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reading from the book of the prophet
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Isaiah listen to me you peoples from
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afar the Lord called me before I was
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born from my mother's womb he named me
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he made my word a sharp sword he hid me
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in the shadow of his hand he made me a
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sharp arrow hidden in his quiver he said
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to me "You are my servant Israel in whom
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I will be glorified." And I said "I have
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labored in vain i have spent my strength
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in vain but the Lord will vindicate me
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and my God will reward me." And now the
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Lord who prepared me from birth to be
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his servant says to me that I should
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recover Jacob for him and gather Israel
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to him in the sight of the Lord this is
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my glory he said "It is not enough that
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you are my servant to raise up the
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tribes of Jacob and to bring back the
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remnant of Israel i will make you a
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light to the nations that my salvation
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may reach to the ends of the earth." The
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word of the Lord thanks be to God
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reading from the Acts of the Apostles in
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those days Paul said "God raised up
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David as king and testified about him i
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have found David son of Jesse a man
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after my own heart who will do all my
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will." As he had promised God raised up
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for Israel a savior from the descendants
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of David who is Jesus before he arrived
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John preached a baptism of repentance
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for all the people of Israel as John was
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about to complete his mission he
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declared "I am not the one you think I
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am but look after me comes one whose
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sandals I am not worthy to untie."
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Brothers descendants of Abraham and all
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you who fear God to us has this message
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of salvation been sent word of the Lord
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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 the time came for Elizabeth to have
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her child and she gave birth to a son
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her neighbors and relatives heard how
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the Lord had shown mercy to Elizabeth
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and they rejoiced with her on the eighth
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day they came to circumcise the child
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and they wanted to name him after his
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father Zechariah but his mother said "No
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he will be called John." The others said
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"There is no relative of yours with that
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name." So they made signs to his father
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asking him what he wanted to name the
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child zechariah asked for a writing
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tablet and wrote "His name is John." And
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everyone was amazed at that moment
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Zechariah's mouth was opened his tongue
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loosened and he began to praise God all
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his neighbors were afraid and the news
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spread throughout the hill country of
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Judea and everyone who heard the news
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wondered "What will this child become?"
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For the hand of the Lord was with him
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and the child grew and became strong in
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spirit he lived in the desert until the
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day he was publicly presented to Israel
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the word of the Lord glory to you Lord
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dear brothers and sisters in Christ
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imagine for a moment that you are
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walking along an unknown road with no
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signs no compass no clear destination
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the wind blows the shadows grow and your
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heart is restless then suddenly a voice
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emerges in the desert clear firm
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prophetic a voice that does not point to
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itself but to the path a voice that
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prepares that announces that illuminates
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this is the mission of John the Baptist
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and it is on this mission which is also
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a mirror of our own that the Lord
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invites us to reflect on this very
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special day in celebration of the birth
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of the one who came as a bridge between
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the Old and New Testaments between
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waiting and fulfillment john the
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forerunner of Christ the readings we
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have heard today form a sacred mosaic a
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portrait of God's faithfulness and the
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divine call that transforms lives from
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the womb John was chosen even before his
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birth he was already the bearer of a
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purpose that surpassed his human
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understanding and this truth that God
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knows us calls us and sends us resonates
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in each of today's readings in the first
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reading we hear the prophet Isaiah
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declare "The Lord called me before I was
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born from my mother's womb he had my
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name in his mind." Here Isaiah reveals
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to us a profound reality god does not
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improvise he has had plans for us since
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before we were formed we are thought of
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dreamed of called and not only called to
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exist but called to a mission to be a
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light to the nations as the text itself
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says this is more than beautiful it is
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revolutionary we often walk through life
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with doubts about our value our
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usefulness our identity but Isaiah
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invites us to look at our origins god
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already knew us he shaped us with a
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purpose and sent us into the world as
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messengers of hope this means that we
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are not here by chance you are not the
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fruit of chance your life has a greater
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meaning and discovering that meaning is
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what gives flavor to existence the
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second reading from the Acts of the
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Apostles continues this melody of
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mission and promise st paul recalls how
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God chose David a man after his own
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heart and from David's lineage brought
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Jesus the Savior but before Jesus could
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fully manifest himself God sent John the
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Baptist to prepare the way john appears
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as a kind of echo of the prophecy a man
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who does not seek his own glory but who
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lives entirely to point out the lamb of
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God his mission is so clear that he says
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"I am not what you think I am after me
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comes one whose sandals I am not worthy
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to untie." This teaches us something
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the greatness of humility john was a
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strong figure respected listened to he
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could easily fall into the trap of pride
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but he knew who he was and more
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importantly who he was not he knew that
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his mission was to prepare to make way
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to disappear so that the Messiah could
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shine and then we come to the Gospel of
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Luke which tells us the story of the
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birth of John it is a story full of
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signs surprises and silence that speaks
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elizabeth a woman considered barren
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gives birth zechariah her husband is
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speechless in doubt but regains his
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voice when he obeys God's will and
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writes his name is John this detail the
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name is deeply symbolic in Hebrew
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culture the name is not just a label but
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an expression of identity and mission
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john means God is merciful there could
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be no more appropriate name for the one
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who would prepare the ways of the Lord
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of mercy see how everything here is an
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action of God the birth the name the
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gift of the spirit and all around
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everyone asks "What will this child
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become?" A question that also echoes for
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us what are you becoming with the life
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that God has given you what kind of
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voice have you been in this world a
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voice that points to God or a voice that
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merely repeats the noise the word
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teaches us that John grew and grew
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stronger in the spirit and lived in the
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desert until the day of his
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manifestation in the Bible the desert is
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a place of encounter with God of silence
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of purification today in our noisy world
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perhaps we are also called to enter the
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inner desert a time of pause of
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listening of preparation dear brothers
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and sisters John inspires us to three
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fundamental attitudes one clarity of
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mission john knew why he came he did not
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live a drift he had a direction and what
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about us do we live as if our lives had
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an eternal purpose or as if we were just
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leaves carried by the wind god has a
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calling for each of us and John is the
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example of someone who listened and
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responded two courage of witness john
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was not afraid to proclaim the truth
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even when it cost him his freedom and
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later his own life in times of
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relativism where truth is often
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john reminds us that following Christ
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requires boldness and fidelity three
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humility to disappear john did not want
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the spotlight he wanted to prepare
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hearts he knew that his mission was
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temporary what a beautiful lesson many
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times we want to be the protagonists of
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everything john teaches us that true
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greatness lies in serving preparing and
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then letting Christ appear this is where
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we are challenged are we preparing the
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way for Christ in our families at our
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work on our social networks or are we
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blocking the paths with selfishness
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pride and omission notice everything
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John does he does so that Christ may be
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known he shows us that there is no
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greater dignity than being a bridge
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between God and others and this mission
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was not given only to him but to all of
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us baptized in the spirit children of
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the light disciples of the risen one
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perhaps you are asking yourself "But me
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with my history my mistakes my
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limitations can I be a John the
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Baptist?" Yes you can because God does
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not call the perfect he perfects those
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who are called and if he called you from
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your mother's womb it is because there
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is something that only you can do in
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this world today as we celebrate the
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birth of John the Baptist we are called
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to a new birth within ourselves as well
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a rebirth of our mission of our courage
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of our dedication john was born to
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proclaim and what about us what are we
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living for let us ask the Lord at this
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moment to rekindle in our hearts the
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fire of mission may each one hear here
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again in the silence of their souls the
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voice that says "You are my servant i
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have chosen you i formed you to be
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light." And may we all as we leave this
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celebration be like John voices that
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prepare the way for the Lord voices that
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proclaim with their lives the love mercy
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and truth of God may the intercession of
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St john the Baptist accompany us
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strengthen us and teach us to live with
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fidelity and courage until the Christ
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the one he announced shines fully in our
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lives and in the world amen
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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
