The BreadCast

(1Thes.4:1-8; Ps.97:1-2,5-6,10-12; Mt.25:1-13) "God has not called us to immorality but to holiness." And so, "keep your eyes open" and "make still greater progress" in the path that leads to His kingdom. Your lights shining brightly as you await His return, be ready to enter His marriage feast. "It is God's will that you grow in holiness," Paul instructs us in our first reading. "Conduct yourselves in a way pleasing to God" is his message. For there is a day coming on which the Lord will judge us and all we do; therefore, we must have nothing to do with "immorality" or "passionate desire" or "cheating" – "for the Lord is an avenger of all such things" – and these will find us barred from His kingdom. Rather, we must stay the path we are on, guarding ourselves "in sanctity and honor" and securing even greater gifts and graces from God that we might keep in store against His judgment, against His wrath to come. For if "the mountains melt like wax before the Lord," how strong must we be to stand on that day of His return? But for those who do stand strong, for those who do acquire "flasks of oil" to keep their torches burning for whatever hour the Lord might come – for them there shall be great rejoicing… This is the fate of the just. "Light dawns for the just; and gladness, for the upright of heart," for their light is a match for His own and so He weds them unto Himself; to rejoice with the king of all the earth is their portion and cup. Yes, "the ones who were ready went in to the wedding with Him," but those unprepared were locked outside the doors. And so we must ask ourselves, does Jesus know us? Are we ready for the day of His coming? Do we avoid all stain of sin which detracts from the purity we must maintain as bridesmaids of the Lord? Or is there yet that which keeps us from standing ready at His gates? He will come. He will come again to judge our souls, this Son of God most just, and so we must heed the instruction of the Holy Spirit now to prepare ourselves against that day, ever making progress in His Name. Let holiness be our treasured possession, brothers and sisters. Let it be a flaming torch growing ever higher by the breath of the Spirit upon our souls, until it reaches unto Him and His kingdom. The Lord's "delay" in coming serves but to weed the evil from the good. Take this time to increase in faith and in knowledge of God. Be as His own. ******* O LORD, we must keep ourselves pure to meet with you who are purity itself. YHWH, let our eyes be open to see you, our hearts set on fire with your love. Let our flame not die out before the Day of your coming but ever increase as it rises unto you. Let your Spirit be upon us to lead us in wisdom every hour of every day. O LORD, how shall our holiness grow to meet your own that we might be wed to you? How shall we turn from immorality, from the blindness upon our souls, and come to the glory to which you call us, your glory which you would make our own? O help us to listen to the instruction of the Spirit that we shall remain just in your sight. Let your light dawn upon us, dearest LORD; let your gladness fill our souls. Let us rejoice at your wedding feast, at our union with you in your kingdom. What need we but holiness? And so, let us set our hearts on you.

O shepherd made anew by Him who is within, Him who made us all, the Light above and beyond every soul who gave His life, His flesh as food that we might live – pray that the Lord and God of all will break through our deafness and dispel our blindness, that He will breathe His fragrant Spirit upon us and we too will be created anew, saved by His grace from the sin that has kept us from Him and thirsting for the wisdom which became your own, with which you shepherded His people apart from the things He created to His very Beauty itself, that all souls might rest in Him who made them.

(1Thes.3:7-13; Ps.90:3-4,12-14,17; Mt.24:42-51) "Stay awake, therefore! You cannot know the day your Lord is coming." And what is it to stay awake, to be ready, but to do as Paul exhorts the Thessalonians in our first reading: to continue to grow in holiness until that day we meet with the Lord. This is our essential call. Here we are, having been converted to the Lord, having found faith in God as our foundation and been appointed servants by Christ until He should return. We are that "faithful, farsighted servant whom the master has put in charge of his household to dispense food at need." Certainly our priests dispense the most necessary food of the Word and the Bread of Life, but all Christians the Lord gifts with His store of nourishment for the people; all of us are called to provide spiritual as well as physical nourishment to our brothers and sisters. We cannot do other than this or we are not Christians, and we will be far from the Lord at His second coming – when He calls to account all His servants. And each day we must indeed know the Lord's increase and "overflow with love for one another and for all"; we must always grow in the gifts the Lord gives us, not becoming impatient for the time which passes, but ever taking it as opportunity to strengthen our salvation in Christ. We must in this way have the vision of God: "A thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch in the night," our psalm declares (expressing the patience Moses and the Israelites needed in their forty years wandering through the desert); and so short should our wait seem if lived in the presence of our God. And so now as we wait and watch, now as we make ourselves ready for the Lord by the service we perform in His Name, let us entreat the Lord to "fill us at daybreak with [His] kindness," let us pray for Him to "prosper the work of our hands." For all in our hands is our gift from Him to accomplish in His Name and by His grace, and by so numbering "our days aright" in His presence, we shall "gain wisdom of heart" and be awake and ready for His coming. My prayer for you, brothers and sisters, is Paul's own: "May he strengthen your hearts, making them blameless and holy before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His holy ones." I pray we shall meet on that happy day. ******* O LORD, we must serve you each day and every hour; thus will we be ready for your Son's coming. YHWH, let us be ready for the return of your Son, our hearts set on His coming Day. Make us holy before you, doing your work all our days that we might be acceptable to you. O LORD, we long for the return of your Son, for the dawn of His light upon us. For we are in exile here in this dark place and the devil would come and steal our love for you away, tempting us with the passing of time to become impatient for the fulfillment of your promise. Let us not be led astray. Let us remember that you are with us always, that a thousand years are as a single day in your sight – let us be blessed with your vision as we serve you, LORD! All is ever new in your presence. And let us never cease to serve you, never turn from the joy of joining our lives to your own. Then our shortcomings shall be remedied, LORD, and we will see you face to face on your holy Day.

O tearful mother whose persistent cries for the soul of your son were heard in time by the Lord our God and so led to his conversion, to his becoming not only a Catholic Christian but a bishop and doctor of the Church, a saint like yourself – pray for the prayers of all mothers who cry for their wayward sons; pray indeed that all souls may turn and come to know so deeply the love of our Lord and God and the blessing upon His holy Catholic Church. Pray that all who stray, many as they are, shall be raised from the death of sin and come to the life of Heaven, where you wait with your son to welcome all his brothers.

1Thes.2:9-13; Ps.139:1,7-12; Mt.23:27-32) "Make your lives worthy of the God who calls you to His kingship and glory." God is our Father, and those who preach "God's good tidings" love us "as a father does his children," for their message is "not as the word of men" but truly "the word of God at work within [those] who believe." Come to the Lord's table. Eat of His Body, drink of His Blood. Become as He is by His holy Word. Children of light we are called to be, and what is that light but the one which shines in all places at all times and which is inescapable. "Where can I go from your spirit?" David wonders in our psalm. Whether we fly to the heavens or "sink to the netherworld," He is there. For Him "darkness itself is not dark, and night shines as the day" because He Himself is light, and where He is, light shines – and He is everywhere. How can we become children of such an awesome God? How can we enter "His kingship and glory" as Paul exhorts us in our first reading? The only way is by Jesus and the only way is to follow those who bring Jesus to us, whose conduct is "upright, just, and irreproachable" as is Paul's – our means of salvation is the Church, its prophets and martyrs, its teaching and sacraments… its grace which comes to us through Jesus Christ to lead us to the Father of all. On the apostles and their message of the Gospel our faith is set. In our gospel Jesus again chastises the Pharisees, those who have not been loving and faithful fathers for the people, those from whom care of the kingdom will be taken for the "hypocrisy and evil" within them. For though they present "a holy exterior," it is but the bones of the saints they hold within their whitewashed tombs and not their blessed spirit. Indeed, they shall show themselves murderous as their forefathers, who shed the prophet's blood – and whom they ascribe to themselves by name – in their giving up the fulfillment of the prophets to crucifixion. "Full of filth" inside and lovers of the tomb's darkness, they are not worthy to be called fathers of the Lord's children. And Jesus proves that God's light shines in even the darkest places by exposing their corruption in our gospel today. Brothers and sisters, beware of following false leaders whose motives are not pure, who do not lay down their lives for the flock. Remain within the walls of the Church, where the Spirit dwells and where the Father nourishes His people on their way to His kingdom and glory. ******* O LORD, take all falsehood from our souls and let us toil only for you. YHWH, how shall we become true servants of your Word, free of all hypocrisy and evil, not seeking our own gain but the salvation of others? Purge us of the filth within us and make our conduct irreproachable, that you may be known and all your children follow in your way. Surround us, O LORD, with your presence this day; let your Word be at work within us. Let us not whitewash our sin but acknowledge it before your all-seeing eye, and in repentance find our freedom. Guide us in all things, even in the darkest night, that we may come to know you are ever with us. For you let us work, LORD, and not for the burying of your light. Let us toil on this earth only to bring your truth to all souls. From the tomb let us be raised to dwell in your holy presence.

(1Thes.2:1-8; Ps.139:1-6; Mt.23:23-26) "First cleanse the inside of the cup so that its outside may be clean." The Lord rails against the Pharisees again today, calling them from false practice to genuine faith; and in Paul we again see the paragon of true ministry in the Lord's Name. In our gospel the Lord calls the Pharisees "frauds," for they have the appearance of holiness in clothing and posture and minor actions, but inside are "filled with loot and lust." In our first reading, it is quite evident that the preaching of Paul "does not spring from deceit or impure motives or any sort of trickery," as does the work of the Pharisees. He is not at all guilty of "flattering words or greed under any pretext," seeking the glory of God rather than "glory from men." This, of course, is the central question: do we perform our acts for others to see, from selfish motives of pride and greed and the accolades we might gain from man; or are we laying down our lives for God, giving no thought to our own importance or the opposition we may face? Does our work and our life spring from truth, or does it spring from lie? "O Lord, you have probed me and you know me," David sings in our psalm today. Truly the Lord is "the tester of hearts." He is familiar with all our ways and the motives whence they come. Indeed, "even before a word is on [our] tongue, behold, O Lord, you know the whole of it." Inside and out He sees us, He scrutinizes us, that He may enter into us and renew us. It is by His grace that the inside of the cup might be made clean and so our work be fruitful in His Name. And so, what of us, brothers and sisters? What does the Lord see when He peers within our hearts, when His penetrating gaze pierces our soul? Do we meet "the test imposed on us by God" as Paul does and live in "justice and mercy and good faith," or is there but corruption within us which will not allow the Lord's light to enter, thus making us blind to His grace? The Lord surrounds us so, that we call out with David, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to attain." Indeed, the Lord is far above and beyond our comprehension and His holiness can seem beyond our ability to attain; but if we have hearts that are open and trusting and loving of His Word, we find that He is "gentle as any nursing mother fondling her little ones," that He, in fact, shares with us His very life, and so makes us as His own. The Lord will cleanse the inside of the cup. Let Him act upon your soul. ******* O LORD, you see clearly the inside of our cup, and would cleanse it by your gaze. YHWH, you are the tester of our hearts; you scrutinize all our ways. And you know us – you know us well. The greed and deceit within us we cannot hide from your watchful eye. You are not fooled by empty show. You surround us with your presence, LORD, and test us by our trials. You are far beyond us in eternal glory, and yet you come near. You draw near to us in your Son and so declare to our souls the truth of who we are and what we have done, and what we have failed to do. But you do this not for our condemnation; it is because you love us as a mother her child that you chastise us. It is to make us whole. O LORD, though knowledge of you is too wonderful for us to comprehend, though great fear fills our souls as you come to us with your piercing fire – though your scrutiny may cause us great humiliation, great suffering, you work gently to heal our hearts of all their affliction.

O guardian angel of poor children who formed them in the image of Christ, an education of body and soul you provided those most in need, those most impressionable and thirsting for the Lord's care, and led so many others in this work for the least of our brothers – pray we shall become fellow workers with Jesus in the cause of truth and teach with deep love, the greatest patience, and profound humility, the souls He places in our hands. May the desire to see all attain eternal life be that which most impels us and especially those whose responsibility is the formation of Christian youth, that all men might rejoice at the straight paths these walk to the kingdom. Your zeal despite persecution may we maintain in our call from the Lord.

O loyal subject of the Lord and of His Church on earth, though a king you did not exalt yourself but listened rather to the words of your Savior and chose to serve Him, doing His work in this world: the poor you cared for, your children you raised in the teaching of Christ, and for all those in your reign you sought true justice and maintained concern for their spiritual welfare – pray we poor souls will emulate your desire for penance and prayer, and your faithful obedience to God and MotherChurch. May we be blessed as your sons to have your wisdom in our ears, a wisdom reflective of Jesus' own.

(1Thes.1:2-5,8-10; Ps.149:1-6,9; Mt.23:13-22) "You turned to God from idols, to serve Him who is the living and true God." Contrast is at the heart of today's readings again. The faith of the Thessalonians and the inspired preaching of Paul are in distinct opposition to the empty ways and words of the scribes and Pharisees. In our first reading Paul praises the Thessalonians, who are "laboring in love, and showing constancy in hope in our Lord Jesus Christ," telling them, "Throughout every region your faith in God is celebrated." In our gospel Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees for their blindness to the presence of God. In contrast to the Thessalonians, they have turned from worship of the true God to idols; their vision set on the gold therein, they are unable to see the temple and how sacred it is – their hearts set on things of this earth and the laws they have contrived, they are blind to the Son of God, who sits upon the throne of heaven, as He stands before them. And not only are their vain beliefs in contrast to the true faith of the Thessalonians, but their failures in carrying the Word of God forth stand also in sharp contrast to Paul's fruitful preaching. Paul's preaching was "one of power; it was carried on in the Holy Spirit and out of complete conviction," and so led to the conversion of many nations. On the other hand, Christ says to the scribes and Pharisees: "You shut the doors of the kingdom of God in men's faces… You travel over sea and land to make a single convert, but once he is converted you make a devil of him twice as wicked as yourselves." We must be the fruit of the Apostle's preaching, brothers and sisters, and not the vain teaching of those who set their souls on the gold of this world. For as the faithful "sing to the Lord a new song of praise," as they "rejoice in their king" and "praise His name in the festive dance," even so the voice of the wicked will be silenced: they shall choke to death on all their pride. So let us be those who "await from heaven the Son [God] raised from the dead – Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come." With the Thessalonians let us prove our faith in our labor of love, working ever for the coming of the kingdom. And "the high praises of God [will] be in [our] throats" and the "glory of all His faithful" will be ours. Turning from all the idols of this blind generation, let us be born now of the Spirit of God. ******* O LORD, we are your own; let us offer ourselves to you. YHWH, let high praise of you be in our throats; let us sing for joy in your presence. O let us worship you who are the living and true God! Let us turn resolutely from the idols of this vain world and so be made fruitful in your sight. May the doors of your kingdom open for us and for all souls, we pray. Jesus is seated upon the throne of Heaven and it is through Him we come to you, O mighty God, that we might be delivered from the wrath to come and be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Truth be upon our hearts and our tongues as we preach the Gospel of Christ with all our lives – thus may we be found worthy to praise your NAME in the assembly of the faithful. There is woe in store for those who pervert your words to selfish ends, O LORD, who blind themselves and those they teach to the glory of your presence among us. O let us labor in love in the Body of your Son!

O apostle of the Lamb, man without guile led by love to the Lord, you who declared Jesus Son of God and King of Israel, whose eyes of faith were illumined by angels' wings – pray we shall be found by the Christ under our fig tree in peace, in prayer, and carry with you His holy Gospel to the very ends of the earth. With you as a foundation stone, one of the Twelve, may the Bride of the Lamb be led to her Husband, her heart burning with love for Him alone; her soul thirsting only for God's presence, may her eyes be opened to see her Lord. To vision of Heaven pray we all come by an angelic belief in the Son of Man.