The BreadCast

(Bar.4:5-12,27-29; Ps.69:33-37; Lk.10:17-24) "He who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy." That enduring joy which comes to us after this time of trial is our theme today. Not only does Baruch come to it in his exhortation for the people to "fear not" anymore but to turn to God and be glad, but it is David's song as well: "You who seek God, may your heart...

(Bar.1:15-22; Ps.79:1-5,8-9; Lk.10:13-16) "We have been disobedient to the Lord, our God, and only too ready to disregard His voice." Woe is upon us for our sin. We "have sinned in the Lord's sight and disobeyed Him," and so "the evils and the curse which the Lord enjoined upon Moses… cling to us even today." And if we do not recognize our sin, as Baruch does so beautifully in our first reading to...

O messengers of God sent to protect and guide we poor humans on our way to the heavenly kingdom, you whom He in His grace and wisdom has appointed to carry us home, lest we dash our foot against a stone – keep us ever in the way of the Lord; stay close to us, remaining always at our side, for we are but weak and sinful men so prone to be led astray. We entrust ourselves into your hands: bring us t...

(Neh.8:1-12; Ps.19:8-11; Lk.10:1-12) "They understood the words that had been expounded to them." What a blessed day we hear of in our first reading. And what a blessed reception the Word of God finds in the hearing of the people! For "the whole people gathered as one man" and "listened attentively to the book of the law" of Moses as "Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that had been made f...

O little flower of Jesus, with great innocence and humility you loved the Lord and prayed for His Church and especially His priests; in all the little things of your day you gave yourself to God's service, and so your work reached to the ends of the earth – shower roses upon us from above, where you now sit with Jesus; teach us to walk your little way that we might join you with our Savior. Pray w...

(Neh.2:1-8; Ps.137:1-6; Lk.9:57-62) "How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land?" Our home is in heaven. "The foxes have lairs, the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head," the Lord tells him who would follow His way in our gospel today. Our home is in heaven, and only there do we find joy. And only finding our place there should possess our hearts....

O great interpreter of holy Scripture, seeking the wisdom and power of God you listened to what the Lord says in His Word and so served to dispel ignorance of Christ; from your hermitage you came to serve the Church just so, to enlighten the minds of the faithful – pray the Lord shall send forth today the light of His wisdom and grace upon those who turn to the pages of the Word of God in prayer,...

O mighty messengers of the Lord, ministers of His will, bringing His word and His power to all poor souls on earth, you serve to lead us unto Heaven… you who do the bidding of God, you who are first among those who stand around His throne and sing His praise, you who are so faithful in defending His Kingship and keeping us from harm – cast the devil from our midst, instill the word of Jesus' comin...

(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 f...

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...

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 o...

(Amos 6:1,4-7; Ps.146:2,5-10; 1Tm.6:11-16; Lk.16:19-31) "Keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ." The Lord is coming. First of all, know this. "The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see" will reveal Himself "at the proper time." Shall come the...

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 compassi...

(Zec.2:5-9,14-15; Jer.31:10-13; Lk.9:43-45) "They shall come streaming to the Lord's blessings." The Kingdom is being prepared. And as bleak as things may seem upon this earth, the glory of the Lord awaits us all. This is the message of Jeremiah in our psalm and the message given Zechariah by the angel in our first reading. "I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them afte...

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, tha...

(Hg.1:15-2:9; Ps.43:1-5; Lk.9:18-22) "Greater will be the future glory of this house than the former, says the Lord of hosts." "Take courage… and work! For I am with you," the Lord says through the prophet Haggai to the remnant of the people returned from exile as they prepare to rebuild the temple. "My spirit continues in your midst; do not fear!" Of course, we know these words of encouragement a...

(Hg.1:1-8; Ps.149:1-6,9; Lk.9:7-9) "He who earned wages earned them for a bag with holes in it." "Bring timber, and build the house that I may take pleasure in it and receive my glory." Rebuild the house of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit you are. Shore up the breaches in its walls and solidify its foundation, that you might "sing to the Lord a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful...

(Ezra 9:5-9; Tb.13:1-4,6-8; Lk.9:1-6) "Turn back, you sinners! do the right before Him: perhaps He may look with favor upon you, and show you mercy." As the Word of the Lord comes to our villages and enters our houses, we must treasure it and heed its warning to turn from our sins. If we harden our hearts against its grace and mercy, if we fail to recognize our sin in the blessed light it brings,...

O holy priest who bore the wounds of Christ in your hands and in your ministry, who served the Lord so greatly in casting out many demons in your confessional, and whom He thus blessed with miracles of the Spirit – pray for us of lukewarm faith who falter day to day in following our dear Jesus' path. So close to Him you were in His suffering and His love; so far are we from His Cross and so His gr...

(Ezra 6:7-8,12,14-20; Ps.122:1-5; Lk.8:19-21) "The elders of the Jews continued to make progress in the building, supported by the message of the prophets." And so, returning from exile and with the permission and indeed the financial support of the Gentile king, Darius, the Jews completed the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem. And so, the prophecy of the return to the Lord from their sins is...

(Ezra 1:1-6; Ps.126:1-6; Lk.8:16-18) "Those that sow in tears shall reap rejoicing." The Israelites toiled in tears for four hundred years under the yoke of the Egyptians, then rejoiced to finally enter the Promised Land (after wandering forty years in the desert). For seventy years Judah had been exiled to Babylon, but rejoiced when, remarkably, the king of Persia called them to return to Jerusal...

O faithful apostle who so readily answered the call of the Lord, leaving your station in this world to follow in His footsteps and so find your place in Heaven, who even with these first steps brought others to the Christ as you opened your heart as well as your home to Him and to the least of His brothers – pray, dear brother through whom the Spirit has spoken, that we too shall follow Jesus and...

(Amos 8:4-7; Ps.113:1-2,4-8; 1Tm.2:1-8; Lk.16:1-13) "If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?" This world and the things of it are not our own; we are children of heaven. Yet we are here amongst these things which are foreign to us. And so, what should we do? With all the Lord puts in our hands as we pass through this generation we must honor God. T...

O blessed, holy martyrs who won for yourselves the crown of salvation by your undying faith in God, who cherished well the prize of persecution the Lord offered your souls, who stood fast despite the death that raged around you – pray we shall know as you that all the hairs of our head are numbered by God and in His all-embracing providence He has care over us all, that we might stand as strong in...

(1Tm.6:13-16; Ps.100:2-5; Lk.8:4-15) "Keep God's command without blame or reproach until our Lord Jesus shall appear." The Lord's "kindness endures forever, and His faithfulness, to all generations," and we must endure with Him, ever showing forth His kindness and faithfulness to the world, until we come to dwell with Him eternally "in inapproachable light." When God brings His appearance "to pass...