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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"><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, today’s Gospel tells <b><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">the story of the Lord calling Levi, also known as 
Matthew.</span></b> <b><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">As Jesus was passing by, he spotted Matthew at his tax 
collector’s post. To be a tax collector in Jesus’ time—a Jew <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">
collaborating with Rome’s oppression of</span> one’s own people—was to be a 
<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">contemptible </span>figure.</span><br></b></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"><b><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">Jesus
 gazed at Matthew and simply said, “Follow me.” </span><span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)">Did <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">Jesus invite </span>Matthew
 because the tax collector merited it? Was <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">Jesus </span>responding to a request
 from Matthew or some longing in the <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">sin</span>ner’s heart? Certainly not<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">. </span></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">
Grace, by definition, comes unbidden and without explanation.</span><br></b></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"><b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">In
 Caravaggio’s magnificent painting of this scene, Matthew, dressed 
anachronistically in sixteenth-century finery, responds to Jesus’ 
summons by pointing incredulously to <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">himself </span>and wearing a quizzical 
expression, as if to say, “<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">Me</span>? You want <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">me</span>?”</span><br></b><br></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></b></b></b></b></b></b></b><div><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"><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><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;background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">Just as creation is </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:italic;background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">ex nihilo, </span><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;background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">so
 conversion is a new creation, a gracious remaking of a <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)">person</span> from <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">the 
nonbeing </span>of <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">his sin</span>.</span></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></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><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;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Matthew</b>, </span>we are told, <b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">immediately got up and 
followed the Lord.</span></b></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></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="margin:0px;outline:none;padding:0px"><span style="font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(0,0,255)"><b>Dicsőség az Atyának, a Fiúnak és a Szentléleknek most és mindörökké. Ámen.<br></b></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></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>

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