The BreadCast

(Gn.15:1-6,21:1-3; Ps.105:1-9; Heb.11:8,11-12,17-19; Lk.2:22-40) "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon Him." What child is this of whom Simeon the prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit, declares to the Lord, "My eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all peoples," even as he holds Jesus in his arms? This indeed is He who is the "light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for [His] people Israel"; this indeed is the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham, foreshadowed in the birth of Isaac, by whom Abraham's descendants would be "as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore." "Binding for a thousand generations," forever, was the covenant the Lord "entered into with Abraham and by His oath to Isaac," and now that covenant is brought to perfection in the sight of Simeon and Anna; now "all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem" could rejoice and "give thanks to the Lord," for to the temple had come the Christ of God: here is the Messiah. "Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord!" for in Jesus His Son you shall find Him. Though raised in a humble family in the town of Nazareth, this is He who raises all His chosen unto heaven, who brings salvation to His people. And so rejoice indeed "you descendants of Abraham, His servants, sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!" for even as "there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead," innumerable descendants, even as the Lord fulfilled His promise to Abraham by the birth of Isaac, so the Lord's promise to Simeon "that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord" is fulfilled in all our midst even this day. Listen to the prophet's proclamation: the light has come! We are no longer in darkness, no longer in mournful anticipation. And so with Anna we should come forward now and speak "about the child" to all who will listen, to all who long to hear the good news of God. Brothers and sisters, let the Lord grow in our midst. In this Holy Family that is His Church let Him be nurtured and known. For God's favor rests upon Him alone and by no other child does salvation come. Today He is presented to all waiting hearts. Written & chanted by James Kurt; read by Sylvia Kurt; produced by Roger Fortney. Music by Abouna Joseph; used by permission. ******* O LORD, let your Word be fulfilled in the lives of all your children – let our eyes see your salvation. YHWH, your Word you fulfill in our midst for you are faithful. Your Christ you send among us to save us from our sins that we might be as your children forever. Let us enter your generation, LORD, and be of your Holy Family. Your Son has become our brother and so we know you as our Father, LORD. Your promise is fulfilled and He now dwells among us – and so you, too, are with us. From the womb of the Virgin Mary is born a Child with whom we grow into your holy image; we are made pure as she by the grace upon her Son. In Nazareth let us make our home, O LORD, with Jesus and Mary and Joseph; then our home in Heaven will be secure and even here we will have your blessing. Though a sword must pierce our heart as it has with Jesus and Mary and Joseph and all your saints, yet we shall rejoice in your goodness toward us, that you make us fruitful with Abraham as children of a living faith. Let us become strong and wise in your sight.

O blessed martyr who died in the cathedral, murdered by the king of this world as you defended the Chair of Peter and the true faith of the Church – where can we find bishops like yourself; how shall the Church be led without holy apostles willing to give their lives as Christ, in whose place they stand? Pray for us, devout shepherd, that many will be inspired by your example to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and defend the faith even unto the shedding of blood, for what is the shedding of blood in this world compared with the light of Heaven you now know in our Savior’s presence? Pray for us and let us pray with you, seeking truth and love in our pilgrimage on this earth.

O innocent martyrs of the Christ who gave your lives from the cradle for Him who carries the Cross, who suffered and died in His place even before His crucifixion, even as His martyrs would do after His death on the Tree – let our hearts cry not for the evil that has wrought your violent death; pray we not fear the dark wrath of this world’s king but set our hearts on the joy of our Lord’s kingdom, where you now reign with Him and to which we hope to come by the laying down of our own lives in His Name. And pray for the least among us who suffer the most this day, that they who are murdered in the womb will know the light of Christ’s holy face.

O beloved disciple of the Lord who saw Him and touched Him, who believed in Him with all your being, who loved Him so that no love but His surpassed your own – speak to us this day of the Word of life who has come among us, died for us, and been raised from the grave. Continue to proclaim that love which alone saves men from sin, which alone banishes death from our midst; let us share in your love for Jesus and join you in proclaiming Him who has come in the joy you knew so well. Point us to Him even this day, that we too might see and believe.

O first martyr, model of Christ’s love and bearer of His Holy Spirit in wisdom and in truth, you who spoke as the Lord Himself and died as He died, with the forgiveness of your persecutors upon your lips and utter trust of the Father in your heart – pray that we too will find the grace and strength to commend our lives into the Father’s hands, never holding bitterness toward those who destroy the body, who would chain the Word, but ever loving every soul even as you have done. O let our hearts be set on Jesus! let them bleed as His own, that united in Heaven with Him we shall be with you in the glory of God.

(2Sm.7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16; Ps.89:2-5,27,29; Rom.16:25-27; Lk.1:26-28) "The Lord God will give Him the throne of David His father." "I have made a covenant with David my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations." Here is the promise made to King David. Upon his seeking to build a house for the Lord, "the Lord… reveals to [David] that He will establish a house for [him]." Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord declares to His humble servant: "When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm." This would seem like all the world to refer to the great King Solomon, but it does not. For, like the earth itself, Solomon and all his gold – and even "the rest from all [his] enemies," the peace the Lord establishes under his reign – will pass away; they cannot "endure forever" and neither can such a kingdom. The prophet speaks of a kingdom established in heaven (where all by nature endures forever), not one of the earth. And so it is not Solomon of whom the prophet and the psalmist speak, but Jesus, He whose coming is hailed today by the angel's words to the Blessed Virgin: "He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." For Abraham has died and Jacob has died and David has died and Solomon has died… and their graves are with us to this day. But Jesus, Jesus lives; Jesus lives forever at the right hand of His Father. It is indeed Jesus who most truly says to the Lord God, "You are my Father, my God, the Rock." It is He who is His only Son: it is He who is God Himself, one in being with the Father. This is "the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through the prophetic writings"; this is "the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith": Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the only Son – and we must worship Him. Come now, brothers and sisters, to this Child Mary bears by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Him your peace shall be established in the Father's kingdom. Come to His holy throne, enter into His eternal reign… and with His humble king, and with His humble Mother, you shall be blessed forever. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Removing the Log from my Eye" (first part) from Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let the Mother of our Lord come to us, too, that new life may stir in us as well. YHWH, blessed is the womb of Bethlehem, of Israel, of Mary the Mother of your Son. For in her you have prepared a body, the body of Jesus, the Word made flesh, that shall be as offering for our sins. In Him we are saved, for in Him your majesty reigns, and so your glory is now in our midst. O let us leap like John the Baptist at the approach of your Son and His Mother! Bring to life what has remained dormant for such a long time. Arouse within us the joy of new life that we might be stirred to proclaim your glory. He has come who shall shepherd us, LORD; let us be filled with the Holy Spirit. The sacrifices of old now pass away as all prophecy is fulfilled in the flesh of your only Son. And so we pray, let your will be done. Let your greatness reach to the ends of the earth and your peace reign in every heart by the power upon Jesus the Christ. O LORD, let us be consecrated to you in His holy offering.

O holy teacher of the faith and pastor of Christ’s flock who instructed with wisdom and led by kindness and humility those in your care and all those around you – teach us today not only to know our faith but to practice it by holiness of life as you have done, so simply, so thoroughly as a child of the Lord. Pray for us and pray for our priests, for whom you are a model of perfection. All yourself you have given in imitation of Jesus; may the Lord God be in our hearts and on our lips just so truly as He has been with you, good teacher.

O great defender of the faith, of the clear waters, the wellspring of salvation that flows from the Sacred Heart of our Savior into His holy Church, thus to nourish the world and fill it with truth and wisdom and love… you whom the Lord inspired with apostolic zeal to teach and lead souls along His holy way – teach us today by your gracious intercession to be faithful, to be obedient to the voice of Jesus and the Spirit speaking in the Mother the Lord God provides His pilgrim people. Let us not be separated from His Word and His precious Body and Blood, but come together as one in His presence.

(Is.61:1-2,10-11; Lk.1:46-50,53-54; 1Thes.5:16-24; Jn.1:6-8,19-28) "A man named John was sent from God." Here is the one of whom the prophet speaks, and who can rightly proclaim the words inscribed by Isaiah: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me." Here is he who has come "to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God." The Spirit is upon him and he speaks of the coming Messiah. He has been sent by God to "testify to the light." But who heeds his proclamation? Who is able to hear this voice crying and find the joy of the path it would blaze in their hearts? How many are still as the priests and Levites and Pharisees of today's gospel, inquiring so blindly, "Who are you"? How many are as the commentators of the missal I read, who term the prophecy of Isaiah a "poem," and state that the Canticle of Mary is "a song that Luke put into the mouth of Mary"? How many have no sense of prophecy, or the Spirit, or God Himself? How many are deaf to John's cry? Our brother Paul instructs us: "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances." And yet the greatest of all prophetic utterances are watered down in ankle-deep wisdom. "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord," Mary declares. The Spirit wells up in her spirit and she cannot but "rejoice in God [her] Savior." These are not words put into her mouth by any man; her prophecy does not come from the pen of a scribe but from the very Spirit of God! The Word of God cannot be chained; the voice "crying out in the desert" cannot be tamed by those "not worthy to untie" the mysteries hidden in sacred Scripture. Paul will be put under house arrest; the Baptist Herod will cast into his dungeon; the Christ shall be crucified – but the Word of God will go forth, and nothing shall silence its voice. The testimony to the light must be heard, "so that all might believe through Him"; there will ever be proclaimed "liberty to captives and release to the prisoners" by the power of Jesus Christ, until all hear of the mercy He has "on those who fear Him." A man named John was sent, not to testify to himself, but to prophesy the grace of God; and his voice will cry out the way to the ends of the earth and to the end of time. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Removing the Log from my Eye" (second part) from Listening to the Lamp, ninth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, your Son is coming and we should repent of all sin that we might be ready to rejoice and give Him praise. YHWH, the fire of the Spirit has come to us; John has proclaimed the light in our midst. Jesus, your Son, is now among us, and what should we do but rejoice? O LORD God, holy is your NAME, and holy is the One whom you send to us. So holy is He that we are not worthy to kneel at His feet. For He reflects your greatness, O LORD; His light is your own. How can we stand in your overwhelming glory, except that in Him we receive your promised mercy in our soul? What mercy you bring us this day, LORD God! What grace is ours in the word the Baptist speaks. For he proclaims the Christ come among us – he proclaims the salvation of your lowly ones. We are but your servants, LORD, unworthy to wait on your only Son. Yet you bless us with your loving mercy and invite us to perfection in Him. And so, what can we do but rejoice?

(Is.35:1-10; Ps.85:9-14,Is.35:4; Lk.5:17-26) "A highway will be there, called the holy way." Jesus is the highway; holy is He! He is the stream that "will burst forth in the desert." It is He who "strengthen[s] the hands that are feeble [and] make[s] firm the knees that are weak," that they might walk along His way. It is He who forgives sins. For "no one unclean may pass over" the safe path He makes in the wilderness of this world, and He wishes to "give His benefits" to all of faith. "Near indeed is His salvation to those who fear Him." "Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing," prophesies Isaiah. And Jesus says to the paralyzed man, "Get up! Take your mat with you and return to your house." And what did the man do? "He picked up the mat he had been lying on and went home praising God." "We have seen incredible things today!" the crowd exclaims in awe, for the great vision of the prophet Isaiah has come to pass before their eyes: before them is being set the path to paradise. "Hear what the Lord proclaims," brothers and sisters: "Justice shall walk before Him, and salvation, along the way of His steps." Along His holy way "the redeemed will walk. Those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy." All those forgiven their sins will enter their homes praising God. Yes, the "desert and the parched land… will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song." We once paralyzed in our sin, by His hand, by His word, along His holy way, shall walk once again. He has come. "Here is your God, He comes with vindication; with divine recompense He comes to save you." In Him "kindness and truth… meet, justice and peace… kiss." In Him we are made whole by the breath of His mouth, by the words from His lips. And now we have "a journey to make." Now there is a way to walk. Let us remain upon this highway. Let us preserve the healing He has brought to our bones. Let us now live in faith with our Lord. ******* O LORD, tear down the mountains of pride and fill in the valleys of fear that we might come to you on straight paths. YHWH, how shall our flesh see your salvation? How shall we come to your glory, we poor, miserable creatures? Only because you call us to redemption. Only because you desire us to share in your heavenly majesty. And only if we make straight the way for your Son to come into our hearts. O LORD, let us ever increase in knowledge of what is good and lasting, that we might be made pure and blameless for the day of Christ, that we might become as He is, blessed to be called your sons. O let us give glory and praise to you for such a blessing! Restore our fortunes, dear God; may we who have been separated from you and sent into exile be brought back to your holy City, to your mountain. As on royal thrones let us be borne aloft to gaze upon your splendor and glory, O King of all the nations. Great things you have indeed done for us, for now our weeping is turned to joy and we enter your presence bearing great fruit. Alleluia!