TRANSCRIPT 🔗
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Good morning, and thank you for joining us today.
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St.
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Paul in his letter to the Romans wrote: God's gifts and call are irrevocable.
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For many of you, I'm sure that's why you've gathered with us today.
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To thank God for his gifts and to answer the call.
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Welcome to prayer.
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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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Amen.
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O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise.
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Psalm 62.
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Love is God's gift.
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I breathe in the quietness, enjoying the empty space, knowing I am in the company of the Holy One.
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It is a good place to be.
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My confidence finds its anchor.
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My spirit feels renewed.
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God is a safe haven for me.
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Trust grows from this place to be honest and free in God.
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Place and privilege are worthless.
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They are delusions created by others.
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Everything can change in an instant.
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And life's gift is in the here and now.
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Put no confidence in things that disappear, but find blessing in the wisdom of the ages.
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God has shared this story again and again.
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And I will hold on to this truth, for love is God's gift, a place of security and sanctuary.
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Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever.
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Amen.
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The word of the Lord.
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With this scripture passage, I would like to share my own journey of being drawn to Jesus by the Father.
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I was born and raised in a Catholic family, went to Mass on Sundays, to confession once a month, and had my own simple prayer life.
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But my simple faith life all changed when I was 18 and became pregnant.
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The baby's father and I married, and we placed our daughter for adoption.
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That experience left me in desolation, shame, and depression.
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I felt something was wrong with me for being unable to be a mother, and that God had abandoned me.
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Divorce soon followed, and in my downward spiral, my life went off the rails.
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In the meantime, my two sisters had become involved in the Catholic charismatic renewal, and I saw wonderful changes in them.
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Could these be my sisters?
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I remember one day driving in my 1969 green Volkswagen Beetle when a desire arose within me.
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But as soon as that thought came, I slammed that door shut.
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This would mean God in my life.
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Shortly after, my sisters once again invited me to go to a prayer meeting.
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But this time I'd run out of excuses.
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And so with great reluctance, I went.
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So here I am, sitting in a room of about 30 people, all with Bibles and songbooks.
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Nice, but weird is what I'm thinking.
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And with my head down and feeling very uncomfortable, the prayer meeting began with a song.
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I'm not singing and I'm not looking at anyone.
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My eyes are closed.
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And at that moment, I saw Jesus.
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In my mind's eye, standing in front of me, arms wide open, with such a look of understanding.
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And he said, Kathy, come to me.
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And I began to cry.
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In that instant I knew Jesus knew everything.
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All my pain, my sorrow, my rebellion, and he never stopped loving me.
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My healing began.
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The date of that prayer meeting?
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October 28th, 1977, the Feast of Saint Jude, forty-nine years ago, yesterday.
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Four years later, I entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia.
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In Paul's letter to the Romans, Saint Paul writes, God's gifts and call are irrevocable.
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Indeed, they are.
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It was by the Father's grace and the witness of my sisters that I found my way back to the Lord and his merciful, marvelous love.
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And now let us bring our petitions before the Lord.
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With confidence and trust, we pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
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Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
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Amen.
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Let us pray.
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Heavenly Father, thank you for drawing us closer to your Son, Jesus Christ.
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Open our hearts to hear your voice, respond to your call, and follow the path you have prepared for us.
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Strengthen our faith and guide us each day toward the promise of eternal life.
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We ask this through Christ our Lord.
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Amen.
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To you do I belong, O God.
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Into your hands I surrender my life.
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Pour out Spirit upon me, that I may love you perfectly and serve you faithfully until my soul rests in you.
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It was great to have you with us today.
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I hope wherever you are, you can go out and enjoy a beautiful fall day.
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And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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As always, we look forward to seeing you tomorrow.