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<b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;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(162,196,201)"><b>today’s Gospel presents John the Baptist as a revolutionary.</b></span></span><br></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight: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">Advent is best understood as a preparation for a revolution. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:none;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"><br><br><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>The
 liturgical readings for this time of the year—focusing on Isaiah, John 
the Baptist, Mary, and Jesus</b></span>—<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>positively crackle with energy and 
electricity</b></span>. When we seek to understand them on their own terms and in 
the context of the time in which they were written, we
discover their revolutionary power. <br></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>Around
 the year 30, an alarming figure appeared in the Judean desert, wearing 
animal skins and eating locusts and wild honey; and his theme hearkened 
back to the prophet Isaiah: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight 
his paths." John the Baptist was telling his listeners to make ready for
 the arrival of the God of Israel as a conquering King who would, once 
again, overthrow the oppressors of his people.</b></span><br></span><br><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b><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 style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">And
 the revolution arrived in the person of a young Galilean rabbi</span>, whose 
message was simple and unambiguous: <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">"Repent, for the kingdom of God is 
at hand."
</span>Jesus was saying that the new King has arrived and he’s begun his work; 
so change your lives and come under his lordship.</span></b></span></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b>

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