The BreadCast

(Jer.38:4-6,8-10; Ps.40:2-4,14,18; Heb.12:1-4; Lk.12:49-53) "Though I am afflicted and poor, yet the Lord thinks of me." Persecution is necessarily a part of every Christian's life. Not many of us will struggle "to the point of shedding blood" as has Jesus, as has Paul, as have all the apostles; and not many of us will be thrown into muddy cisterns as is Jeremiah… but all will remain "afflicted and poor" in their striving against sin and have to endure "opposition from sinners" as they grow in holiness before their Lord and God. Jesus is anguished at the baptism He must endure in carrying the cross of division set in opposition to the forces of sin in this world, and so all who call themselves Christian take this same cross upon their shoulders. If we do not suffer for the faith, we must question whether we have become lukewarm and worthless, but to be spit from the mouth of God. Division must necessarily come as we follow in the steps of Jesus, "the leader and perfecter of faith." As the princes of the people were set against Jeremiah for his prophesying in truth against the nation, spelling out the danger it faced for its sin, so opposition will come to us even from friends and family as we seek to draw closer to Jesus; for the world is set in opposition to the cross, and any who yet cling to it and its sin will inevitably be insulted by our resistance to its ways. And so persecution comes to those who remain faithful to the ways of Christ. But your hearts should not be troubled, brothers and sisters, for though the world of sin encompasses us now and often closes in, we indeed have a "great cloud of witnesses" surrounding us with their protection. As Jeremiah had Ebed-melech to intercede with the king to draw him from the muddy mire, so we have Jesus now to intercede with the Father for us to lift us out of the dark cistern that is the world. And not only Him do we have at our side, but all those who have suffered with Him – all the saints and all the martyrs, all the apostles and prophets – who stand at His side in the heavenly kingdom and with Him reach down to assist us. So fear not, little ones, remember Jesus: "For the sake of the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross, despising its shame." He "has taken His seat at the right of the throne of God" and we shall soon join Him there with all His angels and saints if we but endure the persecution with Him now a little while. The Lord thinks of those who are afflicted and poor. He blesses their sacrifice and makes it fruitful (by which we may draw even sinners unto Him). Continue ever to run the race of faith. ******* O LORD, lift us up from the pit and baptize us with your fire. YHWH, opposition from sinners we must indeed endure if we are to be called by the Name of your Son. The Cross we must carry through this world if we are to come to where Christ is at your right hand. If we are lowered into a muddy cistern, what should that matter to us, as long as we ourselves are not guilty of sin. Should we not take great strength in the suffering of Jesus and all those who have followed Him so faithfully to the Cross? Have they not proven that you come, O LORD, to save those who cry out to you? We shall be delivered even from death by the grace upon your Son, and so why should we fear the shedding of our blood? Your sword of truth cannot but divide the evil from the good, those who look to you from those who take their refuge in the things of this earth. Let your fire come, dear God, and burn away all sin from our midst, that all your afflicted and poor may rise from the ground blessed.

(Jos.24:14-29; Ps.16:1-2,5,7-8,11; Mt.19:13-15) "We will serve the Lord, our God, and obey His voice." Like children we must come before the Lord and extol His holy Name. "Completely and sincerely" we must serve Him and He will place His hands upon our heads and bless us. And we will sing with David of the "fullness of joys in [His] presence, the delights at [His] right hand forever." We indeed will be as children, and He will be our God. Listen to the words of Jesus: "Let the children come to me… The kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Oh to know the blessing of being in the Lord's presence forever! "My Lord are you. Apart from you I have no good," cries David to his God. Indeed, how our psalm sings the praises of the Lord and the blessing of our refuge in Him. How well it illustrates the fruit of the covenant the people enter into with God at Shechem under Joshua's leadership. The Promise having been fulfilled, Joshua calls the Israelites to renew their commitment to the Lord. And though their fidelity to Him will only be for a short time and the stone set up shall soon be a witness against them, yet their vows are those we must all make in sincerity and in truth. Obeying His voice is indeed our salvation. As David sings, "I bless the Lord who counsels me; even in the night my heart exhorts me." The Lord is ever there for those who trust in Him, who give their lives to Him, who serve Him – who come to Him as a humble child in innocence and love. What greater blessing can we know than to love the Lord who is "a holy God" and so become one with Him? This is our "allotted portion," this is our "cup" – this is the reign of God upon us to which we are called. "I set the Lord before me," our psalm states, "with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed." If we but set our hearts on Him, brothers and sisters, there can be nothing that will move us. If we but take our vows in the Spirit of Truth, He will be ever with us. Let us not be afraid. Let us not be afraid that we will fall, that He will leave us. Let us pursue Him with heart and soul; let us give our lives over to Him. To serve Him and to love Him is our blessed joy. Let us be as children before Him and reap this joy unto life eternal. Let our covenant with Him be written upon our hearts and evident in all our lives, and we shall stand in His presence forever. Set aside all false gods; listen to His voice. Alleluia! ******* O LORD, may you be our God and we be your children! YHWH, lay your hands upon our heads that we might be blessed, that we might have the strength to worship you alone. Let us be resolved to serve only you, to put all false gods far from us. It is you who are our allotted portion and cup, you who hold fast our lot – in you let us take refuge this day. You alone are holy, LORD; you alone are exalted far above all gods. In you alone we find our salvation, and so, to you alone should we come for blessing. Let us be as children, with hearts set on loving only you, and the kingdom of Heaven shall be ours, for you will then be at our side. Forgive our transgressions, O LORD, our turning away from you… our breaking the covenant we made to serve you alone. Let our vows be renewed this day, and let them be set in stone before you. Help us by your grace not to waver, not to fear, but to know your innocence in our souls and remain humbly at the feet of your Son.

(Jos.3:7-11,13-17; Ps.114:1-6; Mt.18:21-19:1) "My heavenly Father will treat you in exactly the same way unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." The forgiveness of sins and the crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land is our theme today. Both are very much one and the same. In our gospel Jesus tells the parable of the merciless servant in order to teach Peter and the apostles of the office of forgiveness which is theirs through his intercession. When one of a king's officials is unable to pay his debt, he "prostrates himself" before the king and begs for time. "Moved with pity," the master lets the official go and writes off the debt. (In just the same way the apostles are to forgive those who repent of their sins.) But the same servant who is forgiven then demonstrates no forgiveness to a fellow servant, demanding from him all that is owed and throwing him in jail. When the king gets wind of the servant's lack of mercy, he removes the forgiveness of his debt and seeks to extract every penny from him. The parable illustrates Jesus' central teaching: we must forgive to be forgiven. And it indicates the power of forgiveness Jesus, the King, gives to His apostles, the officials, the servants – evident in its being prompted by Peter's question regarding forgiveness. The Lord reminds them (and us) of the forgiveness they have received from Him, and that they should carry this gift to others. A metaphor of this power is presented in our first reading. Joshua, Moses' successor, leads the people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land at the instruction of the Lord. Notice what causes the waters of the Jordan to "halt in a solid bank," allowing the people to pass over on dry land (much as the previous generation had done at the Red Sea). The waters cease flowing "when the soles of the feet of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord… touch the water of the Jordan." Much as Christ and His apostles stand in the breach interceding for the forgiveness of our sins and thus drawing us into the heavenly kingdom, so "the priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord remained motionless on dry ground in the bed of the Jordan until the whole nation had completed the passage." Of old the priests led by Joshua found their power of intercession in the ark of the covenant which held the Ten Commandments; today our priests, led by Peter, find their power of forgiveness in the cross of Christ. Brothers and sisters, let us all forgive one another from the heart. Let us flee in fear like the "Jordan turned back" on its course the danger of holding a grudge or failing to share the blessings we have received from Jesus. Let us cross the Jordan to the Promised Land ourselves and serve to draw others into the heavenly kingdom. Let us not disappoint our Father and so know His wrath; let us shine His loving mercy forth till all have crossed on dry land. ******* O LORD, without forgiveness in our heart, we shall never cross over into the Promised Land. YHWH, how shall we pass into the Promised Land if you do not go with us; and how shall you go with us if we are burdened by sin? We need you to go before us, and we need your forgiveness, or we shall be left on the banks of the Jordan. And how shall we be forgiven our sins and find your presence among us if we fail to forgive those who are indebted to us? O LORD, how can a man with a hardened heart come before you who are mercy itself? He has no place in your kingdom, and so the waters which would have cleansed him of his sins drown him instead. Send us your priests, dear LORD, to lead us in your stead. May Peter be at the head of your people to bring them as has Joshua, as does Jesus, into your Promised Land. And may we thus be freed from sin that we might follow them.

(Dt.34:1-12; Ps.66:1-3,5,8,16-17,20; Mt.18:15-20) "This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that I would give to their descendants." The promise is coming to fulfillment; Moses looks out on the land the Lord so long ago vowed to give the great patriarchs. And though he shall not enter in and dwell there with the people, yet he has confidence that the promise shall be fulfilled. And though after forty years of struggle he will die here at the border, we know he has a greater reward stored up for him in heaven. What is this Promised Land now? Where do we find it today but in the Church founded by Jesus upon his apostles and living in the hearts and lives of all His disciples? This is the Promised Land, the heavenly Jerusalem at work in the world even now. Notice that Joshua "was filled with the Spirit of wisdom, since Moses had laid his hands on him." And "the Israelites gave him their obedience, thus carrying out the Lord's command." In the same way the power of the Holy Spirit coming from Peter and the apostles is passed down to this day in the Lord's Church: the power is indeed from Jesus and His Spirit, but their power works invariably through the deeds of men so ordained. And by that power Joshua will lead the Israelites to the Promised Land even as Peter and his successors lead the Church to our heavenly homeland, insofar as we give obedience to them at the Lord's command. Jesus in our gospel outlines the special place the Church holds both in judging offenses and offering prayers. He repeats the Church's power to bind and loose from fault, a power that begins with Peter but extends to all His disciples so ordained, and reminds them also of the great strength they take when together they call upon His name: "If two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by my Father in heaven." The Lord does not work in a vacuum but accomplishes great and wondrous things through those He lays His hands upon. What great works were accomplished by Moses: "He had no equal in all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to perform." Oh "the might and terrifying power that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel." Do you think this power dies with Moses? Do you think it has come to an end? No. For his successor Joshua parts the Jordan River by the same power; and now in Jesus and through His Church that power comes to fulfillment. Tremendous are the Lord's "deeds among men." If we but "appealed to Him in words," what wonders would we know. Wars would cease and this world would look much more like the heavenly kingdom He has promised us all. Let us pray with one voice, as one Church, in His Name. ******* O LORD, what greater gift could you give than the power upon your priests to forgive men's sins? YHWH, what power you give to those who serve you; what tremendous deeds are wrought by your disciples. For what equal had Moses in the signs and wonders you worked through him? And what greater work can there be than the forgiving of men's sins, which you accomplish by your priests this day? Upon your Church you place your power, LORD; where two or three are gathered all prayers are answered. And even judgment you give to Church leaders, the power to discern right from wrong. As your lawgiver had clear vision till the end of his days, to see and know your will and teach the people of your ways, so this day is fulfilled in your Son and in those upon whom He lays His hands the grace of wisdom and understanding to lead souls into the promised land of Heaven. Let us listen to the words they speak to us, let us be obedient sons.

(Dt.31:1-8; Dt.32:3-4,7-9,12; Mt.18:1-5,10,12-14) "It is the Lord who marches before you; He will be with you and never fail or forsake you." "Do not fear or be dismayed," little ones, the Lord is with us and watches over us. Just as it was He who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, so it is He who leads us now into His "heavenly reign." In our first reading the Israelites stand poised to attain that which they have been so long promised. Centuries after God's call to Abraham and at the end of forty years wandering in the desert, the time has come for them to enter in and take possession of the land the Lord has set aside for them. As they look toward their heritage on the other side of the Jordan River, Moses encourages them: "It is the Lord, your God, who will cross before you." "The Lord alone was their leader," brothers and sisters; and now it is Jesus alone who shepherds us into the kingdom we look upon with bated breath, for which we patiently prepare ourselves. It is He who has crossed before us in His death and resurrection and now faithfully guides us into His Father's reign. And just as Moses commissions Joshua to lead the Israelites: "You must bring this people into the land which the Lord swore to their fathers He would give them," encouraging him to be brave and trust in God… so Jesus commissions His disciples to lead His sheep, and especially those who are lost or straying, into the kingdom of God – encouraging them to remain humble always, to make themselves lowly like a little child. And His commission extends, of course, to us today; in these readings we hear His voice. As for "these little ones" of whom Jesus tells us, "I assure you their angels in heaven constantly behold my Father's face," are we not they of whom He speaks? Are we not His innocent doves in need of the Church's wisdom and guidance to find our place in the Lord's kingdom? And certainly even those who lead the flock are members of the flock themselves, for ultimately it is always the Lord who leads, and all must come unto His presence. Let us be assured, little flock, let us take blessed comfort in the Lord's care for His people. "It is no part of your heavenly Father's plan that a single one of these little ones shall ever come to grief." So let us be as children before Him, beholding the face of God. This is His will for all our souls; let us walk confidently with Him, knowing His love and His blood will never fail us. The kingdom awaits our coming. ******* O LORD, only as a child will we enter Heaven, for only as a child can we stand in your presence. YHWH, make us humble and innocent as little children that you might lead us by your mighty hand into the land you promise all your lowly ones. How shall we behold your face if we are not obedient to you, if we do not seek your glory by humbly doing your will? Bless your people with your presence. Send us leaders, LORD, to guide us to your kingdom, to shepherd us to your holy mountain. Your power be upon those you send to stand in the place of your only Son, that all might find salvation. Help us to have faith in you, to know that as you have been with us until this day, so forever you will remain, destroying our enemies before us, setting us free from all sin. Let none of your children be lost, dear LORD, but come quickly to their heritage in you. O let us be brave and steadfast! remembering ever it is you who go before us.

Dt.10:12-22; Ps.147:12-15,19-20; Mt.17:22-27) "In His love for your fathers the Lord was so attached to them as to choose you, their descendants, in preference to all other peoples." The Israelites are the chosen race, and Jesus the Chosen One of that race. Upon them the blessing rests, and in the Son it is fulfilled. Our first reading tells us that the Lord is a great God, "who has no favorites, accepts no bribes; who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him." And the Israelites are called to be made in the image of their Father, showing His might in this way of compassion and truth. "And now, Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you but to fear the Lord, your God, and follow His ways exactly," declares Moses. And so he enjoins upon the people the Lord's word, "His statutes and ordinances," which "He has not made known" to other nations, and which serve as their guide to maintaining His light in their lives. "He has strengthened the bars of your gates… He has granted peace in your borders," our psalm confirms: by the grace of God's law their children are blessed and become "numerous as the stars of the sky." And in our gospel we see again the fulfillment of the Father's blessing and of His law in the Person of Jesus and the sacrifice He, and we, are called to make. First Jesus makes clear that He is the Son of God exempt from the temple tax – how can the temple pay tax unto itself, or, better yet, how can the temple be paid tax by Him who made it? Jesus is the Chosen One, the chosen of the chosen sons. And His new Law, His new way – which again is but the fulfillment of the law laid out by Moses – is the cross. Moses tells us of the compassion and justice of the Father, who cares for widows and orphans and aliens, and Jesus embodies that love and truth by being "delivered into the hands of men who will put Him to death" for our sin and to show the love God has for us in such utter sacrifice. Brothers and sisters, allow me to note here that there is no distinction between the love and the justice of God: they are inseparable, the one ever complementing the other. It is out of both love and a sense of justice that the Lord defends the widows and orphans, saving them from their oppressors and gathering them into His arms. His love breeds justice and His justice love. This is the way of God; and this must be our way as His children. Yes, God loves the world and so He sends His Son to make atonement for our sin. We have sinned and atonement must be made; it cannot be otherwise. And it cannot be otherwise but that God makes that atonement by His love. Let us join to Him as sons in His holy sacrifice. This is our special, blessed call. ******* O LORD, though in His love He made Himself an outcast for our sakes, for our lack of love, Jesus is your only Son. YHWH, you are the great God, mighty and awesome, your glory far above us and our ways. Yet you bless us with your presence, you proclaim your Word to our hearts – you send your Son into our midst as the Temple in which we may worship you and so join ourselves to your surpassing glory. For this grace let us never cease to praise you; let us never fail to follow in your way. Your Son shows to us the way we must walk; the way of love He marks out for us in perfectly fulfilling your will, in freely going to the Cross. Here your surpassing love for your poor creatures you reveal to us. And this same love you call us to – this same glory is ours, O LORD, by the mercy He bears. To this Temple let us come. In your Son let us make our home. He who humbles Himself for our sakes, who joins Himself to us for our salvation, let us follow unto glory. Your Word be fulfilled in our midst.

(Ws.18:6-9; Ps.33:1,12.18-20,22; Heb.11:1-2,8-19; Lk.12:32-48) "You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." "Our soul waits for the Lord." Though we do not know the day or the hour of His return, we must always be ready for His coming. As the ancients, the Hebrew fathers and especially Abraham the father of faith himself, we must ever be seeking our heavenly homeland. By faith the ancients, who saw the promise only from afar, "awaited the salvation of the just"; by faith Abraham "sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country." As he dwelled in tents, nonetheless, "he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God." With the incarnation of Christ, and in His death and resurrection, what greater assurance have we of that which we hope for. We now have Jesus speaking to our hearts: "Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." How much more are we called to follow His way in faith; how much more we should now be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. "Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when He comes and knocks." If the Lord finds us "vigilant on His arrival," how blessed will we be. If we have distributed well the food He has put in our charge here, if His work we have accomplished according to His word, we shall ourselves sup at the table the Lord prepares for us in the heavenly homeland. But all we are given here, all the graces and blessings which are ours through Jesus and through His Church, we are responsible for; by them we must bear fruit in patience and in faith, Peter first, as the first of servants, and all of us beneath his charge in proportion to "the food allowance" placed in our hands for distribution at the proper time. (This refers primarily to our priests, but we all do share in the priesthood of Christ, and all are graced with a measure of the flesh of Christ to share with the world.) "Exult, you just, in the Lord," for what was held "in secret" by "the holy children" of times past has now come to light in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we await the second coming of Christ with a "sure knowledge" far surpassing the one granted our fathers. We are "the people He has chosen for His own inheritance," and a promise so sure should spur us on to a readiness that is meet to such a wonderful gift. The Lord is coming to sit us at table at the place He now prepares; let us "make preparations" of our own, remaining ever the servants of Christ, that we shall not be taken unawares when it is time to fold up our tents in this world and join the Lord in glory. Hear Him knocking even now at the door of your hearts. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "The Readiness Is All" from Bearing the Birth Pangs, tenth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, our hope is in you; may we patiently await the coming of your kingdom. YHWH, how we hope for your kindness to deliver us from death, to save us from our adversaries, even from our very selves. We place all our trust in you – O may our faith soon be rewarded! If we but had the faith of Abraham, dear LORD, blessed as he would we be, with no fear for the impending darkness, with hearts set solely on your coming light. The salvation of the just let us await with steadfast hearts, knowing well that you are faithful to all your promises and that you have promised a heavenly dwelling to all who seek their place with you. To this earth let us not be attached; all of this world let us offer freely to you. You are our only treasure, dear God – you are all that is worthy of our concern. And so, let us await your Son's return with loins girded and lamps burning. Let us be ever vigilant for His coming, serving well your holy will all our days, and our inheritance we shall find in you.

(Dt.6:4-13; Ps.18:2-4,47,51; Mt.17:14-20) "Praised be the Lord, I exclaim, and I am safe from my enemies." In our first reading we hear the Shema, the great Commandment of the Mosaic Law – the Lord is God and we must love Him with all our being. Moses exhorts the people "not to forget to the Lord," who brought them out of slavery in the land of Egypt and is about to bless them abundantly in the Promised Land. Quite graphic is he, and are their practices, in encouraging remembrance of the Lord's command. His words are to be drilled into the children, bound at wrists and on foreheads, and written "on the doorposts of… houses and on… gates." And David's psalm mightily extols the love we should have for our Lord: "My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!" the great king of the Israelites exclaims in his overflowing praise for his saving Lord, in whom he finds his strength. Indeed, the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is our life and our salvation. And it is the faith at the heart of our praise of God which saves us from our enemies, which redeems us from our sins. Jesus demonstrates this clearly in our gospel today. "What an unbelieving and perverse lot you are!" the Lord declares in chastisement of His disciples and all those who would seek His graces, His healing, for they have not the faith to rescue the possessed boy from the grip of the devil. Where is their praise of the Lord's Name? Where is their surpassing love of Him? How is it their belief in the Lord's power to deliver from the bonds of slavery has been so easily shaken? Is it not "the Lord alone" who is God? "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you would be able to say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible for you." Let these words be inscribed upon our hearts, that we will never forget the abundant glory of God which we possess by our faith in Him. Glorious are you, O Lord, beyond all creatures, beyond all existence! Far above us do you sit, and yet how close to our hearts do you remain. There is none who compares with you; there is nothing in the heavens or on earth greater than you, for you have created all that is. Strengthen our failing love, let it match the glory of your presence, that we might be delivered from all sin and conquer all evil in your divine Name. Give us faith and trust in you, and we will praise you forever. Safe from our enemies, we will glory always in your everlasting love. ******* O LORD, let us praise your NAME and so find safety from all our enemies. YHWH, give us the grace to love you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, you who alone are God, you who alone are good. It is you alone who care for us, who provide for our every need. May your blessing remain upon us as we praise your holy NAME. Where shall we find faith, O LORD, even the size of a mustard seed, we who are such a perverse and unbelieving lot? How can we learn to trust in you and in your power to do all – and to do all through us weak vessels. It is you alone who have all power; by your Word the entire universe came to be and is sustained…. Help us to take refuge in that Word and not in the world of passing things. We love you, LORD, our Rock, our shield, the sword of our salvation! But we are indeed weak and forgetful souls in need of healing. Increase our faith in you and in your Son, that we might serve you alone.

(Dt.4:32-40; Ps.77:12-16,21; Mt.16:24-28) "The Son of Man will come with His Father's glory accompanied by His angels." The Lord God came to "take a nation for Himself from the midst of another, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with His strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors." As He came with power to rescue the Israelites from the bonds of Egypt, so He will come at the end of time, and is come now, to save us from this world of sin. Indeed, the Son of Man shall come fully into His Kingship on the last day and "repay each man according to his conduct." How shall we secure a place in His kingdom? Moses tells the Israelites, in his final address to them before they enter the Promised Land, "You must now know, and fix in your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on earth below," and that they "must keep His statutes and commandments." Then they will be blessed and prosper. Jesus tells us in our gospel, "If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps." As it was then, it is now, only the road is more straitened for the goal is more blessed: now it is even unto death we must be obedient to His ways; but now we find not only life on the land, but glory everlasting. "Among the people you have made known your power," proclaims our psalm today, and indeed our first reading recounts the "wonders of old" the Lord wrought in the midst of His people: with their eyes they saw His "great fire," and with their ears they "heard Him speaking out of the fire." It is, of course, the presence of Jesus we see before us now and hear speaking in our hearts by the fire of the Holy Spirit. He makes His power known to us now in a far surpassing way. And if we wish to know the glory of God burning in our midst and leading us to the eternal kingdom of light, we must be made holy by its power. "O God, your way is holy," our psalm states, and if we wish to follow in His way, we must be holy as He. The Lord is coming with His holy angels. He shall soon be here in all His glory. Now He has left us a blessed cross to place upon our shoulders; it is this most wonderful of signs by whose testings we are led in power to the eternal reign of our Savior. As intimately as you know His humble cross, as closely as you follow His sacrificial path, so well will you know His Father's glory. ******* O LORD, your greatness is revealed to all; let us dwell in your light. YHWH, how great were your deeds in bringing your chosen people out of Egypt! What wonders you worked among them. To them you showed that you are LORD and there is no other. But how much greater is the presence of your Son among us this day and the deeds He has wrought for our salvation. How much more clearly you speak to us now, LORD, through the wonders He works – and how perfectly your glory will be known when He returns accompanied by His angels! There will be no greater deeds to be worked when that Day comes. But until that Day let us walk with you here; let us take up our cross and follow in the way of Jesus, keeping your Word that we may prosper in good deeds ourselves and come finally to the Land you promise, to eternal life, our eyes looking upon your surpassing glory.

(Nm.20:1-13; Ps.95:1-2,6-9; Mt.16:13-23) "'You are the Messiah,' Simon Peter answered, 'the Son of the Living God!'" With this response, because of this faith come from the "heavenly Father," Jesus declares to Peter, "You are 'Rock', and on this rock I will build my Church." He entrusts to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, with power to bind and loose. As from the rock Moses struck, "water gushed out in abundance for the community… to drink," so through Peter and the Church Christ has founded we are nourished by the sacraments and true teaching. So the Son of the Living God is with us. "Let us acclaim the Rock of our Salvation… Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. For He is our God, and we are the people He shepherds, the flock He guides." By the hand of Peter the Lord guides the Church born of His blood. Indeed, as Moses led the Israelites through the desert, so Peter leads us now to the gates of heaven. Let us declare our faith with him; let us echo his words to the Lord, giving Him due praise and "joyfully sing[ing] psalms to Him." He is our God, He is our Savior, and in this Rock we take refuge. But let us remember, too, not to judge "by man's standards but by God's." His ways are not our ways, as both great leaders had to learn. It seems to our human minds unfair that Moses should be deemed unfit to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land; it is they, after all, who continually tempted him with their grumbling, plotting even to take his life. And why is the Lord so harsh toward Peter, even calling him "Satan"? He is only concerned for Jesus' life, is he not? The Lord does not judge as we judge. He wishes to teach Moses to deepen his love and concern for the people, that anger is never justified in the care of those in one's charge – the Lord does not act in the rashness of anger and anxiety, and neither should we. And to Peter He must show the necessity of the sacrifice of this life, that we must be "put to death" to be "raised up on the third day" – it is the laying down of this life which brings glory. Really, in both cases the Lord is calling His leaders to lay down their lives for the people, to do as He does and take the people's sins upon themselves. And this is, of course, the call of us all – to be like Him, to join with our Savior, the Son of the Living God, in His sacrifice. What is more against the standards of man than the cross of Christ, as Paul has told us elsewhere, "a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles" (1Cor.1:23) – and yet the source of our salvation. For to come to the Living God we proclaim as our own, this world and its passions must be left behind. The Father dwells in highest heaven and His ways must become our own. Take refuge now in the Rock of Christ and in His Church; this shall lead you to His presence. ******* O LORD, your ways are so far above our own, and how shall we attain to them, except by faith and the grace that comes to us through your holy Church? YHWH, how could we even begin to put you to the test? How could we be so foolish as to ask you any question, as to doubt your goodness toward us, your presence among us? What of this world should lead us to such blindness to your love? Should we not be ready even to die for you? It is you who have the power and grace to put us to the test, and so your Son asks, "Who do you say that I AM?" Do we really believe He is the Messiah? Do we really believe you have sent Him to us to die for our sins that we might be raised up with Him? Or do we indeed doubt the greatness of your love? O LORD, help us to judge as you judge, to see as you see, and so to know your glory. It is not in this desert we shall find our home; it is not the food of this world that is our fare. It is to Heaven we must come, and in your Church we shall find a way there. Help us, O LORD, to show forth your sanctity, to join in the sacrifice of your Son and worship Him alone.