<TW>Weekend of 05 and 06 June 2010
- From: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 30 May 2010 07:21:38 -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 - 9 seats remain.
18-28 October 2010 BROCHURE & SIGN-UP SHEET ARE NOW. Check 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.
Become a fan of: Ireland 2010 with Fr. Pat Umberger on Facebook.
.=: V O L U M E 2 0 1 0 , Number 06-06 :=.
.=: T H I S W E E K E N D ' S S C R I P T U R E S :=.
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
(Corpus Christi), Year C.
Weekend of 05 and 06 June 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:
www.nccbuscc.org/nab
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the
death of the Lord until he comes." How do we proclaim the death of the Lord
when we receive the Eucharist?
"He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." Why were the disciples
reluctant to share the food they had? When are we reluctant to share our
gifts? When has our sharing helped us understand how blessed we are?
"They all ate and were satisfied." How do we behave when we are not
satisfied? What kind of hungers in our lives are hard to feed? In what way
can only the Body and Blood of Christ fill those hungers? In what way can
those who have little to eat be more satisfied than we? How can our
property and our prosperity lead to hunger?
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 :=.
"The Body of Christ." Those words can become so familiar to us. We might
recall how special they sounded the first time we received Jesus in the
Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. This is a good weekend for us to take
a look at how awesome it really is!
When something is very special, we get ready for it. We spend lots of time
preparing for Christmas and Easter, for Birthdays and even for summer
vacation. We prepare ourselves before we receive the Eucharist for the
first time as well. It is inspiring to see the great hunger in our Second
Graders as they look forward to that most special day, and the adults in our
R.C.I.A. Program as they prepare to receive Jesus as well.
May we never forget how awesome it is! The Church tells us that we need to
prepare ourselves each time we receive the Eucharist. We should remember
that from the moment we wake up. We need to pay attention to the way we
treat one another, and even to the food and drink we consume. We are aware
that we are not to eat or drink anything for at least one hour before
receiving the Eucharist. It can be good to have someone in the family whose
job it is to remind everybody when it's time to stop eating and drinking. We
shouldn't drink coffee or even chew gum for an hour ahead of time!
Our preparation needs to show even in the way we dress for Mass. As a child
it was my job to polish the shoes. This was done on Saturday morning,
before breakfast. Everybody had Church clothes that included shirts, ties
and dress shoes. There was no doubt in our mind that what we were going to
do was the most special thing that would happen all week. Because we
dressed in a special way, we behaved in a special way, too. And there was
no way we could go directly from Church to a picnic without changing
clothes. That added to the reverence with which we approached the
Eucharist.
When we go to Mass we need to bring our best self. What a challenge that
is, too. Our kids will help us realize any discrepancy between the way we
act at home and the behavior that's consistent with living as a person who
loves God. We hear about a higher standard, one that we need to strive to
live all week long.
As we come forward for Communion, we don't do so unconsciously. We focus on
the precious Sacrament we are going to celebrate. We think about how much
God loved us in giving us his Son, and how special it is that we can receive
the totality of Jesus, Body, Soul and Divinity. How fortunate we are to be
able to receive the true Body and Blood of Christ. We bow from the waist
before we receive Communion. The Eucharist is not a symbol at all, but the
true Body and Blood of Christ himself!
We wouldn't think about going back to our seat and letting our mind wander.
We wouldn't be so callous to leave Church either, before we've had a chance
to thank God for the gift of the Eucharist. That takes time! How confusing
it is to children when people are leaving Church right after Communion, or
even before the priest has a chance to make his way down the aisle of
Church. We wouldn't think of leaving a dinner party right after we at our
last bite. Good upbringing means that we nurture the relationship with our
host, not just get what we want and get out of there.
Then we hear the words, "Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord!" We truly
become what we eat, the Body of Christ. As we leave for home we do so to
"be" the Body of Christ in our families, at work and school, and with
everyone we meet. That needs to be reflected in the kindness of our words,
the respect we show for others and the love we share all week long. We
don't fight with our brothers and sisters on the way home. We don't talk
about our neighbor or speak in judgmental and resentful ways. We try to be
patient in the parking lot and when we arrive at home.
Some of us have accepted God's call to serve as Lectors, Extraordinary
Ministers of the Eucharist, Mass Servers, Choir Members and Ushers. What a
privilege it is to serve at the Table of the Lord. And Jesus is truly
present. We need to remember that when we Serve, and take our
responsibility seriously. What does Jesus think when we're on the schedule
to serve at His table and simply don't show up ... thinking somebody else
will probably do it? Jesus is there. It is our privilege to serve
faithfully and with great joy.
What a great chance we are given this weekend to reflect upon how special
receiving the Eucharist really is. This week we can continue to reflect on
the way we approach the Eucharist. May we do so with reverence and love,
and go in peace "to love and serve the Lord," with much love and enthusiasm.
Have a good week!
(c)MMX 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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