The BreadCast

O holy virgin and martyr, you sang a song of love to Jesus, a song that could not be dimmed, could not be taken away, for you were protected by an angel of the Lord and willing to give your life to maintain your love for Him – pray for us poor souls of this day and age from whom purity is so far removed, who need deep conversion to believe, to see the angel at your side, to know the path to which the Lord calls us, the Cross which is every Christian’s song. So far removed, so far removed are we, and so impassible is the way to Him… inspire in our souls, dear saint, the desire for the incorruptible that beat in your heart, that we too might sing a song to Jesus pleasing to His ears.

(2Mac.7:1-2,9-14; Ps.17:1,5-6,8,15; 2Thes.2:16-3:5; Lk.20:27-38) "On waking I shall be content in your presence." Our hope is in the resurrection, brothers and sisters. It is this which gives us strength, and it is our endurance which brings us to His presence. Brothers and sisters, indeed, as Paul wishes us, we have "everlasting encouragement and good hope" through the grace of our Lord. He strengthens our hearts "in every good deed and word" and guards us "from the evil one." Thus our hearts should be directed "to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ." We have as our example today these seven brothers spoken of in the Second Book of Maccabees, who showed the endurance of Christ and their faith in the resurrection to life despite the severity of their torture at the hands of the wicked of this world – and all this before the coming of Christ into the world and the great graces He has since imparted to His Church. If they could die so for the law alone, to what deeds should we not be able to attain? If in the presence of their torturers they could state with such confidence, "The King of the world will raise us up to live again forever," what should we not be able to declare in the name of Him who has now been raised from the dead and ascended to glory? If they were so well able to regard their suffering "as nothing," how much easier should be our own sacrifice, we who stand "in the shadow" of His cross and have His wounds in which to take refuge? Indeed, such greater reason have we to hold to "the hope God gives of being raised up by Him." "That the dead will rise" there should be no doubt in our hearts. The fact that "to Him all are alive" should be firmly fixed as a peg in the deepest recesses of our souls. Certainly, this is who we are, children of the resurrection, with the calling to come to Christ, He who has been raised to life. I pray we shall all be "deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead." Children of God, may we be like angels in His presence when we rise. May our minds not be darkened by the night upon this earth, but let our hope be fixed on the coming morning and our faith strengthen us to endure until we stand with Him on that new day. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Too Good for This World" from Remove the Mask of Lies, second album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, give us the courage to believe we shall rise with your Son. YHWH, keep us steadfast in your paths that soon we might come to your heavenly kingdom; let us be ready to die for you, that we might be raised to glory. If the seven brothers spoken of in Maccabees could so readily give their lives, could so courageously face the cruel torture imposed upon them by the devil, what faith should we not have, dear LORD, we who have your only Son now at our side and your Holy Spirit to open our eyes? Do we not even now look upon your face; are the glimpses we gain today not so much greater than then? How strong we should be in walking your way, LORD, we to whom the resurrection has been spoken of so clearly. We whom your Son has told in no uncertain terms that the just shall rise from the dead and be like the angels of Heaven should have no doubt remaining in our hearts and no fear of proclaiming Jesus as God. O help us to endure with joy even to the Day of His coming!

(Wis.11:22-12:2; Ps.145:1-2,8-11,13-14; 2Thes.1:11-2:2; Lk.19:1-10) "The Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost." How beautifully the readings speak today of our "Lord and lover of souls" whose "imperishable spirit is in all things" and who is "good to all and compassionate to all His works." It is indeed "in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ" that we be glorified in Him and He in us, and so we praise Him: "Every day I will bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever." The Lord "love[s] all things that are"; all is made by Him, so how could He but love all. Though to Him "the whole universe is as… a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth," He loves it all with a most personal affection, shown in the grace-filled coming of His Son among us. And why has this Son come but to forgive? Why has He walked the earth but to call men back to their place in the loving heart of the Father? Why has He come but to show the Father's loving mercy? And appropriate is Paul's warning "not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly" in fear of the Lord's imminent return in judgment. Here is remedy against all the false prophets predicting the sudden end of this universe God has created, as if they could move His hand, as if they could know His mind. Whence does this come but the same grumbling of the people when Jesus moved to go in to sup with Zacchaeus, the famous sinner? Whence does this come but a failure to understand the Lord's wisdom and love and manner of working in the world, failing to see that what the Lord does is "rebuke sinners little by little, warn[ing] them and remind[ing] them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in [Him]"? It is evident that the majority in the crowd would have preferred, in fact, rejoiced in seeing, Zacchaeus' utter destruction. They expected the Lord's punishment on this sinner, and desired it to come immediately. Why? Again, they knew not God's love or the Lord's purpose. Why? Even more to the point: they were sinners themselves who failed to recognize their sin and realize their own need for mercy – and so had neither the Lord's patience, nor His love. How well that loving forgiveness is illustrated in our gospel; how like the parable of the Prodigal Son. As the son returns to the father, Zacchaeus goes ahead and climbs the tree. As the father sees the son from far off and goes to him, so Jesus spies Zacchaeus in the tree and calls to him. As the father's generous love sparks the son's complete repentance, so Jesus' acceptance of Zacchaeus brings salvation to his house, shown in his generous penance. I pray we all seek the Lord who seeks for us and act as Zacchaeus, who "came down quickly and received Him with joy," as the Lord freely offers His love and forgiveness to our souls. Praise Him for His kindness! Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Save the Children" (first half) from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, our stature before you has been diminished by sin, but your Son comes to raise us to Heaven. YHWH, how compassionate you are toward all your creatures, desiring the repentance of all in whom your imperishable Spirit dwells that they might not die but turn to you and live. And so you have sent your Son to seek and save the lost. And so we should praise you for your greatness. You have indeed made all things, and man in your image and likeness. And so you cannot but look upon us with pity as we distort your blessed image by sin; and so, little by little you rebuke us, LORD, reminding us of our sin that we might abandon our wickedness and believe in you. You are our God and King, faithful and holy in all your works, but we are weak and prone to stray from your grace. So in your kindness you bow down to lift us up, we who are falling, that we might look upon your face, that in glory we might dwell with your only Son… that your salvation might come even to the house of the worst sinner.

(Ex.32:7-11,13-14; Ps.51:3-4,12-13,17,19,Lk.15:18; 1Tm.1:12-17; Lk.15:1-32) "The Lord relented in the punishment He had threatened to inflict on His people." Redemption is ours, brothers and sisters. Though we are great sinners, the Lord has mercy on us when we turn to Him; for, as Moses interceded for the Israelites in the desert, so Christ Jesus intercedes for us now before the throne of His Father. Indeed, He "came into the world to save sinners," sinners like you and me. What examples of sinners we have throughout our readings today – what examples of great sinners and the greatness, the abundance of God's grace. Where shall we begin? In our first reading the people of Israel had fallen into the depths of depravity as they passed through the desert. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments, they were far below, "making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it." To it they sacrificed, and in drunken revelry proclaimed it God. Yet because of Moses' intercession the Lord held back His blazing wrath against them. He did not destroy them. In our second reading we find "the foremost" of sinners, the apostle Paul, recognizing his own great guilt as arrogant persecutor of the Church and, in the same breath, witnessing to the manner in which he was "mercifully treated" by the Lord, that he might indeed be "an example for those who would come to believe in [Jesus] for everlasting life." If the Lord can turn him who was the primary persecutor of Himself and His people into a leading apostle of His Word, how might He not convert our own hearts, or the hearts of any, to Him and to His will? And, of course, in our gospel we have the parable of the prodigal son, he who "squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation" yet was openly received into the waiting arms of the same father whose property he swallowed up when this dissolute child came to his senses and returned to him. The Lord makes so clear in His parable today the great desire God has to take the sinner in His arms, to place Him on His shoulders; indeed, "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance." Brothers and sisters, we all have need of repentance, and the Lord welcomes us all. After all this, perhaps our most poignant witness to God's forgiveness and grace comes in King David, who has been adulterous and murderous but who cries out to Lord in our psalm, "Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me." His "contrite spirit," his humble begging is heard by the Lord, as is the repentance of us all. Through the blood of Jesus, all ignorant sinners may be saved. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Wish I'd Never Done It" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, you welcome poor, repentant sinners into your House with joy. YHWH, have mercy on us poor sinners. In the greatness of your compassion, wipe out our offense. Like the Israelites who made the golden calf in the desert, like David who turned to adultery and murder, like Paul who persecuted your Son with such abandon, we are all your prodigal children. But as you had mercy on all of these, look upon us with kindness as we turn back to you. O LORD, how greatly you desire our repentance. What great joy it brings you when we confess our guilt. For this you sent your Son to suffer and die; to save our souls you did not spare His life. And so, as we listen to His teaching, as we hear His call to penitence, our contrite heart causes you to rejoice that you might have us home again. Forgive us our sins, dear God, and help us to forgive others. In this is your will fulfilled; in this the blood of your Son bears fruit, and we are redeemed.

O strong and holy apostle, soldier for the Lord Jesus and defender of His Church, you gathered together an army to labor in mission fields, to educate the masses, to serve and die as loyal sons of the Christ and His Pope – teach us this day to follow in the way of Jesus, to meditate on His life and be fruitful in His works. Pray your own sons and all the children of MotherChurch not waver in the faith which sustains them on this earth but that in all truth steadfast Christ’s disciples shall stand and proclaim in strength the salvation that comes only through Jesus and the Vine He has planted, through whose teaching and sacraments His very Spirit and blood flow.

O you of golden words, of angelic tongue, of sermons refined seven times by the Spirit of God… O how you made present on earth the invisible Creator even as He was made for us in the womb of the Virgin, so tangible had His grace become through the preaching the Lord inspired in your soul – pray we shall indeed be vivified by the eternal grace of God, by the gift of His becoming Man, to become like Him, heavenly spirits in His reign. How could we comprehend such blessing; how could such surpassing joy these earthen vessels hold? Let us come close to Christ our Savior, close to Him as now you stand in His radiant glory.

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.

(1Kgs.19:16b,19-21; Ps.16:1-2,5,7-11; Gal.5:1,13-18; Lk.9:51-62) "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." We must follow Jesus. And the path He walks leads to the cross. Our gospel tells us, "When the days for Jesus' being taken up were fulfilled, He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem." Jesus knows what awaits Him in Jerusalem. He knows how He will weep over the city for its lack of faith, and He knows their lack of faith will bring His crucifixion. Yet into the waiting arms of death He travels, undeterred. And how many there are who proclaim their desire to walk with Him; how many volunteer to follow in His way. But how little they know of the difficulty found on that road: "The Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head" – we must give up our homes. "Let the dead bury the dead" – we must leave behind our family. Yes, we must never look "to what was left behind," namely, "the desire of the flesh" of which Paul speaks. We are now "guided by the Spirit"; the flesh no longer holds sway over us. That which is opposed to the Spirit we must give no thought to anymore. Look at Elisha, the powerful prophet, in our first reading. He is called by the master, Elijah. Yes, he fails to follow immediately, but look at what he does in saying good-bye to his family. He takes what has been his livelihood to this day and sacrifices it utterly: he slaughters the oxen and even uses "the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh," giving the meat as food for his people. Nothing remains to call him back; he effects a total departure from his old self. Brothers and sisters, we must take such complete refuge in the Lord. We must say with David, "O Lord, my allotted portion and cup, you it is who hold fast my lot." All must be given over to Him and entrusted to His care. It does us no good to hesitate on our journey with Him or take up things which will weigh us down along the way. "Do not submit again to the yoke of slavery," Paul exhorts us. Leave all the desires of this world behind to find the freedom known only in heaven. Then we will proclaim with David: "I set the Lord before me; with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed." We will know His mantle of strength and protection in our call to walk with Him; the yoke of slavery to sin will be broken from our shoulders. We are truly free, brothers and sisters, only insofar as we follow Him, submitting ourselves to the cross. O Lord, take all that keeps us back from following in your way, that in such death to self we may draw nigh to your kingdom. Your cross is the path to life. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Hold On, Here We Go" (second part) from Bearing the Birth Pangs, tenth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, may your Spirit guide us on the road to the Cross. YHWH, how shall we be fit for your kingdom? How shall we give ourselves as we must to your will? Help us to leave all behind and never turn back to it. Help us to follow your Son even to the Cross. For if you do not help us, we shall falter on the way. Without your grace we shall not have the light and strength we need. O LORD, our spirit is willing to follow you, but how weak is our flesh. How concerned we are about the things of this earth! And so your Son must be severe with us, for how else shall we break the yoke of slavery to sin? Without His sharp Word we would linger in complacency all our days. O let the ties that bind us to this world be cut and we be free to walk with Jesus in utter service and love! May the fire of your Spirit be upon us to burn away all attachment to sin. Be our sole refuge, dear God, that no corruption we shall know but remain at your right hand forever.

O Holy Tabernacle,         preeminent member and model of the Church         to whom you gave birth…         as you are Mother of the Head,         so, too, Mother of the Body,         of all those redeemed         by the Blood of your Son,         with whom you shared such intimate union –         pray that we be made fruitful         by your intercession,         children of the Lord Most High         and your children,         conceived of the Spirit that overshadowed you         and for whom you waited         with the apostles in the upper room.         Pray we make our home in you         as in the Church         born from the side of Jesus         pierced upon the Cross         beneath which you stood.         Dear Mother, pray we follow you         into glory.

O Mother of our Lord, who are we that you should visit us? Over hills you came to see your cousin Elizabeth and the child she conceived so miraculously; to her you brought the Child who brings us all salvation. Yes, to us all you bring Jesus… all holy souls you visit with His grace. John the Baptist proclaims this Savior whom he has known first in your voice, and all hearts leap up at your approach; for the Lord is with you, even in your blessed womb: how blessed is this fruit you bear! Visit us this day, dear Mother, with Jesus our Redeemer, that even this day we may rejoice in His Name.