The BreadCast

(1Mac.2:15-29;   Ps.50:1-2,5-6,14-15,23;   Lk.19:41-44) “We will not obey the words of the king nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree.” The king of heaven shall soon come into the city of peace, humble and riding on an ass, but today He weeps as He sees Jerusalem and knows of its imminent destruction for its sins.  Yet He shall ride into Jerusalem, yet He shall be dragged within its walls… and the death He proclaims upon all its children, He Himself shall know, He Himself shall undergo, that there may be means of escape for us all, for all who turn from the prince of this world and his seduction and seek to remain true to the commands of our God. The persecution of the Jews some two hundred years before Christ’s own we continue to hear of in our reading from Maccabees: “The officers of the king in charge of enforcing the apostasy came to the city of Modein to organize the sacrifices.”  And though many go over to the enemy, Mattathias and his sons remain faithful, remain true to the Lord.  Great is their zeal in the face of the threat and in the sight of the ways of the evil one.  And flee the city and its abominations Mattathias did with all the righteous, to make a home apart in the desert.  For he recognizes the time of visitation and the destruction of faith upon his city and his people; he has not “completely lost” vision of “the path to peace” but remains faithful even in time of persecution. “Days will come upon you when your enemies encircle you with a rampart, hem you in, and press you hard from every side,” Jesus prophesies as He weeps over Jerusalem.  He wishes not to see the persecution come, nor to have to die Himself.  But the people do not recognize with their hearts the love He offers forth… and so what can He do but die; and so what can they know but destruction.  But His sacrifice shall prove redemptive for those who turn; a place in the desert He shall prepare for those who desire to be holy, to be set apart from the wickedness of this race. “From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth” and His “faithful ones” gather before Him.  In their praise of His glory they fulfill their “vows to the Most High” and so the king of this world holds no power over them.  In the New Jerusalem with the risen Lord they live, beyond the destruction of the old. ******* O LORD, you will come to visit your people; let us flee the sin of this world or we will be destroyed. YHWH, it is better for us to dwell in a desert apart if it means we can remain with you.  Better for us to leave all our possessions behind than to be enslaved by the silver and gold and many gifts this world offers to those who abandon their faith.  Let us remain steadfast with you and fight always for what is just in your sight. Days will soon come when there will not be one stone left on another.  Indeed, our enemies come to encircle us and close in upon us.  But we need not fear the darkness, the powers of this dying age.  For with you, O LORD, we are strong, stronger than death itself.  Let us ever offer a holy sacrifice to you; forever let us praise your NAME. Jesus weeps for the blindness of the people to His presence among us.  They hear Him not as He speaks and summons them to the kingdom.  Let us not be so blind and deaf, dear LORD, but obey your every word, and we shall be rescued.

(2Mac.7:1,20-31;   Ps.17:1,5-6,8,15;   Lk.19:11-28) “He, in His mercy, will give you back both breath and life, because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of His Law.” When the Lord returns “crowned as king” He will call all before Himself and judge each according to the profit he has made with his life.  If we are like the seven brothers who suffered and died for the faith, if we have been like the good servants who invested wisely the gifts left with them by the Lord, we shall come into His reign.  If we have wasted His talents or, God forbid, have persecuted, as Antiochus – who “contrived every kind of affliction for the Hebrews” – those who strive with the Lord to remain faithful to His call, we “will not escape the hands of God.”  He will come to judge; in justice He is known. “On waking, I shall be content in your presence,” sings David in our psalm, expressing the hope of those whose “steps have been steadfast” in the paths of God.  And how this hope in the coming kingdom is embodied by the seven brothers with their mother “who were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king” – how well they presage the suffering and death of Jesus, and the sword which pierces His mother’s heart.  The mother’s words are particularly beautiful and wise as she witnesses to her sons that she was not the author of their lives: “It was not I who gave you the breath of life, nor was it I who set in order the elements of which each of you is composed,” thus stirring them to faith in “the Creator of the universe who shapes each man’s beginning” and holds the life of all in His hands.  Hear her words of exhortation to faith spoken to her youngest son: “I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in them; then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things.”  And so she encourages him to “accept death, so that in the time of mercy [she] may receive [him] again.”  Here, certainly, is our faith in essence.  Here the hope we have in the Lord is lived. The Lord has gone from us to the “faraway country” of heaven to receive His kingship and return for our souls.  He has left with each of His servants gifts for the time of waiting.  Today He and His heavenly kingdom are not far away for He is very present in His Church, in her priests and the sacraments, in the Word of God revealed to us, in the sky upon which we gaze to see His handiwork… in all things we know Him and for all our needs He provides.  Let us not be afraid to live with Him and so to die for Him, to disregard our very lives in the employment of His talents… and the breath and life we do so cherish shall be ours forever in heaven. ******* O LORD, Jesus goes to the Cross, but He shall return; He shall return and judge the souls of all. YHWH, your Son has gone from us to a faraway land, to your side in the kingdom of Heaven.  And if we wish to join Him there, we must employ well the talents He leaves us now in His stead.  We must be willing to lay down our lives as He has done if we are to enter into His reign in the time of mercy. O may your Son come to us even this day, dear LORD!  May we know His presence among us in the gifts and graces He leaves us in His sacraments and in His Word.  And may we work each day to increase their yield upon this earth, until He returns in glory. Soon He shall return and we must stand strong in the face of death and torture, before the evils contrived by the hands of men.  For you, O LORD, who made the heavens and the earth shall reward every man who gives witness to your love.  We shall wake in your presence; breath and life will be ours in your eternal kingdom.

(2Mac.6:18-31;   Ps.3:2-8;   Lk.19:1-10) “I fear not the myriads of people arrayed against me on every side.” Zacchaeus’ running up ahead and climbing a tree in order to be able to see Jesus as He passed along the way may not be a witness on the order of Eleazar, who “declared that above all he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God” and went willingly to torture and death, “leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation,” but the same faith inspired both.  And perhaps this wealthy man giving half of his belongings to the poor does approach the heroism of Eleazar. The principal figures in both our reading and gospel today indeed give witness to the faith in the salvation which Jesus has come to bring to all our houses.  And both reflect the strength needed to overcome the myriad of obstacles set in our paths.  “O Lord, how many are my adversaries!” David cries in our psalm.  “Many rise up against me!”  Eleazar is threatened by the systematic persecution of his faith and his people by the pagan king and his minions, but in the face of “the instrument of torture” this noble old man tells his persecutors “to send him at once to the abode of the dead,” for he would not bring “shame and dishonor” on himself nor lead the people astray by giving in to an unlawful act.  And in our gospel Zacchaeus finds himself surrounded by the murmuring crowd accusing him of being a sinner.  But he stands his ground in the face of this persecution, justified or not, and proves himself worthy to be at the side of Jesus. “The Son of Man has come to search out and save what was lost.”  It is His desire to bring us to salvation.  Yet if we do not seek Him, He will not find us.  If we do not call to Him, He will not hear us.  And if we do not stand our ground and give witness to Him when put to the test for our faith, He cannot stand with us. Temptations must necessarily come.  We cannot escape persecution.  But we must not listen to those who say, “There is no salvation for him in God.”  We must remember that God stands with us if we stand with Him, and that it is just such as us He has come to save. ******* O LORD, help us to stand strong in your NAME in the face of persecution; let us endure all with you. YHWH, our adversaries surround us on every side saying there is no salvation for us in God because of our sins against you, or because they doubt your existence.  Thus the darkness closes in upon us, the wickedness of this evil place.  But standing with you we are saved.  When we call on your NAME, when we climb the tree of life, your holy mountain, to gaze on your face, you are there to receive our souls: though we die we shall wake with you. Why should we be afraid, LORD, though myriads of people are arrayed against us, though they threaten us with torture and death?  Even if our sins should accuse us, even if rightly we should be condemned, yet your Son comes to seek us out and redeem us from condemnation to stand with Him in your kingdom.  O let Him come to our house this day! and with Him let us remain faithful till the end.

(1Mac.1:10-15,41-43,54-57,62-63;   Ps.119:53,61,88,134,150,155,158;   Lk.18:35-43)  “Terrible affliction was upon Israel.” Oh how the nation had become so blind.  Oh how they had turned from their God.  Some “preferred to die rather than be defiled with unclean food or to profane the covenant,” but most ate freely of the poisonous fruit of the tree of abomination, and so became as the blind man begging by the side of the road – so spiritually bereft were they. Our reading from Maccabees tells of a terrible time of persecution upon the Israelite nation less than two hundred years before the coming of Christ, and it shows that that persecution comes from within the community itself, as “men who were breakers of the law” sought alliance with the Gentiles and their pagan worship, thinking so foolishly that this would bring them blessing and comfort.  How readily “they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.”  And the date is given here when “the king erected the horrible abomination upon the altar of holocausts,” signifying Israel’s complete turn from God and His laws to the vain worship of false gods. Our psalm speaks repeatedly of “the snares of the wicked,” “the oppression of men,” the “malicious persecutors,” the “sinners,” the “apostates” who turn from the law and attempt to “twine” others about in their evil.  This is man’s sin from the beginning – attempting to form God of his own hands, refusing to be obedient to the ways the loving Father has imparted for his salvation, for his blessing.  Man gives himself over to the lusts of this world and the imagination of a proud mind, and through such exaltation of self finds himself soon lost in the confusion that such vanity can only bring.  But in the meantime he persecutes the just who hold to the way of truth; for a while he fools himself by the glamour of his idols.  But soon the blindness sets in, and soon the salvation of the just shall come. If we are in affliction because of the persecution of this world of sin that surrounds and closes in, we should consider ourselves blessed; this affliction is proof of our faith, and upon it the Lord looks with favor.  If we are afflicted with the blindness of the nations wrought by our wallowing in sin, we’d best cry out to the Lord as He passes us on the way to Jerusalem.  He will hear us and He will stop, if we are persistent in our cries.  And it is so that our faith will make us whole.  Let us find our sight by the intercession of Christ and “giving God the glory” begin “to follow Him,” whatever cross may await us. ******* O LORD, woe to those who forsake your law! – let them cry out to you with full voice that they may be saved. YHWH, how blind we have become, turning from your law, from your holy ways, to worship the false and empty gods of the nations.  O may your Son turn to us and have pity this day that we might see His goodness before us and follow Him to the New Jerusalem.  Let us not be counted among those who forsake your Law and profane your Temple; let us rather die than break your Covenant. By the side of the road we sit and cry for all the afflictions our sin has brought upon us.  What hope have we, O LORD, of being taken from this dark place, how could we escape the snares of the wicked round about us, if your Son did not stop and call us to Himself, if He did not come into the midst of the darkness to save us. Glory to you, O God, and to you alone, for your promise you have not forgotten.  From all evil keep us safe.

(Ws.18:14-16,19:6-9;   Ps.105:2-3,5,36-37,42-43;   Lk.18:1-8) “He led forth His people with joy; with shouts of joy, His chosen ones.” “They beheld stupendous wonders.”  Before their eyes, “out of what had been water, dry land was seen emerging.”  And so, sheltered by the mighty hand of the Lord, they crossed over, from the land of bondage to freedom.  And in their joy “they ranged about like horses, and bounded about like lambs…” praising the Lord, “their deliverer.” This is the story of our own salvation; this is the way of our own redemption from the sin which holds us bound on this earthly plane.  Our exodus, too, must come.  The Lord shall return to earth.  As He was faithful in leading the Israelites forth from the land of Egypt, where they had been slaves four hundred years, so He will not forget us who have been in the bonds of Satan upon this plane.  Our deliverance, too, will come. Yes, my brothers and sisters, God will “do justice to His chosen who call out to Him day and night.”  He will not “delay long over them” but will “give them swift justice.”  The vision of the Israelites at the Red Sea will be our own.  Before our eyes we will see the dry land appearing.  We shall rejoice at the Lord’s hand guiding our steps out of this dark land.  “An unimpeded road” we shall travel, moving toward His promised land.  Yes, heaven will be ours.  The first-born of Satan, the flower of his evil, shall be destroyed in the stillness of the night, and truth and goodness and light will emerge victorious; and we shall be led forth, as it were, “laden with silver and gold,” rejoicing in the abundant blessings of our Lord and God. He does not delay.  He will not delay.  We wait, yes, and struggle with our faith… but He is ready – He does not have to be asked twice.  But as our hearts are weakened by sin, we must be encouraged, we must continue to pray, always, even in the face of darkness.  Through the darkness the Lord’s light shall come shining, if we remain faithful in our cries.  So, “sing to Him, sing His praise… O hearts that seek the Lord!” for He is near in all our prayers, and shall lead us forth into His blessed kingdom.  Alleluia! ******* O LORD, your justice is swift but who is there that calls out to you, that desires your hand at work in his life? YHWH, what marvels you have worked for us; for we who were overshadowed by sin, who seemed trapped by its darkness, abandoned to its clutches, have been mightily delivered from sure death and destruction to stand with you in your kingdom.  And should we now have no faith in you?  Should we fail to cry out to you for secure protection?  Will your justice not come quickly to us, whom you so love and for whom you so desire salvation? O LORD, let us not be so foolish as to doubt your good will toward us and your power to save us; let us not forget the wonders you have performed for us even to this day.  And what greater wonders await those who hope in you!  For the dry land we shall soon stand upon when your Son returns, when He has overshadowed our enemies and redeemed us from all darkness, shall be the Promised Land of Heaven.  O praise you, LORD!  Your people glory in your holy NAME.

(Ws.13:1-9;   Ps.19:2-5;   Lk.17:26-37)  “Wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures gather.” It is so that “the heavens proclaim the glory of God and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.”  It is true that “from the greatness and the beauty of created things their original author, by analogy, is seen.”  Yes, “the things seen are fair,” and speak even of the glory of our God… but they shall indeed all come to naught when He alone stands before us on the last day. In the created world we exist.  To an extent, in the created world we take refuge, discerning the hand of God at work in the things around us and coming by way of the knowledge presented to us in their beauty and wonder to that Hand which has created all.  And so they can be beneficial to us.  And so they can help to reveal God’s presence to us who are so blind.  But both the warning of our reading from Wisdom and Christ’s own words in the gospel must be heeded: we cannot make “fire,” “wind,” or “mighty water” our gods; and we cannot be attached to our possessions.  For these things of nature, as great as God has made them, and these things at our disposal, as much a blessing they may be to us for our time on earth, are passing away.  Only God remains. Brothers and sisters, we must look upon the stars of heaven, we must see the signs wrought in our midst… but we cannot be distracted by them from the God who made them.  We must eat and drink, we must take husbands and wives… but we cannot get drunk or live in lust, allowing the earthly to overcome our spirits.  Lot’s wife turned to see what she’d left behind; she longed to return to her possessions and the carnal life of Sodom.  Unable to understand or accept the grace of the angel of God who was leading her forth to a safer and more glorious land, she was turned to salt – all of worth was taken from her; only the carcass remained. The day shall come when all we see shall be destroyed.  And so, how important it is that our hearts not be set on all we see, else we shall be destroyed with it.  Though with utmost respect we treat this world and even find joy in its beauty, we must ever keep in mind that its beauty is passing and is only significant if it leads to the eternal beauty of heaven. ******* O LORD, we must discern the signs of the times, for your Son will soon return and we will have to leave all things behind. YHWH, the heavens declare your glory to all, but do we upon earth hear the angels’ voices?  Do we take their message of your beauty and wonder and power to heart, or do we lose ourselves in these things and pass away as they do?  For the things in the heavens and those upon the earth, though blessed to find your voice resounding in them, soon turn to dust – only your kingdom remains.  Will we stand with you on the last Day? Soon your Son shall come and fully reveal your glory shining in our midst.  Soon He will be here to carry us to Heaven.  But will we be ready to travel with Him, or will our souls be dead and empty as a carcass?  Will we turn back to the things of the earth and so be turned to salt, or place our faith in Him alone and so fly unto your presence?  Let us not be lost in the things we see, O LORD, but raise our minds to look upon that which passes not away.  Let us come to you.

(Ws.7:22-8:1;   Ps.119:89-91,130,135,175;   Lk.17:20-25) “Let your countenance shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.” Wisdom, who “is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars… reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well.”  Wisdom “penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity,” for she is “the refulgence of eternal light.”  How like the Lord she is, He whose coming “day will be like the lightning that flashes from one end of the sky to the other” and yet whose reign is “already in [our] midst.”  How we are filled with understanding when this light which “endures forever,” which “is firm as the heavens,” shines upon our simple minds, leading us to the grace of eternal glory. Wisdom we need, brothers and sisters.  The Lord’s Word must be with us.  “For there is naught God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.”  Else we shall be as those who “go running about excitedly” at every report of the Lord’s being “here” or “there,” at every proclamation of the end being near.  The end is here; it is now the Son of Man “must suffer much and be rejected by the present age.”  The Lord has come, and so “the reign of God is already in [our] midst.”  Its fulfillment we shall not discern by “careful watching,” by setting our sights on the things of the earth, but only with the “intelligent, pure, and very subtle” spirit of Wisdom.  She alone teaches us of the kingdom, for she alone is “the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of His goodness.”  Without her purity, our minds are dimmed.  Without her surpassing light, we cannot but be blind.  She alone knows, she alone leads holy souls into the truth of His presence.  All words lacking her light are but vain speculation, which shall come to naught, which shall fall to the earth from which they are derived.  Heaven alone is lasting. Have we the light of Wisdom directing our thoughts and actions, brothers and sisters?  Is her purity set firmly within us?  Will we then stand on the day the lightning flashes, on the day the glory of the Lord is revealed?  Do we carry that glory now within us?  If not, let us turn to Wisdom, and she will teach us.  Like a mother who cares for her children she will be.  And led to the presence of the Lord we will be, where we will find our peace.  Let us not fail to take her gentle yoke upon our shoulders; let the cross of Christ and the light of the coming kingdom be ever our guide. ******* O LORD, your Son is in our midst most especially in His Cross, and it is through His Cross Wisdom shines most brightly. YHWH, let the Spirit of Wisdom fill us, your Holy Spirit pass into us and make us as your prophets.  Let us speak only your Word in all we do, moving ever with the One who is beyond all motion – intelligent, holy, and pure let us be.  Without the light of Wisdom our lives shall be as nothing in your sight; let your countenance shine upon us. Your reign is coming by the power of the Holy Spirit; it is now already in our midst.  Not relegated to space or time, it is not readily perceived by the mind of man – he cannot put his finger upon it or control it in any way.  All we can do is desire your presence with us, LORD, that when the lightning flashes in your eternal sky, we will stand firm with you who endure forever, and with your Son. Give us your light, dear God, that we might be established well in your glorious kingdom.

(Ws.6:1-11;   Ps.82:3-4,6-8;   Lk.17:11-19) “Stand up and go your way; your faith has been your salvation.” “This man was a Samaritan.”  Jesus chose the lowest of the low, not only a leper, the most ostracized of all individuals, but a Samaritan, a foreigner most despised by the Israelite nation, to reveal His mercy, to reveal the universal nature of His forgiveness, and so the universal call to salvation.  He demonstrates that all may have faith in Him, and that it is for us to call all to Him. Many are given power on this earth, power which was far from the Samaritan leper healed by Jesus.  And Wisdom makes clear the responsibility that comes with that authority, the manner in which that judgment placed in the hands of princes must be effected.  For the Lord shall hold accountable all to whom power is given; He shall “probe [their] works and scrutinize [their] counsels.”  And if they keep not His law and “walk according to the will of God,” great as the power given them shall be their punishment.  “For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy,” as was the leper in our gospel today, “but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test.” I find it rather frightening to hear that “for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends,” for, brothers and sisters, we are all given a measure of power by the Lord, and so all shall be held responsible for their gifts.  It can make us quake in our shoes to think that we are answerable to God, to the all-powerful Lord of the universe, for all we do.  Do we “keep the holy precepts” well?  Will we “have ready a response” when He stands before us, when He inquires of our actions? If we desire His words, we know that He will instruct us, but how can we who are so human and sinful be as faithful as we need to be?  Our psalm warns us: “You are gods, all of you sons of the Most High” – we are all gifted greatly by our God to be as His children – “yet like men you shall die, and fall like any prince…” yet oh how human we are, how subject to the elements of sin and death. What shall we do?  Our psalm indicates what our actions should be: “Defend the lowly and the fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and the destitute.”  And the blessed leper in our gospel reveals the attitude we should have toward our Lord: “He threw himself on his face at the feet of Jesus and spoke His praises.”  If we think ourselves any better than he or do anything differently, we shall not hear the Lord calling us to rise and go forth – we shall not find our salvation.  Let us demonstrate our faith and the grace at work within us. ******* O LORD, you raise the lowly who call to you, but the wicked who turn their faces from your presence you cut down. YHWH, the lowly and the poor you raise up, so let us fall on our face before you.  Like the leper let us know and remember that only by your Son are we made whole; only by you do we have life at all.  Whatever power we may have in this world comes only from you, and we shall be answerable for it. You scrutinize all matters, LORD, for your eye sees all things.  The haughty soul does not escape your glance but shall be brought to judgment for the evil in his heart and at his hands.  If we desire to find blessing from you, to come into your presence in the kingdom, how humble we must be and faithful in your service. We are all made princes by your grace upon us.  Though we come from dust you breathe the breath of life into us and so form us in your image.  And in your image we must remain, to it we must return, O LORD.  Without your wisdom to lead us, how terribly we shall be judged.  Save us from such a deadly fate, and we shall sing your praise.

(Ws.2:23-3:9;   Ps.34:2-3,16-19;   Lk.17:7-10) “The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and no torment shall touch them.” What does the Lord mean when He instructs us in our gospel to say, “We are useless servants,” than that which David says in our psalm, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit He saves,” and that which the Book of Wisdom states in our first reading: “Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of Himself”?  For though we who serve Christ seem to be dead in the judgment of this world, and the laying down of our lives in service of Christ – who died upon the cross quite freely – seems to be nothing but “utter destruction,” yet we know that it is precisely this death in Christ which brings life… and in His hands we shall be blessed. “The Lord confronts evildoers, to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.”  Yet “when the just cry out, the Lord hears them, and from all their distress He rescues them.”  Yes, “those who trust in Him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with Him in love: because grace and mercy are with His holy ones, and His care is with His elect.”  And “they shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their  king forever.”  For they have given their service to the One who rules the universe, and so in His service they shall remain – death shall have no power over them.  If “God formed man to be imperishable” and made him “the image of His own nature,” what shall touch those who serve Him, who treasure that image of God upon them?  How shall they die? “We have done no more than our duty.”  This is the bottom line of our time on earth.  And the accomplishment of our duty, the fulfillment of the Lord’s Word at work in our hearts, is all that is needed to bring us to eternal life.  And though it is not His obligation, though certainly no reward is due us who have but carried out the orders of our superior, the Lord will say to us in His grace on that day, “Come and sit down at table.”  And we shall sup with Him eternally, His gracious hand upon us for good. Brothers and sisters, forget not your call to serve Him, to lay down your lives before Him, and He shall not neglect to hear you now, and to give you life eternal.  Keep your “hope full of immortality” even “as gold in the furnace” your mettle is proven this day, and the day of the Lord shall be yours, when all torment shall have fled away. ******* O LORD, we are indeed useless servants, but you greatly bless those who serve you. YHWH, death is upon us this day, you know.  But we who are joined to the Cross of your Son are not touched by it: from death you save your faithful servants.  Whatever power the devil has to threaten us with our sins and the death that comes from them has been destroyed by the sacrifice of Jesus.  And so, we who humble ourselves with Him will be blessed in your kingdom. When we cry out to you, dear LORD, you are quick to save us; near indeed you are to the brokenhearted.  Though our spirits be crushed by the travails of this life, you raise them to your presence.  And so, what can we do but glory in your NAME?  What can we do but look forward to that day when we shall sit at your table? O LORD, let us be purified of all dross by the affliction we suffer in union with your only Son.  Remade in His image, into your peace let us come, dwelling in immortality.

(Wis.1:1-7;   Ps.139:1-10,24;   Lk.17:1-6) “Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee?” Yes, “wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemous of his guilty lips.”  For the spirit of the Lord is everywhere and hears everything, listening closely to a man’s inmost thoughts.  “For the spirit of the Lord fills the world, is all-embracing, and knows what man says.”  And so it is that David sings, “If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there, too.”  How could we escape His encircling Hand and His omnipresent justice if, as David says, “Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you know it all”?  And so, in heaven He is present to raise us to glory; but in hell, His presence condemns our sin. We cannot sin, brothers and sisters.  If we do, we shall not escape His hand.  It cannot but be that the Lord condemns all evil, for “into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not,” and what hope have we of life if the spirit of wisdom guides us not?  Indeed, we must “seek Him in integrity of heart.”  Yes, justice must be our love, and wisdom our treasure.  This alone will bring us unto heaven.  If our counsels are perverse and we cause sin to occur, leading others astray by our unjust words and actions, the Lord makes quite clear our fate in our gospel today: “It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”  And there is a “little one” in ourselves, whom only the Lord – who probes our heart and mind – knows, and whom we condemn to destruction by our sin. Rather, we must have faith.  We must forgive others and have an abiding faith in Him, Jesus tells us.  This faith will manifest itself in the great works done in His name, and in our following Him simply day to day.  With such faith we cannot be shaken.  Holding such faith, the light shining upon our souls by Him who sees all will purify us for the coming of His kingdom. What can we say, brothers and sisters?  The Lord hears us.  Where can we go?  He is with us.  Either for evil because of our turning away, or for our good by our turning to Him, the Lord is ever present.  It must be our desire to come to Him, in wisdom and in justice, in forgiveness and in faith… and hell we shall avoid as gratefully into His glory we fly, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. ******* O LORD, you see us and the sin we commit,   and so we must turn to you for forgiveness.  YHWH, your Spirit fills the world; wherever we may go, you are present.  We cannot escape your light, and should we try, we would but find ourselves in hell.  You hear every word we speak: our inmost selves are exposed to your eye.  We must but believe in your love, and Wisdom will be with us as guide.  But how difficult we make the path to faith.  How ready we are to listen to senseless and perverse counsels and so disbelieve you.  As easily as Eve we fall, O LORD.  May we know your just rebuke of our sins that we might find repentance and taste your forgiveness upon our souls. O let us not fight against you, dear God! but work always and only for the salvation of all, for the recognition of your eternal glory present in our midst by the Spirit come through your only Son.  And so with you let us dwell.