The BreadCast

O servants of the Lord who welcomed Him into your home, fulfilling all the duties of hospitality, and yet realized as He taught that it is He who serves us poor creatures, who is the resurrection and the life… in whose House we make our home – pray that even as we fulfill the duties of our station in life we too shall come to believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God who comes to us to serve us in His need, allowing Himself to be fed by us that He might feed our souls with everlasting life, with the Spirit that passes not away with the body.

(Ex.20:1-17; Ps.19:8-11,Jn.6:69; Mt.13:18-23) "What was sown on good soil is the man who hears the message and takes it in." "The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul… The command of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eye… More precious than gold" and "sweeter also than syrup or honey from the comb" is the word of God. How beautifully our psalm speaks of the words of everlasting life which issue forth from the mouth of God, the Law of the Lord embodied in Christ Jesus. And those who follow the command of God shall bear a mighty yield, for "the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever." In our first reading we find the great Law written on stone, our Ten Commandments – the blessed guide of man's walk through this world of sin. They give light to our steps, teaching us ever the way we should go. But great as these words are and necessary as they may be to keep our steps from faltering, to prevent our eye from entering darkness, so much greater is He who sums them up and brings them to completion in His flesh and blood. The love of God and neighbor commanded so clearly to Moses on Mount Sinai here shines in a light beyond our human comprehension. Indeed, to hear its call, to become good soil, we must be made as He is, walking in the grace of divine perfection. Only then will the Word which stirs our souls – in whose light we long to cleanse our hearts and by which we hope to enter God's reign – only through the intercession of Jesus the Son of God, the eternal Word of the Father, will we come to know the realization of the call of God to His children, rendered in His commands. Thirst for the Word, brothers and sisters. Our souls must indeed have a deep hunger for His presence, for the light that comes only by following Him. Our worship must not be in vain, and we must not be distracted by the allure of this world. Standing fast through any suffering, we must take in deeply the Word spoken to our hearts, ever making greater place for Jesus in our lives. We must put flesh to the words of everlasting life, we must be as the Law walking the face of the earth – we must be as our Savior, Jesus Christ. Then it is we shall know His blessing; then we shall labor with Him and yield a great harvest. Then we shall share in the sweetness of the glory of Him who commands us to walk rightly by His side. Today let us rejoice in the Lord and in His Law; let us find the light it brings and become children of that light. With Jesus and all His saints in heaven let us hear the Word whispered deeply in our spirits and become doers of that word of God. Then we shall bear fruit unto eternal life. ******* O LORD, let nothing take us from you; in your Word let us make our home. YHWH, let us hear and heed your commands, for you have the words of everlasting life and by your instruction we are saved and produce fruit in your holy NAME. To Moses you gave your Law, O LORD, that we might remember to love you always and so to love our fellow man. In this is our joy, you know, dear God, and so you lead us on right paths that we might be blessed by you. And your Son you send to speak clearly to our souls of the way which leads to life. Of the dangers He tells us, LORD, that we might not be separated from the light of your face. If it is your Word we desire, we shall be enlightened and walk with Him along the way of perfection. Let us not lose your grace and blessing, LORD, but prepare good soil to receive your Word, that we might grow ever unto Heaven and become a fragrant offering to you.

O parents of the Virgin Mary, grandparents of the Lord our God, you who gave birth to our Blessed Mother, through whom we are blessed for all ages… O you through whom the promise to David came to be fulfilled, you whose virtues found favor with the Lord, you whom He chose to bring forth His Mother and the Mother of all the redeemed – pray our posterity shall endure even as your own, that we shall bear fruit even in our old age and see our children’s children in a happy Jerusalem. Pray we shall know the Virgin as intimately as you and so come to know our Lord in the kingdom where He reigns.

O martyred apostle, first to endure the death of Christ, you have indeed drunk of His cup, fully accepting the sacrifice to which all are called, and so blazed the path of service for others to follow – pray all God’s children, all those blessed to be called as sons, as brothers of the Lord, will have the courage and strength that comes from the Spirit to lay down their lives as a ransom for many and so find a place beside our Savior Jesus in His heavenly kingdom. Pray the blood of Christ in which you shared so intimately pour upon His Church and all souls be blessed to drink thereof unto the world’s salvation.

O solitary prayer, alone with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament you offered your life for the salvation of souls; in penance you lived, and so a light shone even from your tomb to show the presence of Christ and His miraculous powers at work in the world – pray all souls seek perfection in prayer, the perfection of being with Jesus, of remaining always in His presence with a heart of love poured out for our fellow man. Pray even now for the salvation of all, for what else matters but that we come to dwell with you in the light of our Lord, adoring Him forever?

O seer of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the scourges and the nails, of the blows and mockery He endured, of the blood which covered His face and all His skin… O you who have witnessed all His suffering and sought so diligently to share in it with Him – pray that we who are so blind to the pain and anguish our Savior bore under the weight of the Cross we build by our sin may by His grace have our eyes opened, and so turn from our own condemnation to the blood of redemption He has shed for our sakes and take refuge in the penance that leads all souls to the kingdom.

(Gn.22:1-19; Ps.115:1-6,8-9; Mt.9:1-8) "God put Abraham to the test." And so is his faith in the living God made known. And so we see to what faith and obedience we are called. All that we hold back from the Lord, all that is due our God – and our neighbor – we must give without hesitation at the voice of His command. In Leviticus 5, a ram is prescribed as the sacrifice for those who have withheld their tithe, who have shorted the Lord of His due offering. And the same is prescribed for those who cheat their neighbor of what is justly theirs. It is a ram Abraham finally offers "in place of his son," to satisfy the sacrifice called for by the Lord. And what the Lord teaches us in this passage is that, really, what is due to Him is beyond our ability to pay. Not only are our children in His hands (and any other blessings), but our very lives as well are His – all comes to us only as a gift of His love. And His greatest gift shall be His only Son, whom He shall offer without reservation, not withholding Him from such sacrifice on the cross, that what is due Him may be fulfilled by Him, since it is beyond our ability to do so. Isaac carried the wood of his own sacrifice to "the place of which God had told [Abraham]" to travel. He is as the unknowing sheep led to his own slaughter and is a sign of the Christ who will carry the wood of His own cross, without a word, to His own crucifixion. How can we understand all this? What a test it puts us to! Abraham prepares to slaughter the son of the promise; by the Father's will Jesus is nailed to a cross like the worst of criminals… How can the mind of man fathom the workings and will of God? The question seems overwhelming but the answer is simple – and it is but that we trust in Him and in His love. In our gospel, "when Jesus saw [the] faith" of the people in "His own town," He was moved to forgive the sins of the paralytic; and in the same breath, by the same power, to heal him. The scribes were indignant at His presumption to forgive sins. "Why do you harbor evil thoughts?" Jesus asks, putting them to the test before revealing to them the authority given Him. And are not their thoughts like our own? Are not their doubts and questions and, indeed, presumptions not like our own hesitation and refusal to come to faith in God and trust in His will and His love? Are not their fears like our own in coming to the foot of the cross and partaking of His blood? Our psalm makes clear that our God is a loving God, not one of wood or metal, and it is life He desires for His children. Jesus makes clear God's desire for us to be healed, to be whole in His sight – and His beneficence in "giving such authority to men" to effect this desire (particularly in the Sacrament of Confession); we must not think He is otherwise, and we must be prepared to give Him our very lives. For how else shall we come to life but by giving all to Him who holds all in His loving hands? Have faith and trust in Him, brothers and sisters, and obey His command. It brings only life. ******* O LORD, your Son has authority to forgive men's sins, for it is by the blood of His sacrifice we are redeemed. YHWH, you put us to the test to see if our faith is strong, to see if we really love you above all things and truly trust in your providence. For your providence can be trusted; your love cannot be denied. You have given us your only Son in sacrifice, and so we are free from all cares, all sin, in this life. O let us stand up and walk with you in the steps of Jesus your Son! We shall not die. This is what you wish to teach us, LORD. You hold our lives in your hand and you shall not let go. And so, we need not turn to idols of silver and gold, lifeless objects with no breath in them; we need but trust in your unending love and we shall be blessed through all generations. Heal us, O LORD, of all the evil that is within us, all the fear and all the blindness to your will. Let us give you praise for your grace among us and, ready to sacrifice all to you, have faith in your abundant love.

O first of souls to shed blood, whose sacrifice began the great persecution, you indeed handed your bodies over to torture, to the mad king of this dark world, but everlasting reward you have gained for yourselves and for the Church; your robes washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, you served to nourish the growth of the people of God – pray your holy offering shall always be remembered, that the Church in this day and in all days may be blessed by your witness of faith, that you might light our path to Heaven until our crucified Lord returns again to gather all of faith and courage into His redeeming arms.

(Gn.17:1,9-10,15-22; Ps.128:1-5; Mt.8:1-4) "Can Sarah give birth at ninety?" Abraham laughs to himself as he asks the question; and indeed many scoff at the idea today, or simply choose to reason the possibility away. And can a leper be made clean in an instant, just by a touch of Jesus' hand and the words "Be cured"? Is the arm of God, who created the universe, somehow shortened to such miracles? Why do we think it so? Wherefore our lack of faith? God appears to this ninety-nine-year-old man and tells him whose wife is barren, in the words of our psalm: "Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the recesses of your home; your children like olive plants around your table." And Abraham laughs. (As will Sarah, too, upon hearing such news – thus the name of their child Isaac: "he laughs".) It's an understandable reaction. Who would not find the thought humorous? But Abraham does something more than laugh: he also "prostrates himself" before the Lord, face to the floor. How many of our modern scoffers would do such as this? It is human to question, to doubt; but it is godly to humble oneself in faith. There is a world of difference between a laugh of wonder and the scoffing of the skeptic. The latter shall remain barren, never finding the living water that would make him fertile and fruitful; the former by his fear of the Lord opens himself to His favor, to His blessing – and such life-giving breath of blessing will make him bear fruit abundantly. This humble faith is perfectly evident in the leper as well, and is indeed the catalyst of his healing. We are told the leper "came forward and did Him homage" – falling on his face like Abraham – and said to the Lord, "If you will to do so, you can cure me." First he shows humility, he shows fear of the Lord; then he expresses his faith. Simply put, he believes in the power of God. And so he is healed. He is made whole, more whole indeed than the Pharisees and priests who stand by calculating how this can be. God does not come to the proud. He does not show Himself to the self-righteous. He cannot. They refuse Him at every turn. To the humble of heart, to the poor in spirit, the Lord is present – and His blessings they receive. And miraculous are they beyond what the eye can see. Amen. ******* O LORD, free us from all our disease by a word from your mouth, as we bow humbly before you. YHWH, by a word from your mouth the barren womb bears fruit; by a word from your mouth we are healed. Our reproach, our leprosy, is taken from those who come to you in faith, who bow before you in humility. Only in this way are we saved – only in this way are our lives of any worth. In wonder we look upon your works, O LORD, in wonder and thanksgiving. How can we not give you praise for your blessings upon us? If we fear you and the hand you stretch forth to redeem our souls, we shall indeed know your blessings upon us through all generations. Laughter you put into our mouths, dear LORD, as we look upon your hand at work. What joy you bring to the tired soul by your grace living amongst us! Though we seemed at the point of death, though disease had taken hold – you have freed us to walk with you… in all our days your will is done.

O most blessed apostles of the Lord upon whom the Church is founded and the faith goes forth, in you we cannot be shaken and the Lord’s reign extends to the ends of the earth – pray we always take refuge in His House and in the teaching of His mouth. It is you who preserve the authenticity of the faith; through you we may be assured the Spirit of God is with us, leading us out of the dark prison of this world along the narrow path to Heaven. Pray the chains fall from our hands and we heed the angel’s command, remaining faithful to the end, pouring out our lives like a libation. Feed the poor sheep in your care.