<TW>Weekend of 03 and 04 April 2010

From: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <thisweekend@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:04:30 -0500
.=:  T H I S    W E E K E N D  :=.
     from Father Pat Umberger 

__________________________________________________

I R E L A N D    2 0 1 0
$2799 from O'Hare, $2859 from La Crosse
10 SEATS ARE AVAILABLE, AS MANY AS 7 FROM LSE (La Crosse, Wi)
18-28 October 2010 - Map of trip is now at the Web Site BROCHURE & SIGN-UP
SHEET ARE NOW ONLINE! - SIGN UP NOW!
For the Itinerary for the trip. Follow the link from www.frpat.com  for
details. Brochures are available at the entrances of Saint Pat's Church as
well. Hotels have been chosen and links are at the Web Site. Air Space has
now been reserved from La Crosse, WI and O'Hare Airport in Chicago. It will
be a non-stop flight on American Airlines from O'Hare to Dublin. 18 or fewer
seats from La Crosse are available. If you're interested visit my Web Site
and sign up for informational e-mails.   www.frpat.com 

Become a fan of: Ireland 2010 with Fr. Pat Umberger on Facebook.

L E N T    2 0 1 0
Visit my Lent Page for good links, Reconciliation resources in English and
Spanish, and my own Stations of the Cross in English and Spanish for
children and adults and illustrated by the kids of St. Pat's School. Follow
the link from:   www.frpat.com 

.=:  V O L U M E   2 0 1 0 , Number 04-04 :=.

.=:  T H I S   W E E K E N D ' S   S C R I P T U R E S  :=.

The Resurrection of the Lord (Easter Sunday), Year C.
Weekend of 03 and 04 April 2010

.=:  R E F L E C T I O N    Q U E S T I O N S  :-.

The Scriptures for this weekend are found here:
  http://www.nccbuscc.org/nab/  

"They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put
him."  What would they have thought had happened?  How long do you think it
took for them to realize that Jesus had truly risen from the dead?

 "We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in
Jerusalem."  Luke speaks of being there and witnessing all Jesus did.  How
are we witnesses as well?  How can our witness strengthen and encourage
others on their journey of faith?

 "If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is
seated at the right hand of God."  What are the things from above that we
are called to seek?

 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad."  How is
each Sunday another Easter?  How can each day be that for us?

How are these Scriptures comforting?  Challenging?

.=:  S P I R I T U A L   R E F L E C T I O N   :=.

What a glorious day! Tons of snow and ice have melted away. The grass is
turning green and trees are beginning to bud. A bare Sanctuary is filled
with the fragrance and beauty of flowers. The Church smells clean and fresh.
The sound of water fills the Church.  The smell of Sacred Chrism is in the
air! The "A" word is sung again. The year has come full circle. We celebrate
the most important thing we believe as Christian people. Jesus Chris is
risen today!

 It took the people of Jesus day some time to realize what "to rise from the
dead" meant. On the first Easter they didn't receive baskets of eggs and
jelly beans, eat chocolate rabbits or feast on Spring goodies. It was a day
when at first their hopes were dashed. We can only imagine their confusion
when Jesus body was missing. They may have imagined that it had been stolen.
That would have been even another insult and indignity. Just when their
hearts had sunk to the lowest point, they were faced with another
possibility. Could he have risen?

 The joy of this day is a sure sign that this is exactly what happened. The
faith that was enkindled in the hearts of so many has survived, been passed
on and has grown over almost 2,000 years. This weekend thousands of people
will be Baptized, Confirmed and welcomed into Full Communion with the Church
all over the world. 

 Our Community welcomes them and the new energy and vitality they bring.
It's the same Community that drew them in, that provided an opportunity to
experience the Catholic Faith that nurtured their developing faith. So it's
a celebration for all of us! It was impossible to crush the message Jesus
came to live. It was impossible for sin and darkness to win out over
goodness and light. It was impossible for death to conquer life. The message
of Easter is a message of God's triumph over all those things.

 So we light a new fire, we bless water and sprinkle ourselves with it, we
renew our Baptismal Promises. We welcome new members and are strengthened by
their faith. And we glory in all that has happened. It takes a lifetime for
us to realize what happened that day more than 2,000 years ago. The
resurrection of Jesus colors every facet of our lives. We need to live it.
We need to pass it on to more people every day of our lives.

 And we might receive Easter baskets, decorated eggs, jelly beans and
chocolate bunnies, all signs of New Life. And we feast on Spring goodies,
breaking our Lenten Fast and celebrating the most important thing we believe
as Christian People.  The long reign of sin is ended.  Light has overcome
darkness and life has won out over death. Jesus is risen from the dead!

 So we take the message to the streets. We live as people filled with hope.
We share that hope with those around us. We work tirelessly against
selfishness, evil, sin, darkness and death knowing that the power of the
resurrection is infinitely stronger. That power grows stronger still as we
share it and strengthen the faith of others. It was impossible to extinguish
the message. Jesus lives. Jesus lives in us. Christ has died. Christ is
risen! Christ will come again! ALLELUIA!"

(c)MMX Fr. Pat Umberger.  This Spiritual Reflection is found each week at
the Web Site   HYPERLINK "http://www.frpat.com";  www.frpat.com . Feel free
to link to this page or reproduce them for parish use as long as this credit
remains.

__________________________________________________
<TW>This Weekend is free, and comes from:
Father Pat Umberger, a priest of the Diocese of La Crosse
in Wisconsin U.S.A.
Web Site: www.frpat.com   
Evangelization (reaching out): www.cmonback.com  

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<TW>Weekend of 03 and 04 April 2010

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