WEBVTT

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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

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of the Holy Spirit, Amen. The prayer before the

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gospel tells us that we are going to hear glad

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tidings, good news. We need encouragement, and

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we need good news, whether it's international,

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national, local, or personal. This last week

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has been... Pretty difficult. Many, many challenges.

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I could simply repeat the sermons I've been giving

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for the last five months because we're going

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through the same thing. It so happens, however,

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that the gospel we have today is the glad tidings

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we need I don't pick these gospels. This is in

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a list of readings that the church indicates

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for us as part of a cycle. And this is the one

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we get today. Let's discover the good news that's

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there if you haven't already. Every gospel is

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a wake -up call. It's a visit from the Lord.

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Sometimes he has to kind of get us by our shoulders.

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And say, pay attention. I'm with you. Sometimes

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he has to rub our head and our back because we're

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asleep on the bed spiritually. Maybe emotionally.

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The way we feel. And he has to nudge us. Wake

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up. Arise, sleeper. Salvation is at hand. Once

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again, today, we meet a familiar character in

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the gospel. You know this man, this rich young

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man. Religious man. He's done well in life so

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far. He's a good man. He came by his wealth honestly.

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And he honestly seeks a word from our rabbi,

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our savior, Jesus Christ. And he approaches him

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reverently. And he respectfully asks him an important

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question. Master, good master, what must I do

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to inherit eternal life? And Jesus, knowing this

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man and loving him, knows that the question is

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out of place. It's the wrong question. And he

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needs to challenge and kind of shake this man

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a little bit. He doesn't answer them right away,

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does he? He says, why do you call me good? Only

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one is good, but God. Keep the commandments.

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And in truth, if we all kept those commandments,

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honor, forgive, don't covet, don't lie, don't

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kill, all those commandments about one another,

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what a stable society we would truly have. because

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we would be respectful of one another. He says

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he's done all those things. He's perfected them

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from his youth. I imagine Christ's surprise.

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Really? Okay, how about this hard one? The man's

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question, what do I need to do to inherit eternal

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life, is like this. Think for a minute. Let's

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think for a minute about falling in love. Someone

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here today is celebrating an anniversary. I think

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it's Alexander and Elena. Maybe if they're not

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here, they're watching, maybe they could think

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back how when Alexander was introduced to Elena

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and there was something there. He started to

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learn who she was. What if he went up to her,

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oh, I don't know, about day three or four thinking,

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wow, I really like this woman. He went up to

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her and says, what do I need to do so that you'll

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marry me? Now, I think any woman would go, I

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think you're on the wrong track here. How about

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we get to know each other first? You see, what

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this man, in his honest but superficial approach,

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was all about himself. Let's leave behind our

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superficial and shallow understanding of a relationship

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with Jesus Christ. What can we get from him so

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that we feel better? What are we saying? God

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is with us. Understand, all ye nations. Because

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God is with us in the child. God is with us in

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Galilee healing the lepers, the blind, the deaf,

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the dumb, the sinful. God is with us on the cross.

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God is with us in the resurrection. God is with

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us in the liturgy. God is with us. This is a

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matter of love. We don't go up to Christ and

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say, what do I need to do to get into heaven?

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St. Macarius the Great said this, even worldly

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persons associated with the glory of something

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beautiful, something great, a worldly king, know

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this. How much more true is this of those whom

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the finger of the divine spirit has touched?

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Divine love has wounded their hearts with the

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longing for Christ, his true and heavenly king,

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his beauty and his ineffable glory. His unfailing

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graciousness and his incomprehensible majesty

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have conspired to hold a person captive with

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desire and longing. Our whole being should be

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fixed upon him with love because God has that

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kind of love for us. His whole attention because

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he is immortal. and eternal, ineffable, beyond

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understanding. Each one of you, his attention

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is fixed with desire and longing and care for

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each one, each one of us. God created us for

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that kind of love. The man in the story, the

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account, when he heard Jesus say, come follow

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me, you'll have treasure in heaven. He trusted

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his own treasure. He didn't believe the one who

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can really deliver. Here on earth, says Elder

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Thaddeus of Serbia, there is nothing that can

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give us inner peace. For neither riches, nor

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glory, nor honor, nor position, nor family, nor

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neighbors. nor psychiatrists, nor drugs, nor

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other activity can give us unshakable inner peace.

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There is only one giver of life, peace, and joy,

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the one who said as he ascended, behold, I've

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been given power, all power in heaven and on

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earth. His power is not like, I don't know, a

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Marvel Comics character like Thanatos or somebody

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like that. His power is the power of love and

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humility. His power is the power over evil. His

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power has conquered death. That's the one we

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want to follow. There's a lesson today in this.

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that we need to grab the moment in this afterfeast

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of St. John the Baptist, the beheading of St.

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John the Baptist. It's a two -day feast. We keep

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it again today. We are still contemplating and

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prayerfully meditating on that great man and

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on his death and that stupid man Herod on his

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birthday. Take note of Herod's weakness. Herod

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liked to hear him speak. He liked to hear Jesus

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speak. And he was sorry, but he didn't repent.

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He didn't change. He couldn't let go of the sin,

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no matter how much he liked to hear St. John.

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And later in the Gospel, Jesus is brought to

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Herod to judge him at the crucifixion. This is

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the son of the Herod that tried to kill him when

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he was an infant. And Herod wanted to hear Jesus

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says the gospel and maybe wanted to see a miracle.

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Jesus said, not a word. The Savior answered,

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not a word. Let's act, dear brothers and sisters,

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when the invitation is coming to us, whether

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it be for prayer in the morning or in the evening

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or at noon, whether it be to... set aside to

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discover in ourselves what it is, like that young

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man, is keeping us from really coming to Christ.

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Let's act when we are invited to, knowing that

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God is patiently waiting for us, but perhaps

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he will be like he was to Herod. He will say

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not a word. In the book of Revelation, there's

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a passage that says, to the angel of the church

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in Ephesus, I write, I know your deeds. your

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labor, your perseverance. Without growing weary,

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you have persevered and endured many things for

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my sake. But I have this against you. You have

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abandoned your first love. And this first love,

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indeed, for us, is the Savior Christ. Notice,

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he does not send the young man away with a condemnation.

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He lets something stir in that man's heart. Perhaps,

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You and I don't feel like divine love has wounded

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our heart with longing for Christ, for his ineffable

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glory, his graciousness, his majesty. Maybe we're

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not captivated with desire. This is not our experience.

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The Christian ideal has not been tried and found

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wanting, inadequate, says a great writer. It

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has been found difficult. and left untried. The

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Lord does not call us to walk a frightening and

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dark road during these difficult days. He says,

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I've walked this road. I know every turn and

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every dip of it. I know every hillside. You can

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follow me. You can be safe. I'm the good shepherd

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that walks in front of his sheep. meeting all

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the dangers himself, so that the sheep may be

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safe. To our Lord who cares for us, be glory

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now and ever, to ages of ages. Amen.