The BreadCast

(Wis.1:1-7;   Ps.139:1-10,24;   Lk.17:1-6) “Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee?” Yes, “wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemous of his guilty lips.”  For the spirit of the Lord is everywhere and hears everything, listening closely to a man’s inmost thoughts.  “For the spirit of the Lord fills the world, is all-embracing, and knows what man says.”  And so it is that David sings, “If I ascend to the heavens, you are there; if I lie down in Sheol, you are there, too.”  How could we escape His encircling Hand and His omnipresent justice if, as David says, “Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you know it all”?  And so, in heaven He is present to raise us to glory; but in hell, His presence condemns our sin. We cannot sin, brothers and sisters.  If we do, we shall not escape His hand.  It cannot but be that the Lord condemns all evil, for “into a soul that plots evil, wisdom enters not,” and what hope have we of life if the spirit of wisdom guides us not?  Indeed, we must “seek Him in integrity of heart.”  Yes, justice must be our love, and wisdom our treasure.  This alone will bring us unto heaven.  If our counsels are perverse and we cause sin to occur, leading others astray by our unjust words and actions, the Lord makes quite clear our fate in our gospel today: “It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”  And there is a “little one” in ourselves, whom only the Lord – who probes our heart and mind – knows, and whom we condemn to destruction by our sin. Rather, we must have faith.  We must forgive others and have an abiding faith in Him, Jesus tells us.  This faith will manifest itself in the great works done in His name, and in our following Him simply day to day.  With such faith we cannot be shaken.  Holding such faith, the light shining upon our souls by Him who sees all will purify us for the coming of His kingdom. What can we say, brothers and sisters?  The Lord hears us.  Where can we go?  He is with us.  Either for evil because of our turning away, or for our good by our turning to Him, the Lord is ever present.  It must be our desire to come to Him, in wisdom and in justice, in forgiveness and in faith… and hell we shall avoid as gratefully into His glory we fly, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. ******* O LORD, you see us and the sin we commit,   and so we must turn to you for forgiveness.  YHWH, your Spirit fills the world; wherever we may go, you are present.  We cannot escape your light, and should we try, we would but find ourselves in hell.  You hear every word we speak: our inmost selves are exposed to your eye.  We must but believe in your love, and Wisdom will be with us as guide.  But how difficult we make the path to faith.  How ready we are to listen to senseless and perverse counsels and so disbelieve you.  As easily as Eve we fall, O LORD.  May we know your just rebuke of our sins that we might find repentance and taste your forgiveness upon our souls. O let us not fight against you, dear God! but work always and only for the salvation of all, for the recognition of your eternal glory present in our midst by the Spirit come through your only Son.  And so with you let us dwell.

(Rm.16:3-9,16,22-27;   Ps.145:1-5,10-11;   Lk.16:9-15)   “Let all your works give you thanks, O Lord, and let your faithful ones bless you.”   We are in the world, and amongst the wealth of this world.  We have nothing to do with money and the world – “You cannot serve God and money,” the Lord has told us, and so we cannot serve money… yet what have we to use but the riches of this world?  And so “through use of this world’s goods,” by showing ourselves trustworthy with this “elusive wealth,” we find and bring others to the “lasting” riches of heaven. Paul at the end of his letter to the Romans lists all his “fellow workers in the service of Christ.”  Here are those who have been faithful with the elusive wealth of this world.  They themselves have died, their bodies have been laid in the tomb, yet their works live on in the Spirit they have brought forth.  Nothing of this world lasts long, yet these transitory things can and must be used, that “glory be given through Jesus Christ unto endless ages.” “Generation after generation praises your works and proclaims your might,” sings David to the Lord.  And with our voice, too, while we have breath, we must “speak of the splendor of [His] glorious majesty and tell of [His] wondrous works.”  Forever and in all our works we must praise and bless the Lord of all, that all we do leads unto the glory of the kingdom, that in all we serve God with all our might.  We must join ourselves to Him, and we do this by the gifts He gives us, and by employing now what is at our disposal.  So it is.  So it has been back beyond the time of Paul, and so it shall be unto the coming of eternity. Today we must think of how well we use this world’s goods, how well we employ this Word of the Lord in the world.  In the “little” things of our daily lives do we honor God, or are we unjust in some manner?  For today begins the road to heaven; this time leads to eternity.  And if we wish to find “lasting reception” with the Lord in heaven, we must be ever faithful in our works today.  To God let us give thanks.  May we who are the work of the Lord give praise to Him in all our works upon this earth. ******* O LORD, let us give you glory through all that is at our hands. YHWH, generation after generation praises your works; from the time of the apostles unto this day, all those who serve the Gospel of your Son speak of the splendor of your glorious majesty – let us always discourse of the glory of your reign and give you due praise by all we do in your NAME. O LORD, we are in the world, and though we can never be of the world, what do we have but the world this day?  And so we must use it wisely and make great profit by it, even the salvation of the world itself.  May many men come into your presence by the work of your servants each day.  And may we always be in their company. O LORD, let our names be written in the Book of those who have faithfully served you, who have turned their backs on unjust gain for the sake of your Church.  May we forever sing your praise with all those your Son has saved.

(Rm.15:14-21;   Ps.98:1-4;   Lk.16:1-8)   “The worldly take more initiative than the otherworldly when it comes to dealing with their own kind.”   What is the Lord teaching His disciples?  What does He wish to tell them of their call?  We need only look at the Apostle Paul, for here is a man, a child of God, who has taken the initiative the Lord would see wrought in us all. Our first reading indeed speaks clearly of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles.  Not only has he covered a vast measure of the globe (particularly for that time), but his intense initiative is seen most acutely in his never going “to preach in places where Christ’s name was already known”; rather, “they who received no word of Him” became Paul’s audience.  A greater example of taking initiative in the Spirit of Christ to bring His light to the world perhaps will never be known. But it is required of all of us.  We are not free to revel in complacency because Paul has been so industrious.  It is still true that the Lord must make His salvation known “in the sight of the nations,” and it is still so that we Christians of the Church militant have the responsibility to see that the Lord’s work is accomplished.  Each of us is called to take a measure of initiative, is gifted by God with the responsibility of bringing a portion of His kingdom to light – in our own way, in our own time… but invariably the call is there and must be answered.  All must fulfill their role in salvation history before it can be truly and completely proclaimed: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God.” The devious employee’s heart was set thoroughly on the business at his hands, and he used his business wisdom, his worldly savvy, to save his skin.  Where is our spiritual savvy?  Where is the employment of our spiritual wisdom and insight to the salvation of others’ souls, and our own?  “I can take glory in Christ Jesus for the work I have done for God,” Paul says quite freely.  Are we able to say the same?  Let us work industriously and with initiative to bring the spiritual kingdom to fulfillment.  By God’s grace, let the Spirit come.   ******** O LORD, let us do all we can to bring your Word to the world. YHWH, you have made your salvation known in the death and resurrection of your Son, but we must carry that truth to the ends of the world, even as the Apostle Paul. We cannot sit on our hands, dear LORD; we must not dissipate your grace.  Rather, let us readily preach your Gospel in all we think, do, and say.  Then we will be pleasing in your sight, and all souls will be drawn into your presence. O LORD, to your children you have granted complete knowledge of your ways and made them able to serve your kingdom.  In the power of your Spirit let us go forth to see that all peoples are consecrated to you. Let all souls sing a new song to your NAME; let all praise your goodness to us, LORD.  From your work let us never turn away until we stand with you on your holy Day.

(Rm.14:7-12;   Ps.27:1,4,13-14;   Lk.15:1-10)   “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”   Since “every one of us will have to give an account of himself before God,” who are we to “sit in judgment” or “look down on” a brother?  Why are our eyes set upon others’ sins instead of the Lord’s glory?  Why do we fall into this pit of condemnation? Yes, Jesus welcomes sinners.  For this has He come.  How blessed are we that He makes such “a diligent search” to retrieve our souls from the grave of sin; how blessed are we when He finds us and puts us “on His shoulders in jubilation.”  In this forgiveness should we glory.  In this grace we should praise the Lord, and seek to help others come to such blessing.  But do we blind ourselves to the grace at work in our souls by setting our sights on the sins of others rather than the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ?  Are we as judgmental as the Pharisees and as those Paul warns today against condemnation of others? Brothers and sisters, we should rather be with David in his psalm and seek “to dwell in the house of the Lord” forever, and set our “gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His temple”; we must not let our sights fall from heaven to earth and so lose ourselves in the judgment of others’ sin.  This is the great danger.  This is the devil’s temptation: “Look at him,” he says, “see how evil he is.”  If he cannot get us to believe it about ourselves and so lose hope of redemption for our souls, he attempts to distract us with the sins of others, and so achieve the same ends.  We must realize that “both in life and death we are the Lord’s,” that He loves us and desires our salvation, and that He loves and desires the salvation of all our neighbors.  And so we must come to Him, take refuge in Him and in His love and forgiveness, and then we will “see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living” and not die a miserable death. Brothers and sisters, let each of us be that “repentant sinner” over whom the angels of God rejoice.  The Lord welcomes us though we are sinners.  Let us not forget His grace.  And let us welcome others.   ******* O LORD, let me be that one repentant sinner you find and place upon your shoulders – come to me even this day. YHWH, it is your great joy to see the repentance of the sinner, and so your Son has come among us to invite us to such grace.  And if we are your friends, will we not rejoice with you?  If all of Heaven rejoices at the conversion of the poor lost sinner, we show ourselves not to be of you, not to be of Heaven, if instead we look down upon our brother.  O save us from such a miserable fate! We all must bend the knee before your Son; we all shall have to appear before your judgment seat and give an account of our lives.  And is any of us without sin, except your Son’s dear Mother?  Then we must know that to dwell in your House, to contemplate your face, we all require your blessed forgiveness, LORD, that without it we will be left standing outside your gates.  And so, let us praise you for your goodness to us, and to others.  Let all souls be found rejoicing in your kingdom.

(Rm.13:8-10;   Ps.112:1-2,4-5,9;   Lk.14:25-33)  “Love is the fulfillment of the law.” Jesus tells us, “None of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his possessions,” turning our backs even on father and mother, even on our very selves.  Our psalm states of the happy man, “Lavishly he gives to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever.”  And Paul makes clear that we “owe no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one another.  He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” What is this love?  Where is this generous spirit?  How do we renounce all our possessions?  In the cross of Christ we find our call.  The cross of Christ means giving all, means laying down our lives for the Lord and our neighbor – the cross of Christ is love itself at work in this world in the death of self and the finding of the grace and the love of God in heaven. Jesus wishes that you be sure about this.  He desires that you understand what is required of you – your very life, your absolute love.  Nothing short of total sacrifice will do; we must be entirely whole, utterly holy, to enter His gates, to follow Him into glory.  This is greater and more significant than any war, than any project conceived by the mind of man, for it is our eternal soul that is at stake, whose weight cannot compare to even all the world.  “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”  We all have a cross graciously placed upon our shoulders by our loving Lord to make us one with Him in His redemptive suffering and death, to make us one with Him in such utter love.  How will we find heaven if we do not love?  How do we come to that place which is only of love if we do not give ourselves to love completely? “How can I do this?” you say.  “The Lord asks too much.”  You must remember that it is only love He asks of you, and that it is His cross you carry – He who is only of love – and so He carries your cross with you, making it ever so sweet and light.  Do you think the saints feared to die in the name of Christ?  Do you think they shrank back even in the face of torture?  None of this has any significance to the soul who is set on Christ; and without Christ a hangnail can seem overwhelming. Love, brothers and sisters.  It is simple as that.  Love.  Not this world, but His heart, His sacrifice, His cross.  And you will see all brought to life before you; and you will find joy in your soul. ******* O LORD, what a beautiful invitation to love is Jesus’ call to carry our cross with Him! for He is only love, and what can we find but love if we follow Him – and who will we then not truly love? YHWH, teach us of your way of love, embodied so perfectly in your Son, that we might give ourselves as generously as He to all those we find in need.  Help us to give up all things, to renounce our possessions, to turn our backs even on friends and family that we might truly love them and so teach them of your surpassing love. O how sweet is the Cross your Son would impart to all His followers!  What light it gives to the world.  If with willing heart we lend to others, expecting nothing in return, how blessed are we to thus share in your love!  Love is all that matters; it is the fulfillment of your Law, O LORD.  And we find it in the Cross. Jesus gives so lavishly to us poor souls, we who are so poor in spirit.  Nothing have we to offer in return, dear God, but the sacrifice of our lives.  May this poor offering be acceptable to you.

(Rm.12:5-16;   Ps.131:1-3;   Lk.14:15-24) “Come along, everything is ready now.” Dinner is being served now in the kingdom of God.  But are we prepared to sit down at table?  Or do we turn our hearts to other things? Jesus sets our place now in the kingdom of heaven.  He has come.  He has died.  He has risen and sends now the Holy Spirit to invite us into His presence.  And His presence is ever with us; He is ever knocking at the door of our hearts – His Spirit is always with us.  But, again, do we hear His call, do we heed His call?  Do we care to come into His presence and sup with Him, and receive His gracious gifts at His precious table, at His holy altar… or do we cling to what is evil, what is worldly? How do we come to His kingdom?  How do we find ourselves in His presence?  Paul instructs us: we must simply do His will.  Doing His will upon the face of this earth brings us to the kingdom of heaven.  The teaching should be evident to all Christians: “One who is a teacher should use his gift for teaching…  He who gives alms should do so generously…  Rejoice in hope, be patient under trial, persevere in prayer…”  Do all things as is meet for those things.  It is not complex.  There needs no genius to figure it out, or a scholastic degree to understand it.  One need not travel miles to discover it.  It is truth.  It is Jesus.  It is to suffer and die for Him as called by the Lord.  “Your love must be sincere.  Detest what is evil, cling to what is good.”  What more can be said?  Find peace in the arms of the Lord.  Say with our psalmist, “I have still and quieted my soul… like a weaned child upon its mother’s lap.”  We must do as he proclaims: “I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me.”  We must not complicate God’s simple love for us and our call simply to love Him with all He gives us.  We must, rather, heed His voice, and come into His presence when He calls. The table is set.  His Word is speaking to us.  In silence we will hear Him; in quiet we will find His voice.  In the vain activity of this world we become deaf.  Only by hearing and doing His Word and will, will we come to sit at His table and partake of His heavenly banquet – only if this is the true desire of our souls.  Even now we taste Him in the Blessed Sacrament; even today we hear His Word proclaimed.  Are we prepared to meet Him?  Do we seek to do His holy will? ******* O LORD, all are invited your House – let us find our place in the Body of Christ and serve Him well. YHWH, help us to do your will in all things, simply and purely, as your sons.  What you give to us let us share with others, answering you readily when you call. What need we do, dear God, but share the gifts you give us with others?  What do you expect of us but to use well what you place in our hands?  If we can teach, let us teach; if serve, let us serve.  Whatever we have let us be generous in offering at the service of our brothers.  Let us indeed love freely as you. Then we will be ready to answer your Son’s call to the kingdom – we will already be answering it in our very actions.  We will not be distracted from coming to you, LORD, if our only desire is to do your will in all things, if we are serving you with all our lives.  Then your Bread will already be before us, and we shall come into your presence this day.  O let your peace reign in our hearts!

(Rm.11:29-36;   Ps.69:14,30-31,33-34,36-37;   Lk.14:12-14)   “God has imprisoned all in disobedience that He might have mercy on all.”   I begin to see “how deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God.”  For though I am far from knowing “the mind of the Lord,” yet He does offer me a certain insight this early morning about Him whom Paul says, “From Him and through Him and for Him all things are.” It is in the complementarity of the readings the insight comes, particularly viewing the gospel in light of the first reading.  Jesus instructs the chief of the Pharisees that when giving a banquet he should “invite beggars and the crippled, the lame and the blind” and to be “pleased that they cannot repay” him for his generosity, assuring him he “will be repaid in the resurrection of the just.”  Now, the Lord does not instruct us to be anything more or less than He and the Father are.  So this instruction reflects God’s own great desire and joy in giving to those who are not able to repay Him: it serves as a reminder that God is love, that He thrives, as it were, on mercy, on compassion. Paul, in the first reading, states to the Romans, “God wished to show you mercy,” and that for this reason the Jews “have become disobedient,” as well as to fulfill God’s longing that “they too may receive mercy” upon returning to Him who set them apart for Himself.  Again we see the greatness of God’s love, we glimpse His burning desire to show compassion to all creatures.  Now, to the mind lacking wisdom (and love), it might seem as if God is somehow playing with us, causing our falling that He might lift us up again.  But it is necessary to remember that God did not desire us to sin, that this was not His intention… and indeed that He did not need us to sin to show us His mercy and love.  But our disobedience having come, God in His love is not conquered.  This temporary and empty victory by the devil does not tie His hands.  Rather, the Lord takes this opportunity to show in an even greater way the very mercy and love which are His essence – shown to us so clearly in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to forgive men’s sins – to show, really, His greatness, which has its source in this love. And David’s psalm speaks in the same line: “The Lord hears the poor, and His own who are in bonds He spurns not.”  In our affliction and pain we cry out and He comes with His “saving help”; He is pleased to “rebuild the cities of Judah,” to return us to His side.  It is not sin He desires, but the recognition of our dependence on Him for all things, that He might freely show us His love.  For this love at His heart’s core and which overcomes all – which is the essence of God and His creation – let us praise Him, brothers and sisters.  “To Him be glory forever.  Amen.”    ******* O LORD, who can repay you for your mercy toward us, for your love is without measure? YHWH, how great is your mercy, and how greatly you desire us to share in that mercy.  And so we have become imprisoned in disobedience, that your love you might freely bestow upon us.  And so you call us to give freely to others, that your blessing of mercy we might know even in our own souls.  O LORD, how can we poor creatures share so intimately in your merciful love?  How can we who have hardened our hearts so much against you be blessed with the grace of forgiveness and come to the fountain of love you are?  We deserve it not.  We merit only condemnation.  And yet, it is your desire to show us such love, and to have us show it to others.  How can we thank you, LORD, we poor beggars, we blind souls…?  How can we repay you for giving us, and then giving us back, our very lives?  In your generosity invite us to your table and by your grace let us feast with you.

(Rm.9:1-5;   Ps.147:12-15,19-20;   Lk.14:1-6) “They could not answer.” The Pharisees are dumb.  The leaders of the Jewish nation cannot speak as to whether a man should be healed on the sabbath.  How far they have fallen from the presence of God. We know the Israelites were God’s chosen people.  This is proclaimed clearly by both Paul and our psalmist today: “Theirs were the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the lawgiving, the worship, and the promises; theirs were the patriarchs, and from them came the Messiah”; yet when the Messiah, the Son, the fulfillment of all the gifts given them, stands before them… they are blind, they are dumb – they have no wisdom, no light.  This is the nation whom the Lord has given “His statutes and His ordinances…  He has not done thus for any other nation.”  And yet they are unable to judge that it is right for a man to be healed at any time, that this is God’s will, that human life supersedes the mere observance of law, a law they have suffocated of its life. And we?  Again, being successors to the Jews we must always ask ourselves if we do the things which caused the promise to be taken from their hands.  Do we proclaim the glory of this Word?  Do we “speak the truth in Christ”?  Or do we keep silent, too?  And not the silence that bears all suffering as has our Savior upon the cross do I speak – I mean the death of the Word in our souls.  The inability to discern His will.  The fear to praise God by teaching the nations of the grace which has been granted us.  “He sends forth His command to the earth; swiftly runs His Word!”  But does that Word come through us, does it work through us who are the keepers of the New Covenant, or do we let it die in our throats? “Blessed forever be God who is over all!” Paul shouts as despair he begins to detect for the failure of so many Jews to turn to Christ.  And so we should ever praise our God whenever doubt or fear enters our soul.  It is our only refuge.  It is our only strength.  Silence before the courts of this world which observe us closely will not do.  Acceptance of our death, yes, but not fear of retribution should be ours.  We must speak the truth in love, relying on the wisdom which comes from Him alone as we make our way through the challenges of this world. ******* O LORD, why should our mouths be shut in the presence of your glory? YHWH, may your Word run swiftly to us and work swiftly through us.  May we never hesitate to proclaim your praise, to declare your love for all in all our words and actions.  May we think only the good and seek only your will.  Let the dictates of the law never quash our souls. How blessed were your chosen people, LORD!  All things were given them at your gracious hands.  True worship of you was theirs; but how far they have fallen from your love.  Though all was made known to them by your Word, they forgot the blessing upon their nation and became blind to your will.  O let their eyes be opened! You desire only good for all, dearest LORD, and nothing that is for our neighbor’s good can contravene your law.  The law you give to lead us to glory, and now that glory is in our midst in your only Son.  Let us open our hearts to His teaching and live forever in your love.

(Rm.8:31-39;   Ps.109:21-22,26-27,30-31;   Lk.13:31-35)   “For your sake we are being slain all the day long.”   And yet, “in all this we are more than conquerors because of Him who has loved us.” We die.  Each day we die, we sacrifice our lives.  We are “as sheep to be slaughtered.”  This is our call, to be as our Lord who was crucified – our King wears a crown of thorns.  And yet in all this apparent weakness, in all those places where violence seems to reign, where death presumes dominion over us… it is void.  It has no power.  For God holds all the world in His creating hand, and He watches over us.  So, indeed, “if God is for us, who can be against us?”  If God fights for us, how shall we be conquered?  We shall not, we cannot.  “Christ Jesus, who died or rather was raised up… intercedes for us.”  And so the death He suffered, which led only to life, becomes our own, and only life is ours in Him. The Lord would gather all His “children together, as a mother bird collects her young under her wing,” but so many refuse.  So many are disobedient.  So many desire not the love of God.  And so, death comes.  Because of our sin, Jesus must suffer, Jesus must die.  And we must die with Him if we are to follow Him through this world of darkness and sin into the kingdom of light.  For the emptiness of the power of this world must be exposed.  It must be shown for the nothingness it is.  And only by dying does this become clear to our minds. And so, Jesus does not shy away from death; He does not save Himself from its clutches.  Freely He offers Himself for our sakes, that we might overcome the fear it produces in our fallen souls, that we might then be raised from darkness to light.  The prayer of David is the prayer of Christ, standing in our stead, “I am wretched and poor, and my heart is pierced within me.”  The sword, which has no power over Him, nor over us now, He accepts in His side that new life might flow out from His broken flesh.  The suffering which should be our own He takes and nails to the cross.  And it is dead.  And the power of Satan is nullified.  And in His “generous kindness” the Lord has rescued us.  And so as we suffer now with Him all the temptations of this earthly life, our heavenly king is by our side breathing upon us new life.  Let us have no fear for any presumed power of this universe; the Lord is greater than them all.    ******* O LORD, you will save us from all trial and persecution – even death. YHWH, by the love of Christ we have been saved, and nothing can separate us from that love.  Though Satan persecute us, though the kings of this earth seek to destroy us, yet we shall live in your only Son who, though He died, was raised up and sits now at your right hand interceding for us this day.  And so, what need we fear? To His death Jesus went, freely and without fear.  In Jerusalem He was slain like all of the prophets.  Yes, the walls of Jerusalem were torn down and the temple abandoned.  But in His resurrection the true Temple is rebuilt, and to the holy City we are now drawn.  Blessed is he who comes in the Name of your Son!  Blessed are you, dear God, who desire so earnestly to justify our poor, broken souls. And so, now that Jesus has died for our sakes, we shall not be condemned.  We shall conquer all sword and danger in His love.  Praise you for your kindness, LORD!  You have heard our cries.

(Rm.8:26-30;   Ps.13:4-6;   Lk.13:22-30)   “Lord, are they few in number who are to be saved?”   We question.  We wonder.  With the man who spoke to the Lord as He made His way toward Jerusalem, as He approached His own death, we question Jesus, “Who will be saved?” particularly as we face our own imminent death.  Jesus answers the man, and so He responds to us, too.  His answer is simple: “Come in through the narrow door.”  His answer is wise, and comes with, and itself is, a warning to us not to take for granted the salvation by our God but to be diligent about our striving toward His kingdom, to be purposeful about our dying for Him.  Those who walked with Him may have thought that this alone would be sufficient to ensure their entrance into heaven.  But simply knowing Him, seeing Him, and even eating with Him will not do: He must know us.  He must see us about His work as we see Him about the Father’s work – He must come in and eat with us, nourishing our souls with His daily bread of labor in His Name, of life in His Word. Brothers and sisters, we may come to His table every day.  We may eat of His Body and drink of His Blood and hear His Word proclaimed to our ears; we may be members of His Church, sitting here in these pews; we may have since birth been graced with the blessings of the sacraments and teaching of our Catholic faith – but this alone does not assure our entering into heaven.  We must live that faith.  We must put flesh and blood to our belief.  There is no other way we can be saved, because this is our life and our life is required of us by God.  It will not magically occur at the moment of death if we have not spent our lives for Him. O brothers and sisters, we must cry out with David, “Give light to my eyes that I may not sleep in death.”  We must sing to the Lord with him, “Let my heart rejoice in your salvation.”  We must seek Him, seek His life, with all our hearts, that the prophetic words of Paul might become our own, that our predestination “to share the image of His Son” the Father might accomplish in us.  For the Lord does call us, and we must respond.  As we respond, we shall be justified – He shall enter in and cleanse us of our sin.  And remaining on this path of justification we shall soon find glory with God in His eternal kingdom. Brothers and sisters, let the will of the Lord be accomplished in us.  In our moments of doubt, when we have no words with which to come to God, let us turn to the Spirit who “intercedes for the saints as God Himself wills,” “with groanings which cannot be expressed in speech.”  He truly is our help in weakness.  He truly is our guard on this perilous journey.  Only remaining with Him and in His Church do we find comfort in the knowledge that we are to be saved. ******* O LORD, call us unto your kingdom that with your Son we might be glorified –  let us embrace the Cross as we make our way to you.  YHWH, send your Spirit to help us in our weakness; hear us as we cry out to you.  In our lives let your will be accomplished, that with your Son we might be glorified.  You lead us forth in your goodness – may we be obedient to the promptings of our heart. Within us you place your Spirit, LORD; to our ears come the teachings of your Son.  Through the narrow door let us pass, by the groanings you inspire in us.  What can we do but call upon your NAME?  Let us not cry out in vain. Our enemies surround us, LORD, and seek our downfall.  How they wish to see us sleep in death.  They would bar the door to your House that we might not enter – in your loving kindness defeat their plans.  Let us be made in the image of your Son that on the last day we might join your saints in the kingdom.

(Rm.8:12-17;   Ps.68:2,4,6-7,20-21;   Lk.13:10-17)   “All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”   It is the Spirit of God that led the poor stooped woman in our gospel today to the synagogue to see and hear the teaching of Jesus the Lord, and to find a healing for her infirmity.  “This daughter of Abraham… in the bondage of Satan for eighteen years” was by the Lord “released from her shackles” and became a daughter also of the Most High God.  She is a sign of us all.  For all, whether sons of Abraham by the flesh or not, are called into the presence of God to find healing for the sin and sadness and oppression of the devil which trouble us.  On our own we cannot stand straight in the sight of God, but by the touch of Jesus we find our dignity and become sons of God with Him. God is “the father of orphans and the defender of widows”; He “gives a home to the forsaken.”  And so we who were once under the “spirit of slavery” to sin may now find “a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, ‘Abba!’ (that is, ‘Father’).”  Once having no father to watch over us, now “the Spirit Himself gives witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”  A greater blessing one could not find than to be a son or daughter of the Most High God.  For “God is a saving God for us.”  Not only does He love us, but He shows that love even by dying for us, that we might live. And it is so that “if we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God, heirs with Christ.”  And though it is by the death of Jesus that we are made heirs of the Father’s glory, we only come into full possession of the riches of our glorious Lord by our own death, for we must “suffer with Him so as to be glorified with Him.”  It is this death of ours, a death to self, to flesh, to sin and the world, that brings us the life of Him “who controls the passageways of death” and so is able to free us from all death. Day by day the Lord “bears our burdens.”  On all days, eternally, He is our Father and our Savior, waiting to heal us.  Whenever we come to Him, we shall find Him ready to bless us.  His Spirit He sends upon all, like a sun that never sets, calling us to His presence.  We must but respond in humility and faith, and as we bow ourselves before Him, He will raise us up to the dignity He desires for all our lives.  And we shall be His sons.   ******* O LORD, your Son bears our burdens for us – He releases us from bondage to the flesh that we might live with Him in the Holy Spirit. YHWH, orphans and widows we have been, far from you we were separated from the beginning, cast off like a forsaken wife.  And we could not find our way back to you by the flesh, try as we might by following the line of our ancestors – this but brought us back repeatedly to their weakness, to their separation from your grace, from the light of your holy face. But your Son you sent to show us the way to you.  In Him we find the blood that must course through our veins; wed unto His flesh we are redeemed….  It is He who puts to death the evil deeds of the body and makes us sons once again of you – now His Spirit is upon us to call out your NAME, dear Father. O let us be your children! wherever we are from; whether children of Abraham or of foreign lands, let us all be blessed this holy day to know the healing touch of your Son and so inherit your kingdom.  O LORD, of your love let us not be afraid.

(Rm.8:1-11;   Ps.24:1-6;   Lk.13:1-9)   “You will all come to the same end unless you reform.”   We hear again today in our readings of the distinction between those who are of the flesh, and so of sin, and those who are of the spirit and justice.  And since “the tendency of the flesh is toward death but that of the spirit toward life and peace,” rightly does Jesus warn us that we will die in our sin if we do not repent and turn to Him.  For indeed He and the Father, with the Spirit, are of life and have nothing to do with death, with sin. Paul continues to make clear the difference, the separation, between those of flesh and those of spirit, and continues to encourage his reader to allow the body to die that the spirit might live: “If Christ is in you, the body is indeed dead because of sin, while the spirit lives because of justice.”  It is in Jesus that our salvation from sin has come, for when “God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, thereby condemning sin in the flesh,” He made it possible for us to live no longer “according to the flesh,” but “according to the spirit,” for we know that “He who raised Christ from the dead will bring [our] mortal bodies to life also through His Spirit.”  Even now His Spirit brings our spirit to life, and on the last day our flesh shall also be joined to Him in heaven. David’s psalm questions, “Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord?  Or who can stand in His holy place?”  Only those “whose hands are sinless… shall receive a blessing from the Lord,” and so, again, we must turn to Him, we must be of “the race that seeks for Him.”  “The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it” are of Him.  But how our hearts have turned from Him in sin, and so, how shaken we have become, inviting death into our lives.  And so only those who renounce their sin, who come by the power of the Spirit and the grace of Jesus’ blood, shall attain to His presence.  And only those who bear fruit in His Name will He preserve. The end of our gospel makes clear that there must be fruit in our lives, brothers and sisters.  This is indeed the sign that we are of the spirit – if we “bear fruit” in the Spirit.  We cannot claim to be of the spirit and bear the fruit of the flesh, which is sin.  Jesus will not fail to recognize the difference, however much we may fool ourselves or others.  We will die in the flesh like any sinner if we do not live according to Christ and His Word.   ******* O LORD, let us be dead to the flesh that we might bear fruit in the Spirit of Christ! YHWH, let your Spirit dwell in us that we might conquer the flesh and bear fruit in your holy NAME.  How shall we be holy as you are holy, how shall we stand in your holy place, if your Spirit is not with us?  Fulfill our desire to see your face! Your Son came and walked amongst us for three years, seeking fruit upon this fig tree.  Upon His death and resurrection He sent the Spirit forth to nourish the Church that we might perform works worthy of Heaven.  O LORD, help us to repent of our sin and reform our lives in the image of your Son. Jesus has indeed condemned sin in the flesh that what is mortal might be redeemed and come to life in the Spirit, that we might be free from the law of sin and death by which all creatures are justly condemned and come to dwell in the peace of your presence.  LORD God, may the Spirit of Christ make us worthy to stand in your sight.

(Rm.7:18-25;   Ps.119:66,68,76-77,93,94;   Lk.12:54-59)   “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is just?”   Do we not have the law of God at work in us now?  Must we yet subject ourselves to the judge of this earth, who cannot but condemn us for our sin?  If we cried out with our psalmist for the Lord to teach us His “commands,” His “statutes,” His “law,” and His “precepts,” His “promise” of “compassion” would be with us, His Spirit would come to us and instruct us on all matters.  No longer “the prisoner of the law of sin in [our] members,” we would be freed “from this body under the power of death.”  Not only would our “inner self agree with the law of God,” but our actions would reflect, by the grace of Him who is at work within us, that law now written on our hearts.  The “wisdom and knowledge” the Lord thereby imparts would be sufficient for the resolution of any problem in our lives, for there is nothing beyond the scope of the Spirit. Both Paul and Jesus Himself encourage us to find the Spirit of Christ at work in our hearts.  We as a community of believers would have no need to turn to the works of the world to resolve our problems if we followed well the teaching of the Lord and His Church.  Should not the Church be our government?  Should not the teaching of God, which transcends all earthly wisdom, be sufficient for our discerning right and wrong in any situation?  Or is sin still at work in our members?  Are we yet subject to this law and the condemnation and death it brings?  Has the devil yet a hold upon us; does he yet cast us into darkness?  Are we therefore too blind to see right from wrong? Brothers and sisters, we must cast from our souls all vestige of sin; it cannot hold power over us any longer.  We must find the light of Christ in our eyes and so be made able to judge all things in His justice.  With our psalmist we must proclaim to the Lord, “Your law is my delight.”  If we yet take refuge in the law of sin, it will bring but judgment upon our lives.  But if we turn to Him, true wisdom will be ours – and His compassion will save us. All teaching the Lord puts into the hands of His apostles.  Our Pope and bishops and priests continue, as His servants, to proclaim His truth and impart His grace.  The Church is the home Jesus leaves us; upon it He places His Spirit.  Let us follow the teachings of the Lord and find His power at work in our lives, and all things will be clear to our eyes.  And so, condemnation we shall avoid as by the grace of God we judge all things rightly. ******* O LORD, Jesus has indeed set us free by His power – let us turn to Him for wisdom. YHWH, keep us from being imprisoned by sin; only you and your Son have the power to release us from such bondage.  Help us to follow your precepts, help us to walk in His way, that we might find your kindness upon our souls and live in freedom this day. Why is it we are so blind?  Why so trapped in the flesh?  Our eyes do not look upon the things of the Spirit except with great difficulty, except by the grace that comes to us through your only Son.  O LORD, let our eyes be opened to see Him standing before us, and let us follow your Law by His power. Here we find a war at work within us.  Without you we have not the wisdom and knowledge to judge well the path to victory over sin.  O LORD, let us not be delivered up to the jailer, for we are not able to pay the price of our transgressions.  Let your compassion be upon us that we might live and do what is right.

(Rm.6:19-23;   Ps.1:1-4,6,40:5;   Lk.12:49-53)   “The Lord watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked vanishes.”   The division is clear.  The Lord Himself has stated, “I have come for division.”  Far from establishing “peace on the earth,” His message makes clear the distinction between the evil and the good, the wicked and the just, drawn so well in our psalm today.  He has “come to light a fire on the earth.”  It shall purify the just for the kingdom of God even as it burns up all the wicked. Paul also makes clear the division between the evil and the good, between that which is of God and that which is of sin.  “Formerly you enslaved your bodies to impurity and licentiousness for their degradation…  But now that you are freed from sin and have become slaves of God, your benefit is sanctification as you tend toward eternal life.”  The distinction is certain: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Indeed, the just “is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade,” but the wicked “are like chaff which the wind drives away.”  This division is what the Lord’s light and fire reveal; and this revelation is eternal. It is painful, brothers and sisters.  It is painful to undergo our own transformation to justice and light from the depths of depravity into which we have fallen, and will be painful to witness others destroyed by the hardness of their hearts.  The Lord Himself expresses this pain when He says, “What anguish I feel till it is over!”  He takes no pleasure in bringing the agony of division, which begins with His own agony in the garden and ends with His crucifixion.  He suffers most to witness the sins of the masses so acutely.  They wag their heads at Him even as He cries from the cross.  What is to be done?  Division must come.  For the kingdom must come, the resurrection must take place, and sin cannot stand in its light – and so those who attach themselves to sin, to the works of the father of lies, will not stand in that day either.  And even now the judgment comes, even now we must take sides – even now we choose death, or life.  ******* O LORD, set us free from our sin – burn away all evil. YHWH, the sword of the Spirit your Son brings separates the wicked from the just – it is a fire purging all evil from the earth, destroying those who give themselves over to impurity and licentiousness, yet lighting your servants’ way to Heaven.  He who walks in accord with that light, placing nothing before its demands to holiness, shall enter your presence even as the insolent are consumed. What can we do, O LORD. to save souls from death?  It shall come inevitably to all slaves of sin.  We can but hope to make ourselves pure, seeking ever eternal life, and pray that men will turn to you.  All is in your hands; let us be sanctified by your touch.  Who has not sinned?  Who has not degraded the dignity you instilled in our souls?  Yet you would make us fruitful in the Spirit, O God, if we but set our hearts on your Word.

(Rm.6:12-18;   Ps.124:1-8;   Lk.12:39-48)   “Offer yourselves to God as men who have come back from the dead to life.”   If we have come back from the dead to life, should we then offer ourselves up to death again?  As Paul questions, “Are we free to sin?”  How absurd a thought!  If we are sinners, let us give ourselves freely to sin, and find the condemnation which comes from this.  But if we are men of justice, let us give ourselves to “obedience” of the teaching imparted to us, and find life firmly in our souls. Jesus states quite clearly, “When much has been given a man, much will be required of him.”  Brothers and sisters, much has been given us simply by our release from the sin which once enslaved us.  Indeed, “we were rescued like a bird from the fowler’s snare,” as David’s psalm proclaims.  The “raging waters” that “would have overwhelmed us,” the “torrent [that] would have swept over us,” has been calmed…  For this alone we have much to be thankful; simply by this grace much has been entrusted to us.  And what follows only adds to this initial blessing; for each day our souls are required of us, each day He puts in our hands and calls us to the work set aside for our souls to complete.  Each day the gift of grace is increased within us.  So should we then begin “to abuse the housemen and servant girls, to eat and drink and get drunk”?  Should we then return to the slavery of sin which blinds our eyes to His eternal presence?  Certainly not.  Rather, we should “be on guard” at all times, vigilantly prepared for our master’s return, employing the gifts He imparts to us each passing day. We are no longer dead, brothers and sisters.  We have the grace of our God at work within us, lighting our eyes and filling our souls with His holy food.  We must now be holy as He.  It is not for us to return to the death of sin, to subject ourselves to its chains once again, to have our eyes darkened and our souls destroyed.  The grace, the light within us, must be diligently preserved.  We must come to Him, come to His stewards to whom the most has been entrusted, who hold in their power sacramental grace, and confess our sins in His presence, and come and eat of His Body and Blood.  Let us avail ourselves of these gifts these successors of the apostles hold and thus find the strength to give our own “bodies to God as weapons for justice” and not for sin. ******* O LORD, let us give you all that we have, all that we are; then there will be nothing left to give. YHWH, you have saved us from the raging waters, from the torrent that would have overwhelmed our souls – and should we cast ourselves back into the sea?  Should we once again give ourselves to sin?  No!  We must give ourselves as slaves of your justice and serve you all our days, never turning from the grace at work within us, never again obeying the flesh and its lusts. For soon your Son shall return for us, O LORD – and should He find us in a drunken state?  Should He find us with violence in our hands and lust in our heart?  If so, then we would prove ourselves unworthy of trust; and what would we be then but beaten for our lack of love? You yourself are present now in our very spirits, LORD.  Let us treasure this grace upon us and work out our salvation, never giving ourselves again to the teeth of the beast.

(Rm.5:12,15,17-21;   Ps.40:7-10,17;   Lk.12:35-38)  “To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!” “May those who love your salvation say ever, ‘The Lord be glorified.’”  May we who love the Lord “exult and be glad” in Him.  May we who take refuge in His grace sing aloud His praise.  What greater gift could we have than Jesus Christ, whose “single righteous act brought all men acquittal and life.  For truly we were dead in our sin,” truly the offense of Adam had infected our souls, truly through this “one man’s disobedience all became sinners” – but more truly “through one man’s obedience all shall become just,” for “His grace has far surpassed” the increase of sin.  And so, what should we do but rejoice with David at the truth of Paul’s instruction. And what should we do but be ready, truly ready, really waiting, patiently, for the return of our Lord.  “Be like men awaiting their master’s return from a wedding.”  Set your hearts on His coming again, “so that when He knocks, you will open without delay.”  This is yet the greater blessing for us servants, that even in these dark days upon this earth, we stand ready for His return.  Here is His grace at work within us, that our hearts are set on Him, that His presence, the coming of His kingdom, we know even now in anticipation of its arrival.  No greater blessing could we hope for than to be “those servants whom the master finds wide-awake on His return.”  By this we know we have conquered sin; by this we see that we have overcome the darkness which surrounds us – if whether “at midnight or before sunrise” we are found prepared, if even in the darkest times we hold His light, if our eyes are like “lamps… burning ready” and our “belts… fastened around [our] waists”… we have all that we need in this world. Be ready, my brothers and sisters, for the joy is coming; it will not delay.  That happiness of life in His presence we sense even now, we taste even this day in our mouths, will come soon to fulfillment in the reign of our God.  And so, “those who receive the overflowing grace and gift of justice [will] live and reign through the one man, Jesus Christ,” for whom we await, in whom we take our refuge, whose name we praise, His saving word etched upon our souls and bleeding in our hearts.  In all we do we wait for His coming.  He alone is our desire, and we shall not be disappointed. ******* O LORD, let us be always ready to serve you; let your grace reign in us and we shall come to do your will. YHWH, grace has come to us by the sacrifice of your Son and cleansed us of the disobedience of Adam.  We are thus set free from sin and placed on the path to eternal life.  And so, what should we do now but wait for Jesus’ return, when that grace shall be fulfilled and we shall come to dwell with Him in Heaven? Truly has Jesus been obedient to your command.  Truly has He achieved the conquering of death and the end of its reign for every man.  Truly has His death brought us acquittal and life.  And truly will He return, O LORD, to reward all His faithful servants; truly will He Himself be their food. O let us be ready for His coming!  Let our lamps be burning ever and our hearts prepared always to open when He knocks.  Let us offer ourselves with Him as His Body, dear LORD, that to us quickly salvation shall come even in the dark night of this world.

(Rm.4:20-25;   Lk.1:68-75;   Lk.12:13-21)   “We should serve Him devoutly and through all our days be holy in His sight.”   For “this very night your life shall be required of you.”  Always and forever our faith is required of us, if we are to draw breath.  Always and forever the Lord asks us what fruit we have produced.  Always and forever we must be careful not to toil in vain, but to live according to His Word, believing in His promise.  Else our lives will indeed be empty vessels. Holiness befits His house.  Adherence to His covenant is our call.  Faith in the One who is “saving strength for us” is our necessity.  We must indeed be as our father Abraham, who was “fully persuaded that God could do whatever He had promised,” whose “faith was credited to him as justice.”  And if we have the same faith as Abraham, we will find the same justice, the same reward as he.  “For our faith will be credited to us also if we believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”  Jesus “was handed over to death for our sins and raised up for our justification” and only faith in Him as the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham will give us life. Why do we turn to the things of this world and in them seek our fulfillment, and in them seek our rest, when they are so vain and when all the while Jesus calls to our souls to come to Him?  Why is it we think that in the goods of this world we can find refuge, we can find strength?  Why are we so blinded to believe that in them we can find our peace?  “Relax!  Eat heartily, drink well.  Enjoy yourself.”  Here is the fruitless mantra of this materialistic world.  Here is the epitome of our blindness to His will.  Here is the belly seeking to take the place of the spirit. Can we not see that it is only the spirit that gives life, that the flesh is of no avail, that the riches of this earth serve more as a distraction to finding the life and the peace we seek in the depths of our souls than to bringing a fulfillment of this most human of desires?  This desire cannot be satisfied except in Christ.  We must not be as “the man who grows rich for himself instead of growing rich in the sight of God,” or when these passing riches rot away or are taken from us, we will be left terribly empty.  Rather, we should “avoid greed in all its forms” and dedicate ourselves to service of the Lord.  Only in Him is life and peace made known, and only by holiness do we come there.  At all times the Lord is calling to our soul; let us answer Him in faith.     ******* O LORD, Jesus has died and been raised for our salvation – may we believe in Him and grow rich in your sight. YHWH, let us not grow rich to ourselves, setting our hearts on the wealth of this passing world, but rather grow rich in your sight, in your gifts and graces.  Let us have faith, first of all; this blessing let us most treasure. You have sent your Son as Savior for us – what more could we ask of you?  Here is the fulfillment of all our desires.  And if we put our faith in Him who has died for our sins and been raised for our justification, if we serve Him devoutly all our days, it will indeed be credited to us as righteousness and great reward will be ours in Heaven.  O LORD, let us know your mercy upon our souls! Only in you our life is found, dearest LORD and God.  Our every breath is in your hands and when we come to the end of our days, what hope shall we have but that you breathe into us new life?  And so, let us store up wealth for you alone, the wealth of a faithful heart.

(Rm.4:1-8;   Ps.32:1-2,5,7,11;   Lk.12:1-7)   “Happy is the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt, in whose spirit there is no guile.”   All our sins shall be taken away by the Lord who watches over us and loves us, if we but believe. We must lay bare our souls, brothers and sisters.  We cannot hide from the eternal, piercing light of God.  His hand is upon us at all times; His heart is open always for our entering in.  It cannot be otherwise with the Lord of the universe, in whose sight “even the hairs of [our] head are counted.”  And He who surrounds us desires but our love, desires but our faith, desires but that we come into His presence confessing our sins, and He will take them away.  And we shall not be “cast into Gehenna” but drawn into His kingdom. His kingdom is coming.  Jesus sees it as He gazes out at the dense “crowd of thousands” gathering before Him.  He sees the kingdom coming as men’s hearts turn to Him.  And so He warns His disciples, who shall be the laborers to reap His harvest, “Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy,” for if they should take pride in their mission, if they should find in their deeds “grounds for boasting” and so forget the favor of God by which all are justified, they shall indeed tempt the fires of Gehenna.  “Everything you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight,” for the Lord hears “what you have whispered in locked rooms.”  So, keep your hearts set on Him and His goodness, and the truth of the Gospel will be proclaimed to the world, and you shall save your immortal soul. Jesus knows, too, that the faith of His disciples and their declaration of His Word to the world will bring persecution.  He sees in this scene, too, the cross set before Him, and He knows those who follow Him shall share in it as well.  And so He reassures His children that the Father is with them, that He treasures them even as He treasures His Son, and so the powers of this age will hold no reign over them, and that they should “not be afraid of those who kill the body and can do no more.” Yes, our soul is in His hands.  He has power to forgive and to protect, if we but come to Him as children, if we but come to Him in faith.   ******* O LORD, all is known to you – let us confess our sins, and we will be saved. YHWH, of what can we boast, we who cannot forgive our own sins?  Truly, we are in your hands, and so should fear you. But in your kindness you readily forgive our transgressions; if we turn to you, our sins are wiped away.  And so, there is nothing we need fear, LORD, as long as our desire is for you. Help us to confess our faults that you might remove all our guilt.  Inspire us to call upon your NAME, O LORD, and we shall rejoice in your blessings.  If we but have faith in you, your justice will be upon us. There is nothing of consequence we can accomplish on our own, nothing but sin.  All the good that we do comes from you, and so, what cause have we to be proud?  Let us not be false in our love for you, LORD, but even in the deep recesses of our hearts proclaim your glory continually.  O may all men come to faith and be saved!

(Rm.3:21-30;   Ps.130:1-7;   Lk.11:47-54)   “This generation will have to account for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world.”   And so shall it be with Christ’s own blood, the fulfillment of all the martyrs’ sacrifice; for these same scribes and Pharisees whom Jesus proclaims guilty of the prophets’ murders will indeed devise the murder of the Son of God.  And they prove the truth of His words immediately by their manifestation of “fierce hostility to Him” and their thus giving birth to the plot to crucify Him. Perhaps most appropriate for today, with regard to Paul’s epistle to the Romans, is the Lord’s admonishment of the lawyers: “You have taken away the key of knowledge.  You yourselves have not gained access, yet you have stopped those who wish to enter!”  It is essentially the same message the Apostle teaches: “The justice of God has been manifested apart from the law… that justice of God which works through faith in Jesus Christ.”  It is not through “observance of the law” that justification comes; the works of the law – circumcision, animal sacrifice, dietary rules – which address the body, are useless in this regard.  God is Spirit and it is spiritual means He uses to redeem us – we must come in faith to Him.  And those who would restrict faith by the imposition of these laws serve only to impede the working of the Spirit and His grace.  Paul states the question succinctly: “Does God belong to the Jews alone?  Is He not also the God of the Gentiles?”  If He is God of all nations, it is not meet to impose Jewish religious practice upon those apart from Jewish tradition.  But these protectors, or rather “possessors” and defilers of the law – defiling it by their greed in seizing it, their pride in assuming it as their own and not God’s – cannot accept that “it is the same God,” that the Gentiles are equal in grace with the Jews… and so to them this teaching is blasphemy. At the root of the problem is the fact that these leaders are not as the psalmist in our readings today, who sings: “My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn.”  Nor do they cry “in supplication” “out of the depths” of their iniquity for God’s forgiveness.  If they had been so disposed, they would have seen who stood before them, they would have recognized His coming, and they would have fallen to their knees and found His grace. Let us not be so hardhearted, for indeed the blood of Jesus is upon the hands of all who sin, just as His salvation is upon all who repent and believe in Him.  Water alone will not wash us clean; we must recognize the lack of love we have, and find His Spirit working in us.   ******* O LORD, your justice is shown in your mercy, which you offer to every faithful soul. YHWH, we have all sinned and fallen short of your glory, and cannot by our own strength find our way back to you.  We cannot justify ourselves but need the grace that comes to us through the blood of your Son to justify our souls, to set us right with you. But what of those who fail to see they need your forgiveness, who fail to recognize that they, too, are sinners, that they have the blood of Jesus upon their hands?  O LORD, how can these be justified?  How can they come to faith in you if they do not listen to the One you have sent to draw us back to your presence?  They shall but continue in the way of sinning, mounting up the blood of the prophets for judgment day. Your Son offers His life for our sakes; freely He sacrifices Himself upon the Cross that we might be saved.  Help us to turn to Him, O LORD, to see what we have done, repent, and be redeemed.  You are the God of us all, and to all souls Jesus’ blood does call.

(Rm.2:1-11;   Ps.62:2-3,6-7,9,13;   Lk.11:42-46)   “Your hard and impenitent heart is storing up retribution for that day of wrath when the just judgment of God will be revealed.”   “He will repay every man for what he has done…  Yes, affliction and anguish will come upon every man who has done evil…  But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who has done good.”  This is the just judgment, and it comes only from God, not from sinful man. And so we are chastised in preparation for that day, that of His wrath we may be spared.  We should all wish to be “insult”ed by Jesus as are the Pharisees and lawyers in today’s gospel, here, today, while there is still time.  We should all desire His difficult words of instruction which would serve, if heeded humbly, to separate us from the sins of the world, the attachments of this life that cling to our soul and prevent our coming into His presence.  Under His mighty hand we should all subject ourselves, that He might lighten our “impossible burdens,” that He might take from us all that is not holy, all that is not true – that we might be freed from the judgment upon our souls and walk with Him in immortality.  We must be ready for His day.  But as it is the darkness is with us. “Only in God is my soul at rest.”  With David we must sing this truth from our hearts.  The emptiness of the flesh and its imagination must not possess us; vain pride must take no place in our lives…  All our lusts must be set aside and we must know with certainty that only in God do we find our peace: He is our refuge and our strength.  “He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold,” we must cry, and “trust in Him at all times,” or wandering from the truth we will find ourselves in the way of destruction. “God’s kindness is an invitation to you to repent.”  In His patience He gives you time to turn from sin and find His grace and mercy.  Pray He will convict you of your sin in this time and you will not convict yourself by your judgment of others.  Seek His redeeming hand at work in your life and do the good before Him.  Then you “shall not be disturbed,” when His Word has taken root in your soul, when you have left behind all the vanity of this world.  Then the glory of God will be your own, and nothing shall remove it from you.  Soften your heart to His blessed chastisement; it shall work for you against the day of judgment. ******* O LORD, we will be judged by what we do, and by what we fail to do – let us set our hearts on you alone. YHWH, let us not fall into judgment of others but treasure rather your Son’s chastisement of our souls, that we might find freedom from our sins and take our refuge in you alone.  Soon your just judgment will be revealed; let us benefit from your kindness and take this time to repent, lest we be condemned on your day of wrath. Your love, O God, is shown in the call to repentance you make to all your children, the Jew first, then the Gentile.  You indeed chastise every son whom you love.  And so Jesus proclaims great woe upon the Pharisees, hoping to turn them from their wicked ways; and so St. Paul makes known to us our hard and impenitent hearts, that from the punishment they invite we might be spared. While there is time, O LORD, while your grace and mercy are yet being offered forth, let us place our trust in you alone, and so find rest for our souls in your eternal glory.