The BreadCast

(Rm.8:26-30; Ps.13:4-6; Lk.13:22-30) "Lord, are they few in number who are to be saved?" We question. We wonder. With the man who spoke to the Lord as He made His way toward Jerusalem, as He approached His own death, we question Jesus, "Who will be saved?" particularly as we face our own imminent death. Jesus answers the man, and so He responds to us, too. His answer is simple: "Come in through the narrow door." His answer is wise, and comes with, and itself is, a warning to us not to take for granted the salvation by our God but to be diligent about our striving toward His kingdom, to be purposeful about our dying for Him. Those who walked with Him may have thought that this alone would be sufficient to ensure their entrance into heaven. But simply knowing Him, seeing Him, and even eating with Him will not do: He must know us. He must see us about His work as we see Him about the Father's work – He must come in and eat with us, nourishing our souls with His daily bread of labor in His Name, of life in His Word. Brothers and sisters, we may come to His table every day. We may eat of His Body and drink of His Blood and hear His Word proclaimed to our ears; we may be members of His Church, sitting here in these pews; we may have since birth been graced with the blessings of the sacraments and teaching of our Catholic faith – but this alone does not assure our entering into heaven. We must live that faith. We must put flesh and blood to our belief. There is no other way we can be saved, because this is our life and our life is required of us by God. It will not magically occur at the moment of death if we have not spent our lives for Him. O brothers and sisters, we must cry out with David, "Give light to my eyes that I may not sleep in death." We must sing to the Lord with him, "Let my heart rejoice in your salvation." We must seek Him, seek His life, with all our hearts, that the prophetic words of Paul might become our own, that our predestination "to share the image of His Son" the Father might accomplish in us. For the Lord does call us, and we must respond. As we respond, we shall be justified – He shall enter in and cleanse us of our sin. And remaining on this path of justification we shall soon find glory with God in His eternal kingdom. Brothers and sisters, let the will of the Lord be accomplished in us. In our moments of doubt, when we have no words with which to come to God, let us turn to the Spirit who "intercedes for the saints as God Himself wills," "with groanings which cannot be expressed in speech." He truly is our help in weakness. He truly is our guard on this perilous journey. Only remaining with Him and in His Church do we find comfort in the knowledge that we are to be saved. ******* O LORD, call us unto your kingdom that with your Son we might be glorified – let us embrace the Cross as we make our way to you. YHWH, send your Spirit to help us in our weakness; hear us as we cry out to you. In our lives let your will be accomplished, that with your Son we might be glorified. You lead us forth in your goodness – may we be obedient to the promptings of our heart. Within us you place your Spirit, LORD; to our ears come the teachings of your Son. Through the narrow door let us pass, by the groanings you inspire in us. What can we do but call upon your NAME? Let us not cry out in vain. Our enemies surround us, LORD, and seek our downfall. How they wish to see us sleep in death. They would bar the door to your House that we might not enter – in your loving kindness defeat their plans. Let us be made in the image of your Son that on the last day we might join your saints in the kingdom.

(Rm.8:12-17; Ps.68:2,4,6-7,20-21; Lk.13:10-17) "All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." It is the Spirit of God that led the poor stooped woman in our gospel today to the synagogue to see and hear the teaching of Jesus the Lord, and to find a healing for her infirmity. "This daughter of Abraham… in the bondage of Satan for eighteen years" was by the Lord "released from her shackles" and became a daughter also of the Most High God. She is a sign of us all. For all, whether sons of Abraham by the flesh or not, are called into the presence of God to find healing for the sin and sadness and oppression of the devil which trouble us. On our own we cannot stand straight in the sight of God, but by the touch of Jesus we find our dignity and become sons of God with Him. God is "the father of orphans and the defender of widows"; He "gives a home to the forsaken." And so we who were once under the "spirit of slavery" to sin may now find "a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, 'Abba!' (that is, 'Father')." Once having no father to watch over us, now "the Spirit Himself gives witness with our spirit that we are children of God." A greater blessing one could not find than to be a son or daughter of the Most High God. For "God is a saving God for us." Not only does He love us, but He shows that love even by dying for us, that we might live. And it is so that "if we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God, heirs with Christ." And though it is by the death of Jesus that we are made heirs of the Father's glory, we only come into full possession of the riches of our glorious Lord by our own death, for we must "suffer with Him so as to be glorified with Him." It is this death of ours, a death to self, to flesh, to sin and the world, that brings us the life of Him "who controls the passageways of death" and so is able to free us from all death. Day by day the Lord "bears our burdens." On all days, eternally, He is our Father and our Savior, waiting to heal us. Whenever we come to Him, we shall find Him ready to bless us. His Spirit He sends upon all, like a sun that never sets, calling us to His presence. We must but respond in humility and faith, and as we bow ourselves before Him, He will raise us up to the dignity He desires for all our lives. And we shall be His sons. ******* O LORD, your Son bears our burdens for us – He releases us from bondage to the flesh that we might live with Him in the Holy Spirit. YHWH, orphans and widows we have been, far from you we were separated from the beginning, cast off like a forsaken wife. And we could not find our way back to you by the flesh, try as we might by following the line of our ancestors – this but brought us back repeatedly to their weakness, to their separation from your grace, from the light of your holy face. But your Son you sent to show us the way to you. In Him we find the blood that must course through our veins; wed unto His flesh we are redeemed…. It is He who puts to death the evil deeds of the body and makes us sons once again of you – now His Spirit is upon us to call out your NAME, dear Father. O let us be your children! wherever we are from; whether children of Abraham or of foreign lands, let us all be blessed this holy day to know the healing touch of your Son and so inherit your kingdom. O LORD, of your love let us not be afraid.

(Sir.35:12-14,16-18; Ps.34:2-3,7,17-19,23; 2Tm.4:6-8,16-18; Lk.18:9-14) "O God, be merciful to me a sinner." "The one who humbles himself will be exalted," for it is the lowly the LORD hears. And in no greater way, and for no greater benefit, do we humble ourselves than to recognize our sinfulness before God. It is then we prove ourselves His own, for it is then Truth is with us. We must guard ourselves ever from the sin of pride, brothers and sisters; it is just such presumption that breaks down the spiritual life, for it separates us from our proper place before our Lord and God. "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted"; "He hears the cry of the oppressed." He does not come to heal those who are well, nor does He respond to the prayer of the oppressor; and our life on this earth is one of continual healing, and whenever we judge another we condemn our souls. "May it not be held against them!" is Paul's prayer for his unjust accusers and those who have deserted him. (How like Christ's prayer from the cross it is!) He is crushed before the courts of this world and yet does not judge, and yet does not condemn. For he is the servant of the Lord and shows himself faithful to such a call. Even as he is "poured out like a libation," he remains faithful, unwavering in his hope of standing before and being redeemed by "the just judge." He knows fully that "the Lord redeems the lives of His servants" and that "He who serves God willingly is heard," and so he humbles himself when accused, trusting that "the Lord will rescue [him] from every evil threat and will bring [him] safe to His heavenly kingdom." Yes, "the prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds." How blessed are they who know their humble place before the Lord, for He hears them and comes quickly to rescue them when they cry out to Him in all their humility. And of course our greatest rescue must be from sin, that which has made us base before His eyes. To its recognition and for its overcoming by the Lord's grace we must dedicate ourselves every day of our lives. And so we cry out for forgiveness. And so we return to our homes justified. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "This World of Sin" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, you are the just Judge – hear our cry and save us from oppression. YHWH, those who take refuge in you are saved from every evil; those who call out to you are heard and redeemed. Those who are humble before you, you exalt to the heavens, but those who are proud condemn themselves. What hope have we but you, O LORD, we poor sinners who so soon shall die? What more can we do than spend our lives for you – in this there is great grace through all our days, and a crown of righteousness in the end. Thus we who are nothing, who would come to nothing without your mercy, may reach even unto your throne, O Most High God. For you indeed hear the cry of the poor; the just petition of a broken heart you cannot resist. As widows and orphans we walk the face of this dark earth; as slaves in bonds we look for freedom. Come and wed us to yourself, O Father in Heaven, and we shall enter your House justified.

(Rm.8:1-11; Ps.24:1-6; Lk.13:1-9) "You will all come to the same end unless you reform." We hear again today in our readings of the distinction between those who are of the flesh, and so of sin, and those who are of the spirit and justice. And since "the tendency of the flesh is toward death but that of the spirit toward life and peace," rightly does Jesus warn us that we will die in our sin if we do not repent and turn to Him. For indeed He and the Father, with the Spirit, are of life and have nothing to do with death, with sin. Paul continues to make clear the difference, the separation, between those of flesh and those of spirit, and continues to encourage his reader to allow the body to die that the spirit might live: "If Christ is in you, the body is indeed dead because of sin, while the spirit lives because of justice." It is in Jesus that our salvation from sin has come, for when "God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, thereby condemning sin in the flesh," He made it possible for us to live no longer "according to the flesh," but "according to the spirit," for we know that "He who raised Christ from the dead will bring [our] mortal bodies to life also through His Spirit." Even now His Spirit brings our spirit to life, and on the last day our flesh shall also be joined to Him in heaven. David's psalm questions, "Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? Or who can stand in His holy place?" Only those "whose hands are sinless… shall receive a blessing from the Lord," and so, again, we must turn to Him, we must be of "the race that seeks for Him." "The Lord's are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it" are of Him. But how our hearts have turned from Him in sin, and so, how shaken we have become, inviting death into our lives. And so only those who renounce their sin, who come by the power of the Spirit and the grace of Jesus' blood, shall attain to His presence. And only those who bear fruit in His Name will He preserve. The end of our gospel makes clear that there must be fruit in our lives, brothers and sisters. This is indeed the sign that we are of the spirit – if we "bear fruit" in the Spirit. We cannot claim to be of the spirit and bear the fruit of the flesh, which is sin. Jesus will not fail to recognize the difference, however much we may fool ourselves or others. We will die in the flesh like any sinner if we do not live according to Christ and His Word. ******* O LORD, let us be dead to the flesh that we might bear fruit in the Spirit of Christ! YHWH, let your Spirit dwell in us that we might conquer the flesh and bear fruit in your holy NAME. How shall we be holy as you are holy, how shall we stand in your holy place, if your Spirit is not with us? Fulfill our desire to see your face! Your Son came and walked amongst us for three years, seeking fruit upon this fig tree. Upon His death and resurrection He sent the Spirit forth to nourish the Church that we might perform works worthy of Heaven. O LORD, help us to repent of our sin and reform our lives in the image of your Son. Jesus has indeed condemned sin in the flesh that what is mortal might be redeemed and come to life in the Spirit, that we might be free from the law of sin and death by which all creatures are justly condemned and come to dwell in the peace of your presence. LORD God, may the Spirit of Christ make us worthy to stand in your sight.

(Rm.7:18-25; Ps.119:66,68,76-77,93,94; Lk.12:54-59) "Why do you not judge for yourselves what is just?" Do we not have the law of God at work in us now? Must we yet subject ourselves to the judge of this earth, who cannot but condemn us for our sin? If we cried out with our psalmist for the Lord to teach us His "commands," His "statutes," His "law," and His "precepts," His "promise" of "compassion" would be with us, His Spirit would come to us and instruct us on all matters. No longer "the prisoner of the law of sin in [our] members," we would be freed "from this body under the power of death." Not only would our "inner self agree with the law of God," but our actions would reflect, by the grace of Him who is at work within us, that law now written on our hearts. The "wisdom and knowledge" the Lord thereby imparts would be sufficient for the resolution of any problem in our lives, for there is nothing beyond the scope of the Spirit. Both Paul and Jesus Himself encourage us to find the Spirit of Christ at work in our hearts. We as a community of believers would have no need to turn to the works of the world to resolve our problems if we followed well the teaching of the Lord and His Church. Should not the Church be our government? Should not the teaching of God, which transcends all earthly wisdom, be sufficient for our discerning right and wrong in any situation? Or is sin still at work in our members? Are we yet subject to this law and the condemnation and death it brings? Has the devil yet a hold upon us; does he yet cast us into darkness? Are we therefore too blind to see right from wrong? Brothers and sisters, we must cast from our souls all vestige of sin; it cannot hold power over us any longer. We must find the light of Christ in our eyes and so be made able to judge all things in His justice. With our psalmist we must proclaim to the Lord, "Your law is my delight." If we yet take refuge in the law of sin, it will bring but judgment upon our lives. But if we turn to Him, true wisdom will be ours – and His compassion will save us. All teaching the Lord puts into the hands of His apostles. Our Pope and bishops and priests continue, as His servants, to proclaim His truth and impart His grace. The Church is the home Jesus leaves us; upon it He places His Spirit. Let us follow the teachings of the Lord and find His power at work in our lives, and all things will be clear to our eyes. And so, condemnation we shall avoid as by the grace of God we judge all things rightly. ******* O LORD, Jesus has indeed set us free by His power – let us turn to Him for wisdom. YHWH, keep us from being imprisoned by sin; only you and your Son have the power to release us from such bondage. Help us to follow your precepts, help us to walk in His way, that we might find your kindness upon our souls and live in freedom this day. Why is it we are so blind? Why so trapped in the flesh? Our eyes do not look upon the things of the Spirit except with great difficulty, except by the grace that comes to us through your only Son. O LORD, let our eyes be opened to see Him standing before us, and let us follow your Law by His power. Here we find a war at work within us. Without you we have not the wisdom and knowledge to judge well the path to victory over sin. O LORD, let us not be delivered up to the jailer, for we are not able to pay the price of our transgressions. Let your compassion be upon us that we might live and do what is right.

(Rm.6:19-23; Ps.1:1-4,6,40:5; Lk.12:49-53) "The Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes." The division is clear. The Lord Himself has stated, "I have come for division." Far from establishing "peace on the earth," His message makes clear the distinction between the evil and the good, the wicked and the just, drawn so well in our psalm today. He has "come to light a fire on the earth." It shall purify the just for the kingdom of God even as it burns up all the wicked. Paul also makes clear the division between the evil and the good, between that which is of God and that which is of sin. "Formerly you enslaved your bodies to impurity and licentiousness for their degradation… But now that you are freed from sin and have become slaves of God, your benefit is sanctification as you tend toward eternal life." The distinction is certain: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Indeed, the just "is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade," but the wicked "are like chaff which the wind drives away." This division is what the Lord's light and fire reveal; and this revelation is eternal. It is painful, brothers and sisters. It is painful to undergo our own transformation to justice and light from the depths of depravity into which we have fallen, and will be painful to witness others destroyed by the hardness of their hearts. The Lord Himself expresses this pain when He says, "What anguish I feel till it is over!" He takes no pleasure in bringing the agony of division, which begins with His own agony in the garden and ends with His crucifixion. He suffers most to witness the sins of the masses so acutely. They wag their heads at Him even as He cries from the cross. What is to be done? Division must come. For the kingdom must come, the resurrection must take place, and sin cannot stand in its light – and so those who attach themselves to sin, to the works of the father of lies, will not stand in that day either. And even now the judgment comes, even now we must take sides – even now we choose death, or life. ******* O LORD, set us free from our sin – burn away all evil. YHWH, the sword of the Spirit your Son brings separates the wicked from the just – it is a fire purging all evil from the earth, destroying those who give themselves over to impurity and licentiousness, yet lighting your servants' way to Heaven. He who walks in accord with that light, placing nothing before its demands to holiness, shall enter your presence even as the insolent are consumed. What can we do, O LORD. to save souls from death? It shall come inevitably to all slaves of sin. We can but hope to make ourselves pure, seeking ever eternal life, and pray that men will turn to you. All is in your hands; let us be sanctified by your touch. Who has not sinned? Who has not degraded the dignity you instilled in our souls? Yet you would make us fruitful in the Spirit, O God, if we but set our hearts on your Word.

(Rm.6:12-18; Ps.124:1-8; Lk.12:39-48) "Offer yourselves to God as men who have come back from the dead to life." If we have come back from the dead to life, should we then offer ourselves up to death again? As Paul questions, "Are we free to sin?" How absurd a thought! If we are sinners, let us give ourselves freely to sin, and find the condemnation which comes from this. But if we are men of justice, let us give ourselves to "obedience" of the teaching imparted to us, and find life firmly in our souls. Jesus states quite clearly, "When much has been given a man, much will be required of him." Brothers and sisters, much has been given us simply by our release from the sin which once enslaved us. Indeed, "we were rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare," as David's psalm proclaims. The "raging waters" that "would have overwhelmed us," the "torrent [that] would have swept over us," has been calmed… For this alone we have much to be thankful; simply by this grace much has been entrusted to us. And what follows only adds to this initial blessing; for each day our souls are required of us, each day He puts in our hands and calls us to the work set aside for our souls to complete. Each day the gift of grace is increased within us. So should we then begin "to abuse the housemen and servant girls, to eat and drink and get drunk"? Should we then return to the slavery of sin which blinds our eyes to His eternal presence? Certainly not. Rather, we should "be on guard" at all times, vigilantly prepared for our master's return, employing the gifts He imparts to us each passing day. We are no longer dead, brothers and sisters. We have the grace of our God at work within us, lighting our eyes and filling our souls with His holy food. We must now be holy as He. It is not for us to return to the death of sin, to subject ourselves to its chains once again, to have our eyes darkened and our souls destroyed. The grace, the light within us, must be diligently preserved. We must come to Him, come to His stewards to whom the most has been entrusted, who hold in their power sacramental grace, and confess our sins in His presence, and come and eat of His Body and Blood. Let us avail ourselves of these gifts these successors of the apostles hold and thus find the strength to give our own "bodies to God as weapons for justice" and not for sin. ******* O LORD, let us give you all that we have, all that we are; then there will be nothing left to give. YHWH, you have saved us from the raging waters, from the torrent that would have overwhelmed our souls – and should we cast ourselves back into the sea? Should we once again give ourselves to sin? No! We must give ourselves as slaves of your justice and serve you all our days, never turning from the grace at work within us, never again obeying the flesh and its lusts. For soon your Son shall return for us, O LORD – and should He find us in a drunken state? Should He find us with violence in our hands and lust in our heart? If so, then we would prove ourselves unworthy of trust; and what would we be then but beaten for our lack of love? You yourself are present now in our very spirits, LORD. Let us treasure this grace upon us and work out our salvation, never giving ourselves again to the teeth of the beast.

(Rm.5:12,15,17-21; Ps.40:7-10,17; Lk.12:35-38) "To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!" "May those who love your salvation say ever, 'The Lord be glorified.'" May we who love the Lord "exult and be glad" in Him. May we who take refuge in His grace sing aloud His praise. What greater gift could we have than Jesus Christ, whose "single righteous act brought all men acquittal and life. For truly we were dead in our sin," truly the offense of Adam had infected our souls, truly through this "one man's disobedience all became sinners" – but more truly "through one man's obedience all shall become just," for "His grace has far surpassed" the increase of sin. And so, what should we do but rejoice with David at the truth of Paul's instruction. And what should we do but be ready, truly ready, really waiting, patiently, for the return of our Lord. "Be like men awaiting their master's return from a wedding." Set your hearts on His coming again, "so that when He knocks, you will open without delay." This is yet the greater blessing for us servants, that even in these dark days upon this earth, we stand ready for His return. Here is His grace at work within us, that our hearts are set on Him, that His presence, the coming of His kingdom, we know even now in anticipation of its arrival. No greater blessing could we hope for than to be "those servants whom the master finds wide-awake on His return." By this we know we have conquered sin; by this we see that we have overcome the darkness which surrounds us – if whether "at midnight or before sunrise" we are found prepared, if even in the darkest times we hold His light, if our eyes are like "lamps… burning ready" and our "belts… fastened around [our] waists"… we have all that we need in this world. Be ready, my brothers and sisters, for the joy is coming; it will not delay. That happiness of life in His presence we sense even now, we taste even this day in our mouths, will come soon to fulfillment in the reign of our God. And so, "those who receive the overflowing grace and gift of justice [will] live and reign through the one man, Jesus Christ," for whom we await, in whom we take our refuge, whose name we praise, His saving word etched upon our souls and bleeding in our hearts. In all we do we wait for His coming. He alone is our desire, and we shall not be disappointed. ******* O LORD, let us be always ready to serve you; let your grace reign in us and we shall come to do your will. YHWH, grace has come to us by the sacrifice of your Son and cleansed us of the disobedience of Adam. We are thus set free from sin and placed on the path to eternal life. And so, what should we do now but wait for Jesus' return, when that grace shall be fulfilled and we shall come to dwell with Him in Heaven? Truly has Jesus been obedient to your command. Truly has He achieved the conquering of death and the end of its reign for every man. Truly has His death brought us acquittal and life. And truly will He return, O LORD, to reward all His faithful servants; truly will He Himself be their food. O let us be ready for His coming! Let our lamps be burning ever and our hearts prepared always to open when He knocks. Let us offer ourselves with Him as His Body, dear LORD, that to us quickly salvation shall come even in the dark night of this world.

(Rm.4:20-25; Lk.1:68-75; Lk.12:13-21) "We should serve Him devoutly and through all our days be holy in His sight." For "this very night your life shall be required of you." Always and forever our faith is required of us, if we are to draw breath. Always and forever the Lord asks us what fruit we have produced. Always and forever we must be careful not to toil in vain, but to live according to His Word, believing in His promise. Else our lives will indeed be empty vessels. Holiness befits His house. Adherence to His covenant is our call. Faith in the One who is "saving strength for us" is our necessity. We must indeed be as our father Abraham, who was "fully persuaded that God could do whatever He had promised," whose "faith was credited to him as justice." And if we have the same faith as Abraham, we will find the same justice, the same reward as he. "For our faith will be credited to us also if we believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Jesus "was handed over to death for our sins and raised up for our justification" and only faith in Him as the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham will give us life. Why do we turn to the things of this world and in them seek our fulfillment, and in them seek our rest, when they are so vain and when all the while Jesus calls to our souls to come to Him? Why is it we think that in the goods of this world we can find refuge, we can find strength? Why are we so blinded to believe that in them we can find our peace? "Relax! Eat heartily, drink well. Enjoy yourself." Here is the fruitless mantra of this materialistic world. Here is the epitome of our blindness to His will. Here is the belly seeking to take the place of the spirit. Can we not see that it is only the spirit that gives life, that the flesh is of no avail, that the riches of this earth serve more as a distraction to finding the life and the peace we seek in the depths of our souls than to bringing a fulfillment of this most human of desires? This desire cannot be satisfied except in Christ. We must not be as "the man who grows rich for himself instead of growing rich in the sight of God," or when these passing riches rot away or are taken from us, we will be left terribly empty. Rather, we should "avoid greed in all its forms" and dedicate ourselves to service of the Lord. Only in Him is life and peace made known, and only by holiness do we come there. At all times the Lord is calling to our soul; let us answer Him in faith. ******* O LORD, Jesus has died and been raised for our salvation – may we believe in Him and grow rich in your sight. YHWH, let us not grow rich to ourselves, setting our hearts on the wealth of this passing world, but rather grow rich in your sight, in your gifts and graces. Let us have faith, first of all; this blessing let us most treasure. You have sent your Son as Savior for us – what more could we ask of you? Here is the fulfillment of all our desires. And if we put our faith in Him who has died for our sins and been raised for our justification, if we serve Him devoutly all our days, it will indeed be credited to us as righteousness and great reward will be ours in Heaven. O LORD, let us know your mercy upon our souls! Only in you our life is found, dearest LORD and God. Our every breath is in your hands and when we come to the end of our days, what hope shall we have but that you breathe into us new life? And so, let us store up wealth for you alone, the wealth of a faithful heart.

(Ex.17:8-13; Ps.121:1-8; 2Tm.3:14-4:2; Lk.18:1-8) "Call out to Him day and night." How faithful is the Lord. How true is He. As our psalmist so well states, "He neither slumbers nor sleeps." Indeed, "He is beside [us] at [our] right hand"; always "the Lord will guard [us] from all evil" – "The Lord will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever." But are we so faithful to Him, turning to Him for His eternal help? "Pray always without becoming weary." This is our instruction today. This is the "wisdom for salvation" sacred Scripture brings us. Do we receive the "correction" and "training for righteousness" it would impart? Do as Jesus asks: "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says." Though he "neither fear[s] God nor respect[s] any human being," yet because of the widow's persistence, he renders a just decision for her. And do you think God will not hear and answer us when we call out to Him? Do you think He is so "slow to answer"? Rather, "He will see to it that justice is done… speedily," for ever He waits for us to turn to Him; always He longs to do justice for us – it is His great joy to answer our prayers. Learn from our reading from the Book of Exodus. It informs us, "As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight." And it was not until Aaron and Hur supported him and "his hands remained steady till sunset" that "Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." And so the sword of the Spirit shall not truly be our own, we will not truly be victorious in the battle against sin, until we remain always in the presence of the Lord, until we, like Him, no longer slumber or sleep. Brothers and sisters, "proclaim the Word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient," as Paul exhorts us. In sacred Scripture and the power of the Spirit we find our source for right living; by it we become "equipped for every good work." And consistently good works are found by us only if our prayer is consistent and good. Only if we remain steady and persistent in our calling out to Him at all times will He "not suffer [our] foot to slip." Let us "lift up [our] eyes toward the mountains," seeing always whence our help comes. The Lord prays for us always; let us join Him in prayer. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Over the Stumbling Block" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, may you find faith in our hearts, and perseverance in doing your will. YHWH, we must but be persistent, persistent in our prayer and in our work for you, and we shall find your blessing – all our enemies will be conquered and we will dwell forever with you. We look to you, O LORD, for you alone are our strength and our salvation, you alone guard us from all evil and equip us well for battle. In you and in your Word we take our refuge, and so we find the wisdom we need to attain to your glory. Quickly you come to answer our pleas, for your heart is ever set on our salvation. O may your arms be ever raised to bless us! May your love for us remain always steady, and we remain steady with you. Let us not grow weary in the battle of earthly life but continually find our inspiration in you, always ready to do your will. Hear us as we call upon you this day, O LORD, and justice shall be ours.