(Amos 7:10-17; Ps.19:8-11; Mt.9:1-8) "The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." Amos says of himself in our first reading: "The Lord took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people, Israel." And so he can say, "Now hear the word of the Lord!" And so he can speak for God. And so he can reveal the Lord's will to the people, calling them to return to His presence. Like the prophets is the law, of which David, another shepherd called by God – himself to be king – sings today in our psalm: "The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul." As the prophets' chastisement would bring healing to those who listen and obey the word of the Lord they impart, so the law of God is meant to bring a "fear of the Lord [which] is pure, enduring forever," so it, too, would bring blessed healing to the wayward child, "rejoicing the heart" and "enlightening the eye." But the people did not listen to the prophets; they refused to obey the law of the Lord. His words they cast aside, unable to swallow them, unable to make them an enduring part of their lives. Like a cloud which passes, so ephemeral, so abstract and therefore unknown they would too often become. And so the Father sent His Son. "Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven," Jesus says to the "paralyzed man lying on a mat"; and this word He has come to make real in all our hearing – to all He brings forgiveness for their straying hearts. Even the stiff necks of the scribes the Lord would bring healing. The sins of the past He comes to wash away, advocating to the Father for us that we knew not what we were doing before His arrival, and come now He has to make real for us God's presence in our midst, to take away our ignorance of the Father's love… to enable us to stand up and walk "toward [our] home." Indeed, "a feeling of awe" should come over us as it did over the crowd that witnessed Jesus' power, for the same authority resides with us now in His Church – He has not left His people abandoned. And so, come to the Lord and confess your sins, for the Lord in His grace gave "such authority to men" to act in His stead as does Christ. And now find the courage and conviction to live your life led by the Incarnate Word of God. May your soul be in the hands of the Good Shepherd. ******* O LORD, your Word be in our hearts and upon our lips that we might be saved from death. YHWH, in ancient times you gave authority to ordinary men to speak in your NAME. Simple shepherds you called to prophesy against Israel and serve you as king. In the fullness of time you sent your Son with the power to forgive men's sins, to heal us of all our ills. And now your authority rests in your Son's apostles, those whom He sends forth to forgive and feed your flock. May all souls come to your Church to receive grace from on high! Who will listen to your Word, O LORD, and turn away from his sin? Who will be refreshed by your Law and find the enlightening of his eye? Who treasures the sweetness of your chastisement, who knows the mercy bleeding in the heart of Jesus…? Who of this fallen race would stand and walk with Him toward our home in Heaven? Give us courage, dear God, that you are with us and you care for all your sons. From our exile let us be taken, that we might be held in your Hand.

O missionary of the New World inspired to leave your classroom and go forth to win souls for Christ, despite continuous battles with cold and hunger and long journeys with an injured leg, praying throughout the night you persevered and stayed with the thousands you baptized into the fold of Mother Church, bringing them not only the gift of faith but better living conditions as well; fighting ever against the military powers that would have brought only slaughter, you gained rights for these natives in the missions of California – pray we shall have the same zeal for souls that, thinking not of ourselves and without concern for any suffering, we may bear the image of our Lord to the ends of the earth so all might come to salvation.

(Amos 5:14-15,21-24; Ps.50:7-13,16-17,23; Mt.8:28-34) "Hear, my people, and I will speak; Israel, I will testify against you." The chastising continues in our readings today. Against the people's vain sacrifices and "noisy songs," both Amos and our psalmist speak in the Lord's name. In need of healing as the two men "possessed by demons" do we find ourselves in the sight of God. "Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth, though you hate discipline and cast my words behind you?" comes the warning from the Lord. And is it not a word we who pray must keep constantly in our hearts? For how easy it is to fall into empty worship; how readily do we begin to offer mere lip service to our God, when it is our very souls He demands. And not for His sake does He instruct us to "let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream" – to put into practice the words we speak. He commands us to "seek good and not evil," for "then truly will the Lord, the God of hosts, be with [us] as [we] claim." Indeed we claim His presence in our lives; we presume His blessing upon us as we attend Mass and read His words, each day receiving His Body and Blood and hearing His instruction. But continually we must check ourselves, for blindly do we fall into separation from the Lord, even in His house, and so may hear from His mouth: "I hate, I spurn your feasts… I take no pleasure in your solemnities." At these times we must come "out of the tombs" as do the demoniacs today. We must cry out to the Lord as we realize our sin. And He will be faithful to us. As He healed even these, He will cast the devils from us, too, and quickly. But first we must realize that His "are the world and its fullness," that He needs nothing from us. First we must see that all our sacrifices do Him no good – only us. Then He "will have pity," when we have humbled ourselves. Then He will gather us into His fold, when our hearts are set on His justice. Let the devil be cast from your mocking lips; accept the chastising Word of God, and new life at His feet you may find, possessed of the breath of His Spirit. Then will your offerings find favor in His eyes. ******* O LORD, come to us and stay with us and let us stay with you, sharing your goodness with all, your healing graces upon all souls. YHWH, you are God and need nothing from us; justice alone you seek of our lives. To be as you are is your desire for us, and so you rebuke us in our wickedness. Cast the devils from our heart, O LORD; let us never dwell in vain pride, for then we should live as if in a tomb, separated far from you and your love. Then we should know your justice. Help us to come rightly before you and beg your mercy, LORD, to bow before your majesty. If we but recognized your greatness, your glory in our midst, and desired your rule over our wayward hearts… quickly you would come to save us – with a word from your mouth we would be redeemed. Our words are empty, dear LORD, and our worship vain, except when you bless us with your presence, except when you take pity on our sinful state. Let your discipline bring us back to you; let us find ourselves at your feet, clothed and in our right minds. By your hand let us be fed this day – we beg you to stay with us at all times!

O first of souls to shed blood, whose sacrifice began the great persecution, you indeed handed your bodies over to torture, to the mad king of this dark world, but everlasting reward you have gained for yourselves and for the Church; your robes washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, you served to nourish the growth of the people of God – pray your holy offering shall always be remembered, that the Church in this day and in all days may be blessed by your witness of faith, that you might light our path to Heaven until our crucified Lord returns again to gather all of faith and courage into His redeeming arms.

(Amos 3:1-8,4:11-12; Ps.5:4-9; Mt.8:23-27) "The lion roars – who will not be afraid! The Lord God speaks – who will not prophesy!" Yes, the Lord prophesies against Israel today like a lion rending and roaring: "You alone have I favored, more than all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your crimes." He brings upon His chosen "such upheaval as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah: [they are] like a brand plucked from the fire." In no uncertain terms does He cry out through Amos – "Prepare to meet your God, O Israel." A frightening prospect indeed it is which is presented to us in our readings. Here is the Lord God coming to take vengeance on His people. This is He before whom "no evil man remains," who "destroy[s] all who speak falsehood." And against His own who turn from Him, He reserves greater punishment. How shall we react, we who are now become His chosen children? What should we do before such an awesome prospect as the Lord's hand coming with power? With David we should "bring [our] plea expectantly before [Him]"; with the disciples we should make "our way toward Him" and call out: "Lord, save us! We are lost!" And if we have the faith and humility of the Lord's king, who declares, "I, because of your abundant kindness, will enter your house; I will worship at your holy temple in fear of you, O Lord," then with his same confidence we may believe that the Lord will wake and take "the winds and the sea to task" – that what besets us because of our sin and separation from Him will be appeased by the same voice which threatens our destruction thereby. For indeed the Lord is abundantly kind and speaks to us as His own, and chastises us as His own. He raises His voice that we might return to Him; He places us in the fire that we might be purged. Let us find our strength in a holy fear. And let us join His voice. Let us call out with Him to His blessed children, that all might return to Him who is their maker and protector – that all might be rescued from harm. The Lord would not see us caught in the snare laid for the wicked, and so He has sent His only Son to appease the wrath He has justly spoken forth. Let the lion's mouth not close upon our heads, but may we be awakened by its voice and open our own mouths to declare the mercy of our God. ******* O LORD, the wind and the sea obey your Son, but we harden our hearts against Him – O let us heed His voice! YHWH, even wind and sea obey you, and so we call upon your NAME to be saved from their clutches. Let not our sins overwhelm us, but bring us the grace of your salvation. LORD, we deserve your just punishment, for we have stubbornly turned our hearts from you. Though you have been kind in watching over and protecting us from harm, we have not recognized your goodness toward us and praised your NAME; instead, we have turned to other gods and walked in the wickedness of our hearts. And so, what can you do but cry out against us; and so, what can we be but destroyed if we do not heed your voice? Give us courage, LORD, for our strength fails us. All we can see is the turmoil our weakness brings upon us. Help us to see beyond the troubles the world presents, troubles we have brought upon ourselves, that we might see you and your power at work, and place all our faith therein. O let us listen to your prophets as they cry out and so walk your way in peace and light, despite the surrounding darkness.

O most blessed apostles of the Lord upon whom the Church is founded and the faith goes forth, in you we cannot be shaken and the Lord's reign extends to the ends of the earth – pray we always take refuge in His House and in the teaching of His mouth. It is you who preserve the authenticity of the faith; through you we may be assured the Spirit of God is with us, leading us out of the dark prison of this world along the narrow path to Heaven. Pray the chains fall from our hands and we heed the angel's command, remaining faithful to the end, pouring out our lives like a libation. Feed the poor sheep in your care.

Acts 12:1-11; Ps.34:2-9; 2Tm.4:6-8,17-18; Mt.16:13-19) "On this rock I will build my Church, and the jaws of death shall not prevail against it." We go through death to life, for death has no power over us: the power of Jesus founded firmly on Peter, brought forward by Paul, and present in all the members of the Church and in its faith, has conquered death and leads us all to heaven. Today we celebrate the solid foundation of the Church in Peter, the man of faith, first of the apostles and rock upon whom we are firmly set; and Paul, the great Apostle, through whom that faith went out to "all the nations." Our readings today clearly manifest the faith we possess, which overcomes even death, in Jesus' commissioning of Peter and in the example shown in the lives of both Peter and Paul. Our first reading describes Peter's mystical release from prison and reveals in this act our own coming to the heavenly kingdom: the chains of sin fall from us, we are clothed in righteousness, and led through the snares of this world to freedom. And it is he who holds "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" who is led out; and indeed by these keys, by this office and its grace, "the iron gate leading out to the city" opens before us "of itself." And in our second reading we find Paul declaring the faithful life he has led even unto the end, which he now faces, and that his fighting of the good fight has merited the crown which awaits him on the Day of Lord. He is able to state with confidence, "The Lord will continue to rescue me from all attempts to do me harm and will bring me safe to His heavenly kingdom." Finally, our psalm confirms the protection the Lord grants His faithful ones: "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them." We are sharers in this faith with Peter and Paul. This is evident in the Church who "prayed fervently to God" on behalf of Peter, and whose prayers were answered in this astounding fashion, and is made certain in Paul's proclaiming that Jesus gives the reward of a heavenly crown not only to Paul himself "but to all who have looked for His appearing with eager longing." The Church is one in all its members, and though the Lord has chosen certain of us to special places and granted them special blessings and powers, all are blessed by this same God. So, today as we rejoice in this faith with which we have been gifted by the Lord, as we "together extol His name," let us consider the place we have in His holy Church and the work to which He calls us. And let us resolve to fulfill that call, pouring ourselves out unto death, that we might be assured of our entering through the heavenly gate. Let us walk in faith the narrow path the Lord has set before us, for it leads beyond death to life. Written, read & chanted by James Kurt; produced by James Kurt. Music by Carie Fortney; performed by Carie Fortney and Annette Meyer. 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, may we be loosed from the chains of this earth that we might walk with you in Heaven. YHWH, the gates of the netherworld cannot prevail against you and your Church. To Peter you have given the keys to the kingdom and these shall open every lock the devil can devise; the chains fall from our wrists by the angel you send to guide us. You deliver us, LORD, from every evil and bring us into your heavenly kingdom. The lion's mouth shall not close upon us, nor any prison door keep us from you. For we are redeemed by the sacrifice of your Son; in Him and in His blood your Church finds power and grace to facilitate release from all the wiles of the evil one. Jesus sets your people on solid rock through His commissioning of His apostle Peter. And your Word goes forth to the ends of the earth through Paul and all your disciples. And so, on the day of your Son's appearance, all shall enter freely through the eternal gates to dwell in your presence forever. You have heard our cries to you, O LORD, and bring us quickly to Heaven.

O great teacher of the Catholic faith who served to set a foundation upon which she could grow in peace and in truth, in the Spirit of God, you who valiantly defended her against attacks of heresy and shed your blood in the battle – pray we shall find shepherds today to explicate the faith of the apostles as clearly and loyally as you have done, that none shall be led astray into false doctrine by whim and fancy, by pride and envy, but drink rather the pure milk of our Mother and of the one true God. To vision of the Father let us come by revelation of His only-begotten Son.

(2Kgs.4:8-11,14-16a; Ps.89:2-3,16-19; Rom.6:3-4,8-11; Mt.10:37-42) "Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." The Lord encourages us today to "take up [our] cross and follow [Him]," to place Him first in our lives to find the reward He holds. And in our second reading Paul says the same, reminding us that "we were indeed buried with Christ through baptism into death," that we have "died with Christ… to sin once and for all" – this is our cross – and that laying down our lives before the Lord we now find ourselves "living for God in Christ Jesus"; we now find ourselves "raised from the dead by the glory of the Father [that] we too might live in newness of life" with Him who is Life itself. And Jesus sends us forth as His disciples, saying, "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." Thus, by our lives we call others to die with Christ that they too might live with Him in eternity, that they too might be blessed as we. Others should see in us the Lord and be prompted to give of themselves as we do, as He does – that in Him all might rejoice. In our first reading we find a woman who has proven the truth of Christ's statement, "Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward." Quite literally does she give her "cup of cold water" to the great prophet Elisha, feeding him "whenever he passed by" and even making a place for him to stay in her home. She has recognized "that he is a holy man of God" and is drawn to him, desiring to have his godliness near her life. And by sharing her food and her home, she is laying down her life; by serving this "righteous man" she is serving God, and so she will know the blessing of God. "This time next year you will be fondling a baby son," is the holy man's promise to the woman; and no greater blessing could she hope for. Here is life to her. Here is that "newness of life" of which Jesus speaks so well exemplified in our sight. And we should know that the same will be our own. "In the light of [His] countenance" we shall "know the joyful shout." "At [His] name [we] rejoice all the day." "The praises of the Lord [we] will sing forever," for His Son has been born in our midst; our life has come to us, has suffered and died, and now sits with the Father on high. And to Him do we come with all we are. Before Him do we lay down our lives… and all we give freely He blesses. Written, read, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Coat of Warmth" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, if we lose our lives for your sake, we shall never die. YHWH, let us receive your Son into our homes, and all those He sends; thus we shall be receiving you and have your Word alive in us. Thus we shall come to newness of life in your eternal kingdom. And how do we receive your Son, O LORD, but by laying down of our lives and taking up the Cross He bears? Only by giving what little we have to Him for your sake will we find ourselves so blessed as to rejoice forever in your presence. We are blessed insofar as your Son dwells with us. We are blessed insofar as we die with Him. For having died with the Christ, we believe we shall also live with Him, and what should we desire but this eternal life? O let us live for you alone, dearest LORD and God! This day, dear God, let us give all we own to those who come in your Name; let us put all our lives at the service of your kingdom. Leaving this world behind, we shall be exalted in Heaven.

O great defender of the Mother of God and of the faith itself, courageously you declared that Jesus is God indeed, become Man in Mary His Mother; this you made plain for all to see, O shepherd of the people of God, that truth might reign and the Virgin might find her proper place among us – pray, O brave teacher, that we shall not be afraid to proclaim the truths inscribed by the Spirit upon the heart of the Church and in her inspired writings; and may indeed our Mother, the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God, be recognized for her preeminence amongst the saints, that the Word of the Lord might be fulfilled and all generations call her blessed.