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CRAVING SOMETHING MORE…Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15; Ephesians 4:17, 20-24; John 6:24-35 The book “Acres of Diamonds” narrates the tale of Ali Hafed. Hafed, a wealthy Persian, owned a large farm with orchards, fields, and gardens. He had a lovely family and was a contented man.Contented till an old priest told Hafed that if he had a diamond the size of his thumb, he could own a dozen farms. Hafed asked: “Where can I find these diamonds?” The priest said: “Search for a river that runs over white sands between high mountains. In those sands, you will find diamonds.”Hafed went to bed

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HELP PEOPLE… HELP THEMSELVES2 Kings 4:42-44; Ephesians 4:1-6; John 6:1-15 We have many and conflicting requests for help. For instance, you are working on a critical task and someone needs help. You return after a hard day at work and your child has a project/ needs a drop/ is unwell. Jesus experienced something similar.Today’s gospel opens with him going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee after John’s beheading to avoid danger or to grieve over his loss. He cannot be by himself: the crowds follow him; he is faced with an unexpected demand, an intrusion on his

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HE HAD COMPASSION ON THEMJeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34 The oncologist walked through the parking lot with just one thought: the dire diagnosis he had handed Jim. Advanced pancreatic cancer. He noticed an elderly gentleman handing tools to someone under a stalled car. That someone was Jim! Doc yelled: “Jim, what are you doing?” Jim crawled out, dusted off his pants, and said: Doc, my cancer didn’t tell me to stop helping others.” He waved at the man to start the car. The engine roared to life. The man thanked Jim and drove off. Jim got into his car

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CALLED AND SENTAmos 7:12-15; Ephesians 1:3-14; Mark 6:7-13 She begins her program with a Bach symphony. She next plays an Irish air, then a Bob Dylan folk song, and finally a jazz improvisation. The venue: a hospice. The audience: one, a 70-year-old woman with terminal cancer. Through her music she provides a measure of peace for those walking their last steps in this world.She was a “little” Carmelite nun! She was not qualified (in her words: “I am only tenth pass.”). But people from every walk of life – bishops, priests, religious, laity – and every religion came to seek

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REJECTEDEzekiel 2:2-5; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 6:1-6 In 1960, religious persecution broke out in Sudan. Paride Taban fled to Uganda. There he studied for the priesthood and was ordained. When the Sudan situation stabilized, Fr Taban returned and was assigned a parish in Palotaka. His parishioners always had white priests before who gave them clothing and medicine. Fr Taban was like them—black, poor… with nothing material to give them. His people would not accept this poor black man as a priest. The story of Fr Taban is an example of the rejection every prophet encounters. Prophets in Hebrew and Christian

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THE TOUCH THAT HEALSWisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15; Mark 5:21-43 Sue Knutson was hiking alone in the mountains when her foot slipped between two boulders. She felt sharp pain in her ankle, and then collapsed on her back.Miles from civilization, Knutson, a nurse, held her leg in the air and used the only resource available—her hands—to reduce the swelling and shooting pain. She held her hands a few inches from her ankle and breathed deeply and slowly. The pain began to ebb, and after thirty minutes she was able to limp to the road unassisted. At the

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LORD, DO YOU NOT CARE…?Job 38:1, 8-11; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Mark 4:35-41 Monty had severely handicapped limbs, the result of polio. Through dogged determination, he got a degree and a job. Then he developed a vision problem; doctors discovered that his retinas were becoming detached. Monty found himself facing blindness and immobility. We can identify with Monty’s experience. There is so much turmoil and suffering in our lives. When we think things have quieted down, more turmoil erupts. We wonder how much more can we take! That’s probably the unasked question in the disciples’ minds in today’s gospel!The incident happens

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START UP!Ezekiel 17:22-24; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34 Jeff Bezos started an online bookstore in his garage in Bellevue in 1994. Today, Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer.Larry Page and Sergey Brin started a search-algorithm project in a friend’s garage in 1998. Today, Google is the most trafficked site in the world.In 1976, twenty-year-old Steve Jobs hand-built fifty computers in a garage in Cupertino. Today, Apple is the most valuable tech company in the world. Everything starts small, including the kingdom of God! It is a startup! In the gospel, Jesus gives two images of the kingdom.The first image

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