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reading from the book of Genesis in
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those days the Lord said to Abram "Go
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from your country from your people and
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from your father's house to the land
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that I will show you i will make you
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into a great nation and I will bless you
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i will make your name great so that it
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will be a blessing i will bless those
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who bless you and whoever curses you I
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will curse all the families of the earth
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will be blessed in you so Abram set out
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as the Lord had told him and Lot went
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with him abram was 75 years old when he
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set out from Haron he took with him his
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wife Sarai and his nephew Lot and all
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the possessions they had as well as all
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the slaves they had acquired in Haron
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they set out for the land of Canaan and
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they arrived there abram went through
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the land to the sanctuary of Sheckchham
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to the terabinth of Moore the Canaanites
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were then in that land the Lord appeared
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to Abram and said to him "To your
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descendants I will give this land."
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There Abram built an altar to the Lord
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who had appeared to him from there he
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went to the mountain east of Bethl where
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he pitched his tent with Bethl on the
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west and Ai on the east there he also
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built an altar to the Lord and called on
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his name then Abram went from camp to
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camp all the way to the Nef the word of
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the Lord thanks be to God
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proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St matthew glory to
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you Lord at that time Jesus said to his
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disciples "Judge not and you will not be
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judged for with the same judgment you
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judge you will be judged and with the
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same measure you use it will be measured
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to you." Why do you look at the speck of
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sawdust in your brother's eye but pay no
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attention to the plank in your own eye
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or how can you say to your brother "Let
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me take the speck out of your eye," when
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there is a plank in your own eye you
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hypocrite first take the plank out of
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your own eye and then you will see
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clearly to remove the speck from your
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brother's eye the word of the Savior
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dear brothers and sisters in Christ
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imagine waking up one day with a clear
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order from God leave your country your
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family your father's house and go to the
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place I will show you no map no specific
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destination just a promise would you
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have the courage would you trust enough
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to leave everything behind and follow
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only by faith this was the reality of
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Abram an ordinary man called by God to
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an extraordinary mission a calling that
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required renunciation detachment and
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above all faith in action and as we look
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at our lives are we not also called to
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leave our safe lands and walk towards
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something greater even if it is still
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invisible to our eyes the first reading
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presents us with the beginning of the
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great journey of Abram who would later
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be known as Abraham the father of faith
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and his story begins with a radical
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decision to abandon the known for the
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unknown trusting in the word of God it's
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like letting go of the steering wheel
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and handing the steering wheel over to
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the Lord without knowing where he's
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going to take us but look God doesn't
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just ask Abram to leave he promises "I
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will make you a great nation i will
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bless you i will make your name great
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you will be a blessing what a promise
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but it comes after obedience there is no
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visible guarantee no signed contract
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just faith faith that walks that obeys
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that believes in the invisible let's
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think of life as a rope bridge suspended
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over a deep valley with each step we
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take the bridge sways fear tries to
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paralyze us but only as we move forward
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do we discover that it leads us to a new
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unexpected blessed place abram's
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faith invites us to walk on this bridge
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even with fear even without knowing the
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destination trusting in the God who
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calls us now in the gospel we find
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guidance that seems so simple but is so
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difficult to live judge not and you will
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jesus warns us about one of the most
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silent and everyday sins judging others
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why do you look at the speck of sawdust
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in your brother's eye but do not notice
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the plank in your own eye that's strong
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isn't it jesus is saying in other words
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take care of your inner self first
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before you try to correct the world
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around you and what a painful truth how
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often are we quick to point out the
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mistakes of others but slow to recognize
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our own faults let's imagine that our
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eyes are mirrors when we judge others we
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are actually reflecting something that
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we have not yet resolved within
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ourselves judgment becomes a shield by
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criticizing others we look away from our
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own conversion by combining the two
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readings we find a profound lesson the
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path of faith requires detachment not
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only material but also internal abraham
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left his land what do we need to leave
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behind perhaps it is pride vanity the
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need to control or as the gospel teaches
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the mania for judging the comparison
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made by Jesus is almost comical but
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powerfully symbolic how can someone help
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remove a speck of sawdust from a
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brother's eye if he has a beam a huge
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piece of wood in his own eye this shows
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us how judgment is often a distortion
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our vision is clouded but we still want
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to correct the vision of others dear
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brothers and sisters let's be honest we
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all carry beams in our eyes we all have
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areas that need healing humility
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purification and this awareness makes us
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more compassionate more human closer to
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God see how interesting abram when he
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obeys God's call does not question the
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defects of others he simply walks the
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journey of faith is silent profound made
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more of listening than speaking he does
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not judge he builds altars he worships
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he follows and this is an invitation to
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us instead of judging walk instead of
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criticizing pray instead of pointing
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offer your hand god does not call us to
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be inspectors of other people's lives
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but pilgrims of faith like Abram let's
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apply this to our daily lives in the
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family when someone makes a mistake
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remember the plank breathe reflect and
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seek to understand first before
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correcting at work when you see someone
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fail remember you too have fallen and
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needed mercy in the community when you
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notice something that is not as you
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would like offer help instead of
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complaining serve be a blessing like
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Abram and perhaps you are asking
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yourself "But how can I do this how can
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I not judge how can I trust like Abram
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when the world seems so confusing and I
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myself feel so imperfect the answer is
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in grace it is God who enables it is he
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who transforms the same God who called
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Abram an ordinary man of flesh and blood
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is the God who calls you today he is not
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looking for perfect people he is looking
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for willing people he is looking for
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open hearts brothers and sisters perhaps
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it is time to leave the camp of comfort
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criticism and easy judgment and set out
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like Abram toward the promised land of
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mercy humility and holiness perhaps this
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land is closer than we imagine perhaps
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it is within us let us now take a moment
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of silence each of us before God asks
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"Lord what do I need to leave behind in
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order to follow you better?" Perhaps it
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is an attitude a vice a harsh look a
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sharp word or perhaps it is the lack of
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faith to walk when everything seems
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uncertain lord give us a heart like
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Abrams obedient free bold give us
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clean eyes so that we may see others
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with mercy and not with judgment teach
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us to build altars and not accusations
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and guide us even without a map because
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we trust in you amen dear brothers and
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sisters as we leave here today remember
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these two images the bridge that
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requires faith to be crossed and the
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mirror that reveals to us what still
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needs to be transformed walk with
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courage and humility and may each step
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you take like Abraham's be a response to
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God's love may the Lord's blessing
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accompany us may he strengthen our faith
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purify our gaze and help us to truly be
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as the promise said a blessing amen
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st michael the Archangel defend us in
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battle be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil may
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God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
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thou O prince of the heavenly host by
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the power of God cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
