June 9 - Prayer to St. Ephrem

June 9 - Prayer to St. Ephrem

O harp of the Holy Spirit whose song rose up to Jesus and in honor of the Virgin Mary, whose heart was set on Heaven and the eternal light therein, and who served so well to defend the faith when from contemplation you came – pray we too shall have a song dedicated wholly to the Lord welling up in hearts set on His presence, on the kingdom that passes not away; and pray, too, the teaching of the Church shall always be true, shall always be rooted in the Spirit, expressive of the love of God. What is this world as it passes away, and who are we apart from God and His House? O how we long for Heaven! Pray, dear brother, with our Blessed Mother, that we shall come to dwell where you are.

June 9 - Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(1Kgs.17:7-16; Ps.4:2-5,7-8; Mt.5:13-16) "The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth." Again today we see in our readings that the Lord provides for His children's needs, that indeed He is with us until the end of the age – yes, "the Lord does wonders for His faithful one." As "the brook where Elijah was hiding ran dry," the Lord instructed him to go to Zarephath of Sidon, a pagan territory, saying, "I have designated a widow there to provide for you." Elijah is obedient and the Lord is faithful to His word, for just "as he arrived at the entrance of the city, a widow was gathering sticks there." (Indeed, how wonderful it is to see the word of the Lord fulfilled!) Elijah does not hide the Lord's prophecy from his benefactress, and she, too, believes the word the Lord has spoken. And so she and her son and the prophet were "able to eat for a year" from a jar that was all but empty. Brothers and sisters, our psalmist David sings in joy to the Lord today, "O Lord, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!" And how certain it is that He gives light to those who seek Him, those who have faith in Him. For "when [we] call… [He] relieve[s] [us]… in distress… [and] put[s] gladness into [our] heart[s], more than when grain and wine abound." For the light of the Lord is greater than the bread we eat; it is His love alone which provides all and alone brings joy to our souls. And we are called to share in that light, to be "the light of the world." It is into us He places His light and then invites us to "set it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house": "Your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly Father." As He is Light, we must be light; as He provides for the needs of all, we must provide for the needs of all. And we must believe that, as "the jar of flour did not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, as the Lord had foretold through Elijah," just so the light He gives our lives shall not dim and the salt which draws it forth shall not lose its savor – we must believe that He indeed will provide for us, even to His second coming. And it shall be so. His love shall ever grow and this Bread be shared more and more with those He calls out of the world. Though famine be upon the land, He feeds us with the finest wheat, and calls us to feed others. ******* O LORD, let your light shine upon us and through us – let us have faith in you and see your work accomplished in our lives. YHWH, let the light of your countenance shine upon us, and let that same light shine through us to illumine the world, to give light to all who see us. You alone provide for us; you alone feed us; and you alone make our lives of worth – let it be you we bring to others. If our salt be not of you, O LORD, what good will it be and what good can it do? Apart from you and the light of your love, we are useless, fit for the trash. But if we keep our eyes fixed on you and your holy light, if we call to you in our distress and have faith in the care you take for the souls of those who love you, then we shall be made whole in your sight and ready to serve your will. What water can we find upon this earth, LORD, for it is dry and lifeless. Our spirits sag and the darkness threatens to overcome us. Let us not be of the darkness; let us not give in to its threats. Let us remember you and in you place our trust, and there shall be food and water in abundance, and we will see your hand at work even in our own lives. Praise you for your goodness!

June 8 - Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

(1Kgs.17:1-6; Ps.121:1-8; Mt.5:1-12) "My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." It is He whom we seek when we "lift up [our] eyes toward the mountains." And what do we find but that "the Lord is [our] guardian; the Lord is [our] shade; He is beside [us] at [our] right hand." Does the Lord not watch over those who trust in Him? Take Elijah for your example. He is led into exile under the stars, separated far from his people, yet he finds "the sun shall not harm [him] by day, nor the moon by night." He finds, in fact, his needs are met in a most marvelous way, for "ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the stream." At the Lord's command even these birds of the air serve to provide the needs of those who take refuge in Him. And His refreshing waters are always at our side. Brothers and sisters, what do we see when we lift our eyes to the mountain? Do we not see the Lord sitting, teaching us His way? Are our hearts not nourished by His Word and our souls refreshed by His Bread? He speaks to us only truth, assuring us that "blest are the poor in spirit: the reign of God is theirs." He tells us what we indeed find as we live our lives under His wings. If our refuge were the world, how could sorrow and lowliness bring us blessing? Would our hunger and thirst not then be for the riches of this world, and we find ourselves fatted thereby for the day of slaughter? But being "single-hearted" and with a "hunger and thirst for holiness," we find ourselves more than satisfied; we find that we "shall see God." What more need has the devout soul than to dwell in the light of the Lord? "The Lord will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever"; He shall not "suffer your foot to slip," for "He neither slumbers nor sleeps" but is ever diligent in the protection He provides His holy ones. And so what should you do but "be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven." As long as you remain with Him, He shall watch over you; and to His blessings there is no end, for all is held in His sacred hands and His desire is always to shower His mercy upon your soul. ******* O LORD, as we give ourselves over to your Word and His way of the Cross, you bless us and bring us into your kingdom. YHWH, you watch over all our ways; you guard and guide and bless our days. Ever at our side you wait, to feed us with all we need. How blessed indeed we are to have you as our God. There is none who provides as you do. And so, let us continue on your way, LORD; lead us each day to the place we should be. In your will all is accomplished well – let us be ever at your side. Though we mourn and though we weep, though we hunger and thirst for your love… though we suffer in this world for holiness' sake, you answer all our desires, O LORD our God. And so, let us be as your prophets of old, trusting only in your hand, needing nothing but your presence with us and the promised reward of Heaven. For nothing can harm us if you are there, and with you we already taste the kingdom.

June 7 - The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Year A

(Dt.8:2-3,14b-16a; Ps.147:12-15,19-20; 1Cor.10:16-17; Jn.6:51-58) "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever." "Not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the Lord." And here is the Word standing before our eyes. Here is the Bread that gives us life. Here is Jesus Christ, in this Blessed Sacrament, nourishing all our lives. Yes, His "flesh is true food, and [His] blood is true drink," for it feeds not only our bodies, but our souls as well, anointing us with His presence, joining us to His sacrifice. And so it becomes His flesh we carry in our bodies; so it becomes His blood running in our veins. For, as Paul asks so pointedly, "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" And so, do we not become like our God, who comes to us so humbly in this food, who becomes one with our own flesh and blood? Is heaven not here with us and within us as we eat of His presence? Or does He lie about His gift? Brothers and sisters, nothing more wonderful could the mind of man conceive than this blessed gift we receive at the hands of our own Savior. It is a wonder beyond our understanding and yet a wonder truly present with us, as real as our own flesh and blood. As the Lord "fed [the Israelites] in the desert with manna, a food unknown to [their] fathers," so we feed now on this food unknown to all – this bread of the angels. And though our doubting hearts may question, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat," when we partake of this Sacrament of the altar, we find no question remaining; for in faith we taste His glory. Over and over Jesus repeats His refrain: "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life," knowing how slow we are to hear, so slow of heart to believe – how easily we "forget the Lord, [our] God, who brought [us] out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery." And falling back to the "waterless ground," we fall away from His table and fail to realize that "with the best of wheat He fills" us. But listen to Him. Come to Him. Eat. Drink. Do not have unbelieving hearts – but believe! Be as children, pure and lowly, and "glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion," and what is beyond your understanding will become the light of your understanding, and lead you to eternal life. He has given His "flesh for the life of the world." Live in Him, brothers and sisters. Live in Him. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Body of Christ" from The Whole Whale, eighth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, how you provide for us! giving us even your Son's Body and Blood to nourish us on our journey to you. YHWH, feed us with your Son's Body and Blood, for He alone is the finest wheat and the drink that lasts unto eternity. Apart from you we are dead in our sin, LORD, wandering aimlessly in this desert filled with snakes. But He came indeed to save us, to share with us the life that is you. As to an oasis we come to Him, and He does not fail to revive us at His table, at the altar of His sacrifice. O LORD, may we ever find nourishment in Jesus; each day let us be fed by His Word and His Sacrament, which makes that Word so real… real as the blood coursing through our veins. He indeed took flesh for our sakes, and now by His sacrifice that flesh He leaves with us in this Bread of the angels. Let us never turn from Him, LORD, but participate always in His Body and Blood. Make us your children, make us like Him, the Word made flesh to join us to you.

June 6 - Prayer to St. Norbert

O preacher of the Word of God and model of the Gospel, you embraced poverty and penance in accord with the way of Christ and His teaching and called your brothers to do the same, that the Church might be renewed, that she might be holy even as the Father is holy – pray all souls might indeed find holiness of life even as within cloister walls; pray all might embrace the poverty of Christ, living the faith pronounced in sacred Scripture. And pray that they may be led along this narrow path to the kingdom of the Lord by faithful priests and bishops, shepherds like yourself.