.=: 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 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 HYPERLINK www.frpat.com 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. HYPERLINK www.frpat.com www.frpat.com Become a fan of: Ireland 2010 with Fr. Pat Umberger on Facebook. .=: V O L U M E 2 0 1 0 , Number 04-25 :=. .=: T H I S W E E K E N D ' S S C R I P T U R E S :=. The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year C. Weekend of 24 and 25 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: www.nccbuscc.org/nab "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles." Who are those we would consider most likely to listen to the word of God? When have we seen those most likely to follow be the ones who reject? "All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region." How and why would the word of the Lord continue to spread? How do we help spread God's word? Hinder it? "For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Why is the image of the shepherd so comforting and appealing? Who are our shepherds? In what way are we ourselves shepherds? When do we lead faithfully? How could we lead others astray? Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me." How did Jesus sheep gain the ability to hear and recognize Jesus voice? Why would they follow Jesus? Why is it best when we follow Jesus? 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 :=. "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles." Who are those we would consider most likely to listen to the word of God? When have we seen those most likely to follow be the ones who reject? "All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region." How and why would the word of the Lord continue to spread? How do we help spread God's word? Hinder it? "For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Why is the image of the shepherd so comforting and appealing? Who are our shepherds? In what way are we ourselves shepherds? When do we lead faithfully? How could we lead others astray? Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me." How did Jesus sheep gain the ability to hear and recognize Jesus voice? Why would they follow Jesus? Why is it best when we follow Jesus? How are these readings challenging? Comforting? (c)MMIV Fr. Pat Umberger. These Reflection Questions are 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. .=: S P I R I T U A L R E F L E C T I O N :=. In my first assignment after Ordination I served with a priest who would tell people, "The closest I've ever been to a sheep is 51% of my sweater." In our drives around Onalaska, we're likely to see a sheep. The fact is though, that many of us have not had much experience with them. During the time of Jesus people would have been very familiar with their idiosyncrasies. They'd be aware of how vulnerable a sheep could be to a predator. They'd know about the relationship that would develop between the sheep and the shepherd. When I visited Israel, I saw three little shepherd boys. Their sheep were all mixed up with one another as the boys talked an played games. When it came time for one of the boys to go he got up, made a clicking sound and began to walk away. That was all he had to do. His sheep followed him. They knew his voice and trusted him to care for them. There are many voices that speak to us, that's for sure. Sometimes those among us who would be expected to listen to the good voices have a hard time listening. The values of the world, the opinions of others, thoughts of what we want all can get in the way. We can find ourselves following voices that don't lead us anywhere good. Then, like lost sheep, we look for kindness and protection. We turn back to those who can be trusted to protect and provide for us. It can be a very hard lesson. The good news is that God will always be there for us. When we listen to God's voice things go better for us. That's why it is so important that we make opportunities to listen to the voice of God. We can read God's word in the Sacred Scriptures during the week. We can be particularly attentive to the Liturgy of the Word when we come to Mass. We can listen to the words of those who follow God's way and be confident that it's a good thing to follow in their path. We're not only responsible for ourselves. God has given us children, grandchildren, friends and co-workers. They come to respect us and even want to be like us. Sometimes our behavior isn't worthy behavior for them to follow. We can use unworthy language, be judgmental of others, foster discrimination, treat our commitments casually and even live together before marriage. We can be scandalized when our children use unworthy language, discriminate against others or are not faithful to relationships with us and with their friends. The truth is that we are called by God to be their shepherds. We watch our children grow up with great pride and joy. We're so happy to see them Baptized. We put our own lives on the line as we promise to bring them to Church on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation and to set a worthy example for them to follow. We're so proud when we see them come forward with such innocent and awesome beauty on the day of their First Communion. We're inspired to see teenagers come forward and commit themselves to Christ and the Church for the rest of their lives on the day of their Confirmation. We've been a part of their formation, there's no doubt about that at all. I'm spending this weekend at the Knights of Columbus State Convention. My faith will be strengthened by those who have grown in their faith and share it in a beautiful way through their Charity, Unity, Fraternity and Patriotism. God remains active in them and can strengthen our faith, parish and families as well. This week we can consider the voices we follow. We can try to understand how that can help or hinder those who follow our example. We can consider too, our responsibility to be good shepherds to those around us, young and old. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We are called to follow in Jesus' footsteps and to help those around us do the same. That's enough work for all of us. 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 Evangelization (reaching out): www.cmonback.com .=: M A K E A D O N A T I O N ? :=. www.frpat.com/donation.htm .=: F O R W A R D I N G :=. Please leave these credits when doing so. .=: C H A N G E Y O U R S U B S C R I P T I O N :=. Unsubscribe from your old address before you subscribe with your new address. Use this link: www.frpat.com/morningprayer.htm#mp You can also set your account to Vacation Mode there.