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reading from the book of Genesis the
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Lord spoke to Abram in those days saying
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"Do not be afraid Abram i am your
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protector and your reward will be very
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great." Abram answered "Oh Lord God what
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will you give me i am going away
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childless and the heir of my house will
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be Eleazar of Damascus."
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And he added "Since you have given me no
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offspring a servant born in my house
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will be my heir." Then the Lord said to
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him "This one will not be your heir but
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one of your descendants will be the
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heir." Then he brought him outside and
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said to him "Look toward the sky and
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count the stars if you are able." And he
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said to him "So will your descendants
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be." Abram believed the Lord and he
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considered this to be righteousness and
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he said to him "I am the Lord who
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brought you out of you are of the
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calaldanss to give you this land as a
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possession." Abram asked "Lord God how
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can I know that I will possess it?" And
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the Lord said to him "Bring me a heer 3
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years old a she goat 3 years old a ram 3
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years old a turtle dove and a young
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pigeon." Abram brought them all and
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divided the animals in half but not the
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birds placing their respective parts
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facing each other birds of prey swooped
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down on the carcasses but Abram drove
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them away as the sun was setting a deep
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sleep fell upon Abram and a great and
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mysterious terror seized him when the
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sun went down and it was dark a smoking
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firepot and a flaming torch appeared and
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passed between the divided animals on
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that day the Lord made a covenant with
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Abram saying "To your descendants I will
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give this land from the river of Egypt
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to the great river the Euphrates."
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The word of the Lord thanks be to God
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proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St matthew glory to
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you Lord at that time Jesus said to his
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disciples "Beware of false prophets they
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come to you in sheep's clothing but
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inwardly they are ravenous wolves you
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will recognize them by their fruits do
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people gather grapes from thorn bushes
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or figs from nettles so every good tree
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bears good fruit but a bad tree bears
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bad fruit a good tree cannot bear bad
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fruit nor can a bad tree bear good fruit
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every tree that does not bear good fruit
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is cut down and thrown into the fire
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therefore by their fruits you will
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recognize them the word of the Savior
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dear brothers and sisters in Christ have
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you ever been afraid that your most
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profound promises would never come true
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have you ever doubted even for a moment
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whether God would really fulfill what he
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said all of us at some point have found
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ourselves under the dark sky of
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uncertainty waiting for an answer a sign
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a light it is precisely in this space of
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waiting of doubt and of tested faith
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that God speaks most loudly today's
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readings lead us to an eternal and
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transforming truth god is faithful even
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when everything seems to say otherwise
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and he calls us to produce good fruit
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fruit that is born of hearts established
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in trust and truth in the first reading
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taken from the book of Genesis we find
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Abraham or rather Abram still childless
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looking up to the sky god had promised
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that he would be the father of a great
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nation but time passed and nothing
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happened abram begins to question "Lord
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God what will you give me i am still
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The despair of a man who has trusted but
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begins to feel the weight of waiting is
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something deeply human we have all been
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there waiting for a cure a job
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reconciliation an answer from God and
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like Abram we may have said "Lord it
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hasn't happened yet will it really
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happen?" And then God answers but he
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doesn't answer with long explanations he
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takes Abram out of the tent points to
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the sky and says "Look up at the sky and
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count the stars if you can so will your
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descendants be." God calls us to come
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out of our tents of doubt our
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limitations and look at the infinity of
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his promises the starry sky becomes an
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altar a living metaphor for that which
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we do not yet see but which will be and
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the text says "Abram believed the Lord
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and he considered it righteousness."
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Here is the first great fruit faith a
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faith that does not need to be seen to
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believe a faith that is sustained only
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by the word of God even when everything
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around us says otherwise but there is
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more god then seals a covenant with
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Abram a ritual profound symbolic gesture
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where God's faithfulness is marked
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forever and when the sun sets and
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darkness covers everything a mysterious
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fire the burning torch passes through
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the animals cut in half a dramatic
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powerful image god passing through the
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middle saying "I swear by my own
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existence i will fulfill what I
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promised." Dear brothers and sisters God
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still makes covenants with us today he
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does not promise us a life without
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struggles but he promises to be with us
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through them all when everything goes
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dark he continues walking with his
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flaming torch illuminating our path even
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when we cannot see and this is exactly
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where today's gospel reading connects
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with unexpected strength jesus warns us
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"Beware of false prophets
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they come in sheep's clothing but inside
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they are ferocious wolves how can we
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recognize them?" Jesus is direct by
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their fruits you will recognize them he
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repeats this phrase like a refrain a
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good tree bears good fruit a bad tree
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bears bad fruit a bad tree cannot bear
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good fruit let's pause here to reflect
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in times of social media of beautiful
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speeches of spiritual messages that seem
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sweet to the pallet but empty of essence
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we need to redouble our discernment a
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tree may seem beautiful well-ared for
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but if the fruit is bitter poisonous
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corrupt it is not good fruits are
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attitudes they are choices they are
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jesus is teaching us that what matters
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is not the appearance of piety but the
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reality of the heart and how do we know
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if our fruits are good let's look at our
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words our decisions our actions when no
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one is looking let's look at how we
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treat others especially the most fragile
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let us look at how we react to waiting
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pain and frustration like Abram and here
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is the deepest connection between the
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two readings true faith produces true
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fruit the covenant with God transforms
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our roots and from them spring forth
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fruits of justice patience generosity
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forgiveness and true love it is no
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wonder that Jesus insists everyone who
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does not bear good fruit will be cut
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down and thrown into the fire this seems
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harsh but it is in fact an urgent call
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to conversion jesus is saying "Take care
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of the root of faith take care of your
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heart let me purify the tree within so
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that the fruit may glorify the father in
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heaven." Brothers and sisters imagine an
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entire orchard trees growing side by
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side some are healthy leafy and full of
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life others are dry fragile with rotten
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fruit the farmer passes by observes and
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knows it is not enough to look good it
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has to produce god is this farmer he
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looks at our hearts and searches for
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signs of true life there and do you know
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where change begins inside where no one
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sees it begins when we trust in God's
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promises like Abraham it begins when we
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face our dark nights with our eyes
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turned to the stars it begins when we
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say "Lord I don't see what you promised
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yet but I believe i remain with you." So
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how can we apply this in practice today
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first look up to the sky again dream
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about God again remember the promises he
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made to you in the word in prayer in the
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purest inspirations of your soul god
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does not forget what he promised second
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examine the fruits what attitudes are
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growing in your heart are they
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nourishing or hurting others are they
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edifying or destroying if there is bad
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fruit ask for the grace to prune the
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tree confession is this moment of
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pruning cutting away what is useless to
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make room for the new third be a tree
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that bears fruit even in drought the
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psalm says "A tree planted by the waters
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yields its fruit in its season but there
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are trees that even in dry lands resist
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do you know why their roots seek water
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deep down this is how our faith should
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be not superficial but deep and finally
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trust even if today seems like night
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even if the promise has not yet been
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fulfilled God does not fail when you
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least expect it the torch will pass
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through your darkness and a new covenant
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will be sealed in your heart dear
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brothers and sisters let us allow this
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word to echo within us may it call us to
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maturity in faith to vigilance against
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the deceptions of the world and to the
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firm decision to bear good fruit eternal
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fruit may we be recognized not by pretty
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words but by transformed lives lives
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that reflect the love faithfulness and
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justice of our God let us now take a
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moment of silence let us close our eyes
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let us ask God to purify our trees
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strengthen our roots and help us trust
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even when everything seems dark that his
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promises will be fulfilled lord God you
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who made a covenant with Abraham renew
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your covenant with us today teach us to
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trust even when we cannot see transform
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our hearts into fertile soil our faith
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into deep roots and our lives into
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fruitful trees that bring glory to your
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name amen as we leave here may we take
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with us the fire of God's promise and
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the sincere desire to bear fruit that
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will last because in the end as Jesus
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said by their fruits you will know them
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may the world see through us the
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goodness of the Lord 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
