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reading from the Book of Judges in those
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days there was a man from Sarah of the
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tribe of Dan named manua whose wife was
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Barren the angel of the Lord appeared to
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the woman and said to her you are Barren
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and have not had children but you will
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conceive and give birth to a son take
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care that you do not drink wine or
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liquor or eat anything unclean for you
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will conceive and give birth will give
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birth to a son his head will not be
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touched by a razor for he will be
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consecrated to the Lord from the womb
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and he will begin to deliver Israel from
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the hands of the Philistines the woman
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went and said to her husband a man of
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God came to visit me whose appearance
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was terrible like that of an angel of
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the Lord I did not ask him where he came
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from nor did he reveal his name to me he
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said to me you will conceive and give
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birth to a son from now on take care not
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to drink wine or liquor and not to eat
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anything unclean for the child will be
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consecrated to God from the womb until
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the day of his death she gave birth to a
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son and named him Samson the boy grew up
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and the Lord blessed him the spirit of
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the Lord began to act on him in the
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field of Dan word of the Lord thank God
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proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St Luke Glory To You
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Lord in the days of Herod King of Judea
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there lived a priest named Zechariah
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from the group of ABIA his wife was a
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descendant of Aaron and was called
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Elizabeth both were righteous before God
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and Faithfully obeyed all of the Lord's
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commandments and orders they had no
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children because Isabel was sterile and
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they were both old on one occasion
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Zechariah was performing Priestly duties
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in the temple as it was his group's turn
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according to the custom of the priests
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he was chosen by lot to enter the
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sanctuary and offer the incense the
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entire assembly of people was outside
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praying while incense was being offered
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then the angel of the Lord appeared to
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him standing on the right side of the
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altar of incense when Zechariah saw him
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he was Disturbed and fear took hold of
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him but the angel said do not be afraid
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Zechariah for God has heard your prayer
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your wife Elizabeth will have a son and
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you will name him John you will be
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joyful and happy and many people will
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rejoice in the birth of the boy because
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he will be great before the Lord he will
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not drink wine or fermented drink and
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from the womb he will be filled with the
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Holy Spirit he will lead many of the
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people of Israel to the Lord their God
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of them with the spirit and power of
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Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers
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to the children and the rebellious to
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the wisdom of the righteous preparing a
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willing people for the Lord then
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Zechariah asked the angel how can I be
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sure of this I am old and my wife is old
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the angel answered him I am Gabriel I am
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always in the presence of God and I was
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sent to give you this good news behold
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you will be mute and will not be able to
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speak until the day that these things
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happen because you will not you believed
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in my words which will be fulfilled at
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the right time the people were waiting
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for Zechariah and were amazed at his
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delay in the sanctuary when he left he
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couldn't talk to them and they
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understood that he had seen a vision in
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the sanctuary Zechariah spoke with signs
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and remained silent after his days of
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service at the sanctuary ended Zechariah
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returned home sometime later his wife
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Isabelle became pregnant and hid for 5
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months she said this is what the Lord
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did for me in the days when he dained to
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take me from public humiliation word of
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Salvation Glory To You Lord
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dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
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today as we meditate on the readings
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presented to us we are invited to
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reflect on the way in which God acts in
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surprising and wonderful ways in our
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lives even in the most unlikely
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circumstances the story of God revealing
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himself to man is often a story of
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overcoming faith and patience where he
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transforms sadness into joy and the
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impossible into reality and that is
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exactly what we see in today's passages
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both in the Book of Judges and in the
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Gospel of Luke in the first reading from
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the Book of Judges we are introduced to
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a barren woman and her husband manoah in
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a time where sterility was considered a
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curse she receives a visit from an angel
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who promises her a child this son who
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will be dedicated to the Lord from birth
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will be a liberator for Israel the
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barren woman after years of suffering
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and waiting for God's Gift receives the
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news that the impossible will be done
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through her this son's name would be
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Samson and he would play a fundamental
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role in the salvation of the people of
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Israel let us imagine for a moment the
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situation of Anna who before being
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visited by the angel had lived with a
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weight of pain in her heart perhaps many
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around you mocked your sterility or
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tried to console you with words that
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often did not ease your pain but instead
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of bitterness She carries a silent Faith
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a deep desire in her heart to see God
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act and when the promise arrives it's
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something even more wonderful than she
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could have imagined God who often seems
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silent Surprises by making the
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impossible happen she the woman who had
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been considered weak becomes the mother
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of a great man of God and what does this
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teach us my brothers that sometimes God
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takes time but it is not because he has
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forgotten us many times he is preparing
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something much greater than we can
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imagine delay can actually be an
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invitation to trust to strengthen our
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faith like that barren woman in judges
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we all go through moments of waiting
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doubts and questions but let us remember
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God has not forgotten us he sees our
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suffering and his promise is true the
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second passage from Luke's gospel tells
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tells us about the couple Zechariah and
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Elizabeth both are righteous before God
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but they have no children and Elizabeth
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is described as an elderly woman similar
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to manoah's wife in the story of Samson
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they are an image of fidelity to God but
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also of waiting and lamenting over not
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being able to have a child in those
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times not having children was a great
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sadness especially because a child was
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seen as a divine blessing and as the
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continuation of the family lineage
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suddenly an angel of the Lord appears to
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Zechariah while he is serving as a
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priest in the temple and the angel
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brings him unexpected news Elizabeth his
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elderly wife will give birth to a son
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and he will be called John Zechariah
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although was a man of Faith he appears
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incredulous and asks the angel how can I
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be sure of this because I am old and my
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wife is old the angel then punishes him
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with muteness until the Moment The
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Promise is fulfilled but the most
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surprising thing is that despite
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zechariah's unbelief God does not give
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up on his promise Elizabeth like Anne
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will be a mother and the son who will be
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born will be John the Baptist the
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Forerunner of the Messiah here we see a
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very human reaction from Zechariah faced
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with something seemingly impossible he
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doubts how many of us find ourselves in
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God promises something but when what he
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promises seems distant or impossible we
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doubt doubt sets in and we often stop
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believing that he can perform miracles
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in our lives however as the angel
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demonstrated to Zechariah God's answer
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does not depend on our doubt but on his
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faithfulness he keeps his promises
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regardless of our failures of Faith but
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unlike Zechariah Elizabeth teaches us a
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she doesn't react with disbelief but
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with joy the word of God is fulfilled
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and she rejoices in the promise that
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comes true Isabel becomes the first
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person to recognize the magnitude of
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what is happening when she receives a
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visit from Mary she exalts with Joy
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saying how is it given to me that the
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mother of my Lord comes to visit me
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Elizabeth although she had not seen what
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was happening recognized the miracle in
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Mary's heart and surrendered herself to
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God's action in her life dear brothers
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what do these passages have to teach us
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firstly God acts in our lives in
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unexpected ways in moments we cannot
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control sometimes he takes time to act
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but he is always with us preparing the
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best for us just as he did with monoa
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and his wife and with Zechariah and
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Elizabeth he acts Faithfully even when
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our faith waivers the second teacher is
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about human response Zacharias doubted
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but Elizabeth believed and praised we
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are often called to believe even when
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everything around us says otherwise in
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the midst of God's silence we can choose
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to trust just as Elizabeth and Anna did
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our faith is tested and when we believe
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when we trust God keeps his promises
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furthermore God is always inviting us to
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collaborate with his plan in all these
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accounts we see that women Elizabeth and
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and Mary played a fundamental role in
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fulfilling Divine plans they were chosen
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to give birth to the men who would play
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crucial roles in Salvation history God
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does not act alone he chooses ordinary
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people with their limitations to carry
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out his work and like these women we are
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all called to collaborate with God my
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brothers and sisters
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what can we learn from these passages
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for our lives today firstly regardless
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of the situation God is faithful to his
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promises even when we feel like time is
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passing and the Miracle doesn't arrive
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he is still working on our behalf he
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invites us to trust to wait patiently
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and to celebrate his faithfulness
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secondly let us not be like Zechariah
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who doubted when God promises us
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something he fulfills it even if the
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miracle seems impossible let us remember
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that with God nothing is impossible
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doubt prevents us from experiencing the
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fullness of God's action in our lives on
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the contrary we should be like Elizabeth
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who recognized God's greatness and
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praised him let's recognize the Wonders
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that God does in our lives and with
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gratitude respond to his call finally
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let us be collaborators in the Divine
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work God invites us to be part of his
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plan whether through our prayers our
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work our everyday lives each of us has a
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role to play in God's plan for the world
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that today as we reflect on these
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readings we can renew our trust in God
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remembering that he acts in mysterious
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but always faithful ways may we be
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instruments of his grace and bring his
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love to everyone around us trusting that
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he is in control of all things
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amen St Michael the Archangel defend Us
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in 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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through throughout the world seeking the
