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<b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;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:currentcolor none medium;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:currentcolor none medium;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:currentcolor none medium;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:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;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> in today’s Gospel the Pharisees compare the eating habits of John the 
Baptist, who fasted, and Jesus, who dined with sinners.</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(249,203,156)"><b>In the carefully
 stratified society of Jesus’ time, a righteous person would never 
associate with the unrighteous, for fear of becoming unclean. </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>But
 here is Jesus, scandalizing everyone because he does indeed break down 
these barriers. </b></span>How would you feel if you saw me socializing with 
prostitutes and drug-dealers, eating and drinking with terrorists? Would
 it shock you, dismay you, disappoint you? But this is what Jesus did, 
precisely <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>because he was the Incarnation of the God who aggressively 
seeks out the lost.</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><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(255,242,204)"><b>God
 looks for us, comes running after us, never <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">lets go</span>, never <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">relents,</span> 
never <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">gives up.</span></b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>The more we run,</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the more he runs after;</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>the more we 
hide</b></span>, <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the more he looks</b></span>; <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>the more we resist,</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the more he persists</b></span>.<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b> God 
loves <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">sin</span>ners and associates with them.</b></span></span></b></b></span></b></b></b></b></b><br></div><br></div>