The BreadCast

O converter of peoples, called from the quiet of cloister walls you went obediently over seas to preach to the souls to whom you were sent, and the Lord worked through your obedience, spoke through the words you uttered to the nations… and so the light of holy faith banished the darkness of error and souls indeed were gathered into Christ’s fold – pray, O shepherd, obedience shall be ours, too, and all whom the Father would hold unto His breast shall come indeed to that sacred place and there find their rest. May God’s will be accomplished in His Church and we bear fruit in His name.

O priest of joy whose song of service rises unto the Lord until this day, whose delight in sacrifice inspires others to give themselves in freedom to the work of Christ – pray all God’s priests and people will give themselves so completely in the love of the only Son that indeed a holy song might rise unto the heavens until He returns from there to carry us home forever. May the Lord’s healing graces be poured forth through your generous intercession that all souls might be prepared to unite with their Creator and Redeemer, with the Spirit who inspires the Church even here with His glorious presence.

O humble soul whom the Lord blessed with mystical elevations to His heavenly presence, you who remained so faithful through all trials and encouraged others to seek such perfection as well – pray that this proud age which leans so distinctly from the truth, from the love of God, will be consumed as you were by the Holy Spirit, by desire for the Lord’s overtaking of our lives, that all souls will turn from the false gods at their hands, idols that overshadow their spirits, and toward the humility known only in our Savior’s blood. Only in Him is life eternal; pray all souls will come to His love.

O Shepherd and Father, defender of the faith and of holy MotherChurch against those who would rob her of her freedom, those who would rape her, stealing away her purity, those who would deny her singleness in the sight of God as the House which He has founded – those who would destroy the faith and bring to naught the Church, our Mother, and Peter, our Holy Father, do not relent in their efforts… and so we need still your prayers and your courage to aid us in standing strong against the tide the evil one stirs up in this world. Pray indeed, O Father, that all our shepherds and all God’s people will tirelessly defend the truth in love.

O learned master whose life itself was as a monastery, consumed as you were by study and teaching and writing and prayer, who till the very end spoke the name of the Lord in all your words and deeds – pray that the incense of your life will rise unto the throne of God and intercede for us here below who are so far from His presence, from knowledge of His providence and remembrance of His sacrifice. How will we find ourselves one with the Lord of Creation and ascend to His glory if you do not pray for us, O blessed soul so united to His will, so held within His Hand and breathing forth His name?

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.

(Jas.2:14-24,26; Ps.112:1-6; Mk.8:34-9:1) "Faith without works is as dead as a body without breath." How dead indeed is a body without breath; how short a time we can go without breathing before dying. And so how much is our faith dependent on works to remain alive. Brothers and sisters, we are human, we have bodies – of the earth, of flesh and bone, we are. We are not angels. And having bodies we must use what God gave us, what we are: it is in such action we prove the worth of our salt. We cannot sit by idly while another suffers and call ourselves Christian; we cannot prove our faith other than by actions. We must work out our call. We must "take up [our] cross and follow in [Christ's] steps." Sitting by the side of the road will get us nowhere. Just as Abraham showed His belief in God by taking his son to be sacrificed, so must we move as the Lord calls. And He calls us to service, He calls us to love. He calls us to lay down our lives for the sake of others. And this not just in thoughts or words, but in deeds. We must be as He who "dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright" and conduct our "affairs with justice." If we are ashamed of Jesus and the doctrine of the cross He preaches, if we hide our light under a bushel basket afraid to speak or act in His name, He makes quite clear that He will be "ashamed of [us] when He comes with the holy angels in the Father's glory." Profession of faith alone is not sufficient to enter "the reign of God established in power"; we must practice what is preached. Was not Jesus of flesh and bone? Did He not perform great works in our midst? And does He not still perform great works through us His Church; or are we now angels flying at heaven's gate? Flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone we must be, or we are nothing worth. We eat His body and drink His blood and shoulder His cross to find "the wealth and riches [that] shall be in His house," that will live eternally. (It occurs to me that the quote could be reversed to be phrased more literally: "Faith without works is dead as breath without a body," wandering aimlessly; but it would not get across the dire need for works quite so forcefully.) ******* O LORD, man and woman are one and are brought together in your will; in our covenants let us reflect your mercy and faithfulness. YHWH, give us your patience in enduring all things. You are kind and merciful; let us be like you. Help us to practice your compassion in our marriages and in all our relationships – let us be ready as you to forgive. Yes, let all our sins be put far from us. If we endure with you, O LORD, shall we not be blessed? If with you we practice patience and kindness when put to the test, will we not share in your reward? Let us be so joined to you, LORD, that we may indeed be called your Body in this world. O my LORD, let us never be divorced from love of one another or love of you. Let our covenants be sure as your own; for you have promised to be with us even till the end of the age, and so, should we abandon one another? Would this not be an abandonment of you? Let our 'yes' be 'yes', O LORD, and let us therefore live forever in your eternal Word, in the truth and love only you hold.

(Jas.2:1-9; Ps.34:2-7; Mk.8:27-33) "You are not judging by God's standards but by man's!" This is a most important statement Jesus makes; it really cuts to the heart of His teaching, and to His sacrifice for our sins. He has just finished asking His apostles, "Who do you say that I am?" and for perhaps the first time heard their belief that He is the Messiah. This is a critical moment. But there is no time to sit back and enjoy it, for "He then began to teach them that the Son of Man had to suffer much, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, be put to death, and rise three days later." He knows they will not understand. He knows they will not hear "rise three days later" but "suffer" and "death" and be appalled that the Son of God should be treated so. The sacrifice is here beyond their comprehension. And He knows, too, that Peter does not only speak for all when he declares Jesus the Messiah, but also when he "remonstrates with Him." And so the Lord turns around from where Peter had led Him privately, and makes a point of "eyeing the disciples"; for in His reprimand of Peter as "Satan", He reprimands them all. Their minds must be utterly changed; they must see things as God – they must look upon heaven and not earth. James, of course, speaks of the same matter in his discourse condemning favoritism or the judging of others by appearance. For if we favor the rich man with the gold rings, we are showing our preference for the mark of the beast "who blaspheme[s] that noble name which has made us God's own." If we judge against the faith of the poor in favor of the wealth of the rich and powerful, what are we saying? That we desire the riches and power of this world and not the treasure God holds in store for us in heaven. We are indeed "as judges who hand down corrupt decisions," for we are nothing but false to the faith we profess. Again we must ask ourselves what our hearts are set upon. The Lord's challenge to our souls is severe. Is it Satan's realm we prefer, or are we as "the lowly" of whom David sings, who find salvation in glorifying the Lord. It is a clear choice with which we are presented: to judge as God or to judge with the limited and ultimately deadly vision of man fallen under the sway of Satan. It is from just such judgment the Lord has come to release the apostles, and all His Church, in His Name. ******* O LORD, let us not be plunged in the sea or herded into the nether world, but let us set our hearts and minds on you and so find life everlasting. YHWH, let us be poor, poor in spirit, poor to this world and its deadly passions. Let us put no hope in the riches that rot, or we shall rot with them. Let us seek, rather, the riches of your kingdom by giving our poor cup of water for the upbuilding of your Church. Take from us, LORD, all that keeps us from you. Let us not steal or walk in the paths of the unrighteous or look with lust upon anything or anyone. Take hand or foot or eye from us instead; keep us from all sin. Let our salt not rot, our lives not be worthless, but let us bear fruit in your NAME. LORD, our God, take especially from us our foolish pride, our belief that we can do anything of ourselves. O let us not trust in ourselves or in the things of this world but only in you and help rather than hurt the just man you bless in your holy will. Let all souls be led to your kingdom.