The BreadCast

(Dn7:9-10,13-14 or Rv.12:7-12; Ps.138:1-5; Jn.1:47-51 I shall treat of both first readings) "You shall see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." And who shall see such visions? He whose own vision is pure, he who is as Nathanael – he who has "no guile in him." Such is the case both with Daniel and John the Evangelist, of whose visions we hear in either first reading. The angels are with them, indeed, and they lift them up to look upon the Most High God and His Anointed One. Both first readings reveal vision of Jesus the Son, whose "dominion is an everlasting dominion" and by whom "salvation and power have come." In Daniel is shown the Ancient One, the Father, from whom all power comes as "surging streams of fire" from His throne; and in Revelation, John presents the defeat of Satan, who would presume to be like God but is "driven out" and "hurled down to earth" by the archangel Michael (whose name tells us that none is like God) before "the reign of our God" comes. In Revelation is included, too, our own participation in "the blood of the Lamb," that the Church, "by the word of their testimony," will share in the Lord's dominion. And David's psalm sings today: "Great is the glory of the Lord." His voice joins with the "thousands upon thousands… ministering to Him, and myriads upon myriads" attending Him. "In the presence of the angels I will sing your praise," he declares, and finds himself "worship[ing] at [His] holy temple" Him whose name is "great above all things." Is not the vision promised Nathanael and witnessed to by Daniel and John shared here with David, too; does he not glimpse, and share with us who long for the presence of the Lord, the ladder which reaches to heaven made known to Jacob in dream? Is not Jesus, His Lord, with him even in this time before His coming? It is one Jesus the eyes of all the pure of heart see and shall see. And did not the Old Testament prophet see that which was to come? Was not the eternal vision of heaven revealed to his eyes, as well as John's? And how can this be, that they see what we would call the future, except that it has always been? Brothers and sisters, we must declare with Nathanael, "You are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel," but we must do so as He does – in absolute honesty and utter faith. We must believe without guile and declare without hesitation that Jesus is Lord. To do so and to see the angels ascending and descending upon Him, our hearts and our eyes must be pure. Let us pray that we shall come now to vision of heaven, where His angels and His saints do reign. Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by Roger Fortney. Music by Roger Fortney; used by permission. ******* O LORD, give us eyes to see your angels ministering to you, and hearts to receive their blessed help. YHWH, like flames of fire your angels surround you and your holy throne. These myriads of spirits attend you, ministering to you day and night in the place where there is no night, where light shines seven times as brightly as the sun. O may we join them in singing your praises and in doing your will upon this earth! With eyes unveiled let us look upon your glory and unite with your angels in Heaven. If only we had hearts without guile, O LORD; if only we were your true sons and daughters. Then we would declare freely that Jesus is your Son and our King, He whose dominion is everlasting, whose glory is one with your own. Then would the devil be cast from our souls, driven out from among us by your power at work in your angels. Then would we worship in joy in your holy Temple all our days and become children of your blessed light. O may your angels be with us always!

O simple and devout layman, husband and father and clerk, suddenly you were forced to flee your homeland and family with your missionary companions, but death for the faith each one of you met without wavering upon disembarking in a foreign land – pray, O blessed martyrs, our faith shall be strong as your own, that should we be called to witness even with our lives to the faith which gives us life, we will be ready to enter eternity with Christ our Lord and Savior. If tortures threaten our bodies, too, intercede for us for grace, that the face of Jesus alone we shall look upon that day.

O faithful ruler whose devotion served to bring your death, though you loved all your subjects, caring especially for the poor, and loved God and His Church above all, your care and your faith caused you to be killed by those so jealous and selfish – pray for us, good king, and for the rulers in our midst, that they will be inspired as you with a self-effacing humility and a desire for the truth of God's way, giving their lives in service of the Lord and His people, not seeking their own gain. Pray the Mother of God guide all leaders and they turn to her in obedience, that the will of the Father shall be done and to this world His kingdom come by the blood of His only Son.

(Job 1:6-22; Ps.17:1-3,6-7; Lk.9:46-50) "Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked I shall go back again." In the beginning and in the end, we have nothing: and so should be our attitude toward all things we are given – that they are not our own, that we do not possess them… that they shall pass from us unto eternity again. As shall we all. In our first reading we begin to hear of Satan's temptation of Job, of whom the Lord's own words witness: "There is no one on earth like him, blameless and upright, fearing God and avoiding evil." But Satan in his jealousy responds, "Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing?" and recounts all the blessings the Lord has bestowed on His "servant." The adversarial angel then wins from God permission to tempt Job by removing all his blessings. And the persecution is strong. All in a day Job loses all his multitude of livestock, his servants, and his children. Four messengers come, each with catastrophic news, each the sole survivor of the tragedy of which they speak, and each following the previous "while he was yet speaking." In a moment all but his life is taken from Job. But Job proves God's assessment of his character true by proclaiming, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!" thus properly putting all things in God's hands, and praising His glory even in such tragedy. We are told, "In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God." He is as the child Jesus sits beside Himself in our gospel today. Satan has failed in his effort to get Job to curse God; he will not do so even at his wife's prompting. But Job, so Christlike in his suffering the abandonment God's Servant knows so fully upon the cross, shall fall short of the Christ in one respect: this innocent child will not be able to keep from decrying his state or withstand the accusations of others that he must be guilty of sin. He will not be able to suffer in silence, not opening his mouth to defend himself (taking this unwarranted persecution upon himself to redeem others, as Jesus has done) but will declare his "just suit" to the Lord, begging Him to "attend to [his] outcry," saying with David in our psalm: "Hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit." He shall not be able to keep from stating his innocence, from saying, "Though you test my heart, searching it in the night, though you try me with fire, you shall find no malice in me." And in this way Satan shall break him; in this manner he shall fall short of the perfect humility of Christ. (Though the Lord shall justify and reward his faithful servant in the end.) Brothers and sisters, do not act with jealousy, as even the disciples seem to today in trying to stop one "not of [their] company" from healing in Jesus' name. Do not even think among yourselves of who is the greatest. This is an abomination before God. Have the attitude of Job toward all things – that they are but gifts from the Lord and that we are nothing in ourselves. Then you will be like His little child and so know His blessings forever. ******* O LORD, naked we came forth from our mother's womb, and naked we shall go back again – our lives are in your hands. YHWH, let us be as an innocent child sitting patiently at the side of your only Son. Though the foe come to test our hearts, by your grace let us prove ourselves worthy of your blessings. Let us never sin against you in word or in deed but place all things in your holy hands and accept whatever befalls us. O LORD, let us never be jealous or proud; let us never imitate the sin of Satan, who would see your children falter, who would strike any against whom his envy might rise. Let us but seek to serve you in all humility and so know the great joy of being as your Son. From all wicked thoughts release our souls that we might walk with you. Hear our prayer for mercy, LORD; though we be not perfect, you can make us so. Let it be our sole desire to be pure before you, that we shall never know your wrath or be cast from your sight. Take all things from us, but only spare our life. Please never leave our side.

O blessed help of the poor, slave to widows and orphans and all those most outcast and in need, the least of Christ's brothers you indeed gave your life to serve, completely spending yourself in their assistance and leading your own brother priests to do the same… and so Christ Himself you waited upon day in and day out upon this earth – pray that we, too, shall be like Jesus, filled with compassion for the needs of our neighbors, sharing their poverty as we empty ourselves as the Lord has done. May all our prayers and desires lead to such charity for the plight of others, that we might fulfill with you our Savior's call to the Cross and come, therefore, to the riches of Heaven.

(Ez.18:25-28; Ps.25:4-9; Phil.2:1-11; Mt.21:28-32) "Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you." Why? How can it be that such sinners gain such privilege, such grace? Is it for their sins? Shall we all become as they? We should be like them, but not in sin – in repentance. For it is because they have "turned away from all [the] sins that [they] committed" that they are saved; it is because they are "tax collectors and prostitutes" no more. And so we are all called to turn away from the sin which each of us surely has. David sings beautifully of this in our psalm: "The sins of my youth and my frailty remember not," as he begs the Lord for His kindness. For all that we have done in our ignorance and our weakness we should seek the Lord's mercy, for He assures us throughout our readings that "He shows sinners the way" when they come humbly before Him. When the first son in Jesus' parable responds to his father's request for him to work in the vineyard, "I will not," what does this son do but sin against his father? – just as each of us sins against our heavenly Father when we turn from His will to blindly follow our own. But what did the son show when he "afterwards changed his mind and went" but his contrition and repentance at his insubordination, thus illustrating the manner in which our consciences should lead us from our own disobedience? And as Jesus makes clear, it was this son who "did his father's will" and so will be blessed by him. Our reading from Ezekiel makes this theme of turning from sin and finding blessing even clearer. It states in certain terms of the wicked man that "if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life." With such assurance, why should we delay our own conversion, which must be effected day to day? St. Paul presents the attitude we must have before others and God in order to find the Lord's grace. He states: "Humbly regard others as more important than yourselves," and then gives the clear example of the most humble of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, who "emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness." He so "humbled Himself" that He became "obedient even unto death, death on a cross." And so should we be proud? Should we harden ourselves in our sin, or rather turn and empty ourselves of all that is not of Him? The salvation repentance finds is indicated also in the fact that, because of Jesus' humility, "God exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every other name." So let us not hesitate to join the tax collectors and prostitutes among us who bend the knee before Him; let our "tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord," and we shall know His reward. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Where's My Brother?" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, turning away from all our sins and humbling ourselves before you, let us but do your holy will. YHWH, help us to turn from our sins and do your holy will. May we be obedient as your Son, who gave His life to save others. Let all souls repent of their wickedness and walk in His way, that all might find salvation in His Name. If we could but be humble before you, LORD; if we could but admit our failings, our selfishness and pride, our blindness to your call for our lives… then we would be blessed by you and become your faithful sons. Break our hardened hearts that we might love, that we might look upon you who are love itself. O let us be empty, LORD, of all we would possess, of all that we would grasp with our own hands. Let us indeed be blessed to recognize our sinfulness and find your mercy and forgiveness. You but want for us to turn to you that you might embrace us as your own. May your compassion be known in our hearts this day.

O highly honored martyrs whose tomb drew many pilgrims and brought about many miracles, you laid down your lives as one in the Lord, taking up His bitter and saving cup of suffering all for your faith in Him and His Church, and so, precious in His sight was your death in His name – from beyond the grave pray for us this day, that the healing blood of Christ our Savior be poured upon our souls, that we too might be raised by His sacrifice, redeemed by the death He endured; for He has overcome the world, and you with Him in His blood. Pray that we who are so weak of faith may by the Lord's grace and your intercession bear witness to Jesus by our own deaths upon the Cross with Him.

(Ec.11:9-12:8; Ps.90:1,3-6,12-14,17; Lk.9:43-45) "The dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it." "As a watch of the night" is our life, passing unnoticed while souls slumber. "You make an end of them in their sleep," Psalm 90 prophesies (as we hear the same verses of this same psalm for the second time in three days); indeed man lies unaware of his coming death, ignorant of the day which passes. For though in our youth we "follow the ways of [our] heart, the vision of [our] eyes," and seem to "ward off grief" at will, yet "the next morning [we] are like the changing grass"; so quickly does our flower fade. And so little of this do we see. In our gospel the Lord speaks again to His disciples of His imminent death, and so, really, the death we all must undergo; but though He makes a clear point that they should listen carefully, saying, "Pay close attention to what I tell you," yet they seem unable to hear His words. Our gospel tells us, "They failed… to understand this warning; its meaning was so concealed from them they did not grasp it at all." He repeats what He has said before in no uncertain terms, and yet they are deaf to His word; yet they are blind. How like us all the disciples are. When confronted with the coming of death how easily we shut our eyes. Though it draw upon us inevitably, how desperately we hold to the vanity of these passing things, unwilling to hear of the day when "the sun is darkened… and the strong men are bent… and the sound of the mill is low." "Man goes to his lasting home, and mourners go about the streets" – so Qoheleth paints the image of the time when "the clouds return after the rain." How compelling his verses are, and how ominous… and of this darkness we must hear. It is not wise to remain blind to the passing of this life, or with it we shall die when it ends. Though none of this should touch our souls, yet we must learn to let the body go. O Lord, "you return man back to dust, saying, 'Return, O children of men,'" yet you hold each of us in your loving hands. And so we cry unto you this day, "Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants!" For we wait with expectant hearts for Him who has risen from the dead to come to us again. Let your Spirit breathe upon us now and turn this dust into the image of your Son. May it be your Day which comes to us, even as we die. ******* O LORD, we conquer death through the death and resurrection of your Son – be with us as we wait for His return. YHWH, death comes inevitably to all. It draws near to us like the setting sun. We are mortal, the subjects of our own sin. And so to dust we return. But your Son has subjected Himself to this death of ours, LORD; He has undergone its torments. In our place He has stood, and been broken for our sakes. He who lives with you in eternity has been delivered into the hands of men and suffered the darkness upon their souls. And so, may we not be born again? O Jesus, you have overcome the darkness with your unending light; you have come to rescue us from falling into the well, that the clouds might not return again after the rain but that we might know new life with you in the morning after this world passes away, in the glory of your coming Day. Help us, O LORD, to overcome our fear, to conquer the bonds of this dark place and our own mortality. Let this not be our lasting home, but raise us to your presence that even this day we might rejoice in you.

(Ec.3:1-11; Ps.144:1-4; Lk.9:18-22) "He has made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts." Yes, "there is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens"; and there is a time for time to cease and the timeless to come to the fore – a time for the things above the heavens. And that fullness of time has come upon the earth, for the Son of Man has known His "time to be born"; and in man's discovering "the work which God has done," no time for vain toil is there anymore. The time has come to make Him our "refuge and [our] fortress," our blessed "rock" of truth. "One day when Jesus was praying in seclusion and His disciples were with Him," the time had come for Him to "put the question to them": "Who do you say that I am?" And now it was Peter's "time to speak," to declare the faith of the Church: "The Messiah of God." And though it was not then time "to tell this to anyone," for the Son of Man had yet to know His "time to die," soon the time would come for the Son to rise, and then there would be no more "time to be silent." That time has come upon us now, brothers and sisters. Now is only "a time to plant" and "a time to build" – a time to raise the kingdom of heaven here on earth, a time to labor to complete God's Church. For timelessness now has its time; life eternal overtakes us. And so we have only "time to love," having broken the wheel of sin by the sacrifice of Christ and so come out from under the shadow of hatred. No return to the vanity of the things of this world is there for us, for we must do all as if doing nothing. It is true: "Man is like a breath; his days, like a passing shadow," but it is also so that the Lord "take[s] thought of him." And in this earthen vessel He has placed the Spirit of life – and that Spirit is now known in full in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is "time to embrace" Him and know the "time of peace" He breathes eternally upon His creatures, letting all shadow pass away as we walk in His holy light and proclaim His holy name. ******* O LORD, your timelessness let us know in our hearts, that we might overcome the world through your Son. YHWH, in the fullness of time you sent your Son to die at our hands that we might be raised up with Him. And now that He has died for our sins, a new time has come to your people – a time of salvation. All time pointed toward Him and all time flows from Him, and all time is in Him who is all that is. O LORD, let us make our home in Him and in His resurrection. You are timeless, O LORD and God, and so how can we poor creatures so bound to time, so subject to the dust of this earth, come to know you who are beyond the heavens? We could never have discovered your hand at work among us if you had not sent your only Son to redeem us and reveal to us your glory. And so, let us embrace this gift you offer that we might mourn and weep no more but rejoice ever in your presence, despite the Cross that comes. Let us be raised on the Cross with Him that we might be raised unto His eternal reign.

(Ec.1:2-11; Ps.90:1,3-6,12-14,17; Lk.9:7-9) "See, this is new!" Here is He who is "new under the sun." For it is not so that "John has been raised from the dead," nor that "one of the prophets of old has arisen": He has not "already existed in the ages that preceded us." He is the Christ! He is the Messiah! He it is who has come to "fill us at daybreak with [His] kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days." In Him the dark of the night veiling our eyes is banished from our midst. O Herod, drowning in your debauchery; O Qoheleth, pursuer of your passions in all their vanity, why do you race to catch up with the sun as if it should stand and wait for you? What makes you think you could hold the wind in your hand? Why would you see end of the rivers' path to the sea? Why do you toil so blindly, taking your refuge in created things and frustrated when you cannot control them to your own ends, when they betray the peace you seek? "Back to dust" you shall indeed return, and the sun and the wind and the sea still stand; and above them all does reign our God, for whom "a thousand years… are as yesterday, now that it is past." In Him you should have taken refuge. Herod, do you too now begin to see the ends of your debauchery; does its emptiness now overtake your soul? Do you remember the words the prophet delivered to your ears? What is the cause of your curiosity, and will you listen now to the voice echoing through your halls? The kingdom of the world crumbles before our eyes and no "profit has man from all the labor which he toils at under the sun," unless it is the Lord who "prosper[s] the work of our hands for us." Dead we are and alone will ever be in our profligacy, the emptiness upon us. Qoheleth, your words are proven wrong: it is not so that "there is no remembrance of the man of old," for we read your thoughts with diligence today; and three thousand years after your time you teach us still of the dark vision of life without the Christ. And of Him who has come after thee there is great remembrance, and more than this, for His breath is now upon us. In Him is "the ear filled with hearing" and the eye "satisfied with seeing," for now truth and light do walk with us, even under the sun. And though our body "by evening wilts and fades" as of old, our soul "at dawn springs up anew." For "the gracious care of the Lord [is] ours" and He "teach[es] us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart." And this wisdom is true; this wisdom is new: this wisdom bears us light to transcend the vanity of a worldly life and come to the kingdom of heaven. ******* O LORD, your Son is He who makes all things new – let us live and work in the light of His presence. YHWH, your Son is new under the sun; into our midst He has come. May we be more than anxious to see Him: may we be made new in Him. In days past, LORD, the world and men toiled in futility for their sin against you, for their separation from you. You were ever new and ever calling us to life in you, but we labored in vain, going our own way – the way of darkness that leads to death, the way that is indeed apart from you. Return all souls to your light, your life, known to us now in your only Son. You reign over all, LORD our God, all of time is but a moment to you and all the world is as a speck of dust. Have pity on us, LORD, for we are quick to wilt and fade. At daybreak may we rise with Jesus and walk in the light of your new day, dwelling forever in your reign, living and working always in your presence.