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<v SPEAKER_00>In today's first reading, God says to King Ahaz, Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's one of the greatest spiritual principles of the Bible.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Our stability in life depends upon what we're standing on.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you build your life on money, well then I become unstable every time the market changes.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If I build my life on success, then I become unstable every time I fail.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If I build my life on other people's approval, then I become unstable every time I'm criticized.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But if I build my life on Christ, then even when everything around me shakes, I remain standing.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's exactly the situation King Ahaz is facing.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Two armies were marching against Jerusalem.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Isaiah says that the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We've all experienced moments like this.

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<v SPEAKER_00>A frightening medical diagnosis, the loss of a job, an adult child who has wandered from the faith, a broken relationship, the future feels uncertain, our hearts begin to tremble.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But notice what God says.

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<v SPEAKER_00>No, he says remain tranquil and do not fear.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Why?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, because peace is not the absence of problems.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Peace is the presence of God.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Faith does not mean that storms never come.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Faith means knowing who is in the boat with you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Then God ends with those unforgettable words unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In other words, the strength of your life depends on the strength of your faith.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And that brings us to this beautiful feast day of Saint Kataria Tekowitha.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Kateri Tewitha.

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<v SPEAKER_00>She lost her parents as a young child during smallpox epidemic.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The disease left her scarred and nearly blind.

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<v SPEAKER_00>When she embraced Christianity she was mocked by many in her own village and eventually had to leave her home because of her faith.

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<v SPEAKER_00>From a worldly perspective, her life seemed marked by loss.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yet she became one of the most joyful saints in the history of North America.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Why?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, because her security was not in her circumstances.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It was in Christ.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Kateri teaches us that holiness is not reserved for people with easy lives.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Holiness belongs to those who remain faithful when life is difficult.

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<v SPEAKER_00>She had every reason to become bitter.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Instead she became a saint.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now, if we turn to the gospel, Jesus reproaches the towns where he had worked his greatest miracles because they refused to repent.

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<v SPEAKER_00>At first his words sound harsh, but underneath them is something very important.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Jesus is teaching us that privilege brings responsibility.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The people of Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum had seen miracles with their own eyes.

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<v SPEAKER_00>They had heard the Son of God preach, yet their hearts remain unchanged.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It is possible to become or to come to holy things, be close to them without becoming holy ourselves.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's the warning for all of us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We are Catholics.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We are Eucharistic people.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We have the Eucharist, we have the sacrament of reconciliation, we have sacred scripture, we have two thousand years of wisdom in the church.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The question is not whether we have received much, the question is whether we have responded to what we have been given.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Sometimes we ask God for more signs.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If I only saw a miracle, God if you only do this for me, if only God answered this prayer, if only he made himself more obvious.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, perhaps the better question is this What have I done with the graces He's already given me?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Every mass is a miracle.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Every confession is a miracle.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Every time we receive holy communion is an encounter with the living Christ.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The danger is not that God stops speaking, the danger is that we become so accustomed to his voice that we stop listening.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So today Saint Kateri and the scriptures leave us with two questions.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Where am I placing all my security?

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<v SPEAKER_00>What am I trying to control?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Is it in Christ or is it something that can disappear tomorrow?

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<v SPEAKER_00>And second, my allowing the graces that God has given me to change my life.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because faith is not measured by how much we know, it is measured by how much we trust.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And holiness is not measured by extraordinary experiences.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It is measured by ordinary fidelity one day at a time, through perseverance, through a structured life, through discipline.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Like Saint Kateri, may we learn to stand firm, not because life is easy, but because Christ is at the center of our lives and he is our foundation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Amen.