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reading from the Acts of the
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Apostles in those days those who had
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escorted Paul brought him to Athens from
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there they returned and instructed Silas
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and Timothy to come to him as soon as
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possible and they set out standing in
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the middle of the Aropagus Paul said
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"Men of Athens I perceive in every way
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that you are extremely religious for as
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I passed by and looked at your places of
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worship I also found an altar with this
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inscription to an unknown God." Now then
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this God whom you worship without
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knowing is the one I proclaim to you the
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God who made the world and everything in
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it since he is Lord of heaven and earth
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does not live in temples made with hands
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nor is he served by human hands as
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though he needed anything since he gives
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to all life and breath and everything
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else from one man he made the whole
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human race to live on the face of the
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whole earth and he determined the times
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set beforehand and the boundaries of
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their habitation he did this so that
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they would seek God and grope for him he
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is not far from each one of us for in
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him we live and move and have our being
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as some of your own poets have said we
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are his own offspring God since we are
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therefore of God's own making we should
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not think that the Godhead is like gold
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or silver or stone worked by human art
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and device but God overlooking the times
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of ignorance now commands all people
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everywhere to repent because he has set
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a day on which he will judge the world
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in righteousness by the man he has
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appointed in the sight of everyone and
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has given a guarantee by raising him
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from the dead when they heard about the
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resurrection of the dead some scoffed
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while others said "We will hear you
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about this another time." So Paul went
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out from among them but some joined him
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and believed among them was Dionius the
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Aropagite a woman named Damaris and
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others with them paul left Athens and
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went to Corenth the word of the Lord
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proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St john glory to you
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Lord at that time Jesus said to his
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disciples I still have many things to
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say to you but you cannot bear them now
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but when the Spirit of truth comes he
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will guide you into all the truth for he
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will not speak on his own authority but
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whatever he hears he will speak and he
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will declare to you the things that are
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to come he will glorify me because he
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will take from what is mine and declare
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it to you all that the father has is
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mine that is why I said that what he
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will take and declare to you is mine
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salvation glory to you
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Lord dear brothers and sisters in Christ
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imagine entering a room filled with
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different voices opinions ideas and
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philosophies some speak of science
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others of spirituality some of pleasures
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and achievements others of suffering and
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emptiness everyone has something to say
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but in the midst of all this a soft
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voice rises not to shout but to touch
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the heart this voice is the voice of God
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and it is on this voice which speaks
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even amidst the noise of the world that
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today's readings invite us to reflect in
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the book of Acts of the Apostles we
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follow Paul in Athens at the Aropagus
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the intellectual and philosophical
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center of the ancient world he is before
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learned men scholars stoic and Epicurian
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philosophers each with their own
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convictions it is like being before an
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audience made up of scientists digital
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influencers skeptics and spiritualists
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today and Paul fearlessly begins to
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preach but he does not start by pointing
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the finger he begins with something
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extraordinary recognition he says "I see
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that you are very religious in every
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way." Paul does not despise the
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spiritual search of the Athenians he
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values it but he shows that this search
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is incomplete they have an altar
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dedicated to the unknown God and Paul
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with wisdom and tenderness says "This is
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the God I proclaim to you." What genius
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what inspiration he does not impose he
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reveals he does not destroy what they
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believe he leads to fulfillment to full
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meaning and here is a great lesson for
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us today we live in a world of many
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altars the altar of technology of
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success of appearance of self-help many
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still thirst for the divine but do not
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know where to quench that thirst like
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Paul we are called not to despise the
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search of others but rather to point out
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with love and wisdom who is the God who
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gives meaning to every human search now
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let's think about this in our own lives
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how many altars do we place our hopes on
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money acceptance power pleasure career
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family all of these have their place but
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none of them can fill the heart like the
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true God none of them can quench the
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deepest thirst of the soul paul
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concludes his speech on Mars Hill by
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saying that God is not far from each one
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of us for in him we live and move and
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have our being what a powerful image god
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is not distant not an abstract concept
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not an impersonal force he is here now
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he is like the air we breathe like the
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ground we walk on everything we are and
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do happens within him this realization
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changes everything it lifts us out of
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superficiality it reminds us that we are
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always before the one who loves us who
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sustains us who calls us to the truth
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but how can we know this truth how can
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we listen to that still small voice that
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speaks amidst the noise of the world
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this is where today's gospel comes in in
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John 16 Jesus says to his disciples "I
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still have many things to tell you but
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you cannot bear them now but when the
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Spirit of truth comes he will guide you
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into all the truth." How beautiful god
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does not pour all the truth upon us at
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once he respects our time our pace our
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capacity he is a good father who does
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not force his children but guides them
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patiently jesus promises the Holy Spirit
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the spirit of truth who not only reveals
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information to us but guides us this is
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deeper it is not about indoctrination
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but about transformation
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the spirit takes us by the hand walks
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with us lights the way clarifies what is
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confusing gives meaning to what
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previously seemed vague many times we
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want all the answers now we want to
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understand everything about God about
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suffering about the future but Jesus
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says it is not yet the time and this is
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not a sign of absence but of tenderness
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he knows how much we can bear and he
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promises us something better a constant
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guide the Holy Spirit who never abandons
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us think about it the Holy Spirit is
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like a silent conductor who conducts the
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symphony of our lives we don't always
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notice his presence but he is there
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tuning our steps harmonizing our
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feelings pointing us in the right
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many people today live a drift like
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boats without a compass they go from one
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side to the other following the wind of
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fashion opinions and fears but
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Christians have a living compass the
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spirit of truth he shows us what is
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essential he reminds us of what Jesus
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said he teaches us to distinguish what
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is from God and what is illusion and the
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most beautiful thing is that this spirit
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does not speak on his own he transmits
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what he hears from the father and the
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son in other words he is like an echo of
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God's heart whispering to our hearts
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what we need to know what we need to do
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how we need to love here comes a
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practical challenge for all of us are we
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listening to the Holy Spirit are we
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giving him space to speak maybe life is
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too noisy social media news worries
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commitments and the voice of the spirit
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is like a whisper it demands inner
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silence not a silence of absence but a
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silence full of presence a silence where
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God speaks st teresa of Kolkata said
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"God speaks in the silence of the heart
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listening to him is the beginning of
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If we want to be guided by the spirit of
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truth we need to cultivate moments of
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listening read the word meditate stand
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before the blessed sacrament breathe
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deeply and say "Speak Lord your servant
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is listening." Now let's go back to Paul
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in the Aropagus he spoke to intelligent
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men but not everyone believed some
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scoffed others said "We will hear you
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again about this." But some believed and
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followed Paul today God speaks to us as
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he spoke to the Athenians through his
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word the question is what will be our
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response are we going to mock ignore
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postpone or are we going to believe and
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follow we don't need to be like those
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who wait for another opportunity to hear
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God the time is now the altar of the
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unknown God has already been revealed he
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has a face a name a heart his name is
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Jesus Christ and his spirit lives in us
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so dear brothers and sisters let us
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allow ourselves to be led whether you
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are students or workers mothers or
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fathers young or old the spirit wants to
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speak to everyone he wants to dwell in
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your heart inspire your thoughts
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enlighten your decisions and like St
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paul let us also be heralds of the truth
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but not with arrogance with love with
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intelligence valuing the search of
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others but pointing the way with courage
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instead of condemning reveal instead of
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imposing invite in this eukarist as we
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partake of the body of the Lord may we
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renew our commitment to listen to the
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voice of the spirit and proclaim it with
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our lives may the God who is not far
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from us but in whom we live move and
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have our being be the center of all that
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we are and do and may the Virgin Mary
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who knew how to listen in silence and
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act with faith intercede for us so that
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we too may be docel to the voice of the
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spirit and faithful to the mission we
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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 prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
