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reading of the Acts of the Apostles in
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those days Paul said to the people I am
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a Jew born in Tarsus of cicia but I was
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raised here in this city as a disciple
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of galeal I was instructed in all the
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rigor of the law of our ancestors making
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me zealous for the cause of God as is
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the case with you today I persecuted
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those who followed this path to the
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death arresting men and women and
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throwing them into prison the high
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priest and the entire Council of men are
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my Witnesses Elders they gave me letters
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of recommendation to the brothers in
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Damascus I went there to arrest everyone
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I found and bring them to Jerusalem to
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be punished near Damascus at noon
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suddenly a great light from the sky
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Shone around me I felt to the ground and
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heard a voice saying to me Saul Saul why
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are you persecuting me I asked who are
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you Lord he answered me I am Jesus the
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Nazarene whom you are persecuting my
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companions saw the light but they did
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not hear the voice that spoke to me so I
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asked what should I do Lord the Lord
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answered me get up and go to Damascus
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there they will explain to you
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everything you must do as I could not
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see because of the brightness of that
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light I arrived in Damascus Guided by
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the hand of my comp companions a Pious
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and law-abiding man with a good
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reputation among all the Jews who lived
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there came to meet me and said Saul my
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brother recover your sight at the same
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moment I regained my sight and could see
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him he then said to me the god of our
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ancestors chose you to know his will to
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see the just and to hear his own voice
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witness before all men of what you have
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seen and heard and now what are you
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receive baptism and be cleansed from
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your sins calling on his name word of
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the Lord word of the Lord thank
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God proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St Mark Glory To You
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Lord at that time Jesus manifested
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himself to the 11 disciples and said to
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them go into the whole world and
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proclaim the gospel to Every Creature
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whoever believes and is baptized will be
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saved whoever does not believe will be
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condemned the signs that will accompany
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those who believe will be these they
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will cast out demons in my name they
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will speak in new tongues if they pick
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up serpents or drink any deadly poison
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it will not harm them when they lay
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hands on the sick they will be healed
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word of Salvation Glory To You Lord
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my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
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today's Gospel and the passage from The
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Acts of the Apostles invite us to
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reflect deeply on God's call on our
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lives on how we respond to his
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invitation and on the transforming power
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of His grace these are two readings that
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tell us about Mission transformation and
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the courage needed to follow Christ in
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an often challenging world let's start
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with St Paul's account in the Acts of
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the Apostles he tells us his story his
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life journey and the dramatic
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transformation he experienced on the
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road to Damascus before his conversion
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Paul was a fierce persecutor of
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Christians he was convinced that he was
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doing Gods will by hunting down those
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who followed Jesus but as we know God
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has very different plans for each of us
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St Paul tells us I am a Jew I was born
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in Tarsus of cicia but I was raised in
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this city I educated myself at the feet
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of galeel according to the exactness of
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the law of the fathers being zealous for
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God as you all are today he presents
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himself to us as someone who was deeply
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religious someone who grew up in the
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Jewish tradition and who thought he was
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serving God by fighting against the new
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religion that was emerging what he
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thought was a righteous mission was
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actually in direct opposition to the
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Divine will then my friends Comes The
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crucial Moment The Turning Point the
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encounter with Christ on the way to
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Damascus St Paul is blinded by an
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intense light and a voice speaks to him
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Saul Saul why are you persecuting me
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this experience not only blinded his
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eyes physically but opened his spiritual
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eyes he went from persecutor to follower
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of Christ from enemy of the church to
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one of the greatest preachers of the
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Gospel who ever lived this shows us
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something very important God's Grace has
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no limits even those we think are
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furthest from God or those who are
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trapped in a life of error and sin Can
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Be Touched by divine grace and
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transformed Paul teaches us that no
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heart is immune to the power of Christ
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when God calls he transforms even the
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most impossible situations St Paul after
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his conversion was immediately baptized
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and thus received a new purpose for his
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life to be a witness to Christ this
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brings us to the next part of our
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reflection the mission that God entrusts
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to us in Mark's gospel we hear Jesus
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commission to his disciples go into all
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the world and preach the gospel to Every
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Creature Jesus gives us a clear and
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Universal Mission a mission that has no
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borders a mission that is for all people
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for all nations when he sends us he
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doesn't say if you can go and preach He
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commands us go there are no exceptions
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these words of Jesus are not just for
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the apostles they are not just for those
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who lived with him physically they are
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for all of us for each one of us
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baptized into Christ we are all called
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to be his disciples and to bring his
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message of love hope and salvation to
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others this mission is not easy like St
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Paul we also face difficulties and
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persecution but what is most important
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is that like St Paul we are clothed with
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the power of the Holy Spirit In The
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Gospel Jesus reminds us
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they will cast out demons in my name
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they will speak in new languages they
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will take up serpents and if they drink
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anything deadly it will not harm them he
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gives us the power to do the impossible
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to live in a supernatural way with his
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help I know that we often feel like we
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don't have the courage or resources to
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carry out God's Mission we think that
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like Paul before his conversion we are
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inadequate weak or unworthy but the
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truth is that God does not call us
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because we are perfect or powerful but
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because he wants his grace to be
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manifested in our weakness it is the
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moment we recognize our need for God
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that he becomes our strength when Jesus
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says he will bring them no harm he is
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reminding us that although we may face
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obstacles there is nothing that can
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separate us from his love when we are
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with Christ nothing is impossible like
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St Paul we can be powerful instruments
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in the hands of God transforming the
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world around us not by our strength
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strength but by his power that acts in
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us now let us look at the mission of sa
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Paulo and our mission he went from a man
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who killed to a man who gave his life by
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faith he was not afraid to proclaim the
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gospel even knowing the persecution he
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would suffer he knew that God's mission
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is not just any task but the most
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important one we can have in life my
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dear brothers and sisters the mission
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that Jesus entrusts to us is also our
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great opportunity we are not just being
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called to a life of comfort or security
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but to a life of dedication courage and
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action the mission of preaching the
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gospel is not something optional for
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Christians it is a commandment from our
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Lord if we are his disciples we must go
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and preach it doesn't matter where it
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doesn't matter how the important thing
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is that Christ's message reaches
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everyone this can be done in different
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ways we don't need to go around the
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world preaching in large squares or
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the gospel begins within us and our
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mission can begin at home at work at
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school with friends every act of
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kindness every word of encouragement
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every gesture of helping others is a way
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of evangelizing I know that we are often
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afraid to talk about our faith the
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modern world can be hostile indifferent
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even mocking the Christian faith but
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Jesus tells us not to fear he will be
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with us at all times as he was with st
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Paul he will be with us in our mission
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he does not abandon us therefore the
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question we must ask ourselves today is
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how are we responding to God's call how
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are we fulfilling Christ's mission in
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our lives are we willing to live for him
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and for others to be light where there
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is Darkness to bring his word of love
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and salvation to everyone around us may
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we renew our commitment to the mission
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that God entrusts to us today may we
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follow the example of St Paul PA who
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when touched by God's grace got up and
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went to preach the gospel with courage
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and that as Jesus sent us we can also go
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and preach bringing his love to the
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world may God give us the grace to be
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faithful to his calling and that like St
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Paul we can be powerful instruments for
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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 prow
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
