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reading of the Book of Revelation of St
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John I John saw another sign in heaven
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wonderful seven angels with the seven
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last plagues with them God's Wrath would
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be consummated I also saw a sea of glass
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mixed with fire on this sea were
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standing all those who emerged
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Victorious from the conference ation
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with the Beast with its image and with
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the number of the beast's name they held
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the harps of God they sang the song of
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Moses the servant of God and the song of
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the lamb saying great and wonderful are
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your Works Lord God Almighty just and
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true are your ways oh King of the
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Nations who has not what I fear Lord and
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not glorify your name Only You Are Holy
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All Nations will come and prostrate
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themselves before you because your
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righteous decisions have become manifest
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word of the Lord thank
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God proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St Luke Glory To You
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Lord at that time Jesus said to his
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disciples before these things happen you
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will be arrested and persecuted you will
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be handed over to the synagogues and put
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in prison you will be brought before
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Kings and governors for my name's sake
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this will be the time when you will
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testify your faith make a firm
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determination not to plan your own
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defense in advance because I will give
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you words so accurate that none of your
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enemies will be able to resist or refute
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you your own parents Brothers relatives
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and friends and they will kill some of
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you they will all hate you because of my
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name but you will not lose a hair of
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your head word of Salvation Glory To You
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Lord dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
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imagine yourself in an arena surrounded
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by challenges confronted by forces that
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seem Superior to your own strengths the
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walls close in the pressure increases
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and on the horizon only a glimmer of
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hope remains lit this image is not very
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different from the spiritual reality
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that Jesus describes in Our Gospel today
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and that Revelation reveals to us with a
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profound vision of final victory in
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Luke's gospel Jesus does not offer us a
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message of easy Comfort he speaks
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directly about persecution about times
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when we will be handed over to
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synagogues prisons brought before Kings
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and governors because of his name it may
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seem scary at first glance but there is
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a profound promise hidden in these
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seemingly dark words this will serve you
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as a testimony says Jesus every
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challenge every Pursuit is not a defeat
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but an opportunity an opportunity to
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reveal a strength that does not come
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from ourselves but from the holy spirit
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that dwells within us Jesus prepares us
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for moments of trial you will be
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betrayed even by your parents Brothers
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relatives and friends and they will kill
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some of you what difficult words imagine
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the pain of being betrayed by precisely
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those who are supposed to protect and
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love us but Jesus does not leave us
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without hope but not a hair on your head
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will be lost he promises this is not a
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guarantee of physical protection but of
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divine care that transcends momentary
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suffering every detail of Our Lives is
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under God's loving gaze and the promise
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culminates in a powerful declaration by
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your perseverance you will save your
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lives perseverance is not simply
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enduring but remaining firm in faith
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continuing to believe continuing to love
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even when everything seems to be against
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us this is where our reading of
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Revelation beautifully intertwines with
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the gospel John presents us with a
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heavenly vision of Victory a song of
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Triumph of those who have overcome the
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Beast his idols and the number of his
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name great and wonderful are your Works
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Lord Almighty God this hymn of praise
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does not arise from moments of ease but
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from a journey of overcoming it is those
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who have gone through tribulation who
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have faced challenges who have kept
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their faith intact who Now sing this
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song Do you see the parallel Luke tells
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us about the challenges the suffering
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Revelation shows us the end result a
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glorious victory that transcends any
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Earthly suffering but what does this
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mean for us today how can we live out
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this promise of perseverance and victory
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in our world today first we need to
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recognize that Christian faith is not
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insurance against problems but a
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resource for getting through them we
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don't promise that there won't be storms
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but that our boat won't sink second we
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must cultivate a spirituality of
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resistance not a combative or aggressive
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but a resistance based on love Grace
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Hope a resistance that cannot be
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overcome by hatred but which overcomes
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hatred through love third we need to
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prepare ourselves spiritually Jesus says
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make sense do not worry in advance about
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what you will answer this does not mean
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not preparing but trusting that the holy
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spirit will guide us at the right time
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the persecution that Jesus describes is
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is not just something from the
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historical past Christians around the
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world still face discrimination violence
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marginalization but the promise Remains
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Not a hair will be lost imagine yourself
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as part of that crowd in Revelation
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having overcome the beast singing A Hymn
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of Victory every trial you faced every
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moment of Doubt every moment of fear
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everything was turned into praise our
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victory is not in avoiding suffering but
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in going through it while maintaining
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our integrity our faith our love as
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Martin Luther King Jr said the moral Arc
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of the universe is long but it bends
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toward Justice in conclusion be brave
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not by your own strength but by the
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strength of the one who has already
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overcome the world every challenge is an
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opportunity to testify every persecution
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is an invitation to reveal a great Grace
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that surpasses human understanding may
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we like those in Revelation sing A Hymn
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of Victory not in our own strength but
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in the power of him who sustains us
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amen St Michael the Archangel defend Us
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in battle be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil may
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God rebuke him we humbly pray and do
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thou o Prince of the Heavenly Host by
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the power of God cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prow
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
