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reading of the first book of Kings in
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those days Elijah set out on his way and
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went to zarapa when he arrived at The
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City Gate he saw a widow gathering
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firewood he called her and said please
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bring me some water in a vessel for me
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to drink as she went to get water Elijah
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shouted to her please also bring me a
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piece of bread in your hand she replied
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as the Lord your God Lives I have no
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bread all I have is a handful of flour
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in a jar and a little oil in the jar I
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was gathering two pieces of wood to
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prepare the rest for myself and my son
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so we can eat and then wait for death
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Elijah replied don't worry go and do as
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you said but first prepare a loaf of
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bread for me and bring it to me then you
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will do the same for yourself and your
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son for thus says the Lord God of Israel
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the jar of flour will not run out nor
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will the jar of oil become less until
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the day the Lord sends rain on the face
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of the Earth the woman went and did as
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Elijah had told her and they ate he and
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she in their house for a long time the
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flour in the jar did not run out nor did
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the oil in the jar diminish as the Lord
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had said through Elijah word of the Lord
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God reading the letter to the Hebrews
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Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by
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human hands the image of the true one
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but into heaven itself in order to now
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appear in the presence of God on our
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behalf and it was not to offer himself
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many times like the high priest who each
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year enters the sanctuary with someone
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else's blood for if that were so he must
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have suffered many times since the
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foundation of the world but it was now
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in the fullness of time that once and
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for all he appeared to destroy sin by
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the sacrifice of himself every man's
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Destiny is to die once and then comes
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judgment in the same way Christ offered
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once for all to take away the sins of
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the multitude will appear a second time
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out of sin to save those who wait for
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him 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 said in his
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teaching to a large crowd be careful
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with the teachers of the law they like
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to walk around in bright clothes to to
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be greeted in public squares they like
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the first seats in the synagogues and
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the best seats at Banquets they devour
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widows houses pretending to make long
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prayers for this they will receive the
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condemnation Jesus was sitting in the
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temple in front of the arms box and
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watched as the crowd deposited their
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coins in the Box many rich people
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deposited large amounts then a poor
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Widow arrived and gave two small coins
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which were worth almost nothing Jesus
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called his disciples and said truly I
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tell you this poor Widow gave more than
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all the others who offered arms everyone
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gave from what they had to spare while
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she in her poverty offered everything
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she had to live on word of Salvation
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Lord dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
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just give me some more
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water these simple words spoken by
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Elijah to the Widow of zarapa echo
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through the centuries to us today
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imagine the scene a poor Widow
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collecting sticks to prepare her last
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meal meets a prophet who asks her not
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only for water but also for the last
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handful of flour she has what an
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extraordinary request what a moment of
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decision this Widow presents us with one
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of the most profound lessons about trust
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and generosity that we find in scripture
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she is literally at the end of her
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resources oh I'm going to prepare this
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leftover for me and my son so we can eat
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and then die she says there is no
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dramatization in his words it is the
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pure reality of his desperate situation
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and yet when Elijah asks her to First
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make him a small loaf of bread promising
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that the flour in the jar will not run
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out out and the oil in the jar will not
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diminish she trusts she gives she risks
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everything she is based on just one
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promise this story connects deeply with
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today's Gospel where we meet another
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Widow this time in the temple of
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Jerusalem Jesus watching people deposit
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their offerings sees the rich putting in
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large sums but his gaze settles on a
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poor Widow who puts in two small coins
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all she had to live on truly I tell you
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declares Jesus this poor Widow gave more
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than all the rest what a surprising
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statement how can this be human
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mathematics would say otherwise but
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Jesus operates with a different
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mathematics the mathematics of the
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kingdom of God where the value of an
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offering is not measured by the quantity
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given but by the cost of The Giver
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between these two stories of generous
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widows our second reading from the
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letter to the Hebrews presents presents
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us with a supreme example of giving
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Christ himself who appeared once at the
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end of time to destroy sin by the
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sacrifice of himself Jesus didn't just
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give something he had he gave himself
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completely out of love for us these
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three readings confront us today with
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profound questions about faith
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generosity and sacrifice what does it
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really mean to trust God what does it
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mean to give not from our except but
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from our own subsistence how can we
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imitate the example of Christ who gave
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himself completely for us there is a
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striking contrast in the gospel that we
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cannot ignore Jesus begins by warning
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against scribes who devour widows houses
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while offering long prayers to be seen
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how ironic those who should protect the
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vulnerable are in fact exploiting them
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while a poor Widow demonstrates the true
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essence of faith this is a scathing
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criticism of superficial
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religiosity that type of faith that is
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more concerned with appearances than
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with the heart the scribes with their
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long robes and elaborate prayers
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represent a faith that seeks human
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recognition the widdow in her Simplicity
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and total generosity represents a faith
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that seeks only to please God but look
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carefully Jesus is not glorifying
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poverty in itself nor is he suggesting
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that we should reduce our ourselves to
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Misery the point is not how much we give
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but the spirit with which we give it's
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about trusting God so completely that we
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can be generous even when it doesn't
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seem to make any human sense the Widow
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of zarapa could have logically argued
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that she needed to save that last flower
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for herself and her son the Widow in the
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temple could have kept at least one of
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the coins but both chose to give
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everything demonstrating a radical trust
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in God and here's the beauty of these
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stories in both cases God Honors that
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trust the Widow of zarapa did not run
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out of flour and oil as promised and
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although we don't know what happened to
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the temple Widow the fact that Jesus
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noticed and praised her publically tells
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us that her sacrifice did not go
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unnoticed in God's eyes this brings us
8:20
to our second reading which reminds us
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that Christ will appear a second time
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not to take away sins but to save those
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who waiting for him this Future Hope
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gives meaning to our present sacrifices
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we don't give because we have a lot we
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give because we trust in a God who is
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faithful to his promises so what do
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these readings mean for us today how can
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we live this radical generosity in our
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own lives first we are called to examine
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our own attitude toward giving do we
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give from our excess or from our
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substance do we give to be seen or out
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is our generosity calculated or
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confident second we are challenged to
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trust God in a deeper way the two widows
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show us that true confidence manifests
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itself in concrete actions not just
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pretty words trusting God means being
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willing to give even when there doesn't
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seem to be enough third we are invited
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to recognize that everything we have
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comes from God the Widow of zarapa
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experienced the miracle of
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multiplication because she was first
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willing to give our generosity opens
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channels for God's blessings to flow not
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because God needs our offerings but
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because he wants to teach us to trust
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fourth we are called to remember that
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sacrifices just as Jesus noticed the
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Widow in the temple he notices Every Act
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of generosity done with a sincere heart
9:53
no sacrifice goes unnoticed in the eyes
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of God and finally we are invited to
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imitate Christ who gave himself
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completely for us our generosity is but
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a pale reflection of his Supreme giving
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on the cross when we give we are doing
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nothing more than imitating the one who
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first loved us and gave himself for us
10:16
my dear brothers and sisters may we
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today be inspired by these two
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extraordinary widows may your radical
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trust in God encourage us to be more
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generous more trusting more willing to
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give not just just of our excess but of
10:30
our own lives may we reject the
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temptation of superficial religiosity
10:35
and seek instead an authentic faith that
10:37
manifests itself in concrete acts of
10:39
love and generosity and that above all
10:43
we keep our eyes fixed on Christ who
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gave himself completely for us and who
10:48
will return to take us to himself may
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the Lord bless our generosity multiply
10:53
our offerings as he multiplied the
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Widow's flour and oil and give us the
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grace to trust him compl completely
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amen St Michael the Archangel defend Us
11:12
in battle be our protection against the
11:15
wickedness and snares of the devil may
11:17
God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
11:21
thou o Prince of the Heavenly Host by
11:24
the power of God cast into hell Satan
11:27
and all the evil spirits who prowl
11:29
throughout the world seeking the ruin of
