<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail-ajy" tabindex="0"><img class="gmail-ajz" id="gmail-:10l" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" alt=""></div>
<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row20308" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row gmail-m_-795659665613416298widget gmail-m_-795659665613416298_widget_picture" align="left"><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row-padding20308" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298image-td" align="left" width="650" valign="top"><a href="http://wordonfire.acemlnb.com/lt.php?s=f4b404287914110dac7009c89e87fa0d&i=1490A1916A29A1266692" style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;color:rgb(237,119,34);display:block;min-width:100%" target="_blank"><img src="http://wordonfire.imgus11.com/public/4b960868d8cca37f5b0fa9ef087f3099.png?r=1529132420" alt="" style="display: block; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: medium; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; outline: medium none currentcolor; opacity: 1; margin-right: 0px;" class="gmail-CToWUd" width="236" height="116"></a></td>
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<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row20311" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row gmail-m_-795659665613416298widget gmail-m_-795659665613416298_widget_html gmail-m_-795659665613416298style20311" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row-padding20311" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:0px 30px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298html_div19871" align="left" width="590"> <p style="color:white;font-family:Sorts Mill Goudy;font-size:4px;line-height:1.5">Your daily Gospel reflection...</p>
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<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row20313" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row gmail-m_-795659665613416298widget gmail-m_-795659665613416298_widget_text gmail-m_-795659665613416298style20313" style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row-padding20313" style="padding:30px 30px 20px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298text_div19873" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298td_text gmail-m_-795659665613416298td_block" style="color:inherit;font-size:12px;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:Arial" align="left" valign="top"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:26px"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;text-align:center"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-style:italic;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:26px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:italic"><span class="gmail-aBn" tabindex="0"><span class="gmail-aQJ">Thursday, December 28, 2017</span></span></span></b><br></div>
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<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row20312" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row gmail-m_-795659665613416298widget gmail-m_-795659665613416298_widget_picture gmail-m_-795659665613416298style20312" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" align="center"><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row-padding20312" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:20px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298image-td" align="center" width="590" valign="top"><a href="http://wordonfire.acemlnb.com/lt.php?s=f4b404287914110dac7009c89e87fa0d&i=1490A1916A29A1266714" style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;color:rgb(237,119,34);display:block;min-width:100%" target="_blank"><img src="http://wordonfire.imgus11.com/public/7e2867fcaf0c2ddd581483e5e17f4d20.png?r=986711229" alt="" style="display: block; border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: medium; border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; outline: medium none currentcolor; width: 221px; opacity: 1; max-width: 100%;" class="gmail-CToWUd" width="221"></a></td>
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<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row20309" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row gmail-m_-795659665613416298widget gmail-m_-795659665613416298_widget_html gmail-m_-795659665613416298style20309" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row-padding20309" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:30px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298html_div19869" align="left" width="590"> <p style="color:black;font-family:Avenir Next;font-size:20px;font-weight:500;line-height:1.25;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase">Feast of the Holy Innocents</p>
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<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row20310" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row gmail-m_-795659665613416298widget gmail-m_-795659665613416298_widget_html gmail-m_-795659665613416298style20310" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row-padding20310" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);padding:5px 30px 0px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298html_div19870" align="left" width="590"> <p style="color:rgb(237,119,34);font-family:Avenir Next;font-size:18px;line-height:1.25;text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase">Matthew 2:13-18</p>
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<table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row20314" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row gmail-m_-795659665613416298widget gmail-m_-795659665613416298_widget_text gmail-m_-795659665613416298style20314" style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298layout-row-padding20314" style="padding:10px 30px 30px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" cellspacing="0" width="100%" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_-795659665613416298text_div19874" class="gmail-m_-795659665613416298td_text gmail-m_-795659665613416298td_block" style="color:inherit;font-size:12px;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.5;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:Arial" align="left" valign="top"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.5"> <div style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px"><span style="color:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman""><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">Friends,
<span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b> today’s Gospel describes Herod’s massacre of the boys of Bethlehem, his
furious reaction to being deceived by the Magi.</b></span> Matthew’s account of
the visit of the Magi purposely juxtaposes King Herod and the mysterious
Magi from the east. <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>Herod was the consummate political survivor, a
canny realist who had, through threats, murder, and corruption, found
his way to the top of the
political ladder.</b></span></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br></b></span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>While
Herod was fussing around, desperately trying to maintain himself in
power</b></span>, <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>figures from a distant country were blithely indifferent to</b></span>
<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>politics and games of domination.</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>They were intensely surveying the
night sky, looking for signs from God.</b></span> Now, as they cross the border
into Herod’s country, the Magi come onto Herod’s radar-screen. Who are
they? Spies? And <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>whom are they seeking? A newborn king?</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>That is a
threat! That is treason.</b></span></span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>Under
the <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">pretense</span> of piety, he calls the Magi to himself and inquires after
the star’s first appearance, getting the time coordinates; and then he
asks them to go to Bethlehem and find the exact locale.</b><b> With this GPS
system, he can find <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">the king</span>—and <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">stamp</span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">him</span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">out.</span></b></span></span></b></span></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div>