The BreadCast

(1Cor.3:18-23;   Ps.24:1-6;   Lk.5:1-11)  “Amazement at the catch they had made seized him and all his shipmates.”  What a truly remarkable scene!  Here upon the call of the apostles, the first of apostles, Simon Peter, “fell at the knees of Jesus.”  Here in his barque, boats once desolate now suddenly fill to bursting with fish flopping about everywhere, unable to be contained…  This is a painting for the ages, this blessed moment!  It is this image which drives the Church forth, filling the barque of Peter with blessed, saved souls.  “From now on you will be catching men,” the Lord says to His Rock – and so the Church is called, on this sunlit day. Yes, “the Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.”  And how wonderfully that fullness that is the Lord’s is revealed in these boats continually filled “until they nearly sank,” and how clearly these abundant fish represent we who dwell in God’s world.  Even literally our psalm is fulfilled: “He founded it upon the seas,” David sings; and as He founded the world, so here He finds the Church, His renewal of the world, here upon the Sea of Galilee.  Here He sends out His call to those who “stand in His holy place”; and through His apostles all will find the strength and purity to “ascend the mountain of the Lord.”  Here is the faith firmly rooted, here in the barque of Peter.  The race that “seeks the face of the God of Jacob” shall find Him now, shall see Him even as clearly as Peter looking up at Him from here at His knees on this marvelous day. “All things are yours,” Paul declares, “and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.”  Indeed, the fullness of heaven and earth are at our hands through Jesus and the ministry of His apostles.  All the apostles are ours, the world is ours, life and death are ours, the present and the future…  Why?  Because we are in Christ, in the boat in which He sits, surrounding our leader on his knees – all is ours because we leave everything to become His followers. After the Lord’s resurrection this scene shall repeat itself, and so the call be fulfilled.  Here it begins though, here in “nets [that] were at their breaking point,” here in boats that are filled – here in one man falling to his knees, all come before the Lord of all. ******* O LORD, it is only by your power anything is done – make us holy by your Word. YHWH, upon our knees let us come to you; in the way of your Son let us follow, and in Him and in His Church, all shall be ours.  What can we lack if united to you?  What is not ours if your abundance we know? O LORD, all the world and all those who dwell in it are in your hands.  The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the soul of every man you hold.  And to your Son you give all.  And to your Church you give the same.  For those who follow Jesus, who leave all behind for the kingdom’s sake, shall know your abundant blessings even this day. To what of this earth should we hold, LORD?  What is of worth apart from you?  Let us know nothing but your Son, the Christ, and we shall ascend your holy mountain, and become holy as you.  This alone should be our goal, the desire of our heart must be to be united to you. Praise you for all your blessings, LORD!  But praise you most for calling us through your only Son to dwell in your Church, where you reside.

(1Cor.3:1-9;   Ps.33:12-15,20-21;   Lk.4:38-44)  “To other towns I must announce the Good News of the reign of God, because that is why I was sent.” “And He continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.”  And He continues to preach to all hearts through His blessed apostles, and His Church continues to grow.  To the ends of the earth the kingdom progresses, and we each have a hand in its rising. Yes, “he who plants and he who waters work to the same end,” but “neither he who plants nor he who waters is of any special account, only God, who gives the growth.”  As Paul has said to the Corinthians: “Who is Apollos?  And who is Paul?  Simply ministers through whom you became believers, each of them doing only what the Lord assigned him.”  As great as the work of any apostle may be, yet it is God alone through whom progress is made.  He alone causes “His cultivation, His building” to grow; it is yet Jesus who announces salvation in any of our lives. Indeed, no matter how big our work, it is God who accomplishes all – but also no matter how small.  For all are called.  And even as Paul and Apollos plant and water by their great gift of preaching, so we are told of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law that once Jesus had cast the fever from her, “she got up immediately and waited on them,” entirely ready to perform her work for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God.  As with the sick the Lord “laid hands on each of them and cured them,” and as He taught with authority, so all in their way are invited to offer their service to the only God and thus become built into His kingdom.  It is God who builds the House, but indeed “we are God’s co-workers” and must cooperate with His grace. And how we should know Him and His working among us and through us!  The demons declared, “You are the Son of God!” for they “knew that He was the Messiah” – they knew well He who had come to destroy them.  Why is it we whom He has come to build up do not know Him just as well, or even more?  Truly it is “He who fashioned the heart of each [of us], He who knows all [our] works”; it is He “who is our help and our shield,” and “in Him our hearts [should] rejoice” – and through Him we should accomplish all.  Do we know His presence with us so well?  Do we rejoice in Him and do His works and become His work…?  Brothers and sisters, let it be indeed that the Good News is announced clearly to all through the Lord working upon our soul. ******* O LORD, in your holy NAME let us trust, and we shall be healed of all our ills and grow unto the kingdom. YHWH, let your Word go forth through your people this day; to the ends of the earth let your Son travel, bringing the Good News of your reign to every soul through your Church and especially her apostles. You dwell in Heaven, O LORD, far above our mortal ways, and we take life and do our work only through you who call us.  Let us be your co-workers, branches of the vine that is your Son, and your Church shall be built up in truth, in the power that is only upon Him. Let all be healed of their infirmities, LORD, that all might indeed serve you well; raise us from our bed of pain, release us from the grasp of the devil, and we shall work for you with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  Let all be done as you will and all shall rejoice in your glory. It is you who have made us, LORD; we are but your poor creatures.  But with the blood of your Son coursing through our veins we rise above this dying flesh and make our home in the Spirit.  Let us grow in your House this day.

(1Cor.2:10-16;   Ps.145:8-14,17;   Lk.4:31-37) “We have the mind of Christ.” The demon has been cast from us and we see the Lord as He is: “Good to all and compassionate toward all His works.”  “The glorious splendor of [His] kingdom” is before our eyes, and it is this which gives us light.  We have bowed ourselves down before Him, the demon has thrown us “to the ground before everyone’s eyes,” and we have found that “the Lord lifts up those who are falling.”  No longer “the natural man” who finds “what is taught by the Spirit of God” complete “absurdity,” filled with His Spirit we now “recognize the gifts He has given us.”  And in these gifts we rejoice, for we have become as He is. “The Lord is faithful in all His words and holy in all His works,” and so what should we who are His works do but “discourse of the glory of His kingdom and speak of His might,” brothers and sisters?  Should not all our words and all our works give Him due glory?  How can we do otherwise, knowing now how “gracious and merciful” God is and that His “kingdom is a kingdom for all ages”?  “All generations” must be called into His holy presence. “He commands the unclean spirits with authority and power, and they leave.”  Here is the Good News in action; here is the glory of God come among us.  All the evil that possesses the soul of man is cast out by a word from His Son’s mouth.  And so is paved the way to the kingdom. Brothers and sisters, embrace the Spirit of God at work in the world.  Put on the mind of Christ.  “The Spirit we have received is not the world’s spirit but God’s Spirit,” and so should we not teach as we have been taught?  If indeed the light of the Lord is upon us illumining our minds and hearts, is it not but just that we should be compelled to impart that same Spirit to others that they might not be in darkness but might also be able to “appraise everything” “in a spiritual way,” that they too might know “the mind of the Lord”? Devils, be gone!  Be silenced before the Son of God!  All the evil of the world shall be struck and destroyed by the all-powerful Word of God.  All His children sharply shine His saving light. ******* O LORD, let us have your Spirit within us, that our speech may be as your Son’s. YHWH, let us be your children of light, with your Spirit within us.  The mind of Christ let us put on, and we shall understand all things and be found in your presence. Your Son speaks with authority, LORD, for He speaks your NAME in every word.  His word casts all demons from our midst, for what evil can stand before your Spirit? O LORD, let us speak of your glory to all souls, tell the nations of your might.  Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages; your dominion shall not pass away. Holy are you, LORD, and no one can know you who does not seek your holiness.  But you bless with great gifts those who love you and praise your NAME – your wisdom you grant to the spiritual man. Let us listen to your voice calling to our souls.  Let all darkness and sin be cast from our hearts.  O let us be faithful to your Word! and we shall find ourselves in your kingdom on high.

(1Cor.2:1-5;   Ps.119:97-102;   Lk.4:16-30)  “Your faith rests not on the wisdom of men but on the power of God.” Paul comes to the Corinthians with preaching that has “none of the persuasive force of ‘wise’ argumentation, but the convincing power of the Spirit,” and with them he determines to “speak of nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”  Similarly, when “Jesus came to Nazareth where He had been reared,” in the synagogue He simply read the passage from Isaiah which prophesies the coming Messiah, sat down before the eyes of all, and stated, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”  I AM here.  I AM He.  This is the day of salvation.  Period.  And here even at the beginning of His ministry we see how the crucifixion is already near, as His townspeople attempt to kill Him for the truth He speaks. Upon what is this simple wisdom, this power of the Lord, based but the Word of God?  The psalmist, whose “meditation all the day” is the law of the Lord, declares in truth and in joy: “Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies.”  It grants him “more understanding than all [his] teachers” and “more discernment than the elders,” because all genuine wisdom comes from the Word spoken by the mouth of God and not through human learning.  We have seen that Scripture is the foundation of the teaching of Jesus Himself, who is the Word of God made flesh.  Yes, He speaks much more through “the appealing discourse which came from His lips.”  Yes, there is oral tradition as well (for the Word of God is living and active); but on Scripture He begins His instruction, and continually He refers to the Word.  Whether rejecting the devil’s temptations, rebuking the Pharisees and scribes, or enlightening the people – as He tries to do today by referring to Elijah’s having to go to Zarephath and Elisha’s healing only the Syrian, to show how prophets are not accepted in their native place – the Lord’s words are founded in the Word of God, in Scripture. And, of course, an integral part of that Word is the suffering the Christ must undergo.  But notice that even as the people intend “to hurl Him over the edge” of the hill of Nazareth, just as directly as He has spoken truth to them, so directly and with the power of God He “went straight through their midst and walked away.”  For the Word is as a sword which pierces all the dark limits of the world, and even through death it shall lead all to salvation. Brothers and sisters, let your faith rest on this Word that is Christ found in Scripture and living in the Church, for the Spirit does not die with the devices of the human mind.  This Spirit holds eternal life. ******* O LORD, open our eyes that we might see and know the blessing you bring us by your Son’s Cross. YHWH, let us follow your Word and your way, the way of your only Son, the way of the Cross that leads to life.  Of Christ crucified let us speak; with all our lives let us give witness to Him.  Then we shall be obedient to your Word as He – then we shall make your wisdom our own. O LORD, let us meditate on the Word that comes to us in Scripture, that comes walking among us in your Son.  All the day let our hearts be set on the illumination your Word brings.  Though in the Word we are chastised for our sins, though it lead us along a narrow path; if we observe your precepts and follow in the way of the Christ, you shall guard our steps and keep us from every evil.  For then we shall be wiser than all our foes, wiser than any other soul, for then your Spirit will be with us; His power will be upon us. May the Word of Truth come from our Savior’s mouth and lived in His very flesh help us to walk straight through the midst of our enemies and come to you.

(1Cor.1:26-31;   Ps.33:12-13,18-21;   Mt.25:14-30)  “He called in His servants and handed His funds over to them according to each man’s abilities.” All comes from the hand of God.  Yes.  Do you see this?  God it is who provides any talent you possess on this earth and “God it is who has given you life in Christ Jesus.”  Not yourself.  It is not from you any power comes.  God has proven His power by choosing “the lowborn and despised, those who count for nothing,” and making them strong.  This is you.  You are nothing; and yet you have all things in God. Brothers and sisters, “mankind can do no boasting before God.”  How could they?  It is He who looks down from heaven and “sees all mankind”; it is He who chooses “His own inheritance.”  It is He who places in our hands the “silver pieces” we employ on this earth – and it is He who expects us to use well that which we have been given.  To Him we must answer for all things.  And if we are “industrious and reliable” in our service, it is He who will declare, “Since you were dependable in a small matter I will put you in charge of larger affairs.”  On earth as it is in heaven…  If our work is done well here, it shall lead to the greater fruits, and we shall “share [our] Master’s joy!”  But it is always His joy to which we come and not our own. God is all things to us.  “He has made [Jesus] our wisdom, and also our justice, our sanctification, and our redemption.”  All that we have is from Him, and without Him we could not live.  And should you be resentful of so great a gift?  Should you return the gift of Himself He lays before you on your table?  Or should you not rather take it up, make it your own, and by it produce fruit according to the abilities He has shared with you?  This is all He expects of you: that the graces He shares with you, you share with others. “In His holy name we trust.”  Yes, “our soul waits for the Lord” and “in Him our hearts rejoice.”  For He does not fail us.  What He gives He does not take back: it is we who reject His love; it is He who increases the yield within us.  “Brothers, you are among those who are called,” and so be among “those who hope for His kindness.”  For His kindness shall but enrich you each day as you make His will your own and find your “boast in the Lord.”  Praise Him for His gifts and for His grace, for by His grace the gifts He provides become eternally fruitful in our lives.  Alleluia! ******* O LORD, enrich us with your blessings as we serve you humbly in this world. YHWH, let us trust in your NAME and in your NAME alone.  How can we trust in ourselves or in the riches of this world when all this is but dust?  But in your hands this dust we are becomes as gold, for we become as you who are so far above this world. O make us your own, dear LORD!  Help us to look to you, to wait for you, to trust in you for all things.  May our tongues praise your NAME and our hands work in your service, and then, O how we shall be blessed!  For truly you will be with us, and we with you. Into your joy let us come, O LORD, the joy that surpasses any joy of this earth, the grace that passes not away.  Let us boast in you, that you are great and do marvelous things for those who trust in you, those who know your love.  From death let us be delivered – into your House let us come. O LORD, increase your yield in us; we are but instruments of your holy love, your poor children whom you raise from the dust.

(1Cor.1:17-25;   Ps.33:1-2,4-5,10-11;   Mt.25:1-13)  “The world did not come to know Him through its ‘wisdom’.” “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and thwart the cleverness of the clever,” says the Lord God.  And in its place we find the Gospel, “the message of the cross,” which is “complete absurdity to those who are headed to ruin, but to us who are experiencing salvation it is the power of God.”  It is this wisdom which saves us, even as the wisdom of the world falls to dust. The wisdom of the world tells us to take our rest, to find our pleasure in the things of this life; the wisdom of God instructs us to “keep [our] eyes open” for the coming of the kingdom of God, wherein we shall find eternal rest.  The wisdom of the world has only the torch to offer; like the foolish bridesmaids, it brings no oil for its lamp, for it can see nothing beyond its eyes – its immediate physical concerns are its preoccupation.  The wisdom of God knows that all depends on the oil of the lamp, and so it calls us to find our souls in the Word of God, which is a flask whose contents never recede but rather increase with use and preserve the soul’s burning brightly before its Creator.  The wisdom of the world is “wordy,” is empty rambling with no foundation in truth; God’s wisdom is founded in silence, pregnant with the power and authority of all ages. “The Lord brings to naught the plans of nations; He foils the designs of peoples.”  What can stand that is not rooted in Him?  What has purpose that is not spoken by His mouth?  Apart from Him nothing comes to be or lasts.  And does not the Lord thwart the ideas of the human mind most perfectly in the crucifixion of His Christ?  Making “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” turns the vain strivings of men upside down and exposes them in all their emptiness.  Here is my Word, He says; here is my Love.  To this sacrifice does He call us all, that we might celebrate at His wedding feast and not be barred outside in the cold world.  For indeed all that is of the world comes to nothing, “but the plan of the Lord stands forever; the design of His heart, through all generations.”  And it is His design that we become children of light, shining forever in the light of His wisdom, not burning to ashes in the deceit of our hearts. In the cross all our empty words fall to naught as we are confronted with the truth of our sin and the love of our God.  Thus our eyes are opened.  May they remain so, fixed on this lamp which shines in the darkness of the night.  By no other means will we come to know God and the meaning of our lives. ******* O LORD, let our eyes be open with the light of your wisdom that we might see your coming in the Cross of Christ. YHWH, the plans of the nations you bring to naught to show all souls where wisdom lies: it rests with you and in the Cross of your Son, for the light of our minds is dim indeed without your Word to feed it. How can we even speak of you, LORD, you who are beyond the realm of our words?  We cannot determine whence we have come and do not know when our end shall be fulfilled… and so, how can we know anything?  All we know is what you tell us through your Son in the love He offers. Jesus has died for our sins.  This is all we need to know, LORD, for such knowledge, such faith, will bring us to your doorstep; and by the light of the Spirit we shall be able to enter in – to enter into your presence and so come to know all things by your grace and mercy. Dead are we apart from you, LORD, dead in our sin and in the emptiness of our minds.  But the blood of your Son enlivens our souls that we might come to know the wisdom beyond all ages in His salvation.  O may we be wed to you!

(1Cor.1:1-9;   Ps.145:1-7;   Mt.24:42-51)  “He will strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Brothers and sisters, “you lack no spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The Lord provides all you need, generously and faithfully.  You “have been consecrated in Christ Jesus and called to be a holy people” and so “have been richly endowed [by God] with every gift,” that you might fulfill the call He places upon your soul, that by His grace you might indeed be holy.  And so you should realize “the favor He has bestowed on you in Christ Jesus” and “call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” to gain all the blessings the Lord God is ready to pour forth upon you. Brothers and sisters, “keep a watchful eye and [do] not allow [your] house to be broken into.”  “Be prepared” for the Lord’s coming.  Let His every gift be at work in you, that readiness will ever be yours.  Do not think as the foolish and worthless servant, “My master is a long time in coming,” and turn thus away from His light, sagging into the world’s darkness.  Such a thought brings only death and the punishment of the Lord.  For never is He long in coming.  Always is He present to us; ever is His Spirit here within us when we remain faithful to Him.  He it is who is of life and light – it is we who grow blind to His grace and are slow to come to His eternal presence.  Forsake not His gifts, which sustain us at all times. Here is cause for rejoicing.  Here is the reason David sings, “Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever” (revealing thus the newness of life which is ever upon us): “God is faithful, and it was He who called [us] to fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  No more than this need we know.  For this reason “generation after generation praises [His] works” and “publish[es] the fame of [His] abundant goodness.”  It is this which brings His praise to our throats.  For indeed in His grace He has called us to be as His only Son, and of course He is faithful to His call.  And so by faithfulness all is ours in the Lord, and on that Day His blessings shall be full.  Remaining in His light, growing in His gifts and favors, there shall be no “wailing then and grinding of teeth” for our souls – no, “happy that servant whom His master discovers at work on His return!” ******* O LORD, let us be prepared and waiting for your coming Day. YHWH, strengthen us to the end that we might be blameless on the Day your Son returns; make us your servants, faithful and true, praising you ever for your goodness to us, and we shall be ready on the Day of His revelation. LORD, great are you and highly to be praised, for you provide all the gifts we need as we await Jesus’ coming.  You give us speech and knowledge, and consecrate us in the Name of your Son.  May we be like Him whom you sent for our salvation, that with favor you might ever look upon our lives. As your Apostle has borne witness to your glory, LORD, so let us proclaim your greatness this day, that from generation to generation your NAME might be known and all souls be prepared for your coming Day.  Let us serve you with diligence and with love, never forgetting that He whom we serve loves us more than we could ever return, remembering always that you are the Most High God who has created us in your image, in the image of your only Son.

(2Thes.3:6-10,16-18;   Ps.128:1-2,4-5;   Mt.23:27-32)  “You shall eat the fruit of your handiwork.” “Anyone who would not work should not eat” was the rule laid down by Paul among the Thessalonians.  A man must earn his bread.  And as on earth, so in heaven.  For who shall come to the fruits of the kingdom if they are not as Paul, who has labored “to the point of exhaustion” for the sake of the reign of God?  This is the “straight path” laid down for us by all the apostles: in the Lord’s name we must walk “day and night.”  It is work which produces fruit. And what fruit will the scribes and Pharisees know?  Their work is to “erect tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the saints,” those who have been murdered by their forefathers.  Yet they join these “in shedding the prophets’ blood,” thus making the tombs they erect all the more vain; yes, they shall “fill up the vessel measured off by [their] forefathers” by crucifying the Christ, the only Son of God.  And this work they do shall have its fruit as well – it shall lead their souls to the gates of hell, where only the same blood they shed will save them. We will be judged according to our deeds, brothers and sisters.  All is seen by God who looks upon the heart and whose eyes are everywhere.  Let not your works be empty, or just so empty will be your heart, will be your place in the reign to come.  Each day our souls are required of us; ever the Lord seeks fruit upon our tree.  So, if you wish to “see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life,” if you long to know always the blessing of God, then “walk in His ways.”  “Fear the Lord” who holds your life in His hands and do as He commands.  Then “happy shall you be, and favored”; then the fruits of the kingdom you shall taste even here.  And even the death you die and the blood you shed shall not remove this favor – by it “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” will be fulfilled in you.  Amen. ******* O LORD, let us work for the life found in your Son, and not His death and so our own. YHWH, let us be blessed to walk in your way, to follow wherever you lead – to do your work in this world till the end of our days.  Then we shall be truly happy, for then our fruit shall bring us unto Heaven. O LORD, let us be your fruit; let us be your handiwork, made in your image, living as your Son.  If we can but imitate Jesus, laying down our lives as all your prophets and apostles have done, then we shall join their ranks in the Body of Christ in the heavenly Jerusalem. Your kingdom come, LORD.  All vanity, all emptiness of heart and mind and soul and body take from us – let us be filled with your holy presence.  Your kingdom within us let us know and live, breathing your Holy Spirit, bleeding as your Son… our spirits one with you and your love. Why should we be without you, LORD, when you live at our very hearts?

(2Thes.2:1-3,14-17;   Ps.96:10-13;   Mt.23:23-26) “He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with His constancy.” “Brothers, stand firm.”  Be not “easily agitated or terrified” “on the question of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him.”  This should not preoccupy your thoughts because this is not in your mind to know or your hands to control.  The day and the hour are with God alone.  Rather, you should pray that the Lord will strengthen your hearts “for every good work and word.”  This is what is in your power, and effectively accomplishing the Lord’s will thus, all fear will be removed from your souls. Brothers and sisters, be not like the scribes and Pharisees, the “blind guides” who “strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!”  Distracted by the details, they inevitably neglect “the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and good faith” – those for which the Lord calls us above all to be concerned.  And so their vision and their actions are not whole, and they are not holy.  Failing to see as God sees and to do as God does, they indeed become blind guides frittering the life of the Lord away in anxiety for external matters.  Let this not be the fate of your soul. Children, know of a certain that “our Lord Jesus Christ Himself… loved us and in His mercy gave us eternal consolation and hope.”  We must make this hope our own.  For “the Lord is King.  He has made the world firm, not to be moved,” and we must be as immovable as He in our faith and in our work.  We should not doubt that “He governs the peoples with equity,” that in fairness all are looked upon in His sight, and so, that if we strive to do His will with all our hearts He will indeed bless us. Friends, we should know that, though not complete, though He does not stand before us in final judgment yet, still it is so that “the day of the Lord is here,” in our midst today.  His rule has always been and has come to us in this place.  And what we do now leads only to that day – the kingdom should be growing within us at all times.  If we know not His justice and His constancy at work in our days, then indeed we have reason to fear and should heed the Lord’s rebuke.  But if we strive with Him for holiness, any fear itself will be holy and lead us only to the joy that makes “the heavens… glad and the earth rejoice.”  For each day we rejoice with them in the presence of our God. ******* O LORD, make us constant as you in doing good works, in dispensing justice and mercy according to your Word –      and have mercy upon our own souls. YHWH, it is you who judge the earth, who come to rule all the world; your justice you bring to every man’s soul, preparing him for your Day.  And there is no need for us to fear if we are striving to do your will.  Rather, we should rejoice at your glorious coming! O LORD, let us set our souls each day on your Word and your work, and your love and mercy shall meet us where we are and bring us soon to where you live.  Even should we have to endure chastisement as the Pharisees, what should this bring us but a holy joy?  For by such words of truth you make us in your image, if we but listen and respond in kind. All the world shall rejoice at your coming, dear God; let us not be blind to such wonder and glory but set our hearts on that Day, cleansing our souls of every stain of sin by your grace and mercy, by your surpassing justice.  Let no woe be on us in your Day but only your consolation, only the joy of your salvation, which you offer forth even this day.

(Ez.43:1-7;   Ps.85:9-14;   Mt.23:1-12)  “The temple was filled with the glory of the Lord.” Certainly the vision of Ezekiel is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus and His founding the Church, the New Jerusalem, here amongst us.  In this Temple He has “set the soles of [His] feet”; here He “dwell[s] among the Israelites forever.”  For though the temple in Jerusalem shall be restored, it shall again be destroyed, and forever.  In the Catholic Church now does His presence remain.  Through it and through its teaching “the earth [has] shone with His glory.” “Truth shall spring out of the earth”: Jesus is born in our midst and walks among us; “justice shall look down from heaven”: through Him the light of God shines upon us, bringing salvation to all souls.  And it is in His Church truth and justice remain, “glory dwelling in our land.” And “like the roaring of many waters” is His teaching, which comes with power, which comes with authority.  And this teaching He leaves in the apostles’ hands.  As “the Pharisees have succeeded Moses as teachers” and Jesus has succeeded these, so do the apostles succeed Jesus; thus we must “do everything and observe everything they tell us” – the Spirit is upon the Church, which does not teach in error despite the sins of its members.  These must be respected; it is upon these, and so upon Jesus’ teaching, the Catholic faith is founded. And what if some refused to enter into this Temple and share in His glory present in His Church?  What if they did not share the wholeness of His thought or receive His precious Body and Blood, offered each day in the New Jerusalem?  Their eyes would be as blind and their vision as limited as those who quote our gospel today to prove that the Church should not call its priests “Father”.  They would not be able to see that what Jesus teaches His disciples in telling them to avoid “marks of respect in public and of being called ‘Rabbi’” is to avoid having themselves inflated with pride.  If these blind souls were correct, then no one could be called “teacher” either, for this is more the word the Lord wishes us to avoid.  And they would have to condemn Paul for calling himself “father” of the Church in Corinth (1Cor.4:15).  Such absurdity ensues when one has not the wholeness of Truth, but looks only on appearances. Brothers and sisters, where would we be without the teaching of the apostles?  In a word, we wouldn’t have Jesus.  It is from Him their teaching comes, bringing His glory to the ends of the earth.  In this Temple let us dwell, His Word and Sacrament sustaining our lives. ******* O LORD, your Son has humbled Himself to walk among us; the soles of His feet are set in this Temple, your Church – may we follow in His steps. YHWH, let us humble ourselves that we might be exalted in glory with you.  You humble yourself to come among us as a Man; let us be as your only Son and so gain the favors of Heaven.  Here in your Church make your home, in the soul of every believer. And, LORD, let us have a reverent respect for those you place in position of authority, especially here in your Church.  They carry your power through the Word of your Son, becoming as His body and blood with the teaching of the Spirit He breathes upon them.  We cannot disobey their teaching without disobeying you, and so let us be faithful to your apostles.  Then we shall come to know your surpassing glory. What you revealed to Ezekiel help us to know and live this day – your glory here in your Temple bring to its fulfillment, we pray.  In your kindness you come to us, Truth walking in our midst.  The justice and peace of your Son let us find as we follow in His way of salvation.