Episode Transcript
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On a feast day in my hometown,
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I was invited to give a sermon during the Holy Mass.
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Before the offertory, the parish priest made an announcement,
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asking those who had brought money for the offering
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to take it in their right hand and lift it up.
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Almost everyone in the church raised their hands,
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holding the money.
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The priest then offered a prayer for them.
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At that moment,
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my heart was drawn
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to a few poor individuals
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who stood with their heads bowed,
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unable to lift their hands
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because they had no money to offer.
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After the Mass,
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they left the church immediately,
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burdened with shame.
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Meanwhile, the expressions on the faces of those
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who had raised their hands
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showed a sense of pride,
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as if they had done something great for God.
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In the Book of Ezekiel, chapter ten,
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we read that glory of God left the temple
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and took residence above the cherubs.
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Similarly, I felt that God, on that day,
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had left the church and gone with those poor individuals
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who had walked away in shame,
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unable to lift their hands.
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Today's Gospel conveys the same message.
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God did not dwell with the Pharisee,
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who stood inside the temple
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listing his good deeds,
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but instead,
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He was with the tax collector
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who stood at a distance,
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not even daring to enter.
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This Gospel reminds us
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that while we may sit inside the temple,
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counting our good works,
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God may be outside,
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dwelling with the ordinary and humble people.
