The BreadCast

(Gal.1:13-24; Ps.139:1-3,13-15,24; Lk.10:38-42) "The time came when He who set me apart before I was born and called me by His favor chose to reveal His Son to me." Paul speaks of his conversion to the faith today. But before he changed and became the Lord's great Apostle, he tells us, "I made progress in Jewish observance far beyond most of my contemporaries, in my excess of zeal to live out all the traditions of my ancestors," and that he "went to extremes in persecuting the church of God and tried to destroy it." Now, isn't Martha as Paul was? Is it not her own zeal for observance of Jewish tradition which makes her so anxious and blinded to truth? We hear that she "was busy with all the details of hospitality," a venerable Jewish custom and requirement of the law; but does not her own "excess of zeal" for this observance lead her even to persecute the Church of God, as it has with Paul? For is her sister not as the Lord's Church, as His holy Bride seated at His feet? And what does Martha intend to inflict upon her when she asks in her presumption, "Lord, are you not concerned that my sister has left me all alone to do the household tasks? Tell her to help me," but by such public humiliation to draw her from the blessings of Christ into her own anxiety? But as Paul has heard the call of the Lord, so now Mary does as well, and nothing shall remove such favor from her. And instead of the drawing of Mary from the Lord, it is the Lord who calls Martha from her chores to listen to the voice of God. Martha shall heed the Lord's call, we know, for it is she who shows such great faith at the tomb of her brother Lazarus, she who hears the Lord's most wonderful revelation: "I am the resurrection and the life." And so she, like Paul, like her sister, finds herself chosen by the Lord. And so must we all, brothers and sisters! So must we all. We all must know the call of Him who "formed [our] inmost being," by whom our "soul" and our "frame" were "made in secret, when [we were] fashioned in the depths of the earth," in our "mother's womb." We must all come to that place where He will speak to these very depths of our being – where only He probes – and know the "wonderful" call of the Lord, that as it was said of Paul, "He who was formerly persecuting us is now preaching the faith he tried to destroy," so it will be said of us that all doubt and fear we have left behind and the Lord's will is our only occupation. We must hear His voice and we must speak His NAME, or all we do will be in vain. "My journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar," O Lord. And so I pray that all my rest will be taken in you and all my work you will bless. Bring us all to the quiet place within our souls, where you speak in silence, where your will is revealed to waiting hearts… let us be seated always before you. ******* O LORD, it is you who have formed us, and you formed us to love you; let us listen to your voice and do your holy will. YHWH, how shall we find ourselves at your feet, dearest LORD? How shall we become as Mary, our hearts set on you alone, knowing your presence deep in our soil as we listen to your holy words, as we marvel at your flesh before us? In your Son let us make our home, that your Word might be instilled in our soul. In silence let us sit, O LORD. And in peace let us rise and do your will. As we travel even to the ends of the earth, bringing your Word forth, let us remain ever seated at your feet. Oh never leave us! though much work we do for you. Be our blessed guide, LORD, at all times. Hold us in your arms as you knit us in our mother's womb, and we shall never be apart from you, and anxiety shall never distract us from your eternal presence. You who have made us, you who know all our thoughts and ways, please see that it is with you we remain, ever speaking your holy NAME.

O apostle of mercy, the mercy of Christ poured freely upon all souls for the salvation of the whole world, especially the worst of sinners… you suffered with our divine Lord that souls might indeed be saved; with His Passion you were intimate, blessed with fellowship with Jesus and His Mother and vision of their presence – pray a measure of your penitential devotion, a drop of our Savior's holy blood, might fall upon our hearts and make us fruitful as you in His cause; pray we shall be blessed with deeper awareness of our wretchedness, our misery, that we might know the infinite majesty of the Lord and immerse ourselves and all souls in His measureless mercy. Let all sins be atoned for in Him!

(Gal.1:6-12; Ps.111:1-2,5,7-10; Lk.10:25-37) "Teacher, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?" Do you really want to know? Do really seek to hear of the Gospel of Christ? Do you really desire the Word of God, which is "reliable forever and ever, wrought in truth and equity" and which "came by revelation from Jesus Christ?" If so, listen to what He speaks to you today; do not go on "so soon deserting Him who called you in accord with His design in Christ" – be not as the priest and the Levite who, coming upon the man "stripped" and "beat[en]," "saw him but continued on." For He shows Himself to you this day. He lies before you like "the man who fell in with the robbers," and He calls you to love. You know what to do, brothers and sisters, just as the lawyer knew so well the Shema, the great command to love God and neighbor. The answer to the question of "who treated the man with compassion" is obvious. We see the love of God, we know the love of God, and we know that we are called to practice the love of God. "Then go and do the same," Jesus says. "Go and do the same." Here is the Gospel in short, in this short phrase: love others as I have loved you. Lay down your life; die to yourself and live for God and others if you wish to inherit eternal life. Such inheritance comes only after such death, and love is all that will bring you there. "If anyone preaches a Gospel other than the one you received, let a curse be upon Him!" This exclamation by Paul is also one of love. For to love does not mean "to win man's approval," "to please" or "ingratiate" oneself to others that all might speak well of us who have spoken well of them – to love means to speak the truth, for only by such truth is love preserved. There is no Gospel but the Gospel of love spoken by the mouth of the Lord, one which calls us not to an easy compliance with the world, a nod of the head and a sidestep around the wounded bodies before us… it is that which calls us to lay down our lives along this road of ours. This is what is from God, shown most clearly by the death of His Son. Brothers and sisters, "holy and awesome is His name" and His call. "His praise endures forever" in our mouths for "He has ratified His covenant forever"; and the love of Jesus is all we need to know. Can you do all the Samaritan has done for the stranger? Then everlasting life is indeed close to your heart. Follow in His way. ******* O LORD, your Word, your Gospel, is that we should love, that we should love you and others – let us hold to your Word and so live in your truth. YHWH, praise you, our LORD and our God! Help us to follow your Word and your way. For you are great and worthy of praise, and we must be as you. Your love is unbounded, O LORD; it reaches to the ends of the earth and to every soul. All you would care for in your love, and you call us to do the same. Let us be your hands and your voice, LORD, in this dangerous place. Let us have hearts for healing and spirits for speaking your truth, that all souls might indeed be saved by your holy Gospel. If in silence we stand as souls go astray, or if we avoid the needy man in our way, what, O LORD, shall be our fate – shall not a curse be upon us? And so, let your love and your truth be fulfilled in us that we might preach without fear and serve without hesitation, that we might accomplish your will. Let us love you first of all, and all souls as you love them.

O image of Christ, simple, humble, and pure, indeed you bore the marks of Jesus in your own body and in your own soul; wed to lady poverty, you embraced loving chastity and boasted of nothing but the Lord alone – pray, dear brother, for all children of God, for all your wayward brothers distracted by the wealth of this world, that we may be so blessed by the Spirit to serve the Lord and our neighbor as completely as you have done. May our lives, too, be prayers rising as a fragrant offering unto the Lord our God as we reflect His image in this world. Pray our hearts be set upon Jesus that we might follow in His blood-soaked footsteps in joy.

(Is.5:1-7; Ps.80:9,12-16,19-20,Is.5:7; Phil.4:6-9; Mt.21:33-43) "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." "Let me now sing of my friend, my friend's song concerning his vineyard. My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside; he spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest vines; within it he built a watchtower, and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes." Of course, this "vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are His cherished plant; He looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry!" And so the Lord promises to "take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! Yes, [He] will make it a ruin." Jesus' parable in our gospel today echoes precisely Isaiah's "song": "There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower." But now the prophecy is brought to fulfillment; now the rotten grapes come to maturity, and so the ruin of the vineyard will be complete. For in their rejection of the Son the hope of Israel is lost: none further has the Father to send them; herein they utterly spurn His love. How shall they be turned to producing good fruit if He who is the source of all goodness they destroy in their souls? There is nothing left but to remove the vineyard from them. "A vine from Egypt [the Lord] transplanted; [He] drove away the nations and planted it." But for its unfaithfulness He has "broken down its walls." Indeed, in a scant few years after the crucifixion of the Messiah the temple in Jerusalem will be utterly destroyed – the worship upon which the faith of the Lord's people is founded will be no more. And it shall not return. But even as this temple built by hands the Lord lays waste, He yet answers our psalmist's plea to Him: "Look down from heaven, and see; take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted." For as He destroys, so He builds; as Christ is killed, so His Church is planted. And it shall grow unto eternity. The fulfillment of all prophecy, the New Jerusalem, is in our midst now. In the Catholic faith the worship at Jerusalem comes to maturity. And though many would see it removed – and perhaps by man's reason one might say for its sins it should be – though many come in their presumption to build anew… there is no call from the Lord for any of this, and these man-made structures will also fall to ruin. What God builds now He builds on a foundation which lasts forever, against which even the gates of hell shall not prevail. Only on the day of judgment, only when the kingdom has come, will this House be needed no more – for then all that will be will be His Church. So, "brothers and sisters, have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God." Truly does the Lord's "face shine upon us" in this holy Temple, and it shall not be moved. See that you not remove yourselves from it but "keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen" in its confines. Listen to His Word spoken to your hearts, and receive well the broken Bread of this holy sacrifice and the Blood of this heavenly vine. And bear fruit in His name. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Fatherless Children" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, restore this vine that we might bear your fruit in peace. YHWH, the vineyard you planted in Israel had to be broken down, the temple in Jerusalem destroyed, but the Church you have built in the blood of Christ shall endure till the end of time. Let us make our home in its confines. The peace of the New Jerusalem is ours, O LORD, by the grace wrought by your Son; the New Covenant let us embrace that we might flourish as your vine. O let us bear fruit in your sight! Break not down the walls of this House, LORD; let us not be disobedient to your call. Though we have killed Jesus on a cross, let us now turn back to you. For you will have mercy on your people and restore us in your love. Give us new life and we will call upon your Name, never forgetting your presence in our midst. O LORD, may your House be built this day even unto the heavens; in your presence let us make our home, serving you faithfully at all times. The Body and Blood of your only Son as our food and drink, let us be grafted to your vine.

(Job 42:1-3,5-6,12-16; Ps.119:66,71,75,91,125,130,135; Lk.10:17-24) "I watched Satan fall from the sky like lightning." Oh how our readings conspire together today to bring heavenly light to our eyes. Truly by them the Lord would say to us what He says to His apostles, what is so evident with Job: "Blest are the eyes that see what you see." For what more could we hope to behold than the defeat of Satan and the power of the Almighty at work in our lives? "I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you," Job declares unto the Lord who stands before him. Could there be a greater blessing than this for him who has longed for just this moment? For just in this moment comes to him who has suffered so greatly at the hands of Satan the vindication of the Lord's servant, the justice that is in the hand of God. Truly is Satan now cast down before the Lord of all, and truly do the eyes and the heart of Job witness this power of the Most High. For truly is he set free from the evil one's clutches and blessed so abundantly. Job's eyes see the return and the increase of his myriad of animals; they witness the great blessing of seven sons and three daughters, of whom it is said, "No other women were as beautiful as the daughters of Job." These eyes behold "his children, his grandchildren, and even his great-grandchildren," yes, but the greatest of all visions for which Job is truly blessed and which brings any and all other blessings is that his eye has seen the Lord: he knows now Him who has made him and rejoices sublimely with the apostles that his name is "inscribed in heaven," indeed that it cannot be blotted out; for Satan has done all he could to accomplish this, and failed. "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes" – our psalmist's words could be Job's own, for indeed in the Lord's faithfulness He has afflicted Job to "teach [him] wisdom and knowledge." And what knowledge the seventy-two disciples receive this day in our gospel; a knowledge hidden from all ages, a power residing only with God, is given over unto their spirits. Satan himself and all his minions are now subject to their command. What falls short of the light in their eyes; what do they now lack? And so, what can they do but rejoice greatly? For even Jesus Himself rejoices "in the Holy Spirit"; even the Son of God gives "grateful praise" to the Father for the power and wisdom granted His "merest children." Brothers and sisters, the blessings of the Lord are overwhelming… and we do not yet even see heaven! "The revelation of your words sheds light," O Lord, "giving understanding to the simple." Let us hear what you wish to teach us this day. That which "prophets and kings wished to see… and hear" you reveal to us at this time – that the power of your Word casts out sin and Satan, and that your own glory you share with your little ones on earth. Bless us here with your gifts, O Lord. Remove from our hearts all fear. Let us know with certainty that you have destroyed the evil one, and draw us now inextricably to your kingdom. ****** O LORD, let our eyes see you, that we might not sin against you but do your holy will. YHWH, you are great beyond compare, the LORD of Heaven and earth; yet you share your greatness with your children, delivering power into their hands. How can we bear to see you, LORD? How can such wonder be known to our eyes? Make us repentant of our sin and innocent before you, then we shall be able to receive your great gifts. LORD, even Satan and his minions are subject to us, for they are subject to you and we are yours alone. Help us ever to trust in you, and that our names are written in Heaven. For if it is upon Heaven our sights are set, then we shall find no trouble upon this earth; we shall be subject to none of the wiles of the evil one. We have been afflicted by you, O LORD, afflicted as Job by the scourges of Satan. It has seemed to us that you left us abandoned, but this was to teach us of your loving presence and just how close you are to our souls. Open our eyes to see you this day, and all your many blessings.

O messengers of God sent to protect and guide we poor humans on our way to the heavenly kingdom, you whom He in His grace and wisdom has appointed to carry us home, lest we dash our foot against a stone – keep us ever in the way of the Lord; stay close to us, remaining always at our side, for we are but weak and sinful men so prone to be led astray. We entrust ourselves into your hands: bring us to look upon the Father's face. For you behold Him always, you stand loyally in His light, and we, how shall we gaze upon Him without your hand to guide? Cover us with your wings, protect us from the heat of day and temptation's sway till we stand with you in the Lord's eternal reign.

(Job 38:1,12-21,40:3-5; Ps.139:1-3,7-10,13-14,24; Lk.10:13-16) "I put my hand over my mouth." When the Lord speaks, what can we be but silent? When He chastises us for our pride and sin, we can only be ashamed. No defense have we before Him who holds us and all the world in His mighty hand and who comes to us with His redeeming love. We can but bow before Him. The Lord has "commanded the morning and shown the dawn its place"; He has "entered into the sources of the sea [and] walked about in the depths of the abyss" – He has "comprehended the breadth of the earth" and the highest heavens. And so, if we "take the wings of the dawn, if [we] settle at the farthest limits of the sea," He is there. If we "go up to the heavens" or "sink to the netherworld," He is present. He is present everywhere, and everywhere we are, we are subject to His hand. For He has "formed [our] inmost being"; He has "knit" us all "in [our] mother's womb." And He alone knows "the dwelling place of light" and "the abode of darkness," and to which place our souls shall come. There is nothing we can say before the Creator and Judge of all the earth except, "I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works," as we humbly give thanks to Him who scrutinizes all our ways. And when He comes to us with His love, when He has wrought forgiveness in "the miracles worked in [our] midst" by the grace of the only Son… when redemption for all our sin He offers by a merciful hand, what must we do but accept it? For how shall it be for us on "the day of judgment" if we reject the Word of God walking among us and speaking to our hearts? It cannot but "go ill" with us if we fail to reform our broken lives when the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth stands before us with love in His arms, blood pouring from them as He hangs upon a cross. Should not our hands be over our mouths at such a sight, brothers and sisters, at such a witness of undying love? Should it not convict us of our sin and make our hearts burn with a spirit of repentance and cry silently to God as our prideful tongues cleave like stone to our palate? What hope have you if you yet dare to speak before Him? Rather, bow your heads and fall to your knees and beg the forgiveness of Him who has made you and who loves you to the heights and depths, with all the breadth of His Spirit. Lord, like Job, I have "no more" to say; I am yours. (Blessed silence before the Lord may we all come to know.) ******* O LORD, it is you who made us and you who save us; let us not be hurled down to the realm of death but raised up to dwell with you. YHWH, what should we do but repent in sackcloth and ashes before your majesty? What can we be but silent before you? For you are all-powerful and all-knowing, and we are but your creatures. What place has pride before your glory, LORD? How can we be so foolish as to assert our will and our way before you whose ways are not known to man, whose will is so far above and beyond our own? It is you who have made the world and all it holds; it is you who have formed us in our mother's womb. And would we presume to instruct you? And would we be obstinate in following your commands? O LORD, though we are nothing, but dust of the earth, yet you love your humble creatures as you love all you have made. For you have made us good. Have pity on us poor sinners and help us to heed your Word which comes to us through your Son and His apostles. May we find ourselves at home in your sight, in your heavenly kingdom.

O little flower of Jesus, with great innocence and humility you loved the Lord and prayed for His Church and especially His priests; in all the little things of your day you gave yourself to God's service, and so your work reached to the ends of the earth – shower roses upon us from above, where you now sit with Jesus; teach us to walk your little way that we might join you with our Savior. Pray we too might find His love and live in His heart as deeply as you; pray all souls shall indeed be saved by the blood He shed for our sake. And pray that families will be blessed as your own with children who heed so well the call of the Lord.

(Job 19:21-27; Ps.27:7-9,13-14; Lk.10:1-12) "I know that my Vindicator lives, and that He will at last stand forth upon the dust." "The hand of God has struck me!" Job exclaims as he begs pity from his friends who "hound [him] as though [they] were divine," reminding him unendingly of the Lord's justice and ever accusing him of having sinned against his Maker. Job defends himself and wishes "that with an iron chisel and with lead" his "words were written down." And truly his prayer is answered, for here are his words "inscribed in a record… cut in the rock [of Scripture] forever." And what has this poor soul to say? Reflecting David's own call for pity from the Lord and his own desire to know his God – "Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks" – Job declares, "My inmost being is consumed with longing"; his heart, too, is set upon God. And as David proclaims in great hope, "I believe I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living," so Job makes known, too, his faith and hope in the Lord: "My own eyes, not another's, shall behold Him." What testimony from a man in such travails! And in our gospel we see that his (and David's) hope is not in vain, for here now stands the Lord forth upon the earth, Himself having taken the form of our dust and multiplying His presence among us as He "send[s] workers into His harvest." And He comes to bring peace; His disciples declare, "The reign of God is at hand." And every "peaceable man" receives now this gift of grace from the Lord Most High, this realization of His presence before us. No longer does He hide His face. And now we wait again, for the Lord to return once more to our towns; now we long for the Day when with our "flesh [we] shall see God," when we shall gaze upon Him forever and know His everlasting peace. Now He comes to heal us; now He sends forth His Word and His workers to prepare His way… and so now we should make straight His way, for His reign is upon us. May He never have cause to "shake the dust" of our town from His feet – may He never regret having come among us. But let us, brothers and sisters, "wait for the Lord with courage" and perseverance, with a blessed hope born in faith. Let us with Job know that our Vindicator lives and He shall not be long in coming… indeed, He is already here. "Be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord." Welcome His Spirit into your home. ******* O LORD, stand forth upon the dust; send out your workers into the harvest, that we might know your peace, that we might enter your reign. YHWH, let your peace rest upon this house; let our eyes be blessed with seeing you this day. Help us to have courage as we wait for your Son's return – believing hearts form in us that we shall never be removed from your presence. Your reign, O LORD, is indeed at hand. It has walked amongst us in the form of your Son. And it continues to go forth in the apostles you send to bring your peace to every land. O let us be welcoming of your Word, and help us to bring that Word to every waiting soul. If we have but faith, O LORD, we have all we need. Though in darkness we sit, yet such hope gives us light, and we know that we shall see you again. Though we go forth with nothing, empty of the things of the earth, in you we have everything – the great abundance of the Spirit is ours. To you alone let us hold, LORD, knowing you will not cast us off, knowing your pity deep in our souls… Let your rich harvest be gathered into your rooms.