The BreadCast

(2Chr.36:14-16,19-23; Ps.137:1-6; Eph.2:4-10; Jn.3:14-21) "By the streams of Babylon we sat and wept." For "practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the Lord's temple," the people of God "were carried captive to Babylon." For all their "infidelity" they were forced to watch as "their enemies burnt the house of God [and] tore down the walls of Jerusalem." And so did their "tongue[s] cleave to [their] palate[s]" in a foreign land; so they "hung up [their] harps"; so their "right hand[s] [were] forgotten"… They could not sing the praises of the Lord; they could not strum to His glory – all the works of their hands were stilled. They could but weep in desolation. So are we like them in our sins. So do our transgressions silence our tongues and make us lame and ineffective. So were we dead as these before Christ Jesus came to save us. And as the Israelites were called back to the city of peace and entreated to build the Lord's house there once again, as they found their release from exile by the king of Persia speaking in the name of God… just as these could enter in once more to the "song of the Lord," so we now find our freedom from the chains which bound us, and to the Lord's temple come proclaiming His gracious salvation. No more should we cry, brothers and sisters. No more should we sit idly as the streams of this world pass us mockingly by. No, now we must come resolutely to the Christ of God, for the word has gone forth to the ends of the earth that all who love Him should come into His light. "By grace [we] have been saved"; by the Lord's immeasurable kindness we have been redeemed – in His love we must now sing our song. "For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance," and so our work must now be accomplished in Him. "Whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God." And so "saved through faith" we must now bring before Him the offering of our lives. There is no longer cause to hide. There is no longer need to weep for our sin, to find the oppression of the world and the devil too much to bear. No, the gates of Jerusalem are opened once again, and the Lord God has "seated us with Him in the heavens in Christ Jesus." Here in this light let us now find our home. Here in His presence let us begin to live the Lord's eternal salvation. Our tears of weeping, with our condemnation, have passed. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "A Guitar" from Thoroughfare, seventh album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let us leave behind our sinful past and come into the light of your presence. YHWH, we were dead in our sins till you sent your only Son to save us, to bring us life by the grace upon Him. Light has indeed come into the world, the light of Christ shining now in our midst. Let us come to that light that we might escape the darkness into which we've fallen and be raised up to be seated with Him. Jesus has been lifted up for our sakes, that all who believe in Him might have eternal life with you, Father, in Heaven. Though our transgressions have been severe, you have mercy upon us still, and call us to faith in your only Son. Though we have failed to listen to the prophets you sent to speak in your Name, let us not fail to heed the One in whom your love has come to perfection, the One who shares your own place on high. No more can you love us than by sending us Jesus, and so, no further opportunity will we have to repent and return to you. Let us live now in your truth and your light, that our works might be done in you.

(Ex.20:1-17; Ps.19:8-11; 1Cor.1:22-25; Jn.2:13-25) "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever." Is it not fear of the Lord, Jesus would instill in the people as He makes "a whip out of cords" and drives those who buy and sell out of the temple? Is His great zeal not to purify His Father's House of all corruption? And will the Temple He will raise up not endure forever? David tells us that "the law of the Lord is perfect," and it is so; and so our worship of the Lord should be perfect as well – it should match the perfection of the Lord and His Word. Thus does the Lord give us His commandments, to refine us in His light and make us like Himself. Thus should we rest on the sabbath day as He has done, and indeed do all things according to His way, having "no other gods besides" Him. He alone is worthy of our worship, and He alone is worthy of imitation. His words alone will enlighten our eye. And how do we know this "wisdom of God" except by the blessed presence of His Son? And how do we know it most fully but in His crucifixion? Here is the wisdom of God upon the cross, calling us to what is far beyond us – beyond this world and our lusts. "Human nature" He knew quite well, assuming it in all but sin as He has, and so He knows it must be nailed to the cross if we are to gain redemption. And what wisdom is greater than that which effects salvation? To what greater place could we be led than the kingdom of heaven? And "Christ crucified" reveals not only the wisdom of God but "the power of God" as well, for what makes the devils tremble more than our Savior on the cross? What forces them to realize the vanity of their efforts to destroy man than to see Him dead, and know that He shall live again? (And we with Him… and we with Him.) "The weakness of God is stronger than human strength," and here God's weakness comes to full power. And with absolute force it shall drive all evil from the world, and from our souls. "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up," are the Lord's prophetic words. The Temple of His Body once destroyed now is made to last forever, for it can never be destroyed again. Now that He is raised from the dead, death has no more dominion. Purified of all darkness and sin is the kingdom; and in awe of the Lord's humble majesty we come there with open eyes and hearts on fire, to dwell with Him in eternal life. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Nothing You Can Buy (The Spirit Is)" from Loving Spirit, third album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, if we join your Son in obedience even unto death, we shall be raised with Him. YHWH, your Son has died to raise us all to new life; only His death could bear such fruit. And should we not therefore put faith in Him, Him whom you have declared your Beloved? Should we not thus come to a great love of you who have loved us so greatly? And would we not then come to glory, the same glory He shares with you this day? A sign you give to us this day, dear LORD, a sign of your eternal glory, a glory that comes to us by the death of Jesus the Christ. And so, we should not be afraid of the death we must die, of the offering we must make of our lives in His Name. For as we are joined to Him in sacrifice, so will we be joined to Him in your heavenly kingdom. O LORD, bring many souls, souls as countless as the stars, into the land you promise us and which you bring to fulfillment in the death of your Son. For this grace let us praise your Name forever in your House.

(Gn.22:1-2,9-13,15-18; Ps.116:10,15-19; Rom.8:31-34; Mk.9:2-10) "You shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you." "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love," the Lord instructs Abraham, calling him to sacrifice even as an animal his beloved child, upon whom God's promise rests. To a mountain he is led, with his son carrying wood in tow. And arriving at the place God had told him to go, "Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it… and took the knife to slaughter his son." The angel comes to stay his hand, but Abraham is prepared to do as the Lord commands. The Lord prevents Abraham from making this sacrifice because it is not his son who is to die; only the Lord's Beloved could be offered as such a holocaust; only His Son is called upon to die. "Christ Jesus it is who died," no one else, for only His death brings life. And on Mount Tabor today we see the life that will come by the Lord's sacrifice; already we glimpse the rays of heaven. Jesus is as engulfed in flames, holy fire of the most blessed holocaust; and – like the three young men in the furnace, like the bush before Moses on Mt. Horeb – by these flames He is not burned: by these flames His purity is made to shine. How good indeed it is for these apostles to behold this blessed vision! In it we all find hope that the death of Christ is not for naught, and neither shall our own death be. For all who die in Christ, die as Christ, a death that brings only eternal life. And so, comprehending here the majesty to which we are called, all disciples of Jesus, all children of the God of Life, are strengthened for all trial. God "did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for us all," not because He loved Him not, but because He loves us all. And now "will He not also give us everything along with Him?" Will He now seek to condemn those whom He has justified at such a massive cost? "It is God who acquits us," brothers and sisters, by the death of His Son. And now "precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of [all] His faithful ones"; do not be afraid to serve the Lord. For by your sacrifice, to a great height He will draw you, even as He has His Son, who "is at the right hand of God" this day. With Abraham, He "will bless you abundantly." Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "White" from Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, if we join your Son in obedience even unto death, we shall be raised with Him. YHWH, your Son has died to raise us all to new life; only His death could bear such fruit. And should we not therefore put faith in Him, Him whom you have declared your Beloved? Should we not thus come to a great love of you who have loved us so greatly? And would we not then come to glory, the same glory He shares with you this day? A sign you give to us this day, dear LORD, a sign of your eternal glory, a glory that comes to us by the death of Jesus the Christ. And so, we should not be afraid of the death we must die, of the offering we must make of our lives in His Name. For as we are joined to Him in sacrifice, so will we be joined to Him in your heavenly kingdom. O LORD, bring many souls, souls as countless as the stars, into the land you promise us and which you bring to fulfillment in the death of your Son. For this grace let us praise your Name forever in your House.

O disciple of John and shepherd who drank deeply of the cup of Christ’s suffering, you who bore both the burden of a long life and the pain of a violent death yet remained faithful till the end – pray that the fire into which we are cast we may also endure as the sacrifice of Jesus and so find it fruitful, and so find it blessed… and so rejoice in the witness we are granted to give in the name of our Savior. May the offering of our lives join with your own and all the saints’ in rising as holy incense to the throne of God and serve as witness, to the eyes that behold us, of the Lord’s great power and love.

O Rock of the Church, leader of God’s people to whom the Father has revealed the divinity of His Son and on whom the Son has therefore built His Church, giving you the keys to the kingdom, the power to bind and loose both on earth and in Heaven, that the ship you steer might conquer all Satan’s power by the power of the Spirit with which you serve your brothers, secure in the blessed protection and guidance of the Lord – pray the Church you do yet lead shall fulfill the call the Christ has placed upon every soul and that we shall come to our heavenly home in the light of the Messiah. Pray we shall indeed be strong and give faithful witness to our Savior.

O blessed reformer of the Church who by a holy austerity cleansed your soul of the corruption of this world and served by example to lead others to a religious life – teach us this day of the chastising hand of God and the suffering which leads to joy, that in the will of the Lord we might all be purged of our dross and come to the kingdom of Heaven. Pray that we, too, might realize and so benefit from the blessing upon us when our souls are lashed with pains that threaten sorrow, for He does but wish to lift us from the sinfulness of this passing earth to the consolation of His presence.

(Gn.9:8-15; Ps.25:4-9; 1Pt.3:18-22; Mk.1:12-15) "I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." In times past God made a covenant with Noah and his sons once they had come from the ark "that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings," that they and those who would descend from them, indeed all races of men, should experience such devastation no more. And the sign of the rainbow He has given "for all ages to come," that His covenant shall not be forgotten. This promise is a reassuring one, even if not by water but by fire we know this earth shall yet be destroyed. But a greater promise than this certainly we have, one for which this covenant is but a shadow. For now we have "Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him." Through His resurrection from the dead He now shines in the firmament more brightly than any rainbow, and indeed in Him all races of men meet again and find their hope, not only that they shall not be destroyed from the earth, but that they shall know everlasting salvation in heaven. Even "the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient when God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark," have this word preached to them. "The kingdom of God is at hand." Yes, the salvation of the Lord has been set firmly in our hearts, even as the rainbow God set in the heavens. He has remembered His "love" and "compassion" which "are from of old" and in His "goodness" has fulfilled them in His only Son. Though Jesus has had to suffer death for our sakes, yet death is remembered no more as we gaze upon His resurrected form – as the bow after the rain, so does His glory shine after the death of this flesh. And though the flood "prefigured Baptism," yet Baptism in the name of the Lord and into His death and resurrection is so much more, for "it is not a removal of dust from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience" with which we are blessed now. And so, brothers and sisters, let us find the "life in the Spirit" to which our Savior, come from the desert of our sin, now leads us. Let us fix our eyes upon His resurrection glory, even as we experience the death of the body. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Miracle" (second half) from Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let your kindness and compassion be fulfilled in our midst this day; let us turn from our sins to walk with Jesus on the way to you. YHWH, your Son has come to suffer and die and be raised to new life that we might be led from our sinful state to union with you in Heaven. Truly, your kingdom has walked among us in the Person of Jesus; truly, your kingdom is now at hand. Like a bow in the clouds is His resurrection from the dead – let us keep our eyes fixed on Him that truly we shall enter your reign. You are of compassion, LORD, and your love is from of old. It is this love you would share with the humble, and so you call us to follow in your ways. By repentance we shall come to you, and that we might receive this grace your Son cries out to our souls. Let us follow Him on the way of the Cross that the new day shall be ours. Your promise of eternal life is our treasure, LORD, our hope in a fallen world. And you are faithful to your promise – in Jesus we shall never be destroyed.

(Lv.13:1-2,44-46; Ps.32:1-2,5,7,11; 1Cor.10:31-11:1; Mk.1:40-45) "I said, 'I confess my faults to the Lord,' and you took away the guilt of my sin." The leper in our gospel confesses his faults to the Lord when he says, "If you wish, you can make me clean," for by these words he recognizes that "he is in fact unclean" – that he is a sick man in need of a physician. And Jesus takes away the guilt of his sin when He responds, "I do will it. Be made clean." For by a mere word from His mouth we are purged. That the sinner should cry out his guilt is evident even in the ancient Book of Leviticus; it gives specific instructions for the actions of the leper, whose sin has made him unclean: "The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard; he shall cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!' As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean." Here is a graphic representation of the way we sinners should present ourselves to the Lord. Like the leper who cries to Jesus on his knees, we should never hide our sin from the Lord; our "guilt [should be] covered not." For the Lord indeed sees all things – nothing is hidden from Him – so we fool only ourselves if we attempt to hide; and He can't heal us of our affliction if we do not come into His light. We must come before Him in all humility for the poison upon our souls, and He will save us from our sin. How sincere is the leper's contrition to move the Lord to such immediate pity! How pitiable indeed he is, as to a final hope for cleansing waters he comes with head bowed to the earth, his years of suffering evident in his shaking voice. Whimpering like a dog he humbles himself before the Lord… and a tear we find in Jesus' eye – inevitably He reflects our penitence in His grace. Let your heart break before Him! Bleed before the Lord who bleeds for you! Expose your sores to His eyes and His light shall cure them all. Finally, brothers and sisters, let us indeed "be imitators" of Paul, "not seeking [our] own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved," that people will keep "coming to [Jesus] from everywhere" to find the healing of their "sore of leprosy," to discover salvation from their sins. For He does "will it" for everyone – the redemption of all He holds in His arms of sacrifice. Let all souls show themselves to His priests; let all confess their sins openly, that reconciliation with God and one another all may know. O Lord, take away the sin from my soul! (Thank you for the sacrament you leave with us.) Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Be Well" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, take away the guilt of our sin and return us to your fold that we might declare your glory to all. YHWH, let us not dwell apart from you but forgive us our sins and let us return to your presence. Your Son leaves your side for a time to save us from our exile; may His sacrifice bring healing to all this day. We are all unclean in your sight, O LORD; before you we come on our knees begging to be relieved of our guilt. Heal the sore upon our souls, which would spell our death – stretch out your hand and make us clean. How merciful is your Son, LORD. How perfectly He reflects your compassion for the sinner. He is moved with pity at our contrition; He shares our tears as His own. O let all souls press upon Him for salvation! And let us all reflect His love in all we do, giving glory to you in all things. Let our tongues follow the confession of our faults with praise of your goodness… Let us become as Jesus, LORD, laying down our lives that all might be saved and return to you.

(Jb.7:1-4,6-7; Ps.147:1-6; 1Cor.9:16-19,22-23; Mk.1:29-39) "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." In our first reading, Job is about as brokenhearted as a man could be, beset entirely by the devil's trials as he is. "Swifter than a weaver's shuttle" his complete loss of goods and family and his own health has come upon him. And so he seems to see his days "come to an end without hope." More miserable a creature there could not be. In our gospel we are told that "Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever" and that the people of the town in which Jesus found Himself "brought to Him all who were ill or possessed by demons." Surrounded is He with the afflictions man suffers, the weakness to which our fallen race is so prone. It seems that all are indeed "brokenhearted" and wounded; as Simon Peter says upon finding the Lord praying in a deserted place the next morning: "Everyone is looking for you." All need so greatly the healing only He brings. And He does heal all who come to Him. As even before His birth into this world He served to set Job free from the clutches of Satan and grant him a new life which was beyond his hope; as Simon's mother-in-law "He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up," the fever fleeing His touch; as "He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and He drove out many demons" from those gathered at the door of the house where He stayed… so He continues "preaching and driving out demons," not only throughout Galilee and all of Judea and all of Israel, but to this day to the ends of the earth through His holy Church. Our Lord has become "a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible." Our weakness He has taken upon Himself to remove our weakness from us. Our diseases, our darkness, our sin… our "months of misery" He has borne that He might heal us of all infirmities – that He might bind up our broken hearts. Our salvation comes at the touch of His hand, at the breath of His mouth. Let us rise and walk with Him, for the Dawn has come and His grace-filled blood is upon us. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: ""This World of Sin" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, drive the demons from our souls, heal our broken hearts, that we might rise and offer you praise all the days of our lives. YHWH, has your Son not made Himself weak for our sakes? Has He not freely given His life to save us from sin? Does He not bind up our wounds and cast all demons from our midst? He heals the brokenhearted who cry out to Him – let us eagerly seek the touch of His hand. We gather around your Son, O LORD, for He is the door that leads to your presence. Only He can save us from the misery of this dark world and redeem our troubled souls, and so let us praise your goodness to us as we draw near to Him. We are all sick, LORD, all in the grip of a fever from which there seems no escape. The devil would have us believe the wickedness that surrounds us is eternal, but we know the night shall soon come to an end. Your light has already dawned upon us in the presence of your Son; let the grace of salvation be fulfilled in our midst.

O teacher and father of the children in your care, in whose hands they were not abandoned but held in patience by Christ’s love – teach us, too, to have that same patience, to have that same love for those the Lord places in our care, that anger shall be banished from our hearts and our minds, that the wisdom of Christ’s sacrifice you taught and lived we too might embody, and so serve in raising the kingdom of Heaven among the children of this earth. And pray that we, too, may know the Lord’s gentle word and touch upon our own souls  and so grow into His likeness.