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reading of the Book of Revelation of St
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John I John saw another Angel descending
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from Heaven he had great power and the
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whole earth was illuminated with his
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glory he shouted with a powerful voice
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Babylon the great has fallen she has
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become a Dwelling Place of demons a
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shelter of all evil spirits a shelter of
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unclean and disgusting birds at that
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time a powerful Angel lifted a stone the
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size of a large Millstone and threw it
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into the sea saying by this Force
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Babylon the great City will be thrown
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down and will never be found again and
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the singing of harpists and musicians of
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flutists and trumpet players will never
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be heard in you again and no artist of
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any art will ever be found in you and
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the song of the mill in you will never
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be heard again and the light of the lamp
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in you will shine no more and the voice
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of the husband and wife will no longer
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be heard in you because your traitors
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were the great ones of the earth and
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with magic you Bewitched all the nations
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after this I heard a loud noise from a
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great crowd in the heaven which Cried
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Out hallelujah salvation glory and power
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Belong To Our God because his judgments
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are true and righteous yes God judged
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the great prostitute who corrupted the
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Earth with her prostitution
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and Avenged on her the blood of his
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servants and they repeated Hallelujah it
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smoke continues to rise for all eternity
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and an angel said to me right happy are
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those invited to the wedding Feast of
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the Lamb word of the Lord thank
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God proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St Luke Glory To You
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Lord at that time Jesus said to his
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disciples when you see Jerusalem
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surrounded by armies know that its
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destruction is near then those who are
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in Judea must flee to the mountains
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those who are in the middle of the city
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must flee those who are in the field
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must not enter the city for these are
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the days of Vengeance so that everything
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that the scriptures say will be
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fulfilled unhappy with pregnant women
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and those who are breastfeeding in those
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days for there will be a great Calamity
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in the land and wrath against this
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people they will be killed by The Sword
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and taken captive to all the nations and
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Jerusalem will be trampled on by the
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infidels until the time of the pagans is
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complete the Nations will be in anguish
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terrified of the noise of the Sea and
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the waves men will faint with fear just
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thinking about what will happen to the
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world because the forces of heaven will
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be shaken cloud with great power and
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Glory when these things begin to happen
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stand up and hold your heads High
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because your deliverance is near 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 yourself in a collapsing City
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buildings collapsing structures that
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seemed Eternal collapsing in seconds the
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deafening sound of total Destruction it
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is exactly this image of Ruin and
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transformation that our readings today
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present to us inviting us to reflect on
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the end of human systems and the
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definitive hope in God in the Book of
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Revelation John describes the fall of
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Babylon a powerful symbol of all human
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systems that rise up against God Babylon
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the great has fallen Fallen the angel
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proclaims with a voice that resounds
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like thunder this is not just a
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hisorical description but a prophecy
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that Echoes Through the Ages revealing
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the ultimate Destiny of all Empires
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systems and structures that rise up
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against the kingdom of God Babylon
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represents all worldly powers that
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oppose God whether political economic or
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social systems that are based on
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oppression Injustice and the rejection
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of divine values it is the system that
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seduces the Nations that prospers at the
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expense of the poor that glorifies power
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and wealth above compassion and Justice
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and then suddenly everything falls apart
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you will never again hear the sound of
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musicians of singers the music of
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Celebration turns into lament Prosperity
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turns into desolation those who once
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sang hymns of Triumph now mourn the loss
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of everything they considered safe and
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eternal Luke's gospel presents us with a
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similar image but now focused on
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Jerusalem Jesus prophesies the
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destruction of the city a prediction
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that would be dramatically fulfilled in
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the year 70 AD when the Romans would
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completely destroy the temple the days
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will come when not one stone will be
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left upon another says Jesus but these
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are not just Prophecies of Destruction
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they are messages of Hope and
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transformation Jesus does not leave his
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disciples in despair after describing
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the difficult times he says when these
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things begin to happen stand up and lift
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your heads for your deliverance is near
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what extraordinary words in the midst of
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chaos destruction apparent defeat Jesus
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calls us to an attitude of Hope stand up
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and lift your heads do not crouch in
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fear do not hide in despair but stand
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erect with the confidence of those who
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know that history does not end in
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suffering but in God's definitive
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Victory revelation complements this
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message with a glorious Vision
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hallelujah salvation glory and power
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Belong To Our God it is a song of
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Victory an anticipated celebration of
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the final defeat of evil and the Triumph
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of the kingdom of God but what does this
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mean for us today how can we understand
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these prophecies in our current context
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we live in a world that often seems to
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be falling apart corrupt political
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systems growing economic inequality
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conflicts that seem endless a climate
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crisis that threatens our planet it's
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easy to fall into despair to feel like
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everything is lost however these
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readings call us to a radically
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different perspective they remind us
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that no human system is eternal Empires
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rise and fall structures that seem
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Invincible will one day disintegrate but
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the kingdom of God remains this does not
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mean that we should be passive in the
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face of Injustice on the contrary
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Christian hope is not a cowardly hope
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that Waits passively it is an active
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hope which works for transformation
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which resists evil which builds signs of
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the kingdom of God in the present Jesus
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calls us to be Witnesses of Hope in
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difficult times stand up and lift your
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heads it means maintaining dignity faith
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and commitment to Kingdom values
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even when everything around us seems to
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be falling apart it means continuing to
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love when hate seems to Prevail continue
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to be compassionate when
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hard-heartedness becomes the norm
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continue fighting for justice when
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insurmountable continue to be light in
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the midst of Darkness Revelation reminds
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us that there will be a moment of final
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accountability All Nations have drunk
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the wine of her fornication says the
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text all systems that are built on
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exploitation lies and Injustice will be
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judged but in the midst of this message
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of judgment is a glorious invitation
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happy are those invited to the marriage
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Feast of the Lamb it is the promise of a
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new reality of a kingdom where Justice
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love and peace definitively reign my
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dear ones today we are called to live in
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the tension between the already ready
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and the not yet of the kingdom of God we
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recognize the difficult realities of
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today's world world but we are not
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dominated by them we keep our eyes fixed
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on Jesus the author and finisher of our
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faith when systems crumble when
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institutions fail when the world seems
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on the brink of chaos remember the words
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of Jesus stand up and lift your heads
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hope is not in human systems but in the
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God who makes all things new be signs of
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Hope in your world be Builders of the
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Kingdom even in the midst of ruins
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sing Hallelujah not because everything
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is perfect but because they trust in a
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God who transforms death into life chaos
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into order hopelessness into glorious
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hope May the grace of our Lord Jesus
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Christ the love of God the father and
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the communion of the Holy Spirit be with
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amen s 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 prow
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
