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<tr style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><td id="gmail-m_-3389643681907351579layout-row-margin24230" style="padding:5px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%;border-collapse:initial" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr id="gmail-m_-3389643681907351579layout-row24230" class="gmail-m_-3389643681907351579layout gmail-m_-3389643681907351579layout-row gmail-m_-3389643681907351579widget gmail-m_-3389643681907351579_widget_text gmail-m_-3389643681907351579style24230" style="margin:0px;padding:0px"><td id="gmail-m_-3389643681907351579layout-row-padding24230" style="padding:10px 30px 30px" valign="top"><table style="font-size:13px;min-width:100%" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tbody><tr><td id="gmail-m_-3389643681907351579text_div23767" class="gmail-m_-3389643681907351579td_text gmail-m_-3389643681907351579td_block" style="color:inherit;font-size:12px;font-weight:inherit;line-height:1.5;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:Arial" valign="top" align="left"> <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"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style: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 gives Jesus’ teaching about non-resistance to evil 
people. </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>We are continually wanting God to behave as we would, that is to
 say, withdrawing his love from those who don’t deserve it and giving 
his love to those who do deserve it. </b></span>But <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>this</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>is just not the way God 
operates.</b></span></span><br><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(255,242,204)"><b>Why
 should you pray for someone who is <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">persecuting</span> you?</b></span> Why shouldn’t you 
be allowed at least to answer him in kind—an eye for an eye? Because <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>God
 doesn’t operate <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">that way</span>, and you are being drawn into the divine life.</b></span>
 <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Why should you turn the other cheek to someone who</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>has struck you?</b></span> 
Because it’s practical? No,<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b> because that’s the way God operates, and 
you’re being called into the divine life.</b></span> Why should you go beyond 
simply loving those who love you? Because that’s the way <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>God</b></span> operates: 
</span></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><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">he</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:medium none currentcolor;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style: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"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b> loves the saints and he loves the <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">worst of sin</span>ners.</b></span></span><br><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">Is
 any of this easy to do? Of course not. <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Are we able to get to this state
 <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)">through
willing</span> it,</b></span> through earnest practice? <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>Of course not!</b> </span>That’s why <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>love is 
</b></span>referred to as <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>a theological virtue.</b></span> It is the sheerest participation in
 the divine life, and <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>it can only come from God.</b></span></span></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>

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