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reading of St Paul's letter to the
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Romans Brothers if with your mouth you
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confess Jesus as Lord and in your heart
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believe that God raised him from the
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dead you will be saved it is by
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believing in the heart that Justice is
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achieved and it is by confessing Faith
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with a mouth that salvation is achieved
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for the scripture says whoever believes
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in him will not be put to shame
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therefore the difference between Jew and
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Greek does not matter they all have the
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same Lord who is generous to all who
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call upon Him indeed everyone who calls
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on the name of the Lord will be saved
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but how can we invoke him without first
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believing in him and how can you believe
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without having heard of him before and
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how can we listen without someone
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preaching and how can you preach without
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being sent to do so thus it is written
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how beautiful are the feet of those who
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Proclaim good but not everyone obeyed
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the good news for Isaiah says Lord who
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has believed our preaching therefore
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faith comes from preaching and preaching
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is done through the word of Christ so I
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ask did they not hear they certainly
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heard for their voice went abroad
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throughout the Earth and their words
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reached the ends of the world word of
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God 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 when Jesus was
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walking along the shore of the Sea of
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Galilee he saw two brothers Simon called
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Peter and his brother Andrew they were
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casting the net into the sea as they
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were fishermen Jesus said to them follow
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me and I will make you Fishers of Men
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they immediately left the Nets and
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followed him walking a little further
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Jesus saw two other brothers James son
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of Zebedee and his brother John they
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were in the boat with their father
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Zebedee mending the Nets Jesus called
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them they immediately left the boat and
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their father and followed him word of
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Salvation Glory to you
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Lord dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
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imagine a beach at dawn the waves gently
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crash onto the sand the cool morning air
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touches your faces and on the horizon
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two fishermen work silently casting
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their Nets suddenly a man approaches he
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doesn't carry fishing gear doesn't come
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with a boat he simply says follow me and
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they drop everything Nets boat
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profession previous life and follow him
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this scene from Matthew's gospel is much
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more than a simple call it is an
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invitation that resonates through the
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centuries reaching us today inviting us
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to radical transformation St Peter
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Andrew James and John were fishermen for
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them fishing was not just a job it was a
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way of life the networks represented
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their Economic Security their identity
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when Jesus calls them he is not merely
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recruiting helpers he is proposing a
3:43
mission that will transform not just
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their individual lives but the entire
3:48
world Paul's first reading of the Romans
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helps us understand the depth of this
3:52
calling if you confess with your mouth
3:55
that Jesus is Lord and believe in your
3:57
heart that God raised him from the dead
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you will be saved but what does it
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saved it's not just a matter of personal
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safety or guaranteed ticket to heaven to
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be saved is to be transformed to be
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rescued from a superficial existence to
4:15
a life of purpose and meaning Paul
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continues how will they call on him in
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whom they have not believed and how will
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they believe in him of whom they have
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not heard and how will they hear if
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there is no one preaching these words
4:30
remind us that faith is not a private
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isolated event it is a current that
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flows passing from person to person from
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generation to generation the fishermen
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in the gospel perfectly embody this
4:44
transmission of Faith they not only hear
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the call but immediately turn it into
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action they don't ask for detailed
4:52
explanations they don't make a list of
4:55
pros and cons they just follow Jesus
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calls them to be Fishers of Men what an
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extraordinary metaphor just as they
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caught fish now they will be responsible
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for capturing people for the kingdom of
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God but unlike literal fishing here it's
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not about catching against your will it
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is an invitation an attraction based on
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love hope the promise of a transformed
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life think about the art of fishing it
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requires patience skill knowledge
5:30
not every net throw results in a catch
5:33
there are moments of waiting of apparent
5:36
fruitlessness in the same way witnessing
5:39
faith is not about numbers or statistics
5:42
but about relationships about sewing
5:47
unconditionally but this calling was not
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exclusive to those four fishermen 2,000
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years ago it is a call that Echoes to
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this day addressed to each one of us God
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constantly invites us beyond our comfort
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zone beyond the familiar and safe
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perhaps for you letting go of your nets
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means abandoning prejudices fears and
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false security maybe it means forgiving
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someone who hurt you serving where no
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one wants to serve loving where love
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seems impossible Jesus Calling does not
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eliminate our previous professions or
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talents Pedro continued to be a
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fisherman but now with a greater purpose
6:29
his experience as a fisherman became a
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metaphor for his spiritual Mission
6:34
likewise whatever your profession
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teacher doctor farmer housewife you can
6:41
transform it into an instrument of Love
6:43
and Hope Paul reminds us that faith
6:46
comes through preaching and preaching
6:48
through the word of Christ but preaching
6:51
doesn't just mean words we preach with
6:54
our lives with our compassion with our
6:57
willingness to let go of our safe Nets
6:59
and follow God's call Christian
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tradition tells us that those first
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fishermen eventually gave their lives
7:06
for the gospel Peter was crucified in
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Rome Andrew in Greece not for a
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political or military cause but for the
7:14
love they experienced in Christ a love
7:17
so deep that it was worth more than any
7:19
Earthly Security today you are invited
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to make the same Choice let go of what
7:25
holds you back head for deeper waters
7:28
trust in a call in that transcends human
7:31
understanding where are your networks
7:33
today what false Securities need to be
7:37
abandoned what call from God have you
7:39
been ignoring what New Horizons is he
7:42
inviting you to explore the answer is
7:45
not in a perfect plan but in a
7:47
disposition of heart a willingness to
7:50
say yes to God to trust even when we
7:53
don't see the complete path like those
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first fishermen we are invited not to
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understand and everything but to follow
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not controlling but trusting not
8:04
clinging to what is familiar but letting
8:07
go of the Nets and moving forward may
8:10
God give us the courage of those first
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disciples may it give us eyes to see
8:15
beyond the obvious ears to hear your
8:17
call and a heart willing to follow no
8:31
St Michael the Archangel defend Us in
8:34
battle be our protection against the
8:36
wickedness and snares of the devil may
8:39
God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
8:42
thou o Prince of the Heavenly Host by
8:45
the power of God cast into hell Satan
8:49
and all the evil spirits who prowl
8:51
throughout the world seeking the ruin of
