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Today we behold a second ray of Epiphany light manifested by Christ's presence and first miracle that He wrought in Cana of Galilee, and, as taught by the Epistle, to be then reflected in us as members of His Church, by the power of the Holy Spirit. This grace is evidently the grace of sympathy, and its gentle beauty shines brighter after the stern lesson of duty as taught on the previous Sunday. It is true that we are to renounce the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, but the spirit of Christ's religon is not ascetic, except in regard to evil. The Christian is not to flee from the world, but to conquer it; he is to mingle with the dough, that he may leaven it; he is not to refuse God's bounties, but to seek grace to use them, and not to refuse the gift to save the trouble of seeking the grace. Our Master's system is not to hide us from temptation, but to train our powers of resistance, or rather to force us to look to Him for needful strength.
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