The BreadCast

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Spirit-filled daily reflections on the Mass Readings of the Roman Catholic Church from the book Our Daily Bread by James Kurt (with imprimatur). The daily podcasts are voice only, while the podcasts for Sundays and Solemnities are produced with music and other elements. Another podcast recently added: Prayers to the Saints - a prayer to each saint on the calendar for the US. Also with imprimatur.

  1. 3h ago

    September 16 - Wednesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

    (1Cor.12:31-13:13; Ps.33:2-5,12,22; Lk.7:31-35) "We piped you a tune but you did not dance; we sang you a dirge but you did not wail." "Like children squatting in the city squares and calling to their playmates," seeking to have them comply with their own selfish will, so are "the men of today" according to our Lord. And so is their song not "a noisy gong"? Do they not lack of love? Could they be more "rude," more impatient and unkind, than to declare of John the Baptizer, "He is mad!" and of the Son of Man, "Here is a glutton and a drunkard"? Could they any more "rejoice in what is wrong," utterly shutting out the truth? And why? Why is it they do so lack of love? Why are they so ungodly? Is it not that they fail to realize and state with the Apostle Paul: "Our knowledge is imperfect and our prophesying is imperfect"? Is it not because they trust in their own minds that they do not come to the wisdom of God? And what is "God's wisdom"? It is what Paul speaks of so well today: God is love, and without God we are worth nothing. Yes, God is love. Love is the heart of the Law even as God is the heart of the Law, and without the heart the body is useless. But knowing God is love, hearing it repeated over and over, is not sufficient for our salvation. Certainly, "of the kindness of the Lord the earth is full." The Lord ever pours forth His grace, His love upon all His creatures – but how do we come to have that love, how do we come to accept it? Again, the key is in Paul's statement, "My knowledge is imperfect now." It is in understanding that, even though "we put childish ways aside," yet "we see indistinctly." It is in the realization that we are not God, that we need God and His love; in a word, it is in repentance. Genuine repentance is the attitude that brings us to the love of God. And the need for it is constant! I think there is a kind of divine equation to our relationship with the Lord: the more we recognize our misery, the more He shares His mercy; the more we acknowledge our lack of His wisdom and love, the more He fills our desire for them. Marvelous is the justice of God! Brothers and sisters, "give thanks to the Lord on the harp; with the ten-stringed lyre chant His praises." It is ours to "speak with human tongues and angelic as well"; we must employ "the gift of prophecy," "feed the poor," and be ready to "hand over [our] body to be burned." But all we do must be driven by His will, must be founded in His love. Our song must be set in His holy key and reflect His eternal harmony, or we have nothing to fill our emptiness. ******* 96 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} O LORD, let us accept your Word and your way; let us live in your love and praise you all the day. YHWH, if we have not love, what good are we, for then we are not of you? If we are proud what can we be but condemned for our anger and judgment? If we seek to control you, where can such foolishness lead us but to separation from you and your love; and so, what shall we do but die in emptiness? O LORD, what fools we are to trust in our own knowledge, in our own ways, when you lay the way to Heaven before us. You send your Son to lead us home, and we tell Him He knows not of what He speaks; we seek even to instruct Him of the way He should better walk. And so to what utter foolishness does our knowledge lead – what blindness is upon our souls! We must love as you love, as your Son has shown us, dearest LORD. Patient and kind make us this day, humble before you that we might see how much we need you to find our way. To your kingdom let us come, praising you for your glory, living in your unending love.

  2. 1d ago

    September 15 - Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows

    O sorrowful Mother whose heart was pierced by a sword, who stood at the foot of the Cross dying in spirit as your Son died in the flesh… Jesus was sent to suffer and die for our sins, and how intimately you shared in the profound pain He carried about all His life; how preeminently you filled up what was lacking in His suffering, suffering the whole Church must share with our crucified Lord – pray we shall indeed enter into the sacrifice of Christ your Son, following in your wake, O Mother of God; pray we shall meet Him along His Way of Sorrow that His blood upon our souls will carry us to Heaven, where you stand at His side.

  3. 1d ago

    September 15 - Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

    (1Cor.12:12-14,27-31; Ps.100:1-5; Lk.7:11-17) "A great prophet has risen among us." A great prophet, yes, and so much more; for here is He who is Himself the "one body" upon whom the "one Spirit" rests, and in whom all find their home. "The body is one and has many members; but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ." Christ is all things: He is apostle sent by the Father, prophet speaking for God, teacher instructing all on the narrow path that leads to heaven, miracle worker raising the dead, healer of body and soul causing the deaf to hear and the blind to see, assistant washing the feet of His disciples, administrator apportioning the gifts and graces which are His own, and speaker in tongues upon whom the flame of the Spirit eternally rests and whose Word goes forth to all nations. We are not all apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle workers, healers, and speakers in tongues – but He is. He is all these things for He is whole; He is the only Son of God, and we are "His people, the sheep of His flock" who share in His power according to our baptism in His Name. And so should we not "sing joyfully to the Lord" for the Savior who has been raised from among us? Should not all "lands," all members of His blessed body "serve the Lord with gladness," that all might tend to the glory of God? In our gospel "a considerable crowd of townsfolk were with" the widow, and "a large crowd accompanied" Jesus. These met at "the gate of the town" called Nain. When the Lord raised the son of the widow from the dead, "fear seized them all and they began to praise God." Is not this scene of celebration like that which should encompass the body of Christ? Should not such joy in recognition of the greatness of God course through all our veins, strengthening all our muscles? For we know more than they. We know this Man is more than a prophet – we know it is the Messiah who is among us. And so, let us "enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise" as we "set [our] hearts on the greater gifts" at work within us now as members of the body of the only Son. Alleluia! He raises us all from the dead to speak in the power of the Spirit. ******* O LORD, let us be raised from the dead to live in you, ever praising your NAME. YHWH, in your Son we approach the gates of Heaven; as His Body we become your own. Sheep of your flock let us ever be – let us enter the New Jerusalem. O LORD, raise us from our litter, from the bed of death to which sin has brought us. The hand of your Son touch us this day, His voice let us hear speaking to our ears, that we might be filled with your Spirit and rise from our graves to praise you, to give witness to your glory dwelling in our land. Alive in you let us ever be, O LORD. The blood of your Son let course through our veins. In His Body let us make our home, as His very members. Then we shall remember you; then we shall enter your courts with praise and ever give thanks to your holy NAME. Let us do your will, O LORD, your work on this earth. As Jesus your Son, let us live out our days, bringing His Word and His teaching to everyone.

  4. 2d ago

    September 14 - Monday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

    (1Cor.11:17-26,33; Ps.40:7-10,17,1Cor.11:26; Lk.7:1-10) "Just give the order and my servant will be cured." By a word from His mouth what cannot be done? For those who have faith this is all that is needed. Listen, brothers and sisters, to the centurion's explication of "the meaning of an order": "I say to one, 'On your way,' and off he goes; to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it." Do you see faith at work? Do you understand the power of a word? And if a mere centurion in the Roman army possesses such power and gains such loyalty by his commands, do you think the Lord's words shall fall short or His servants be found lacking in obedience? "I am not worthy to have you enter my house" are the words the centurion speaks to Jesus before our quote for the day, and they are of course the phrase we utter just before we receive the Lord in Holy Communion. That same sacrament of Communion is described for us by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians; he tells us of the Christ's words and actions upon its institution "on the night in which He was betrayed." "This is my body," Jesus says; and, in Paul's phrasing, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood." And so do we partake of the Lord's Body and Blood even as we remember His sacrifice for our sins; and so, like the centurion's servant, we are healed of our ills. Yet there are "divisions among [us]" regarding this central sacrament of our faith. Perhaps "there may even have to be factions among [us] for the tried and true to stand out clearly." But the Lord is never pleased with a lack of faith. And if He decries the lack of "faith among the Israelites," what is His thought on Christians who cannot believe in His presence in the Sacrament? Does the Lord not also have "soldiers under His command" like the centurion? Do they not also carry out His orders? Or is the word He gives them not powerful enough to carry out His will? Is it somehow impossible for the Lord to make himself present as He has promised by the intercession of His apostles, His priests – even as by the intercession of the Jewish elders the centurion gained his request from the Christ? Does your faith not fall short if you thus limit the power of God, of His Word, of the power given His apostles? "I received from the Lord what I handed on to you," Paul states succinctly as he speaks to his disciples of the Lord's Supper. And this meal shall last till the end of time; and it shall ever feed us body and soul with the presence of Christ. "Behold, I come," says the Lord. To do the Father's will is the Son's "delight" and the delight of all who follow Him. In body He comes and in body He remains, upon our altars and in His sons. This "justice" we "announce in the vast assembly"; we do "not restrain [our] lips." For His faithfulness to us, we His slaves and soldiers well know; and for such love we can but proclaim: "The Lord be glorified"! For by a word from His mouth uttered through His priest – "This is my body" – He is in our midst. ******* O LORD, in faith let us come to you to receive the Body and Blood of your Son, and so find the new life He brings. YHWH, your Son comes to us and gives us His own Body and Blood that we might partake of Him and so find our salvation in union with you. But have we the faith to see Him here in our midst; and have we the love to receive Him into our hearts? The flesh can be such a distraction for us, O LORD; it can leave us quite blind. As we seek to feed our bellies, our souls can be greatly deprived. And so, do we not lose you by our lack of faith? In your Word let us trust, dear LORD, not in the matter at our hands. Our hearts be set upon your grace, upon the sacrifice of your Son, that we might come to dwell in your House. O let us offer our bodies in union with His and we shall become sons as He, doing your will alone and so knowing your blessing. Let us lay down our lives in faith, O LORD, declaring your glory to all with ears. Let our very lives be made in your image, in the image of your only Son. Let us become as He is as we eat His Body and drink His Blood.

  5. 3d ago

    September 13 - Prayer to St. John Chrysostom

    O you of golden tongue, how well you proved the Word of God cannot be chained; how well you revealed its radiance to our ears and hearts… unconquered by threats of death and the sufferings the world imposes, you proclaimed the glory of God and His presence with us until the very end – pray, O dear shepherd, who held your flock so close to your heart that they became one body with you in Christ, that we all shall be so willing to lay down our lives, speaking and walking in the Word the Lord gives us to share with all our brothers in light. Pray indeed God's will be done in all His holy children.

  6. 3d ago

    September 13 - Sunday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

    (Sir.27:30-28:9; Ps.103:1-4,8-12; Rom.14:7-9; Mt.18:21-35) "Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?" How like the Lord's own wisdom is that of Sirach; how like His teaching. For have we not heard the Master say, "Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven," in His instruction to His disciples on how to pray? And does He not impart this same lesson by parable today? "Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight." Oh the woe of the unforgiving heart! "Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?" How can we "refuse mercy to another" and "seek pardon for [our] own sins"? Do we not know that anger is itself a deadly sin, mortally wounding our anxious souls? Do we who sit in judgment think in our hearts that we are without sin, that we are perfect as He who is Most High? If indeed "we are the Lord's" then we will act as the Lord and look with "kindness and compassion" upon others. Instead of condemnation we would practice divine forgiveness, for indeed mercy is the Father's defining trait in His relationship with His children. But no, rather than putting "wrath" and "enmity" and "hate" as far from our hearts as the Lord has "put our transgressions from us," we cherish these abominations, setting them as trophies in our corrupted souls. Again, what woe there is for the unforgiving soul! For the same torture we would inflict upon others for their sins against us shall be the torture we ourselves shall face – then we will know what justice is! Then we will know the wrath of God! Then He who alone has power and wisdom and love to judge rightly shall inflict His punishment on all His wicked servants. My brothers and sisters, fellow servants of the Lord in both life and in death, the Lord cannot emphasize enough to us the need for forgiveness. We must first and always recognize and remember the sinners we have been and the grace we have received at our Lord's hands. And with this ever in mind and heart we must come to others with that same mercy. It is this He desires of us, and He will accept nothing less. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "It Takes One To Know One" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, surpassing is your kindness toward us; help us to transcend our vengeful hearts and forgive as you have done. YHWH, have mercy on our souls by helping us to show mercy toward others; even your own mercy let us share. Then how blessed we shall be to be like you, O compassionate God! Then your mercy shall pour forth like a refreshing stream and become an overflowing torrent. But your kindness and compassion are far from us, LORD, so long as our sins remain near. So long as we cherish anger, we choke our souls and so cannot breathe in the light of your glory. If only we would turn and forgive, freely and without limit, then we would fully know the great blessing of your forgiveness, and find our sins put far from us. Why should we wish to live or die except in you? Why would we separate ourselves from your loving presence? O let us rather die to the wrath we hold! Let us set all vengeance aside. Then we shall rise to where you are, LORD, to where your Son would lead us.

  7. 4d ago

    September 12 - Prayer to the Most Holy Name of Mary

    O Mary, sweetest of creatures, whose name on our lips brings joy to our hearts… inflamed with love toward God and you we become in speaking your blessed name – pray we shall call your name, dear Lady, in our time of need, that you will be quick to intercede with your Son for our salvation. Washed in the water from His side and in His holy blood, pray we shall rise above the sea, beyond all rebellion, that obedient as you, His Handmaid, we shall find favor with the Lord and enter into Heaven, our names written beside your own in the Book of Life, dearest Mary.

  8. 4d ago

    September 12 - Saturday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

    (1Cor.10:14-22; Ps.116:12-13,17-18; Lk.6:43-49) "Is not the cup of blessing we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread we break a sharing in the body of Christ?" The Body and Blood of Christ we have upon our altar and in the Word of His teaching. It is these which set a firm foundation within ourselves, these by which we bear fruit in His Name – these by which we come to be as He is. Paul tells the Corinthians today "to shun the worship of idols," not because they are real, for they are not, but because these sacrifices are made "to demons and not to God" and we, as sons and daughters of a jealous God, "cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons" nor "partake of the table of the Lord and likewise the table of demons." As "a good tree does not produce decayed fruit any more than a decayed tree produces good fruit," so evil has no place with good and demons no place in the house of God. Partaking of this table is like building a "house on the ground without any foundation" and will only serve to weaken and eventually destroy our faith in the Lord. And so we should have no share in the things of the world or in the decayed fruit which such mammon bears. This unholy food and drink is but to be vomited out in the sickness it produces. And calling upon the name of the powers of the earth and the air will but cause us to choke in an unholy fear. We must "call upon the name of the Lord" and upon His Name alone build our home. It is "the cup of salvation [we must] take up" and drink of the blood that is sanctified by the sacrifice of our Lord and God. And what does our psalmist mean when he sings, "My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all His people" but that, as Jesus Himself instructs us in our gospel, we must "put into practice" the promises we make unto God. Else our words are empty; else our words are evil, for else our words will bear no fruit and our worship will be in vain. A great call have we, brothers and sisters: to be like the Lord. And this call is within our reach. His Body and Blood are upon our table; His words are ringing in our ears. We have but to eat; we have but to listen… we have but to accept these gifts and do His will, and even the torrents of death shall not shake our souls. For we shall be as "the man, who, in building a house, dug deeply and laid the foundation on a rock"; we shall stand solidly with unshakable trust in the eternal Lord. For Him we shall have become by sharing in His sacrifice. ******* O LORD, let us put your Word into practice, living as your only Son, sharing in His Body and Blood. YHWH, let us dig deep and make our foundation in you, in your Word and in your Body and Blood, and we shall bear fruit unto your kingdom, and our house shall stand strong on your holy Day. Let us shun entirely the table of the wicked; let us not partake of the food of demons. Our hearts be set only upon you, and all sin will be purged from our midst. If we act in evil, LORD, what are we but evil? But if we act in goodness, we shall be made good by you. Let us praise you each day for your goodness and your grace that we might be sharers in your glory, that we might be members of your Body. The cup of salvation let us take up each morning and live all our days wedded in the blood of the Lamb. What a gift you give us, LORD, in holy Mass; your own presence in the flesh and blood of your Son. In your Word and in your food let us build our home, and we shall become holy as you.

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About

Spirit-filled daily reflections on the Mass Readings of the Roman Catholic Church from the book Our Daily Bread by James Kurt (with imprimatur). The daily podcasts are voice only, while the podcasts for Sundays and Solemnities are produced with music and other elements. Another podcast recently added: Prayers to the Saints - a prayer to each saint on the calendar for the US. Also with imprimatur.

Information

  • Creator
    jameshkurt@gmail.com
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2026
  • Episodes
    925
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © James Kurt
  • Show Website
    The BreadCast