The BreadCast

(Amos 8:4-6,9-12;   Ps.119:2,10,20,30,40,131,Mt.4:46;   Mt.9:9-13) “Many tax collectors and those known as sinners came to join Jesus and His disciples at dinner.” It is just such as these that Amos prophesies against in our first reading; it is sinners such as Matthew whom he addresses when he declares, “Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and destroy the poor of the land!”  For the apostle the Lord calls today is a tax collector, one of those famous for extorting money from his fellow Jews even while standing in the stead of their occupiers, the Romans.  And so are he and his kind not like those who can’t wait for an end to the Lord’s sabbath that they might “fix their scales for cheating,” greedily proclaiming, “Even the refuse of the wheat we will sell”?  And so is it any wonder the Pharisees complained, “What reason can the Teacher have for eating with tax collectors and those who disregard the law?” Our psalm itself supports the importance of following the law of the Lord, stating, “Happy are they who observe His decrees, who seek Him with all their heart.”  And so, how unhappy, how lacking in God’s blessing must Matthew be to live apart from His word.  And so, are not the Pharisees correct in their assessment that such as he deserve but condemnation? They are correct.  It cannot be denied.  But what they cannot see is that they are just as guilty.  What they do not understand, as these others do, is that before their eyes the Lord’s prophecy through Amos is being realized:  “I will make the sun set at midday and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight,” our God makes known – and it is the sinners they condemn who are the ones who “mourn as for an only son”; it is they who now “gasp with open mouth in [their] yearning for [the Lord’s] commands”… it is they who recognize the famine “for hearing the word of the Lord” that is upon the earth and upon their souls, and turn to the Son who feeds the hungry even as He joins them at table.  What these Pharisees do not see is that the justice of the Lord is not the judgment in their hearts, else all, including themselves, would be condemned. Brothers and sisters, open your eyes to the emptiness of your soul and come to His table this day with open mouth and open heart to hear His Word and receive His Body and Blood.  For it is repentant sinners such as you whom the Lord feeds quite freely. ******* O LORD, in the darkness of our midday, your Son has made the sacrifice for our sins; and so now you but desire our merciful love, that we should long to be as Him. YHWH, how shall we live unless you feed us with the bread of your Word?  We die as in a desert when you withhold your mercy from our souls.  Come to our table this day and give us the food we need to live eternally – give us your very self! Is there not a famine upon the land, O LORD?  Are we not without the light of your guidance?  Do we not turn from your commands to love of gain and so lose our souls in sin?  How the earth is covered in darkness! Have mercy on us, dear God, have mercy.  Open our hearts to listen to your voice of instruction; let us thirst for the words of your mouth as we abandon our wicked posts.  If we seek you, we shall find you – let us set our hearts on your love. It is your great desire to forgive our sins, to save us by your mercy, LORD.  You search us out to gather us to your table.  On the flesh of your Son let us feast this day.  Let us be found by your grace in the kingdom of Heaven.

(Amos 2:6-10,13-16;   Ps.50:16-23;   Mt.8:18-22)  “Consider this, you who forget God, lest I rend you and there be no one to rescue you.” What we should realize from our readings today is that the Word of the Lord is severe.  Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, etc. – His chastising hand is upon us in the words He speaks to our sinful hearts.  He does not nod and smile as we walk our errant ways, but calls us onto the strait path He treads. In our first reading and psalm the Lord recounts the sins of the people, “drawing them up before [their] eyes”; and for their crimes He declares, “I will not revoke my word” – they shall not escape His punishing hand.  They who “sell the just man for silver, and the poor man for a pair of sandals,” who “trample the heads of the weak into the dust of the earth,” will themselves be “crush[ed]… into the ground as a wagon crushes when laden with sheaves.”  The sheaves of their sins are indeed heavy,  and will duly lie upon their backs.  Those, too, who are thieves and adulterers, who give their mouths “free rein for evil” and “harness [their] tongue for deceit,” will not their fate be the same?  And you, brothers and sisters, “when you do these things, shall [the Lord] be deaf to it?”  He is not evil as yourselves, and so cannot stomach your iniquity. And do you think with Jesus you will be able to continue in your sin?  Because He bears your sins upon His shoulders, because He is crushed to the ground for your sakes, do you find thereby the right to go on sinning?  Do you somehow believe the way of Christ is easier than that presented through Amos?  Listen to His demand: “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”  This He says to a seemingly willing disciple who desires to remain with his family a while, not to a notorious dictator or a profligate heathen.  And do you still wish to follow Him who “has nowhere to lay His head,” Him whom the world wishes dead – Him who will be whipped and beaten and crucified for the sins of mankind?  This is your fate.  This is your fate, O Christian.  In it will you find your joy?  The Lord has come to rescue us, indeed to exalt us on high, “and to him that goes the right way [He] will show the salvation of God.”  But your sins are not forgotten by Him who sees all things; they are no light matter in His sight.  And following Him is not an easy road, for He is God. ******* O LORD, help us to leave the sin of the world behind and follow you wholeheartedly, lest we die. YHWH, how can we follow you when your way is so severe and we are such sinners?  Who among us does not betray your Word; who among us is innocent of crimes?  Only you are without stain, without attachment to this sinful plane – the rest of us have wickedness dwelling in our hearts Yet you call us, LORD, to follow you; yet you desire us to be where you are, to live as you do.  And so, what can we do but beg your forgiveness?  What can we do but thank you for bringing our sins up before our eyes?  What can we do but praise you for the grace you provide? Let our mouth not speak evil, LORD; let us not walk in the way of sinners.  Let us be obedient to your word of truth, to your blessed call to our souls… and make haste to follow along your way.  We cannot trust in our own strength, lest we die – let us trust in your mercy and goodness alone, and follow along the way of your salvation.  Then we shall be sinners no more, crushed by the weight of our guilt, but your light burden we shall bear, your Son’s redeeming Cross.

(2Kgs.22:8-13,23:1-3;   Ps.119:33-37,40;   Mt.7:15-20)  “Lead me in the path of your commands, for in it I take delight.” The people of Judah and Jerusalem have been unfaithful to God and to the covenant made with Him, and so the time of their exile draws near: soon this remaining tribe of Israel shall join the others in being cast from their promised land.  But today we hear of a faithful king, Josiah, who makes a kind of final effort, a final sign of faithfulness among the people, as he seeks to restore what has been so sorely lost by the nation. King Josiah recognizes that Judah has sinned against God and so lost His blessing; and this truth is brought home to him in the clear light of “the book of the law,” which has been uncovered in the temple of the Lord, dusted off of its many years of neglect, and read in his hearing.  Hearing the commands of the Lord, the Word which gives life to its hearer, the king tears his garments in penitence for what has been lacking to the kingdom, and declares: “The anger of the Lord has been set furiously ablaze against us because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book, nor fulfill our written obligations.”  To his great credit he seeks now to fulfill these stipulations, making “a covenant before the Lord that they would follow Him and observe His ordinances, statutes, and decrees with their whole hearts and souls, thus reviving the terms of the covenant which were written in the book.”  The covenant made through Moses he looks to restore. “And all the people stood as participants in the covenant”; a measure of the blessing does return to God’s chosen as they “turn away [their] eyes from what is vain” and find life in the ways of the Lord.  Here is a final harvest of good fruit before the tree turns rotten and so must be uprooted from the Lord’s sight. Brothers and sisters, it is adherence to the Word of God which gives all life; it is faithfulness to His call that is our bread of life.  If we do not remain in Him and walk in “the way of His statutes,” we are no better than the “false prophets” who are but “wolves on the prowl” and shall be burned in the fires of Gehenna.  If we are faithless how shall our tree grow?  And if no growth, then no God have we, and we shall but rot. In His light let us remain, seeking the nourishment of His Word and the Bread we break and offer at His altar.  And we shall need fear no exile from the Promised Land, from the Temple that is our risen Christ…  We shall be led ever in the way of Truth and grow each day unto Life. ****** O LORD, renew your Covenant within us, that we might bear good fruit in your presence. YHWH, if we but followed your Word and your way, heeding the commands you give us for the nourishment of our souls, then would we bear fruit unto eternal life; then would all be well with our lives.  But in disobedience we turn from you to follow our own desires, and so cast from your sight we can only be. Forgive us, LORD, the sins upon our hands and upon our hearts;  let your wrath not blaze against us – save us from the fire!  Help us to renew this day our commitment to you and to your Word of truth, that your love might return to us and feed us well.  O let us return to you! So blind we have been, so deaf to your Word, O holy LORD.  And so, holiness has escaped us.  Let us no longer be led astray by false notions conceived in the corruption of sin but repent entirely of our hypocrisy.  Let us but serve you and not our selfishness, and you will bless us once again and we will remain standing strong in your Temple, as your chosen people in light.  May your Word take root within our hearts and grow unto eternal life.

(1Kgs.19:9,11-16;   Ps.27:7-9,13-14;   Mt.5:27-32)  “Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.” “Your presence, O Lord, I seek.  Hide not your face from me,” David sings in our psalm; and it is the presence of the Lord that is made known to Elijah in our first reading.  And that same presence stands most openly before us in the teaching of Jesus in our gospel. Elijah comes to the mountain of God to find shelter against the persecutions of his own people, for as he says, “I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”  He alone holds the word of God, and so with what zealousness his life is sought.  God promises to show Himself to His lone prophet, but neither in the “strong and heavy wind” nor in “the earthquake” nor in “the fire,” which come before Elijah with great power as he stands upon the mountain, does the prophet find God.  By none of these is he moved.  But in “a tiny whispering sound” the presence of the Most High God is made known (“it is not by sword or spear…” 1Sm.17:47); it is this still, small voice that instills the fear of the Lord in his pierced soul and causes him to “hid[e] his face in his cloak and [go and stand] at the entrance of the cave,” now seeking shelter from the power of God. And is not this quiet Word made known in fullness today in the presence of Jesus, He who came “humble and mounted on an ass” (Mt. 21:5)?  Does His simple teaching, do His gentle words not rend our hearts in twain?  Here is the power of strong wind, earthquake, and fire all together in the voice of the Son of a carpenter; here in this unassuming flesh is God Himself made known. And what does He teach us?  And how difficult is it to hear!  How we must cower at His words as they reach into our heart!  For He tells us that our glance must seek God alone, that our heart must speak, our actions must reveal, His love only.  Else what can we do with our eye but to “gouge it out and throw it away”?  What can we do with our hand but “cut it off and throw it away” if it will not do the will of the Lord?  For all else is waste, and to pursue in blindness the mere pleasures of the flesh, to look upon the vanity of the world with longing, will but bring us to Gehenna – this the gentle Lord would prevent with all His might, with even His death upon a cross. Do not turn your look upon the sins of this degenerate age.  Do not throw in your lot with those “who have forsaken [the Lord’s] covenant, torn down [His] altars, and put the prophets to the sword.”  “Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted and wait for the Lord,” and you “shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living” – and you shall be wed in truth to Him who is all love, and you shall be called to anoint kings and prophets, to do the will of the Father in fullness as His holy children.    ******* O LORD, let us be pure of heart, that we might see you, that we might know you, that we might be in your presence and do your will. YHWH, how can we bear your Word reaching down into our souls; how can we stand in your presence?  Though you come to us in gentleness and humility, your loving word is severe to hearts full of sin as our own.  And so we hide our faces from your radiant presence. Let us not be afraid, O LORD, to heed your Word and do your will; change our hearts that they might be pure as your own.  Let us not look with lust upon the tempting objects of this world or reach our hand out to them or run to find them…  In peace and in calm let us remain in your presence, your Word ministering to our poor souls.  Let us desire only to be like you, dear God, and to dwell in your presence. O LORD, you will take us to your kingdom after this earthly life is spent, if we spend it in your service.  Keep us close to you all our days, protect us from the attacks of the devil, and we indeed shall come to see the glory of your transcendent kingdom.  O let us be subject to you and your gentle, saving Word this day!

(Jas.5:13-20;   Ps.141:1-3,8;   Mk.10:13-16)  “Let my prayer come like incense before you; the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.” “The fervent petition of a holy man is powerful indeed.”  For indeed Elijah “prayed earnestly” and “no rain fell on the land for three years and six months.”  Then “when he prayed again, the sky burst forth with rain.”  And now greater things are accomplished by prayer, especially of “the elders of the Church,” our priests, who, in union with Jesus the Lord, “reclaim the one who is ill” and bring “forgiveness” to the sinful soul.  Redemption itself is at our hands through the Anointing of the Sick and Confession, and all the other blessed sacraments.  And prayer by all souls is a constant guard and reclaimer of lives gone astray. And in our gospel it is made clear what our disposition should be when we pray, when we come to Jesus.  The Lord encourages the little children to come to Him and states unequivocally: “Whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a little child shall not enter into it.”  We must always come to Him as children – with faith, in innocence, of truth – if we hope to gain a hearing in His sight, brothers and sisters.  If when we call upon Him we do not have the pure faith of a child, how can we expect to communicate with Him who dwells in absolute light?  If our prayer and our song fall short of the love and joy of innocent praise, then we fall short of reaching Him.  But if in such innocence and with such faith and of such truth we come to Him, know that He will treat us just as the children who come to Him today: “He embraced them and blessed them, placing His hands on them.”  Yes, then His holy hand will be upon our lives, and His great power we will find at work within us and through us. “Toward you, O Lord, my eyes are turned.”  Please “hearken to my voice when I call upon you.”  “In you I take refuge; strip me not of life,” but make me as your child of light. Our prayer comes like incense before the Lord when it is united with the sacrifice of the Son.  Anointed by the Lamb’s blood, all our cries rise unto the Father of Life. *******   O LORD, as a child let us come to you, in trusting prayer, and you will hear and answer us. YHWH, how powerful prayer is!  For it unites us to you and to your great power; it makes us as your children.  Let our prayer be sincere, that we might find your gentle embrace. There is nothing we need fear, dear LORD, if we but turn to you.  If we ask, you will give, and cure us indeed of every ill.  And so, let us pray for one another in your NAME, desire the salvation of all souls by your grace, and the blessing of your Son’s Cross will reign here on earth and bring us soon to Heaven.  Let your will be done and your kingdom come. Let us pray especially for your priests and the special power you give them to forgive men’s sins and make your presence known among us.  In your sacraments we take our refuge, LORD; let them always be celebrated in accord with your Word. Let our prayer come like incense before you, O LORD; may it be acceptable in your sight.  Let it always come from an innocent heart.

(Jas.5:9-12;   Ps.103:1-4,8-9,11-12;   Mk.10:1-12)  “Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.” And we must be like Him. James makes clear that we must “not grumble against one another,” nor swear on earth, any oath at all,” but rather simply speak “in the name of the Lord”: “Let it be ‘yes’ if you mean yes or ‘no’ if you mean no.  In this way you will not incur condemnation.”  And as a sign of the endurance we must have to find the Lord’s blessing, he reminds us of “the steadfastness of Job” and “what the Lord, who is compassionate and merciful, did in the end.” “As your models in suffering hardships and in patience, brothers, take the prophets.”  And, of course, Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophets, and His suffering in silent servitude the sentence of crucifixion is the fulfillment of their endurance of persecution.  And in our gospel today, does He not give example of the patience we all must hold and the clarity with which we all must speak?  For when the Pharisees “ask Jesus whether it was permissible for a husband to divorce his wife,” how do they intend their question but “as a test”?  But the Lord does not take offense at their temptation; He simply answers them, clearly and to the point: “At the beginning of creation God made them male and female; for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and the two shall become as one.”  And lest there be any doubt that He is saying no to divorce, He continues, “They are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined.”  And even when “the disciples beg[i]n to question Him about this” again later, He remains patient and gives direct answer: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery.” The question would seem a simple one and the answer easy to understand, but is it not this question that is at the heart of man’s disobedience, of his grumbling against God?  Is it not this answer man seeks most to change, thus leading to his greatest sins, and really to the destruction of society?  Yet the Lord’s love is greater than our profligacy, and as the father so readily forgave the prodigal son, so He waits for us to turn to Him – to His presence, to His truth.  As David sings of God: “He redeems your life from destruction, He crowns you with kindness and compassion”; and so He longs to “put our transgressions from us” “as far as the east is from the west.”  Indeed Jesus “pardons all [our] iniquities, He heals all our ills” – for this has the Savior come.  And if we but bless Him for “all His benefits” and share in His love in our relationships with others, we shall find the merciful Lord enabling our endurance of all on this earth and making firm our place with Him in heaven. ******* O LORD, man and woman are one and are brought together in your will; in our covenants let us reflect your mercy and faithfulness. YHWH, give us your patience in enduring all things.  You are kind and merciful; let us be like you.  Help us to practice your compassion in our marriages and in all our relationships – let us be ready as you to forgive.  Yes, let all our sins be put far from us. If we endure with you, O LORD, shall we not be blessed?  If with you we practice patience and kindness when put to the test, will we not share in your reward?  Let us be so joined to you, LORD, that we may indeed be called your Body in this world. O my LORD, let us never be divorced from love of one another or love of you.  Let our covenants be sure as your own; for you have promised to be with us even till the end of the age, and so, should we abandon one another?  Would this not be an abandonment of you? Let our ‘yes’ be ‘yes’, O LORD, and let us therefore live forever in your eternal Word, in the truth and love only you hold.

(Jas.5:1-6;   Ps.49:14-20,Mt.5:3;   Mk.9:41-50)  “You lived in wanton luxury on the earth; you fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.” “You rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries,” James warns all those who trust in their wealth.  For though they were “contented with their lot,” to find which they “condemned, even killed, the just man,” yet “like sheep they are herded into the netherworld,” where “quickly their form is consumed.”  “Your wealth has rotted, your fine wardrobe has grown moth-eaten, your silver and gold have corroded” – all these things in which the fool has trusted will not only die of themselves but also “devour [his] flesh like a fire,” for so greatly has he placed his heart upon them that with their destruction he is also destroyed. “See what you have stored up for yourselves against the last days.”  The rich man fattens himself for “Gehenna, where ‘the worm dies not and the fire is never extinguished.’”  Thus does Jesus call us to repentance in such severe terms, for lacking of it indeed how “quickly [our] form is consumed.”  It is not the body which matters, or this earth; heaven is all that matters, and so our souls.  Therefore, it is indeed better to cut off hand or foot or tear out one’s eye than to “enter Gehenna with its unquenchable fire.”  For what are these things, what are all the riches of the world, in comparison with the kingdom of God and its eternal riches?  Do not, therefore, be led astray by your earthly passions; store up treasures for heaven. “The shouts of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.”  “The wages you withheld from the farmhands who harvested your fields” are known to God.  And as “it would be better if anyone who leads astray one of these simple believers were to be plunged in the sea with a great millstone fastened around his neck,” so much better would be your fate than to suffer eternally the fires of hell.  For what shall your unjust wealth benefit you there?  From whom shall you steal among your fellow prisoners in chains? “The netherworld is their palace,” those who grow rich on the backs of the poor and oppressed of this world.  For ultimately “death is their shepherd, and the upright rule over them.”  They “shall never more see light”; but peace shall reign in the hearts of all God’s children. ******* O LORD, let us not be plunged in the sea or herded into the nether world, but let us set our hearts and minds on you and so find life everlasting. YHWH, let us be poor, poor in spirit, poor to this world and its deadly passions.  Let us put no hope in the riches that rot, or we shall rot with them.  Let us seek, rather, the riches of your kingdom by giving our poor cup of water for the upbuilding of your Church. Take from us, LORD, all that keeps us from you.  Let us not steal or walk in the paths of the unrighteous or look with lust upon anything or anyone.  Take hand or foot or eye from us instead; keep us from all sin.  Let our salt not rot, our lives not be worthless, but let us bear fruit in your NAME. LORD, our God, take especially from us our foolish pride, our belief that we can do anything of ourselves.  O let us not trust in ourselves or in the things of this world but only in you and help rather than hurt the just man you bless in your holy will.  Let all souls be led to your kingdom.

(Jas. 4:13-17;   Ps.49:2-3,6-11,Mt.5:3;   Mk.9:38-40) “Anyone who is not against us is with us.” And whoever is not with the Lord is against Him.  There are only two ways by which a man may walk.  We choose to place our lives in the hands of God, or we worship the things of this earth. Indeed, anyone who “perform[s] a miracle in [His] name” is with Him, for a tree is known by its fruit.  If indeed we commend our lives into the care of the Lord, saying, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that,” then we shall find His blessing at work within us, and we shall be His children, doing His will.  And demons shall be expelled at our words.  And we shall never “fear in evil days when [our] wicked ensnarers ring [us] round.” But if instead we “make arrogant and pretentious claims,” boasting reprehensibly of the profits this earth shall bring us by the power of our own hands, we are in utter danger of the destruction we think can never touch us.  For “in no way can a man redeem himself, or pay his own ransom to God.”  If we “have no idea what kind of life will be [ours] tomorrow” – and who knows the turns this earth does take? – what can we do at all by our own wills?  We are, in fact, utterly dependent upon God for each breath we draw, and He may withdraw such life from us at any moment. What fool is there among you who “trust[s] in [his] wealth”?  Who are they for whom “the abundance of their riches is their boast”?  Have you no eyes in your head?  Is there no sense in your mind?  “Hearken, all who dwell in the world, of lowly birth or high degree, rich and poor alike,” and from all lands and of all times – it is in Jesus alone that you find strength to draw your next breath; it is He alone who brings light to your eyes.  Your riches will rot.  Even prophecies will cease.  There will not be a stone here left upon another.  Consecrate yourself now to the Lord of all and begin to find His grace at work within you.  And each day renew the power of God at work in you for that day.  In His name do all things, and you shall be with Him, and He shall not leave you. ******* O LORD, let us be for you, living perfectly in your will. YHWH, let us be with you; let us give our lives to you, doing your work in accord with your will and not following the vain path our own desires mark out for us.  Let us be your own; let us be your own, your disciples in this world. How can we do anything if you do not bless it, LORD?  Where shall we end if apart from you?  For we indeed are as vapor that quickly vanishes, and empty are all our plans.  But with you and in your NAME, miracles we can perform.  Great works we may accomplish if in humility we follow your way; for you are great and all powerful, and we become as you are when we walk with you. O LORD, we do not know what tomorrow may bring.  Even this day is a mystery to us.  Let us but place this day into your hands, and tomorrow will care for itself in your will.  Let us not die seeking the vain riches of this earth but come to life by your saving grace.

(Jas.4:1-10;   Ps.55:7-11,23;   Mk.9:30-37)  “In the city I see violence and strife; day and night they prowl about upon its walls.” The violence this world holds is known most poignantly, of course, in “the Son of Man… [being] delivered into the hands of men who… put Him to death,” but exists most pervasively and fundamentally in our own bodies, insofar as they are conformed to the spirit of the world.  For as James asks so pointedly, “Where do the conflicts and disputes among you originate?  Is it not your inner cravings that make war within your members?”  It is indeed the evil desire in our bones, the “envy,” the “love of the world [that] is enmity to God” which causes us to “quarrel and fight,” which is the source of all sin, and so death, and so war. That “the spirit He has implanted in us tends toward jealousy” is evident even in the apostles, whom we find in today’s gospel “arguing about who was the most important.”  Even these, who have yet to receive the “greater gift” – the Holy Spirit of God who serves to cleanse His children of the evil in them – even these are divided by the cravings that make war in our members.  Even these contribute to the crucifixion of Christ. Brothers and sisters, if you would “find shelter from the violent storm and the tempest” at work in you and about you, you must “cast your care upon the Lord, and He will support you.”  “Submit to God; resist the devil and he will take flight.”  “Purify your hearts” of all that is not in conformity with the Spirit of God and you will find safe haven from the violence of this world and the violence of your own hearts.  For “never will He permit the just man to be disturbed.” And both James and the Lord teach what it is to be just, what it is to excel before God.  If you desire the goodness of the Lord, rend your hearts; “be humbled in the sight of God and He will raise you on high.”  You cannot raise yourself, for you are but dust; and dust you must be if you desire holiness in the presence of the Most High: “If anyone wishes to rank first, he must remain the last one of all and the servant of all,” as is Jesus, the suffering Son crucified for the sins of each of us. Brothers and sisters, let our hearts be so docile as to welcome His children openly – as His humble children we ourselves must be.  For then we shall welcome Him; for then we shall be sons of the Father, free from sin and so no longer subject to the violence known in the city that is this world of sin.  May our own members and all the members of the Church be cleansed of all strife by the power of the Holy Spirit. ******* O LORD, help us to be humble before you, that you might raise us up from our sin. YHWH, should we not be as children before you?  Is your Son not like a Child, O LORD?  Is He not the humblest of all?  O let us be like Him, and you! Is there some other image in which we should be made, LORD, than your own?  What of this world should beguile our soul?  To whom should we aspire but our heavenly Father, and how shall we find you except through your Son?  Does He not show us the way by His death on the Cross? O LORD, let us not be deaf to your speaking to us in His words and actions, for He reveals to us who we must be.  Help us to leave the example of the world behind, to abandon all hatred and jealousy, all the sinful pride and insatiable greed wrought into our fallen nature, and come to you even this day that we might be redeemed by your Son’s sacrifice and our sharing therein. O help us to be humble, LORD, to find the humility only you know.  With all our hearts let us serve you, and your glory will be ours.

(Jas.3:13-18;   Ps.19:8-10,15;   Mk.9:14-29)  “The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye.” What is the wisdom of which James speaks in our first reading but this enlightening of the eye and the mind by following the command of the Lord?  It is the words and the wisdom of Jesus, reflected clearly in the Lord’s own life, James relates to the waiting ear this day.  What does he instruct but to practice “a humility filled with good sense” and to “cultivate peace,” not to “nurse bitter jealousy in [our] hearts” but to “refrain from arrogant and false claims against the truth”?  We must be as “innocent” as the Lamb of God, and as forgiving.  Then we will realize that “the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple,” for “wisdom from above” will then fill us, and lead us by its sacred light. How clear the command of the Lord is in our gospel, and how powerfully it enlightens the eye.  As He comes down from the mountain where He has been transfigured before His principal apostles, “a large crowd… on catching sight of Jesus” is immediately “overcome with awe.  They [run] up to greet Him.”  Being presented with the boy possessed by a spirit that often “throws him into the fire and into water,” Jesus “reprimanded the unclean spirit by saying to him, ‘Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: Get out of him and never enter him again!’”  And the boy is healed; he is freed from bondage to the devil, and now in his right mind, he can see. Though perhaps not always so dramatic, every command of the Lord casts out just such darkness which pervades our souls.  Coming in faith before Him as the father who trusts in God and in His Son, the same healing do we know.  Following His words, our eyes and ears are opened, too, and we discover that indeed “the law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.”  So, brothers and sisters, let us pray with David today: “Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart find favor before you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer,” that we might remain ever in His enduring purity and light. ******* O LORD, if we but lived lives of prayer in all humility, never could we be separated from you and always you would work through us. YHWH, how shall our words and thoughts match those of your Son, who commands and the devils flee, whose heart is set always on your will… who sacrifices His life for our sakes?  Help our unbelief, our lack of trust in you and in your power, that we might by your grace come to share in that power with Jesus, even as we share in His humility. How can we live in your perfect innocence, LORD, we who are such a faithless lot, we who lack prayer in our heart?  O how easily we are overcome!  But you are our hope.  You come down from the mountain, from the glory on high, to dwell with the likes of us and save us from the devil’s grasp, which has such a dire hold upon us and upon our children.  Only by the grace of your presence will this generation be saved – leave us not till your work is accomplished. Teach us, O LORD; give us your wisdom, that your peace might be ever in our souls and we might serve you with all our thoughts and words.  Save us, dear God, from all darkness.