The BreadCast

(Dn.3:14-20,91-92,95;   Dn.3:52-56;   Jn.8:31-42)   “The truth will set you free.”   Sin binds.  Like the cords with which “the strongest men in [Nebuchadnezzar’s] army bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,” sin fetters our souls and casts us “into the white-hot furnace.”  “Everyone who lives in sin is the slave of sin.”  But for those like these three faithful servants who “will not… worship the golden statue that [the king of this world] set up,” there is freedom.  For the Lord who is “praiseworthy and exalted above all forever,” who sits “on the throne of [His] kingdom… in the firmament of heaven,” “can save us from the white-hot furnace and from [the king’s] hands.”  For those who “yielded their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God,” sin holds no sway.  And so we find them “unfettered and unhurt, walking in the fire,” the angel of God at their side. God sits on His “throne upon the cherubim,” but He “look[s] into the depths.”  And so He sends His Son to walk among us and set us free from slavery to sin.  As Jesus says, “I come forth from God, and am here.”  Here is the Son; here is the true reflection of the Father.  Here, indeed, is Truth itself, by whom we are all set free. How Jesus strove to bring the truth to “those Jews who believed in Him” but struggled in their acceptance.  But the Lord does not pull punches; He does not gloss over the truth, however harsh it may seem.  He tells them plainly, “You are trying to kill me,” and so they do the works of Satan – and so do they sin.  In their pride they deny their sin, and the envious plots in their hearts: “Our father is Abraham,” they argue, and not the evil one.  “We are no illegitimate breed!”  But the truth is that they are, and though it mean His death, Jesus must deliver this truth unto them… for it is all that will set them free. How little it seems the truth is brought to the people today, and so, how few it seems are set free.  As sin goes merrily along, the devil sits laughing…  But God is still God, and the Son is still the Son, and all who give themselves to Him and not the idols of this earth will still find themselves set free.  Brothers and sisters, “if the Son frees you, you will really be free.”  Confront your own sin, and entrust all to Him.    ******* O LORD, from your throne on high you send your Son to rescue us from the fires of sin; let us love His words and put faith in Him and you.  YHWH, you alone are God, exalted above all on your glorious throne.  This is truth.  And so, you alone should we worship with heart, mind, and soul.  You alone we should praise.  In you alone we should trust – you alone should be our Father. But how easily we lie and become children of the father of lies; how readily we harden our hearts against your Word, against your truth, LORD, bowing down before the golden statue and going so far as to kill the One who bears your truth to us.  Jesus would convict us of our sins.  He would reveal to us the truth of our fallen nature that we might be saved, that we might be set free from the sin that binds us and casts us into the white-hot furnace.  But our pride will not be broken, and so, trapped within it we remain. O LORD, let us show the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Let us trust our very lives into your hands.  Even in this furnace let us praise your Name, and your Son will come to us to set us free.

(Dn.13:1-9,15-17,19-30,33-62;   Ps.23:1-6;   Jn.8:12-20)  “Judgment of mine is valid because I am not alone. I have at my side the One who sent me, the Father.” “It is laid down in [the Mosaic] law that evidence given by two persons is valid.”  Thus does the assembly condemn Susanna to death, because the two elders testify as one against her.  But then “God stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel,” and so we find a better pair of witnesses – the Spirit and Daniel – to refute the lies of the wicked elders.  And so Daniel, empowered by the Spirit, separates these evil men; and so the lack of integrity and unity in their testimony is exposed; and so “an angel of God shall receive the sentence from Him and split [them] in two” – the “fine lie” they have told will cost them their heads. And can there be any truer witness of two than that which is known in the Father and the Son, both of whom testify, in the Spirit, that Jesus is “the light of the world”?  This great truth cannot be hidden, and so those whose witness is most perfect must speak it, that “no follower of [His] shall ever walk in darkness” but “shall possess the light of life.”  This is the will of God, whose Word is true; and this revelation shall be accomplished despite any deceptions devised by those who walk in darkness. Brothers and sisters, be comforted that the Lord is “at [your] side, with [His] rod and staff that give [you] courage.”  With Him and with His Spirit you shall be saved from all evil.  Be as Susanna in your time of trial: “Through her tears she looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly,” and He will strengthen you and “spread the table before [you] in the sight of [your] foes.”  Taking Him as your witness, you cannot be denied.  And the same justification she has known will be your own. All wicked men shall meet their end, for lies cannot stand and the “past sins” of the false judges shall “come to term.”  There is but one Judge whose verdict is true and lasting, and all those who find refuge in Him and His Father shall stand as He does unto eternity. ******* O LORD, your testimony is true as is that of your Son for the Holy Spirit is upon Him. YHWH, your Son is the light of the world; to this you testify in His every word, in His every action.  He is one with you, O God, and looking upon Him we see your face.  Father in Heaven, your Spirit is upon Jesus to speak the truth – may we know Him well that we might know you. If in you we trust, dear LORD, we shall be saved from every trial.  If we keep our eyes up and looking to Heaven, even through our tears you shall answer our prayers.  None is left alone who calls upon your Name; help comes quickly to those who recognize their need. And so, in your kindness you have sent us Jesus; the Spirit goes forth in His wake.  To your table we are drawn, LORD, where our heads are anointed with holy oil.  No judgment comes upon the soul who trusts in Christ, for He walks only in light… and so it is with those who follow in His way.

(Ex.32:7-14;   Ps.106:4,19-23;   Jn.5:31-47)   “If you believed Moses you would then believe me, for it was about me that he wrote.”   As Moses wrote, so Jesus speaks.  As Moses wrote, so Jesus is.  The eternal life to which the Scriptures testify is now in our midst.  The Word has come to life; the Law is now fulfilled.  The “form [we] have never seen” now stands before us.  The “voice [we] have never heard” now speaks to our ears.  But do we “have His word abiding in our hearts”?  Do we “believe the one [the Father] has sent”?  “The works the Father has given [Jesus] to accomplish” “testify on [His] behalf.”  Let us exult in their light. The Lord “had done great deeds in the land of Egypt,” “wondrous deeds” and “terrible things” in the sight of the Israelites through His servant Moses.  But “they forgot the God who had saved them,” “making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it” instead of the living God.  They could not wait for the Word to come to them; their hearts were not set on Moses’ return from the mountain with the Law of God.  And so, for their lack of faith God “spoke of destroying them.”  The fire of wrath the Lord would have “blazed up against them to consume them” – such was the thought of His heart. But Moses “withstood Him in the breach.”  “Let your blazing wrath die down; relent in punishing your people,” he begs.  And so, because of Moses’ intercession, “the Lord relented in the punishment He had threatened on His people” for their lack of faith in Him.  And now it is Jesus who stands in the breach made by our sins, preventing now our eternal punishment at the hands of a righteous God.  For by all accounts we deserve death for our lack of faith; but in His grace the chasm between us and God He fills by stretching out His arms on the cross. Brothers and sisters, let us believe in His redemptive sacrifice.  Let it never be said of us, “You do not have the love of God in your hearts,” for such a state would mean the end of our days.  But God has promised: “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.”  About this Moses writes, and the words speak of Jesus, He who is our salvation.  Let us not forget the One who saves us in His love, “on whom we have set [our] hopes.” ******* O LORD, as Moses once stood in the breach to save your people, now Jesus would return us to your love – let us listen to Him. YHWH, help us to believe in your Son and the work of love He accomplishes in our midst; in Him let us recognize your presence.  Let us not turn from such true worship of you who are the only God to worship of the image of a grass-eating bullock or any of the images of this adulterous age.  Let us have your love in our hearts, set ever upon your Word. In your Son is eternal life, LORD; in Him all Scripture is fulfilled.  Of Him Moses has spoken, of Him you yourself have given testimony – let us have faith in His glory, which comes only from you.  Let our hopes be set on the testimony He offers of your presence among us. O LORD, forgive our wayward hearts and minds, which turn so easily to the vain idols of this anxious world.  Punish us not in your wrath but look upon your only Son, who has died for our sins.

(Jer.7:23-28;   Ps.95:1-2,6-9;   Lk.11:14-23)   “They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts and turned their backs, not their faces, to me.”   The Lord calls His people to “listen to [His] voice,” to “walk in all [His] ways,” that they “may prosper.”  But with whom is there obedience?  How many harden their hearts against Him! Of the people of Jeremiah’s time the Lord says, “Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech.”  They, as all, should “bow down in worship” and “kneel before the Lord who made us,” but they, as we, do not recognize that “He is our God, and we are the people He shepherds, the flock He guides.”  They pay no heed to the voice of the prophet. And this hardness of heart is fulfilled in the opposition of the faithless to Jesus.  In our gospel He casts out a devil that a dumb man may speak and some say, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that He casts out devils.”  Indeed, the hardness of heart does not get any greater than this.  (And so for this sin against the Holy Spirit and His ways there can be no forgiveness.)  They call good “evil” and presume that the evil they speak is a good – but they are utterly lost in darkness.  “The reign of God is upon” them, and they desire to dwell in the realm of the devil who is being cast from their midst.  What can save such a soul?  For all prayers the Lord answers. Brothers and sisters, it is a dark world and a difficult age in which we dwell.  But the response of our hearers is not our concern; we must speak as called regardless of the reaction – we must live our vocation despite any opposition.  Note the Lord’s words to Jeremiah: “When you speak all these words to them, they will not listen to you either; when you call to them, they will not answer you.”  For as with all the prophets, and as with ourselves, he speaks to “the nation which does not listen to the voice of the Lord, its God, or take correction.”  To these it is our duty to call; to darkness we must bring light.  And realize, too, the fate of Jesus, who will die on the cross for His work to bring salvation to the world.  It is this same cross to which we are all called, for it is by this same cross we have been called; and those who are yet to be gathered in must hear our voice.  Let us stand with the Lord and gather in His grain, despite the stiffened necks we might find.  There shall be others like us who hear the cry of Jeremiah and cling to the saving power of Jesus.  Test Him not with your own hardness of heart.    ******* O LORD, let us be saved from torment by walking in the way of your risen Son. YHWH, let us not be wayward souls, separating ourselves from you and the nourishment you offer; for we shall but wilt and fade if we put our trust in the passing things of this earth – we shall but die if we fat our bellies and become bereft of your Spirit. Jesus let us follow, LORD, for upon your will alone He set Himself.  Your Word let us meditate upon both night and day that we shall remain in your presence always and walk ever in your ways.  You reward the faithful soul with the blessings of your House but can only cast the wicked man far from your table of grace. Let us not be rich in the things of this world nor turn our sights to what is evil.  Upon your love let us set our sights, that our hearts might be purged of all insolence, of all sin against your goodness.  And let us reach out a helping hand to those in need of your water, that all might have life this day in the Holy Spirit.

(Sir.35:1-12;   Ps.50:5-8,14,23;   Mk.10:28-31)   “The just man’s sacrifice is most pleasing, nor will it ever be forgotten.”   Peter is moved today to voice his fear that all that he and his fellow apostles have offered, even their very lives, will not be enough to secure the kingdom of God.  But Jesus reassures all who serve Him: “I give you my word, there is no one who has given up home, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children or property, for me and for the Gospel who will not receive in this present age a hundred times as many… and persecution besides – and in the age to come, everlasting life.”  None should fear that their sacrifice will be wasted, “for the Lord is one who always repays,” and repays in full, multiplying whatever gifts we offer beyond our expectations. “But offer no bribes, these He does not accept!”  You will never be able to extort graces from the Lord, and so should always come without expectation of return.  Make all your sacrifices as “freewill gifts,” for only that which is given “generously” and “in a spirit of joy” does He smile upon.  Bring your gifts to the altar expecting nothing but the cross, in this find your return, and the glory of the resurrection shall indeed be yours.  You must learn from those whom the Lord rebukes, though their “holocausts are before [Him] always” – only “he that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies” the Lord, and so you must find joy in your cross. Oh how “the just man’s offering enriches the altar and rises as a sweet odor before the Most High.”  “He who observes the commandments” and “gives alms,” he who performs “works of charity,” who “refrain[s] from evil” and “avoid[s] injustice”… oh how this man “pleases the Lord”!  For his life is as a “sacrifice of praise,” an offering of peace and an atonement for sin, which cannot but reach to the throne of God.  Yes, “to him that goes the right way [the Lord] will show the salvation of God.”  Of this you can be assured.   ******* O LORD, the more we give you our lives, the more we are blessed, for the more we are of you. YHWH, what is it you desire from us but to be generous as you are, to share all your gifts with others?  None is more generous than you; none could give a greater number of blessings here on this earth and in the heavenly kingdom.  Yet, do we trust in you and in your generosity, in the great wealth that only you possess? All things are in your hands, O LORD.  Let us learn this simple lesson.  All things are in your hands and you give them freely and abundantly to those who serve you faithfully.  Though there be a cross we must bear in this world, how light it is made by the graces you pour upon us, by the love you share with all your disciples. And so, let us give alms, let us be just, and let us do all with a cheerful countenance; and we shall reflect your glory in this world and carry even now your presence in our souls.  LORD, to the end let us follow in your way and offer ever a sacrifice of praise, and your blessings will be forever upon us.

(Sir.17:19-27;   Ps.32:1-2,5-7,11;   Mk.10:17-27)   “Jesus fixed His gaze on them and said, ‘For man it is impossible but not for God.’”   With these incisive words and particularly with this intent look, Jesus “encourages those who are losing hope.”  His disciples are “completely overwhelmed” at His statement: “It is easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God,” and to keep them from falling into despair at the impossibility of such a proposition, He seeks to teach them that “with God all things are possible.”  For truly none can be saved but by the grace of God. “As Jesus was setting out on a journey a man came running up, knelt down before Him and asked, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to share in everlasting life?’”  How like “the penitent [for whom] He provides a way back” is this man on his knees before the Lord today.  And even after the Lord seems to rebuff his advance, how he persists, begging further word from the Master with the reply to Jesus’ listing of certain commandments, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my childhood.”  Please tell me more, he seems to cry out.  And so “Jesus looked at him with love,” a love that is beyond the bounds of this world and beyond the bounds of the law – a love that makes all things possible, even the attainment of the kingdom of God, even for us wretched sinners.  “How great the mercy of the Lord, His forgiveness of those who return to Him!”  “Happy is he whose fault is taken away, whose sin is covered”; for among the dead we would be if not for His divine mercy. But oh “how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God.”  Though wrought with the Lord’s grace, how difficult it is to accompany Christ on His journey.  For our hearts are not on His love but on the things we must give up, and so, how readily we turn away in sadness.  It is indeed out of love Jesus calls the rich man from his possessions to His side; this is indeed an immeasurable grace pouring forth from the heart of God… but who among us can accept it?  Who among us truly seeks everlasting life? “God watches over the host of highest heaven, while all men are dust and ashes.”  While “the thoughts of flesh and blood” are obscure, as the wise man tells us, and his possessions of even less consequence; while the sun itself “can be eclipsed” and all things of the earth are passing… yet the kingdom of the Lord endures and holds promise of shelter for the contrite spirit of a humble man.  For dust may pass easily through the eye of any needle, and we can be united with the vision of God; for us too all things are made possible, if we humble ourselves in the ashes – if we fall sincerely at the feet of the Lord, and accept His word.  ******* O LORD, help us freely renounce all of this world. YHWH, please help us to inherit eternal life; though we must die first, though we must give up all things of this world, let us not look at what is lost but what is gained, being forever with you in Heaven. Why should we prefer the riches of this life to life everlasting; why should we not want to be at Jesus’ side even here where we stand?  It is a fool who desires passing things to those that last; LORD, give us the wisdom and courage to do what is right. You would let nothing stand in our way to you, LORD; all blindness and sin you would drown in the sea.  You would not remember our transgressions against you or our failure to heed your call… let us turn again and kneel before your Son.  Then we shall praise you with all the living on high. It is not death we should fear or the renunciation of our goods.  Let us rather fear disobedience toward you and the loss of the kingdom.  O LORD, truly let us be cleansed of the guilt of our sin, that with clear eyes and open hearts we might follow you.

(Sir.17:1-15;   Ps.103:13-18;   Mk.10:13-16)   “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them.”   O how the Lord “looks with favor upon [our] hearts, and shows [us] His glorious works”!  And because “His majestic glory their eyes beheld, His glorious voice their ears heard,” so the “people were bringing their little children to Jesus to have Him touch them,” so they were offering their precious loved ones into the arms of the Savior.  And should we not all come to Him, should we not all run into His arms… are we not all His children? Brothers and sisters, “the Lord from the earth created man, and in His own image He made him.”  Do you hear that?  In His own image we are made, as His sons and daughters.  “He endows [us] with a strength of His own…  He forms our tongues and eyes and ears, and imparts to [us] an understanding heart.”  He makes us as Himself, and then fills us with His presence!  And should we not come to Him, should we not come to His only Son, our own dear brother, the perfection of our race, that all disfigurement might be taken from us and we might radiate the light of God, that we might be remade in His image? The Lord is only love and “His eyes are ever upon [our] ways” to guide us to His love.  He is “as a father [who] has compassion on his children.”  Yes, “the kindness of the Lord is from eternity to eternity toward those who fear Him,” and those who fear Him are His children.  But this fear, this overwhelming awe at the love the Maker of the universe has toward His simple creatures, is not one which makes us run from Him, but which moves us to leap into the arms of our Redeemer, into the arms of Him whose arms are always open to receive us, always open to embrace His children. We know our blessed brother John has told us with holy affection that “we are God’s children now” (1Jn.3:2).  Of this grace at the hands of our Lord he has spoken most eloquently, most simply – most lovingly.  And it is so for all who love Him.  And so we should not hinder our hearts from coming to Him, from embracing Him as He embraces us… from giving ourselves to Jesus (particularly in the Sacrament), that we might be formed in His image.  Come to Him who is one with the Father, and one with the Father you shall become.   ******* O LORD, only your children come to you;  welcome us into your kingdom.  YHWH, let us come to you as children, trusting in your love.  And you will embrace us, and you will bless us… and we will come into your kingdom on high.  We are but dust, O LORD, and our days pass like those of the grass.  A breath from your mouth and we are gone.  But it is your Breath that gives us life, that makes us wise, that makes us holy – that causes us to share in your glory.  You have created us from the earth but have endowed us with a spirit like your own.  Let us know your kindness upon us that we may endure unto eternity.  LORD, let us remain in awe of you, ever grateful for the gifts that you give us, for the wonder that is upon us every day of our lives.  Let us not be separated from you but always be as your children, innocent and obedient and humble as you.  To your Son let us run and so find a home in His flesh and blood, and so be adopted into your love.

(Sir.6:5-17;   Ps.119:12,16,18,27,34-35;   Mk.10:1-12)   “They are no longer two but one flesh.”   How much more clearly could the Lord speak of the unity found in marriage and so the respect due this sacrament?  How better could He get His point across to you that marriage is indissoluble, that it is not to be played with, that you commit adultery as you consider divorcing your spouse?  “At the beginning of creation God made them male and female.”  And by this Jesus does not mean that two separate creatures were made – He means that every one of God’s human beings is both male and female, and that in marriage one finds his wholeness in the sight of God. When Adam was formed of the dust of the earth, Eve was already present within him, in his very body.  She was not created apart from him, but taken from him, “from man” – which is the meaning of “woman.”  Adam when he was first made held both male and female in himself, and when woman was taken from him, built of his rib, the two did not cease to be one.  Thus does he recognize Eve as flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone.  Thus the two are inseparable.  In marriage this inherent unity returns, is fulfilled.  “Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined.” And if “a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; [and] he who finds one finds a treasure,” how much more of a shelter is a spouse in whose body one makes his home – how much more valuable a treasure?  A friend and more is made by the marriage vow, for truly the spouses become one with one another, and one with the Lord.  And so, “when you gain a friend, first test him, and be not too ready to trust him.”  Know that you are joining yourself to this spouse body and soul, and such commitment is not to be taken lightly or falsely, with an eye toward leaving “when sorrow comes.”  Beware, lest you find “a friend who becomes an enemy,” or that you yourself are not a trustworthy mate.  For once joined you cannot be separated, try in vain as you will.  One might as well cut off a healthy limb as seek divorce, so grotesque is the proposal.  Worse than this, it is as cutting out one’s heart, for how can one divide blood that is commingled? But you who are faithful of heart, know what blessing awaits you, for “a faithful friend is a life-saving remedy, such as he who fears God finds.”  And if you seek “discernment, that [you] may observe [God’s] law and keep it with all [your] heart,” your spouse shall serve as savior to you, who are united with her to Christ.  In her you will find your life, even as the two become one.   ******* O LORD, may we take refuge in your friendship.   YHWH, bless all marriages this day; may there be true, lasting friendship between all who vow their love for one another.  May they understand the commitment they make and the grace that comes to those faithful to it.  Let us not think that we can separate at will, O LORD; help us to realize the bond that comes even from you in this holy sacrament.  Let us not harden our hearts against your loving will but sacrifice our desires to find union with that love.  Let us never be adulterous in our relationships with one another or with you.  You would make a sturdy shelter for all those who marry in your NAME and in the blood of your only Son.  LORD, what could be of greater worth to us than a faithful friend, a faithful husband or wife, and a marriage founded in your surpassing love?  Open all eyes to the wonders you hold for those who love as you command.  Write your NAME upon our hearts and upon our wedding promises.

(Sir.5:1-8;   Ps.1:1-4,6,40:50;   Mk.9:41-50)   “Mercy and anger are alike with Him; upon the wicked alights His wrath.”   “The way of the wicked vanishes.”  It must vanish.  It cannot but vanish, for there is no place for wickedness in the kingdom of God.  And so, what is wicked must “be thrown into Gehenna”: what is to “enter life” must be purified.  Thus does the Lord command – Cut off your hand!  Cut off your foot!  Tear out your eye!  Remove even with violence whatever causes you to sin to preserve your life unto heaven.  For it is indeed better that you “enter life maimed” or “crippled” or “with one eye,” than to have your whole body cast into the fires of hell. Do you fear being “plunged into the sea with a great millstone fastened around [your] neck”?  Does this seem a terrible fate?  The fires of hell are infinitely worse, and those of purgatory approach them.  Know that “everyone will be salted with fire”; everyone must be purified of sin.  And you can refuse this truth and so find yourself in the place “the worm does not die and the fire is never extinguished,” you can delay your purgation and suffer a measure of these flames in the state of purification after death – or you can remove the sin from your soul by the grace of God now, while there is yet time and His mercy is yet abundant. “Great is His mercy; my many sins He will forgive,” you say, and you are not wrong.  But do you know how the mercy of God affects the sinful soul?  Do you think it a pleasant experience to be cleansed, to be refined as by fire?  Do you not understand that the Lord’s love and justice, His mercy and anger, are one for the wicked.  Yes, “the Lord will exact the punishment” that brings refreshment and renewal.  He must.  How else shall you be purged and purified for heaven?  All the sins upon your blackened soul are removed only by the chastising flames of His love. So, “delay not your conversion to the Lord, put it not off from day to day.”  Be not a fool “adding sin upon sin,” for every transgression must be accounted for.  But the Lord’s blood will wash me clean, you may say, if you have some sense of His redemptive sacrifice.  Yes, but it is still your soul that must be cleansed, and you shall own the purgatorial fires.  And so, hasten this day to the confessional; turn resolutely from your sin.  Then pray for the Lord’s indulgence, and you may be spared even temporal punishment for your transgressions (and even serve in the Lord’s stead to release others from the pain of purgatorial flames).  ******* O LORD, we will all be salted with fire –  may our souls be preserved from your wrath.  YHWH, let your wrath not suddenly flame forth to destroy our lives; the way of the wicked let us not walk that the unquenchable fire we shall never know.  You cannot but be angry with those who persist in sin – you cannot pretend that such evil does not exist or look past the hardened heart.  All will know your purgatorial flames, but may they be redeeming for every soul.  Why are we so foolish, O LORD?  Why do we not turn to you this day, this hour, and delight in the Law you offer for our salvation?  Should we not walk the way of love your Son has set forth for us and seek to soothe His desire for our love by meditating on your Word and serving those who bring it to us?  Let us not be cast into the sea with a millstone around our necks, LORD, but drink in the running water that comes from your Church, from the side of Christ.  Only this will quench the fires of your wrath.

(Sir.4:11-19;   Ps.119:165,168,171-172,174-175;   Mk.9:38-40)   “Those who serve her serve the Holy One; those who love her the Lord loves.”   Such is wisdom, she who “instructs her children and admonishes those who seek her,” she under whose counsel we become the children of God. And I cannot help but think as I contemplate this personification of wisdom, how well and how appropriately she is embodied by our Blessed Mother, she who was immaculately conceived, she under whose mantle even Jesus our Savior “advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (Lk.2:52).  “To Jesus through Mary” is the motto of the fortunate souls who have consecrated themselves to the Virgin (even as St. Louis De Montfort most wisely instructs), and it is through her intercession that we find God’s graces and favors lovingly bestowed upon us.  She is our dear Mother, and instructs us as she has her Son. Indeed it is His beloved disciple John whom the Lord must admonish today, teaching him that those who do the Lord’s work serve Him, and these He blesses; and, of course, it is this same disciple to whom Jesus will entrust His Blessed Mother – and she to him – even while dying on the cross: “He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son.’  Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’  And from that hour the disciple took her into his home” (Jn.19:26-27).  And now as she has taught Him, so she shall teach His beloved, shall teach all His Church, how to follow the Holy One.  And certainly the home into which John gathered the Virgin Mary was more than an earthly domicile: even “from that hour” he took her into his heart. And she is with us still; she is with him who remains (see Jn.21:20-23), with the Church here on earth, serving as our Mother, guiding us in all wisdom.  And, my brother, my sister, do not be discouraged if “at first she puts [you] to the test… and tries [you] with her discipline,” for she only seeks to learn that your “heart is fully with her,” and so, fully with her Son; she only longs to teach you wisdom.  She will come back “to bring [you] happiness and reveal her secrets” to you.  And as long as you remain with her, she will hold you in her loving arms as no other mother, and form you in the divine image of her blessed Son. O Lord, “those who love your law have great peace,” for in your wisdom all question and doubt flee.  Discipline me by your Word and form me in the womb of your Blessed Mother.  “Let my soul live to praise you,” for I would be in your company forever.  May your wisdom and grace keep me from “the hands of despoilers.” ******* O LORD, your wisdom transcends Heaven and earth; let us listen to your instruction. YHWH, let us never be against you, never fail in our embrace of the wisdom and grace that pour forth from your throne.  Into your glory let us come, obediently following in the way of your Son, listening ever to His words of instruction.  If we serve Him and love Him we will know the blessings that are upon Him through you and the Spirit. Let us not be forgetful, O LORD, forgetful of the blessings we have known or the ones which are yet promised us if we continue along the path your precepts mark out for us in this dark world.  Because the world is dark, you must sometimes hide your face from us, you must sometimes seem dark to our minds, which are clouded over by sin and the inclination to sin.  But if we reach out to you, if we seek your will, trusting in your love, we will indeed come soon to sing your praise in the surpassing light of your kingdom. Let us fear no discipline, LORD, but rather rejoice in carrying our cross with your Son.