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Daily Gospel - Tuesday, August 19, 2025 - Matthew 19:23-30 - Catholic Bible
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Aug 19, 2025
Welcome to our daily encounter with the Word of God! Today we reflect on the readings from the Book of Judges (Judges 6:11-24a) and the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (Matthew 19:23-30). These passages invite us to trust in the Lord even in our weaknesses and to recognize that true reward comes from God. First Reading (Judges 6:11-24a): The Lord calls Gideon in a moment of fear and weakness, as he was threshing wheat in secret to avoid the enemy. God greets him as a “mighty warrior” and assures him: “I will be with you”. Gideon, feeling small and insecure, asks for signs to confirm God’s presence. The Lord confirms His choice and grants him peace. This passage shows us that God does not choose the strongest or most powerful by worldly standards, but empowers the humble who trust in His grace. He calls us despite our limitations, for it is He who accomplishes the work through us. Gospel (Matthew 19:23-30): Jesus teaches His disciples that it is difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, comparing it to a camel passing through the eye of a needle. Shocked, the disciples hear Jesus’ reassurance: “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Peter then asks about the reward for those who have left everything, and Jesus promises a hundredfold and eternal life. This Gospel reminds us that true wealth does not lie in material possessions but in living for God. Those who trust in the Lord and renounce for love of Him receive far more than they gave up: the fullness of eternal life. Reflection and Call to Conversion Today’s readings invite us to rely on God’s strength, even in our weakness, and to place our true hope in Him. The Lord calls, empowers, and rewards all who surrender to Him with faith and generosity. 📖 Readings of the Day: First Reading: Judges 6:11-24a
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[Music]
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Reading from the book of Judges. In
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those days, the angel of the Lord came
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and sat under an oak in Ephraim, which
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belonged to Jo of the Abzer clan. His
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son Gideon was threshing wheat on the
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threshing floor to hide it from the
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Midionites. An angel of the Lord
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appeared to him and said, "The Lord is
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with you, mighty warrior."
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Gideon replied, "If the Lord is with us,
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please tell me, Lord, why has all this
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happened to us? Where are your wonders
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which our ancestors told us about,
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saying, The Lord brought us up out of
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Egypt?" But now the Lord has abandoned
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us and given us into the hands of the
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Midionites.
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Then the Lord turned to him and said,
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"Go and with your strength rescue Israel
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from the hands of the Midionites. I am
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sending you." Gideon replied, "Tell me,
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my Lord, how can I save Israel? My
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family is the least important in
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Manasseh, and I am the least of my
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father's household." The Lord answered
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him, "I will be with you, and you will
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defeat the Midionites as if they were
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one man." Then Gideon continued, "If I
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have found favor in your eyes, give me a
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sign that it is you who speak with me.
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Do not leave here until I return with an
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offering to present to you." The Lord
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replied, "I will stay here until you
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return." So Gideon went away, prepared a
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young goat, and made unleavened bread
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with a measure of flour. He put the meat
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in a basket and the broth in a jar. He
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took it under the oak, and presented it
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to him. The angel of the Lord said to
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him, "Take the meat and the unleavened
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bread, place them on the stone, and pour
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the broth over them." And Gideon did so.
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The angel of the Lord reached out the
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tip of the staff in his hand and touched
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the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire
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came out of the rock and consumed the
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meat and the bread. The angel of the
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Lord disappeared from his sight. When
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Gideon realized it was the angel of the
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Lord, he exclaimed, "Woe to me,
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sovereign Lord. I have seen the angel of
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the Lord face to face." But the Lord
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said to him, "Peace be with you. Do not
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be afraid. You will not die. Then Gideon
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built an altar there to the Lord and
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called it, "The Lord is peace." The word
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of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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[Music]
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
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to you, Lord. At that time Jesus said to
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his disciples, "Truly I tell you, it
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will be hard for someone who is rich to
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enter the kingdom of heaven." And again,
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it is easier for a camel to go through
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the eye of a needle than for someone who
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is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
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When the disciples heard this, they were
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astonished and asked, "Then who can be
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saved?" Jesus looked at them and said,
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"With human beings, this is impossible,
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but with God all things are possible."
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Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, "See,
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we have left everything and followed
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you. What shall we receive?" Jesus
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answered, "Truly, I tell you, when the
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world is renewed and the Son of Man sits
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on the throne of his glory, you who have
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followed me will also sit on 12 thrones,
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judging the 12 tribes of Israel. And
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everyone who has left houses or brothers
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or sisters or father or mother or
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children or fields for my name's sake
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will receive a hundfold and will inherit
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eternal life. Many who are first will be
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last and many who are last will be
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first.
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Word of salvation. Glory to you Lord.
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[Music]
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine yourself standing before a magic
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mirror. Not an ordinary mirror that only
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reflects our physical appearance, but a
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mirror that reveals who we truly are in
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the deepest depths of our being, our
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insecurities, our fears, but also our
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untapped potential. Today's readings
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invite us to look through this divine
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mirror where God sees us not only as we
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are, but as we can become. In the first
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reading, we find Gideon in a moment of
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profound national and personal crisis.
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Israel has been oppressed by the
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Midianites for seven years. The people
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live in hiding, in fear, reduced to
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poverty and despair. And it is in this
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context that we find Gideon not on a
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battlefield as a courageous warrior, but
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hidden, threshing wheat in the wine
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press, away from the eyes of his
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enemies. What a powerful image. The wine
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press was the place where grapes were
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trotten to make wine, a low, hidden
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place. Gideon is literally at the bottom
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of the pit, doing what he can to
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survive. And it is precisely in this
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moment of apparent weakness and
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insignificance that the angel of the
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Lord appears and greets him with words
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that must have sounded almost sarcastic.
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The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. I
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can imagine the look of disbelief on
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Gideon's face. a valiant warrior. Me? Do
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you see where I am? I'm hiding,
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threshing wheat in the wine press
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because I'm afraid of the Midianites.
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But God sees in Gideon not the coward he
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thinks he is, but the liberator he can
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become. Gideon's response reveals his
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inner struggle. Ah, my Lord, if the Lord
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is with us, why has all this happened to
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us? How often do we ask this same
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question when we face hardship? When we
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feel abandoned, when life seems unfair,
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we question God's presence and care. But
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look at God's response. He doesn't offer
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a complex theological explanation for
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suffering. Instead, he does something
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even more extraordinary. He calls Gideon
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to be part of the solution. Go with this
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strength you have and save Israel from
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the oppression of Midian. Have I not
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sent you? This strength you have? What
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interesting words, Gideon doesn't feel
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strong. He feels weak, insignificant, of
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the least family of Manasseh. But God
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sees a strength in Gideon that Gideon
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himself doesn't recognize. It's the
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strength of faith, even if small. It's
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the strength of someone who, despite
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their doubts, is willing to hear and
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respond to God's call. Now, let's turn
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our attention to the gospel where we
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find another scene of unbelief. but this
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time on the part of the disciples. Jesus
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has just had his encounter with a rich
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young man who walked away sad because he
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couldn't give up his many possessions.
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And then Jesus makes that shocking
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statement. Truly I tell you, it's hard
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for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
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heaven. The disciples are astonished.
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The Greek word suggests they were
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utterly astonished, perplexed, and they
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asked the question that echoes through
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the centuries. Then who can be saved? To
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understand the disciples reaction, we
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need to understand the mindset of the
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time. In Jewish culture, wealth was
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often seen as a sign of God's blessing.
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If the rich who seem to have divine
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favor couldn't be saved, then who could?
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Jesus answer is at once disconcerting
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and liberating. With men, this is
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impossible. But with God, all things are
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possible. Jesus is telling us that
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salvation is not something we earn or
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deserve through our efforts,
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possessions, or status. It is a gift
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from God, a work of his grace. Peter,
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ever impetuous, raises a question we've
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all wondered. Behold, we have left
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everything and followed you. What reward
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will we have? It's a human and
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understandable question. Peter is
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essentially saying, Jesus, we did what
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that rich young man couldn't do. We left
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our possessions, our careers, our
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securities. Does that count for
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anything? Jesus answer is magnificent.
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Truly I tell you, you who have followed
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me in the regeneration when the Son of
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Man sits on the throne of his glory, you
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also will sit on 12 thrones judging the
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12 tribes of Israel. But Jesus doesn't
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stop there. He expands on his promise.
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And everyone who has left houses or
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brothers or sisters or father or mother
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or children or fields for my name's sake
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will receive a hundfold and will inherit
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eternal life. Herein lies the paradox of
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the kingdom of God. Many who are first
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will be last and many who are last will
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be first. The world measures value by
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possessions, position and power. But in
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the kingdom of God, values are reversed.
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What appears to be loss becomes gain.
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What the world considers weakness, God
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sees as strength. Returning to Gideon,
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we see this same reversal of values.
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Gideon sees himself as the least of the
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smallest family. But it is precisely
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this humility, this awareness of his own
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fragility that makes him suitable for
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God's use. Gideon cannot boast in his
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own strength because he knows he has
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none. All glory must go to God.
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Likewise, when we strip ourselves of our
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dependence on material possessions,
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social status, or personal achievements,
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we create space for God to work in our
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lives in extraordinary ways. It's not
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that poverty is automatically virtuous
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or that we should disregard the material
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blessings God gives us. The question is
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where we place our trust and identity.
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My dear brothers and sisters, these
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readings confront us with fundamental
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questions. In what or in whom do we
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place our trust? How do we respond when
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God calls us even when we feel
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inadequate? Are we willing to let God
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redefine our understanding of success
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and worth? Gideon teaches us that God
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doesn't look for perfect people, but for
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available people. He calls us not
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because we are strong, but because he is
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strong. He sees us not just as we are,
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but as we can become through his
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transformative power. The rich young
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ruler reminds us that our possessions
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can become possessions if we allow them
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to define our identity and security. But
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the disciples show us that when we are
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willing to leave everything to follow
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Jesus, we discover that we have lost
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nothing of true value. In fact, we have
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gained far more than we could ever
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imagine. Imagine for a moment what it
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would be like if we truly lived by
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believing that with God all things are
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possible. How would that change our
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approach to the challenges we face? How
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would it transform our willingness to
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serve even when we feel inadequate?
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Think of Gideon, hidden in the wine
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press, and how he became one of Israel's
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great liberators. Think of the
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disciples, simple fishermen and tax
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collectors, and how they changed the
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world. What untapped potential lies
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within each of us, waiting to be
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awakened by God's touch. Perhaps God is
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looking at you today and seeing not your
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limitations, but your potential. Perhaps
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he is calling you a valiant warrior even
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when you feel weak and insignificant.
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Perhaps he is inviting you to leave
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behind what you think you need to feel
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safe so that you can discover the true
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security that comes only from him. The
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question remains, how will you respond?
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Like Gideon, who despite his doubts was
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willing to build an altar and offer
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sacrifice or like the rich young man who
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walked away sadly because the price
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seemed too high. Remember, God isn't
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looking for perfect people. He's looking
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for people who are available. People
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willing to trust him even when they
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don't fully understand. People willing
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to take steps of faith even when they
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feel inadequate. May we respond to God's
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call with courage, knowing that he sees
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us not only as we are, but as we can
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become. May we find our identity and
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security not in our possessions or
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achievements but in the unconditional
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love of our heavenly father. And may we
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like Gideon discover that our weakness
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becomes strength when surrendered to
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God's power. That our inadequacy becomes
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adequacy when we allow him to work
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through us. And that our smallalness
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becomes greatness when placed in service
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to God's kingdom. May the grace of our
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Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the
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Father, and the fellowship of the Holy
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Spirit be with you all today and always.
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Amen.
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[Music]
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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 prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
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souls. Amen.
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[Music]