The BreadCast

(Lv.19:1-2,11-18; Ps.19:8-10,15,Jn.6:63; Mt.25:31-46) "As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me." "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Such is the golden rule and the second of the greatest commandments, which is like unto the first: Love God. And the union of the two is made evident by Jesus in our gospel today; He makes clear that what we do to others we do to Him, and so to love God and neighbor become one and the same. So tied is the Lord to His creation by the incarnation of His Son. And how blessed are all His commands to us, all of which are summed up in love, and all of which give us life. "Refreshing the soul… giving wisdom to the simple… rejoicing the heart… enlightening the eye… enduring forever" – such is the Word of God to the obedient soul. All He speaks is just and all He speaks is holy and brings life, for all He speaks is of the Spirit of love. And of that Spirit we must be, if we hope to attain to eternal life where He sits in glory. "Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O Lord, my rock and redeemer," is David's prayer after extolling the virtues of the law of the Lord in his psalm today. And such should be our prayer. For if our hearts are set upon Him, and if our mouths speak truth, we can be assured that our actions will follow and we will please the Lord in all we do. For being of the Lord, we can only feed the hungry; seeking His will, we can only welcome Him and all His children into our lives. If we are founded upon this Rock, all will find in us the love of God. For He is love, brothers and sisters, and all He asks of us is love. Love does "not steal." Love does "not lie." Love does "not defraud" or "curse the deaf" or "act dishonestly" in any way. In a word, if you are of love as He is love, "you shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart." And all are our brothers, even the least of these; the Lord has made this known. All are our neighbor and so none can "stand by idly when [his] neighbor's life is at stake." All are called by love to lend their hand, His hand, to others in need. For then we help Him. Would we not help the Lord if we saw Him wanting? Is it not our desire to ease His pain? We have opportunity ever to do this in those around us. When we do, we fulfill His command and find life for our souls, for then we are holy as He. ******* O LORD, may your Word bring us to everlasting life; let us be obedient to your call to compassion. YHWH, let your Word be upon us that it might reprove us, that it might teach us and guide us in the way we should go… that it might refresh our souls. We know not the way we should walk but tend toward selfishness and sin. Speak to our hearts this day that our eyes might be opened and we be corrected and come to be holy like you. Your Son tells us in no uncertain terms that condemnation awaits those who hate their brother, who turn their backs on their fellow man. He lets us know that in doing so we turn our backs on you, O LORD. And thus spurning your love and the practice of that love in our lives, what can we be but separated from you who are love and life? But the righteous shall be blessed. This He tells us, too. If our hearts are set on fulfilling your commands and especially your command to love (which is all you command), then with you we shall ever dwell in eternal light and life. May all men listen to your Son and live as He does.

O Rock of the Church, leader of God's people to whom the Father has revealed the divinity of His Son and on whom the Son has therefore built His Church, giving you the keys to the kingdom, the power to bind and loose both on earth and in Heaven, that the ship you steer might conquer all Satan's power by the power of the Spirit with which you serve your brothers, secure in the blessed protection and guidance of the Lord – pray the Church you do yet lead shall fulfill the call the Christ has placed upon every soul and that we shall come to our heavenly home in the light of the Messiah. Pray we shall indeed be strong and give faithful witness to our Savior.

(Gn.2:7-9,3:1-7; Ps.51:3-6,12-14,17; Rm.5:12-19; Mt.4:1-11) "Just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous." And what obedience Jesus shows in His temptations. For He was weakened, "He was hungry" after His forty-day fast in the desert, and the devil came at Him with all his power. But He does not falter as did the first man; He remembers the Word of God and His command. And by His faithfulness the sin of Adam is washed clean. See how the Lord atones for our sins; see how directly His temptations parallel those presented to Eve. As she is shown the goodness of the food before her, that it is "pleasing to the eyes," so the devil tempts Jesus with bread that will sustain His life. As Eve ventures to take the food despite the command of God, listening to the serpent's words: "You certainly will not die!" so Satan would lead Jesus to cast His weakened body down from the parapet of the temple, with the encouragement that the angels will protect Him. And as Eve is seduced by the devil's promise, "You will be like gods," so he tries the same promise of power over "all the kingdoms of the world" with Jesus. In the first two temptations Jesus struggles as He will later under the weight of the cross, sweating and bleeding under the devil's test; but in the third, perhaps with understanding that the end of the temptations is at hand, He now exclaims, "Get away, Satan!" apparently revived – and His words are a most cutting blow to the prince of darkness: "The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve"; for it is the great sin of Satan to presume to be as the Almighty God. And so the prayer of David, found so poignantly in our psalm: "Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense," is answered And so the sin that has been "before [us] always," since Adam fell in the garden, is now to be cleansed from our souls. For now the angels do come to minister to Him; and now He begins the ministry that leads directly to the cross and the redemption of mankind in His sacrifice. Now the die is cast for the salvation of our race. Soon the devil will hold no dominion. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "The Chicken or the Egg: The Devil's Riddle" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, lead us out of the desert of sin; save us from temptation. YHWH, we have sinned and would drown in our sin except that you come to help us; your Son stands in our stead for redemption as once Adam stood in our place for rebellion, and so by His suffering the temptations we could not endure, cleanses us of all transgression. And so, life comes now to our souls. O LORD, by your compassion wipe out our offense. Death has reigned among us because of the sin of our ancestor, but more powerful and wonderful is your grace, for it brings acquittal of our sin, removing our condemnation and so making it as if we had never sinned, as if death had never been. Such is the gift your Son imparts. Sustain your Holy Spirit within us, dear God, that we might remain in your grace and never again turn away from your Word. Cast Satan far from us that we might stand with you, fed always by your Breath of life.

O blessed reformer of the Church who by a holy austerity cleansed your soul of the corruption of this world and served by example to lead others to a religious life – teach us this day of the chastising hand of God and the suffering which leads to joy, that in the will of the Lord we might all be purged of our dross and come to the kingdom of Heaven. Pray that we, too, might realize and so benefit from the blessing upon us when our souls are lashed with pains that threaten sorrow, for He does but wish to lift us from the sinfulness of this passing earth to the consolation of His presence.

(Is.58:9-14; Ps.86:1-6,11; Lk.5:27-32) "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "restorer of ruined homesteads." "Levi gave a great reception for Jesus in his house," but it is Jesus who invites him, and all sinners, "to a change of heart" and to join Him in the home He makes for us all in heaven. As Levi (or Matthew) has done, so must we all: we must leave our "customs post," that which roots us to this world – we must stand up and follow Him. "You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in kindness to all who call upon you." David makes his prayer in our psalm, coming to the Lord as one "afflicted and poor," begging the Lord's pity upon his soul. And there is confidence that his cry is answered, that his soul is gladdened; for the promise has been made through Isaiah that "He will renew [our] strength," that we "shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails." All that He has broken down in His anger against us and against our sins shall be raised up again: "The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up." As we turn to Him and "call the sabbath a delight… not following [our] ways, seeking [our] own interests, or speaking with malice," we shall indeed "delight in the Lord" and in His inheritance; He shall indeed "nourish [us] with the heritage of Jacob" – the food He gives us will far surpass the bread upon the table at Levi's banquet. For it is upon His own Body we shall feed, and so find ourselves renewed in spirit and strengthened for the kingdom of heaven. The Lord comes to invite all "sick people" to His healing grace. All who turn from their sins shall be acceptable to Him. And in His House they shall find a place, and be nourished well. "Even on the parched land" they shall find the water of life, for His grace extends to all places and all peoples. And with the bread we bestow on the hungry we ourselves shall be fed, for by this labor we shall unite with Him. "The mouth of the Lord has spoken." Let us find the mercy His words desire for us. ******* O LORD, help us to recognize our sin and call upon you for healing, that your House might be rebuilt. YHWH, teach us to turn from our sin, from following our own ways, that we might follow your Son where He leads, that we might come to Him for healing this day. Let us come into your light and there remain. You will renew us, LORD, if we do well, for it is your desire to share your mercy with us and make us as your own again. Though in ruins our lives stand, though all seem lost because of our sin, when we call out to you, you hear us and gladden our souls with your refreshing love. When Jesus comes to us, O LORD – as He shall come to all to heal us of all illness – when He stands before us and invites us to follow Him, may we be as Matthew and leave all of this world behind and set our hearts on obedience to His voice. May we invite Him in to the table of our bodies and our souls that He might feed us always with His Word and with the Bread He is, and that we might thus feed others. O let us be nourished well and be as a watered garden!

(Is.58:1-9; Ps.51:3-6,18-19; Mt.9:14-15) "Would that today you might fast so as to make your voice heard on high!" Brothers and sisters, in this day of fasting and penance, first we must "acknowledge [our] offense" as David in our psalm. We must cry out to our God: "Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight." This is our leaven of truth. "A contrite spirit, a heart contrite and humbled" the Lord cannot resist. It is this heart the Lord answers; it is prayer of this soul He hears – to this "cry for help… He will say: Here I am!" "When the day comes that the groom is taken away, then they will fast." We "go in mourning" when Jesus is no longer in our midst. What does this then say of our fast? For though the Lord may be with us always in the power of the Spirit, yet He is physically taken from us now till the end of time. Our fast must therefore be a permanent condition all the while we walk this earth. And so true is this if we understand the Lord's definition of a fast as revealed in our first reading from Isaiah: "This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly… sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless, clothing the naked… and not turning your back on your own." And what sense it makes that this be our fast now that Jesus is gone, for are we not His children here, called to carry out His mission in this world? Are not these the very things He instructs us to do in His stead for the least of His brothers who suffer now? On this earth here at the end of the age we should be engaged in fasting always. And if we pray with a sincere heart, and if we do the will of the Lord in all things, what promise He makes to us: "Your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed… The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard." All we ask shall be given us; all we seek we shall find in Him. And so, what shall our fasting be for us but pure joy, even as we become one with the Lord our God? A blessed call is upon us now, one which makes our voices known to Him. Let us "remove from [our] midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech." Let us denounce any "quarreling and fighting" that keeps us from Him, and see that His will is done in our lives. Then indeed He shall hear us; then by this death to sin we shall come to the glory of our God. ******* O LORD, what can we do but fast now that your Son has been taken from us? – let us do His work, stand in His stead, laying down our lives for all in need. YHWH, your Son has been taken from us, and so, on this day we fast. He no longer walks among us, and so we must be as His presence. We must free the oppressed and feed the hungry, doing the works He did while He was in our midst. And if we do this, we shall be pleasing in your sight, as He was, and so be blessed. With a contrite heart let us come to you, O LORD, recognizing our faults and failures to serve you as we ought. Instead of laying down our lives in humble service of those in need of your Word and your Bread, we have spoken ill of our brother and been oppressors ourselves. And so, any offering we have made has been in vain. And so we have but served to separate ourselves from you and your compassion. O LORD, let us not continue blind to our wickedness but seek each day to convert our hearts to your call to be as your Son and live His way of sacrifice for the sake of others.

(Dt.30:15-20; Ps.1:1-4,6,39:5; Lk.9:22-25) "The Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes." In our first reading, Moses makes clear the choice we all must face: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse." "By loving the Lord… heeding His voice, and holding fast to Him," the Israelites will be blessed with "long life" in the Promised Land; they "will live and grow numerous" by "loving Him and walking in His ways." This will be life for them. "If, however, [they] turn away [their] hearts and will not listen… [they] will certainly perish." The promise to them will soon die if they walk "in the way of sinners." Life and death. The blessing and the curse. The just and the wicked. To the Israelites the promise that they would be "like a tree planted near running water" if they followed the commandments of the Lord referred quite literally, quite physically, to the blessing of long life and enjoying the fruits of the earth. It showed itself in the numbers of people in the nation and the land they were given to occupy. When they were cursed, their kingdom was torn down and the land taken away from them. They became "like chaff which the wind drives away" when they were forced into exile from the lands of Judah and Israel. What is the land we must so treasure today, brothers and sisters? What place are we called to preserve by following in the way of the Lord? For now he "who gains the whole world" will likely "destroy himself in the process." Now our sights, our hopes, can no longer be set on the physical universe. Jesus has come. The Son of Man walks in our midst. And His presence, His flesh, makes the heavenly homeland our desire – it is this which is now our Promised Land. It is the number born into this kingdom which now causes our hearts to rejoice. It is this blessing that now comes to him "who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on His law day and night." And the Lord makes clear what "the way of the just" now entails. Our gospel tells us "Jesus said to all" – not just to His disciples, but to all who would find the blessing, would find life – "Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps." And His steps include enduring "many sufferings," being "put to death" and then being "raised up on the third day." Now it is death that leads to life. Now this world must be left behind. Now, though we love all – even our enemies – and everything upon it, we must leave the earth we have held so dear. The command is the same (to renounce all sin and love God), but now the prize is much greater, and so the way there much more narrow. But the Lord blesses our every step toward Him. ******* O LORD, let us remain in you and in your Son, walking the way of His Cross that we might not lose our souls but gain the life of Heaven. YHWH, may we find not only long life on the land but eternal life in your heavenly kingdom by our turning away from all sin and following your Son on the way of the Cross. Let us be dead to all the distractions of this wicked world that we might dwell with you alone. Death comes to the wicked, LORD, death that spells the demise of his soul, of his life in you who are Life itself. And so, how shall he live anymore if apart from you? And so, what is his life then worth? It is indeed like chaff driven away by the wind. But those who take their refuge in you, who meditate on your Word and the Word that is your Son, these you prosper in all they do, for all they do is in your will and so cannot but receive your blessing, the blessing of your living presence, LORD. Let us choose this day to live in you and never to turn our backs to your call to love. Laying down our lives, O LORD, may we be carried by your angels.

(Jl.2:12-18; Ps.51:3-6,12-14,17; 2Cor.5:20-6:2; Mt.6:1-6,16-18) "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning." "We implore you, in Christ's name: be reconciled to God!" Paul exclaims; and the people of God today raise a cry, rending their hearts, begging His forgiveness… turning from their sins to find His healing grace. The trumpet is blown in Zion; the people are gathered as one. Now "let the bridegroom quit his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the porch and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep." For now is the time of mourning, now is the time of prayer… now is the time to cry with David, "Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me." For now as we "acknowledge [our] offense" we find how "gracious and merciful is He"; now "the joy of [His] salvation" returns to us as "a clean heart" He creates for us, as His Holy Spirit He instills in our souls. Yes, "Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!" And so let us cry out to our Lord: "Spare, O Lord, your people!" The Lord will hear us, brothers and sisters; He will be quick to respond, as long as we are careful "not to receive the grace of God in vain." As Jesus said to His disciples, so He says to us: "Be on guard against performing religious acts for people to see." Only such vanity will prevent our finding the "recompense from our heavenly Father." Yes, we must give alms. Yes, we must pray. Yes, we must fast. But listen to the Lord's instruction to "keep your deeds of mercy secret," to "pray to your Father in private," and to make sure "no one can see you are fasting but your Father who is hidden." For then indeed "your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you" for your sacrifice. But if your offering is one to impress the eyes of man, be sure the eyes of God do not look upon it and it shall find no blessing in His sight. The time has come, the time of great mercy. As we call upon our God, "in the greatness of [His] compassion [He will] wipe out [our] offense." In Jesus and in His sacrifice for our sin we might now "become the very holiness of God." May we find now the Lord "stirred to concern for His land and [taking] pity on His people." May we find His grace at work in our souls as now we give ourselves to Him. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "The Sackcloth Song" from Remove the Mask of Lies, second album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, you see what is hidden; let there be in our hearts no sin but only your heavenly presence. YHWH, against you we have sinned, against you and your love. We have turned our backs to you and our guilt is with us always. But you are merciful and offer opportunity for repentance. You are good and kind and allow us to return to you. Help us to rend our hearts and weep in your presence, that we might know the healing touch of your forgiving hand. Wash us thoroughly from our fault; let it no more be known in your sight, O LORD. Now is the acceptable time for repentance – in Jesus you will hear our pleas. O let His sacrifice be fruitful in your sight that we might be holy in Him this day! And let our offering be acceptable to you as well. May our fasting and praying and almsgiving bring down your blessings upon us. Make us sincere, dear LORD, in our love for you and one another. Let us lay down our lives with your Son and know your presence in our souls. Spare us this day, O God; let us know the greatness of your mercy.

O seven men who lived as one in service of the Lord under the mantle of Our Lady, you who left everything of this world, all you bought and sold, that you might discover the riches of Heaven: to the mountain you went to find perfection – to the mountain let us come to live with God. Led by the prompting of our Lord and Lady, let us, too, be fruitful on this plane, founded in humility and love and poverty, living as one in the Body of Christ, freely giving our lives and so knowing the blessing of the virtues upon which you fed. Pray for us through our Mother that we too follow the call of her Son.

(Jas.1:12-18; Ps.94:12-15,18-19; Mk.8:14-21) "He wills to bring us to birth with a word spoken in truth." But how deaf we are to His speaking. The disciples exhibit a remarkable degree of ignorance in our gospel today. It would be comical were it not so usual, were it not such a defining trait of us humans. Preoccupied with their forgetfulness to bring bread for their journey, when the Lord mentions the word "yeast" in a chastising instruction, their minds go immediately to the bread they now lack by their negligence. Able to go no deeper than the surface of the words, and able not to see beyond their immediate concerns, they are as blind to the truth Jesus would teach them as so often we weak humans are. For those still struggling with the text at hand, Jesus is telling us that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. Has not the Lord shown this quite directly by feeding the thousands by virtue of a blessing spoken upon a few loaves? Our hearts should not be set on the bread of this world as are the Pharisees', whose yeast is a pride in self that rises to condemnation. It is pride that blinds us and concern for the body that produces ignorance. "Keep your eyes open!" the Lord commands. Do not let your minds be darkened by the cares of this world – the body is useless! It is the spirit that gives life. Open your hearts to the teaching of the Spirit, the great gift that Jesus imparts. "Happy the man whom you instruct, O Lord, whom by your law you teach," our psalmist sings, and so should all blessed to hear the Word of the Lord join his chorus. James tells us in our first reading that God does not tempt us to sin. "Rather the tug and lure of his own passion tempts every man"; only "genuine benefit comes from above, descending from the Father of the heavenly luminaries." Do we seek His gifts that are worthwhile, or are our hearts fixed on things below? It may be hard to listen to His Word, to be brought to birth by His truth, but "happy the man who holds out to the end through trial!" "The crown of life awaits… those who love" the Lord, and He is near to sustain us as we climb. Brothers and sisters, once the Spirit fell upon the apostles, no longer did they experience such ignorance. Is not the life-giving Word at work within us this very day? Then our eyes should be open to His light. ******* O LORD, help us to be humble before you, that you might raise us up from our sin. YHWH, should we not be as children before you? Is your Son not like a Child, O LORD? Is He not the humblest of all? O let us be like Him, and you! Is there some other image in which we should be made, LORD, than your own? What of this world should beguile our soul? To whom should we aspire but our heavenly Father, and how shall we find you except through your Son? Does He not show us the way by His death on the Cross? O LORD, let us not be deaf to your speaking to us in His words and actions, for He reveals to us who we must be. Help us to leave the example of the world behind, to abandon all hatred and jealousy, all the sinful pride and insatiable greed wrought into our fallen nature, and come to you even this day that we might be redeemed by your Son's sacrifice and our sharing therein. O help us to be humble, LORD, to find the humility only you know. With all our hearts let us serve you, and your glory will be ours.