The BreadCast

(Is.54:1-10; Ps.30:2,4-6,11-13; Lk.7:24-30) "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great tenderness I will take you back." We are "the barren one who did not bear," the "wife married in youth and then cast off" by our God. Once "forsaken and grieved in spirit," blushing for the "shame of [our] youth," now the Lord takes us home and promises us His love. "My love shall never leave you nor my covenant of peace be shaken," the Lord in His mercy assures us. Though we be as those in the days of Noah, deserving of His destructive wrath, yet He takes pity on us, not only sparing our lives, but also promising to expand our space, to increase us in His blessed generosity beyond what we could imagine. "At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing." Yes, our sin has made us sad; our separation from God has invited His wrath and made us less than what we are. But though the Lord may punish in His justice, yet "His anger lasts but a moment; a lifetime His good will." David sings, "You changed my mourning into dancing," for indeed great is His mercy toward us; tender is His touch upon us as He brings us "up from the netherworld" and places us at His side in the kingdom, as His holy bride. And the Baptist makes the way the redeemed must walk. Necessary is "the baptismal bath he administered" in order to realize God's plan for the salvation of our lives. He is the messenger who goes ahead of the Lord, preparing the path that leads to our being "born into the kingdom of God," where our greatness cannot be measured for it will be in union with Him who is "God of all the earth." Indeed, we must turn from our sins to find our way to this unity; we must repent in tears and turn back to Him. And He will be quick to rescue us, and we will be blessed to rejoice forever, to "break forth in jubilant song" at the graces poured forth upon us by our God in the forgiveness of our sins. His tender Hand is near us, waiting to touch us. Is it your will to be wed to the Most High God? Then receive the baptism He requires and you will be made fruitful in the kingdom of God. ******* O LORD, take us back to you; may our hearts be prepared to receive your glory. YHWH, we must be cleansed in your baptismal bath, for you wish to draw us back to you from our sin; you wish to turn our mourning into dancing, but we cannot approach you, we cannot enter your kingdom if our shame still clings to us, if the dust of this earth remains upon our souls. We have been made barren by the evil our hands have done; we deserve to be drowned in the waters of the flood, to be cast to the nether world… but you look upon our desolation with mercy and seek to wed us unto you that we might again bear fruit, that we might spread out across all the earth. Bring your Heaven to this desert place, we pray. Weeping we have known. Abandonment we have suffered, O LORD. Let us now hear your voice crying out to us, calling us back to your loving arms. Our sins indeed please wash away. Never leave us again, we pray; assure us of your abiding love. Into your kingdom let us come with all your holy people.

(Is.45:6-8,18,21-25; Ps.85:9-14,Is.45:8; Lk.7:18-23) "There is no just and saving God but me." Jesus is "He who is to come"; His deeds speak for themselves. "There is no other!" "Justice shall walk before Him, and salvation, along the way of His steps." How evident this is in Jesus' life, for wherever He goes He teaches wisdom; whomever He touches He heals. God created the world "not to be a waste" but "to be lived in," and so Jesus sets free all captives – the blind, the lame, the deaf… He releases all from sin. Yes, "the Lord Himself will give His benefits; our land shall yield its increase." The justice which descends from the heavens, which falls from His lips "like dew from above," will cause "salvation [to] bud forth." "Near indeed is His salvation to those who fear Him." We see Him. We hear Him. If our hearts are open to Him, we witness His working every moment of our lives. For He is "the creator of the heavens… the designer and maker of the earth," and His Hand is at work in all things – He cannot be separated from His creation. The light and the darkness are made by Him, and for us who love Him "truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven." "For He proclaims peace to His people." For those who love Him, there is only light. And we know that Light is Jesus. It is to witness to Him the Baptist came; and now he hears of the fulfillment of the way he has prepared. We must find "no stumbling block" in the Lord. We must join in proclaiming His good news, in walking in His way – in letting our deeds speak for themselves as wrought by the Hand of the loving Creator and His redeeming Son. Be of light, brothers and sisters, of justice, of peace. Let kindness and truth meet in all your words and deeds and you will be sons and daughters of the one "just and saving God" – and you will be blessed forever. ******* O LORD, may every knee bend before you who created us and redeemed us. YHWH, in your goodness you have made the earth and all who dwell in it, and by your grace your Son has served to redeem Creation. From the beginning you designed this world to be lived in, you desired that all your creatures should flourish, and though woe has come upon us because of our disobedience, now Jesus has come among us to make the deaf hear and the blind see, to raise us from the death of sin. O let us walk before you in justice! You are the only just and saving God; beside you there is no other. And should we not rejoice in your presence, O LORD? Your justice rains down upon us from Heaven now, and should we not spring up from the earth declaring your truth and your glory? Should we not be one with your Son who is our salvation and so find your blessings, and so yield an increase of holy fruit? O let us be healed of all our afflictions! that we might know your glory dwelling in our land.

(Rv.22:1-7; Ps.95:1-7,Rv.21:20; Lk.21:34-36) "Remember, I am coming soon!" And when He comes what blessings there shall be for those who have been faithful to Him. They shall eat of "the trees of life which produce fruit twelve times a year," which grow either side of "the river of life-giving water, clear as crystal" flowing from "the throne of God and of the Lamb." Healed entirely shall they be by the medicine of their leaves. Then, brothers and sisters, if we wish to eat of this blessed, holy fruit, let us not now "become bloated with indulgence and drunkenness and worldly cares." For the bitter fruit of this earth will only poison our souls with sin and so prevent our tasting the food of the heavenly kingdom. "Nothing deserving a curse shall be found there," so let us remove all of this world's bitterness from our tongues. Oh my dear brethren, the promise is great for those who "serve Him faithfully," who "acclaim the Rock of our salvation," the Lord, the "great God," and Jesus Christ His Son. Listen to what our blessed brother John imparts to us today, for "these words are trustworthy and true," and oh so beautiful: "They shall see Him face to face and bear His name on their foreheads. The night shall be no more. They will need no light from lamps or the sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever." Do you hear these words? Does the promise take root in your hearts? Oh let your heart be upon His light! Let the glory of His face be all you aspire to, for it is not far from you. "Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us." For "the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits, has sent His angel to show His servants what must happen very soon." Let us listen to His words. "Happy the man who heeds the prophetic message of this book!" who eats the Bread God provides. His dawn is on the horizon. ******* O LORD, come; send your Son a second time and let us enter your kingdom. YHWH, that we might be able to stand secure before your Son on His coming Day, that great and terrible day that leads to the eternal kingdom! O that we might eat the fruit of the crystal river that flows from your throne and that of the Lamb, that heals us of all our illness and enables us to live forever! O that we might stand in your holy light, that we might look upon your face, your NAME written on our foreheads! O that we might forever reign with you! O LORD, let us sing your praise even this day that we might come to sing your praise always in your kingdom. Let us bow down in our worship and kneel before you who have made us. You are our God, you alone; let our hearts not be set on any of the things of this world but on you who have made them all, that we might transcend this earth and all its emptiness and come quickly into your presence. O let us heed your Word this day and ever serve you faithfully. Glory to you, O LORD our God!

(2Mac.7:1-2,9-14; Ps.17:1,5-6,8,15; 2Thes.2:16-3:5; Lk.20:27-38) "On waking I shall be content in your presence." Our hope is in the resurrection, brothers and sisters. It is this which gives us strength, and it is our endurance which brings us to His presence. Brothers and sisters, indeed, as Paul wishes us, we have "everlasting encouragement and good hope" through the grace of our Lord. He strengthens our hearts "in every good deed and word" and guards us "from the evil one." Thus our hearts should be directed "to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ." We have as our example today these seven brothers spoken of in the Second Book of Maccabees, who showed the endurance of Christ and their faith in the resurrection to life despite the severity of their torture at the hands of the wicked of this world – and all this before the coming of Christ into the world and the great graces He has since imparted to His Church. If they could die so for the law alone, to what deeds should we not be able to attain? If in the presence of their torturers they could state with such confidence, "The King of the world will raise us up to live again forever," what should we not be able to declare in the name of Him who has now been raised from the dead and ascended to glory? If they were so well able to regard their suffering "as nothing," how much easier should be our own sacrifice, we who stand "in the shadow" of His cross and have His wounds in which to take refuge? Indeed, such greater reason have we to hold to "the hope God gives of being raised up by Him." "That the dead will rise" there should be no doubt in our hearts. The fact that "to Him all are alive" should be firmly fixed as a peg in the deepest recesses of our souls. Certainly, this is who we are, children of the resurrection, with the calling to come to Christ, He who has been raised to life. I pray we shall all be "deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead." Children of God, may we be like angels in His presence when we rise. May our minds not be darkened by the night upon this earth, but let our hope be fixed on the coming morning and our faith strengthen us to endure until we stand with Him on that new day. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Too Good for This World" from Remove the Mask of Lies, second album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, give us the courage to believe we shall rise with your Son. YHWH, keep us steadfast in your paths that soon we might come to your heavenly kingdom; let us be ready to die for you, that we might be raised to glory. If the seven brothers spoken of in Maccabees could so readily give their lives, could so courageously face the cruel torture imposed upon them by the devil, what faith should we not have, dear LORD, we who have your only Son now at our side and your Holy Spirit to open our eyes? Do we not even now look upon your face; are the glimpses we gain today not so much greater than then? How strong we should be in walking your way, LORD, we to whom the resurrection has been spoken of so clearly. We whom your Son has told in no uncertain terms that the just shall rise from the dead and be like the angels of Heaven should have no doubt remaining in our hearts and no fear of proclaiming Jesus as God. O help us to endure with joy even to the Day of His coming!

(Wis.11:22-12:2; Ps.145:1-2,8-11,13-14; 2Thes.1:11-2:2; Lk.19:1-10) "The Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost." How beautifully the readings speak today of our "Lord and lover of souls" whose "imperishable spirit is in all things" and who is "good to all and compassionate to all His works." It is indeed "in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ" that we be glorified in Him and He in us, and so we praise Him: "Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever." The Lord "love[s] all things that are"; all is made by Him, so how could He but love all. Though to Him "the whole universe is as… a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth," He loves it all with a most personal affection, shown in the grace-filled coming of His Son among us. And why has this Son come but to forgive? Why has He walked the earth but to call men back to their place in the loving heart of the Father? Why has He come but to show the Father's loving mercy? And appropriate is Paul's warning "not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly" in fear of the Lord's imminent return in judgment. Here is remedy against all the false prophets predicting the sudden end of this universe God has created, as if they could move His hand, as if they could know His mind. Whence does this come but the same grumbling of the people when Jesus moved to go in to sup with Zacchaeus, the famous sinner? Whence does this come but a failure to understand the Lord's wisdom and love and manner of working in the world, failing to see that what the Lord does is "rebuke sinners little by little, warn[ing] them and remind[ing] them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in [Him]"? It is evident that the majority in the crowd would have preferred, in fact, rejoiced in seeing, Zacchaeus' utter destruction. They expected the Lord's punishment on this sinner, and desired it to come immediately. Why? Again, they knew not God's love or the Lord's purpose. Why? Even more to the point: they were sinners themselves who failed to recognize their sin and realize their own need for mercy – and so had neither the Lord's patience, nor His love. How well that loving forgiveness is illustrated in our gospel; how like the parable of the Prodigal Son. As the son returns to the father, Zacchaeus goes ahead and climbs the tree. As the father sees the son from far off and goes to him, so Jesus spies Zacchaeus in the tree and calls to him. As the father's generous love sparks the son's complete repentance, so Jesus' acceptance of Zacchaeus brings salvation to his house, shown in his generous penance. I pray we all seek the Lord who seeks for us and act as Zacchaeus, who "came down quickly and received Him with joy," as the Lord freely offers His love and forgiveness to our souls. Praise Him for His kindness! Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Save the Children" (first half) from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, our stature before you has been diminished by sin, but your Son comes to raise us to Heaven. YHWH, how compassionate you are toward all your creatures, desiring the repentance of all in whom your imperishable Spirit dwells that they might not die but turn to you and live. And so you have sent your Son to seek and save the lost. And so we should praise you for your greatness. You have indeed made all things, and man in your image and likeness. And so you cannot but look upon us with pity as we distort your blessed image by sin; and so, little by little you rebuke us, LORD, reminding us of our sin that we might abandon our wickedness and believe in you. You are our God and King, faithful and holy in all your works, but we are weak and prone to stray from your grace. So in your kindness you bow down to lift us up, we who are falling, that we might look upon your face, that in glory we might dwell with your only Son… that your salvation might come even to the house of the worst sinner.

(Ex.32:7-11,13-14; Ps.51:3-4,12-13,17,19,Lk.15:18; 1Tm.1:12-17; Lk.15:1-32) "The Lord relented in the punishment He had threatened to inflict on His people." Redemption is ours, brothers and sisters. Though we are great sinners, the Lord has mercy on us when we turn to Him; for, as Moses interceded for the Israelites in the desert, so Christ Jesus intercedes for us now before the throne of His Father. Indeed, He "came into the world to save sinners," sinners like you and me. What examples of sinners we have throughout our readings today – what examples of great sinners and the greatness, the abundance of God's grace. Where shall we begin? In our first reading the people of Israel had fallen into the depths of depravity as they passed through the desert. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, they were far below, "making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it." To it they sacrificed, and in drunken revelry proclaimed it God. Yet because of Moses' intercession the Lord held back His blazing wrath against them. He did not destroy them. In our second reading we find "the foremost" of sinners, the apostle Paul, recognizing his own great guilt as arrogant persecutor of the Church and, in the same breath, witnessing to the manner in which he was "mercifully treated" by the Lord, that he might indeed be "an example for those who would come to believe in [Jesus] for everlasting life." If the Lord can turn him who was the primary persecutor of Himself and His people into a leading apostle of His Word, how might He not convert our own hearts, or the hearts of any, to Him and to His will? And, of course, in our gospel we have the parable of the prodigal son, he who "squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation" yet was openly received into the waiting arms of the same father whose property he swallowed up when this dissolute child came to his senses and returned to him. The Lord makes so clear in His parable today the great desire God has to take the sinner in His arms, to place Him on His shoulders; indeed, "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance." Brothers and sisters, we all have need of repentance, and the Lord welcomes us all. After all this, perhaps our most poignant witness to God's forgiveness and grace comes in King David, who has been adulterous and murderous but who cries out to Lord in our psalm, "Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me." His "contrite spirit," his humble begging is heard by the Lord, as is the repentance of us all. Through the blood of Jesus, all ignorant sinners may be saved. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Wish I'd Never Done It" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, you welcome poor, repentant sinners into your House with joy. YHWH, have mercy on us poor sinners. In the greatness of your compassion, wipe out our offense. Like the Israelites who made the golden calf in the desert, like David who turned to adultery and murder, like Paul who persecuted your Son with such abandon, we are all your prodigal children. But as you had mercy on all of these, look upon us with kindness as we turn back to you. O LORD, how greatly you desire our repentance. What great joy it brings you when we confess our guilt. For this you sent your Son to suffer and die; to save our souls you did not spare His life. And so, as we listen to His teaching, as we hear His call to penitence, our contrite heart causes you to rejoice that you might have us home again. Forgive us our sins, dear God, and help us to forgive others. In this is your will fulfilled; in this the blood of your Son bears fruit, and we are redeemed.

(1Kgs.19:16b,19-21; Ps.16:1-2,5,7-11; Gal.5:1,13-18; Lk.9:51-62) "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." We must follow Jesus. And the path He walks leads to the cross. Our gospel tells us, "When the days for Jesus' being taken up were fulfilled, He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem." Jesus knows what awaits Him in Jerusalem. He knows how He will weep over the city for its lack of faith, and He knows their lack of faith will bring His crucifixion. Yet into the waiting arms of death He travels, undeterred. And how many there are who proclaim their desire to walk with Him; how many volunteer to follow in His way. But how little they know of the difficulty found on that road: "The Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head" – we must give up our homes. "Let the dead bury the dead" – we must leave behind our family. Yes, we must never look "to what was left behind," namely, "the desire of the flesh" of which Paul speaks. We are now "guided by the Spirit"; the flesh no longer holds sway over us. That which is opposed to the Spirit we must give no thought to anymore. Look at Elisha, the powerful prophet, in our first reading. He is called by the master, Elijah. Yes, he fails to follow immediately, but look at what he does in saying good-bye to his family. He takes what has been his livelihood to this day and sacrifices it utterly: he slaughters the oxen and even uses "the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh," giving the meat as food for his people. Nothing remains to call him back; he effects a total departure from his old self. Brothers and sisters, we must take such complete refuge in the Lord. We must say with David, "O Lord, my allotted portion and cup, you it is who hold fast my lot." All must be given over to Him and entrusted to His care. It does us no good to hesitate on our journey with Him or take up things which will weigh us down along the way. "Do not submit again to the yoke of slavery," Paul exhorts us. Leave all the desires of this world behind to find the freedom known only in heaven. Then we will proclaim with David: "I set the Lord before me; with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed." We will know His mantle of strength and protection in our call to walk with Him; the yoke of slavery to sin will be broken from our shoulders. We are truly free, brothers and sisters, only insofar as we follow Him, submitting ourselves to the cross. O Lord, take all that keeps us back from following in your way, that in such death to self we may draw nigh to your kingdom. Your cross is the path to life. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Hold On, Here We Go" (second part) from Bearing the Birth Pangs, tenth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, may your Spirit guide us on the road to the Cross. YHWH, how shall we be fit for your kingdom? How shall we give ourselves as we must to your will? Help us to leave all behind and never turn back to it. Help us to follow your Son even to the Cross. For if you do not help us, we shall falter on the way. Without your grace we shall not have the light and strength we need. O LORD, our spirit is willing to follow you, but how weak is our flesh. How concerned we are about the things of this earth! And so your Son must be severe with us, for how else shall we break the yoke of slavery to sin? Without His sharp Word we would linger in complacency all our days. O let the ties that bind us to this world be cut and we be free to walk with Jesus in utter service and love! May the fire of your Spirit be upon us to burn away all attachment to sin. Be our sole refuge, dear God, that no corruption we shall know but remain at your right hand forever.

(Jas.2:14-24,26; Ps.112:1-6; Mk.8:34-9:1) "Faith without works is as dead as a body without breath." How dead indeed is a body without breath; how short a time we can go without breathing before dying. And so how much is our faith dependent on works to remain alive. Brothers and sisters, we are human, we have bodies – of the earth, of flesh and bone, we are. We are not angels. And having bodies we must use what God gave us, what we are: it is in such action we prove the worth of our salt. We cannot sit by idly while another suffers and call ourselves Christian; we cannot prove our faith other than by actions. We must work out our call. We must "take up [our] cross and follow in [Christ's] steps." Sitting by the side of the road will get us nowhere. Just as Abraham showed His belief in God by taking his son to be sacrificed, so must we move as the Lord calls. And He calls us to service, He calls us to love. He calls us to lay down our lives for the sake of others. And this not just in thoughts or words, but in deeds. We must be as He who "dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright" and conduct our "affairs with justice." If we are ashamed of Jesus and the doctrine of the cross He preaches, if we hide our light under a bushel basket afraid to speak or act in His name, He makes quite clear that He will be "ashamed of [us] when He comes with the holy angels in the Father's glory." Profession of faith alone is not sufficient to enter "the reign of God established in power"; we must practice what is preached. Was not Jesus of flesh and bone? Did He not perform great works in our midst? And does He not still perform great works through us His Church; or are we now angels flying at heaven's gate? Flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone we must be, or we are nothing worth. We eat His body and drink His blood and shoulder His cross to find "the wealth and riches [that] shall be in His house," that will live eternally. (It occurs to me that the quote could be reversed to be phrased more literally: "Faith without works is dead as breath without a body," wandering aimlessly; but it would not get across the dire need for works quite so forcefully.) ******* O LORD, man and woman are one and are brought together in your will; in our covenants let us reflect your mercy and faithfulness. YHWH, give us your patience in enduring all things. You are kind and merciful; let us be like you. Help us to practice your compassion in our marriages and in all our relationships – let us be ready as you to forgive. Yes, let all our sins be put far from us. If we endure with you, O LORD, shall we not be blessed? If with you we practice patience and kindness when put to the test, will we not share in your reward? Let us be so joined to you, LORD, that we may indeed be called your Body in this world. O my LORD, let us never be divorced from love of one another or love of you. Let our covenants be sure as your own; for you have promised to be with us even till the end of the age, and so, should we abandon one another? Would this not be an abandonment of you? Let our 'yes' be 'yes', O LORD, and let us therefore live forever in your eternal Word, in the truth and love only you hold.

(Jas.2:1-9; Ps.34:2-7; Mk.8:27-33) "You are not judging by God's standards but by man's!" This is a most important statement Jesus makes; it really cuts to the heart of His teaching, and to His sacrifice for our sins. He has just finished asking His apostles, "Who do you say that I am?" and for perhaps the first time heard their belief that He is the Messiah. This is a critical moment. But there is no time to sit back and enjoy it, for "He then began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer much, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, be put to death, and rise three days later." He knows they will not understand. He knows they will not hear "rise three days later" but "suffer" and "death" and be appalled that the Son of God should be treated so. The sacrifice is here beyond their comprehension. And He knows, too, that Peter does not only speak for all when he declares Jesus the Messiah, but also when he "remonstrates with Him." And so the Lord turns around from where Peter had led Him privately, and makes a point of "eyeing the disciples"; for in His reprimand of Peter as "Satan", He reprimands them all. Their minds must be utterly changed; they must see things as God – they must look upon heaven and not earth. James, of course, speaks of the same matter in his discourse condemning favoritism or the judging of others by appearance. For if we favor the rich man with the gold rings, we are showing our preference for the mark of the beast "who blaspheme[s] that noble name which has made us God's own." If we judge against the faith of the poor in favor of the wealth of the rich and powerful, what are we saying? That we desire the riches and power of this world and not the treasure God holds in store for us in heaven. We are indeed "as judges who hand down corrupt decisions," for we are nothing but false to the faith we profess. Again we must ask ourselves what our hearts are set upon. The Lord's challenge to our souls is severe. Is it Satan's realm we prefer, or are we as "the lowly" of whom David sings, who find salvation in glorifying the Lord. It is a clear choice with which we are presented: to judge as God or to judge with the limited and ultimately deadly vision of man fallen under the sway of Satan. It is from just such judgment the Lord has come to release the apostles, and all His Church, in His Name. ******* O LORD, let us not be plunged in the sea or herded into the nether world, but let us set our hearts and minds on you and so find life everlasting. YHWH, let us be poor, poor in spirit, poor to this world and its deadly passions. Let us put no hope in the riches that rot, or we shall rot with them. Let us seek, rather, the riches of your kingdom by giving our poor cup of water for the upbuilding of your Church. Take from us, LORD, all that keeps us from you. Let us not steal or walk in the paths of the unrighteous or look with lust upon anything or anyone. Take hand or foot or eye from us instead; keep us from all sin. Let our salt not rot, our lives not be worthless, but let us bear fruit in your NAME. LORD, our God, take especially from us our foolish pride, our belief that we can do anything of ourselves. O let us not trust in ourselves or in the things of this world but only in you and help rather than hurt the just man you bless in your holy will. Let all souls be led to your kingdom.

(Jas.1:19-27; Ps.15:1-5; Mk.8:22-26) "Jesus laid hands on his eyes, and he saw perfectly." What is it to see perfectly but to be as "the man who peers into freedom's ideal law and abides by it"? For to see perfectly is to see as God sees, not looking upon the surface of things – that which is reflected in a mirror – but to see the light of God reflected off the souls of His children. And not merely to speak of such things, but, as James states so forthrightly, to "act on this word," to let the Lord's light take "root in you"… to "humbly welcome the Word," and then to "put it into practice." Does Jesus not put the word of God into practice in our gospel today? James says we should be "looking after orphans and widows in their distress," and Jesus shows this concern for the poor and needy by taking "the blind man's hand and [leading] him outside the village," there to anoint his eyes and grant him vision to "see everything clearly." With all His life Jesus gives example of how we must put flesh to the word of God, for He Himself is the Word made flesh. If we have not flesh to the laws we hold, to the teaching we receive, we have not Christ, and our faith is worthless. "He who walks blamelessly and does justice," he it is that is acceptable in God's sight. "Can you see anything?" Jesus whispers to all of us as He works to illumine our vision. "Do you know my touch upon your eyes?" If we see people "like walking trees," He will touch us again, for He does not tire of serving our needs. And must we not be the same? Must we not never harm but always help our "fellow man"? Must we not be men as Jesus? He is the mirror in which we see ourselves. And oh to gaze into His face when we awake! Oh to even now know His flesh in our bones and His blood flowing through our veins! Oh to be a Christian! A Christian! A man living as Christ… What joy is ours as He gives light to our eyes and we see ourselves walking with Him! Let it be so for all eternity. ******* O LORD, let us be for you, living perfectly in your will. YHWH, let us be with you; let us give our lives to you, doing your work in accord with your will and not following the vain path our own desires mark out for us. Let us be your own; let us be your own, your disciples in this world. How can we do anything if you do not bless it, LORD? Where shall we end if apart from you? For we indeed are as vapor that quickly vanishes, and empty are all our plans. But with you and in your NAME, miracles we can perform. Great works we may accomplish if in humility we follow your way; for you are great and all powerful, and we become as you are when we walk with you. O LORD, we do not know what tomorrow may bring. Even this day is a mystery to us. Let us but place this day into your hands, and tomorrow will care for itself in your will. Let us not die seeking the vain riches of this earth but come to life by your saving grace.