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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Hill Country Homilies. Weekly homilies from Holy Nunciation

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<v Speaker 1>Orthodox Church in Liberty Hill, Texas. Holy Annunciation is an

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<v Speaker 1>old calendar Orthodox church sharing the faith of the Apostles

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<v Speaker 1>and the love of Christ with all who seek His truth. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>let's listen to this week's homily, and then the.

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<v Speaker 2>Father and the Son the Holy Spirit Court of Jesus Christ.

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<v Speaker 3>Have a seat if you like, and where you can.

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<v Speaker 3>It's fine. For is fine if you'd like to sit

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<v Speaker 3>on the floor. We're not offended by that either.

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<v Speaker 2>Yesterday we celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the Feasts of

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<v Speaker 2>the Universal Exaltation of the Cross. On that feast and

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<v Speaker 2>through the after feast, we him our Lord's self willed

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<v Speaker 2>offering of himself on the cross in fulfillment of his

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<v Speaker 2>Father's divine economy for our salvation. We call the cross

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<v Speaker 2>his invincible trophy. We call it the weapon of peace.

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<v Speaker 2>We fall down before it in veneration. We understand that

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<v Speaker 2>in this material world, our Lord, who himself bore our

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<v Speaker 2>same material flesh, conquered death through the wood of the cross.

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<v Speaker 2>But today we hear a different gospel reading.

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<v Speaker 3>Yesterday we heard the.

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<v Speaker 2>Sentencing of Christ by Pilot his journey to Golgatha, has

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<v Speaker 2>assent on to the cross. But today we hear the

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<v Speaker 2>words of Christ. And when he had called the people

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<v Speaker 2>to him with his disciples, also he said unto them,

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<v Speaker 2>whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and

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<v Speaker 2>take up his cross and follow me. Yesterday we're called

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<v Speaker 2>to humble ourselves on our faces before the.

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<v Speaker 3>Wood of the cross.

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<v Speaker 2>But today we're told that we must take up that

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<v Speaker 2>same cross ourselves. Not only that we must first deny

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<v Speaker 2>ourselves and then take up the cross. Now there are

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<v Speaker 2>two important things to remember here. The first, the most obvious,

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<v Speaker 2>should be that this requirement is entirely upon us Christ.

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<v Speaker 2>God does not compel us to do this. It's Saint

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<v Speaker 2>John Christism notes it's as if Christ is saying, I

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<v Speaker 2>force no one, I compel no one, but each one

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<v Speaker 2>I make lord of his own choice. So I say,

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<v Speaker 2>whosoever will come after me. Christ is acknowledging that there

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<v Speaker 2>will be troubles and tribulations along the way for those

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<v Speaker 2>who follow him, So that choice must be of our

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<v Speaker 2>own accord, a choice of love, not an act under compulsion.

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<v Speaker 2>And the second thing is this, there is an order

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<v Speaker 2>to how God has made us. Love of self was

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<v Speaker 2>the ruin of the first man. If Adam had placed

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<v Speaker 2>his desires over God's commands, right, if he had not

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<v Speaker 2>loved himself in the wrong order, if he would have

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<v Speaker 2>been willing to be subject to God, if he would

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<v Speaker 2>have preferred God to himself. Christ reminds us of this

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<v Speaker 2>same priority. Man follows God. Man does not dictate to

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<v Speaker 2>God the terms of his obedience. Rather, this is a

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<v Speaker 2>free choice that we are asked to make, to turn

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<v Speaker 2>away from our own desires and to take up the

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<v Speaker 2>cross and to follow Christ. Saint Cesaius of Ours has

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<v Speaker 2>provided us with one the simplest explanations of what it

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<v Speaker 2>means to take up one's cross, which is to bear

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<v Speaker 2>with whatever is troublesome, that is, to patiently endure all

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<v Speaker 2>that comes at us as we attempt to follow Christ.

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<v Speaker 2>And you know, it's incredible the timeless wisdom that the

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<v Speaker 2>church fathers possessed, because sat Csari has lived in the

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<v Speaker 2>sixth century, but he gave this example of how the

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<v Speaker 2>people that make the decision to follow Christ will be troubled.

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<v Speaker 2>He says, when man has begun to follow Christ according

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<v Speaker 2>to his teachings and precepts, he will find many people

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<v Speaker 2>contradicting him and standing in his way, many of whom

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<v Speaker 2>may not only deride him, but even persecute him. Now

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<v Speaker 2>we may hear this more today than many centuries. It's

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<v Speaker 2>less of a persecution. But there are.

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<v Speaker 3>Clearly non believers.

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<v Speaker 2>Who will mock and attack those who choose to fall Christ.

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<v Speaker 2>They'll make fun of those who adopt the traditional beliefs

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<v Speaker 2>of the Church, and they'll even mock God in the

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<v Speaker 2>process of doing it. But the atheists and the pagans

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<v Speaker 2>that take that position aren't the only.

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<v Speaker 3>Groups that thanks serious warned of.

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<v Speaker 2>He even warned of those in the Church, or at

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<v Speaker 2>least those who visibly appear to be in the Church

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<v Speaker 2>but are actually outside of it because of the perversity.

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<v Speaker 3>Of their deeds.

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<v Speaker 2>He says, these glory in the title of Christians, but

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<v Speaker 2>they continually harass faithful Christians. And this is true as well,

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<v Speaker 2>especially in the days of the Internet. They're all over it.

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<v Speaker 2>They're all over the place, whether it's self proclaimed Christians

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<v Speaker 2>who reject the Apostolic faith, or it's the holy tradition

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<v Speaker 2>that they attack. There are those who call themselves Christians

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<v Speaker 2>but attack others. And these people we know by their fruits.

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<v Speaker 2>Their objective is not building up the body of Christ.

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<v Speaker 2>But it's not humble obedience to God. Rather, it's tearing

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<v Speaker 2>down others and making themselves the center of all things.

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<v Speaker 2>That's the purpose of their attacks, is to make themselves central.

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<v Speaker 2>But they've failed in that first command. They can't deny themselves.

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<v Speaker 2>Saint Cisaria says, if you wish to follow Christ, do

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<v Speaker 2>not delay in carrying his cross. Tolerate sinners, but don't

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<v Speaker 2>yield to them. Don't let the false happiness of the

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<v Speaker 2>wicked corrupt you. You'll do well to despise all things

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<v Speaker 2>for the sake of Christ, in order that you may

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<v Speaker 2>be fit for his companionship. This path to following Christ

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<v Speaker 2>is more than a call than.

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<v Speaker 3>Just bearing our own afflictions, and.

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<v Speaker 2>The Orthodox tradition taking up our cross calls us to

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<v Speaker 2>actually be participants in Christ's self emptying love. Christ loves

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<v Speaker 2>so much that he raised himself up on the cross

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<v Speaker 2>for his salva. We too, are called to accept the

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<v Speaker 2>path of humility, of sacrificing, of obedience. We're called to

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<v Speaker 2>die to our old self, to put to death our

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<v Speaker 2>selfish desires, our pride, the passions that beset us. We're

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<v Speaker 2>called to not be ashamed of living the Gospel, no

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<v Speaker 2>matter what the cost socially or materially is, and to

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<v Speaker 2>remember the Cross, as mighty as it is, is not

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<v Speaker 2>the end of itself, because it leads us to the

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<v Speaker 2>empty tomb, and it leads us to that time of

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<v Speaker 2>resurrection the Sunday after the Feast of the Cross builds.

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<v Speaker 2>On the feast, we proclaim the cross as Christ of victory.

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<v Speaker 2>But Christ tells us it's not just his weapon, but

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<v Speaker 2>it is ours to bear.

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<v Speaker 3>Now, what bearing your cross looks like in.

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<v Speaker 2>Daily life, Well, that's a difficult question, and really it's

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<v Speaker 2>a question that varies so widely from person to person.

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<v Speaker 3>Look around the room.

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<v Speaker 2>You don't know what cross someone else is bearing unless

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<v Speaker 2>they choose to share it. You know, we never compare

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<v Speaker 2>our cross to someone else's cross. We don't know what

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<v Speaker 2>their cross is, we don't know how deep it is.

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<v Speaker 2>But we're called to bear it joyfully without complaint, whether

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<v Speaker 2>it's enduring illness, whether it's forgiving people that have hurt us,

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<v Speaker 2>whether it's following the fast or just being in the

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<v Speaker 2>church on a day when you don't really feel like

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<v Speaker 2>being there. When we lay down our old self in

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<v Speaker 2>exchange for life and Christ. That is that is burying

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<v Speaker 2>our cross. We bear our cross whenever we live our

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<v Speaker 2>faith in public, whether it's making the sign of the cross,

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<v Speaker 2>maybe it's saying the prayers over the meal of the restaurant,

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<v Speaker 2>speaking the.

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<v Speaker 3>Truth of the Gospel as marked.

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<v Speaker 2>There are many, many ways that each of us may

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<v Speaker 2>be called on to bear our cross on.

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<v Speaker 3>A given day.

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<v Speaker 2>In fact, there's scarcely going to be a day that

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<v Speaker 2>passes in this world where we're not called on, in

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<v Speaker 2>one way or another to deny ourselves and carry our cross.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not just a Sunday thing. It's not just an

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<v Speaker 2>in church thing. It is an imperative of Christian living.

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<v Speaker 2>And if we constantly deny ourselves, we're cultivating humility. If

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<v Speaker 2>we bear our cross, we cultivate even more. We cultivate worship,

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<v Speaker 2>We cultivate obedience, we cultivate maybe even the preaching of

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<v Speaker 2>the gospel from our own mouths and proclaim.

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<v Speaker 3>The good News.

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<v Speaker 2>So, brothers and sisters, as we move from the feast

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<v Speaker 2>of the exaltation of the Cross to the after feast,

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<v Speaker 2>we move from adoring the cross to carrying it.

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<v Speaker 3>We move from bowing.

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<v Speaker 2>Before it, to wielding that weapon of peace in our

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<v Speaker 2>own fight against sin and darkness. May Christ, our True God,

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<v Speaker 2>permit us to follow him in faith and humility, that

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<v Speaker 2>we may be made worthy of His kingdom. Maybe the

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<v Speaker 2>Father and Son the Holy Spirit.

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<v Speaker 3>Amen.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to Hill Country homilies. For more information,

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<v Speaker 1>visit Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church at www dot Denunciation, tx

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<v Speaker 1>dot com, and please join us again next week