<TW>Weekend of 03 and 04 January 2009
- From: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: undisclosed-recipients:;
- Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2008 08:32:11 -0600 (CST)
.=: T H I S W E E K E N D :=.
from Father Pat Umberger
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S T E M C E L L T R A N S P L A N T
The latest is here: updated every day!
I’ve created a blog to provide at least daily updates about the Stem Cell
Transplant and what is happening in Rochester. You can access it at:
www.frpat.com/mayoblog. I have received IV antibiotics at home over the
last week. I move back to the Transplant House on Monday, 29 December.
I’ll have a new Central Line implanted on 30 December. The plan is to do
Chemo on the 31st and 01 January … and the Stem Cell Transplant (using my
own stem cells collected at Mayo a few weeks ago). Thanks so much for
your prayers. Know that you are remembered in mine as well!
__________________________________________________
.=: V O L U M E 2 0 0 9 , Number 01-04 :=.
.=: T H I S W E E K E N D ' S S C R I P T U R E S :=.
The Epiphany of the Lord, Year B.
Weekend of 03 and 04 January 2008
"Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance."
What kind of light do the nations walk by today? What is the true source
of light?
"Lord, every nation on earth will adore you." What a wonderful hope!
How can this happen? Is there anything we can do to hasten it?
"O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the
king's son; He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted
ones with judgment." How can we best help our civil leaders to act with
justice that leads to lasting peace? How powerful is prayer?
"It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been
revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the
Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the
promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." How can we make know that
all people are part of one body, and copartners in the promise in Christ
Jesus? What have we learned while growing up that can make this more
difficult to accept?
How can we help root our prejudice from the lives of our children and
grandchildren?
"Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring
me word, that I too may go and do him homage." Why should these words of
Herod send a chill through our bones? What was so threatening about this
child?
"And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed
for their country by another way." They were to make known what they had
observed? Why do you think people believed what they had to say? What do
*we* make known about the Savior? How do we do this?
How are these Scripture comforting? Challenging?
.=: S P I R I T U A L R E F L E C T I O N :=.
These past weeks have been very exciting for many of us. For some of us,
it was the first chance we had to see a new baby in our family!
We look forward with eager anticipation, and can hardly wait. It doesn't
take long for us to figure out who the child looks like. Then we wait for
the invitation, "Would you like to hold the baby?" Or sometimes we just
reach out our arms for the child without even being asked. We hold the
miracle of new life in our arms. Our hearts are full. Life is full of
hope. And we can't wait to tell all our friends about it!
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Three Wise Men,
Astrologers or Kings come to see the Baby Jesus. They didn't wait for
someone to bring the child to them. Despite their importance, they left
comfortable lives to follow the star that led them to the child. After
their encounter with Herod they came to see that not everyone was as
excited about the hope they felt. The child, a newborn king, could be a
threat to those caught up in their own power. The astrologers were wise
to return to their country by another route.
And they told everybody about it! That's what Epiphany means, to reveal
or to make manifest. How exciting it is when we have good and hopeful
news to share. We can hardly wait for the chance to talk. We send e-mail
and make phone calls, because it's simply to difficult to wait until we
see all the people we care about!
Our lives are full of epiphanies. Sometimes they come to us like a
thunderbolt ... an insight into life, the offer or return of love, the
birth of a baby, a promotion. Sometimes they're unexpected. We
begrudgingly attend a program our children are in and all of a sudden our
heart swells with pride and tears come to our eyes. We don't feel like
going to Church or a gathering and someone says something that helps
everything fall into place. Sometimes they take a long time.
We are self-centered, wrapped up in ourselves and immature. We get
married and learn we are going to have a baby. Our responsibility, the
child reaching out for our love and support can transform and change the
selfish person. It's another epiphany!
"When I was your age." We can dread that statement, because of the lesson
that usually follows. But as we grow older, we learn many things about
life and living. We don't want others to make the same mistakes we made,
so we share some of the epiphanies from our past.
How valuable those lessons can be to those who listen!
It's our job as God's people to make known what we've learned about our
faith. In our parish, this is the day we'll have a chance to bring
diapers, baby clothes and supplies to the manger. We acknowledge the
value of life in all its forms and stages. We make known that value as we
help unwed mothers and those facing difficult times. We can't talk enough
about the value of life. If we want to stop abortions, we need to speak
of life's value and support those making tough decisions.
In our parish, today we take blessed chalk to our homes as well. We mark
our door frames with: 20 + C + B + M + 09 ... the year 2009, containing
the initials of Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior, the traditional names of
those three kings or astrologers. As we begin this new year, we promise
to live with a sure knowledge that our house is also God's house!
We need to be reminded of that as we see the marking as we return home.
We need to treat our family members with the kind of respect and love that
are worthy of God's house. When we leave our homes to go to work or
school, we take with us the presence of God as well as the strength we
receive from our family members. It's our work to be living epiphanies,
making known what we know about God and Jesus.
Have a good week!
(c)MMIX Fr. Pat Umberger. This Spiritual Reflection is found each week at
the Web Site 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
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