The BreadCast

jameshkurt@gmail.com

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. قبل ١٨ ساعة

    January 6 - Tuesday after Epiphany

    (1Jn.4:7-10, Ps.72:1-4,7-8,11; Mk.6:34-44) "Justice shall flower in His days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more." Our psalm (of Solomon, the king of peace and wisdom) relates the infinite justice of God, He who "defend[s] the afflicted among the people" and "save[s] the children of the poor." Such is the judgment of our God, who "rule[s] from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth": His perfect justice He showers upon all. And how is this justice effected? It is already evident from what we have said, from what our psalmist has sung of His Name, and our letter from John leaves no question – "God is love." His ultimate justice and love have been "revealed in our midst in this way: He sent His only Son to the world that we might have life through Him." In sending Jesus "as an offering for our sins," His perfect love and perfect justice meet and kiss and become one. He bleeds for us, and so our sins are forgiven. And what clearer proof that we all "have life through Him" is shown in our gospel, in which Jesus feeds the masses. First He teaches them with the Word "at great length." Having pity on them, He feeds their souls with Truth. But His pity does not end there – His concern extends to the physical as well as the spiritual… for He knows all our weakness, and He feeds the peoples' bodies as well as their souls. What a beautiful picture this is: the people "neatly arranged like flower beds," Jesus raising the bread to heaven and pronouncing the blessing, the disciples distributing it, and Jesus Himself dividing the fish among them. All eat and all are satisfied. Here is a picture of the Lord's justice and love. And this scene we enact each day at Mass, listening to His Word, His teaching, and then eating the bread of life He distributes among us. May the Lord be praised! And what have we to do to receive this bread of life but heed the words John offers and "love one another." For "love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten of God and has knowledge of God." And this knowledge we find in our love is that His justice is true and endures forever in the perfect peace His presence brings. Let us have faith forever. ******* 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, you sent your Son to shepherd all afflicted and fainting souls; may we be nourished by His love. YHWH, you send your Son to rule over us with His love, to feed us with His own Body and Blood. May justice flower in His day and all the ends of the earth be blessed with His peace. And let us love as He has loved; let us lay down our lives for one another. O LORD, upon your holy mountain let us take our rest, our souls arranged like flower beds, our hearts yielding to your Word. May your rule be made complete even in this deserted place where men are as sheep without a shepherd. To this place let your Son come and make it as your eternal home. Give us something to eat this day, LORD, by the hand of Jesus and His apostles, or we shall faint for weariness, or we shall starve to death. It is only your love which sustains us, LORD, only our being joined to you. May we eat our fill of your goodness, and never be apart from your reign.

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  2. قبل يوم واحد

    January 5 - Monday after Epiphany

    (1Jn.3:22-4:6; Ps.2:7-8,10-11; Mt.4:12-17,23-25) "Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God." And for every spirit that acknowledges Him, He answers all prayers: "Whatever we ask we shall receive at God's hands." "Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance…" And so, when "they carried to [Jesus] all those afflicted with various diseases and racked with pain," He heard this prayer made in faith, made in the belief that He could do this, and as Matthew so simply and wonderfully states, "He cured them all." They had listened to His preaching: "Reform your lives! The kingdom of heaven is at hand." They accepted it, humbly, taking no offense at His words and His actions – but believing in Him. And so He could perform such wonders for them, He whose spirit is true; and so "on those who inhabit a land overshadowed by death light has arisen." And now we should "give heed" and "take warning"; now we should "put the spirits to the test to see if they belong to God." Now we must clearly acknowledge Jesus as the Christ and know what John tells us, "There is in you One greater than there is in the world," and follow that Spirit within us. Are we "keeping His commandments and doing what is pleasing in His sight"? Do we "remain in Him"? He is never far away and He will hear all of our prayers and cure us of all ills, if we but believe in Him, if we but heed His teaching – if we reform our lives. We show our belief in Him when we follow His commandments, and we follow His commandments when we reform our lives. Thus we prove that we speak His language; in our love we reveal His Spirit in us. "The Lord said to me, 'You are my son, this day I have begotten you.'" Even in our psalm are spoken the words of the Father to Jesus; and they are spoken to us, if we believe that He is the Christ. This is the salvation the Father offers; it is for us to accept it and live it. For a greater gift we cannot expect, more love He could not show – this is His Son, this is God… believe in Him. There is nothing else you need seek. ******* 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, all those who seek the truth come to your Son, and you make them your children. YHWH, we shall be healed of every ill; all darkness will be banished from our midst, if we turn from our sins, if we seek to reform our lives – if we believe in the Name of your Son, that He has come in the flesh and is our Savior. And then our every prayer shall be answered, for we shall be living in your love. It is not of the world we are to be, O LORD, not of the darkness of this place. For the world does not recognize that Jesus has come, nor has it ears to hear Him. But our ears are attuned to His voice and the truth He speaks to our heart. Let us not be deceived by those who would deny the truth, those who would speak against what is plainly before them. Let us hold fast to the teaching of your Son and His apostles, and we shall have power to overcome all such evil by His love. Give us all we ask of you, LORD; give us a world remade in your image.

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  3. قبل ٣ أيام

    January 4 - Epiphany of the Lord

    (Is.60:1-6; Ps.72:1-2,7-8,10-13; Eph.3:2-3a,5-6; Mt.2:1-12) "They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary His Mother." And so our prophecy of Isaiah and our psalm of David come to pass: "Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you… the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you." And "the kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. All kings shall pay Him homage, all nations shall serve Him." And so we have the revelation made known to the Apostle Paul and all His holy ones: "The Gentiles are now coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." Yes, the Light of Jerusalem has come, and it draws the ends of the earth by its radiance. Here is the star which rises in our midst; here is the true light which shines upon all men. And all men are drawn to it – none can deny its brightness before us, its truth and its glory. And who is this king but the One of "justice" and "profound peace"? Who is He but the One who "shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor He shall save." And so all must make themselves poor before Him, laying their gifts at His blessed feet. Today we celebrate the coming of Light to the nations, the manifestation of Jesus Christ to this world covered in darkness. And we find our hope and our joy in Him as did the magi two thousand years ago. For He continues to reveal Himself to our hearts. He continues to show His peace and justice to all who look for His coming. Let our eyes be raised to the heavens and our hearts be diligent in seeking Him, and we will be led to His crib. There the Mother holds Him in her arms; there before such beauty we should empty our souls in adoration of His blessed presence, like these magi who "prostrated themselves and did Him homage." Then we shall rise fulfilled. Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by Roger Fortney. Music by Roger Fortney; used by permission. ******* 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, lead us by your light to lay down our lives before you. YHWH, into this world of darkness you have sent a great light and now all nations desirous of truth, desirous of light, follow that light to find you, dear Father in Heaven. As the magi followed the star to find the Baby Jesus with Mary His Mother, so all poor souls follow your Son to find you who have created us all; for He is in you, and looking upon His innocent face we see you, our LORD and God, and the light is ours. There is no division in your House, O LORD; all souls are called into your presence. Your star you make obvious for all to see that none may be left by the wayside but all keep to the road that leads to life. Help us, O LORD, to empty ourselves of all that keeps us from gazing at your light, all that makes our eyes blind to your glory. May we with the magi prostrate ourselves before your Child, offering all we have to Him and so to you. He is the King that shall rule us all – let us embrace His coming.

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  4. قبل ٣ أيام

    January 3 - before Epiphany

    (1Jn.2:29-3:6; Ps.98:1,3-6; Jn.1:29-34) "Look there! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" "This is God's chosen One." This is He upon whom "the Spirit descend[s]" – who takes away our sins and makes us pure by His own baptism "with the Holy Spirit." He who walks with Him walks in holiness, for "everyone who acts in holiness has been begotten by Him" – we have become "children of God" because we have now the grace of the only Son. Listen to the manner in which the Baptist "sing[s] joyfully before the King, the Lord" in our gospel today: "I saw the Spirit descend like a dove from the sky, and it came to rest on Him." How like music, like "the harp and melodious song," is his witness to the Lord Jesus Christ. His exclamation of Jesus as the holy Lamb of God, offered as a sacrifice pure and undefiled, resounds to the ends of the earth more eloquently and with greater power than "the trumpets and the sound of the horn" of which David sings in our psalm. Here is the voice proclaiming the Truth, the message our ears have so longed to hear. "The very reason [John] came baptizing with water was that [Jesus] might be revealed to Israel," and "the reason [Jesus] revealed Himself was to take away sins" – all this for our salvation. Yes, brothers and sisters, "in Him there is nothing sinful." And we must be like Him. Insofar as we sin, we have "not seen Him or known Him." Insofar as a man "keeps himself pure, as He is pure," he is His child, knowing Him most intimately, and may exclaim in wonder with John the evangelist: "What love the Father has bestowed on us in letting us be called children of God!" All sin and struggle with sin all the while they are on earth. There are many times when we must admit that we do not see Him or know Him in order for Him to be revealed in our lives, in order for us to find His blessed purity. We must confess our sins that we might sing His praise. But all the while the Son is with us, the Lamb intercedes to remove our sins. And always we must look to Him whom the Baptist proclaimed to be "what we are," to become "like Him" when His light comes to its fullness and His Spirit is all we know. ******* 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, your saving power, your Lamb, has come to take away the sin of the world – may all nations rejoice in such blessing. YHWH, Jesus is your Chosen One, your only Son, the pure reflection of your Being… and we must be like Him. We must be pure as He is pure, as you are pure, as the Spirit that comes from Him and descends upon us is pure. O let us truly be pure! Let us truly be your children. O LORD, Jesus has come to take away all sin from us. This is the mission, the work He has from you. It is for John to declare the coming of the Lamb of God, and it is for this Lamb to die for our sins. Let all be accomplished in your will. As John has made the Christ known and He has been crucified for our sakes, so let us find the purification from sin you desire for us that we might be united to you. All the earth has seen your saving power, O LORD. Let all souls recognize that power in our midst and remain in Him who brings it.

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حول

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.