(Rm.10:9-18;   Ps.19:2-5;   Mt.4:18-22)

“How beautiful are the feet of those who announce good news!”

Alleluia!

We must have “faith in the heart” and “confess with [our] lips that Jesus is Lord”; but how can we believe in Him and call on Him if we have not heard of Him?  “And how can [we] hear unless there is someone to preach?  And how can men preach unless they are sent?”  Thank the Lord that He has sent the apostles out to the ends of the earth, that “their voice has sounded over the whole earth.”  Where would we be without them?

“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men,” Jesus says to His first apostles, two brothers.  And two brothers Jesus chooses after them, as if He is looking for brothers to call to emphasize our solidarity with Him and with one another.  Indeed, we are family in the Lord.  We are His mother and His brothers.  David’s psalm today speaks of Him who would be called his Son, and illustrates the work of His brothers to come.  All are one in Him, through time, through space… for He who is the beginning and end truly becomes our brother.

I thank God today for Andrew and his brother Peter, their brothers James and John, and all brothers and sisters in the Lord.  I thank God especially for their answering His call, their readiness to respond.  “They immediately abandoned their nets and became His followers.”  And so strong in the Lord they would become.  And so clearly their words would be spoken of Him who is risen from the dead, of Him in whom our hearts trust – of Him of whom we now speak.

A joy fills me this day, and should fill us all, for the beauty of the apostles and of their call.  For now our ears ring with the love of our Jesus, the truth of the ages.  Now through these faithful disciples we have heard “the word of Christ” and find it abiding in our souls.  Let us open our mouths and proclaim Him Lord of all!

Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by Roger Fortney.

Music by Roger Fortney; used by permission.

*******

O LORD, let us follow where the apostles lead,

for they follow in our Savior’s footsteps. 

YHWH, help us to abandon our hearts, to leave our moorings in this world that we might follow your Son, that He might lead us to the shores of Heaven.  And help us to preach as your apostles have preached, to speak of your salvation to all men, that indeed the message of the Gospel may reach to the ends of the earth and all souls come to believe.

O LORD, Jesus has been raised from the dead – let us believe in our hearts that He lives now and confess with our lips that He is Lord, and by our faith we shall be saved and bring others to redemption.  The voice of your apostles has indeed gone out to the limits of the world; all peoples are now blessed to hear your Word and so are given the opportunity to believe.  May all souls turn resolutely to your Son and follow Him in His way.

On the shores of Galilee first came the call from the mouth of Jesus.  May He speak to our hearts, LORD, even this day, that we might leave all for your kingdom.

(Is.63:16b-17,19b,64:2-7;   Ps.80:2-4,15-16,18-19;   1Cor.1:3-9;   Mk.13:33-37) 

“Would that you might meet us doing right,

that we were mindful of you in our ways!” 

“O Lord of hosts, look down from heaven, and see.”  “Rouse your power, and come to save us.”  Do not “let us wander, O Lord, from your ways, and harden [not] our hearts so that we fear you not.”  We are your fruitful vine, but “we have all withered like leaves… for you have hidden your face from us and delivered us up to our guilt.  Yet, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and you are the potter.”  “May your help be with the Man of your right hand.”  May we be formed in His image and so be pleasing to you.  May we be ready for His return, and our final meeting with you, our Lord and God.

Brothers and sisters, we must be as the Corinthians, among whom “the testimony of Christ was confirmed,” who “are not lacking in any spiritual gift as [they] wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  He travels now abroad in the kingdom of His Father, but He will return.  And He has indeed left us “each with his work”; all are gifted by God and called to bear fruit in the time that is ours now…  “May He not come suddenly and find [us] sleeping.”  When He “rend[s] the heavens and come[s] down, with the mountains quaking before [Him],” may we not be found quaking as well, having slipped into the slumber of sin, having been covered with this world’s darkness.  Rather, let Him meet us doing right at whatever hour He may come.  Let us constantly serve our God and “He will keep [us] firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”  In many ways does He indeed say it: “Be watchful!  Be alert!”  Keep your eyes open!  Stay awake!  Be ready!  But ever He tells us to remember that we are “called to fellowship with [the] Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  And as “God is faithful” so must we too be faithful to our call, giving witness always to the glory of our Lord.

Now is the time to turn from our sin and be formed in His image.  Let the prophet not say over us: “There is none who calls upon [His] name, who rouses himself to cling to [Him].”  Let us prepare ourselves for His coming by walking rightly in His ways. 

Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt.

Music: "Warm Forehead" from Bearing the Birth Pangs, tenth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt.

*******

O LORD, let us enter into fellowship with your Son,

becoming one with Him

and watching for His return.

YHWH, let us be mindful of our ways as we wait for the return of your Son.  May we be blessed with every spiritual gift as we watch for His coming. Though our good deeds have become as polluted rags, He makes them new, bringing us back to you.

Give us new life, O LORD, that we might call upon your NAME.  You are our Father, our God; let us no longer be separated from you and your glory.  We are the work of your hands, dear God – remake us in the image of your Son that when He comes we might stand with Him in your presence.

Make us irreproachable, LORD, by your grace, by your mercy, by your rending of the heavens and coming down to us.  Let us lack nothing for the hour of Jesus’ return but be ready to enter the kingdom.  May our eyes be open and our hearts awaiting our salvation.

(Rv.22:1-7;   Ps.95:1-7,Rv.21:20;   Lk.21:34-36)

“Remember, I am coming soon!”

And when He comes what blessings there shall be for those who have been faithful to Him.  They shall eat of “the trees of life which produce fruit twelve times a year,” which grow either side of “the river of life-giving water, clear as crystal” flowing from “the throne of God and of the Lamb.”  Healed entirely shall they be by the medicine of their leaves.

Then, brothers and sisters, if we wish to eat of this blessed, holy fruit, let us not now “become bloated with indulgence and drunkenness and worldly cares.”  For the bitter fruit of this earth will only poison our souls with sin and so prevent our tasting the food of the heavenly kingdom.  “Nothing deserving a curse shall be found there,” so let us remove all of this world’s bitterness from our tongues.

Oh my dear brethren, the promise is great for those who “serve Him faithfully,” who “acclaim the Rock of our salvation,” the Lord, the “great God,” and Jesus Christ His Son.  Listen to what our blessed brother John imparts to us today, for “these words are trustworthy and true,” and oh so beautiful: “They shall see Him face to face and bear His name on their foreheads.  The night shall be no more.  They will need no light from lamps or the sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever.”  Do you hear these words?  Does the promise take root in your hearts?  Oh let your heart be upon His light!  Let the glory of His face be all you aspire to, for it is not far from you.

“Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us.”  For “the Lord, the God of prophetic spirits, has sent His angel to show His servants what must happen very soon.”  Let us listen to His words.  “Happy the man who heeds the prophetic message of this book!” who eats the Bread God provides.  His dawn is on the horizon.

*******

O LORD, come;

send your Son a second time  

and let us enter your kingdom.

YHWH, that we might be able to stand secure before your Son on His coming Day, that great and terrible day that leads to the eternal kingdom!  O that we might eat the fruit of the crystal river that flows from your throne and that of the Lamb, that heals us of all our illness and enables us to live forever!  O that we might stand in your holy light, that we might look upon your face, your NAME written on our foreheads!  O that we might forever reign with you!

O LORD, let us sing your praise even this day that we might come to sing your praise always in your kingdom.  Let us bow down in our worship and kneel before you who have made us.  You are our God, you alone; let our hearts not be set on any of the things of this world but on you who have made them all, that we might transcend this earth and all its emptiness and come quickly into your presence.  O let us heed your Word this day and ever serve you faithfully.  Glory to you, O LORD our God!

(Rv.20:1-4,11-21:2;   Ps.84:3-6,8,Rv.21:3;   Lk.21:29-33)

“The heavens and the earth will pass away,

but my words will not pass.”

Indeed John tells us of his vision that once “the former heavens and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer,” he saw “new heavens and a new earth,” which are, of course, founded on the Word of God, given life by the breath of His mouth alone.

Yes, in the great Evangelist’s vision there was “One who sat on” “a large white throne,” and “the earth and the sky fled from His presence until they could no longer be seen.”  Even as the dead whose names are “not found inscribed in the book of the living” are “hurled into the pool the fire,” even as they cannot stand before the judgment seat of the Lord, neither can this earth we walk upon or the heavens upon which we gaze, for they too have become as corrupted as their inhabitants: all that has been spoiled by sin must be cast into darkness, into eternal death.  For all that is wicked must join the prince of wickedness, whom the angel of God chains up and hurls “into the abyss, which he close[s] and seal[s] over him.”  And any release from this dungeon is only illusory and brief, for this is the home prepared by the Word of God for him and those who serve him from the foundation of the world.

But oh the wonder of the “New Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God, beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband.”  It is she whom He has indeed prepared for Himself, purifying her as a precious jewel, even from the time she was first conceived in His mind, even since His breath first came upon her.  And so it is our “soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord,” and is not happy until it rests in His house – yes, our soul is like a sparrow which finds its home in Him, and like the swallow which in His altars makes a nest for her young.

“Happy they who dwell in your house!  Continually they praise you.”  And in our midst we see your fig tree bloom in the shoot that is your only Son, and your peace does come to reign upon us now.  To nothing of this world let us hold but let all corruption pass, that your judgment we may endure, and be found worthy of new life in the Word you speak eternally.

*******

O LORD, let us live in your undying Word

that we might not know the second death,

that we might do your will upon this earth

and come to the kingdom of Heaven.

YHWH, when the heavens and the earth pass away, when they flee from your holy presence, may we be found worthy to stand before your throne and make our eternal home in your House.  Of the New Jerusalem let us be, our souls prepared for the return of your Son.

O LORD, we yearn for you, we who are so separated from your glory, from the love that does not pass away.  Open our eyes to see your coming, to recognize your presence among us even this day; and make us ready to praise you forever when this winter has passed into spring.

O holy LORD, let us die in you; let us die to all the evil of this world and so be made pure as all your saints.  Let us not be hurled into the pool of fire with Satan and his minions but be set free from any chain of sin and so be found clean on the coming Day.  Let us conduct ourselves ever with your kingdom in mind.

(Rv.18:1-2,21-23,19:1-3,9;   Ps.100:2-5;   Lk.21:20-28)

“These indeed will be days of retribution,

when all that is written must be fulfilled.”

The destruction of the world and the coming of the kingdom is our clear theme today.  It is what is written.  It is what must be fulfilled.

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” that “dwelling place for demons,” cries out an angel by whose authority and glory “all the earth was lighted up.”  He calls down the destruction of the evil empire that is the city of this world.  And the “assembly in heaven” sing loudly, “He has condemned the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her harlotry,” exulting in the salvation and glory and might of the One God, whose “judgments are true and just!”  For though “the blood of His servants… was shed by her hand,” “the great city” is “hurled… into the sea” like “a huge millstone,” “cast down” with such “violence” that it shall never rise again.  And so, “happy are they who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lord,” who sing “Alleluia!” to the great and wonderful presence of our God in the kingdom that is to come.

And in our gospel Jesus warns of the coming destruction of the city of Jerusalem, and of the final destruction of the earth.  Yes, “Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles.”  Indeed its “devastation is near,” a mere thirty-five years from the death of the Lord.  But the devastation of Jerusalem will last beyond its destruction by Rome, by the whore of Babylon, around 70 A.D. – it will continue “until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” until the nations’ drinking of the cup of evil to its dregs, and the consequent end of this world brought about by the mighty hand of God.  And so the blood of His servants continues to be shed, even as the kingdom is on the horizon.

“Those in the heart of the city must escape it.”  Here is a grave warning.  You must rise from the mire of the sin into which the world leads you.  For “the powers in the heavens will be shaken”; the walls of the city will be torn down, and you will be exposed and alone.  “Flee to the mountains” of holiness; take refuge in “the country,” where the Lord pastures His sheep.  Do not give yourself to the ways of this world or the mark of the beast – lust not for the gold in its hands.  For she is “a cage for every filthy and disgusting bird”; though the appearance may be otherwise, though the cage may be gilded, the horror within shall be revealed in the last days.

Brothers and sisters, we must find ourselves standing with those who “sing joyfully to the Lord,” who “enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise.”  On the last day we must not fear “the roaring of the sea and the waves” because of our complicity with evil, but “stand up straight and raise our heads,” ready for our ransom to come at the hands of our Lord.  Let His goodness which “endures forever” be fulfilled in our souls.  (With arms open upon the cross, we shall find our song.) 

*******

O LORD, as the great city of this earth

is destroyed by fire,

let us be welcomed into your kingdom by your Son.

YHWH, in you and in your Son our ransom is near at hand, ransom from this world of corruption, ransom to the wedding feast of the Lamb.  Your saints have shed their blood at the hands of the great harlot, but never again shall she sing her mocking song – all evil will be silenced before you as you gather your sheep into your arms.

Though by the nations your people be trampled, though great signs come in a bloodstained sky and a roaring sea… though it seem like the end has come upon us, it is only the beginning of your reign to come.  O LORD, may we let this world pass away in its iniquity as we join ourselves to you! 

Into your gates with thanksgiving let us come, O LORD; in your courts let us praise your NAME.  Let us raise our heads to see your Son coming, even as the earth and its wickedness pass entirely away.

O virgin pure and brilliant,

you gave your life

in defense of the faith,

refuting all arguments to its contrary;

though you were but a child yourself,

you stood strong before your tormentors,

enduring the persecution and torture

they struggled in vain to muster against you,

ever shining the light of purity and truth

before their corrupted minds and hearts –

pray for those who defend the faith

and all those who would explain it away,

that the light of pure reason

will dispel all doubt and darkness

and the verity of the faith be known

by all souls on this earth,

undeniable as it is

by the mind of any man.

Pray we not waste words or time

but live a holy life before God,

giving witness to His presence

in the world and in the Church,

and come finally to rest on His mountain.

(Rv.15:1-4;   Ps.98:1-3,7-9,Rv.15:13;   Lk.21:12-19)

“By patient endurance you will save your lives.”

Jesus tells His disciples bluntly: “People will manhandle and persecute you.”  Some will be “put to death” as they are “brought to give witness on account of” His name – “All will hate you because of me.”  Yet in their witness He promises to provide “words and a wisdom” to serve as an impenetrable defense against their enemies… and in the end, after persevering through all suffering, eternal life shall be theirs.

John’s vision in our first reading reveals the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise.  Even as “seven angels holding the seven final plagues” of “God’s wrath” stand ready to cast these culminating tribulations upon the earth, the Evangelist sees “those who had won victory over the beast and its image” – over the illusory power of the evil one – “holding the harps used in worshiping God,” and singing “the song of the Lamb” who was slain but now lives forever: “Mighty and wonderful are your works, Lord God Almighty!  Righteous and true are your ways, O King of the nations!…  You alone are holy.”

Brothers and sisters, let us “sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wondrous deeds; His right hand has won victory for Him, His holy arm.”  Yes, “the Lord has made His salvation known,” and as those who stand “on the sea of glass” give praise to God with harps in hand, so does “the sea and what fills it resound,” so do “the rivers clap their hands, [and] the mountains shout with them for joy.”  Let us join their holy song “before the Lord, for He comes, He comes to rule the earth”; His everlasting “justice” is upon us.  And though we may have to suffer for a time in this world of darkness and sin, where light is shunned by the sons of men, yet even in our persecutions this eternal joy should take hold of our souls so that we know not the suffering from the rejoicing – for both are done in His name, and soon the former shall pass away. 

Indeed, the song of the Lord is already upon our lips; we wait now only for its eternal resonance before His throne.

*******

O LORD, let your will be done in us  

and our souls be saved,  

that we might praise you forever.

YHWH, let your song of praise be on our lips for the salvation you have wrought in our midst.  With the Lamb let us come into your heavenly kingdom.  Through all persecution let us endure with your Word within us. 

What is our suffering in this life, O LORD, when the eternal life of Heaven awaits us and comes to us even this day.  We shall rejoice with the rivers and mountains and all the earth, for we shall win victory with your Son over the devil and his illusions – that battle is being won even as we speak. 

Be with us, LORD, this day, this hour; every hour we toil on this plane, let us toil only with you and for you.  And we shall have nothing to fear at the death of the body or our being dragged before the rulers of this age.  For we shall never die!  For you who are life never die and our home is in you. 

Praise you, O LORD our God!  Do your mighty works in our midst and we shall glory in your holy NAME forever.

O you who were martyred

over three centuries of persecution

in a country so bitter toward the faith,

bishops and priests and laymen alike,

native to the land and foreign-born,

all innocent souls

who suffered even torture in joy,

all for the sake of the Lord and His Church –

pray we shall be as ready as you

to bear witness to the faith

with our lives,

that all as one in the Body of Christ

we will be willing even to die

to satiate our thirst for the kingdom

and for the salvation of souls.

O what joy to be as Jesus,

to walk in His steps

even to the Cross!

No greater blessing could any soul know

on this corrupted plane…

Pray we shall come with you to Heaven.

(Rv.14:14-19;   Ps.96:10-13;   Lk.21:5-11)

“Use your sickle and cut down the harvest,

for now is the time to reap.”

Brothers and sisters, you will “hear of wars and insurrections,” and “there will be great earthquakes, plagues, and famines in various places, and in the sky fearful omens and great signs.”  “These things are bound to happen first, but the end does not follow immediately.”  The end does not follow immediately from the signs, so do not set your hearts upon them – “take care not to be misled” by those whose seed has no root and so jumps up at any indication of travail.  There has been travail throughout human history and the end, which is upon us every moment now, will only be fulfilled at the angels’ cry.  When this will be, be assured you do not know.

In John’s vision, at the first angel’s cry “the one sitting on the cloud wielded his sickle over all the earth and reaped the earth’s harvest.”  At a second angel’s cry another “wielded his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth… [and] threw them into the huge winepress of God’s wrath.”  And so the end comes.  But does John see the future only, the past or the present as well… or a time that exists quite apart from our own?  And even the angels did not know the time had come until they obediently acted upon the word of their God.  And would you yet listen to the anxious rantings of those without eyes, those whose vision does not approach the heavenly reality?

The Lord “shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with His constancy” when “He comes to rule the earth.”  This you can know even now; of this you can be assured.  But when “the heavens [shall] be glad and the earth rejoice… [and] the sea and what fills it resound,” none can say – this word is in His mouth alone, and when the Mighty One shall pronounce it is known to His Heart alone.  He has spoken once at the coming of Christ, but when He shall speak finally cannot be ascertained; it is but for us to be prepared for that Day.  For He will come again, we know, and the angels’ sickles shall be sharp, and separate with certainty the wheat from the chaff.  The time of harvest is at hand.

(In the harvest of the wheat and the grapes of the earth at the end of the age is made perfect this Body and Blood of Christ we eat and drink from our altar today.  The saints’ flesh and blood become the Lord’s own.)

*******

O LORD, when harvest time comes,  

let us not be fearful but rejoice  

in the return of your Son.

YHWH, you rule the world with justice and in the end your justice will be known.  There will not be left a stone on another as you reap the harvest you have sown and cast the unrighteous into the winepress of your wrath.

Those who love you, LORD, shall rejoice at your coming, at the return of your only Son and all His angels with Him.  They shall rejoice that the end has come and your justice will be fully known.  And you shall gather them into your barns. 

But those who are not your own, LORD, will not be able to endure that day, for they will be anxious and afraid at the glory that comes to rule the earth.  Turn all hearts from the empty illusion of this passing world and set them on your kingdom which passes not away but is fulfilled in the judgment of your Son on the Day of His return.  Let us not fear the violence coming upon the land but look to the peace that follows.

O father of holy monasteries

who dug deeply in the earth,

in the heart of man,

and laid their foundation

on the Rock that is Christ

that they might be made in His image,

in the image of Him who created us –

pray we shall love the Lord as He commands

and so be holy as He is holy,

truly reflecting the image of our God

and living in His surpassing peace.

Pray austerity serve well

to make us in the Lord’s image,

to purge from us all that is not of Him;

may we be blessed to serve

with untiring devotion and care

the will of our Lord in all things,

in worship of Him, in prayer,

and in genuine love of our neighbor,

that the Gospel may go forth

to the ends of the earth

not just in words

but in our very flesh and blood.

O successor to Peter,

Shepherd of God’s Church,

Father of all the churches

in the Body of Christ,

these you instructed well;

these you gave a shepherd’s care…

for these and for the Lord

you shed your blood –

pray for God’s Church even this day,

that she shall remain united

under her one Lord and Savior,

each member serving the good of all

as wholly as you have done.

Pray we all work together in Jesus’ name

and in His blood

to do the Father’s will

and so become as holy as He,

as holy as you were blessed to become.

Pray the teaching of the apostles

ever ring in our ears

that we shall never forget

the way the Christ marks out for us,

the way of truth that leads to life.

And in our gospel we see in the simple widow indication of the spirit necessary to enter God’s presence.  She holds nothing back from the Lord, but gives “every penny she ha[s] to live on.”  Yes, brothers and sisters, every penny must be paid; all we have and all we are must be given to Him.  If we are like this widow and like the holy ones who stand before the throne and give all while here on the face of the earth, we shall come quickly to heaven and find our place in His presence prepared.  If not, the purgatorial flames await to take away any flaw in our soul, to remove any selfishness from our hearts – to bring us then to give up all that we yet have to Him, that with Him we might truly be.  But the saints tell us these flames are not pleasant.  In fact, they say they are much the same as the fires of hell, though they shall come to an end.

So let us here and now offer all we have to the Lord; let us seek to serve Him with all our lives, that we might by His grace avoid the cleansing fire and come immediately before Him.  Only those in absolute purity follow Him and stand in His place.

*******

O LORD, come;

send your Son a second time

and let us enter your kingdom.

YHWH, that we might be able to stand secure before your Son on His coming Day, that great and terrible day that leads to the eternal kingdom!  O that we might eat the fruit of the crystal river that flows from your throne and that of the Lamb, that heals us of all our illness and enables us to live forever!  O that we might stand in your holy light, that we might look upon your face, your NAME written on our foreheads!  O that we might forever reign with you!

O LORD, let us sing your praise even this day that we might come to sing your praise always in your kingdom.  Let us bow down in our worship and kneel before you who have made us.  You are our God, you alone; let our hearts not be set on any of the things of this world but on you who have made them all, that we might transcend this earth and all its emptiness and come quickly into your presence.  O let us heed your Word this day and ever serve you faithfully.  Glory to you, O LORD our God!

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.

Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt.

Music: "Coat of Warmth" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt.

*******

O holy Temple of the Lord,

preeminent member of His Church,

you who were destined from all ages

to bear the Son of God,

to be His chosen dwelling place…

you were weaned into His Temple;

there you ever remained,

becoming yourself the House of God,

where He now ever stays –

pray we be built into His Temple;

pray we become sons and daughters

unto you.

In you let us make our home, dear Mother,

that the holiness of Jesus

we shall ever share.

We cannot live in Him

if apart from you;

we cannot be as Christ’s Body,

blessed by the Holy Spirit

and doing the Father’s will on earth,

if you are not our Mother,

if you are not the Temple in which we dwell.

Pray our holiness mirror your own.

(Rv.11:4-12;   Ps.144:1,2,9-10;   Lk.20:27-40)

“After three and a half days,

the breath of life which comes from God

returned to them.”

And these his two witnesses “went up in a cloud as their enemies looked on” “in sheer terror.”  For it seemed they had “conquer[ed] and kill[ed]” the Lord’s prophets.  Their corpses had lain “in the streets of the great city, which has the symbolic name ‘Sodom’ or ‘Egypt,’ where also their Lord was crucified.”  Fire had “come out of the mouths of these witnesses to devour their enemies,” but now it seemed the truth had been overcome and sin and death had won the day.  And so “the earth’s inhabitants gloat[ed] over them and in their merriment exchange[d] gifts.”  But their death, as with the death of the Lord, was not to last, was only to show the absolute power of the God of life.

And fire comes from Jesus’ mouth today to silence the evil conjurings of the enemies of life.  His word is truth and cannot be answered, cannot be gainsaid by even the most unbelieving mind.  And what He tells all today is that “the dead rise again,” that death has no dominion in the kingdom of the living God.  The Lord is “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” and these fathers of the faith along with the prophets and saints of any and all time “are alive for Him,” for He is but Life: in His reign all His children “become like angels and are no longer liable to death.  Sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God.”  This truth cannot be denied, will not be conquered.

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war.”  It is He who is “my shield, in whom I trust, who subdues peoples under me.”  As He was with His only Son, giving Him victory in every battle and final victory over death; as He was with His witnesses who devoured their enemies’ lies and rose from the dust after three and a half days; so He is with all who put their trust in Him, enabling them to conquer all doubt and fear, all surrounding sin and death.  For Jesus crucified sits now at the right hand of God, and His witnesses with Him; and all who take their refuge in His power, though they die, cannot but rise to life.  Yes, they will hear “a voice from heaven say to them, ‘Come up here!’” and will again have the breath of life.  Alleluia!

(Note on “three and a half days”: more than its obvious similarity to the three days the Lord spent “in the heart of the earth” (Mt.12:40) may be an allusion to His approximately thirty-five years spent on this earth (which is half the span of a human life – “seventy is the sum of our years” (Ps.90:10)), itself a kind of death for Him.)

******* 

O LORD, let us be set free from death;

raised from the grave,

may we praise your NAME forever  

with your angels and your saints.

YHWH, what need we fear if you are with us, you who hold even death in your hand?  If we serve as your witnesses, we will be united to you who are life; and even though we die, in the sight of our enemies, in the sight of the devil and death itself, we shall be raised up to Heaven on a cloud.  You are our refuge!

With you as our stronghold, LORD, with you as our God, we shall indeed gain victory over all the forces of evil – nothing shall keep us from you who desire our presence in your kingdom.   

Make us as your Son who has died and been raised; make us sons of the resurrection, like angels, no longer subject to death.  This is our hope, O LORD; this is our desire…  Let us not wait long for Jesus’ return. 

Then we shall be one in your presence, your holy children, O Most High God.  Then we shall celebrate forever your glory in Heaven, all our enemies cast far away.

(Rv.10:8-11;   Ps.119:14,24,72,103,111,131;   Lk.19:45-48)

“I gasp with open mouth

in my yearning for your commands.”

In our first reading, John is told to “take the open scroll from the hand of the angel” and to “eat it.”  In his mouth “it tasted as sweet as honey.”  And now he who has eaten of the blessed word of God “must prophesy,” must speak the words upon the scroll, despite the sour stomach, the persecutions, it will inevitably bring.

In our gospel we hear that “the entire populace was listening to [Jesus] and hanging on His words” as He taught daily in the temple.  The Lord has cleansed the temple of the impure forces at work within it, and for this and for His speaking the irresistible words of Truth He shall know the sour stomach of persecution – the cross is now quite close on the horizon as the leaders of the people seek “a way to destroy Him.”

O Lord, “how sweet to my palate are your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”  “The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”  “Your decrees are my delight,” “the joy of my heart,” and despite the cross I find in consuming and then having to proclaim them, I shall not cease to eat of your glorious presence.  Day to day you come to me.  Moment to moment you whisper in my ear.  You speak to my heart your wondrous promises, instilling faith and hope in my soul, and I shall not turn back from loving you.  May all “peoples, nations, languages, and kings” know of your greatness; may all embrace the inheritance you offer by the death of sin in our lives.

Open your mouth, brothers and sisters, and He will fill it.  He will feed you with the food that comes without cost; the sweet Bread of Heaven shall be yours.  Even at His altars and from His pulpits it is today offered forth.  Eat, and it will bring life to your soul, life that lasts beyond the destruction of the world.

*******

O LORD, let us listen devoutly to your Word  

that we might be cleansed of sin

and made whole in your sight.

YHWH, your words are sweeter to us than honey, and your NAME the sweetest Word of all.  Speak to our soul this very day; let us hear your truth in our heart, though it bring persecution and trial. 

As your Son let us be, O LORD, unafraid of the Cross which comes from doing your will.  Let our concern be to cleanse your Temple, to make your House a house of prayer, though it bring the body’s destruction.

We are in your Temple, O LORD, and you call us to eat of your words and partake of your Son’s Body and Blood.  This gives life to our very spirits, a life that does not pass away.  Be our inheritance, all that we desire in this land.

LORD, we are unworthy to proclaim your words, to receive them in our souls and speak them to the world.  How can we prophesy in your holy NAME?  Let your Son be with us every step of the way; may His blood strengthen our service.

(Rv.5:1-10;   Ps.149:1-6,9,Rv.5:10;   Lk.19:41-44)

“Do not weep.  The Lion of the tribe of Judah,

the Root of David, has won the right by His victory

to open the scroll with its seven seals.”

“Jesus wept over” Jerusalem “because [she] failed to recognize the time of [her] visitation”; and so she will be destroyed, and so her enemies will “leave not a stone on a stone within” her walls.  And John “wept bitterly because no one could be found to open or examine the scroll” “in the right hand of the One who sat on the throne.”  The scroll “had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.”  How wonderful it must be!  But “who is worthy to open” it?

The tears of both will be appeased, both by the One.  For whom does John see appear at the throne of God but “a Lamb standing, a Lamb that had been slain” – Jesus, our Savior! who is on His way even in our gospel today to conquer death, to receive the wounds John witnesses, that by His blood He may purchase for God “men of every race and tongue, of every people and nation”… that He might take the destruction of Jerusalem upon Himself and thus redeem her from annihilation.  Because of His sacrifice, He is able to read the wisdom of the ages to all waiting hearts, for that wisdom is known only in such dying, only in His redeeming love.

And so, let us join with the elders who fall “down before the Lamb.”  Let our prayer unite with “the prayers of God’s holy people,” which rise up like “aromatic spices” before the throne of the One on high.  Let us sing the new hymn unto the Lamb who was slain for our sins and so saved us from all tears.  “Sing to the Lord a new song of praise in the assembly of the faithful.”  Weep no more but “let the high praises of God be in [your] throats” and “praise His name in the festive dance.”

How great is our God!  How profound is the revelation of His wonders in our midst!  What joy do we find in His blood!  His wounds bring us victory over death, and we reign now in the New Jerusalem as priests in the service of our King, joining ourselves ever to His sacrifice, finding ever the wisdom only He brings.

*******

O LORD, offering the sacrifice of your only Son,

we become priests in your Temple; 

this blood we shed He makes holy by His love.

YHWH, you have made us a kingdom of priests who offer continually to you the blood of your Son in our holy prayer. 

O LORD, it is we who have slaughtered Jesus, your Lamb, we who by our blindness have caused Him to be pressed hard from every side, not a stone left on a stone in this holiest Temple…  Yet by His willing acceptance of our sins He washes clean the blood upon our unholy hands and redeems our souls from destruction.  By His blessed sacrifice He makes us holy, as holy becomes the sacrifice we make.

O how can we fathom your love for us, dear LORD?  How can we plumb the depths of your Son’s sacrifice?  We are left with nothing but high praises for you in our throat! 

O LORD, let us exult in your glory this day, in the glory that is ours by the wounds upon your Lamb.  Make us a nation of priests offering always this living sacrifice in your NAME.  Let us ever praise you and the One who was slain – save us from all sin!

O woman who prayed always

and had great mercy on souls,

whose missionary zeal

led you across the ocean,

thousands of miles from your home,

to educate the poor

and care for the sick,

to bring the love of Jesus

to those most in need –

pray we too shall have a heart

set on service of the Lord

and remembrance of His presence,

that our concern for those apart from Christ

will drive us to great ends,

even to the ends of the earth,

where certainly He dwells.

Pray we shall have your courage

in facing the unknown,

in calling all home

to the Heart of God;

and through all we do for Him

let us remain in prayer,

knowing His Heaven here on earth.

(Rv.4:1-11;   Ps.150:1-6,Rv.4:8;   Lk.19:11-28)

“O Lord our God, you are worthy

to receive glory and honor and power.”

“A man of noble birth went to a faraway country to become its king.”  And of this faraway country and of its king, whom “everything that has breath” should praise, John has vision today.

“Above me there was an open door to heaven”; and a “trumpetlike voice” called the great Evangelist, “Come up here and I will show you what must take place in time to come.”  And so, “caught up in ecstasy” he sees the “One whose appearance ha[s] a gemlike sparkle,” the Lord of all, seated upon His throne.  And on twenty-four thrones surrounding this King he sees the elders, “clothed in white” with “crowns of gold on their heads,” sharing in their Master’s Kingship.  And the four living creatures are at the center, singing, “without pause”: “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty!”  And ever do the elders worship Him and join in the song of praise which rises continually to the One through whom all things “came to be.”

“Praise the Lord in His sanctuary… praise Him for His sovereign majesty,” for He reigns justly over all and is indeed worthy of all praise.  “With the blast of the trumpet… with lyre and harp… with clanging cymbals” – with every instrument that is placed in our hands, with all the talents He provides here as we wait for His return, we must join in the song of the angels and the saints in the heavenly kingdom and praise His holy Name.  For He will seek “to learn what profit each [has] made” when He returns to us from His journey.  He will “send for the servants to whom He [has] given” His possessions, and call them to account in His love.  Will our deeds then praise “His mighty deeds”?

Glorious is the kingdom of the Lord, and blessed are they who join Him in such marvelous glory.  These He puts in charge of His cities; with these He shares His crown and His throne.  And everywhere He has a right to reap, for only He does so in love – and there is nowhere He has not sown.  All are invited into His radiant presence: to all He gives gifts that will bring them there.  And but for their employment does He wait, that they might learn to praise His glory.

Follow Him as He continues “with His ascent to Jerusalem,” and the cross He meets in this city will lead you to the light of paradise.

*******

O LORD, let us rejoice in serving you all our days,

and praise you forever in your kingdom.

YHWH, let all your creatures give you praise: by your will we came to be and were made.  We are in your hands; by all that is at our hands may we give you glory and honor and praise.  May we know the blessing of praising you with full voice.

Before you let us bow, O God; before you let us throw down our crowns.  All we have is from you alone – let us return it to you with great profit.  May your glory be multiplied in us and we enter your holy City with joy.  Holy are you and worthy of all our praise, and by our praise we enter your glory.

Who are we, O LORD, that you place talents in our hands?  Who are we that you would put a crown upon our heads?  Are we to be even as your Son, our King and Savior?  Is His reward to be our own?  For this gift we could not praise you enough, and so we shall praise you forever.

O charitable soul

who gave all you owned

for the sake of the Gospel,

though endowed with great riches

you embraced lady poverty

that you might serve the Lord

with a heart beating for the poor.

With your own hands

you tended the sickest;

into your own home

you welcomed the most destitute –

pray that in our small way

we too may follow

in the footsteps of Christ

and give our lives

to the poor whom He loves

and to prayer in His presence.

Pray our hearts, too,

may know His tender care for souls

and our own souls

meditate upon Him night and day;

pray we too shall give up all

to find His holy kingdom.

(Rv.3:1-6,14-22;   Ps.15:2-5,Rv.3:21;   Lk.19:1-10)

“Today salvation has come to this house.”

To two of His houses, two of His seven churches, does the Lord speak today, calling them both to repentance, that they might know the salvation Zacchaeus has found.

In no uncertain terms does the Lord call the churches in Sardis and Laodicea, chastising both dearly, telling the first: “I know the reputation you have of being alive, when in fact you are dead!” and the second (who think themselves “so rich and secure that [they] want for nothing”): “How wretched you are, how pitiable and poor, how blind and naked!”  In Sardis there are only “a few persons who have not soiled their garments”; and the Laodiceans, who are “neither hot nor cold,” are promised by the Lord, “I will spew you out of my mouth!”

All the unfaithful, all those who have lost their fervor and who pride themselves on their own works shall be spewed from the Lord’s mouth, shall be cast from His presence.  All He calls to “wake-up,” to “repent,” to “buy white garments in which to be clothed, if the shame of [their] nakedness is to be covered.”  All He summons to rouse themselves in sharpest and truest of words, for “whoever is dear to [Him] [He] reprove[s] and chastise[s]” – for He knows that only by the jettisoning of our sin will we find the salvation He so dearly desires for each of our lives.

Brothers and sisters, the Lord “stand[s] knocking at the door.  If anyone hears [Him] calling and opens the door, [He] will enter his house.”  And He will sup with him, and He will sit him on His own throne.  Listen to the promise our Lord makes: “The victor shall go clothed in light.  I will never erase his name from the book of the living, but will acknowledge him in the presence of my Father and His angels.”  And see how the promise is fulfilled in Zacchaeus, who in his great fervor “climbed a sycamore tree which was along Jesus’ route, in order to see Him”; who in his great generosity promised “to give half of [his] belongings” to the poor – and who has had the Lord in to sup in his home and has heard the blessed words spoken over him: “Today salvation has come to this house.”

And so, strive with all you have to be as “he who walks blamelessly and does justice, who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue.”  Let His chastisement bear blessed fruit in your life; turn from your sin… and you too will know the victory the Lord Himself has won for all faithful souls.

*******

O LORD, save us from our sin

by your chastising Word,

that we might walk in white before you.

YHWH, let us hear and heed your Word: let us repent of all our sin that we might enter in and sup with your Son.

Do we not have ears, O LORD, and should we not have hearts set on you and the doing of your will?  And yet, are we not lacking in zeal, are we not pitiable and poor in accomplishing your work?  Are we not dead?  Have we not soiled our garments instead of purifying our souls to receive your blessings?  O how shall we turn from our sin to your Son’s presence among us?

Save us, O LORD, from the thought that we are safe and secure, from putting our faith in the riches we amass in this world.  Let us know and remember the only true riches are of the Spirit and come to us only by your grace.  And only by your grace do they remain.

Make our hearts blameless, dear LORD; cover over our nakedness with your white garments, and we shall rejoice in your glory.

O blessed mystic of Jesus,

you were saved by Him

from a life of vain pursuit

of the things and thoughts

of this world

to find union with His Sacred Heart,

which holds all heavenly treasures.

You see Him now

(do you not, dear virgin?)

in His perfection,

even as you saw Him,

though only in the shadow of vision,

here upon this plane –

pray we shall also know

His blessed perfection,

the beating of His Sacred Heart

within our own,

the love which surpasses all understanding

illumining our soul…

that no more will we ever desire

than to be with Him

where you are now,

in His eternal glory.

O devout mother and queen

whose concern was ever

for your children and your people,

that they might ever be fed

in body and in soul

and so grow unto the fullness of Christ –

pray for us, O holy queen,

that we the Lord’s poor subjects

might receive from His hand

all we need

to become His sons and daughters.

In prayer and gratitude

let us remain ever before His throne,

that by such holy fear

we might be made fruitful as you,

bearing children unto Him

and raising them to His glory.

A heart for the poor

may we ever nourish

that, as poor as we are,

by our King’s gracious blessing

we might give what He provides

until all enter His reign.

(Rv.1:1-4,2:1-5;   Ps.1:1-4,6,Rv.2:7;   Lk.18:35-43)

“Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.”

A blind man sat begging by the side of the road.  “Hearing a crowd go by the man asked, ‘What is that?’”  And he was told that “Jesus drew near,” that all he could possibly ask for was upon him – and so he begged with the greatest sincerity he could muster.

And as the end of the Church year approaches, we hear from the Lord’s beloved “servant John” “the revelation God gave to Jesus Christ”; he “bears witness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ,” telling us truly that “the appointed time is near,” that He “who is and who was and who is to come” is passing by the way.  It is time to call out to Him, and know His healing touch.

To the church in Ephesus specifically, the Lord instructs His apostle to speak today, to commend the disciples there on their “patient endurance” and their lack of tolerance for “wicked men,” and to call them back to their “early love… the heights from which [they] have fallen”; thus do they need to “repent,” to call out themselves to the Lord for renewal of their innocent hearts and their burning love for God.  You see, all have their own reason to call out to Jesus as He passes by.

What need have you to call upon the Lord’s Name as He passes by here at the end of days?  Do you walk at every point in “the way of the just,” or are you somehow blind to His presence, or are you in some way cold in your love?  Or have you any of innumerable other sins that keep you from His kingdom?  Be careful.  The time is indeed short, and we are indeed sinners – and Jesus is indeed still passing by to heal us.  Do not be afraid to cry out to Him, to leave “the company of the insolent” and find His redeeming graces.  Let the light of faith burn in your soul that you might know “the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven lampstands of gold.”  His holy light is coming now upon the earth, and you must join yourself to it.

“Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”

*******

O LORD, heal us of all our sin  

that we might walk in the way of your Son. 

YHWH, grant us vision to see the appointed time is near and Jesus is passing by to heal us of our blindness, to return us to our early love.  And let us not be afraid to cry out to Him.

Bring us healing, Lord Jesus, for you have come from the Father and pass through our midst this day.  To us you bring His surpassing love; may we join ourselves to it and follow you along your way. 

You speak to us by your Spirit, LORD; you inspire your apostles with your Word.  You teach us of the way to you, and that with all our heart we should walk it.  Help us to meditate on your Law day and night; ever let us dwell in your light. 

Make us always fruitful, LORD, as we delight in serving you.  Let our hearts cry out in joy for the blessings you bestow on faithful souls.  Make us your own and let us enter your glory.

O patron of scientists and philosophers,

you of brilliant mind

who taught with both

human and divine wisdom,

who led your students

to deeper and purer understanding

of God and His world

and most especially His Church –

pray we partake of your teaching this day,

that the light you brought

to the minds of your flock

will not be lost

or forgotten

by eyes blind to the truth.

Pray the word upon your soul

will bring us closer to the Lord

that we might partake of Him

in sacrament and in preaching.

O how shall we see

if you do not pray for us,

if you do not serve to guide us

to the glory that surpasses

our poor ability to comprehend Him?

 (Prv.31:10-13,19-20,30-31;   Ps.128:1-5;   1Thes.5:1-6;   Mt.25:14-30)

“When one finds a worthy wife,

her value is far beyond pearls.”

And so the Lord is pleased to bless His “good and faithful servant[s]”; for His Church is as His Bride and Her faithful members He invites to share His joy. 

With more than the talents of “a man going on a journey” are we entrusted by the Lord.  To us He is more like the husband “entrusting his heart” to his wife.  All He gives over to us, even His very life, His absolute love – His blood itself He pours out for us.  And are we as the good wife who “works with loving hands,” who “puts her hands to the distaff and [whose] fingers ply the spindle”?  Do we work diligently with all the gifts the Lord imparts to us and thus increase their yield?  Are we as she who “brings [her husband] good, and not evil, all the days of her life,” delivering unto the Lord the honor due His Name?  If so, then as the worthy wife receives “a reward for her labors” and as “her works praise her at the city gates,” so shall the Lord richly bless our labors, and the angels at the gates of heaven welcome us with song.

Brothers and sisters, “You are children of the light and children of the day.  We are not of the night or of darkness.  Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober,” doing the Lord’s will in all things.  Let us not be as the “useless servant” who “dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.”  The graces the Lord gives us are not meant for such darkness, but indeed to be brought into the light of day that they might spread “like a fruitful vine” throughout the face of the earth.  This is the call of His Church, and we must be faithful in the work with which we have been entrusted: His love must reach to the ends of the world.

And each “shall eat the fruit of [his] handiwork” when the day of the Lord comes upon us.  The soul which has courted darkness in its distrust and laziness shall find the spouse that awaits her; but “blessed shall [she] be, and favored,” “who walk[s] in [the Lord’s] ways!”  She shall indeed not fear the “sudden disaster” that comes upon the wicked, but shall celebrate “the prosperity of Jerusalem” in her Master’s house “all the days of [her] life.”  For in none does the Lord take greater delight than she who returns an increase of His invaluable love.

Wriiten, chanted, and produced by James Kurt; read by Sylvia Kurt.

Music: "We Have Bodies" from The Whole Whale, eighth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt.

********

O LORD, let us do your work and your will;

let us be fruitful in serving you

until the Day of your Son’s return.

YHWH, you give us gifts, skills and talents upon this earth – even our bodies and minds are from you.  But if we employ them not, it is as if we have them not at all… and soon they are taken from us.  We must offer all we have back to you, serving you well with all our lives, and we shall be blessed with your abundance.

Into your kingdom let us come, O LORD!  Let all we do lead to this grace.  Make us fruitful in your Name, ever working with loving hands, and every blessing will be ours – and we shall know the joy of your presence.  Let our hearts be set on you alone.

What have we, LORD, that you have not given?  And what should we do but use well what is at our hands?  If we wish to be wed to you in Heaven, then your heart we must hold within our own.  It is your heart you would give us; let us live as your children in the light of this day.

O LORD, may your Son not find us sleeping upon His return, but serving you faithfully, walking ever in your way.

(3Jn.5-8;   Ps.112:1-6;   Lk.18:1-8)

“When the Son of Man comes,

will He find any faith on the earth?”

So beset by weakness are we on this earth, brothers and sisters.  So doubtful, so fearful… so seemingly without help, alone.  And so our faith does falter, and so we do fall.  And we wonder, “Where is God?”

But the Son asks us today where we are.  He emphasizes “the necessity of praying always and not losing heart.”  Why should we think that God does not listen to us?  If the corrupt judge can give justice to the widow who begs him constantly for her “rights against [her] opponent,” “will not God then do justice to His chosen who call out to Him day and night?”  Do we make Jesus a liar by failing to believe in the Lord’s “swift justice”?  Is this corrupt judge more reliable than He?

And listen to what John writes to Gaius.  He says to him, “You demonstrate fidelity by all that you do for the brothers.”  He has “testified to [his] love before the church” by caring for its members.  And John now asks this beloved disciple to support those who pass through his neighborhood carrying the message of the Gospel to the nations, to “help them continue on their journey.”  And we can be assured that this child of God does continue to demonstrate his generosity, that “he is gracious and merciful and just” toward his brothers in their need.  And if this man “dawns through the darkness, a light for the upright,” shall the Lord Himself then leave us alone when we call out to Him in our need?

Why are we of such little faith?  Why do we so easily falter in our trust of the Lord’s protection, of His grace at work upon our souls and His providential hand in our lives?  If weak human beings can give aid to those in distress, cannot God?  Are not all “wealth and riches… in His house”; does He not hold all the world and all our souls in His loving hand?  Then why should we be afraid?  Why should we think He does not answer our prayer?  It is not because He is not listening that we have not the good we desire – this lack is from our lack of faith.

Brothers and sisters, be encouraged by the Lord today to never give up hope, to never give up our petitions to the Lord.  He does not need to be worn down, but is ready at every moment to help us.  Seek but to believe in Him.

*******

O LORD, your Son will come to us

as the answer to our prayers –

let us do all we can this day to bring Him here.

YHWH, why have we not faith in your care for our souls?  Why do we so easily cease praying to you?  Do we not think that you can answer our calls?  Those who follow in your way care for those in need, and so should we not trust that you watch over us this day?

O LORD, take our lack of faith from us; let us cease to doubt your loving concern.  Help us to open our mouths and cry to you, who know what we need before we ask.  For if we do not ask, you cannot answer – how can a prayer be answered that is not made?  You wait for us to turn to you… let us do so this day in faith.

And let us then treat others as you treat us; let us respond in generosity to their needs.  Let us be ready to help your children on their way, that your work might be accomplished on this earth. Your light break forth upon all just souls.

O mother of the faith

and helper of the stranger

in the New World,

you sought with great diligence

to preserve the true religion

in a land hostile to Mother Church,

to assist those in spiritual

as well as physical need –

pray a measure of your missionary spirit

be poured out upon your daughters,

upon the many houses you established

and all those served by them.

Pray the country you took to heart

and which became your own

will turn resolutely

to the Lord and His blood

and away from the destruction

of its soul,

upon which it seems so set.

Pray the faith shall be restored

from shore to shore

and this nation in truth become

a light on a hill.

(2Jn.4-9;   Ps.119:1-2,10-11,17-18;   Lk.17:26-37)

“Anyone who remains rooted in the teaching

possesses both the Father and the Son.”

While “anyone who is so ‘progressive’ that he does not remain rooted in the teaching of Christ does not possess God.”  Rather, he possesses but the emptiness of this earth.

And what is this teaching so necessary for our salvation, for knowing and possessing the Lord our God?  It is indicated clearly in John’s request of the Lady to whom he writes (whom we may take as the Church herself): “Let us love one another.”  Here is the commandant we “have heard from the beginning,” which we need to find rooted in our hearts – this “commandant is the way in which [we] should walk.”  For “happy are they… who walk in the law of the Lord… who observe His decrees, who seek Him with all their hearts”; for they shall find Him, and they shall possess Him forever.

Love has come, brothers and sisters: Jesus Christ has “come in the flesh.”  And though the people in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot were particularly wicked and meriting condemnation from the Lord, they at that time did not have the Son of God come in their midst.  And so if their punishment was great for turning from the way and the call of God, how much greater will be our own if we set our hearts on the possessions of this land and thereby lose Him whose love knocks upon the door of our hearts?  It is now among those who deny Him as if they stand under the brightness of the noonday sun and say, “I see no light.  I feel not its heat.”  If we refuse to open our eyes to what is so obvious, what punishment will be enough for our souls?

Learn the lesson of the two men sleeping and the two women “grinding grain together.”  Though they lie and sit or stand in close proximity to one another in this place, seeming no different one from the next, yet “one will be taken and the other left.”  While one flies up to the reaches of heaven, the other will rot like a carcass on earth.  And why?  Who can tell which one says within his heart, “I treasure your promise, that I might not sin against you,” and which has turned his heart from the Lord?  “On the day the Son of Man is revealed,” so will be the thoughts of all hearts.  And He who is Love alone will know who owns the love He alone imparts.  He will say who has walked in His teaching. 

*******

O LORD, your Son calls us from our earthly lot  

to your kingdom on high –

let us walk His way of love that leads there this day.

YHWH, let us walk in your way, in the way your Son has marked out for us, He who has come in the flesh to show us indeed how we should live, how we should walk in this world.

And your way, O LORD, the way Jesus has trod, is the way of love.  This is your commandment to all souls; this is the truth He has revealed to all eyes.  And love is not turning to our own desires, putting faith in our possessions, in the empty things of this earth, but rather the laying down of our lives and all these things about us that we might come to you and serve you alone with all our lives.

Let us not be blind, dear LORD, to your Son’s coming and to your command.  Let us not continue in ignorance even as He stands at the gate.  Our very flesh let us give to you that the flesh we might transcend as we walk in purity with your Son.  Take us unto Heaven on the Day of His return.

O shepherd thirsty for souls,

whose only desire

was the unity of the Church

under Christ her King

and on the Rock of Peter…

for this cause you gave your life;

for this call from the Lord

you shed your blood –

pray this day all may be one,

that none shall shrink

from fulfilling this desire of Jesus

but by the power of the Holy Spirit

work tirelessly

and with great courage

to slake the thirst of the Lord.

We are all children of one Father;

we have but one Brother in Christ

and one Mother in the Catholic faith.

Pray this truth shall prevail

over the deceptions of the devil,

who would separate and conquer souls

but who is turned back from his evil course

when we are willing to die for one another.

(Philm.7-20;   Ps.146:7-10;   Lk.17:20-25)

“The reign of God is already in your midst.”

Brothers and sisters, Jesus the Christ has come, He has “suffer[ed] much and be[en] rejected by the present age”… and He has risen.  This is all you need to know.  There is no need for “careful watching when the reign of God will come,” for it is not “a matter of reporting that it is ‘here’ or ‘there’” – it is among us today.  And when it shall be fulfilled, you will never know.

“Through you the hearts of God’s people have been refreshed,” Paul writes to Philemon: does the kingdom of heaven not come through this man?  “Refresh this heart of mine,” the Apostle adds – does he not call for an increased manifestation of the kingdom?  A slave has stolen from his master and run away.  Paul has discovered him and now calls him, “My child whom I have begotten during my imprisonment.”  The slave has run to the prisoner and found freedom; does not the kingdom of God come to this place?  And certainly Philemon will accept his slave back as a brother in the Lord, his arms open like the father of the prodigal son… how the Lord does work among us.

And our psalm presents a litany of the Lord’s work: yes, “the Lord sets captives free,” as we see in our first reading; but whenever the eyes of the blind are opened or the widow and the stranger are cared for, whenever justice is secured and the hungry are fed… the Lord is at work, His kingdom comes.  This world is in His hands, after all, and whenever love is “freely bestowed” by any of us toiling upon this earth, the Lord shows Himself indeed in the beat of our heart and our arms open wide.  It is not difficult to see.

You must remember, my brothers and sisters, that all prophecy has been fulfilled; all revelation is complete in the coming of the Son of God, in His death and in His resurrection.  There is nothing left to await but the final day, a Day about which false prophets conjecture and faithless souls run anxiously about to find, only moving themselves further from its presence.  “The Son of Man in His day will be like the lightning that flashes from one end of the sky to the other” – don’t worry, you will not miss it; nor can you mistake it.  Your purpose in the meantime is to spend yourself bringing His kingdom to this earth in the love you share with your neighbor.  In such love come only from Christ, the kingdom is already here.

*******

O LORD, let us be useful to you  

in these days before your Son’s return –

let us bring your presence to this world.

YHWH, make us useful to you and to your Church, that we might serve to bring your kingdom to this dark world of persecution, to this prison in which we dwell.  Though we be apart from you as long as we are in the flesh, let us do your work while here, and captives will be set free. 

You are with us, LORD, in those who give sight to the blind, in those who instruct the ignorant and lead them to your love.  May we be brought to share in your surpassing love!  Help us to feed the hungry and care for the fatherless and widows.  May every stranger be welcomed into the arms of your Church. 

Then we shall find a home in this world, a dwelling place in your arms, O LORD.  Though there be suffering every day, you will be with us through it all; your Son will bear every blow in our stead, and we will come in this way to your eternal dwelling.  Let us have no fear about His return, for He is with us in this prison.

O sacrificial shepherd,

you gave your life for your flock;

a poor and humble man,

you gathered the poor and humble

of the Lord

into the arms of His Church,

where they might be fed with His grace.

Ever with arms upraised

you taught your people ever to pray

and founded many houses of prayer;

peace you brought to your church

that all might serve the one true God –

pray we shall be humble and lowly

as you, dear shepherd,

and so mirror the life of our Lord.

Pray our lives be entrusted to Him,

that whatever we do be in His will;

whether we live or die,

let it not matter to us,

but only let matter the laying down of our lives,

that by such sacrificial offering

God’s Word might go forth

and all souls be welcomed into Abraham’s arms.

(Ti.3:1-7; Ps.23:1-6; Lk.17:11-19)

“Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

Such is the cry of the ten lepers standing at a distance from the Lord.  And such is the cry that wells up in all our hearts when we realize we must keep ourselves far from His company for the sin that festers like a disease in our souls.  Desiring no longer to be outcasts from His love, we call out… and He answers.

Do you think you are something different than these lepers?  Do you think your status with God is somehow raised above these poor souls?  Beware.  Heed the words of Paul: “We ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and far from the faith; we were the slaves of our passions and of pleasures of various kinds.”  Was our soul not then in a diseased state?  And was it any work of our own that brought us healing, that brought us to “baptism of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”?  No.  Rather, “when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of any righteous deeds we had done, but because of His mercy.”  So, by rights we should yet be in the mire of our sin; we should yet be as lepers outside the gates of salvation.  But His “Spirit He lavished on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, that we might be justified by His grace and become heirs, in hope, of eternal life.”  And do we appreciate what He has done for us?

Indeed the Lord indicates today that most of us are ungrateful wretches when He asks, “Were not all ten made whole?  Where are the other nine?” at the sight of the single leper returning to give praise to God.  “Where are the other nine?”  Only one of ten falls “on his face at the feet of Jesus”; and to how many of us does this lack of thanksgiving speak?  And so, how many of us remain with more than a trace of our leprosy?

“He refreshes my soul,” David sings in humble appreciation of the blessings of the Lord he finds before himself in all things.  It is He who gives “repose”; it is He who “anoints [our] head with oil”… it is He who cleanses our soul.  And if we fail to realize this grace at work within us, then a measure of pollution remains, and still we need to cry out to our God, and fall on our knees in praise for His answer.  Ever is He our Master; ever are we His slaves – ever do we need His mercy to live in righteousness each day.

*******

O LORD, save us from enslavement to our passions –  

let us have faith in you

and in your grace upon our souls.

YHWH, our faith has saved us, has it not?  Our faith in you and in your Son has brought the Spirit upon us to cleanse us from our sin.  Now we have new birth and look forward in hope of eternal life.  You are ever at our side as we travel through this dark world.

But do we give you due praise, O LORD?  Do we see what you have done for us and bow before you in adoration, in recognition of your greatness?  Without your grace we would yet be lost – help us remember it is only through you our cup overflows.  And so, let us remain with you forever.  

What sin has been ours in the past, O LORD!  What disease has troubled our souls!  Though we have been rebellious before, let us now be obedient to your command and serve you and others as you call.  The passions and pleasures that once enslaved us cast away, and let us be humble in your sight.

O true Pastor of God’s Church,

defender of the faith

from forces without

and within her walls,

you proved that this House

founded by Christ the Lord

shall never succumb

to the powers of hell

but ever stand strong

against all tides of the world

and the evil influence of the devil –

pray though the flesh be weak,

though every member be prone to sin,

that all souls set on the Rock

that is the bark of Peter

shall repel every attack

against the integrity of the faith

and stand with Jesus

as king over the flesh,

as priest offering pure sacrifice,

as prophet speaking His words…

and so until the end of time

may God’s Church be ever blessed.

(Ti.2:1-8,11-14;   Ps.37:3-4,18,23,27,29,39;   Lk.17:7-10) 

“Live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age.”

Brothers and sisters, be “eager to do what is right” as servants of the Most High God.  “Trust in the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in the land and enjoy security.”  For “the Lord watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever.”

Paul gives instruction to all on how to live a godly life here on this earth.  He “tell[s] the older men that they must be temperate, serious-minded, and self-controlled”; the older women that they must give “good example” to the younger women, teaching them thus “to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, chaste, loving at home, kindly, submissive to their husbands”; “the young men to keep themselves completely under control”; and those who teach to “have the integrity of serious, sound words to which no one can take exception.”  Then “no opponent will have anything bad to say about us”; then we will have given right witness to Christ in this age.

And “when [we] have done all [we] have been commanded to do” by the Lord and His apostles, when we have fully served Him and one another in our life on this earth – when we have finished “prepar[ing] [His] supper” and “put[ting] on our apron and wait[ing]” on our brothers – what should we do but say in all humility and in all truth: “We are useless servants.  We have done no more than our duty”?  For this is what will assure us that we will “abide forever”; this will prove that we are as our Lord, “who sacrificed Himself for us,” and so, with “the just [we] shall possess the land, and dwell in it forever.”

Our God has come “to redeem us from all unrighteousness and to cleanse us for Himself as a people of His own.”  Let us show we are that people by ever being “sound in the faith, loving, and steadfast,” doing all for the Lord and our neighbor.  In this way we indicate that even upon the dust of this earth “we await our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ.”  In this way we attain to the age to come, where we shall be seated at His table.

*******

O LORD, help us to turn from all sinful ways

and complete the work you command us to do.

YHWH, we are useless servants; help us to fulfill the tasks you set before us, to be eager to do what is right.  For this is what will gain us entrance to your kingdom, to a place at your table – if we live temperately, devoutly and justly in this world, as even your Son has done.

Should we fall into disrepute?  Should we not be self-controlled?  It is serious work to which you call us, O LORD, and so let our words be sound and our behavior above reproach, and to you we shall be as witness and bring our souls with the souls of others into the security of your blessed land, where we shall dwell forever.

We are blessed to do your work, LORD, to serve you in this world.  For in such work you are with us; your will is accomplished even in this flesh and bone.  And so, let us give ourselves entirely to you and to your ways, submissive in all things, and we shall be redeemed from all unrighteousness and cleansed for your kingdom.

(Ti.1:1-9;   Ps.24:1-6;   Lk.17:1-6)

“Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord?

Or who may stand in His holy place?”

“He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.”

Of priests and holy men our readings speak, yes, but most especially of bishops, who are most entrusted with the Word of God, with the preaching of the Gospel of eternal life… and how silence in this regard leads but to condemnation.

Paul sets the standard for the “servant of God.”  He presents himself “as an apostle of Jesus Christ for the sake of the faith of those whom God has chosen and to promote their knowledge of the truth as our religion embodies it.”  Here is the bishop in sum.  Here is the priest in sum.  Here is the sum of any sent to teach in His name: increase the faith and knowledge of the flock.  And in this service certainly a priest must be “irreproachable,” and “the bishop as God’s steward must be blameless.”  He must be “steady, just, holy, and self-controlled.  [And] in his teaching he must hold fast to the authentic message, so that he will be able both to encourage men to follow sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.”

But how many of our leaders hold to Paul’s words?  How many encourage the keeping of sound doctrine, and, perhaps more to the point, how many refute error?  Worse yet, how many travel merrily along with the error of the day?  “If your brother does wrong, correct him,” Jesus says.  But how many tell their flock, “You should not fornicate or commit adultery” or “You should not abort a child or contracept him” or “You should not be ‘self-willed or arrogant, a drunkard, a violent or greedy man’”?  And how many freely engage in sins such as these themselves?  Yes, Jesus says, “If he repents, forgive him” (even “seven times a day”) of the brother in your care; but how can he repent if he knows nothing of the wrong he does, and how can you instruct him if you are committing the same sins as he?  And so where is true forgiveness?

“Scandals will inevitably arise, but woe to him through whom they come.”  It is a terrible warning the Lord gives today, particularly to those entrusted with much, for how great will be their punishment for the abuse of their call.  And of course, the source of such travails in the wayward soul is simply a lack of faith.  Not “the size of a mustard seed” or a speck of dust is the faith of too many.  If even it could be detected with a microscope it would show itself in good works.  But it is not there.  And so, who indeed shall climb the mountain of the Lord?  How many vainly grovel at its base?  And if our leaders do not climb, how shall any follow?  So, who shall come to holiness?

Let us awaken to the call of our God!  Let the Church serve as His presence in this world.  Let us be “the race that seeks for Him,” putting holiness before all else.  And let the ordained among us lead us in this way.

*******

O LORD, let us be men of faith  

who carry your Word forth blamelessly,  

that all may come to see your face. 

YHWH, how shall we serve you if we have not sinless hands or clean hearts?  And so, how shall we find our reward in your kingdom?  Will we not rather be cast into the sea for our unfaithfulness, for our failing to hold to your true teaching and leading others astray?  Help us who are far from you.  Forgive us our sins.

Do we not travel blindly in this day, dear LORD, lacking the guidance of holy shepherds?  Does your people not suffer for lack of knowledge of you and your ways?  Is the truth not hidden from our eyes by the silence of your teachers?  And are many not led away from you by their example? 

Who is there that stands in your stead; who climbs your holy mountain, making a way for others to follow?  There are a few, no doubt; but are there not more who are afraid to speak in your NAME?  Help us, LORD, for your Church shall be lost without the guidance of good shepherds.  Encourage all souls to seek your face, and so find the blessings of Heaven. 

 (Wis.6:12-16;   Ps.63:2-8;   1Thes.4:13-18;   Mt.25:1-13) 

“Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” 

O Lord, “through the night-watches I will meditate on you: you are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.”  “As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied, and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you”; for though “my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water” for you, O Living God, I have “gazed toward you in the sanctuary to see your power and your glory,” and you have met me with your “kindness.”  Your Wisdom “graciously appears to [me] in the ways, and meets [me] with all solicitude.”

“Resplendent and unfading is Wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her.  She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire; whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.  For taking thought of Wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care.”

I could not say it any better, or any differently, than the sacred author.  Do not these words perfectly illustrate the Lord’s message in our gospel today – Stay awake!  Keep your lamps burning!  Seek Wisdom!  Be ready, and she will come to you; and you will be gathered into the marriage feast.  Foolishly sit in darkness, unconcerned for your fate, and these ominous words shall resound in your barren soul: “Then the door was locked.”  And then there shall be no entering.

I must again remark on the astounding lack of wisdom in the commentary of the missal I read.  It states, “Paul is under the misconception that our Lord will return during his lifetime,” ignorantly assuming that when he says, “We who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,” he is referring to himself and his companions.  Oh my!  Where do they derive the oil for their lamps?  He is no more referring directly to himself in this instance than he is when he says, “If we believe that Jesus died and rose” – it is of the whole Church, of whatever time or place, he is speaking!  How can our “scholars” not see this; and how can they be so ready to utter blasphemy against Holy Scripture and the Lord’s Apostle, suggesting that he purports some greater knowledge of the Lord’s return than the Lord Himself?  Do they think he is as ignorant, or proud, as they?

Brothers and sisters, we indeed have great hope of resurrection.  When “the Lord Himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven,” we will be caught up with Him “in the air,” in His heavenly presence.  But we must have His light within ourselves and keep watch for His Hour, waiting through the night for the dawn of His Day.

Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt.

Music: "Watching the Sun" from Bearing the Birth Pangs, tenth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt.

*******

O LORD, nothing else matters

but our union with you –

let us be with you forever. 

     YHWH, help us to keep vigil for you and for your Son’s return. Let our hearts be set on your coming glory, that we may join in it ourselves. May our lamps shine brightly as we await the new Day; dispel all darkness from our midst. Give us the wisdom we need to remember your promise of new life in the kingdom – O let us be wed to Jesus, we pray!

     Through the night we meditate on you and on your Word; it is for you our souls thirst. What more could we desire than to be with you in Heaven? What more should we long for than your saving grace? And to those who seek you, you come, O LORD. To rescue us from the darkness you do not delay. For even as we remain in vigil, your wisdom hastens to shine the light of your face.

     May we be counted among those ready for your coming kingdom; with your Son may we enter the wedding feast. Awake let us be to share in your glory. O LORD, that we shall rise from the dead let us believe.

(Phil.4:10-19;   Ps.112:1-2,5-6,8-9;   Lk.16:9-15)

“Well for the man who is gracious and lends.”

“Lavishly he gives to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory.”  Such is the man who knows the proper use of this world’s goods, that is, to give them all as “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”  This shows that he “fears the Lord,” that his heart is not set on the things of earth but the riches of heaven; and so to these shall he come.

“Make friends for yourselves through your use of this world’s goods,” Jesus instructs His disciples, “so that when they fail” – when the goods of this world have faded into eternity – “a lasting reception will be yours” in the kingdom which does not pass away.  Our life on this earth serves indeed as a kind of test.  The Lord needs to see if He “can trust [us] in little things,” in the passing things of this passing day; then He will know that He “can also trust [us] in greater,” in the eternal graces of our heavenly homeland.  How well shall we prove ourselves?

The Philippians prove their generosity well.  The Apostle Paul commends them for their repeated gifts to supply his needs as he preaches the Gospel.  Here we see a perfect example of wise use of this world’s goods, of their being given in service of God and man.  And because of their generosity, there is “an ever-growing balance in [their] account,” not of silver and gold, but of the “magnificent riches in Christ Jesus.”  As they empty themselves of what they have, as they give of their riches on this earth, the Lord gives them all they might desire of the true riches; as Paul says as he assures them he has been “fully paid” by the fruits they have offered: “My God in turn will supply your needs fully.”

“No servant can serve two masters.”  We either amass wealth for our own benefit in this world – and toward our own condemnation – or we give what we have for the benefit of God and others.  We love God or we love money; there are no two ways.  “The Pharisees, who were avaricious men, heard all this and began to deride Him.”  Does your heart tend to deride the generosity to which the Lord calls you, as do these?  Is there yet mockery upon your tongue and lips against the preaching of the emptiness of this world’s possessions?  Do you also “justify yourselves in the eyes of men”?  Know indeed that “God reads your hearts” and “what man thinks important, God holds in contempt.”  And if you would have it go well with you in the heavenly kingdom, you must practice the abounding generosity that is the heart of that kingdom (shown in our Lord’s limitless mercy upon our souls), here with what is at your hands. 

*******

O LORD, take all that we have, all that we own,  

for your use and that of your Church. 

YHWH, let our hearts not be set on the wealth of this earth but let us rather use the goods at our hands to serve your kingdom.  A fragrant offering let us make to you of our wealth and of ourselves that we might be acceptable in your sight. 

How shall we come to your kingdom, LORD, if we cling to this earth and its goods?  How shall we share in your glory if our hearts are not generous as your own?  We cannot be blessed if we are not a blessing to others, and your everlasting wealth, your eternal graces, we shall not find if we grasp at the possessions at our hands.  We must indeed give generously of the things you provide here, and we will have the love that lasts forever. 

Your love let us know even now, O LORD; your joy let us take in providing for the poor, in supporting your workers in the vineyard.  And you will lavishly bless us when the last day comes.

(Phil.3:17-4:1;   Ps.122:1-5;   Lk.16:1-8)

“We have our citizenship in heaven.”

Brothers and sisters, we are not among “those who are set upon the things of this world.”  Always we must remember this.  Though surrounded by worldly things, our hearts are not set upon them; rather, “we eagerly await the coming of our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Our hearts are set upon heaven. 

Then what are we to do with “this lowly body of ours” as we long for the Lord to “remake it according to the pattern of His glorified body”?  What purpose have we of heaven here upon this earth?  Is there nothing for us to do with this old form that has been afforded us?  Is emptiness all we are to know here?

We must know and remember, brothers and sisters, that in this dark world we are called to light; we are called to “go up to the house of the Lord” even here where we stand.  Is the Church not with us?  And has not the Lord left His sacraments with her, that even now we may be transformed into the new creation He makes us?  We do not wait in vain for our Savior to come; we do not sit empty here as we long for His Day.  He is here now with a measure of His grace; “His power to subject everything to Himself” is already evident in our midst… and we must join with that power and work diligently to transform not only ourselves into the image of Christ, but the dark world we see around us as well.

“Be imitators of me,” Paul encourages his brother Philippians.  In warning them against those who “go about in a way which shows them to be enemies of the cross of Christ,” he exhorts them to be the cross’s friend – to prove their mettle as they continue “to stand firm in the Lord.”  There are those for whom “their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame,” and the “devious employee” of whom Jesus speaks may well be among these.  But though we are called in no way to imitate his wickedness, yet we must see that he is given “credit for being enterprising” by the owner, despite the fact that he had been “dissipating his property.”  “Why?” indeed.  And how can the Lord use an example such as this to teach us of the kingdom? 

Here the Lord employs great wisdom, and calls us to do the same.  For He reveals to us how even in one destined to condemnation there is yet the spark of intelligence.  (“I have it!” he declares, after taking consideration.)  And should not this light of intelligence, which comes only from our Maker, be in us who are to be found entirely of light?  And should we not bring the light of salvation through the gifts the Lord provides us even to those like this employee who are most in darkness?  Should the devil control the things around us, the things here at our King’s feet, or should we?  Our citizenship in heaven requires us to employ its light here on this earth.  There is much we owe our Master.  Wise as serpents and harmless as doves let us be.

*******

O LORD, we are citizens of your kingdom;

help us on this earth to find our way to your House

and remain there.

YHWH, help us to stand firm in you and do your will, and so come to your holy kingdom.  In the New Jerusalem let us make our home and not in this dark and empty world.

If we could but be imitators of your Apostle, LORD, and so of your Son, carrying our cross eagerly as we await His coming; then we would hear you calling us to your House and rejoice in your glorious presence.

Give us the wisdom, O LORD, to find our way to you, to do well your work upon this plane, our hearts not set on love of gain but making your blessing our only desire.  O that we might be forgiven our debt even as we forgive those in debt to us and to you!

Remake us in your image, LORD, in the image of your Son.  Let us enter your gates with thanksgiving and praise your holy NAME.  And help us to bring others to you and so finish the work Jesus has begun.

(Phil.3:3-8;   Ps.105:2-7;   Lk.15:1-10)

“I have come to rate all as loss

in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul tells us, “Those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ.”  The “legal observance” he grasped so tightly – having been “circumcised on the eighth day,” “a Hebrew of Hebrew origins,” himself a Pharisee – he now looses to the wind, desiring only to be among those “who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus,” and “seek[ing] to serve Him constantly.”  What matters but Jesus and His love, and “the judgments He has uttered”?

But this justice those who remain as Paul was cannot begin to consider, for they say to themselves as Paul once said of himself: “I [am] above reproach when it [comes] to justice based on the law”… yet do they hold tightly to their fine legal observances, looking down upon those who are below their reproach and judging them all as loss, as wayward sheep destined for the fires of Gehenna.  And this Man eats with them!  But what is loss in their eyes becomes great gain in the eyes of God, for there is “more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent”; and the angels sing in praise as they see the Son of Man sitting and ministering to these sinners, drawing them, as He has been sent to do, into the kingdom’s gates.

The Lord “light[s] a lamp and sweep[s] the house in a diligent search” for straying souls.  When He succeeds, He calls us all, saying, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.”  And will we be jealous of the Lord’s discovery, as the Pharisees and scribes, or will we realize that we all have need of repentance, that we are all that lost sheep, that lost coin which the Lord treasures so once He holds it in His hand again?

Brothers and sisters, it is in the Lord’s hands we must always place ourselves; this is to be in the light of the surpassing knowledge of Christ.  By our own hands, in our own wills – “putting our trust in the flesh” – what do we make but corruption, even as our first parents who desired so to hold the apple in their hands and eat it at their pleasure?  In things themselves, and our willful manipulation of them, we find only a knowledge that brings death, that leads to darkness.  And who will lead us out of such darkness?  Jesus, who is Light.  In trust in Him we realize we do not know the good we do, for all of any worth is of His making.  And so all our desire is for knowledge of “the wondrous deeds that He has wrought” and forgetfulness of our sinful selves.  Rejoice in the Lord’s salvation! 

*******

O LORD, help us to repent of our sin

and leave behind all things of the flesh,

that we might live in the glory of your Son,

our Lord Jesus Christ.

YHWH, how you desire our repentance, our return to you.  For this you send your only Son to sit among us and call us to your side – for this He shall even die.  May the light He shines find a place in our hearts that we shall be found by Him and lifted up on His shoulders… that we might be raised to Heaven. 

We are all poor sinners, LORD, lost to ourselves and lost to you.  We are all blinded by the things of this world and the pride we take in our work among them.  And so, darkness overtakes us.

Yet you call us to glory in you and in the wondrous deeds that you have wrought in your mercy.  Yet we may be gathered into your arms and rejoice in your NAME.  Yet if we listen to your Son we shall know redemption, we shall return to you. 

And you will rejoice with all your angels that we have come to you, that we have found your glory.  Our joy will be your joy, good God, for your love will be our own.

O defender of the Catholic faith

in which all the saints

make their home,

O great pastor of souls,

shepherd of Christ’s flock,

who would see all enter fully

into the fold

only the saints know –

pray for the Lord’s Church this day,

that it shall never turn away

from the Truth

which is at its heart,

from the Son of God

who made it,

forming it in His own blood;

pray our souls be set

on prayer to Him,

our minds on meditation

on His life,

that nothing may distract us

from His holy presence

within the walls of Mother Church

and within our own hearts.

(Phil.2:12-18;   Ps.27:1,4,13-14;   Lk.14:25-33)

“Work with anxious concern to achieve your salvation.”

Strive we must always to attain the kingdom of God, setting our hearts on salvation alone, and trusting in the Lord all the while.

“If one of you decides to build a tower, will he not first sit down and calculate the outlay?”  And do you think the outlay for being a follower of Christ is any less important to consider?  For what is required of the soul on the path to the kingdom is nothing less than all he owns, and the work involved is the laying down of his very life.  And so we must be prepared; and so we must act with conviction, to dispel any “fear of laying the foundation and then not being able to complete the work.”

It certainly cannot be said of St. Paul, “That man began to build what he could not finish,” for he states with absolute conviction to his beloved Philippians, “Even if my life is to be poured out as a libation over the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad of it and rejoice with all of you.”  He is prepared to die to accomplish the work the Lord has set for him, and he shall.  But he witnesses the fruit of his efforts: “As I look to the day of Christ, you give me cause to boast that I did not run the race in vain or work to no purpose.”  In his disciples he sees the faith he has planted grow.  And now throughout all the earth do his words go forth, bearing the fruit of Christ among all who listen.

And so, brothers and sisters, set your hearts on accomplishing the work the Lord places before you.  Let no doubt or fear cause you to stumble on the way.  Proclaim with David, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”  Have this same confidence and commitment to His grace.  For “it is God who, in His good will toward you, begets in you any measure of desire or achievement.”  It is His work you do and so He will surely bless it.  Know that your King is able to do battle with any enemy, that none holds any sway over Him, and be as He is, giving yourselves entirely to His mission, His cause.  And you shall “gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His temple”; and you shall certainly achieve your salvation.  Onward, soldiers of the Lord. 

*******

O LORD, help us to renounce the things of this world

and come into your Temple, into your presence,

and there remain all our days –

accomplish your work in us.

 YHWH, you are our light and our salvation; it is you who beget in us any desire for you and your kingdom.  And it is you who bring this desire to fulfillment, if we but work to achieve it.

Help us, O LORD, to know the way you call us and prepare us to walk your way without fear, without hesitation.  In you we take our courage, for you are great and care greatly for our welfare.  It is your bounty alone we desire, and so you will bring us to your House where we may gaze on your face in holy light.

 What need we but to dwell with you, O LORD?  What of this world could keep us from coming to you?  Help us to renounce all else but your holy presence; even our lives let us lay down in service of you.  And we shall find our salvation, despite the darkness all around.

It is you who defend us in battle, LORD; it is you who build our house.  May we carry our cross with your Son this day, and so be blessed with confidence in your kingdom.

O humble and charitable soul

whose healing hands served the poor

and all those the Lord placed

in your care,

with great love you looked upon

Christ on the Cross

and in the Blessed Sacrament,

and so sought to love your neighbor

even as Jesus Himself –

pray we shall somehow learn

to put others before ourselves,

that in this way,

in the way of the Lord,

we will truly love and serve God,

knowing our sins outweigh

those of any other soul,

and yet that the mercy of our Savior

outweighs any human fault.

And so, pray we shall be humble as you,

as kind and as caring,

that we too will lay down our lives

in prayer and in penance,

in the blood and tears of Jesus.

(Phil.2:5-11;   Ps.22:26-32;   Lk.14:15-24) 

“The lowly shall eat their fill.”

Yes, “happy is he who eats bread in the kingdom of God.”  Indeed, he shall have his fill.  But who shall partake of such grace?  Who shall come to the feast when the Master calls?

Brothers and sisters, our “attitude must be as Christ’s: though He was in the form of God, He did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at.”  Rather, He made Himself lowly, as we are lowly.  And now He is exalted; now He prepares the banquet of salvation for all lowly souls.

Who are the lowly souls?  The lowly souls are they who bow down before the Lord.  “At Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth.”  If one does not bend the knee before our Savior, he is not humble, he is not lowly – rather, he stands in his vain pride.

And these proud souls shall not come to the table in the kingdom.  If when He calls they turn away unto their own affairs, spurning the only appointment which carries importance, they lose their place in the Banquet Hall.  And listen to the command of the “master of the house” to his servant: “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.”  The Jews having rejected the invitation which was most especially theirs, we the outcast Gentiles now hear the call of the apostles of the Lord, a call that goes out to the ends of the world.  All the poor souls are now invited.

Brothers and sisters, “all the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; all the families of nations shall bow down before Him.  For dominion is the Lord’s, and He rules the nations.  To Him alone shall bow down all who sleep in the earth,” all in the heavens, and all on earth.  None shall be deprived of hearing the call to the feast the Son prepares; all shall stand before Him and have opportunity to bend the knee, to realize our lowliness before Him whom every tongue does praise.  So “let the coming generation be told of the Lord that they might proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice He has shown,” that all forever might bow their hearts before His majesty and proclaim: “JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!”  In such humble praise they shall eat their fill of the blessings of the kingdom.

*******

O LORD, let us honor your Son

who has given His life for the salvation of all,

that we might enter your kingdom

and eat the Bread He sets before us.

YHWH, let us bow down before your only Son and give Him due honor and praise, for He alone is Lord; He alone among us is worthy of our worship, for He alone is your Son.  Let us humble ourselves as He has done and so find ourselves in your kingdom with Him.

O LORD, if only we could eat bread at your table, if only it were the desire of our heart to enter your presence and rejoice in your glory.  It is your desire to share with us all your gifts and graces, to feed us with your finest fare.  But how can we celebrate in your House if our hearts are turned to earthly matters, if our thoughts are vain and our souls proud?

Your Son has humbled Himself to come among us and call us to you, LORD.  He has set aside His place at your side that He might become as a slave in our midst, that He might lead us to your side.  Let us not reject His holy sacrifice but proclaim it with our lives as we eat bread at your table this day.

O God’s holy ones,

His apostles and martyrs,

His virgins and confessors,

all who have borne witness to Him

with your lives,

who have washed your robes

in His blood,

whose hands are clean

in His sight

and so are clothed in white,

all you who have suffered

under the Cross

in the flesh in this world

and so now stand in His light

in the Spirit

before His throne in Heaven…

O all holy ones of the Lord

from every age,

from every time and place;

from every nation you come,

speaking in every tongue

of His undying love –

please, pray for us, His pilgrim children!

(Rv.7:2-4,9-14;   Ps.24:1-6;   1Jn.3:1-3;   Mt.5:1-12)

“Everyone who has this hope based on Him

makes himself pure, as He is pure.”

All our readings speak of this purity this holy day.  In the first reading we hear of the saints who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  Our psalm tells us it is “one whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,” who stands in God’s presence.  The above quote is from our second reading, and Jesus tells us in our gospel, “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.”  Indeed, this purity of heart is the essential characteristic possessed by all the saints in heaven; and so we must strive to achieve it.

I note a striking parallel particularly between our first reading from Revelation and David’s psalm: the reading begins with the image of the four angels (at the four corners of the universe) being prevented from their call “to damage the land and the sea” until the seal of God is placed upon the foreheads of the “one hundred and forty-four thousand [symbolizing absolute fullness in number] marked from every tribe of Israel”; and our psalm begins by proclaiming, “The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.”  The reading continues with John’s “vision of a great multitude” who “stood before the throne and the Lamb” in their white robes; while, as it continues, our psalm tells us that only the pure of heart “can ascend the mountain of the Lord” or “stand in His holy place.”  Then the reading from Revelation cries out, “Salvation comes from our God” and exclaims of the blessings upon the Lord and so His faithful; and David’s psalm concludes that it is he who seeks Him who “shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his savior.”

What does all this tell us but what John states quite simply in his letter, our second reading: “Beloved, we are God’s children now,” and that when “what we shall be… is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”  Yes, we are anointed by Him as His own creation and shall come to stand in His presence with all the angels and saints, proclaiming the blessing He is and the salvation He has provided us.

And in our gospel Jesus climbs the mountain and sits and teaches those who gather around Him.  And how blessed are these eyes that see Him!  How blessed are these ears that hear Him!  And how blessed are we, too, insofar as we hear Him this holy day as He calls to our hearts to have faith in Him and in the kingdom of heaven, to set our hearts on the hope of which He speaks.  And blessed are we most when we suffer insult and persecution for the sake of the Lord, for by this we are purified, and through this “our reward will be great in heaven.”  For we must die in Him before we rise in Him with all the saints in glory.

Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by Roger Fortney.

Music by Roger Fortney; used by permission.

*******

O LORD, let us be made pure as you are pure,

as your saints have been made pure

in the blood of the Lamb. 

YHWH, let us seek you with all our hearts, that we may find you and share in your glory with all the saints in Heaven.  Help us to wash our robes clean, that they may be white, that we may be pure and so able to stand in your light.  Make us your children, O LORD, blessed to dwell in your sight forever.

If we must be purified by persecution in this world, what should that matter to us, LORD; why should that cause us concern?  We should rejoice in this blessing even as we rejoice in the blessing of Heaven, for does not one lead to the other – do we not find Heaven even here, even now, in our suffering with your Son?  But give us your love, LORD, and all shall be cause for celebration for us.

O how we long to worship you in your kingdom, LORD!  How we long to bow before your throne with all your angels and saints.  How we long to sing your praise with them.  Let it be so, LORD.  Let it be so even this day in our souls.

(Phil.1:18-26;   Ps.42:2-3,5;   Lk.14:1,7-11)

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding party,

do not sit in the place of honor

in case some greater dignitary has been invited.”

At the feast of the marriage of Christ to mankind, we are the lesser party, and must act humbly before our God.

Jesus comes among us as a guest to eat a meal in our house; He humbles Himself to sit at our table.  And this guest who sits in the lowest place among us is in fact the Host of the banquet of which all are invited to partake.  Though the Lamb that is slaughtered for all to eat, He the sacrifice rules at the altar of our worship.

Listen carefully to what Paul says to his beloved Philippians; see how his own attitude mirrors that of the humble Christ, and how it must be imitated by us all.  He says quite openly, “I long to be freed from this life and to be with Christ, for that is the far better thing.”  In the choice of living or dying, he would opt for the latter, “for, to [him], ‘life’ means Christ; hence dying is so much gain.”  As the psalmist sings in comparing his soul to “the hind [that] longs for the running waters”: “When shall I go and behold the face of God?”  When shall he know full union with the Lord?  Only in death, the dawn of perfect day.  But though “strongly attracted” to death, Paul has equal attraction to life, and accepts that he must “go on living in the flesh” for the “productive toil” it means; and so he will “persevere with [his disciples], for [their] joy and [their] progress in the faith.”  He will remain “with the throng” that he might lead them “in procession to the house of God… amid loud cries of joy and thanksgiving,” though he himself is already prepared to enter the festival gates.

Do you not see how this attitude is as Christ’s own?  Would not the Lord Jesus have preferred to remain in the heavenly kingdom with the Father?  Would this not have been better for Him by far?  And yet He comes among us, and yet He remains with us.  And yet He takes on flesh which is as the cross itself and bears it with all patience for our benefit.  He gains nothing by sitting with us at table as a dishonored guest, but we gain life eternal as we eat the Bread He feeds us.

And so, listen to the Lord’s teaching.  Pray that “when your Host approaches you He will say, ‘My friend, come up higher.’”  Let His sweet words of humility and sacrifice be in your ears and in your heart – and upon your lips, lived through your body – that with Paul you will “have full confidence that now as always Christ will be exalted through” your own humility; then you will find the same “conviction that this will turn out to [your] salvation.”  If here you sacrifice your life, at the wedding party of our Lord and our souls you will be given your due place of honor at table in the kingdom.

*******

O LORD, may the humility of Jesus be proclaimed to all 

who wish to see your face. 

YHWH, help us to be your humble servants, coming to others as a slave, as your Son, concerned only for the welfare of your flock, even as the Apostle Paul.  How shall we have the Spirit of Christ within us?  How shall we set our hearts on seeking your face and helping others progress in the faith?  Let us not care if we live or die, but only that your NAME goes forth. 

To your House let us come, O LORD; at your table let us sit.  The lowest place let us take, for this is the place we deserve.  It is only by your grace we come to the table at all, and so, how can we boast of anything?  Your Son is the exalted guest among us – let us give place to Him in all things. 

Call us higher, dear LORD.  Call us to your side.  Without your call we shall be lost, scrambling blindly for adulation on this empty earth.  O let us rejoice as we enter your presence!

(Phil.1:1-11;   Ps.111:1-6;   Lk.14:1-6)

“My prayer is that your love may more and more abound.”

Paul’s prayer is addressed to the Philippians, who “have all continually helped promote the Gospel from the very first day” he came into their midst preaching.  He overflows with love for them himself and finds them present “to a man” sharing in his “gracious lot,” even as he “lie[s] in prison” far from their land.  And so he prays that always “with a clear conscience and blameless conduct [they] may learn to value the things that really matter,” and is confident that “He who has begun the good work in [them] will carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus.”

And Jesus’ prayer for the Pharisees is really the same.  Though they treat Him as Paul has so often been treated, though He is “summoned to defend the solid grounds on which the Gospel rests” before eyes that observe “Him closely” for any misstep upon which they could capitalize – yet His desire for them is the love of God; yet He would teach them of the ways of the Lord Most High, who cares at every moment for the well-being of even His smallest creatures.  Thus does He ask them, “If one of you has a son or an ox and he falls into a pit, will he not immediately rescue him on the sabbath day?” to open their eyes to the innate concern they have for those in their care, that they might see the love of God for all.  And though they are not like the Philippians, though they do not accept His word with joy and put it into practice immediately, there may come a time when they will listen, when at least some of them will hear and follow His teaching.

“Majesty and glory are His work, and His justice endures forever.”  This is what every heart must proclaim of the “wondrous deeds” of God.  It is not only Paul’s wish but the wish of the Lord Himself that all of us “may be found rich in the harvest of justice which Jesus Christ has ripened,” which He has brought to maturity in His blood, in His love.  “He has given food to those who fear Him”; this food of love is for all who reverence God to share.  More and more it should abound in our midst, even as it does in all our churches and on all our altars this day.  Alleluia!

*******

O LORD, your love extends to all and is undying –

help us to share more and more in that love

with your Son.

YHWH, may your love abound throughout the world and we abound in it.  May your glory be known in all your works, through all holy souls the Gospel go forth.

We give you thanks, O LORD, we give you praise.  For your love is endless and it looks upon every creature with abiding care.  In your presence and by the ministry of your Son, we are saved – let us stand in the light of your holy Day!

You give food to all who love you, LORD; you heal every soul that comes humbly to you.  Let us appear before you with a clear conscience and blameless conduct.  Your will be fulfilled in all our lives.

Wondrous are your deeds, O LORD; majesty and glory are yours alone.  But you desire to share your gifts with your children, continually calling us to dwell in your love.

Rescue us from all sin this day, LORD, from the hardness of our hearts, that we might be among the assembly of the just come to full maturity in your Son.

(Eph.6:10-20;   Ps.144:1-2,9-10;   Lk.13:31-35)

“Today and tomorrow I cast out devils and perform cures,

and on the third day my purpose is accomplished.”

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war,” King David sings, for the Lord is the “shield… who subdues peoples under [him]”; He is the “stronghold” by whom “victory” is his.

The same image of battle is used by Paul as he encourages us, “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.”  But “our battle ultimately is not against human forces” – in war against nations or even any individual enemy – “but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in the regions above.”  It is spiritual warfare we engage in, and in it we must “pray constantly and attentively for all in the holy company,” for the attacks against us are constant and we must ever with our brothers and sisters resist the evil one and “stand [our] ground.”  Heed Paul’s summary of the strength we must draw from the Lord for our mission: “Stand fast, with the truth as the belt around your waist, justice as your breastplate, and zeal to propagate the gospel of peace as your footgear.”

Does not the Lord do just this?  Does He not witness fully to the courage we must have in the battle of earthly life?  For though the Pharisees come with the warning, “Leave this place!  Herod is trying to kill you,” Jesus “proceed[s] on course” in firm resolve.  Though “Jerusalem… slay the prophets and stone those who are sent to [her],” yet the Lord’s face is set like flint to enter there.  In every step along the way, on every day that leads there, He conquers the devil valiantly, displaying His great power over all darkness of this world by His Word of truth; and when He comes to the cross the war will have been won – the evil one will have no weapon remaining.

“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Blessed is Jesus the Christ, and blessed all those who follow in His way, who fight unto death the evils that beset us here.  Brothers and sisters, faith in God will deflect all “the fiery darts of the evil one.”  “The helmet of salvation” will protect you from all harm; and by “the sword of the Spirit, the word of God,” you shall conquer mightily with the Lord.  “Pray in the Spirit.”  Pray always.  Pray for the Church militant that she proclaim the Gospel and come quickly to the Lord’s salvation.

*******

O LORD, we bless your NAME and we are strong;

we are ready for battle against all evil.

YHWH, give us strength in the battle of earthly life, strength to overcome the attacks of the enemy, strength to stand with you on the holy day.  You are our strength; you are our deliverer.  You save us from all harm by your invincible power and glory – let us indeed stand strong in battle on this earth, that we may come quickly to Heaven.

Your Word go forth, O LORD, to the ends of the earth, your Word of truth, your Word of life.  The sword of the Spirit be in our hands, upon our tongues, that we shall defeat all the forces of the evil one.  Let us be ever in prayer before you, ever calling upon your holy NAME.  And we shall be saved, and we shall save others by the grace that you give to do battle this day.

With your Son let us cast out devils, LORD; let us serve to cure the troubled soul of man.  Blessed is He who comes in the NAME of the LORD!  Let us be blessed to follow Him on the way to Jerusalem, on the way to the Cross – for on the third day He shall rise.

(Eph.5:21-33;   Ps.128:1-5;   Lk.13:18-21)

“To what shall I compare the reign of God?”

Jesus Himself compares it to a mustard seed which grows so steadily into a “large shrub,” and to yeast which makes “the whole mass of dough” rise.  And Paul tells us of the marriage union that it “refers to Christ and the Church.”  These images should lead you, brother, to understand the glorious kingdom that is beyond all image.

“The husband is head of the wife just as Christ is head of His body, the Church,” and husbands should “love [their] wives, as Christ’s loved the Church,” giving themselves “up for her” as the Lord has done for us.  A wonderfully beautiful call; a marvelous image which is to bring the Lord so really into our midst: love between husband and wife – the love of love upon this earth, which indeed brings the fruit of new life.  “A man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cling to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”  Here is a word of truth incomparable to others in the joy it brings the ear and the heart open to its call.  For by it is promised great happiness to those “who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways.”  Yes, the obedient man will find that his “wife shall be like a fruitful vine” and his “children like olive plants around [his] table”; great is the blessing upon those who wed in love, the true love of the Lord.

But a greater promise than this does this word bring, for in it is indeed “a great foreshadowing”; in it we see not only the fruitful love of man and woman, but of God and His people.  For does not Jesus leave His Father in heaven and cling to us?  Does it not bring the great knowledge that we shall be made one with Him and with His Father in heaven?  If “he who loves his wife loves himself,” does this not emphasize the absolute oneness of husband and wife?  And if such marriage foreshadows Christ’s love for us, can we not conclude that we will be as He is?

Oh to what glory we are called!  To be as the only Son of God, to be one with Him.  Indeed “we are members of His body” even now, certainly.  Has Jesus not asked Saul why he was persecuting Him, referring to His Church (Acts 9:4); and has He not said what we do unto the least of our brothers we do unto Him?  We are one with Him even now, but yet we are growing, yet we are rising.  And the immeasurable glory to which we come is beyond even the most poignant image to depict.  It is absolute fullness, absolute union with our Lord and God.  Alleluia!  “The prosperity of [the New] Jerusalem” is ours.

*******

O LORD, teach us to love one another 

that we might be joined to your Son 

and so enter your reign.

YHWH, may husbands and wives be truly one in your sight; let there be no separation between them.  For they are one as we are one with your Son, and why would we separate ourselves from our Lord?  Salvation is ours in Him and in our love for one another.  Let us be obedient to His voice and fear you and walk in your ways, and we shall grow unto Heaven. 

O LORD, you greatly bless those who fear you, who worship you alone and always do your will.  Help us to live according to your Word, particularly as it affects marriages.  For this day there is great separation between husband and wife, between man and woman; no sense of their oneness seems known anymore.  Set against one another do they not set themselves against you?  And living thus, how shall their love grow?  Then what hope have any of being fruitful in your sight and coming into your eternal presence?  It seems their children they would let die.  O save us from such destructive pride that we might love one another as ourselves, as you love us in your Son.

(Eph.4:32-5:8;   Ps.1:1-4,6,Eph.5:1;   Lk.13:10-17)

“There was a time when you were darkness,

but now you are light in the Lord.”

Brothers and sisters, remember always that “God has forgiven you in Christ.”  Once you “walk[ed] in the way of sinners,” but now you are as he who “delights in the law of the Lord.”  And so as God has shown His mercy to you, so should you do unto others; we must “be imitators of God as His dear children.”  As when Jesus saw the woman who “was badly stooped – quite incapable of standing erect,” for eighteen years afflicted by her infirmity, He had pity for her, called her to Him and “laid His hand on her” so that “immediately she stood up straight and began thanking God”… so should our hearts go out to all those in need, all those afflicted by infirmity and sin, that all might be as well as we have become, that all might praise God as we do.

“Make no mistake about this: no fornicator, no unclean or lustful person – in effect an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”  Brothers and sisters, how many of us have been guilty of the deadly sins of which Paul speaks today?  (And if not these, what others?)  How many of us have deserved to be barred from the kingdom?  In truth we must say that all of us have fallen short of God’s glory and found ourselves in desperate need of the salvation only Christ brings.  And so should we hold out no hope for those who commit such sins now, who are as we have been?  Certainly “there are sins that bring God’s wrath down on the disobedient” and put them in danger of dying; but do we instruct these to “have nothing to do with them,” do we offer light to those in such darkness… or do we presume their condemnation?

The Lord left not the stooped woman in Satan’s clutches, despite the “indignant” attitude of the leaders of the synagogue – whose own inability to stand erect is so much more difficult to cure.  No, the Lord saw a soul in need and reached His hand out to her; and should we not do the same with those we see suffering affliction, if not with a healing touch of our hand at least with the healing touch of devout prayer?  The well-being of others must always be our concern.  We must ever “be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving.”  For if our hearts stoop to jealousy and judgment as does the leader of the synagogue’s, what hope shall there be for us then of entering God’s kingdom?  We must ever be children of light, dispelling all darkness, if we are truly to be the “dear children” of our Lord. 

*******

O LORD, let us stand up straight before you,  

turning from sin and walking in your way at all times. 

YHWH, let us be as your dear children, kind and compassionate toward others, ever reflecting your glory.  Let there be no sin among us, not even the whispering desire for sin.  Let us live as your children of light – banish all darkness from us. 

Help us to walk in your way, O LORD, to be well instructed in your paths; for there are many who wander aimlessly and are easily subject to Satan’s wiles.  Let us be taught as the Jews of Jesus’ day and listen with attentive hearts to His words.  Indeed, like Him let us become, like a tree planted near the running water of the Spirit, and we shall prosper all our days, ever bearing fruit in your NAME. 

Make clear to all, O LORD, that sin is sin, that the idolatry of lust is a turning from you and the light of your truth and the love of your heart.  Keep us from certain death, from the counsel of the wicked, delighting only in your Law day and night.

 (Ex.22:20-26;   Ps.18:2-4,47,51;   1Thes.1:5-10;   Mt.22:34-40)

“If ever you wrong them, and they cry out to me,

I will surely hear their cry.”

In this simple statement by the Lord is revealed the essential nature of our God in His relation with His people.  It demonstrates certainly what He says of Himself, “I am compassionate,” for what is He telling us but that He has an ardent care for the poorest among us and the injustice they suffer?  But it also demonstrates the justice of God itself, for what does He mean when He says He will “hear their cry” but that He will punish the wicked for their heartless crimes?  He states clearly, if any should “wrong any widow or orphan… [His] wrath will flare up, and [He] will kill [him] with the sword.”

Now in the Church today we find an arbitrary and utterly deceptive and false separation of members into “liberal” or “conservative” camps, as if the Lord and His Church could be limited by either assignation.  The liberal hears “love God and neighbor” and ignorantly excuses himself from keeping the law; and the conservative grasps the law so tightly he squeezes the very life, the very love, out of it.  The Lord is neither liberal nor conservative, but may be said to be both – and that to the extreme in both cases.  First of all, He has come to liberate us from our sin, to free us from the sentence of death all justly deserved as much as the adulteress or the thief on the cross He forgave.  No one could be more liberal in His free giving of Himself and His love.  What compares to the shedding of His blood, and the free gifts we gain thereby?  Yet it must not be forgotten that the Lord Jesus is absolutely conservative in His teachings and in His ways; at all costs He preserves the truth.  For though He says that “the whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” of love of God and neighbor, He does not thereby do away with the whole law.  Indeed, He strengthens it.  Does He not say not a single letter, nor even part of a letter, will pass away until all the law is fulfilled?  Does He not tell us now that even to look at a woman lustfully is adultery and to be angry with another is as murder (see Mt.5:17-30)?  And will He not come at the end of the age and judge all hearts, separating the evil from the good and casting them into eternal darkness and eternal flames?  Though He “delivers us from the coming wrath” if we love Him, failing that, we cannot but be thrown into hell.

The Lord has two hands and either taken alone is ineffective, is, in fact, wicked, for either alone falls short of love and truth.  The Lord is absolutely kind and absolutely just: these two meet and kiss in Him.  And so they must in each of us.  We must be “model[s] for all the believers.”  Let it be said that from us “the word of the Lord has sounded forth,” that “in every place [our] faith in God has gone forth – that we have carried both His love and His truth to every heart we touch.  Then we shall rightly call the Lord our “rock” and our “deliverer”; then we shall exclaim, “Praised be the Lord” and be “safe from [our] enemies.”  Then He will hear our cry and save us, and all who truly love Him, for then we will be His disciples.

Written, read &chanted, and produced by James Kurt.

Music: "The Child and the Beast" from Remove the Mask of Lies, second album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt.

*******

O LORD, help us to love you with all our heart,

and to love others as you love them. 

YHWH, we must turn from idols to worship you alone, for you are the living and true God and deserve all the love of our heart, mind, and soul.  And we must love others as you love all, ever sharing your unending compassion with our neighbor.  For you hear the cry of the poor, and to that call we must attend or we are not loving you at all.

Whose compassion is beyond is beyond your own, LORD?  Whose love can approach your perfection?  For your love is founded on perfect justice, a justice we cannot fathom apart from your favor toward us.  Your justice cannot but punish evil, for if not, how could it protect the good?  How could the widow or orphan find your compassion if you did not destroy those who oppress them?

But even as you destroy the wicked, you do so out of love, out of mercy even toward those you destroy.  For how shall they turn from their sin and be saved if you do not chastise them for their wrongs, for the lack of compassion which separates them from you?  Your kindness be upon all this day, O LORD, that we might live in your love.

O zealous apostle

who traveled throughout the earth

driven by the fire of the Holy Spirit,

you labored strenuously,

rejoicing in poverty

and welcoming hardships

as you gave your very life

for the flock in your care –

pray the love of Christ

will urge us on to holy zeal

that we might approach your apostolic spirit,

desiring to inflame all men

with the fire of God’s love.

Concerned always and only

for the glory of God

and the salvation of souls,

may we fulfill our call;

as sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

with her same purity and commitment,

pray we give birth to Christ in souls

by the preaching of the Gospel

until all are formed in His image

in the heavenly kingdom.

(Eph.4:7-16;   Ps.122:1-5;   Lk.13:1-9)

“Each of us has received God’s favor

in the measure in which Christ bestows it.”

Paul reminds us today of Scripture: “When He ascended on high, He took a host of captives and gave gifts to men.”  Christ Himself “descended into the lower regions of the earth,” coming to the place where we lowly humans dwell, and then “ascended into heaven, that He might fill all men with His gifts,” that those to whom He comes here on earth might know the riches of heaven to which He draws us all.

“It is He who gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in roles of service for the faithful to build up the body of Christ.”  Yes, He gave us these leaders such as Paul to guide us to all truth, but He no less has given us each a share of His heavenly glory and bestowed upon each of us the gifts that are our portion from Him.  None is without gifts, and none can fail to employ these gifts.  It is necessary that the Body of Christ has “the proper functioning of [its] members joined firmly together by each supporting ligament” if it is to grow in love as it is called to do.  All our gifts must be employed to the full; each must fulfill his role.

The Lord makes clear the call upon each of our souls to utilize the gifts He grants to each of His members.  Listen to the words of the vinedresser in His parable: “For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree and found none.”  Who is that vinedresser but Jesus Himself and who is that fig tree but we who claim to be His disciples?  And finding no fruit on the fig tree, what does the vinedresser say?  “Cut it down.  Why should it clutter up the ground?”  Why indeed should we drag down the Body of Christ struggling to grow in love in this world; if we are dead members, what place have we in His kingdom?  And unless we reform in the short time we are given, what shall become of our souls?

Brothers and sisters, do we not wish to “go up to the house of the Lord,” to rejoice in the heavenly Jerusalem, to “form that perfect man who is Christ come to full stature”?  Then our tree must bear fruit in His name and serve to build up the Body in love; “if not, it shall be cut down,” and we shall be separated from the glorious presence of the Lord.  See the great graces and gifts the Lord showers upon you; pray for their fulfillment, for their growing more and more – “profess the truth in love” and the favors you have been given will bear their fruit, for your benefit and that of the whole world. 

*******

O LORD, let us not be cut down

 but built up as the Body of your Son. 

YHWH, let us make our home in you; in the Body of your Son let us find our place.  In your holy Church may we ever dwell, bearing fruit in your NAME.   To full maturity let us come, in Jesus who has come to us.

O LORD, in your House let us rejoice; let us find our peace in the New Jerusalem.  Within Her gates we are safe from every false doctrine, from every whim and fancy of man.  For divine wisdom rests in Her whom the Christ has formed by His own hands, in His own blood.  Since He has founded the Church and its servants, it is He who lives in it with you. 

But we must leave behind our sin if we are to find such perfection in Him.  We must reform our lives if we are to be made in the image of Christ your Son.  O LORD, let our lives not be empty; let us not come to a sudden end…  May we please you by our repentance and know your blessings upon us this day.  Let your Church and all its members grow and bear fruit in Jesus’ Name. 

O tireless preacher of God’s Word,

how well, how completely,

you called all men,

and especially the priests of the Lord,

to a life of holiness,

to shine the light of Christ;

with patience and sound doctrine

and the example of a blameless life

you sought to save souls

throughout the world

and bring them into the fold

of Holy MotherChurch –

pray this day apostles go forth

in the brightness of holiness

as light to the world,

drawing all men to God.

In such wisdom let truth be known,

the truth of our Savior Jesus Christ,

that every heart might call Him Lord

and proclaim the Church as His own.

Pray not a day pass,

not an hour upon this plane,

wherein His Word is not heard.

(Eph.4:1-6;   Ps.24:1-6;   Lk.12:54-59)

“Make every effort to preserve the unity

which has the Spirit as its origin

and peace as its binding force.”

Is this not what Jesus instructs the crowds in saying, “When you are going with your opponent to appear before a magistrate, try to settle with him on the way”?  Do not both Paul and Jesus speak of the love we must have one for another, even for those who may seem our enemies?  Again, in the House of God there is unity, there is peace.  Among His children there should be understanding, there should be grace.  We must make every effort to have no enemies – to hate no one, to bear no grudge against any – in this life or the next.

Brothers and sisters, we are called to live as one, “bearing with one another lovingly,” for “there is but one body and one Spirit” in Christ; “there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,” which we all share, and so we should live as children of the “one God and Father of all.”  On our oneness in the Lord our hearts should be set, and nothing should disturb the peace we find in Him.  We see so many other things, we understand so much of the world and its ways… why do we not understand this?  Why do we not know and practice God’s way?

“The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it.”  This David tells us: all are one under the Lord God.  But only those “whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,” “may stand in His holy place.”  We cannot “ascend the mountain of the Lord” if we are not made perfect as He.  And so the Lord warns us of the necessity of settling all our accounts here, now, while there is time – while we yet have breath and eyes to see – lest we come to the judge at the end of time with the darkness of sin upon our soul.  Now is His mercy offered forth, and we are called in turn to offer it freely to others.  Then will be grave punishment for sin, for failures to love and maintain unity.

“A blessing from the Lord” awaits us all.  He “that seeks the face of the God of Jacob” shall receive his reward.  Even now the Spirit of the Lord grants us a foretaste of such grace.  But we must be ever diligent to maintain it.  We must be ever ready to forgive one another if we are to remain in Him.  And so I ask: forgive me, brother; forgive me, sister, any wrong I have done you… and be assured of my forgiveness. 

*******

O LORD, help us to stand in your holy place,

as reflections of your peace and your love for all. 

YHWH, you are LORD of Heaven and earth and all is under your watchful care.  We are in you and in your Son and have your one Spirit at our heart’s core.  Let us live in peace!  Let us live as your children, holy as you are.

If we maintain not humility and peace in our souls, can we be said to be your own?  O LORD, if we settle not with our opponent here on this earth, how can we come unto your heavenly presence?  There can be no anger or hatred in us; indeed, our hands must be sinless if we are to enter your eternal kingdom and make our home in you.

And so, dear LORD, help us to forgive one another, to love all as you love them – let us be the race that seeks ever your holy face and never turn aside from such desire for utter love in your presence.  Forgive all those who sin against us, and please let us be forgiven in your sight.

          O great Pontiff

          who stood as a bulwark

          against the culture of death

          threatening to overtake mankind,

          who served to bring down the Enemy

          with the sacrifice of your life and your many works:

          under the Mantle of Our Mother,

          you gathered the youth of the world as one

          to hear your ringing exhortation;

          you enlightened minds

          assailed by doubt and despair;

          you taught men and women the language of love

          the Lord wrought into our very bodies…

          for you knew the power of the Cross

          and carried it till the end,

          finding light in the dark night of suffering.

          The gates of Hell could not stand

          against your invocation of the Spirit –

          pray we too shall open wide

          the doors for Christ

          and fear no evil as we entrust ourselves

          entirely to our Redeemer

          and His Divine Mercy.

 (Eph.3:14-21; Ps.33:1-2,4-5,11-12,18-19; Lk.12:49-53) 

“Do you think I have come to establish peace on the earth?”

Strong contrast we find in our readings today.  Jesus speaks of the division He has come to bring by the fire of truth He lights on this earth – fire like a sword separating even the closest of family members one from another; whereas Paul speaks of “the breadth and the length and the height and the depth of Christ’s love” and the great oneness found in “the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.”  How does one reconcile this apparent contradiction?  Is the Lord of peace or division?

Brothers and sisters, there is no contradiction here.  Paul speaks of the “glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus” which exists “through all generations” and which we share “with all the holy ones” for whom “charity [is] the root and foundation of [their] life.”  As our psalmist proclaims, “Happy the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen for His own inheritance.”  In the House of God is peace.  In His Church is the oneness of perfect love, and all its members “experience this love which surpasses all knowledge” and “attain to the fullness of God Himself.”

Then whence the division the Lord emphasizes?  The division exists here on earth, as He Himself states.  When the light of truth comes up against the darkness that is this world, when the holy ones of God meet up with the children of this evil age, there is necessarily division.  Despite the best efforts of the just to bring peace to all, how often is our offering of peace rejected – how frequently is Christ nailed to the cross.  So, though we yet hold love for all as the disciples of our living Lord, it cannot but be that many will cling to darkness and so find an enemy in the light.  And thus division comes.  Though in heaven and in the Church there is nothing but peace, the world breeds only division.

Brothers and sisters, “may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith.”  “May [the Father] strengthen you inwardly through the workings of His Spirit” as you undergo the anguish of the baptism His Son has known.  May He keep you in peace and “bestow on you gifts in keeping with the riches of His glory.”  For soon division will be gone and His peace will be all that is known.

*******

O LORD, how your love separates

the evil from the good! –

may we know the fullness of your love

 at work in our lives. 

YHWH, great is your glory, far above the ways of men – how can we grasp this surpassing knowledge, how can we know your all-encompassing love?  Though you dwell beyond our reach, in your kindness you stoop down to us, to share with us the great riches of your glory.

And so, what should we do but praise your NAME?  What should we do but thank you in song?  For you have looked upon us in our lowliness and delivered us from death and sin, and made us one with all your holy ones in your eternal kingdom.

But what of those who reject you, LORD?  What of those who spurn your love, who desire not the peace which surpasses understanding?  What can they do but fight against your Church?  And those may be of our own family.  Then where are we?  How shall there be peace on this earth among those who despise your gifts?  Give us strength to share in the baptism of your Son, in the fire we must endure on our way to Heaven; help us to conquer all division and stand always with you.

(Eph.3:2-12;   Is.12:2-6;   Lk.12:39-48)

“When much has been given a man,

much will be required of him.”

Yes, “more will be asked of a man to whom more has been entrusted,” and today we see two of the men to whom the most has been entrusted.  First, of course, is Peter, who queries the Lord and to whom the Lord addresses His question, “Who in your opinion is that faithful, farsighted steward whom the master will set over his servants to dispense their ration of grain in season?” knowing full well it is to the blessed Rock of His Church He speaks.  And Paul tells us how “through the gift God in His goodness bestowed on [him] through the exercise of His power, [he] became a minister of the Gospel.”  Paul has been “given the grace to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to enlighten all men on the mysterious design which for ages was hidden in God, the Creator of all.”  The Rock of the Church and its great Apostle – how much has been entrusted to these two men!

And what has been entrusted to these is entrusted to all who follow in their wake, to all “the holy apostles and prophets” to whom “the mystery of Christ” is “revealed by the Spirit.”  And so the same responsibility is upon them as well.  The Lord has promised, “With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation,” and how can the faithful find such life-giving water if the Lord’s priests and preachers do not offer it forth freely as it has been given them?  If they withhold the children’s food and their tongues cleave to the roofs of their mouths, how shall the Church be fed, how shall she be instructed in the way she should walk?  If the guardians of the truth are not vigilant, but rather begin “to abuse the housemen and servant girls, to eat and drink and get drunk,” feeding only themselves, their own bellies… what shall become of the Body of Christ?  And what shall become of those who have allowed the Lord’s House to be broken into?

“Sing praise to the Lord for His glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth”: that “God indeed is [our] Savior,” and all are called unto Him.  Brothers and sisters, we all share in the priesthood of Peter and the evangelical ministry of Paul, and so, “drawing near Him with confidence,” we must all “among the nations make known [the Lord’s] deeds.”  All have been given a measure of the Lord’s grace and power, and all are responsible for fulfilling the “master’s wishes” with regard to our call.  This is our gift from God, to share in His work of service, in His cross.  Let us embrace it as readily as have Peter and Paul. 

*******

O LORD, may we all be faithful stewards

of your manifold gifts 

and find our salvation in your Son.

 YHWH, you are in our midst and you call us all to your work, to service of your Church in your holy NAME.  Through your Son Jesus Christ we all may share in your manifold wisdom, in the salvation to glory wrought by His blood…  Let us give thanks to you and acclaim your NAME, serving you faithfully all our days.

LORD, it should be our joy to serve you; it should be our very food.  What greater gift could we hope for than to share in your promise and in your blessed ministry with Peter and Paul?  One are we in your Body, in the flesh of your Son, and freely may we come to you now with all our petitions and find you ready to answer our plea – what blessing is ours by your grace!

Let us draw water at the fountain of salvation, LORD; let us drink freely of the glory you offer forth.  Remaining ever faithful to your will, let us draw ever closer to you, till we sing your praises forever in your kingdom.

O true lover of the Crucified,

always you celebrated

the feast of the Cross

in the temple of your soul,

uniting yourself with the will of God

by taking upon yourself

the torments of the Lord

in a silent joy

and so finding the food

of sacrificial love

which sustains us in this world –

pray we shall be as Christ,

that we shall walk the path

He marks out for us,

and so in embracing the Cross

find true joy in the grief we suffer,

in the blessing of oneness

with our crucified Lord

and so with His Father in Heaven.

You who have been transformed

into your Beloved,

pray we shall join you

through the Passion of Christ.

(Eph.2:12-22;   Ps.85:9-14;   Lk.12:35-38)

“You who were once far off

have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”

We who “were excluded from the community of Israel,” who were not of His chosen people upon whom His Spirit rested and so were “without hope and without God in the world,” now are “fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God” by the great grace of the cross of Christ.  Now, “in Him [we] are being built into this temple”; now all “have access in one Spirit to the Father.”

“He came and ‘announced the good news of peace to you who were far off, and to those who were near” – to us who were far off, we of the nations apart from “the covenant and the promise,” that the promise might be ours as well; but also to those who were near, those to whom the covenant had been given.  For those who were near were also far off; they too were blind to His presence in their midst and needed their eyes opened by the living Christ.  For though the word and the sacrifice were at their hands, far was He from their hearts, and so the blessed coming of the Messiah is for these, of course, as well.  He came, in fact, for them first of all.

“Near indeed is His salvation to those who fear Him.”  Gentile or Jew, it does not matter.  Now there is but one race: Christian.  Now there is but one Savior for all.  For now indeed there is “glory dwelling in our land,” and any who come to it become children of its light and are fitted into the House of the Lord.  “He proclaims peace” now unto all, that all might know “His benefits.”

And are we ready for His coming again?  Do we heed our Lord’s exhortation in our gospel today?  Do we serve Him constantly, ever keeping a place for Him in our hearts and at our tables, that when He comes the great promise He makes to His servants – “He will put on an apron, seat them at table, and proceed to wait on them” – we will know?  Will we be gathered into His heart and His home?  Brothers and sisters, “become a dwelling for God in the Spirit.”  Realize the blessing that is ours now through the cross.  If under its blessed shade we take refuge, if we heed the call to come from our former residences so distant from Him and draw near to the love of the Lord, then already we will sense “the master’s return” upon us, and holy light it will bring to our souls.

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