. And all the world shall know… All the world shall know all that is spoken in your heart. Brothers and sisters, "when you heard the glad tidings of salvation, the word of truth, and believed in it, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit who had been promised." In Him and in His truth whispering in your heart you found "the pledge of our inheritance, the first payment against the full redemption of a people God has made His own to praise His glory." Though a tiny spark at first, concealed in the dark, this flame has burned intensely, and now becomes the fire of praise unto God. "We were predestined to praise His glory"; this was the Lord's desire from the first moment He touched us with His Word. And now His plan must be fulfilled. As Jesus looks about in our gospel and sees "a crowd of thousands had gathered, so dense that they were treading on one another," He realizes how the flame has already begun to grow. And so He warns His disciples to be true to the Word He has labored to plant in their minds and hearts and souls. He knows that they will be tempted by "the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy," that they may be inclined to speak what will tickle the public's ear in order to gain their approval and support. Thus does He say, "Do not be afraid": do not be afraid of what the truth may bring or that you might be killed for speaking it. Remain true to what I have whispered to you in our locked rooms, for the Word must go out to the ends of the earth. Their mission upon them, He calls His friends to fulfill it. And so let all our voices resound with the praise of God who has saved us, for "praise from the upright is fitting." "Exult, you just, in the Lord… for upright is the word of the Lord, and all His works are trustworthy." Now all must know that "of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full," so fail not to "chant His praises," to proclaim His truth to all the world. It is here we are called to do so. ******* O LORD, let us not fear to praise your glory before all the world. YHWH, we are called through your Son to declare your glory, to sing your praises in the light of this day. May we in faith and sincerity fulfill this call and come at last into your kingdom. You are our LORD, you are our God, and all things are known to your eyes. Life and death are in your hands, and only in you do we find the promise of the Holy Spirit fulfilled – only in you and by your Son will we inherit eternal glory. Let us be your true disciples that, though we die for your cause, we may ever have life in you. Praise you, LORD, for your goodness to us, for your watching over us and providing your Son to save us and your Spirit to lead us to your glory. Let the truth you have spoken in the depths of our hearts be proclaimed openly to the ears of all men that the devil may be overcome and all your poor sparrows find their home in you.

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.

(Eph.1:1-10; Ps.98:1-6; Lk.11:47-54) "It is in Christ and through His blood that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven." Oh, brothers and sisters, "so immeasurably generous is God's favor to us." He "has bestowed on us in Christ every spiritual blessing in the heavens!" In Christ we are chosen "to be holy and blameless in His sight, to be full of love… to be His adopted sons." In our midst the Lord fulfills the plan "to be carried out in the fullness of time: namely, to bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one under Christ's headship." And He does all this by the shedding of His blood. "God has said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of these they will persecute and kill.'" "From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who met his death between the altar and the sanctuary," to the blood of Christ, who died within the sanctuary – who is the sanctuary and whose blood is poured out upon every altar until this day – the sacrificial blood of the martyrs has been poured forth. And all the blood shed until His time, and all the blood shed by His faithful until His Day… all is the blood of the Christ who redeems us all who shed that blood by our sins. And we should but desire to add our own blood to fill up what is yet lacking in the sacrifice of the Lord, that all the chosen may enter His kingdom. Brothers and sisters, no longer is "the key of knowledge" kept from us; we now have access to enter into His reign. For "God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery" of the plan of His salvation. And it speaks to us in Christ's blood. And in His blood we should rejoice; we should "praise the divine favor He has bestowed on us in His beloved." For "the Lord has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice." And His justice is this: that though the devil accuse us rightly of our sins, though the blood of the prophets be on our hands, though none is worthy of the kingdom and all should be justly thrown into hell – yet "all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God," yet there is One who has died in our place to wash us clean from our sins, to measure off the justice due us… yet the devil's hope for our condemnation is thwarted by the One who loves us immeasurably. And so we can enter in and "with trumpets and the sound of the horn sing joyfully before the King, the Lord." And so we may know fully the blessings of Christ's blood. ******* O LORD, the blood of your Son be upon us this day to redeem us from our sin and bring us knowledge of your glory. YHWH, thank you for sending your Son to redeem us from all our sins and make us one with Him and so with you in the heavenly kingdom. Your salvation this day is known to all by the blood He has shed on the Cross – may all hear His call to repentance, that all might sing in your presence. O LORD, every spiritual blessing you offer to us through the sacrifice of Jesus. O that we might be holy as He, holy as you, and praise you joyfully for your love. Let us not linger in jealousy, in envy of His goodness and truth, but listen to His words that chastise our hearts, that we might be made pure for Heaven. The key of knowledge is ours in your Christ; the wisdom of the ages comes to us through Him – let us but long to follow Him to your glory. In His blood indeed we are saved. Though our hands have shared in the shedding of that blood, yet it is the source of our salvation, if we but turn to you in love. Praise you, LORD, for your favor toward us!

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.

(Gal.5:18-25; Ps.1:1-4,6,Jn.8:12; Lk.11:42-46) "Since we live by the spirit, let us follow the spirit's lead." "Happy the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent"; these indeed follow not the spirit's lead but the dictates of the flesh. And all their "licentiousness" and "drunkenness," all their "hostilities" and "envy," shall but lead to their doom. For "those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!" When they die – as already they are dead – the grave alone shall be their home, with the tortures that are found there. But "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires" and so know the "fruit of the spirit" and not the flesh. "Love, joy, peace" and all the precious gifts are theirs in this life, and shall remain with them forever. The Spirit leads us to such blessing. As for the Pharisees in our gospel today, they prove themselves children of the flesh and not the spirit, for though they "pay tithes on mint and rue and all the garden plants," though they are so careful about the details of the letter of the law, their worship is in vain for they do all "while neglecting justice and the love of God," thus tearing out the very heart of the law of God they presume to follow. And so their path is the one which leads but to the grave. They clearly are even now dead, "like hidden tombs over which men walk unawares." Here are "the insolent" the just must avoid. Here are those who build pretense of holiness but have nothing of the spirit inside. And so their decaying souls shall crumble from within, and "like chaff which the wind drives away," so shall their remains be scattered like dust by the truth of the Spirit, which exposes and destroys all lies. "The way of the wicked vanishes," brothers and sisters. It cannot stand, for there is no foundation, there is no truth on which it rests. It is but empty, illusory, passing. But we who claim to be sons and daughters of the living God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and following the lead of the Holy Spirit, must have nothing to do with the fruits of this way. Our worship must be true, must be genuine, must be that in which the flesh is crucified and the spirit allowed to breathe, that none of us will be crushed under the burden of sin but all be set free to walk in liberty now and forever. ******* O LORD, let us not be counted among the wicked but have your love and your truth burning in our souls. YHWH, let our worship be genuine, let our hearts be set on love of you. Let us follow the Spirit's lead; your way of truth be our own this day. Meditating on your Law, let us live it and bear its fruit. Apart from you let us never be, O LORD, never separated from your love. Crucified let our passions be, that we shall share in new life with your only Son. Your joy and peace be with us always; keep us forever from jealousy and outbursts of rage. In the Spirit let us make our home, never turning to what comes of the flesh. Far from the paths of the wicked please keep us, LORD, that we shall not live our lives in vain; day and night let us think of you, and we shall be ever blessed. O that we might bear your fruit all our days, that our leaves might never fade… Keep us always close to you by your chastising word of truth. Then the water of your Spirit will nourish us well and our sin will be known no more.

(Gal.5:1-6; Ps.119:41,43-45,47-48; Lk.11:37-41) "Any of you who seek your justification in the law have severed yourselves from Christ and fallen from God's favor!" Brothers and sisters, "it is in the Spirit that we eagerly await the justification we hope for, and only faith can yield it." The works prescribed under the testament of old have had their day and their time is passed. Circumcision, the central act of the law, along with the temple and its sacrifices, has been rendered useless. Physically there may yet be benefit to this practice, and so it is employed widely, but spiritually it is now without merit. All that is of the old law has been subsumed by the new, and to set our hearts on what is now dead will leave us but as empty and dead ourselves. Now there is baptism in the name of the Lord. Now there is Jesus and His Body, the Church. Now there is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. With these in our midst all else pales, for these are set upon the Rock of eternal life; these are founded in the Spirit which does not pass, nor can be destroyed – and these are known only by faith. Truly, "in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor the lack of it counts for anything; only faith, which expresses itself in love." Now that love has overcome the law, now that it has fulfilled it, why should we be concerned with the cutting of flesh? It is our hearts that must be circumcised. What is inside is what matters. Jesus has said this repeatedly and He declares it again today to the Pharisee who is so preoccupied with physical washing, with the need to "cleanse the outside of the cup and dish." This is slavery! Indeed it is born of an attachment to the things of this earth and places our neck under its yoke. If we do not "give what [we] have as alms," if we do not open our hearts to love of the Lord and love of neighbor, all the scouring of our skin will be utterly useless – in this way we shall never touch our souls. We must have love, we must have faith, and do the outside things only as necessary. "Let your kindness come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise." Though I am no longer under the law of old, yet I see how weak I am, how reliant on the works of faith, and how ignorant and blind to your presence I can become. And so I pray that you "take not the word of truth from my mouth." I pray you enter my house and recline at my table, and that my heart will be set on love of you above all… and that all things else will but serve this love. Let me not fall from your favor, from your love. ******* O LORD, help us to cleanse the inside of the cup that by faith and love we shall come to new life in the Spirit. YHWH, you call us to love what is within, where you live, where you make your home. But we are distracted by what is without, so shallow is our vision. Help us to see as you see, to desire what is in your heart. Then truly we shall be set free to walk as your sons. O living God, your love instill within our souls; your truth alone let us speak. Let us not be concerned with the works of the law, with the cutting of flesh and the washing of hands, but with the accomplishment of your will. And so, to save ourselves from such empty worship, let us give all things to you. If we had but faith, O LORD, then our vision would be clear, our hearts would be set on you alone, and all things would be ours. Let us but seek our salvation in the keeping of your Word, and you will care for all else. Make us clean in your sight!

(Gal.4:22-24,26-27,31-5:1; Ps.113:1-7; Lk.11:29-32) "At the judgment, the citizens of Nineveh will rise along with the present generation, and they will condemn it." Paul's words to the Galatians today sound much like a parable: "Abraham had two sons, one by the slave girl, the other by his freeborn wife." He himself states pointedly, "All this is clearly an allegory: the two women stand for the two covenants." But though Hagar may be seen as the mother of all "children [born] to slavery" and Sarah may be compared to "the Jerusalem on high," which is free, the allegorical significance notwithstanding, both Hagar and Sarah were flesh and blood human beings who walked the face of the earth along with the father of their children, Abraham. So, though the life of anyone may be seen in an allegorical light, it does not mean the life itself is but an allegory. And yet the scholars of our day would turn the life of Jonah into a mere allegory – as they would, it seems, with Jesus. They say that Jonah did not exist, that the book written of him is but a story, a parable. And so they say that the Lord would compare Himself to a parabolic figure: "Just as Jonah was a sign for the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be a sign for the present age." And so they say we will be judged by fictional characters. The Lord's words remain ever true: "This is an evil age." It is given a sign, the greatest of signs, and it denies it. It seeks further sign with a heart only to deny once more. Why? Because it has no faith. And without faith one cannot reason; without faith one can see nothing. Truth remains ever hidden from one's eyes. And so those with empty minds stumble blindly through their theorems, the products of a diseased imagination. And so those without faith seek at every turn to tear down the faith, which ever eludes their clawing grasp. But they shall be judged. What shock will be theirs when the ones they have sought so vainly to make into fictional characters stand before them to condemn them to death. Perhaps then they will see. Perhaps then there will be an end to "the yoke of slavery" they would place upon the "freeborn" children of God. Beware the faithless soul, dear children. Remember only, "From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the Lord to be praised." Indeed, "high above the nations is the Lord; above the heavens is His glory," and He shall lift you "lowly from the dust" to be with Him. As He tears down those who exalt themselves and reveals their children to be so vain, then He will bring your fruits to light and you will bear many. The works of all will be exposed on that Day. ******* O LORD, how great you are and how great is your gift to us, for your Son has freed us to walk with Him – let us repent at His word. YHWH, we are your freeborn children for whom your Son has died; in Him we find new life. In the blood of Jesus is found the New Covenant, a covenant which unites us with you in glory. Praise you, LORD, for such a great gift! Thank you for the grace that comes to us, your once wayward sons. Though we have been barren of children, empty of any fruit as we wandered far from you outside the walls of Jerusalem, yet you have looked upon us with mercy and called us to your side. Help us to reform our lives that the fullness of your gracious gift might be known to us on the Day your Son returns to judge all souls. Yes, LORD, the lowly ones you raise from the dust to sit with you in heavenly places, to know your great blessings in the kingdom on high. Free our souls to praise you for your glory. Set free from slavery to sin we shall share in the joy of the New Jerusalem and declare your wonders forever.