The BreadCast

(2Pt.3:12-15,17-18;   Ps.90:2-4,10,14,16;   Mk.12:13-17) “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s but give to God what is God’s.” “Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent after Jesus to catch Him in His speech.”  These “two groups” seem to come one from God and the other from Caesar.  But their devious plotting shows the only party present of God is Jesus Himself. And to whom do we belong?  Peter makes it abundantly clear in his letter today where our allegiance should lie.  He exhorts us to “look for the coming of the day of God and try to hasten it!”  We must not set our hearts on things below but on things above, where God dwells; for “the heavens will be destroyed in flames and the elements will melt away in a blaze.”  It is “new heavens and a new earth” we must await, where “the justice of God will reside.” What is of Caesar will return to the earth, just as God “turn[s] man back to dust, saying, ‘Return, O children of men.’”  (For where is Caesar today?  And where is the coin that was in their hands?)  But the Lord is “from everlasting to everlasting”; “a thousand years in [His] sight are as yesterday… or as a watch of the night.”  For He exists “before the mountains were begotten and the earth and the world were brought forth.”  These indeed He created; and these are destroyed by His hand. Brothers and sisters, as our years “pass quickly and we drift away,” let us listen to Jesus, who indeed “teach[es] God’s way of life sincerely.”  Let us listen to His servant Peter, who tells us, “Be on your guard lest you be led astray by the error of the wicked.”  The wicked surround us here on this earth, but even here our hearts must be set on God and we must “be found without stain or defilement, and at peace in His sight.”  Here we must pray that the Lord will “fill us at daybreak with [His] kindness,” that when He comes we shall know His glory… but also that even in these decaying earthen vessels we shall find His grace and see His work accomplished.  “Glory be to Him now and to the day of eternity!”  May He make us His own. ******* O LORD, let your eternal kingdom dawn upon us, even as the kingdom of this world passes away. YHWH, make us your own; let us come into your kingdom.  On this barren earth let us not make our home, in princes and kings let us never trust – to you alone may we give our allegiance, waiting ever for your Day. O LORD, our lives are but passing on this plane, but you are everlasting.  Though  we wither and die, though all we see shall be consumed by fire, with you we shall live, and rejoice eternally.  And so, let us not set our hearts on the riches and glory this world holds in its grasping hands; let us give all over to you with praise. The Day draws near, O LORD, we know, when your Son will return and bring with Him new heavens and a new earth.  O let us hasten this Day by our prayers, let us prepare for it by our actions… let us never fear His coming because of our attachment to sin but give up all the darkness, the evil surrounding us and inviting us in, and wait in purity with our eyes to the heavens for our salvation to be fulfilled.  Come, Lord Jesus, and draw us into the Father’s kingdom.

(2Pt.1:2-7;   Ps.91:1-2,14-16;   Mk.12:1-12)  “I will deliver him and glorify him; with length of life I will gratify him and will show him my salvation.” So the Lord speaks of us through prophecy of His only Son.  So the Lord seeks to accomplish in everyone who “acknowledges [His] name.”  So indeed He has sent “the Son whom He loved” for our salvation.  So He prays with Peter, the Rock of His Church, “May grace be yours and peace in abundance through your knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord.”  For “by His own glory and power… He has bestowed on us the great and precious things He promised, so that through these [we] who have fled a world corrupted by lust might become sharers of the divine nature.” Brothers and sisters, “that divine power of His has freely bestowed on us everything necessary for a life of genuine piety through knowledge of Him.”  He has come into this world, He has entered the vineyard despite the threat of death, and has indeed been “beat[en],” “treated shamefully,” and “killed,” all that He might found His Church among us; and His grace is for us “marvelous to behold.”  Should we not then “make every effort” to employ the gifts He provides by the Holy Spirit and the Church He has made?  Should gift not build upon gift so that in this house of ours we grow from the foundation of faith unto the divine love of all? Let us not be like those tenant farmers who acted out of jealousy, who could only say of the Son: “Here is the one who will inherit everything.  Come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance will be ours.”  For the Lord has indeed “come and destroy[ed]” these faithless servants “and turn[ed] His vineyard over to others.”  We are those others.  And we “inherit everything” with the Son if we “say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”  Yes, brothers and sisters, it is we who “dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”  Let us be most conscientious in our work in His name; let us be ever ready to provide Him “His share of produce from the vineyard.”  For the vineyard is all His, and we are all His, and He is with all of us and with all we do and are – and He will deliver us and glorify us in the eternal life to which He has come to lead us.  In His Son is our salvation. ******* O LORD, on your Son we find our blessed foundation; in Him let us grow to perfection, to union with you. YHWH, your Son who was rejected by man, who was despised and put to shame and to a painful death, be the foundation of our lives – let our hearts be set upon Him alone that we might become sharers of His divine nature, as is your will. Let us build our house on faith in you, O LORD, and grow in every virtue by increasing knowledge of your power and participation in your great love, till we come to rest with you in your eternal kingdom.  That kingdom you build upon this earth this day, both in the hearts of all believers and in the Church you ordain to bear your NAME, to produce fruit by your grace.  Let us remain ever in this House, in this vineyard you plant, that our houses may be like your own. O LORD, take our souls unto yourself as we give all things over to you who are the source and deserving recipient of all good things…  O let us dwell in your holy House in your surpassing peace all the days of our poor lives, and so become holy as you.

(Jd.17,20-25;   Ps.63:2-6;   Mk.11:27-33)  “Welcome the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ which leads to eternal life.” “As [Jesus] was walking in the temple precincts the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached Him.”  They come to Him who is the true Temple here in the place where He teaches, but they do not come “praying in the Holy Spirit” or “persever[ing] in God’s love.”  Their questions rather are those which hold condemnation.  If they had come seeking truth, they would be able to speak truth when asked by Him of John’s baptism.  But, far from seeking the grace of God, they desire only political advantage.  And so they think among themselves, “If we say…” and “Can we say…” instead of simply baring their souls before Him who could save them.  And so, answering, “We do not know,” indeed do they close themselves off from knowledge of the “authority” and “power” given to Jesus the Christ. This cannot be our faith, brothers and sisters.  Our faith must be as that sung of so beautifully by David in our psalm today: “O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.”  With all our beings we must strive to know Him whom our soul loves.  Knowing our own emptiness apart from Him who is Truth, we indeed turn our “[gaze] toward [Him] in the sanctuary,” we indeed long for His love and mercy.  And instead of speaking ill against Him or looking to condemn Him, rather we bless Him with all our souls, singing with His servant David: “Lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name… and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.” The baptism of John was divine and Jesus is its divine fulfillment.  He is the “One who can protect [us] from a fall and make [us] stand unblemished and exultant in the presence of His glory” if we but say, “Glory be to this only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  His indeed are “majesty” and “might”; He indeed “correct[s] those who are confused” and “snatch[es] others from the fire.”  He has rescued us from sin and poured the water of the Holy Spirit upon us to slake our thirst for Him.  And so, “as with the riches of a banquet shall [our] soul be satisfied.”  By the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, heaven is now ours. ******* O LORD, keep us from falling into our pride; let us not be separated from you. YHWH, how shall we stand unblemished and exultant in your presence?  For all glory and majesty are yours, and what are we but sinful men?  Take the stain from our hands and from our clothing.  Only by the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ will we be made ready to stand before you; only by His grace can we bless your holy NAME. O let our lips praise you, dear God!  May our souls be satisfied as with the riches of a banquet, the banquet of your eternal kingdom.  Let us not doubt the glory you would share with us through our Baptism into your only Son.  Let us know that He has come from you and would take us to you this day. O LORD, we gaze toward you in the sanctuary – our hearts long to join with you on high.  Thank you for making your presence known to us even on this plane, and help us to persevere in your love each day.

(1Pt.4:7-13;   Ps.96:10-13;   Mk.11:11-26) “The consummation of all is close at hand. Therefore, do not be perturbed; remain calm so that you will be able to pray.” As at the time Jesus walks the earth the end of the Israelite nation is at hand – a consummation signified in “the fig tree withered to its roots” at His command, a consummation that will be fulfilled in the crucifixion of the Messiah but whose coming is already evident in the fact that the temple has been turned into “a den of thieves” – so at the time of Peter’s writing, that end is about to be realized in the destruction of the temple.  And more than this, the “trial by fire” occurring in the midst of the disciples refers greatly to the death of this world we face in becoming Christians, to the persecution faced by all His children and felt most genuinely at the hands of the Romans. But as all around is cast into the sea at the command of the Lord, we should not fear.  This is the time to “put [our] trust in God,” to pray in faith, to put [our] gifts at the service of one another” and “let [our] love for one another be constant.”  Rather than be sad, we must “rejoice instead, insofar as [we] share Christ’s sufferings.”  For it should be our joy to see the temple cleansed, to have our hearts purified of all that is not holy – to witness the power of the hand of God at work.  “For He governs the peoples with equity” as “He comes to rule the earth,” so indeed “the heavens [should] be glad and the earth rejoice.” “In all of you God is to be glorified through Jesus Christ.”  His “house is to be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”  We are His House now; we hold His promise – and we come to His glory as we share in the trials He has known.  If the end is close at hand, if the world is already dead, if the devil’s illusions are about to fade… what can this bring us but joy to know the Truth is about to be revealed and all His faithful ones are about to be gathered into His kingdom?  Remain steadfast in love and prayer, and “a multitude of sins” shall indeed be covered; and the new life which has sprung from the withered roots of the fig tree shall soon be fulfilled in your sight. ******* O LORD, drive all evil from our midst   that we might not wither to our roots. YHWH, you come to rule the earth with justice, to cast out all evildoers that your House might indeed be a house of prayer.  And though such purgation bring suffering to our souls (for who is without sin?), uniting our trials to the sufferings of Christ and remaining true to His Word, we are indeed purged of all sin and made ready for the kingdom.  O let us love this day!  Let us place ourselves at the service of one another, freely sharing the gifts we have by the grace of your Son.  It is in Him we find our home, in Him we know our salvation, and so let His chastisement be upon us for good, O LORD, as we seek to join Him in your eternal glory. All the earth shall rejoice at the coming of Jesus; the heavens shall sing praise at such wonder.  For though the consummation of all be close at hand, O God, all who put their trust in you shall be remade in His image.  Alleluia!

(1Pt.2:2-5,9-12;   Ps.100:2-5;   Mk.10:46-52)  “Be as eager for milk as newborn babies – pure milk of the Spirit to make you grow unto salvation.” Does not the “blind beggar Bartimaeus” show his eagerness for the milk of the Spirit, for the blood of Christ upon his soul, when he persistently calls out “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” despite those who “were scolding him to make him keep quiet”? And was his ready desire to meet with the Lord not revealed most clearly when “he threw aside his cloak, jumped up and came to Jesus.” All else becomes as nothing as even in his blindness he strains forward to find the Lord. Brothers and sisters, should we not “come to Him, a living stone, rejected by men but approved, nonetheless, and precious in God’s eyes,” just as this beggar? Are we not “‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people He claims for His own to proclaim the glorious works’ of the One who called [us] from darkness into His marvelous light”? Is it not so that “once [we] were no people, but now [we] are God’s people”? Once we were blind as Bartimaeus, without mercy for our souls, “but now [we] have found mercy.” And oh how we should treasure such grace – even as a newborn child treasures its milk. Who better than Peter, our high priest, to let us know that we “too are living stones, built as an edifice of spirit, into a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”? Having been cured of our own blindness, having been purged of our “carnal desires,” we join this blessed Rock of the Church at the altar on high, sharing in the sacrifice of our Risen Christ. Should this thought not cause us to “serve the Lord with gladness”? Should it not make us ever eager to serve Him more, to draw ever closer to Him as He passes by? Is it not our desire to be with Him forever? “Get up! He is calling you!” Do not be afraid for “He made us” and we are “the flock He tends.” The gentle Lord desires nothing more than to heal your troubled soul. See that you now “follow Him up the road” in joy, growing daily in the new life and light of the Spirit of God. ******* O LORD, in your great mercy you have saved us from our sins that we might see your glory – let us proclaim your marvelous works this day. YHWH, we praise you for the mercy you bring to our souls. We were once blind and begging by the roadside, but you have heard our cries and healed us; and now we walk with Jesus to Jerusalem. In His very sacrifice we share, offering ourselves and our works up in His Name. So generous you are that in His priesthood we now share. O LORD, though we are the poorest of sinners, though we have been so far from you and your mercy, mired in the deepest darkness, yet you have come to us, you have passed by the gutter in which we were splayed, and you have lifted us by your Word from our emptiness – you have given light to our eyes. Let us thank you now by following in your way, and so fulfill your grace at work in us. O LORD, let all our carnal desires be stripped from us like an old cloak and let us stand with you in white robes. Truly, O LORD, make us your own, that we might praise you forevermore.

(1Pt.1:18-25;   Ps.147:12-15,19-20;   Mk.10:32-45)  “The Son of Man has not come to be served but to serve – to give His life in ransom for the many.” As Jesus and His apostles make their “way up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes,” He tells them that these elders of the people “will condemn Him to death and hand Him over to the Gentiles, who will mock Him and spit at Him, flog Him, and finally kill Him.”  He then adds, “But three days later He will rise.”  Here is the Gospel in short.  Here is “the living and enduring Word of God,” the “indestructible seed” which brings us to life by our “faith and hope” centered upon it.  Yes, “by Christ’s blood” we “were delivered from the futile way of life” that sin wrought in us; this blood is “the blood of a spotless, unblemished lamb chosen before the world’s foundation and revealed for [our] sake in these last days.”  Christ has died, Christ is risen, and in Him we come to life again. And we must “drink the cup” He drinks; we must “be baptized in the same bath of pain.”  There is no other way to His glory.  Our lives on this earth must be joined in sacrifice with Him.  Never are we to “lord it over” others; but always we “must serve the rest.”  So Jesus instructs His apostles in this most weighty moment filled with “wonderment” and “fear,” as He stands at the precipice of His sacrifice.  And Peter tells us the same when He counsels us to “love one another constantly from the heart.”  Jesus’ blood is the greatest love and it is in this river we must swim; in this ocean we shall be cleansed – “by obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves for a genuine love of your brother,” the Lord’s principal apostle declares to all his faithful readers. “He has proclaimed His word to Jacob, His statutes and ordinances to Israel,” and all these are summed up in the blood of the Lamb of God.  “Swiftly runs His word” to all who seek redemption from God; swiftly it comes to pierce our hearts.  And though by it we ourselves bleed with Him, by it “He has granted peace in [our] borders” – through Jesus we are “believers in… the God who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory,” and His same glory is ours as we die with Him now.  Let this Word be inscribed upon your heart. ******* O LORD, your Son is the Word spoken by your mouth that comes quickly to save us; may we share in the cup He raises to His blessed lips. YHWH, we are purified by the Word your Son speaks to us, by the Gospel preached in His Name – by His death and resurrection, which you desire us to share.  Let His blood be upon us for good this day, that we might be thoroughly cleansed of our sins and come to serve you and one another. Our faith and our hope are in you, LORD; all our desire is to join you in glory.  The blessing of your way be known to us – let us walk the path to Jerusalem with your Son.  For if we die with Him, if we lay down our lives in service of one another for your sake, then we shall live with you, saved from the death that comes upon all flesh. Our lives are passing as the grass of the field; this you know, O LORD.  But your Son has come to redeem our souls, to raise us from the dust that we might sit with Him in your kingdom.  Let your will be done and we come by the drinking of His cup to the heavenly Jerusalem.

(1Pt.1:10-16;   Ps.98:1-4;   Mk.10:28-31)  “Set all your hope on the gift to be conferred on you when Jesus Christ appears.” “The Lord has made His salvation known: in the sight of the nations He has revealed His justice.”  That “which the prophets carefully searched out and examined” but was hidden from their eyes, that into which “angels long to search” is now indeed made known “by those who preach the Gospel to you, in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.”  Yes, “the divine favor which was destined to be [ours],” “the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories that would follow” spoken of in all Scripture by the Spirit of Christ, are now come into our midst; and it is these we wait to see fulfilled. And as we await our salvation we must “become holy… after the likeness of the holy one who called” us.  As we stay, we must share in His sufferings to find His glory.  “Obedient sons” of the one Father, we must pattern ourselves after His only Son.  “The desires that once shaped [us] in [our] ignorance” must be absolutely abandoned as we become holy as He. And the same Peter who instructs us in the salvation prepared for us from all ages and the holiness which alone befits it, exclaims to Jesus in our gospel today, “We have put aside everything to follow you!” as if to plead, “Have we done enough?”  And the Lord assures him all that he gives up for the kingdom’s sake shall return to him a hundredfold, and “in the age to come” he shall have “everlasting life.”  For indeed, as the Lord has been, so the apostles have followed, and in these same steps we must walk – to this same cross we must come. Here we stand at the end of salvation history, as the last in a long line of the children of God.  But first we can be with the Spirit as our guide and conformed to the sufferings of Christ.  Being at the end of this line we have the benefit of all the prophecy and teaching that has prepared this time; greater fullness of truth is ours than at any time before.  And so, more so are we called to be like our Savior; impossible is it become for us to hide in ignorance.  “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God,” the light of Christ has been cast upon all hearts, and to continue in sin becomes yet a greater torture – for our eyes are so much less blind.  Now must the earth become obedient to His voice, calling so clearly in its soul; condemnation awaits otherwise.  Now the simple word of truth spoken by God at the heart of Scripture must be our sure guide: “Be holy, for I am holy,” and our expectations will soon be fulfilled in Him. ******* O LORD, your Son has come and now sends forth the Spirit; let us put all aside to follow Him in holiness of life. YHWH, your salvation you have made known to us; what the prophets declared has become so in our midst – your Son has walked among us and died for us that we might be saved.  O let your salvation be fulfilled this day! O LORD, make us holy as you are holy, that we might be where you are.  Help us to walk the path to glory by fully embracing the Cross your Son provides.  Help us gladly to give up all things that we might find all things anew in your presence. What of this earth matters, O LORD?  What is there we should put before our love for you?  For all things are in your holy hands and only by you is anything blessed.  And so, let us give ourselves to you who are holy, and you will make all things holy for us. Thank you, O LORD, for your kindness toward us.  Thank you for the blood your Son has shed.  Thank you for making your love known to us, for now by your grace this love we may share.  Open our eyes and our hearts to the glory of your way, and let us walk that way with Jesus.

(1Pt.1:3-9;   Ps.111:1-2,5-6,9-10;   Mk.10:17-27) “Go and sell what you have and give to the poor; you will then have treasure in heaven.” “You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials,” for even if you are not a rich man with “many possessions” to give up, all that you have that is of the world must die before you will find “birth to an imperishable inheritance incapable of fading or defilement, which is kept in heaven for you.”  You can have no pride, you can have no greed, you can have no lust in your heart if you are to find the kingdom of God.  Your faith must be like “fire-tried gold” whose “genuineness [will] lead to praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears.” Jesus’ question to the rich young man: “Why do you call me good?  No one is good but God alone” is, I think, often misunderstood.  The Lord is not saying not to call Him good because that title is reserved only for God, for He is God and deserves every title of praise we can utter.  Rather, He is testing the young man, who kneels at this moment at His feet, to find out if he truly recognizes that He is “good”, that He is the Son of God.  This is borne out by the Lord’s response as to what the young man should do “to share in everlasting life.”  Jesus first lists only the latter commandments, which refer to love of neighbor, which the young man rightfully states he has kept well.  “Then Jesus looked at him with love and told him,” in essence, of his need to keep the first three commandments, those which refer to love of God, in a more complete fashion.  For what is He telling him in our quote above but to have no false gods, to love the Lord with heart, mind, soul, and strength – and how is this accomplished but in His instruction: “Come and follow me”?  As we give up the idols which spring from the earth, as all our possessions and our trust in them are taken from us, we find the “birth unto hope which draws its life from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  By such death we follow Him unto heaven. Brothers and sisters, “there is cause for rejoicing here,” for on this strait path, through this “needle’s eye,” we are “achieving faith’s goal, [our] salvation.”  Let us “give thanks to the Lord with all [our] heart in the company and assembly of the just.”  Let us “rejoice with inexpressible joy touched with glory” because God “has sent deliverance to His people; He has ratified His covenant forever.”  And “He will ever be mindful of His covenant” – always He will be at our side by the grace of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us to the “salvation which stands ready to be revealed in the last days.”  Endure now the sadness and distress of the death of this life, and find therein the fulfilling of your hope for the treasures of heaven. ******* O LORD, you make possible even the salvation of our souls; let us give up all things to follow you to everlasting life. YHWH, we praise you, for with you all things are possible, even the salvation of our souls and our coming into your eternal presence.  And so, whatever we suffer here brings us only joy, for all things bring us to your kingdom. O LORD, may we be truly consecrated to you, thoroughly confirmed in your covenant with us, that the new birth you grant through the resurrection of your Son might be fulfilled and we come to dwell with you forever in Heaven.  Let nothing of this passing earth stand in our way; let nothing obstruct our worship of you, that we may be truly happy and rejoice all our days in you. Help us, dear God, to give up all our possessions, to desire to hold to nothing but you.  Take all that is not of you from our souls and bodies – let our hearts be set on your surpassing glory. What trial can sadden us, LORD, if our love is for you?  You redeem us from all evil and give new life to our mortal frame.  For such grace let us ever praise you.

(Acts 28:16-20,30-31;   Ps.11:4-5,7;   Jn.21:20-25)   “I wear these chains solely because I share the hope of Israel.”   The hope of Israel indeed wears chains.  The Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the nation, is fixed to a cross.  This is the call of all who follow Jesus – to die. But, Peter is prompted to ask as he walks with Jesus and the Lord explicates his dual call to serve as leader of the Church and to die for his faith, “What about him?”  What about John, who follows them?  The question pertains not simply to whether or not John also must suffer a martyr’s death, but principally – as the principal call of Peter is to feed the Lord’s flock – to why Jesus does not call John to serve as His first of priests, standing in His stead, for it is clear to all that John is “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”  Jesus responds, “Suppose I want him to stay until I come,” suppose He does not want John to pour himself out as a libation on His holy altar… that should be of no concern to the Rock of the Church.  Jesus calls whom He wills to what He wills for His blessed purpose.  And John is not called to die, or to lead. John is, in fact, the only one of the Twelve who does not suffer a martyrdom of blood.  He does remain until a very old age.  His martyrdom is white, that of suffering a long life.  And in several ways he remains ever with the Church on earth, in a sense, as the Christ’s beloved Church.  It is he to whom the Blessed Mother is entrusted, she who is with us always to nurture us here on our journey.  And in our gospel today, the principal call of John is most evident: he is called to “witness to… the things that Jesus did” and to “record them.”  “It is he who wrote them down,” he who is the great Evangelist – he whose words remain with us even today as we read his gospel throughout the most blessed season of Easter.  And, of course, it is he who, in his old age, while exiled on the island of Patmos, will receive the great vision that has become the Book of Revelation, thus telling us so thoroughly not only of Jesus’ life on earth, but also of His life in heaven. In our first reading, Paul is “allowed to take a lodging of his own.”  Though “a soldier was assigned to keep guard over him… with full assurance, and without any hindrance whatever, he preached the reign of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”  What Paul does in earthly chains for two years – for soon he, too, shall be martyred for the faith – John does, in a sense, endlessly, or at least until its natural end. “The Lord is in His holy temple…  His searching glance is on mankind.”  He calls all to the martyrdom He chooses.  Let us each wear the chains He provides, each find the place in the kingdom to which He leads us, knowing always that “the upright shall see His face.”   ******* O LORD, however much we speak of you, there is more to tell; you far surpass our poor witness, O hope of Israel. YHWH, if we must stay here in rented lodgings, let us witness to you with our lives.  If today we must die, let our blood be shed upon your altar of sacrifice.  Whatever we do, whether we live or die, let it be done for you. We do not know how long we shall dwell upon this earth, O LORD.  We do not know when we shall die and come with you to Paradise.  But we know that your call is upon our souls, that while here we wear your chains and before us is set your Son’s Cross.  And we know the source of both the chains of this life and the death we must die is the hope we bear in our souls, the hope of entering into your reign.  And we know that your reign is alive in us even this day. Peter is the first of priests, sacrificing himself in the place of your Son upon your holy altar.  John, your beloved, witnesses to you with his love and in the words he speaks to us.  If we must stay and write, O LORD (vision of you upon our souls), or if we must bleed and die, let all be done for you who dwell on high… and let us join you in your Temple.

(Acts 25:13-21;   Ps.103:1-2,11-12,19-20;   Jn.21:15-19)   “When you are older you will stretch out your hands, and another will tie you fast and carry you off against your will.”   And so the Lord “indicate[s] the sort of death by which Peter was to glorify God.”  And by his laying down of his life, this leader of the apostles shall indeed feed the Lord’s sheep. After “they had eaten their meal,” when there was nothing to distract them – as the apostles gazed at the wonder of the risen Christ before their eyes – the Lord quietly speaks to Peter in the hearing of all.  Three times Jesus inquires of His blessed Rock, calling him by his earthly name to assume the name heaven has assigned him.  Three times the risen Lord asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” and three times Peter must publicly declare his love for God above all things, three times negating his previous denials.  It is a simple scene, but beautiful, and remarkably weighty.  Not only does Jesus place the care of the Church into this poor apostle’s hands, but He speaks clearly of the sacrifice His Rock must make, teaching him what love of God and care for His people entail… nothing less than death. And of Paul’s death for the Lord we continue to read.  Though the Apostle does not himself appear in our first reading, he is spoken of clearly.  Two things we learn of him: first, he is a “prisoner” “kept in custody”; second, the reason for his arrest – he differed with the Jewish leaders “about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed is alive.”  In his imprisonment is Paul’s death and in his profession of the risen Lord he shows his love for God and the people.  Here he clearly follows in the steps of Jesus, fulfilling his call from the Lord. And, brothers and sisters, the call to death, the call to love of the Lord and care for all His children, is all our own.  What the Lord speaks to Peter He speaks indeed to all the apostles seated there on the shore in Galilee; and He speaks the same in our hearing today, calling all who would follow Him in the same way.  And follow Him we must.  It is only by this same sort of death that any of us will come to life; it is only sharing in His cross that we will find the resurrection.  We cannot see the risen Lord, nor rise ourselves, if we are not willing to die for Him and with Him. But do not fear: “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”  Neither Festus nor Felix nor King Agrippa nor the Jewish elders can judge Paul, for he is only in God’s hands.  And so, though we be dragged to certain crucifixion, the world holds no sway over our souls – the life the Spirit provides and the strength He instills cannot be destroyed.  Let us stretch out our hands freely to embrace our blessed Lord and “all His benefits” receive through our sharing in His sacrifice of love.   ******* O LORD, may we declare our love for you by laying down our lives for you who are above all. YHWH, you rule over all from your throne in Heaven, and so, though brought before the rulers of this world, what need we fear?  Though to death you call us all, we have your blessing to protect us and your Church to feed us along the way.  With your Son’s Body and Blood you feed us, and so, again, what need we fear? It is a blessing to witness to your Name and your Son’s resurrection before the powers that be in this world, for then by your grace we serve to bring your kingdom forth to take its place amongst all.  Thank you, O LORD, for this gift you give us, to share in the work of your Christ. And thank you, LORD, for your call to Peter and His obedience in laying down His life, His following in the path upon which Jesus leads us, that we might know the way we should travel and have the Church’s protection, the food you give us at the hands of the apostles all through our earthly life.