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112
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Communal Holiness
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Father Steve
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2025-08-17
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2025-08-17-communal-holiness-112.mp3
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978
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{"task": "transcribe", "langua {"task": "transcribe", "language": "english", "duration": 978.7899780273438, "text": "The Lord be with you. Let us listen to the good news of Jesus from the Gospel of Saint Luke. Jesus said to his disciples, I have come to set fire on the earth. How I wish it were already blazing. There's a baptism with which I must be baptized. And how great is my anguish until it is accomplished. Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No. I tell you but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided. Three against two. Two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father. Mother against daughter and daughter against mother. A mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law. A daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Good news from the Lord. Sometimes good news doesn't sound good. And when we hear from prophets, that's when it doesn't sound good most of the time. In our world today, especially since the Enlightenment, those wonderful French people gave us the Enlightenment that has moved us into great scientific feats and all those kinds of things, but the Enlightenment is about the individual. And we've lost the sense of community. And that trickles down because when we think about sin and evil in the world, we generally tend to think about ourselves. How am I acting? How is it that I am viewed by God? How is my relationship with God? Am I being good enough? Will I get to heaven? Will God give me what I need to get through all of this? Will God forgive me? Which are all appropriate things to worry about. But scripturally, sin is much less individual and it is much more communal. And so when the prophets come, the prophets aren't so much railing against individual people. Sometimes they do, the king, but the king is a symbol, right? The king is the symbol of the whole country. And they are speaking something against the societal, this communal, societal way of being. Said, you've lost your way. That's what they keep saying. Now, Jeremiah wasn't thrown into the cistern because he was saying, king, you've got to be better. What he was addressing was the whole culture that had grown up in Jerusalem and in Judah. So Judah is kind of surrounded. You have the Assyrian empire in the north, who has conquered the northern kingdom, what we call Samaria, what we know of as Samaria. Would be Galilee in most places. And you have the Babylonians on the east and they are a rising empire and they and the Assyrians are at war with each other. And you have the Egyptians on the south, another big, huge, powerful kingdom. And on the west, you have the sea. So they're sort of boxed in. So what Judah starts to do, kingdom of Judah, they start to make all these political alliances. You know, and they're hoping that perhaps by sleight of hand, they can eke out another little bit. But what happens as they eke out another little bit of time, is that they give more of their soul to whoever it is they're trying to negotiate with. The Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, maybe even the fish in the sea, who knows. So they end up in a spot that is so far away from what they were intended to be, that God sends prophets to try and bring them back. So Israel was intended to be a people who trusted in God, who trusted deeply in God, whether they had overlords or independents, whether they had famine or plenty. That's what God wanted. That was the whole idea. And they were to be assigned to the world of that. The seed, if you will, the little bit of leaven that would grow up and make everything better. But instead they turned into a political reality. And all of a sudden they had borders and cities with walls and they needed to protect things. So then the Assyrians come and they, you know, And then the Babylonians come and they surround Jerusalem. And then the Egyptians come and the Babylonians leave Jerusalem, go off to fight the Egyptians. And then a couple of years later, they come back and surround Jerusalem again. And in the midst of all of that is Jeremiah. And Jeremiah is saying to the people, Surrender. Now, how would you feel if I stood up here and said, You know how to deal with Russia? You know how to deal with China? Surrender. You'd say, what? What in the world are you asking? That's why they threw Jeremiah down that cistern. Because he was trying to say something to the people about their life of faith and their relationship to God. And it was heard politically. And so what you do in order to be faithful to who you are, Jeremiah says, is surrender. But the king is saying, we surrender, we lose everything. Prophet's words are really hard. You've all heard of Ben Salmon. Ben Salmon was the father of a priest. I actually knew him, Charlie Salmon, who was a priest for the Archdiocese of Denver. Ben Salmon was a conscientious objector during World War I. And as a result of that, because he refused to go to war, the result of that was disaster for his family. He couldn't get a job, getting imprisoned. He spent a bunch of years in, I think Leavenworth. And it was just, it was a terrible thing because he was too much of a threat. Now, Ben Salmon was not making a political statement. He was making a faith statement that was heard politically. Now, all of our faith statements actually do have a lot of political things that they, that kind of come along with it, right? So we have three volunteers here who come from all over the world. So we have one that comes to us from Rhode Island. But before she was in Rhode Island, she was in Nigeria and had to come here for difficult reasons. We have another person who is here from Denver. But before that, she was in Somalia, in Eritrea. I don't know why I keep saying Somalia, I keep saying that. In Eritrea, where she too had to escape from difficult things. And we have one who is here from Wisconsin, by way of Texas. Too exotic place to be in. So, come from all over the world and bring these very unique experiences of church from other parts of the world. And they come here to say something that is actually, in these days, quite prophetic. Now, they don't come here to be political spokespeople. They come here to serve the poor. They come here in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul to say, the poor matter more than the jets. Not the New York jets, the ones that fly around in the sky. That the poor matter more than the country club. That the poor matter more than your retirement account. You know, we're gonna take up a second collection today for that. For the Steve's retirement account. Actually, for retired priests. I was thinking I'd come up here with a cane so that you don't feel sorry for me. But more important than that are the poor. More important than protecting our belongings. More important than protecting what we claim as ours. Our way of life. Our way of thinking. Our way of thinking. That's a very prophetic thing to say. You know, when we hear the prophet's voices, how do we react? You know, we can't just say, well, you know, I'm speaking against this stupid power that we have here. No, you're speaking against or you're living in a way that makes a comment on a culture. On a society, which is all of us. How much do I care for the poor? How much am I willing to give up so that we begin to move in a more just, in a more open, in a more faithful way? Because indeed, as a people, we too have lost our way. We too have kind of gotten off the road. Not as people of the United States, but as Christians. Because we have individualized holiness. Holiness is what I do. Holiness is what I do. It's how good I am. It's how good I pray. And that's not what Christianity is about. Christianity is about the us. I can't go to heaven without all of you. And that's the message that we have. That's the fire that Jesus wants to set on the earth. And that's also what brings about the division. That's also what brings about the baptism that Jesus will be baptized in. That's the challenge for us. First, to hear that word of the prophet inviting us to look at everything in a different way. To look at how I relate in a neighborhood, in a parish, in this country, in a different way. To begin to see everyone, most especially those who are poor. Those who are in need. Those who need something more. To see them as people. To see them as Christ. Not so that I can do something that makes me feel good. Yeah, I gave the poor this money. Isn't that wonderful? No, it's to change the rules. Why is this person hungry in the first place? How have we as a community failed to take care of this person? That's an even harder question to ask. But that's what the prophet asks us to do.", "segments": [{"id": 0, "seek": 0, "start": 0.0, "end": 6.920000076293945, "text": " The Lord be with you. Let us listen to the good news of Jesus from the Gospel of", "tokens": [50364, 440, 3257, 312, 365, 291, 13, 961, 505, 2140, 281, 264, 665, 2583, 295, 2705, 490, 264, 23163, 295, 50710], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.31912878155708313, "compression_ratio": 1.4022988080978394, "no_speech_prob": 0.011423314921557903}, {"id": 1, "seek": 0, "start": 6.920000076293945, "end": 20.799999237060547, "text": " Saint Luke. Jesus said to his disciples, I have come to set fire on the earth. How", "tokens": [50710, 12902, 13044, 13, 2705, 848, 281, 702, 17209, 11, 286, 362, 808, 281, 992, 2610, 322, 264, 4120, 13, 1012, 51404], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.31912878155708313, "compression_ratio": 1.4022988080978394, "no_speech_prob": 0.011423314921557903}, {"id": 2, "seek": 0, "start": 20.799999237060547, "end": 29.31999969482422, "text": " I wish it were already blazing. There's a baptism with which I must be baptized.", "tokens": [51404, 286, 3172, 309, 645, 1217, 16379, 8781, 13, 821, 311, 257, 34352, 365, 597, 286, 1633, 312, 34006, 13, 51830], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.31912878155708313, "compression_ratio": 1.4022988080978394, "no_speech_prob": 0.011423314921557903}, {"id": 3, "seek": 2932, "start": 29.31999969482422, "end": 38.720001220703125, "text": " And how great is my anguish until it is accomplished. Do you think that I have", "tokens": [50364, 400, 577, 869, 307, 452, 2562, 33786, 1826, 309, 307, 15419, 13, 1144, 291, 519, 300, 286, 362, 50834], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2447182685136795, "compression_ratio": 1.2677165269851685, "no_speech_prob": 0.0013366693165153265}, {"id": 4, "seek": 2932, "start": 38.720001220703125, "end": 50.68000030517578, "text": " come to establish peace on the earth? No. I tell you but rather division. From now", "tokens": [50834, 808, 281, 8327, 4336, 322, 264, 4120, 30, 883, 13, 286, 980, 291, 457, 2831, 10044, 13, 3358, 586, 51432], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2447182685136795, "compression_ratio": 1.2677165269851685, "no_speech_prob": 0.0013366693165153265}, {"id": 5, "seek": 5068, "start": 50.68000030517578, "end": 61.08000183105469, "text": " on a household of five will be divided. Three against two. Two against three. Father will", "tokens": [50364, 322, 257, 9888, 295, 1732, 486, 312, 6666, 13, 6244, 1970, 732, 13, 4453, 1970, 1045, 13, 7085, 486, 50884], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2651909589767456, "compression_ratio": 2.066666603088379, "no_speech_prob": 0.3340870141983032}, {"id": 6, "seek": 5068, "start": 61.08000183105469, "end": 70.55999755859375, "text": " be divided against son and son against father. Mother against daughter and daughter against", "tokens": [50884, 312, 6666, 1970, 1872, 293, 1872, 1970, 3086, 13, 8931, 1970, 4653, 293, 4653, 1970, 51358], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2651909589767456, "compression_ratio": 2.066666603088379, "no_speech_prob": 0.3340870141983032}, {"id": 7, "seek": 5068, "start": 70.55999755859375, "end": 79.5199966430664, "text": " mother. A mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law. A daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.", "tokens": [51358, 2895, 13, 316, 2895, 12, 259, 12, 5901, 1970, 720, 4653, 12, 259, 12, 5901, 13, 316, 4653, 12, 259, 12, 5901, 1970, 720, 2895, 12, 259, 12, 5901, 13, 51806], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2651909589767456, "compression_ratio": 2.066666603088379, "no_speech_prob": 0.3340870141983032}, {"id": 8, "seek": 7952, "start": 79.5199966430664, "end": 86.36000061035156, "text": " Good news from the Lord.", "tokens": [50364, 2205, 2583, 490, 264, 3257, 13, 50706], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.9336457252502441, "compression_ratio": 0.75, "no_speech_prob": 0.00277784769423306}, {"id": 9, "seek": 8636, "start": 86.36000061035156, "end": 111.83999633789062, "text": " Sometimes good news doesn't sound good. And when we hear from prophets, that's when it doesn't", "tokens": [50364, 4803, 665, 2583, 1177, 380, 1626, 665, 13, 400, 562, 321, 1568, 490, 27297, 11, 300, 311, 562, 309, 1177, 380, 51638], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.3951761722564697, "compression_ratio": 1.1325300931930542, "no_speech_prob": 0.025635169818997383}, {"id": 10, "seek": 11184, "start": 111.83999633789062, "end": 121.08000183105469, "text": " sound good most of the time. In our world today, especially since the Enlightenment,", "tokens": [50364, 1626, 665, 881, 295, 264, 565, 13, 682, 527, 1002, 965, 11, 2318, 1670, 264, 46037, 26797, 11, 50826], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.30249911546707153, "compression_ratio": 1.6196318864822388, "no_speech_prob": 0.16213874518871307}, {"id": 11, "seek": 11184, "start": 121.08000183105469, "end": 127.23999786376953, "text": " those wonderful French people gave us the Enlightenment that has moved us into great", "tokens": [50826, 729, 3715, 5522, 561, 2729, 505, 264, 46037, 26797, 300, 575, 4259, 505, 666, 869, 51134], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.30249911546707153, "compression_ratio": 1.6196318864822388, "no_speech_prob": 0.16213874518871307}, {"id": 12, "seek": 11184, "start": 127.23999786376953, "end": 132.60000610351562, "text": " scientific feats and all those kinds of things, but the Enlightenment is about the individual.", "tokens": [51134, 8134, 579, 1720, 293, 439, 729, 3685, 295, 721, 11, 457, 264, 46037, 26797, 307, 466, 264, 2609, 13, 51402], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.30249911546707153, "compression_ratio": 1.6196318864822388, "no_speech_prob": 0.16213874518871307}, {"id": 13, "seek": 13260, "start": 132.60000610351562, "end": 144.0800018310547, "text": " And we've lost the sense of community. And that trickles down because when we think about sin and", "tokens": [50364, 400, 321, 600, 2731, 264, 2020, 295, 1768, 13, 400, 300, 4282, 904, 760, 570, 562, 321, 519, 466, 3343, 293, 50938], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.28083154559135437, "compression_ratio": 1.3714286088943481, "no_speech_prob": 0.44418835639953613}, {"id": 14, "seek": 13260, "start": 144.0800018310547, "end": 155.0, "text": " evil in the world, we generally tend to think about ourselves. How am I acting? How is it that", "tokens": [50938, 6724, 294, 264, 1002, 11, 321, 5101, 3928, 281, 519, 466, 4175, 13, 1012, 669, 286, 6577, 30, 1012, 307, 309, 300, 51484], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.28083154559135437, "compression_ratio": 1.3714286088943481, "no_speech_prob": 0.44418835639953613}, {"id": 15, "seek": 15500, "start": 155.0, "end": 166.0, "text": " I am viewed by God? How is my relationship with God? Am I being good enough? Will I get to heaven?", "tokens": [50364, 286, 669, 19174, 538, 1265, 30, 1012, 307, 452, 2480, 365, 1265, 30, 2012, 286, 885, 665, 1547, 30, 3099, 286, 483, 281, 7162, 30, 50914], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.24886953830718994, "compression_ratio": 1.4393939971923828, "no_speech_prob": 0.4438958466053009}, {"id": 16, "seek": 15500, "start": 166.0, "end": 173.27999877929688, "text": " Will God give me what I need to get through all of this? Will God forgive me? Which are all", "tokens": [50914, 3099, 1265, 976, 385, 437, 286, 643, 281, 483, 807, 439, 295, 341, 30, 3099, 1265, 10718, 385, 30, 3013, 366, 439, 51278], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.24886953830718994, "compression_ratio": 1.4393939971923828, "no_speech_prob": 0.4438958466053009}, {"id": 17, "seek": 17328, "start": 173.27999877929688, "end": 190.27999877929688, "text": " appropriate things to worry about. But scripturally, sin is much less individual and it is much more communal.", "tokens": [50364, 6854, 721, 281, 3292, 466, 13, 583, 5755, 6512, 11, 3343, 307, 709, 1570, 2609, 293, 309, 307, 709, 544, 43893, 13, 51214], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.5225085616111755, "compression_ratio": 1.1956521272659302, "no_speech_prob": 0.394894003868103}, {"id": 18, "seek": 19028, "start": 190.27999877929688, "end": 203.8000030517578, "text": " And so when the prophets come, the prophets aren't so much railing against individual people.", "tokens": [50364, 400, 370, 562, 264, 27297, 808, 11, 264, 27297, 3212, 380, 370, 709, 8765, 278, 1970, 2609, 561, 13, 51040], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.3565133810043335, "compression_ratio": 1.459854006767273, "no_speech_prob": 0.5693050026893616}, {"id": 19, "seek": 19028, "start": 203.8000030517578, "end": 212.63999938964844, "text": " Sometimes they do, the king, but the king is a symbol, right? The king is the symbol of the whole country.", "tokens": [51040, 4803, 436, 360, 11, 264, 4867, 11, 457, 264, 4867, 307, 257, 5986, 11, 558, 30, 440, 4867, 307, 264, 5986, 295, 264, 1379, 1941, 13, 51482], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.3565133810043335, "compression_ratio": 1.459854006767273, "no_speech_prob": 0.5693050026893616}, {"id": 20, "seek": 21264, "start": 212.63999938964844, "end": 226.63999938964844, "text": " And they are speaking something against the societal, this communal, societal way of being.", "tokens": [50364, 400, 436, 366, 4124, 746, 1970, 264, 33472, 11, 341, 43893, 11, 33472, 636, 295, 885, 13, 51064], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.3239127993583679, "compression_ratio": 1.3472222089767456, "no_speech_prob": 0.4068710505962372}, {"id": 21, "seek": 21264, "start": 226.63999938964844, "end": 237.1199951171875, "text": " Said, you've lost your way. That's what they keep saying. Now, Jeremiah wasn't thrown into the cistern", "tokens": [51064, 26490, 11, 291, 600, 2731, 428, 636, 13, 663, 311, 437, 436, 1066, 1566, 13, 823, 11, 40460, 2067, 380, 11732, 666, 264, 269, 1964, 77, 51588], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.3239127993583679, "compression_ratio": 1.3472222089767456, "no_speech_prob": 0.4068710505962372}, {"id": 22, "seek": 23712, "start": 237.1199951171875, "end": 247.32000732421875, "text": " because he was saying, king, you've got to be better. What he was addressing was the whole culture that had", "tokens": [50364, 570, 415, 390, 1566, 11, 4867, 11, 291, 600, 658, 281, 312, 1101, 13, 708, 415, 390, 14329, 390, 264, 1379, 3713, 300, 632, 50874], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.3340202867984772, "compression_ratio": 1.5555555820465088, "no_speech_prob": 0.48413458466529846}, {"id": 23, "seek": 23712, "start": 247.32000732421875, "end": 256.32000732421875, "text": " grown up in Jerusalem and in Judah. So Judah is kind of surrounded. You have the Assyrian empire in the north,", "tokens": [50874, 7709, 493, 294, 15393, 293, 294, 46828, 13, 407, 46828, 307, 733, 295, 13221, 13, 509, 362, 264, 1018, 3187, 5501, 17506, 294, 264, 6830, 11, 51324], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.3340202867984772, "compression_ratio": 1.5555555820465088, "no_speech_prob": 0.48413458466529846}, {"id": 24, "seek": 23712, "start": 256.32000732421875, "end": 264.1199951171875, "text": " who has conquered the northern kingdom, what we call Samaria, what we know of as Samaria.", "tokens": [51324, 567, 575, 32695, 264, 14197, 10231, 11, 437, 321, 818, 4832, 9831, 11, 437, 321, 458, 295, 382, 4832, 9831, 13, 51714], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.3340202867984772, "compression_ratio": 1.5555555820465088, "no_speech_prob": 0.48413458466529846}, {"id": 25, "seek": 26412, "start": 264.1199951171875, "end": 275.1199951171875, "text": " Would be Galilee in most places. 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And you have the Egyptians on the south, another big, huge, powerful kingdom.", "tokens": [50914, 1018, 3187, 28145, 366, 412, 1516, 365, 1184, 661, 13, 400, 291, 362, 264, 44119, 322, 264, 7377, 11, 1071, 955, 11, 2603, 11, 4005, 10231, 13, 51464], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.28159791231155396, "compression_ratio": 1.5259740352630615, "no_speech_prob": 0.46457844972610474}, {"id": 27, "seek": 28612, "start": 286.1199951171875, "end": 300.1199951171875, "text": " And on the west, you have the sea. So they're sort of boxed in. So what Judah starts to do, kingdom of Judah,", "tokens": [50364, 400, 322, 264, 7009, 11, 291, 362, 264, 4158, 13, 407, 436, 434, 1333, 295, 2424, 292, 294, 13, 407, 437, 46828, 3719, 281, 360, 11, 10231, 295, 46828, 11, 51064], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.31266021728515625, "compression_ratio": 1.4350649118423462, "no_speech_prob": 0.5349043011665344}, {"id": 28, "seek": 28612, "start": 300.1199951171875, "end": 308.1199951171875, "text": " they start to make all these political alliances. You know, and they're hoping that perhaps by sleight of hand,", "tokens": [51064, 436, 722, 281, 652, 439, 613, 3905, 45855, 13, 509, 458, 11, 293, 436, 434, 7159, 300, 4317, 538, 2426, 397, 295, 1011, 11, 51464], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.31266021728515625, "compression_ratio": 1.4350649118423462, "no_speech_prob": 0.5349043011665344}, {"id": 29, "seek": 30812, "start": 308.1199951171875, "end": 317.1199951171875, "text": " they can eke out another little bit. But what happens as they eke out another little bit of time,", "tokens": [50364, 436, 393, 308, 330, 484, 1071, 707, 857, 13, 583, 437, 2314, 382, 436, 308, 330, 484, 1071, 707, 857, 295, 565, 11, 50814], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22582004964351654, "compression_ratio": 1.6272189617156982, "no_speech_prob": 0.36246153712272644}, {"id": 30, "seek": 30812, "start": 317.1199951171875, "end": 327.1199951171875, "text": " is that they give more of their soul to whoever it is they're trying to negotiate with.", "tokens": [50814, 307, 300, 436, 976, 544, 295, 641, 5133, 281, 11387, 309, 307, 436, 434, 1382, 281, 21713, 365, 13, 51314], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22582004964351654, "compression_ratio": 1.6272189617156982, "no_speech_prob": 0.36246153712272644}, {"id": 31, "seek": 30812, "start": 327.1199951171875, "end": 335.1199951171875, "text": " The Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, maybe even the fish in the sea, who knows.", "tokens": [51314, 440, 30278, 2567, 11, 264, 1018, 3187, 28145, 11, 264, 44119, 11, 1310, 754, 264, 3506, 294, 264, 4158, 11, 567, 3255, 13, 51714], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22582004964351654, "compression_ratio": 1.6272189617156982, "no_speech_prob": 0.36246153712272644}, {"id": 32, "seek": 33512, "start": 336.1199951171875, "end": 348.1199951171875, "text": " So they end up in a spot that is so far away from what they were intended to be,", "tokens": [50414, 407, 436, 917, 493, 294, 257, 4008, 300, 307, 370, 1400, 1314, 490, 437, 436, 645, 10226, 281, 312, 11, 51014], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22059693932533264, "compression_ratio": 1.2692307233810425, "no_speech_prob": 0.13861577212810516}, {"id": 33, "seek": 33512, "start": 348.1199951171875, "end": 355.1199951171875, "text": " that God sends prophets to try and bring them back.", "tokens": [51014, 300, 1265, 14790, 27297, 281, 853, 293, 1565, 552, 646, 13, 51364], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22059693932533264, "compression_ratio": 1.2692307233810425, "no_speech_prob": 0.13861577212810516}, {"id": 34, "seek": 35512, "start": 355.1199951171875, "end": 365.1199951171875, "text": " So Israel was intended to be a people who trusted in God, who trusted deeply in God,", "tokens": [50364, 407, 5674, 390, 10226, 281, 312, 257, 561, 567, 16034, 294, 1265, 11, 567, 16034, 8760, 294, 1265, 11, 50864], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.20872929692268372, "compression_ratio": 1.6437499523162842, "no_speech_prob": 0.2197040319442749}, {"id": 35, "seek": 35512, "start": 365.1199951171875, "end": 374.1199951171875, "text": " whether they had overlords or independents, whether they had famine or plenty.", "tokens": [50864, 1968, 436, 632, 15986, 5703, 420, 4819, 791, 11, 1968, 436, 632, 42790, 420, 7140, 13, 51314], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.20872929692268372, "compression_ratio": 1.6437499523162842, "no_speech_prob": 0.2197040319442749}, {"id": 36, "seek": 35512, "start": 374.1199951171875, "end": 383.1199951171875, "text": " That's what God wanted. That was the whole idea. And they were to be assigned to the world of that.", "tokens": [51314, 663, 311, 437, 1265, 1415, 13, 663, 390, 264, 1379, 1558, 13, 400, 436, 645, 281, 312, 13279, 281, 264, 1002, 295, 300, 13, 51764], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.20872929692268372, "compression_ratio": 1.6437499523162842, "no_speech_prob": 0.2197040319442749}, {"id": 37, "seek": 38312, "start": 383.1199951171875, "end": 392.1199951171875, "text": " The seed, if you will, the little bit of leaven that would grow up and make everything better.", "tokens": [50364, 440, 8871, 11, 498, 291, 486, 11, 264, 707, 857, 295, 476, 4940, 300, 576, 1852, 493, 293, 652, 1203, 1101, 13, 50814], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2235608547925949, "compression_ratio": 1.5079364776611328, "no_speech_prob": 0.052601926028728485}, {"id": 38, "seek": 38312, "start": 392.1199951171875, "end": 399.1199951171875, "text": " But instead they turned into a political reality. And all of a sudden they had borders and cities with walls", "tokens": [50814, 583, 2602, 436, 3574, 666, 257, 3905, 4103, 13, 400, 439, 295, 257, 3990, 436, 632, 16287, 293, 6486, 365, 7920, 51164], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2235608547925949, "compression_ratio": 1.5079364776611328, "no_speech_prob": 0.052601926028728485}, {"id": 39, "seek": 38312, "start": 399.1199951171875, "end": 406.1199951171875, "text": " and they needed to protect things. So then the Assyrians come and they, you know,", "tokens": [51164, 293, 436, 2978, 281, 2371, 721, 13, 407, 550, 264, 1018, 3187, 28145, 808, 293, 436, 11, 291, 458, 11, 51514], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2235608547925949, "compression_ratio": 1.5079364776611328, "no_speech_prob": 0.052601926028728485}, {"id": 40, "seek": 40612, "start": 407.1199951171875, "end": 414.1199951171875, "text": " And then the Babylonians come and they surround Jerusalem.", "tokens": [50414, 400, 550, 264, 30278, 2567, 808, 293, 436, 6262, 15393, 13, 50764], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.23769769072532654, "compression_ratio": 1.792307734489441, "no_speech_prob": 0.7054421901702881}, {"id": 41, "seek": 40612, "start": 414.1199951171875, "end": 421.1199951171875, "text": " And then the Egyptians come and the Babylonians leave Jerusalem, go off to fight the Egyptians.", "tokens": [50764, 400, 550, 264, 44119, 808, 293, 264, 30278, 2567, 1856, 15393, 11, 352, 766, 281, 2092, 264, 44119, 13, 51114], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.23769769072532654, "compression_ratio": 1.792307734489441, "no_speech_prob": 0.7054421901702881}, {"id": 42, "seek": 40612, "start": 421.1199951171875, "end": 426.1199951171875, "text": " And then a couple of years later, they come back and surround Jerusalem again.", "tokens": [51114, 400, 550, 257, 1916, 295, 924, 1780, 11, 436, 808, 646, 293, 6262, 15393, 797, 13, 51364], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.23769769072532654, "compression_ratio": 1.792307734489441, "no_speech_prob": 0.7054421901702881}, {"id": 43, "seek": 42612, "start": 427.1199951171875, "end": 439.1199951171875, "text": " And in the midst of all of that is Jeremiah. And Jeremiah is saying to the people,", "tokens": [50414, 400, 294, 264, 18629, 295, 439, 295, 300, 307, 40460, 13, 400, 40460, 307, 1566, 281, 264, 561, 11, 51014], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.25109434127807617, "compression_ratio": 1.2372881174087524, "no_speech_prob": 0.42982804775238037}, {"id": 44, "seek": 42612, "start": 439.1199951171875, "end": 450.1199951171875, "text": " Surrender. Now, how would you feel if I stood up here and said,", "tokens": [51014, 6732, 13292, 13, 823, 11, 577, 576, 291, 841, 498, 286, 9371, 493, 510, 293, 848, 11, 51564], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.25109434127807617, "compression_ratio": 1.2372881174087524, "no_speech_prob": 0.42982804775238037}, {"id": 45, "seek": 45012, "start": 450.1199951171875, "end": 460.1199951171875, "text": " You know how to deal with Russia? You know how to deal with China? Surrender.", "tokens": [50364, 509, 458, 577, 281, 2028, 365, 6797, 30, 509, 458, 577, 281, 2028, 365, 3533, 30, 6732, 13292, 13, 50864], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.23645606637001038, "compression_ratio": 1.390625, "no_speech_prob": 0.12054243683815002}, {"id": 46, "seek": 45012, "start": 460.1199951171875, "end": 467.1199951171875, "text": " You'd say, what? What in the world are you asking?", "tokens": [50864, 509, 1116, 584, 11, 437, 30, 708, 294, 264, 1002, 366, 291, 3365, 30, 51214], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.23645606637001038, "compression_ratio": 1.390625, "no_speech_prob": 0.12054243683815002}, {"id": 47, "seek": 45012, "start": 467.1199951171875, "end": 471.1199951171875, "text": " That's why they threw Jeremiah down that cistern.", "tokens": [51214, 663, 311, 983, 436, 11918, 40460, 760, 300, 269, 1964, 77, 13, 51414], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.23645606637001038, "compression_ratio": 1.390625, "no_speech_prob": 0.12054243683815002}, {"id": 48, "seek": 47112, "start": 472.1199951171875, "end": 485.1199951171875, "text": " Because he was trying to say something to the people about their life of faith and their relationship to God.", "tokens": [50414, 1436, 415, 390, 1382, 281, 584, 746, 281, 264, 561, 466, 641, 993, 295, 4522, 293, 641, 2480, 281, 1265, 13, 51064], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.19774329662322998, "compression_ratio": 1.4666666984558105, "no_speech_prob": 0.3135555684566498}, {"id": 49, "seek": 47112, "start": 485.1199951171875, "end": 497.1199951171875, "text": " And it was heard politically. And so what you do in order to be faithful to who you are,", "tokens": [51064, 400, 309, 390, 2198, 21154, 13, 400, 370, 437, 291, 360, 294, 1668, 281, 312, 17808, 281, 567, 291, 366, 11, 51664], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.19774329662322998, "compression_ratio": 1.4666666984558105, "no_speech_prob": 0.3135555684566498}, {"id": 50, "seek": 49712, "start": 497.1199951171875, "end": 505.1199951171875, "text": " Jeremiah says, is surrender. But the king is saying, we surrender, we lose everything.", "tokens": [50364, 40460, 1619, 11, 307, 22185, 13, 583, 264, 4867, 307, 1566, 11, 321, 22185, 11, 321, 3624, 1203, 13, 50764], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2636021077632904, "compression_ratio": 1.4945652484893799, "no_speech_prob": 0.00231680809520185}, {"id": 51, "seek": 49712, "start": 509.1199951171875, "end": 511.1199951171875, "text": " Prophet's words are really hard.", "tokens": [50964, 12849, 311, 2283, 366, 534, 1152, 13, 51064], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2636021077632904, "compression_ratio": 1.4945652484893799, "no_speech_prob": 0.00231680809520185}, {"id": 52, "seek": 49712, "start": 513.1199951171875, "end": 520.1199951171875, "text": " You've all heard of Ben Salmon. Ben Salmon was the father of a priest.", "tokens": [51164, 509, 600, 439, 2198, 295, 3964, 5996, 3317, 13, 3964, 5996, 3317, 390, 264, 3086, 295, 257, 15703, 13, 51514], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2636021077632904, "compression_ratio": 1.4945652484893799, "no_speech_prob": 0.00231680809520185}, {"id": 53, "seek": 49712, "start": 520.1199951171875, "end": 525.1199951171875, "text": " I actually knew him, Charlie Salmon, who was a priest for the Archdiocese of Denver.", "tokens": [51514, 286, 767, 2586, 796, 11, 13754, 5996, 3317, 11, 567, 390, 257, 15703, 337, 264, 10984, 41256, 887, 68, 295, 26270, 13, 51764], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2636021077632904, "compression_ratio": 1.4945652484893799, "no_speech_prob": 0.00231680809520185}, {"id": 54, "seek": 52512, "start": 525.1199951171875, "end": 532.1199951171875, "text": " Ben Salmon was a conscientious objector during World War I.", "tokens": [50364, 3964, 5996, 3317, 390, 257, 44507, 851, 2657, 284, 1830, 3937, 3630, 286, 13, 50714], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.20092447102069855, "compression_ratio": 1.4153004884719849, "no_speech_prob": 0.0009082707110792398}, {"id": 55, "seek": 52512, "start": 535.1199951171875, "end": 540.1199951171875, "text": " And as a result of that, because he refused to go to war,", "tokens": [50864, 400, 382, 257, 1874, 295, 300, 11, 570, 415, 14654, 281, 352, 281, 1516, 11, 51114], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.20092447102069855, "compression_ratio": 1.4153004884719849, "no_speech_prob": 0.0009082707110792398}, {"id": 56, "seek": 52512, "start": 540.1199951171875, "end": 544.1199951171875, "text": " the result of that was disaster for his family.", "tokens": [51114, 264, 1874, 295, 300, 390, 11293, 337, 702, 1605, 13, 51314], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.20092447102069855, "compression_ratio": 1.4153004884719849, "no_speech_prob": 0.0009082707110792398}, {"id": 57, "seek": 52512, "start": 544.1199951171875, "end": 551.1199951171875, "text": " He couldn't get a job, getting imprisoned. He spent a bunch of years in, I think Leavenworth.", "tokens": [51314, 634, 2809, 380, 483, 257, 1691, 11, 1242, 35332, 13, 634, 4418, 257, 3840, 295, 924, 294, 11, 286, 519, 1456, 4940, 13136, 13, 51664], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.20092447102069855, "compression_ratio": 1.4153004884719849, "no_speech_prob": 0.0009082707110792398}, {"id": 58, "seek": 55112, "start": 552.1199951171875, "end": 560.1199951171875, "text": " And it was just, it was a terrible thing because he was too much of a threat.", "tokens": [50414, 400, 309, 390, 445, 11, 309, 390, 257, 6237, 551, 570, 415, 390, 886, 709, 295, 257, 4734, 13, 50814], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.17011915147304535, "compression_ratio": 1.4580153226852417, "no_speech_prob": 0.00590028939768672}, {"id": 59, "seek": 55112, "start": 561.1199951171875, "end": 566.1199951171875, "text": " Now, Ben Salmon was not making a political statement.", "tokens": [50864, 823, 11, 3964, 5996, 3317, 390, 406, 1455, 257, 3905, 5629, 13, 51114], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.17011915147304535, "compression_ratio": 1.4580153226852417, "no_speech_prob": 0.00590028939768672}, {"id": 60, "seek": 55112, "start": 566.1199951171875, "end": 572.1199951171875, "text": " He was making a faith statement that was heard politically.", "tokens": [51114, 634, 390, 1455, 257, 4522, 5629, 300, 390, 2198, 21154, 13, 51414], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.17011915147304535, "compression_ratio": 1.4580153226852417, "no_speech_prob": 0.00590028939768672}, {"id": 61, "seek": 57212, "start": 573.1199951171875, "end": 581.1199951171875, "text": " Now, all of our faith statements actually do have a lot of political things that they,", "tokens": [50414, 823, 11, 439, 295, 527, 4522, 12363, 767, 360, 362, 257, 688, 295, 3905, 721, 300, 436, 11, 50814], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22560913860797882, "compression_ratio": 1.4969325065612793, "no_speech_prob": 0.03300619497895241}, {"id": 62, "seek": 57212, "start": 584.1199951171875, "end": 586.1199951171875, "text": " that kind of come along with it, right?", "tokens": [50964, 300, 733, 295, 808, 2051, 365, 309, 11, 558, 30, 51064], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22560913860797882, "compression_ratio": 1.4969325065612793, "no_speech_prob": 0.03300619497895241}, {"id": 63, "seek": 57212, "start": 587.1199951171875, "end": 594.1199951171875, "text": " So we have three volunteers here who come from all over the world.", "tokens": [51114, 407, 321, 362, 1045, 14352, 510, 567, 808, 490, 439, 670, 264, 1002, 13, 51464], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22560913860797882, "compression_ratio": 1.4969325065612793, "no_speech_prob": 0.03300619497895241}, {"id": 64, "seek": 57212, "start": 596.1199951171875, "end": 599.1199951171875, "text": " So we have one that comes to us from Rhode Island.", "tokens": [51564, 407, 321, 362, 472, 300, 1487, 281, 505, 490, 40202, 7637, 13, 51714], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22560913860797882, "compression_ratio": 1.4969325065612793, "no_speech_prob": 0.03300619497895241}, {"id": 65, "seek": 60212, "start": 603.1199951171875, "end": 612.1199951171875, "text": " But before she was in Rhode Island, she was in Nigeria and had to come here for difficult reasons.", "tokens": [50414, 583, 949, 750, 390, 294, 40202, 7637, 11, 750, 390, 294, 28828, 293, 632, 281, 808, 510, 337, 2252, 4112, 13, 50864], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2006123960018158, "compression_ratio": 1.5548779964447021, "no_speech_prob": 0.001150568132288754}, {"id": 66, "seek": 60212, "start": 612.1199951171875, "end": 618.1199951171875, "text": " We have another person who is here from Denver.", "tokens": [50864, 492, 362, 1071, 954, 567, 307, 510, 490, 26270, 13, 51164], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2006123960018158, "compression_ratio": 1.5548779964447021, "no_speech_prob": 0.001150568132288754}, {"id": 67, "seek": 60212, "start": 621.1199951171875, "end": 626.1199951171875, "text": " But before that, she was in Somalia, in Eritrea.", "tokens": [51314, 583, 949, 300, 11, 750, 390, 294, 12297, 15579, 11, 294, 462, 3210, 12057, 13, 51564], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2006123960018158, "compression_ratio": 1.5548779964447021, "no_speech_prob": 0.001150568132288754}, {"id": 68, "seek": 60212, "start": 626.1199951171875, "end": 629.1199951171875, "text": " I don't know why I keep saying Somalia, I keep saying that.", "tokens": [51564, 286, 500, 380, 458, 983, 286, 1066, 1566, 12297, 15579, 11, 286, 1066, 1566, 300, 13, 51714], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2006123960018158, "compression_ratio": 1.5548779964447021, "no_speech_prob": 0.001150568132288754}, {"id": 69, "seek": 62912, "start": 629.1199951171875, "end": 636.1199951171875, "text": " In Eritrea, where she too had to escape from difficult things.", "tokens": [50364, 682, 462, 3210, 12057, 11, 689, 750, 886, 632, 281, 7615, 490, 2252, 721, 13, 50714], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": 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from other parts of the world.", "tokens": [50414, 407, 11, 808, 490, 439, 670, 264, 1002, 293, 1565, 613, 588, 3845, 5235, 295, 4128, 490, 661, 3166, 295, 264, 1002, 13, 51064], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2012348771095276, "compression_ratio": 1.5269460678100586, "no_speech_prob": 0.20619921386241913}, {"id": 73, "seek": 65112, "start": 666.1199951171875, "end": 675.1199951171875, "text": " And they come here to say something that is actually, in these days, quite prophetic.", "tokens": [51114, 400, 436, 808, 510, 281, 584, 746, 300, 307, 767, 11, 294, 613, 1708, 11, 1596, 46174, 13, 51564], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2012348771095276, "compression_ratio": 1.5269460678100586, "no_speech_prob": 0.20619921386241913}, {"id": 74, "seek": 65112, "start": 676.1199951171875, "end": 679.1199951171875, "text": " Now, they don't come here to be political spokespeople.", "tokens": [51614, 823, 11, 436, 500, 380, 808, 510, 281, 312, 3905, 25378, 21123, 13, 51764], 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900.1199951171875, "end": 911.1199951171875, "text": " To look at how I relate in a neighborhood, in a parish, in this country, in a different way.", "tokens": [50964, 1407, 574, 412, 577, 286, 10961, 294, 257, 7630, 11, 294, 257, 45325, 11, 294, 341, 1941, 11, 294, 257, 819, 636, 13, 51514], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.21886667609214783, "compression_ratio": 1.476190447807312, "no_speech_prob": 0.03760814294219017}, {"id": 117, "seek": 91112, "start": 912.1199951171875, "end": 921.1199951171875, "text": " To begin to see everyone, most especially those who are poor.", "tokens": [50414, 1407, 1841, 281, 536, 1518, 11, 881, 2318, 729, 567, 366, 4716, 13, 50864], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.22790135443210602, "compression_ratio": 1.504672884941101, "no_speech_prob": 0.01219648402184248}, {"id": 118, "seek": 91112, "start": 922.1199951171875, "end": 924.1199951171875, "text": " Those who are in need.", "tokens": [50914, 3950, 567, 366, 294, 643, 13, 51014], 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-0.26457586884498596, "compression_ratio": 1.4450867176055908, "no_speech_prob": 0.007481553591787815}, {"id": 125, "seek": 93712, "start": 948.1199951171875, "end": 952.1199951171875, "text": " No, it's to change the rules.", "tokens": [50914, 883, 11, 309, 311, 281, 1319, 264, 4474, 13, 51114], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.26457586884498596, "compression_ratio": 1.4450867176055908, "no_speech_prob": 0.007481553591787815}, {"id": 126, "seek": 93712, "start": 953.1199951171875, "end": 955.1199951171875, "text": " Why is this person hungry in the first place?", "tokens": [51164, 1545, 307, 341, 954, 8067, 294, 264, 700, 1081, 30, 51264], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.26457586884498596, "compression_ratio": 1.4450867176055908, "no_speech_prob": 0.007481553591787815}, {"id": 127, "seek": 93712, "start": 956.1199951171875, "end": 965.1199951171875, "text": " How have we as a community failed to take care of this person?", "tokens": [51314, 1012, 362, 321, 382, 257, 1768, 7612, 281, 747, 1127, 295, 341, 954, 30, 51764], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.26457586884498596, "compression_ratio": 1.4450867176055908, "no_speech_prob": 0.007481553591787815}, {"id": 128, "seek": 96512, "start": 965.1199951171875, "end": 968.1199951171875, "text": " That's an even harder question to ask.", "tokens": [50364, 663, 311, 364, 754, 6081, 1168, 281, 1029, 13, 50514], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2194695621728897, "compression_ratio": 1.0657894611358643, "no_speech_prob": 0.00271353917196393}, {"id": 129, "seek": 96512, "start": 969.1199951171875, "end": 974.1199951171875, "text": " But that's what the prophet asks us to do.", "tokens": [50564, 583, 300, 311, 437, 264, 18566, 8962, 505, 281, 360, 13, 50814], "temperature": 0.0, "avg_logprob": -0.2194695621728897, "compression_ratio": 1.0657894611358643, "no_speech_prob": 0.00271353917196393}], "usage": {"type": "duration", "seconds": 979}}...
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WEBVTT
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The Lord WEBVTT
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The Lord be with you. Let us listen to the good news of Jesus from the Gospel of
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Saint Luke. Jesus said to his disciples, I have come to set fire on the earth. How
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I wish it were already blazing. There's a baptism with which I must be baptized.
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And how great is my anguish until it is accomplished. Do you think that I have
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come to establish peace on the earth? No. I tell you but rather division. From now
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on a household of five will be divided. Three against two. Two against three. Father will
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be divided against son and son against father. Mother against daughter and daughter against
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mother. A mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law. A daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
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Good news from the Lord.
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Sometimes good news doesn't sound good. And when we hear from prophets, that's when it doesn't
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sound good most of the time. In our world today, especially since the Enlightenment,
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those wonderful French people gave us the Enlightenment that has moved us into great
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scientific feats and all those kinds of things, but the Enlightenment is about the individual.
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And we've lost the sense of community. And that trickles down because when we think about sin and
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evil in the world, we generally tend to think about ourselves. How am I acting? How is it that
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I am viewed by God? How is my relationship with God? Am I being good enough? Will I get to heaven?
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Will God give me what I need to get through all of this? Will God forgive me? Which are all
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appropriate things to worry about. But scripturally, sin is much less individual and it is much more communal.
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And so when the prophets come, the prophets aren't so much railing against individual people.
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Sometimes they do, the king, but the king is a symbol, right? The king is the symbol of the whole country.
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And they are speaking something against the societal, this communal, societal way of being.
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Said, you've lost your way. That's what they keep saying. Now, Jeremiah wasn't thrown into the cistern
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because he was saying, king, you've got to be better. What he was addressing was the whole culture that had
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grown up in Jerusalem and in Judah. So Judah is kind of surrounded. You have the Assyrian empire in the north,
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who has conquered the northern kingdom, what we call Samaria, what we know of as Samaria.
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Would be Galilee in most places. And you have the Babylonians on the east and they are a rising empire and they and the
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Assyrians are at war with each other. And you have the Egyptians on the south, another big, huge, powerful kingdom.
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And on the west, you have the sea. So they're sort of boxed in. So what Judah starts to do, kingdom of Judah,
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they start to make all these political alliances. You know, and they're hoping that perhaps by sleight of hand,
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they can eke out another little bit. But what happens as they eke out another little bit of time,
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is that they give more of their soul to whoever it is they're trying to negotiate with.
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The Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, maybe even the fish in the sea, who knows.
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So they end up in a spot that is so far away from what they were intended to be,
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that God sends prophets to try and bring them back.
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So Israel was intended to be a people who trusted in God, who trusted deeply in God,
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whether they had overlords or independents, whether they had famine or plenty.
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That's what God wanted. That was the whole idea. And they were to be assigned to the world of that.
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The seed, if you will, the little bit of leaven that would grow up and make everything better.
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But instead they turned into a political reality. And all of a sudden they had borders and cities with walls
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and they needed to protect things. So then the Assyrians come and they, you know,
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And then the Babylonians come and they surround Jerusalem.
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And then the Egyptians come and the Babylonians leave Jerusalem, go off to fight the Egyptians.
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And then a couple of years later, they come back and surround Jerusalem again.
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And in the midst of all of that is Jeremiah. And Jeremiah is saying to the people,
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Surrender. Now, how would you feel if I stood up here and said,
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You know how to deal with Russia? You know how to deal with China? Surrender.
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You'd say, what? What in the world are you asking?
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That's why they threw Jeremiah down that cistern.
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Because he was trying to say something to the people about their life of faith and their relationship to God.
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And it was heard politically. And so what you do in order to be faithful to who you are,
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Jeremiah says, is surrender. But the king is saying, we surrender, we lose everything.
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Prophet's words are really hard.
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You've all heard of Ben Salmon. Ben Salmon was the father of a priest.
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I actually knew him, Charlie Salmon, who was a priest for the Archdiocese of Denver.
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Ben Salmon was a conscientious objector during World War I.
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And as a result of that, because he refused to go to war,
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the result of that was disaster for his family.
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He couldn't get a job, getting imprisoned. He spent a bunch of years in, I think Leavenworth.
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And it was just, it was a terrible thing because he was too much of a threat.
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Now, Ben Salmon was not making a political statement.
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He was making a faith statement that was heard politically.
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Now, all of our faith statements actually do have a lot of political things that they,
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that kind of come along with it, right?
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So we have three volunteers here who come from all over the world.
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So we have one that comes to us from Rhode Island.
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But before she was in Rhode Island, she was in Nigeria and had to come here for difficult reasons.
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We have another person who is here from Denver.
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But before that, she was in Somalia, in Eritrea.
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I don't know why I keep saying Somalia, I keep saying that.
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In Eritrea, where she too had to escape from difficult things.
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And we have one who is here from Wisconsin, by way of Texas.
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Too exotic place to be in.
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So, come from all over the world and bring these very unique experiences of church from other parts of the world.
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And they come here to say something that is actually, in these days, quite prophetic.
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Now, they don't come here to be political spokespeople.
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They come here to serve the poor.
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They come here in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul to say,
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the poor matter more than the jets.
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Not the New York jets, the ones that fly around in the sky.
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That the poor matter more than the country club.
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That the poor matter more than your retirement account.
00:12:00.119 --> 00:12:03.119
You know, we're gonna take up a second collection today for that.
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For the Steve's retirement account.
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Actually, for retired priests.
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I was thinking I'd come up here with a cane so that you don't feel sorry for me.
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But more important than that are the poor.
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More important than protecting our belongings.
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More important than protecting what we claim as ours.
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Our way of life.
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Our way of thinking.
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Our way of thinking.
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That's a very prophetic thing to say.
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You know, when we hear the prophet's voices, how do we react?
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You know, we can't just say, well, you know, I'm speaking against this stupid power that we have here.
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No, you're speaking against or you're living in a way that makes a comment on a culture.
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On a society, which is all of us.
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How much do I care for the poor?
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How much am I willing to give up so that we begin to move in a more just,
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in a more open, in a more faithful way?
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Because indeed, as a people, we too have lost our way.
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We too have kind of gotten off the road.
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Not as people of the United States, but as Christians.
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Because we have individualized holiness.
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Holiness is what I do.
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Holiness is what I do.
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It's how good I am.
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It's how good I pray.
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And that's not what Christianity is about.
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Christianity is about the us.
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I can't go to heaven without all of you.
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And that's the message that we have.
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That's the fire that Jesus wants to set on the earth.
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And that's also what brings about the division.
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That's also what brings about the baptism that Jesus will be baptized in.
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That's the challenge for us.
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First, to hear that word of the prophet inviting us to look at everything in a different way.
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To look at how I relate in a neighborhood, in a parish, in this country, in a different way.
00:15:12.119 --> 00:15:21.119
To begin to see everyone, most especially those who are poor.
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Those who are in need.
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Those who need something more.
00:15:30.119 --> 00:15:33.119
To see them as people.
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To see them as Christ.
00:15:38.119 --> 00:15:42.119
Not so that I can do something that makes me feel good.
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Yeah, I gave the poor this money.
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Isn't that wonderful?
00:15:48.119 --> 00:15:52.119
No, it's to change the rules.
00:15:53.119 --> 00:15:55.119
Why is this person hungry in the first place?
00:15:56.119 --> 00:16:05.119
How have we as a community failed to take care of this person?
00:16:05.119 --> 00:16:08.119
That's an even harder question to ask.
00:16:09.119 --> 00:16:14.119
But that's what the prophet asks us to do.
...
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completed
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Father Steve’s message challenges the comfortable Father Steve’s message challenges the comfortable and individualistic form of Christianity that has taken root in modern culture, particularly in the West. He reflects on Jesus’ startling words from Luke’s Gospel not as a call to violence, but as a demand for radical transformation — a fire that purifies and divides, because truth disrupts the status quo. Father Steve reminds us that the prophetic word, like that of Jeremiah, often confronts collective sin and societal complacency, not merely personal failings. In doing so, he calls us back to a communal faith rooted in justice, compassion for the poor, and a willingness to surrender self-interest for the sake of God's vision for humanity. Christianity, he insists, is not about individual holiness but about communal salvation — about all of us going to God together, or not at all.
In detail, Father Steve begins by reflecting on the Gospel of Luke where Jesus speaks of bringing fire and division rather than peace. These harsh words are unsettling, but Father Steve interprets them through the lens of prophetic tradition. Prophets, both ancient and modern, disturb the status quo not to stir chaos, but to awaken a people who have lost their way. He draws a parallel between Jesus' words and the mission of prophets like Jeremiah, whose call to surrender to Babylon was not political subversion but a spiritual plea for fidelity to God. Jeremiah's message was misunderstood and rejected because it called the people to relinquish control and trust utterly in God—a dangerous and offensive message in a world obsessed with security, power, and national identity.
Father Steve then critiques the Enlightenment’s emphasis on individualism, noting that while it brought scientific and intellectual progress, it also fractured the communal sense of belonging that is central to biblical spirituality. As a result, faith has become overly privatized. We ask, “Am I good? Will God forgive me?” instead of asking, “How have we, as a people, failed in justice and compassion?” This individualistic lens distorts the Christian understanding of sin, which is deeply communal in Scripture. The prophets didn’t only rebuke kings as individuals but condemned the whole society through its leaders, calling out systemic injustice, idolatry, and the abandonment of the vulnerable.
Father Steve illustrates this with the story of Ben Salmon, a conscientious objector during World War I. Salmon’s refusal to fight wasn’t a political act, but a deep act of faith. Nevertheless, his witness was interpreted politically and led to suffering for him and his family. This mirrors the fate of many prophets: their faith-based convictions threaten societal norms and are often perceived as political threats. Father Steve draws this into the present by honoring volunteers from different cultural backgrounds who have come to serve the poor. Their actions, though not political in intent, make a prophetic statement in a society that often values wealth, security, and comfort over human dignity, especially of the marginalized.
In this context, Father Steve reminds us that Catholic social teaching demands more than charity — it demands justice. It’s not enough to give to the poor out of surplus; we must ask why poverty exists in the first place. We must be willing to challenge the systems and structures that perpetuate inequality. True Christian discipleship is not about self-perfection or securing one's own salvation, but about building the Kingdom of God on earth — a kingdom rooted in solidarity, mercy, and justice. That’s the fire Jesus brings: a fire that threatens the comfortable but purifies the faithful.
Ultimately, Father Steve calls for a renewal of Christian identity rooted in community and shared responsibility. Holiness is not a private achievement but a communal journey. He challenges us to stop thinking in terms of “I” and begin thinking in terms of “we.” We cannot be Christian alone. We cannot go to God without one another. And that includes the poor, the refugee, the outcast, and the prophet who makes us uncomfortable. The division Jesus speaks of is the inevitable result of a Gospel that demands transformation. Will we resist it, or will we let the fire of God’s love burn away our illusions and lead us into new life — together?...
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