.=: 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 05-30 :=. .=: 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 Trinity, Year C. Weekend of 29 and 30 May 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 "The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago; from of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth." How can we fathom this ... a God that has always been in existence ... a*l*w*a*y*s! "When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you set in place -- What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?" How does God continue to create? How are we responsible for preserving God's creation? "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God." Imagine how much God loves us, giving us his son Jesus who died for us and brought us hope in a life that will never end. "But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth." How is God's Holy Spirit active in the world? In our lives? When do we cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit. What makes it difficult for us to do so? 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 :=. "In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Simple, isn't it? We learned that prayer when we first began to come to Church. Perhaps our parents helped us put our fingers in the holy water font and bless ourselves as we said it. It's the prayer with which we begin and end all our prayers. It's the prayer with which we begin and end the Eucharist as well. What a great reminder it is! God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have always been in existence ... will always be in existence. It's a mystery that we cannot fully understand. Even though it cannot be fully understood, it can be lived and appreciated. God is Father, the one who made all things and keeps them in existence. God created the world we live in and all the wonderful things we can enjoy. He created us and gave us dominion over the world. God calls us to take good care of the world as well, and pass it on in good shape to the generations that come after us. We can help God in his continuing work as well. We can respect the gift of our sexuality and be faithful to our vows. We can cooperate with God as he creates new life within us and charges us with the responsibility of raising our children as children of God. What a wonderful privilege. What a hard job! God is Son. God love us so much that he gave us his son to reveal God's love for us. Jesus was the word of God made flesh. He lived the love of God for us and taught us to do so. He helped to open our minds to higher things and to accept our higher calling. He died and rose again that we might have life, forgiveness and the courage to live as God's children every day. We can receive Jesus, body, soul and divinity every time we go to Mass. We become what we eat, the very body of Christ here on earth. What greater love could God have for us than to give us his Son? God is Spirit. The love of the Son for the Father and the Father for the Son was expressed in the Holy Spirit. That Spirit of God calls us to live as sisters and brothers to one another. We become one body in Christ and become indeed the body of Christ in the world we live in. The gifts of the Holy Spirit give us the courage and strength to do each day what we need to do as we strive to live as children of God. Those gifts are awesome indeed. If we cooperate with the Holy Spirit others will be amazed at the lives we live. God as Trinity is too complicated for us to fully understand. It is described as a "mystery." Our minds are just not large enough to grasp it. But we can live that mystery each day, as we are thankful and responsible for creation, as we follow the example and light of Christ, as we draw upon God's strength to do good things in God's name. This week we can reflect upon these truths and live as thankful children of God. We can open ourselves to receive God's gifts that we can build up the body of Christ. We can reject the kind of gossip and negative talk that can tear down others and weaken Christ body here on earth. 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. 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