THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD – YEAR A 1 JUNE 2014
Obedience, the essence of John’s Gospel last Sunday, is here on the lips of the Matthean Jesus as he speaks to his apostles one last time: teach all nations, he tells them, “to observe all that I have commanded you.” The first reading is a constant across all three liturgical cycles: the first verses of Luke’s “second” book: the Acts of the Apostles. Clearly, as Easter gives birth to Pentecost, the Lucan account of Jesus’ departure from this world posits the sine qua non for the Church’s activity: we now act in his name, with his power, and in obedience to his final command. Paul speaks to the Ephesians of the pentecostal “Spirit of wisdom and revelation” in us and echoes Jesus’ own assertion of having power over all things. Will your Ascension homily stir up a desire for the Spirit in your sisters and brothers? Will they hear a preacher who not only looks “up” for inspiration, but “forward” to the coming of that powerful Spirit? Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Give me your Spirit, Lord: a spirit of wisdom and a spirit of revelation as I prepare to preach to your daughters and sons. Give me a share of your glory and power for you are Lord forever and ever. Amen. Enter the Word. Read the Scriptures a number of times: Lectionary 58. Let the words and phrases touch your heart.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
Acts 1:1-11 Until the day he was taken up.
Psalm 47 For king of all the earth is God.
Ephesians 1:17-23 May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened.
Gospel of Matthew 28:16-20 The eleven disciples went to Galilee.
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Take an Ainward glance.@ [Acts] “It is not for you to know.” How uncomfortable does it make you, that the future is “not for you to know”? Is the future a source of stress or anxiety for you? How do handle the mysteriousness of what lies in store for you? [Psalm] “All you peoples, clap your hands.” The ability to celebrate is essential for preachers. What kind of “celebrant” are you? How easy do you find it to “enter into” a celebration — and to lead others in festive “applause”? Name the ways that your preaching encourages such festivity. [Ephesians] “Eyes of your hearts.” What things can your heart “see” that your mind cannot see? “The heart is slow to learn,” said Edna St. Vincent Millay, “what the swift mind perceives at every turn.” What is taking your heart so long to learn? “But they doubted.” Think back over your journey of faith. What has constituted the source of your doubts? What have you done about such doubts? With whom do you share the ups and downs of your faith journey? “Jesus approached.” How do you become aware that Jesus is “near”? When have you been most aware of Jesus’ presence? Have you ever asked for “signs” of Jesus’ blessed assurance? When you approach others, how do you try to be “Jesus” as you do so? “Until the end of the age.” Jesus assures us of his abiding presence. In what ways do you try to give such assurance to others? Do your brothers and sisters feel secure in that assurance, as a result of your homilies? Take an Aoutward glance.@ [Acts] “In the first book.” How much can you depend on your assembly’s Scriptural preparedness? Are your parishioners Bible-savvy? Does the parish offer enough Scripture study? How many parishioners show up for such learning? [Ephesians] “Which is his body.” How aware are your sisters and brothers that they (and you) are Christ’s body? What do they need to hear from their homilist about this all-important postAscension truth? Name the ways that your parishioners act as Christ’s body during the week. “Baptizing them.” What is the “state of baptism” in your parish? Do you have a vibrant adult catechumenate? What more needs to be done in order to transform your parish into a truly “baptismal” community — drawing others into Christ’s body with the example of their Christian living? “Until the end of the age.” Who, among your parishioners, is doubting the Lord’s abiding presence this week? What is the source of their doubt? How is the Sunday preaching they hear helping them to overcome these doubts? Prepare your homily. The Spirit is coming! Maybe your homily preparation this week has helped to get you excited about the Spirit’s presence in your life, and in the life of your parish. Try to preach as someone who longs to be emboldened by that Spirit. The Easter season is coming to an end: don’t miss the chance to heighten the assembly’s expectation! Pray. To conclude your preparation, spend a few moments in prayer.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
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SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR A 1 JUNE 2014
When Jesus prays to his Father, speaking of “the glory that I had with you before the world began,” the first Johannine community had no difficulty imagining the eternal and divine nature of the Savior. After all, John’s Gospel had begun with a brand new Genesis: “In the beginning. . . .” If death, Resurrection, ascension and Spirit-giving are all one salvific moment for John, here in the “farewell” prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper, we stand as silent witnesses to the intimacy that can exist only between an eternal Father and Son, bound inextricably in the eternal love who is their Spirit. It is a “Spirit of glory,” Peter tells us. And, as Luke tells us in Acts, the Eleven and their friends return to that “upper room” to do some praying of their own. The eternal “unity” of the Paschal Mystery sits side-byside with the timed “unfolding” of these events. Will your homily flow from your own prayer — and draw your assembly into a prayerful expectancy?
Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart.
You are my light and my salvation, Lord; whom should I fear? One thing I ask: that your Word dwell in me as I preach him with all my heart. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Enter the Word. Read the Scriptures a number of times: Lectionary 59. Let the words and phrases touch your heart.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
Acts 1:12-14 After Jesus had been taken up....
Psalm 21 That I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord.
1 Peter 4:13-16 So that when his glory is revealed....
Gospel of John 17:1-11a Jesus raised his eyes to heaven
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Take an Ainward glance.@ [Acts] “Together with some women.” Evaluate your relationships with women. Are they healthy? Name the ways that you allow the women in your personal and ministerial life to sustain and support you. Do your sisters in the assembly always feel that you have them in mind as you preach? [Psalm] “You my glance seeks.” What unhealthy things does your glance sometimes seek? What kinds of things do you watch on television? What do you look at when you’re surfing the net? The old-fashioned ‘custody of the eyes’ has never been more needed: what kind of custody are you exercising these days? [1 Peter] “Made to suffer as a Christian.” So rare here in these free United States: suffering because of the faith. What role does suffering play in your spiritual life? Are you someone who accepts suffering easily? “Give glory to your son.” What kind of intimacy did you enjoy with your own father? How does that relationship influence your image of the relationship between the Father and the Son? How mindful are you about the father-child relationships in the personal histories of those who listen to you? How do you understand the ‘glory’ that Jesus is asking for? “The work that you gave me to do.” How do you feel about the ‘work’ that God has given you to do? Are you always ‘up’ for such work? “They have kept your word.” How do you ‘keep’ the Word? Are you known and appreciated as a trustworthy person? Are you a person of your word? How do others count on you as a word-keeper? Take an Aoutward glance.@ [Acts] “And his brothers.” Maybe the assembly doesn’t “hear” this phrase; maybe it confuses them. How do you suppose they understand this Lucan term? [1 Peter] “Because of the name.” How much reverence does the Name get in your parish? Do you suppose many of your brothers and sisters have suffered because of the name of Jesus? How much of an indictment is it, that so few of us are suffering because of the Name? “Authority over all people.” How do your parishioners understand the Lord’s authority? How do they understand papal and episcopal authority? How do they understand pastoral authority? Do you suppose they see an easy synergy here? “To those whom you gave me.” Do your sisters and brothers feel like a gift which has been given to you, their preacher? How do you let them know how much you appreciate them as the Lord’s gift to you? Do they see you as a gift from God? Prepare your homily. Perhaps this week you’ve been able to model your own prayer on the poignant intimacy between Jesus and his Father in prayer. Try to preach with prayer as your source. As Easter comes to a close, and as the Church yearns for the Spirit, try to draw the assembly into a prayerful Body. Pray. To conclude your preparation, spend a few moments in prayer.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
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PENTECOST SUNDAY – YEAR A 8 JUNE 2014
How unabashedly “unhistorical” we lectionary-guided Christians are! Preaching before a swaddled Christ-child in a manger, we present a 30-year-old Christ arriving for his adult baptism in the Jordan; and, this Sunday, with Jesus safely tucked away in heaven nine days after his Ascension, he’s back again in the Upper Room with the resurrected wounds of his crucifixion! This fast-forward, then reverse, lurching through salvation history might be confusing to the literal-minded; but to those open to the multi-layered storytelling that is the essence of a faith that has a God-made-man at its center — this is one of the joys of preaching! Wind and fire, as Luke tells it; whispered peace, from John’s perspective. However the Spirit came, we are all the beneficiaries, says Paul. Will your homily have that Spirit at its heart? History was blown apart with the Christ-event: “Give them your salvation, Lord” (Sequence) — will you be his instrument, preaching a Spirit for whom history is the twinkling of an eye? Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. If you take away my breath, I perish. When you send forth your Spirit, I am created. As we thirst, may we come to you and drink in and of your Spirit who is Lord forever and ever. Amen. Enter the Word. Read the Scriptures a number of times: Lectionary 62, 63. Let the words and phrases touch your heart.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
Acts 2:1-11 They were all in one place together.
Psalm 104 When you send forth your spirit....
1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 We were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Gospel of John 19-23 He breathed on them.
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Take an Ainward glance.@ [Vigil: Genesis] “They stopped building the city.” In your attempts to help build the City of God, what circumstances might cause you to call a halt to the construction? What have you done lately to help build the City of God? [Day: Acts] “But they were confused.” What never fails to cause confusion in your life? Are there theological, ecclesiological, moral or canonical issues that confuse you? What issues have become less confused as you’ve grown older? How do the Scriptures sometimes confuse you? [Vigil: Romans] “We also groan within ourselves.” What causes you to groan inwardly? How much do you sense a longing for the divine in your life? Is there more suffering in your personal life or your ministerial life? Why? [Day: 1 Corinthians] “Baptized into one body.” Name those times when you sense, most keenly, that we are all a part of Christ’s body. How powerful do you feel as a member of that body? How powerful is the Church in bringing about the Kingdom? How often does your baptismal identity come to the fore? [Vigil: John] “No spirit yet.” What corners of your spiritual life remain beyond the Spirit’s grasp and influence? Think about how you hide from the Lord. Name those areas of growth where, now, the Spirit reigns. [Day: John] “For fear of the Jews.” Anti-Semitism from the pulpit is indefensible. How do you guard the image of our fathers and mothers in faith? Do you speak up when our Jewish brothers and sisters are maligned? Take an Aoutward glance.@ [Day: Acts] “But they were confused.” What issues confuse your parishioners? Are they more theological or moral? Are they more ecclesiological or canonical? How does the Sunday homily come to their rescue? How might the homilies preached in your parish add to the confusion? [Day: 1 Corinthians] “Given for some benefit.” Make a list of the gifts that are most evident in your parish. Name all the benefits that accrue as a result of those many, many gifts. Are there those in the parish who feel unappreciated for the gifts they bring? [Vigil: John] “Rivers of living water.” Few phrases are more reminiscent of baptism! How freely do such rivers flow in your parish? What ‘dams’ exist that divert those rivers? [Day: John] “The doors were locked.” How have some members of the liturgical assembly ‘locked’ the doors of their minds and hearts? Do your parishioners sometimes meet a locked door when they approach their pastoral ministers? Prepare your homily. Your preparation this week has, perhaps, been an opportunity for you to discover, anew, your dependence on the Spirit. Indeed, your whole parish cannot call upon the Name of Jesus without the Spirit’s power. Try to preach a homily whose goal is celebration of, and gratitude for, the Spirit in our lives! Pray. To conclude your preparation, spend a few moments in prayer.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
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SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY – YEAR A 15 JUNE 2014
We would never have guessed the mystery of the Trinity if left to our own devices: God had to reveal it to us. In Cycle B, reference to the three divine Persons is put on the lips of the Matthean Jesus as a baptismal formulary and, in Cycle C, the more theologically developed John presents Jesus speaking of Father and Spirit as only their Intimate could. Here in Cycle A, amazingly, we have no mention of the Spirit in the Gospel! And Exodus presents us with one, lone Lord atop Mount Sinai. Only Paul seems to come to our rescue with a liturgical (and trinitarian!) greeting. Despite all this, we are blessed indeed, as preachers, for there is but one posture before such an immense and impenetrable mystery: “bowing down to the ground in worship” as Moses did. Will your homily bring your brothers and sisters to their knees? Will you not dare preach the Trinity without first bowing down in worship, yourself? Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Early in the morning, I bow down in worship, Lord. Inspire such love in me always as I long to share the mystery of who you are with my sisters and brothers. Receive us as your own, for you are a gracious God. Amen. Enter the Word. Read the Scriptures a number of times: Lectionary 164. Let the words and phrases touch your heart.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9 Moses at once bowed down.
Deuteronomy 3:52-55 Blessed is your holy and glorious name.
2 Corinthians 13:11-13 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ....
Gospel of John 3:16-18 God so loved the world....
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Take an Ainward glance.@ [Exodus] “Early in the morning.” How do you spend your mornings? Do you give yourself enough time for prayer and meditation? Do you spend enough time before the Blessed Sacrament? Name the ways in which you waste time ‘early in the morning.’ [2 Corinthians] “With a holy kiss.” What examples of Christian married love do you have in your parish? Do such couples know how much the community values their example? What examples of holy friendship are there in your parish? Do such friends hear references to them in the Sunday homily? [2 Corinthians] “Mend your ways.” If you were to start mending your ways right now, where would you need to start? Did you make New Year’s resolutions five months ago – and did you keep them? What are your spiritual goals in the long, green months ahead? “Condemn the world.” Father, Son and Spirit have worked to save the world. How do your sermons extol that work? Do certain members of the assembly leave the Eucharist feeling condemned? Why? “Already . . . condemned.” How faith-filled are you, in comparison to other ecclesial ministers you know? In comparison to your lay sisters and brothers in the pew? Who are you most like to condemn, sight unseen? “He has not believed.” How has your faith changed over the last few years? What causes you to lose faith? To gain it? Do you easily presume that everyone in the Sunday assembly has “enough” faith? When someone comes to you, worried that they have lost their faith, what do you tell them? How do you encourage them? Take an Aoutward glance.@ [Exodus] “Two stone tablets.” Which of the commandments gets short shrift in your parish? Are your parishioners ‘commandment’ people, or are they more ‘beatitude’ people? How often do your brothers and sisters approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation — do they need encouragement in this? [2 Corinthians] “All the holy ones greet you.” Who are the ‘holy ones’ who greet you every Sunday at Mass? How aware are your parishioners of the gift of holiness that is theirs? What constitutes holiness in the minds of your sisters and brothers? “Eternal life.” The Scriptures proclaim clearly that those who believe in the Son already have eternal life. Do you think some of your parishioners are worried that they have lost it? What causes such worries? How do the sermons they hear encourage them to have hope? “Saved through him.” The bumper sticker proclaims, ‘Jesus Saves.’ How aware are your parishioners that the Father has saved them through Jesus Christ – and in their Spirit? Prepare your homily. The trinitarian mystery is ineffable and inexplicable. Try to preach a homily that draws the assembly into a personal relationship with the three divine Persons – rather than one which tries to ‘teach’ a doctrine whose words truly pale in comparison to the reality they describe. It would help if you thought about your own personal relationship to the Trinity! Pray. To conclude your preparation, spend a few moments in prayer.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
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CORPUS CHRISTI – YEAR A 22 JUNE 2014
If gratitude is the memory of the heart, then Eucharist is that memory par excellence. This Sunday’s feast asks the Christian assembly to commit itself anew to that memory — even though every Sunday of the year has this focus. Jesus asks the crowds to remember the hunger of the past: “Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died. . .” and Moses tells his people, “Remember . . . Do not forget. . . .” Paul remonstrates with the Corinthians about the present: “we, though many, are one body” because they, and we, partake of the one cup and the one bread. “This is the truth each Christian learns” even though it is only through the eyes of faith that this truth can be fully appreciated (Sequence). Will your homily this week draw your sisters and brothers into a deeper commitment to what they’ve learned? Will they hear and see a preacher whose faith in, and gratitude for, the Eucharist is a model for them to emulate? Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Father, help me never to forget your love for me and my brothers and sisters. Keep us grateful for the gift of the Eucharist that gives us life in Christ Jesus the Lord. Amen. Enter the Word. Read the Scriptures a number of times: Lectionary 167. Let the words and phrases touch your heart.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a He then fed you with manna.
Psalm 147 With the best of wheat he fills you.
1 Corinthians 10:16-17 We all partake of the one loaf.
Gospel of John XX I am the living bread.
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Take an Ainward glance.@ [Deuteronomy] “But by every word. . . .” Name the ways that you try to live by bread alone. How do you try to live by ‘every word’? What are the words of Scripture that give you the most comfort? What are the most life-giving, for you? [Psalm] “With the best of wheat he fills you.” How appreciative are you of this ‘gift of finest wheat’? Is your gratitude for the Eucharist evident to your parishioners? Is it evident to those who know you intimately — your friends and family? [1 Corinthians] “Participation in the blood . . . body of Christ.” What are the effects of your ‘participation’ in the body and blood of Christ? In what ways are the effects of that participation lacking in your ministerial life? In your personal relationships? “I am the living bread.” How sustained do you feel, spiritually, as a minister of Christ’s word and body? What other nourishment do you seek? Is all of it good for you? What do you need to avoid, starting now, in order to seek only healthy nourishment for body and soul? “Whoever eats . . . has eternal life.” How assured do you feel of eternal life? What behaviors stand as obstacles to feeling assured of Christ’s promises? Think about eternal life: what is most attractive about it for you? “Whoever eats . . . remains in me.” Name the ways that you ‘remain’ in Christ. Now, name the ways that you stand ‘outside’ of him. How ‘eucharistic’ are your activities outside of Mass? What can you intend to do in order to ‘remain’ in Christ even more deeply? Take an Aoutward glance.@ [Deuteronomy] “So as to test you by affliction.” Think of your brothers and sisters who are experiencing affliction right now. Is their suffering made worse, or better, in believing that the Lord is ‘testing’ them? Do the homilies they hear come as solace or added grief to their suffering? [1 Corinthians] “We, though many, are one body.” Name the signs of unity that abound in your parish. What are the human sources of that unity? Now think of the signs of disunity: what are the human sources of that discord? “Quarreled.” If your brothers and sisters were to quarrel with you about some facet of parochial life and ministry, what would they complain about? What are their parish ministers doing about those complaints? “Unlike your ancestors.” What do your brothers and sisters think about the covenant between God and the Jewish people? How do they view themselves, as Christians, — heirs to that covenant? Do they understand their relationship to their ‘ancestors’ Prepare your homily. What we do every Sunday takes on a special focus this Sunday. Perhaps you’ve had the chance this week to prepare for the solemnity of Corpus Christi by deepening your gratitude for the Eucharist in your personal prayer. Preach from this gratitude. Let your sisters and brothers know how much the Eucharist means to you! Pray. To conclude your preparation, spend a few moments in prayer.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
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SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL – YEAR A 29 JUNE 2014
June is the month of feasts, and this dominical celebration of the apostles is squeezed in, too, this year. These two saints could not be more different, but their names and stories are yoked together both in Christian history and Christian imagination almost as though Peter-and-Paul were one word. Rocks and keys for the unlettered and mercurial Peter; miraculous conversion and escapes for the theologically prodigious Paul – both of them ending their lives in Rome, making that holy city the center of Christendom, its soil soaked with the blood of these and so many martyrs after them. We can look back, with twenty-twenty hindsight, and read the stories of their lives through the lens of their martyrdom and, thus, come to understand the fullest meaning of what the Lord meant when he says, “Follow me.” Will your homily celebrate our greatest heroes’ conversion from denial to affirmation and so encourage your sisters and brothers – and yourself – to make the same journey? Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Lord, you have called me from my mother’s womb and set me apart to preach your word. You know that I love you. Help me to follow you in Christ Jesus your Son. Amen. Enter the Word. Read the Scriptures a number of times: Lectionary 590, 591. Let the words and phrases touch your heart.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
Acts 12:1-11 Then Peter recovered his senses.
Psalm 34 Taste and see how good the Lord is.
2 Timothy 4:46-8, 17-18 I, Paul, am already being poured....
Gospel of Matthew 16:13-19 I will give you the keys to the Kingdom.
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Take an Ainward glance.@ [Vigil: Acts] “What I do have, I give you.” As you contemplate the multiple ministerial roles you perform, consider your gifts, talents and skills. What do you share with those to whom you minister? Specifically, what gifts do you share with the assembly each Sunday? Which gifts do you wish you could share? [Vigil: Galatians] “The gospel preached by me is not of human origin.” What is the central message you preach? Think about the ‘divine origin’ of your homily, too. How much of your homily is dabitur vobis? [Day: Acts] “Secured by double chains.” Name the ways that you are ‘imprisoned’ by your weakness, addictions and sins. Short of a divine miracle, what do you need to do in order to be ‘freed’ from these chains? Do you pray for miracles? [2 Timothy] “I have competed well.” Consider your spiritual journey as Paul did: as a race. Are you competing well? What struggles do you experience in your spiritual life? What have been some of the successes you’ve noticed? “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. . . .” What has the Lord revealed to you? In other words, what do you know about the Lord now – that you didn’t know or appreciate as well when you were young? How have you come by this new knowledge? “Upon this rock.” As the Church, especially in America, has been rocked by scandal, how have you appreciated the role of Peter’s successor, and the promise the Lord made to him? Have you been to confession since Lent? Take an Aoutward glance.@ [Acts] “The chains fell from his wrists.” In your mind’s eye, look out over your assembly. Who has experienced liberation lately? What affliction shackled them in body or spirit? Did they turn to their parochial ministers for help? How many of your sisters and brothers are suffering in silence, do you suppose? [2 Timothy] “The proclamation might be completed.” Clearly, the ‘proclamation’ is never complete: your assembly returns every Sunday to hear that continuous proclamation! What homiletic themes do your brothers and sisters note in their homilists’ preaching? If asked, what would they say needs repeating? “He asked his disciples.” In what ways are your parishioners consulted? About what ministerial and parochial issues are the assembly asked for advice? Even if unasked, what would your parishioners like to be consulted about? “You are Peter.” What does the assembly think about Pope Francis? Do they hear their ministers speak with reverence and devotion about the Holy Father and his service of leadership? Prepare your homily. Perhaps this week’s preparation has offered you a chance to consider how your own spiritual and ministerial life has moved from denial to affirmation. Try to preach as someone who knows this movement and is grateful for the Lord’s mercy. On this great solemnity, your brothers and sisters need to sense your gratitude! Pray. To conclude your preparation, spend a few moments in prayer.
Reverend Paul A. Holmes
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