The BreadCast

O virgin pure and brilliant, you gave your life in defense of the faith, refuting all arguments to its contrary; though you were but a child yourself, you stood strong before your tormentors, enduring the persecution and torture they struggled in vain to muster against you, ever shining the light of purity and truth before their corrupted minds and hearts – pray for those who defend the faith and all those who would explain it away, that the light of pure reason will dispel all doubt and darkness and the verity of the faith be known by all souls on this earth, undeniable as it is by the mind of any man. Pray we not waste words or time but live a holy life before God, giving witness to His presence in the world and in the Church, and come finally to rest on His mountain.

(Dn.2:31-45; Dn.3:57-61; Lk.21:5-11) "The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at once, fine as the chaff on the threshing floor in summer, and the wind blew them away without leaving a trace." So shall the kingdom of this world be destroyed by "a stone which was hewn from a mountain without a hand being put to it"; so shall Jesus come – the Son of God, the King of kings – and make all things subject to Himself. And when shall this be? It has happened, and is happening, and will happen soon: fear not in your hearts. Simply praise the Lord of the universe. There will be no trace of this world remaining when the Lord does come. He shall be the stone that "became a great mountain and filled the whole earth," which "shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them." And by whose hand shall this be done? "The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people." And so, if accomplished by the hand of God and not by man, why do we look upon the "wars and insurrections," "plagues and famines," and become fearful, as if these shall bring the end? No, "the end does not follow immediately." We cannot state the time any more than could Daniel, the greatest of all interpreters of dreams and visions. So why are we misled when many come in the Lord's name saying, "I am He" or "The time is at hand," as if these could force the hand of God? Let not the "fearful omens" and "great signs" perturb you, brothers and sisters. These are for those without faith as a warning to turn to God, but for those with faith they should prove no disturbance. Our souls should be set on Jesus, who surpasses all these things – even the temple "adorned with precious stones" – and whose coming we should see clearly in our hearts. Is He not at work in you? Are you not His children? Then why fear these things which are "bound to happen" to the earth? You should "praise and exalt" Him who is "above all" with the "angels of the Lord" and the "heavens." Let your hearts rise up to Him. Yes, "the day will come when not one stone will be left upon another, but it will all be torn down." And in that day the Lord will reign supreme. Set your sights upon His majesty. ******* O LORD, not one stone will be left upon another; all will become as dust – then shall come the eternal reign of your Son. YHWH, your hand shall crush all things of this world; your right arm shall see to it that the gold and silver, the riches of the earth, all pass away. When your Son returns, all this shall be accomplished. Let us stand ready and waiting for that day. Why should we fear, O LORD, the destruction of kingdoms? Why should we lament even the temple's fall? For what is anything of this world in comparison to your glory? Your glory is indeed above earth and heaven and shall never pass away. With the angels let us praise you, LORD. With all your disciples let us glorify your NAME. You alone are holy, you alone are worthy of praise, and this lesson we must learn if we are to be saved. And so, on the day when there is not one stone left on another, let us not be anxious or afraid. Though wars and earthquakes come, let our hearts be set upon you, LORD, and exalt your kingdom as it draws nigh.

O you who were martyred over three centuries of persecution in a country so bitter toward the faith, bishops and priests and laymen alike, native to the land and foreign-born, all innocent souls who suffered even torture in joy, all for the sake of the Lord and His Church – pray we shall be as ready as you to bear witness to the faith with our lives, that all as one in the Body of Christ we will be willing even to die to satiate our thirst for the kingdom and for the salvation of souls. O what joy to be as Jesus, to walk in His steps even to the Cross! No greater blessing could any soul know on this corrupted plane… Pray we shall come with you to Heaven.

(Dn.1:1-6,8-20; Dn.3:52-56; Lk.21:1-4) "To these four young men God gave knowledge and proficiency in all literature and science, and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams." God is the giver of all good gifts; all is a gift from God. Whatever we give to Him can only seem paltry to Him "who look[s] into the depths from [His] throne upon the cherubim." But He makes any gift we give, anything we do, great by His heavenly grace. All our offerings are as the widow's – but a couple of copper coins – even if we give vast wealth from our surplus. What is anything we offer in the sight of God, who owns the world and all that is in it, who sits "in the firmament of heaven"? So the size matters not. But when we give our paltry gift with a heart of faith, in answer to the love He gives us, how great our gift then becomes. For this He blesses. This He looks upon with favor. This He sees as He glances up; for it is the heart He looks upon and measures. It cannot but be that the widow gave her offering out of love, out of her deep faith in God. How could one become bereft of all riches if one did not believe in Him who surpasses all? And is it not Daniel and the young men's faith which God does bless with His gifts of wisdom and prudence? Because "Daniel was resolved not to defile himself with the king's food or wine" sacrificed to his pagan gods, God first blesses him and his companions with exceptional health. Though they eat food that is poor as the widow's offering, yet "they looked healthier and better fed than any of the young men who ate from the royal table" – again, because all gifts, including that of health, are in God's hands and not in the things themselves. And God's gift of knowledge and understanding is a reward for their faith in Him as well; they give themselves to Him in obedience and He who holds all such light of wisdom in "the temple of [His] holy glory," who is "exalted above all forever" – which the young men readily recognize – grants them His favors by His grace. What gift have we to give? What paltry sum have we to offer? Let it be as the two fish the boy offered in faith and generosity to the Lord (Jn.6:9), and with it He will feed five thousand. Let it be as the two coins jangling in the widow's pocket, and with it He will build a home for you in heaven. Let it be given in the faith of the four young men and God will bless it and reveal Himself at work in you. ******* O LORD, you provide, you take care… let us not be afraid but give ourselves entirely to your service. YHWH, praiseworthy and exalted are you, glorious above all for all ages. And those who trust in you are truly blessed; you give them wealth and health – all wisdom comes from you. And though we may have but two copper coins, if we offer them to you, you will provide all we need in this world, and bring us to the riches of Heaven. O let us be raised up with you, dear God! Let us join you on high where you dwell in glory. To your Temple let us come and before your throne let us bow. If so humbly we worship you, you shall sit us beside you. Let us be in your service this day, our hearts set on doing your will alone, and we shall be blessed even before kings, even before the Son of Man. O LORD, help us to give all we have to you.

O father of holy monasteries who dug deeply in the earth, in the heart of man, and laid their foundation on the Rock that is Christ that they might be made in His image, in the image of Him who created us – pray we shall love the Lord as He commands and so be holy as He is holy, truly reflecting the image of our God and living in His surpassing peace. Pray austerity serve well to make us in the Lord's image, to purge from us all that is not of Him; may we be blessed to serve with untiring devotion and care the will of our Lord in all things, in worship of Him, in prayer, and in genuine love of our neighbor, that the Gospel may go forth to the ends of the earth not just in words but in our very flesh and blood.

O successor to Peter, Shepherd of God's Church, Father of all the churches in the Body of Christ, these you instructed well; these you gave a shepherd's care… for these and for the Lord you shed your blood – pray for God's Church even this day, that she shall remain united under her one Lord and Savior, each member serving the good of all as wholly as you have done. Pray we all work together in Jesus' name and in His blood to do the Father's will and so become as holy as He, as holy as you were blessed to become. Pray the teaching of the apostles ever ring in our ears that we shall never forget the way the Christ marks out for us, the way of truth that leads to life.

(2Sm.5:1-3; Ps.122:1-5; Col.1:12-20; Lk.23:35-43) "This is the King of the Jews." On earth, our King rules from a cross; in Paradise, upon a glorious throne. O Lord Jesus, "here we are, your bone and your flesh." May we die with you that we might reign with you in your holy kingdom. "All the tribes of Israel came to David" and anointed him king of Israel. He had been called by the Lord as shepherd and commander of Israel, and now he would finally receive his kingship. And he would make Jerusalem the city of the king, and make it holy when he brought the ark of the covenant within its walls. And so, here on earth David reigned, as God's anointed. And so Jerusalem becomes the place of worship, within whose gates all rejoice to set foot. And there "are set up judgment seats, seats for the house of David." And so Jesus is called the Son of David, for He inherits this earthly kingdom blessed by God, anointed anew to reign from Jerusalem. But, of course, His kingdom is more than that of the flesh, for it is His own flesh that makes it holy – He is the Temple not made by human hands, through whom all things blessed of the earth and of heaven came to find their being: "In Him were created all things in heaven and on earth." He indeed is the beginning of all things and the fullness, or the end, of all things; nothing, and in particular the Church, exists apart from Him. And to what heavenly rule are we all thus called by His "making peace by the blood of His cross." By His sacrifice we shall indeed be saved; He will remember us when He comes into His Kingdom. And there shall be true rejoicing, for there the cross shall be borne no more. Having consumed all our sins and the darkness and death of this life, it shall be transformed into the throne of glory. Even now the Lord calls to us from the cross; even now His suffering beckons us. Even now we must turn to Him, our King, in our sin and let Him take our corrupted flesh and bone upon Himself to find the blessed reconciliation of our souls in the hand of God. As His forgiveness pours upon us in His blood, we come to the fullness of His heavenly kingdom and "share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light." Long live our King, who dies upon a cross. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Removing the Log from My Eye" (first part) from Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, Jesus is our bone and our flesh – may He be our King! YHWH, your Son is King of the Jews – let us come with Him into Paradise, where He reigns forever. By the blood of Jesus' Cross all in Heaven and on earth are made one, are reconciled to you, O God and Father of all the redeemed. Through Him all things were made and through Him all are saved. May we all come to share the inheritance of the holy ones in light. David ruled from the holy city of Jerusalem; all Israel came to him to make him king. He was a man after your own heart because he sought your will in all things. But it is Jesus, your Son, He who is called Son of David for His eternal reign over Israel, over all those who strive to do your will – it is He who is and has always been true King of all Creation. To Him let us call out; in Him let us make our eternal home.

O holy virgin and martyr, you sang a song of love to Jesus, a song that could not be dimmed, could not be taken away, for you were protected by an angel of the Lord and willing to give your life to maintain your love for Him – pray for us poor souls of this day and age from whom purity is so far removed, who need deep conversion to believe, to see the angel at your side, to know the path to which the Lord calls us, the Cross which is every Christian's song. So far removed, so far removed are we, and so impassible is the way to Him… inspire in our souls, dear saint, the desire for the incorruptible that beat in your heart, that we too might sing a song to Jesus pleasing to His ears.

(1Mac.6:1-13; Ps.9:2-4,6,16,19; Lk.20:27-40) "The needy shall not always be forgotten, nor shall the hope of the afflicted forever perish." Death comes, yes. Death is upon us and surrounds us in this world. But the suffering we face in this life has its reward. Jesus has brought redemption: He has been resurrected, and we with Him. And this new life is eternal. It seemed the Israelites were doomed. Antiochus had ruthlessly destroyed Jerusalem and the inhabitants of Judah. All hope seemed lost. But hope was not lost, and today we read of the return of the people to Jerusalem in strength and the defeat and death of their enemy, the king. Now Antiochus has become "sick with grief because his designs ha[ve] failed." Now he is "overwhelmed with sorrow" as he sees the evils he has committed overtake him and finds himself dying "in bitter grief, in a foreign land." While in Jerusalem the Israelites celebrate and sing praise to God: "My enemies are turned back, overthrown and destroyed before you." And now such redemption is made eternal in the Person of Jesus Christ. What was but human and temporal, the fall and rise of empires and of temples, now becomes divine, now becomes everlasting in the coming of the Messiah in the flesh of God. Yet with Him there is death – but after His crucifixion it shall be no more. Yet with Him is new life – but with His resurrection it has no end. Now "those judged worthy of a place in the age to come and of resurrection from the dead… become like angels and are no longer liable to death." In His death He destroys death: He makes it bereft of all power. In His rising He draws all into the eternal presence of the Father. Now "all are alive for Him." Brothers and sisters, may any "floods of sorrow" which afflict us now because of our sins or by the oppression of our persecutors not overwhelm us in this day. Let our sins be nailed to the cross with Him who is our salvation, and our hope of overcoming all the scourges of the evil one be made strong in the surpassing light of His glorious rising. With David let us "declare all [the Lord's] wondrous deeds," and our enemies will be left speechless. (I must note today that the city named for this evil king – Antioch – would soon become the place where the followers of Christ were called "Christians" for the first time; and that the seat of the state which would next oppress the people of God – Rome – is now the place from which the Chair of Peter reigns. How God's redeeming Hand does work.) ******* O LORD, in Heaven we shall be as angels; let us not be weighed down by the cares of this earth. YHWH, turn back our enemies, we pray, the sins that grieve us in this dark place. Let us not in exile die, but by your grace come to new life. O LORD, how we long for the day when we will no more be liable to death. Like the angels of Heaven let us be; in the age to come let us make our home, leaving behind the vestiges of this vain world. For all we have done or spoken against you, let us be forgiven, O LORD. From all the evils we have committed in Jerusalem, let us be washed clean. Make your City holy this day, that to your NAME we might sing praise. Build up the walls round about us, dear God, that we might be protected from all the attacks of the enemy. Give us arms to defend ourselves from their snares, and we shall declare your wondrous deeds. O let us rise again with your Son!

O holy Temple of the Lord, preeminent member of His Church, you who were destined from all ages to bear the Son of God, to be His chosen dwelling place… you were weaned into His Temple; there you ever remained, becoming yourself the House of God, where He now ever stays – pray we be built into His Temple; pray we become sons and daughters unto you. In you let us make our home, dear Mother, that the holiness of Jesus we shall ever share. We cannot live in Him if apart from you; we cannot be as Christ's Body, blessed by the Holy Spirit and doing the Father's will on earth, if you are not our Mother, if you are not the Temple in which we dwell. Pray our holiness mirror your own.