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00:00:05.987Welcome to Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran. Sharon has a passion for Scripture
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00:00:10.887that will motivate and challenge you to immerse yourself in God's Word and apply
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00:00:12.997His message to your everyday life.
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00:00:18.177Visit SeekingTruth.net to learn more about bringing Seeking Truth to your parish
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00:00:20.537or to become an online learner.
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00:00:28.472Today is Part 2 of the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 16. And now, Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran.
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00:00:32.333And now they're going to flee from the tomb in trembling and astonishment,
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00:00:35.955with nothing to say to anybody. Women with nothing to say.
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00:00:42.171Big news! And they were afraid. There's been a real reversal here.
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00:00:48.027A real reversal. And that's an opposite direction, an opposite course of action.
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00:00:51.232You know, they were always like, Jesus would have to tell them, don't tell anyone.
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00:00:54.349Oh, we won't. Well, this time they really won't. There's been a reversal.
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00:00:58.287When he rose early on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary
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00:01:02.697Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
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00:01:07.807The first day of the week, Sunday, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene.
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00:01:09.762There's two firsts here. Something's up.
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00:01:12.426Why does he appear to Mary Magdalene first?
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00:01:16.807On the first day of the week, Sunday, he appears first. The risen Christ,
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00:01:19.977this is the biggest news in the world ever in world history,
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00:01:24.721and he appears first to Mary Magdalene. Who was the first human to sin?
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00:01:28.617Eve. She was the very first person to ever get deceived in the scripture,
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00:01:31.194right? She said, the serpent beguiled me and I ate.
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00:01:37.027Now, when he rose early on the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to
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00:01:40.417Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven
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00:01:44.208demons. He had cast out seven demons from this woman.
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00:01:51.188Seven. That's a perfection. The early church fathers say the seven demons were
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00:01:53.798the seven capital deadly sins.
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00:01:56.848This woman had all of them. She had lust.
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00:02:01.478She had gluttony. She had greed. She had sloth, wrath, envy,
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00:02:04.088and pride. Guess what? Just like we all do.
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00:02:10.588There might be one of those that really is your root, like anger or envy.
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00:02:14.328But pretty much, I'm pretty sure at some point in your life,
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00:02:15.828you've been guilty of all of those.
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00:02:21.578I have. The seven deadly sins are balanced with seven holy virtues.
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00:02:26.088So if you struggle with pride, you pray for humility. That's a dangerous prayer.
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00:02:30.888If you struggle with envy, you pray for kindness and so on. This woman had all
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00:02:33.423seven, a perfection of sin.
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00:02:38.788He drove out seven demons from her in his ministry. What Jesus had come to do
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00:02:42.547as a reversal, All the curses, he's going to usher in blessing.
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00:02:47.298He's reversing everything that Satan did. He's going to usher in the greatest
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00:02:48.880right-hand blessing of the Father.
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00:02:54.738She who had a perfection of all seven deadly sins is the first person he appeared
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00:03:02.017to. Mary Magdalene represents all humanity, every sin possible from any sinful, fallen human creature.
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00:03:08.908She who had a perfection of all seven deadly sins is the first person he appeared to. The first day...
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00:03:12.926Of the week, Sunday, and the first person he appeared to.
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00:03:16.446Now, back in Genesis 2, you got to stay with me on this, please.
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00:03:20.386Back in Genesis 2, when he was creating, God was creating, and he created this,
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00:03:22.686and it was good, and this was good, and this was good, and this was good,
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00:03:26.536and he created everything, ending with the climax of woman.
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00:03:30.306Climax of all creation is woman. Why? Just something Adam doesn't have,
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00:03:36.196a womb, because God knows that he's going to become incarnate and enter humanity
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00:03:39.444through the womb of a woman. And Satan said, I won't serve that plan.
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00:03:43.366Okay, after six days of creating, on the sixth day, the creatures,
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00:03:46.106the beasts and the humans were created.
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00:03:49.436On the seventh day, God blessed everything. He hallowed it.
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00:03:54.856And what did he do? He rested. God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it because
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00:03:58.396on it, God rested from all his work, which he had done in creation.
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00:04:04.422So God can only rest. God can only take a nap when all his created work is done.
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00:04:07.493Well, after the fall, there's a problem.
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00:04:11.616God can't rest anymore because his children aren't safe. They've been banished
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00:04:14.666away from him and they need a way back. God can't rest anymore.
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00:04:18.366So the whole Old Testament, God's not resting. He falls out of his hammock.
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00:04:22.916The fall was a biggie, but he knew this all along. It was his plan all along.
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00:04:26.746That's why he made woman last with a womb, because he's going to become incarnate
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00:04:30.296and save the world through her womb. That's why the womb is so under attack
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00:04:33.353in every culture and every time of history. Satan hates the womb.
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00:04:37.686God can't rest until he knows that all his kids are home safe.
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00:04:42.516Just like you can't rest until the garage door's down and you know every last kid is home safe, right?
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00:04:46.026God can't rest until he knew all his kids are going to have a way home safe.
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00:04:50.726So true Sabbath rest can only come when the final sacrifice is finished and
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00:04:55.685when the heavens are torn open again and God's kids will have a way back to the Father.
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00:04:58.529So the heavens are torn open at his baptism.
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00:05:01.586The heavens, again, the curtain's going to be torn open.
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00:05:07.706God cannot rest until His beloved firstborn son gets home safe and makes a way
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00:05:10.058back for all His siblings. That's us.
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00:05:15.170And until Jesus Christ will sit down at the Father's right hand,
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00:05:18.860that's the blessing hand of the Father, all the blessings, all the curses will
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00:05:21.710be uncursed, and all the blessings will be ushered in.
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00:05:24.770There'll be a reversal. The curses and the blessings. You've got to understand
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00:05:25.970this in the Old Testament.
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00:05:30.160He did all this. He did all this so the reversal was possible.
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00:05:33.070Now, death was never supposed to happen. We were never, ever,
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00:05:35.350ever supposed to die. Why are we so scared of death? I mean,
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00:05:38.660my Aunt Elaine just died. Why am I so scared when they called and said she was
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00:05:41.800dead or that she was in hospice for 40 days, and it was her Easter,
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00:05:43.018and this was her resurrection.
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00:05:47.550Because we were never supposed to have our body and our soul separated, ever.
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00:05:51.210God didn't intend that. But when you die, your soul, your eternal soul,
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00:05:55.090the breath of God, is taken from your body, and your body's the shell that lays
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00:05:58.820back there behind, and it scares the heck out of us because it was never,
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00:06:00.201ever, ever supposed to happen.
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00:06:05.840Because God created man for incorruption. Wisdom to. You were created for incorruption.
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00:06:07.347This was never supposed to happen to you.
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00:06:11.846And made him, God made man in the image of his own what? Eternity.
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00:06:15.410You were always supposed to live forever, but it was through the devil's envy
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00:06:21.000that death entered the world. He was envious that the Virgin Mary with her womb
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00:06:25.180would be elevated the highest queen of heaven above angels and saints.
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00:06:26.968He said, I will not serve this plan.
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00:06:32.249And so we had to face sin and death, and we're still scared of it,
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00:06:35.460Even though Jesus conquered and came, we still are scared of death.
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00:06:40.910Jesus does all of this so a reversal can happen. The curses can be reversed
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00:06:43.122into blessing. Blessings and curses.
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00:06:47.522So what does the curse put on man after the fall?
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00:06:51.100To Adam, God said, In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread,
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00:06:53.368till you return to the ground.
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00:06:58.289Out of it you were taken, you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
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00:07:02.309Remember that word bread, okay? You're going to have to work for bread now,
00:07:02.309 -->
00:07:04.479and you're going to be ash and dust.
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00:07:09.549You had it on Ash Wednesday. Remember, man, you're dust, and unto dust you will return.
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00:07:12.609And that's not natural for us because the soul and the body are going to separate,
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00:07:13.579and we're going to be scared.
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00:07:17.479God formed man out of dust, and it was the most loving thing,
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00:07:20.109and he molded him with his own hands of God.
00:07:20.109 -->
00:07:24.889God created man. He molded him. He fashioned him in his own image and likeness God made him.
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00:07:30.349And then you remember what God did? Breathed his own life breath into man.
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00:07:34.839He put his breath over his nostrils and breathed the soul, an eternal soul into
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00:07:38.553man. And he became a living being, fully alive. That was huge.
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00:07:43.069We were always supposed to live. But the fall ruined that. Now we have to have
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00:07:46.359this separation thing. And we hate it. And it's part of the fall.
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00:07:51.179Death has a great sting for us now. What other curses were there?
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00:07:57.159To the snake. Cursed are you above all, above all animals. And dust you will
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00:08:01.159eat all the days of your life. Dust you shall eat, Mr. Snake,
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00:08:04.234all the days of your life. And guess who's made of dust?
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00:08:11.351We are. He feeds on us. Satan feeds on the very matter that man and woman are made of.
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00:08:15.663He's after your eternal soul. He wants to gobble you up.
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00:08:22.673But God promised the first gospel, I'll put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed, Mr.
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00:08:27.223Snake, and hers. Now, women don't have seeds. We have ovum. So this seed is
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00:08:29.653coming from somewhere else. It's coming from the Holy Spirit,
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00:08:33.043a cloud that will overshadow Mary, between your seed and her seed.
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00:08:37.863And you might bruise his heel, but he's going to crush your head,
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00:08:42.103Mr. Snake, the fruit of woman. And this happens at the cross and it'll be a
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00:08:46.858reversal. It'll be a reversal of the curse. And what did God curse woman with?
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00:08:51.713The Lord said to the woman, I'm gonna greatly multiply your pain in childbearing
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00:08:57.011and pain you shall bring forth children. I had four babies with no epidural.
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00:09:00.873It hurts a little. It's not that bad. Nothing we can't handle,
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00:09:03.143right, gals? We're tough, right?
00:09:03.723 -->
00:09:07.698We got that one. And besides, they invented epidurals. Pain-free.
00:09:07.866 -->
00:09:10.025Okay, that one's not the problem.
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00:09:14.923The problem is this one, the curse of woman. Your desire is going to be for
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00:09:18.553your husband, but he shall rule over you.
00:09:18.727 -->
00:09:20.683Is that a problem? That's a problem.
00:09:21.324 -->
00:09:25.548Because we were created to be equal, totally equal. In the image and likeness
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00:09:28.778of God, male and female, he created them. We're supposed to be equals,
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00:09:30.756co-equals. That's how God created.
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00:09:33.068We're not supposed to know sin. We're not supposed to know death.
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00:09:34.047And we're supposed to be equal.
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00:09:38.088But now your desire shall be for your husband and he will rule over you.
00:09:38.468 -->
00:09:39.864Now let's fact check that.
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00:09:43.788Okay. They were created in God's own image, male and female.
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00:09:46.391Genesis 1, 27, totally co-equals.
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00:09:50.548After the fall, your desire is for your husband, but he's going to rule over
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00:09:54.928you. That meant man went up and woman went down on the scale of equality.
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00:09:56.828Man's going to rule over woman.
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00:10:01.583This is a curse to women. And Jesus is going to reverse that curse and bring in a blessing.
00:10:01.925 -->
00:10:06.204This is what people don't understand. King Adam, who got to name all the creatures,
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00:10:09.100he named Eve only after the fall.
00:10:09.771 -->
00:10:14.926Before they didn't have names. He was man and she was woe man, taken from man, woe man.
00:10:15.095 -->
00:10:19.698It's only after the fall that Adam names her Eve. And it's only after the fall
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00:10:24.387that Adam got named Adam by God. So now God's over Adam and Adam's over Eve.
00:10:24.567 -->
00:10:28.468That's really important. And no one gets that. There's a new chain of command
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00:10:31.398in the fallen world. God's going to rule over Adam, naming him.
00:10:31.398 -->
00:10:34.708And then Adam's going to rule over Eve, naming her. That's an act of dominance
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00:10:36.665when you name someone else. Right, bud?
00:10:36.914 -->
00:10:40.948Bless your pee-picking little heart. That's dominance. Before the fall,
00:10:40.948 -->
00:10:44.786they were co-equal, both equal partakers in the divine nature,
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00:10:47.328walking and talking with God the Father in the garden.
00:10:47.555 -->
00:10:53.118But now the curse of unredeemed woman, Adam as king, as ruler, assigns his wife a name.
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00:10:59.548This is disordered. This is not what God intended. Ephesians 5 tells us that. This is disordered.
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00:11:02.998It's not God's original plan. So now here's the important part.
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00:11:07.328The first human that Satan deceived was a woman.
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00:11:10.740He came and whispered in her ear in the garden, Remember, Jesus is going to
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00:11:15.428undo Satan's first deception of sin with a fallen woman.
00:11:15.428 -->
00:11:18.818He's going to go to a woman to undo that, to reverse that. And he's going to
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00:11:23.648go to a woman who has seven demons, all seven capital sins that he's already
00:11:23.648 -->
00:11:25.438forgiven, that he's already redeemed.
00:11:25.438 -->
00:11:28.788But the cross hadn't happened yet and the resurrection hadn't happened yet.
00:11:28.788 -->
00:11:32.288So he's going to meet her in this garden. And Eve was in a garden also.
00:11:32.288 -->
00:11:37.285And every deadly possible sin that Jesus healed and forgave.
00:11:37.453 -->
00:11:43.878And he's going to make her the number one witness to fallen men.
00:11:44.358 -->
00:11:48.708Mary Magdalene is the number one witness. Could women be a witness in Judaism,
00:11:48.708 -->
00:11:51.130ladies? Women couldn't even be a witness.
00:11:51.485 -->
00:11:55.155You had to have not one man, not two men, maybe two men.
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00:12:01.265Three was the best. He's going to send this sinful, all seven deadly sin forgiven
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00:12:05.175woman to announce his resurrection to the men. She's going to be the number
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00:12:08.848one first witness of the resurrection.
00:12:09.080 -->
00:12:14.775Now, in these artworks, he always sometimes has a hoe or a shovel because they're
00:12:14.775 -->
00:12:16.625in a garden and she thinks he's the gardener.
00:12:16.625 -->
00:12:19.925Remember, she's crying in John's gospel. Oh, they've taken him and I don't know
00:12:19.925 -->
00:12:22.685where they've laid him. She thinks she mistakes him for a gardener.
00:12:22.685 -->
00:12:26.645It's in a garden, the Garden of Resurrection. See all those tools he has?
00:12:26.645 -->
00:12:29.395This is a new creation because this is a new covenant.
00:12:29.506 -->
00:12:35.315And it's a new creation because he tells her that he's going to make all things new.
00:12:35.655 -->
00:12:39.317It's a new covenant. Why would Jesus not appear,
00:12:39.787 -->
00:12:44.192to Mary, the mother of God, first. Some of the saints have visions that he appeared
00:12:44.192 -->
00:12:47.892to Mary, but the scripture says it was first to Mary Magdalene.
00:12:47.892 -->
00:12:53.532Well, first to her because she's a perfection of sin. All seven sins, all seven demons.
00:12:54.012 -->
00:12:58.112Mary had no sin. She's the new Eve. She's sinless. She doesn't even have original sin.
00:12:58.732 -->
00:13:04.582She doesn't need redeeming. She's perfect. Eve was not yet even created when
00:13:04.582 -->
00:13:07.250God told Adam alone to not eat from the tree.
00:13:07.458 -->
00:13:11.268Eve wasn't even created yet. Look at Genesis 2. God only told that to Adam.
00:13:11.465 -->
00:13:18.512The new Eve was sin-free. Mary Magdalene has all seven deadly sins forgiven by Jesus.
00:13:18.512 -->
00:13:22.622She's a perfection of sin. And she becomes the apostle to the apostles.
00:13:22.622 -->
00:13:26.492He's rewriting that curse. It's right there. He's rewriting that curse and no
00:13:26.492 -->
00:13:30.520one gets it and no one understands it. But Jesus is rewriting this order.
00:13:31.152 -->
00:13:34.772He's fixing this. He's fixing this. Women were easily deceived,
00:13:34.772 -->
00:13:40.182and therefore women could not be counted on to be a credible witness in the Jewish world.
00:13:40.182 -->
00:13:43.682You had to have three male witnesses, Peter, James, and John.
00:13:43.682 -->
00:13:46.042Jesus was always taking these three men, Peter, James, and John,
00:13:46.042 -->
00:13:49.985Peter, James, and John, to these important events because he wanted to have three male witnesses.
00:13:50.315 -->
00:13:53.772One time he let Andrew come too, remember the plus one in Mark 13?
00:13:53.772 -->
00:13:59.252But three male witnesses, never a female. And now the most important event in
00:13:59.252 -->
00:14:02.274world history, he's going to let a female be the one witness?
00:14:02.512 -->
00:14:06.558This doesn't makes sense unless it's a rewriting, a reversal of the curse of woman.
00:14:06.877 -->
00:14:09.216Get it? Ladies, can I get an amen?
00:14:09.658 -->
00:14:14.922Jesus did a big reversal right there. A huge reversal. He made it right again.
00:14:14.922 -->
00:14:20.192He sends Mary Magdalene a perfection of sin to tell the men. Wow.
00:14:20.772 -->
00:14:24.453He just made that right again. He just reversed that curse.
00:14:25.058 -->
00:14:31.864She becomes the apostle to the apostles. Jesus makes her a completely credible and equal witness.
00:14:32.304 -->
00:14:37.724One woman's word is as trustworthy as three male testimonies.
00:14:37.724 -->
00:14:41.634That's what Jesus is saying. You have Eve, the first to be deceived,
00:14:41.634 -->
00:14:46.084and you have Mary Magdalene, the first to believe, and to have the curse reversed,
00:14:46.084 -->
00:14:49.915and to have a blessing to go tell the men. The scale is rewrited.
00:14:50.293 -->
00:14:55.474It's rejustified. It's recalibrated. She went out and she told those who had
00:14:55.474 -->
00:14:58.942been with him as they mourned and they wept.
00:14:59.472 -->
00:15:04.664Eve was the first to be deceived. Mary Magdalene was the first to be believed.
00:15:05.004 -->
00:15:11.164Yes. Did they believe this beautiful, redeemed, trustworthy woman? No.
00:15:11.884 -->
00:15:17.640And that's the first clericalism in scripture because this is a new priesthood and they do not believe.
00:15:17.965 -->
00:15:22.874Jesus Christ himself sent a woman to tell them, and they don't believe.
00:15:22.874 -->
00:15:26.234They don't believe her. Could a woman really have a credible testimony?
00:15:26.234 -->
00:15:30.644Could a woman have been heard something from the Lord? No, we don't believe her.
00:15:31.124 -->
00:15:37.232The new priesthood does not believe a woman might have been or had a credible word from the Lord.
00:15:37.592 -->
00:15:41.364And when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her,
00:15:41.664 -->
00:15:43.495they would not believe it.
00:15:44.082 -->
00:15:48.784And how did the risen Jesus respond to his new priesthood and their unbelief
00:15:48.784 -->
00:15:51.971from the mouth of a female apostle? Do you know the word?
00:15:52.488 -->
00:15:56.244He upbraided them! Did you catch that? Everyone just flies over it,
00:15:56.244 -->
00:15:57.666and he upbraided them for their unbelief.
00:15:57.799 -->
00:16:02.614No, he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they
00:16:02.614 -->
00:16:07.958had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. Women and men are equal again.
00:16:08.167 -->
00:16:13.048One female testimony is as good as three men, and they didn't believe it.
00:16:13.164 -->
00:16:17.204And he upbraided them. And I looked it up in the dictionary to criticize severely,
00:16:17.204 -->
00:16:21.703to find fault with, to reproach severely, to scold vehemently.
00:16:21.854 -->
00:16:24.495So Jesus wasn't a fan of that response.
00:16:24.833 -->
00:16:28.969Of his new priesthood. He upbraided them. He criticized them severely.
00:16:28.969 -->
00:16:32.729He found fault with them. He reproached them severely. He scolded them vehemently
00:16:32.729 -->
00:16:34.559for their unbelief and hardness of heart.
00:16:34.559 -->
00:16:39.659Now, it's only taken over 2,000 years to raise the rank of the liturgical veneration
00:16:39.659 -->
00:16:44.082of St. Mary Magdalene from an obligatory memorial to that of a feast day.
00:16:44.297 -->
00:16:49.8292,000 years we've waited, ladies. Mary Magdalene is the only woman elevated
00:16:49.829 -->
00:16:54.739to a formal feast day outside of Our Lady, equal to the men apostles,
00:16:54.739 -->
00:16:58.139showing that the church is growing in her appreciation.
00:16:58.139 -->
00:17:02.025She is acknowledged to be the apostle to the apostles.
00:17:02.310 -->
00:17:06.449Cardinal Robert Serra called her the witness of divine mercy.
00:17:06.769 -->
00:17:13.221In 591, Pope Gregory I portrayed Mary Magdalene as a prostitute in an Easter homily.
00:17:13.401 -->
00:17:16.679It never, ever says in Scripture that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute,
00:17:16.679 -->
00:17:22.375but he said this in an Easter homily. And he conflated Mary Magdalene with all the Marys.
00:17:23.109 -->
00:17:25.669That ever did an anointing with their jar and their alabaster.
00:17:25.669 -->
00:17:30.149Mary of Bethany, the unnamed sinful woman, the anointed one in Jesus,
00:17:30.149 -->
00:17:31.709the woman who anointed his feet.
00:17:31.709 -->
00:17:35.059Any woman that had that alabaster jar, every woman had those.
00:17:35.059 -->
00:17:39.539Every woman wanted to be Jesus's spiritual bridegroom when they saw his love
00:17:39.539 -->
00:17:41.689and the way he treated people. Are you kidding me?
00:17:42.169 -->
00:17:45.827Gregory lumped all of these women together in an Easter homily,
00:17:46.007 -->
00:17:50.089called Mary Magdalene a prostitute, and then a widespread belief
00:17:50.409 -->
00:17:55.319that Mary was a repentant prostitute or a promiscuous woman just went like wildfire,
00:17:55.319 -->
00:17:57.466and artists in the medieval ages just.
00:17:58.047 -->
00:18:02.797Elaborate medieval legends from Western Europe emerged, and the exaggerated
00:18:02.797 -->
00:18:06.337tales of Mary Magdalene, her wealth, her beauty, her alleged journey to southern
00:18:06.337 -->
00:18:07.947Gaul, which is modern-day France.
00:18:07.947 -->
00:18:13.607Pope Paul VI, God bless him, in 1969, removed the identification of Mary Magdalene
00:18:13.607 -->
00:18:19.067with Mary of Bethany and the sinful woman from the Roman calendar and denounced
00:18:19.067 -->
00:18:21.397this view of her as a former prostitute.
00:18:21.397 -->
00:18:26.047But the popular culture still had that in their mind, and a lot of people don't
00:18:26.047 -->
00:18:31.467read papal documents, especially in 1969 when there were no internet sources for us.
00:18:31.467 -->
00:18:40.247But in 216, Pope Francis, God bless him, raised the level of liturgical memory on July 22.
00:18:40.247 -->
00:18:46.927He raised it for Mary Magdalene to a feast day, a full-out apostolic feast day.
00:18:46.927 -->
00:18:54.162So on July 22 now, we celebrate Mary Magdalene, the apostle to the apostles,
00:18:54.463 -->
00:18:59.676as a credible witness and as equal in God's eyes, men and women again.
00:18:59.943 -->
00:19:03.537So you might know this story about Mary and the red egg.
00:19:03.537 -->
00:19:06.877Do you know this? Mary Magdalene, she's often in iconography.
00:19:06.877 -->
00:19:11.487She has a red egg. And according to tradition, Mary Magdalene was wealthy and
00:19:11.487 -->
00:19:15.567she gained an audience with Emperor Tiberius, the Roman emperor.
00:19:16.007 -->
00:19:19.987After Christ's resurrection, and she denounced Pontius Pilate for the way he
00:19:19.987 -->
00:19:22.727had conducted himself during the trial of Jesus Christ.
00:19:22.727 -->
00:19:27.267She told Emperor Tiberius about Jesus Christ and his resurrection from the dead.
00:19:27.267 -->
00:19:31.307She held out an egg and proclaimed that Jesus Christ is risen,
00:19:31.307 -->
00:19:33.527and the emperor was not impressed.
00:19:33.527 -->
00:19:38.757He told Mary Magdalene that there was about as much chance of a human being
00:19:38.757 -->
00:19:43.557returning to life from the dead as there was that egg in her hand turning bright
00:19:43.557 -->
00:19:46.347red. and immediately the egg turned red.
00:19:46.904 -->
00:19:52.662And so many icons in the Byzantine Catholic Rite show Mary Magdalene holding a red egg.
00:19:52.662 -->
00:19:56.612And this became a tradition after the resurrection of Christ.
00:19:56.612 -->
00:20:01.562Eggs took on a deeper symbolism in meaning because like the sealed tomb,
00:20:01.562 -->
00:20:04.082Christ was an uncracked egg.
00:20:04.422 -->
00:20:07.652And then he emerged from the tomb. He burst forth. St.
00:20:07.652 -->
00:20:12.682Augustine said that Christ's resurrection from the dead is like a chick bursting forth from an egg.
00:20:12.682 -->
00:20:17.372An Eastern Catholic Church to this day distributes red Easter eggs in their
00:20:17.372 -->
00:20:22.142tradition, stemming all the way back to Mary Magdalene and her proclamation
00:20:22.142 -->
00:20:25.012to Emperor Tiberius, the miracle of the red egg.
00:20:25.012 -->
00:20:31.002So, in Mark 16, after he appeared, after this with Mary Magdalene,
00:20:31.002 -->
00:20:33.053then he appears in another form.
00:20:33.240 -->
00:20:38.139Did you catch that? In another form. To two of them as they were walking into the country.
00:20:38.400 -->
00:20:43.572Jesus appeared in another form. And this reminds us of the road to Emmaus that Luke wrote about.
00:20:43.572 -->
00:20:47.452Only Luke wrote that whole account in long form. But, you know,
00:20:47.452 -->
00:20:52.002he was having all these resurrection appearances and people were like, not sure who he was.
00:20:52.002 -->
00:20:55.132He's walking through walls and he's eating fish and he's and then like he'd
00:20:55.132 -->
00:20:58.012break the bread and he's be gone. And they'd recognize him in the breaking of
00:20:58.012 -->
00:21:02.102the bread. Another form, this glorified body is something to be pondered.
00:21:02.422 -->
00:21:04.222So they're walking out into the country.
00:21:04.622 -->
00:21:09.340They go back and tell the rest, but they did not believe them either. So they're having
00:21:09.722 -->
00:21:15.023a hard time believing. When you saw this bloody corpse on the cross or the flogging.
00:21:15.403 -->
00:21:18.833And saw him on the Via Dolorosa, I mean, you'd think there is absolutely no
00:21:18.833 -->
00:21:20.391way this guy rose from the dead.
00:21:20.589 -->
00:21:24.393They are shocked. They do not believe. Bishop Jan says the crucifixion proves
00:21:24.393 -->
00:21:27.033to be a faith-shattering experience.
00:21:27.033 -->
00:21:33.763Unbelief prevails. The disciples are simply too shocked to imagine what is unimaginable.
00:21:33.763 -->
00:21:38.783Fear, trembling, astonishment, disbelief are probably normal human reactions
00:21:38.783 -->
00:21:39.873if we would have been there.
00:21:39.873 -->
00:21:42.513Who would have thought that Jesus would conquer sin and death?
00:21:42.513 -->
00:21:45.783Who knew that Jesus would appear to the disciples in a glorified,
00:21:45.783 -->
00:21:50.926resurrected body different from anything that anyone had ever seen before?
00:21:51.042 -->
00:21:52.760Afterward, he appeared to the eleven.
00:21:52.963 -->
00:21:56.523That's a little bit curious because we don't know who the eleven are.
00:21:56.523 -->
00:22:00.233He doesn't name them. Was Judas there? Was Thomas there? We don't know.
00:22:00.233 -->
00:22:03.863They sat at table and he upbraided them for their
00:22:04.130 -->
00:22:08.674unbelief their hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw
00:22:08.674 -->
00:22:11.354him after his resurrection.
00:22:11.354 -->
00:22:15.654He said to them, Go into all the world. Preach the gospel to the whole creation.
00:22:15.654 -->
00:22:21.884He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.
00:22:21.884 -->
00:22:25.294And these signs are going to accompany those who believe in my name.
00:22:25.294 -->
00:22:28.964They'll cast out demons. They'll speak in new tongues. They'll pick up serpents.
00:22:28.964 -->
00:22:32.684They'll drink any deadly thing and won't hurt them. They'll lay their hands
00:22:32.684 -->
00:22:36.504on the sick and people will be healed and recover. These signs, you'll know.
00:22:36.844 -->
00:22:39.654Did those things ever happen? They sure did. We see St.
00:22:39.654 -->
00:22:45.974Paul casting out a demon in Acts 16. We see the new tongues of fire in Pentecost in Acts 2.
00:22:45.974 -->
00:22:49.934We see Paul picking up a viper in Malta. Didn't hurt him at all.
00:22:49.934 -->
00:22:55.464We see, oh, this one is one you might not know, drinking any deadly poison and not being hurt.
00:22:55.464 -->
00:22:59.684John, the evangelist, did that a lot. Here's a painting that's actually in the
00:22:59.684 -->
00:23:06.184Vatican Museum, the pagan priest Aristodemus, the man on the far right, has offered to convert.
00:23:06.744 -->
00:23:10.754He'll convert to Christianity if John will drink a cup of poison and survive.
00:23:10.754 -->
00:23:14.344So you see that they give to demonstrate this is truly poison.
00:23:14.344 -->
00:23:18.304They give it to the prisoners. They both drop over dead to condemn prisoners.
00:23:18.684 -->
00:23:24.524They die. Then John will bless the cup and drink the poison, and he is unharmed.
00:23:24.524 -->
00:23:28.784There's John drinking the cup, the dead prisoners. the guy converts because
00:23:29.104 -->
00:23:33.984he got the sign he wanted. Tradition also says that Emperor Domitian made John
00:23:33.984 -->
00:23:37.989drink a cup of poison. John blessed the cup again and...
00:23:38.211 -->
00:23:41.357He drank it down and no ill effect on his body.
00:23:41.357 -->
00:23:45.207So you often see the demonic force after he blesses the cup,
00:23:45.207 -->
00:23:49.317the demon leaves the cup, the poison leaves the cup, and the Lord protects him.
00:23:49.317 -->
00:23:52.967So that was recorded a lot with John, who lived the longest.
00:23:52.967 -->
00:23:58.297Often in artwork, he has a poisoned chalice in his hand with a snake emerging from it.
00:23:58.297 -->
00:24:02.857Okay, and then also there were healings also, like Acts chapter 3 at the beautiful
00:24:02.857 -->
00:24:06.487gate, the first one where the lame is healed by Peter and John.
00:24:06.487 -->
00:24:10.307So all those things happened. All those proofs happened. And then the Lord Jesus,
00:24:10.307 -->
00:24:13.103after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven.
00:24:13.701 -->
00:24:17.497I mean, Mark just boom. And he's power on the clouds.
00:24:17.497 -->
00:24:21.737We heard that he would be power. The Son of Man would be power on the clouds.
00:24:21.737 -->
00:24:26.457And Jesus, the ascension of Jesus is just, you know, it's very powerful.
00:24:26.457 -->
00:24:29.917He just goes up. We call that the ascension.
00:24:29.917 -->
00:24:33.827We call Mary the assumption because she was assumed.
00:24:33.827 -->
00:24:37.867She had to depend on God's power to take her up. But the risen Jesus Christ
00:24:37.867 -->
00:24:40.417is an ascension, not an assumption.
00:24:40.417 -->
00:24:46.117So there's a difference there. And then Jesus sat down. We hear that in Hebrews when it was all over.
00:24:46.117 -->
00:24:50.987He sat down. Where? At the right hand of the Father. Why? Because that's the
00:24:50.987 -->
00:24:55.067blessing hand. All the blessings had been ushered in and all the curses had
00:24:55.067 -->
00:24:58.886been reversed. And that's why he came. Now God can rest, right?
00:24:59.130 -->
00:25:04.447Now God can rest. And now we can rest because Jesus says, come to me,
00:25:04.787 -->
00:25:09.527all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
00:25:09.527 -->
00:25:13.057Take my yoke upon you. Learn from me. I'm gentle and loving of heart.
00:25:13.057 -->
00:25:20.287You will find rest for your souls. Our burdens are easy and light for him because he won the battle.
00:25:20.287 -->
00:25:24.577And then to send us forth and to preach everywhere. And while the Lord worked
00:25:24.577 -->
00:25:28.056with them and confirmed the message by the sign that attended it,
00:25:28.288 -->
00:25:30.727and then it just says, amen, and it ends.
00:25:30.727 -->
00:25:34.387But I'll tell you what, that bread I told you to remember, He gives us food
00:25:34.387 -->
00:25:37.565for the journey. The bread that Adam's going to have to sweat for.
00:25:37.925 -->
00:25:41.059Guess what? It's free bread now. You don't have to sweat for it anymore.
00:25:41.359 -->
00:25:45.339You can come here every day and have the Eucharist. That's the great commission.
00:25:45.339 -->
00:25:50.139That's the food we need on the journey as we follow Jesus back home to the Father.
00:25:50.139 -->
00:25:53.509He's opened the gates. He's opened the door, and we're to follow him,
00:25:53.509 -->
00:25:55.029and he's going to feed us along the way.
00:25:55.029 -->
00:25:58.849Free bread! Free bread! And we say in Mass, blessed the priest says,
00:25:58.849 -->
00:26:02.369Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have
00:26:02.369 -->
00:26:05.920received the bread you offer, fruit of the earth, and work of what?
00:26:06.117 -->
00:26:10.941Human hands, our hands. He's asking us to help. He's asking us to be part of it.
00:26:11.179 -->
00:26:16.160He's let us be co-creators, and he's going to also ask you to be a co-redeemer. Are you up for that?
00:26:16.405 -->
00:26:19.159It's going to have to pick up your cross every day and follow him.
00:26:19.159 -->
00:26:22.179It's going to be a little scary at times. There's going to be some suffering
00:26:22.179 -->
00:26:23.393involved. Are you up for that?
00:26:23.973 -->
00:26:28.019Really? Okay. And he says, blessed are you, Lord of all creation,
00:26:28.019 -->
00:26:31.764through your goodness, we have received the wine, fruit of the vine and work of what?
00:26:31.973 -->
00:26:34.927Human hands. We get to help. We get to help.
00:26:35.561 -->
00:26:39.074And then at mass, we give a sign of peace with our hands.
00:26:39.474 -->
00:26:44.759We extend our hands because we're all one body of Christ. We're a family and
00:26:44.759 -->
00:26:45.979we're all in this together.
00:26:46.319 -->
00:26:52.459And we want shalom, peace, rest. And then we get to receive him in our human
00:26:52.459 -->
00:26:57.712hand, Jesus, the body of Christ. And we get to put him into our temple.
00:26:57.857 -->
00:27:03.651And then we get to go in peace, glorifying the Lord God with our lives.
00:27:03.761 -->
00:27:07.559Thank you, Lord Jesus, just for the privilege and honor it is to serve you.
00:27:07.559 -->
00:27:13.032And please bless everybody over the summer and until we see you next fall. God bless you.
00:27:13.223 -->
00:27:19.580That was part two of the Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, on Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran.
00:27:19.823 -->
00:27:24.137To learn more about Seeking Truth Bible Studies, visit SeekingTruth.net.
00:27:24.433 -->
00:27:28.421Tune in next time for more Seeking Truth with Sharon Doran.