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Reading from the first letter of St.
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John. Dear friends, let us love one
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another because love comes from God. And
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everyone who loves is born of God and
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knows God. Whoever does not love has not
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known God. For God is love. This is how
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God's love was made manifest among us.
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He sent his only son into the world so
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that we might have life through him.
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This is love. Not that we loved God, but
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that he loved us and sent his son as the
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atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved,
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if God so loved us, we also ought to
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love one another. No one has ever seen
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God. If we love one another, God remains
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in us and his love is made perfect among
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us. The proof that we remain in him and
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he in us is that he has given us his
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spirit. And we have seen and testify
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that the father sent his son as the
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savior of the world. Whoever confesses
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that Jesus is the son of God, God abides
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in him and he abides in God. And we have
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known and believed in the love God has
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for us. God is love. Whoever abides in
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love abides in God and God abides in
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him. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. John. Glory to
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you, Lord. At that time, many Jews had
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come to the house of Martha and Mary to
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comfort them for their brother. When
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Martha heard that Jesus had arrived, she
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went to meet him. Mary remained seated
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in the house. Then Martha said to
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if you had been here, my brother would
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not have died. But even so, I know that
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whatever you ask of God, he will give
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you." Jesus answered her, "Your brother
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will rise again." Martha said, "I know
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that he will rise again in the
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resurrection on the last day." Then
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Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and
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the life. Whoever believes in me, even
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though they die, will live. And whoever
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lives and believes in me will never die.
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Do you believe this? She replied, "Yes,
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Lord. I firmly believe that you are the
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Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come
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into the world." Word of salvation.
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine a small child lost in a crowded
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shopping mall crying desperately.
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Suddenly, she hears a familiar voice.
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Mommy. Her eyes light up, her arms
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stretch out, and she runs toward the
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source of this unconditional love. This
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simple yet powerful image helps us grasp
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the essence of today's readings. God's
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love is our anchor amid life storms and
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our response of faith even in the face
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of what seems impossible. St. John
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presents us with one of the most
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profound and transformative statements
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in all of scripture. God is love. Four
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simple words that contain a universe of
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meaning. It's not that God has love or
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that God demonstrates love. Although
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those things are also true, John is
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telling us something far more radical.
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Love is the very essence, the
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fundamental nature of God. Stop for a
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moment and reflect on the implications
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of this. If God is love, then every act
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of genuine love we experience or
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practice is a participation in the
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divine life itself. When a mother
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cradles her crying baby, when a father
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works tirelessly to provide for his
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family, when a friend offers support in
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difficult times, when someone forgives a
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deep offense. In these moments, God is
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present and active. But John goes even
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further. In this, the love of God was
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manifested toward us that God sent his
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only son into the world that we might
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live through him. God's love is not just
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an abstract concept or an impersonal
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cosmic force. It manifested itself
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concretely, tangibly, historically in
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the person of Jesus Christ. Imagine the
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love of a father who sacrifices himself
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completely for the good of his children.
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Now multiply that love infinitely and
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you begin to get a glimpse of what God
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has done for us. He didn't just send
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help from afar. He himself came taking
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on our human nature, sharing our joys
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and sorrows and ultimately giving his
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life for our salvation. John continues
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with a statement that should take our
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breath away. We have come to know and
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believe the love that God has for us.
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Knowing and believing in God's love. It
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sounds simple, but it is actually one of
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the most difficult and most important
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things we can do. Because when we truly
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know and believe in God's love,
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everything changes. Our fears begin to
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dissipate because we know we are loved
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unconditionally. Our anxiety about the
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future diminishes because we trust in
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someone who cares for us. Our need to
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impress others or prove our worth
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diminishes because our identity is
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firmly rooted in divine love. And then
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John gives us the inevitable
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consequence. He who abides in love
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abides in God and God in him. Love is
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not just something God has or does. It
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is the means by which we remain in union
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with him. When we love genuinely, we are
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living in the very presence of God. But
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how does this abstract love become real
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and tangible in our lives? This is where
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our reading of the gospel illuminates
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John's message in a deeply moving way.
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We meet Martha at one of the most
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difficult moments of her life. Her
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brother Lazarus has been dead for 4
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days. In the Jewish culture of the time,
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it was believed that the soul remained
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near the body for 3 days. But after
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that, there was no hope. Lazarus was not
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just dead. He was very dead according to
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the beliefs of the time. Imagine the
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pain, the anguish, the despair Martha
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must have felt. She had sent word to
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Jesus when Lazarus fell ill, trusting
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that her friend would come immediately.
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But Jesus delayed. He arrived too late.
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Or so it seemed. It is in this context
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of profound pain and apparent
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hopelessness that Jesus makes one of the
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most audacious declarations in the
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entire New Testament. I am the
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resurrection and the life. He who
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believes in me, though he die, yet shall
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he live. And whoever lives and believes
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in me shall never die. What an
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extraordinary statement. Jesus is not
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just promising life after death.
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Although that is also true. He is
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declaring that he himself is the source
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of life, the victory over death, the
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ultimate answer to humanity's greatest
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fear. But Martha's response is even more
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remarkable. Faced with her brother's
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death, faced with a seemingly hopeless
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situation, she makes one of the most
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beautiful declarations of faith in all
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of scripture. Yes, Lord, I believe that
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you are the Christ, the son of God, the
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one who was to come into the world. This
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is not an abstract or theoretical faith.
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It is a faith forged in the fires of
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adversity, tested by pain, and yet still
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standing firm. Martha cannot see how
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Jesus will resolve her situation, but
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she trusts him anyway. She knows and
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believes in the love Jesus has for her
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and her family. My dear brothers and
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sisters, how often do we find ourselves
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in Martha's position? Facing situations
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that seem impossible, weeping over
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dreams that have died, dealing with
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losses that leave us devastated. How
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often do we send our message to Jesus
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through prayer, expecting an immediate
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answer only to find that he seems too
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late? It is in these moments that John's
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words become not just theology but a
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lifeline. God is love. Even when we
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don't understand his methods or his
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timing, we can trust his nature. Even
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when our circumstances scream otherwise,
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we can rest in the truth that we are
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loved by the one who is love itself.
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Consider for a moment the various ways
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we experience death in our lives.
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Perhaps it's the literal death of a
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loved one. But it can also be the death
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of a relationship, the death of a career
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dream, the death of expectations about
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what our lives should be. It can be the
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death of our self-image, our health, our
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financial security. Jesus addresses all
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these forms of death with the same
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authority. I am the resurrection and the
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life. He has power not only over
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physical death but over all the forms of
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death and hopelessness we face. And like
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Martha, we are called to respond with
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faith. Even when we cannot see how our
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situation can be resolved, we are called
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to declare, "Yes, Lord, I believe that
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you are the Christ." This faith does not
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deny the reality of our pain, but places
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it in the context of God's infinite love
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and his power to bring life where there
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is death. But our faith like Martha's is
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not an end in itself. It is the means by
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which we experience God's transforming
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love. And once we experience this love,
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we are called to share it with others.
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John reminds us, if God so loved us, we
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also ought to love one another. Our love
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for others is not just a moral
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obligation. It is a natural response to
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the love we receive from God. It is how
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divine love flows through us to a world
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in need. Imagine what it would be like
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if each of us lived fully in this
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reality. If we saw every person we
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encounter as someone loved by God,
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someone for whom Christ died. If we
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responded to the crises in our lives
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with the same trusting faith as Martha.
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If we allowed God's love to flow through
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us to our family, friends, co-workers,
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and even those we consider our enemies.
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Our reading from John reminds us that he
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who does not love does not know God
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because God is love. This is both an
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encouraging and a challenging truth.
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Encouraging because it assures us that
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when we genuinely love, we are in tune
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with the very nature of God. Challenging
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because it confronts us with the
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question, does our love for others truly
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reflect our relationship with God?
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Martha's story also teaches us about the
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progression of faith. She begins with
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trust. Lord, if you had been here, my
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brother would not have died. Moves
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through doubt and pain, but arrives at
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an even deeper declaration of faith. Her
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faith is refined and strengthened
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through trial. Similarly, our own
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spiritual deaths and resurrections lead
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us to a more mature faith. Each time we
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trust God amid uncertainty and discover
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his faithfulness, our faith deepens.
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Each time we experience his love in our
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darkest moments, our understanding of
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who he is expands. Dear brothers and
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sisters, today we are invited to enter
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more deeply into the reality of God's
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love. Not a sentimental or superficial
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love, but the robust transformative love
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that was manifested on the cross that
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conquers death and that empowers us to
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love one another with the same
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sacrificial love. We are called to be
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like Martha declaring our faith even
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when we cannot see the path ahead. We
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are invited to be channels of God's love
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allowing his love to flow through us to
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touch and transform the lives around us.
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And we are reminded that no matter what
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death we may be facing in our lives,
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Jesus has the last word. He is the
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resurrection and the life. In him, every
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ending becomes a new beginning. Every
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death becomes an opportunity for new
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life. every despair becomes hope. May we
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know and believe ever more deeply in the
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love God has for us. May we respond to
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this love with growing faith and
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abundant love for others. And may we
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experience the resurrection power of
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Christ in every area of our lives where
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death seems to have the last word. For
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our God is love. And in this love we
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find our identity, our purpose, our hope
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and our eternity. 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, tomorrow,
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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
