<TW>Weekend of 01 and 02 September 2007
- From: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:31:09 -0500
.=: T H I S W E E K E N D :=.
from Father Pat Umberger
___________________________________________________
J O I N S I S T E R J O S E L D A A N D M E
A great Pilgrimage to the Holy Land - 04-15 November 2007!
WE HAVE EXCEEDED OUR GOAL OF 36 TRAVELERS, but have eleven seats available.
E-mail Father Pat if you're interested in very reasonable transportation
from La Crosse (Onalaska) to Minneapolis.
$2714 from Minneapolis or $2599 from JFK in New York!
Land only price (meet us in the Holy Land) is $1926.
ALL BUT 4 SEATS MUST BE SURRENDERED TO THE AIRLINES AFTER AUGUST 27th!
The brochure and full information, including hotel links, is on-line.
Follow the link from: www.frpat.com
If you will be joining us, let me know as soon as you can so I can keep
track of the group!
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T H E Y E L L O W B U S E S A R E C O M I N G ! ! ! !
The Yellow Buses are coming! Don't you enjoy the time of the year when huge
yellow pencils marked "Back to School" hang in department stores ... and
aisles full of happy children shopping for assignment notebooks and yellow
pencils? I do! (-:
Actually, it's very important to be ready for school. Many of us can
remember the sinking feeling of being way behind, of taking a test we
weren't prepared to take. This year we can make a resolution to stay caught
up. Certainly, we need to remember that God is with us as we prepare for a
new school year as well.
I've put together a special "Back to School" page at the Web Site. There's
a blessing we'll use in our parishes the weekend before school starts.
There's also a blessing for parents or grandparents and kids to pray
together. That can be done on the first day of school ... or, even better,
before school every day!
I've also put together three special pages ... for KIDS, TEENS and PARENTS
They're filled with helpful links. Faith links, fun links, and links to
help with homework.
You can find it all at our web site. Just follow the link from
www.frpat.com
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.=: V O L U M E 2 0 0 7 , Number 09-02 :=.
.=: T H I S W E E K E N D ' S S C R I P T U R E S :=.
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C.
Weekend of 01 and 02 September 2007
Follow this link for this weekend's Scriptures:
www.nccbuscc.org/nab/
.=: R E F L E C T I O N Q U E S T I O N S :=.
"My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more
than a giver of gifts." Who are the people we admire and like the most? Are
they humble? What is it about humility that is so endearing? How could we
be more humble?
"God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor." How does God
call us to make a home for the poor?
"Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place ... " When do
we received favored places or favored status? How does it make us feel when
someone who is very *important* spends time us and listens to us? How can
we be better at that with others ourselves.
"Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame,
the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay
you." When have we invited someone or paid attention to someone when there
was no chance their repaying us or of our family members and/or friends
hearing about what we have done?
How are these readings challenging? Comforting?
(c)MMVII 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 :=.
When I was younger I'd often listen to the news on La Crosse radio. Milo
Knutson, the former mayor, would report the news. At the end of each
newscast he'd say, "It's nice to be important, but it's much more important
to be nice." Today our Scriptures help us take a look at our importance.
Who are the important people in our lives? Which ones have contributed the
most to our security, happiness and well-being? How have they related with
us and others? Why did they become so important to us in our lives?
I'm sure many of us would speak of those who had high expectations for us
and have challenged us to grow in many ways. They may have done that with
great love and kindness. Sometimes though, they may have been demanding and
even harsh.
Probably the people who have added the most to our quality of life have been
those who cared enough about us to stop and listen to us, to give us the
attention we needed and when we needed it. They were often the one who
stood by us in hard times without judging. They're those trustworthy folks
who wouldn't talk about us to others, but would be very happy with our
accomplishments. Sometimes they're the kind of people who would say nice
things about us, even behind our backs.
Many of the people who influence us for the better are very humble people.
They seem more interested in us than they are in telling us about
themselves. They pitch in and help us even when we don't ask for help.
Their attention helps make us feel important. When we find friends like
that, they're a real treasure. They teach us God's way by their example.
This can be a good week for us to take a look at how we relate to others?
Are we sometimes demanding? Do we need to have our own way? Are we quick to
judge others? Do we sometimes spend the time when others are talking
thinking of what we'll say next, and even how we'll top the story they are
telling? If these things are true of us, we're not being very humble.
We can appreciate the goodness God has put within us. It's not helpful for
us to walk around with bowed heads and look guilty our whole life long.
We're called to use God's gifts gratefully and humbly, and to help build
God's kingdom by the example we set.
We can look at the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Rather than thinking
about herself and her health, a pregnant Mary traveled to check on her
cousin Elizabeth who was also with child. She stayed with her for about
three months. Mary lived a life of great humility. She remained always
ready t do God's will.
We can imitate that humility in our lives. Our goal when meeting people can
be to help them see their goodness and their gifts. This week we can look
at the negativity in our lives and ask God to be in the part of us, to heal
us and to move us on to more worthy pursuits. We can look at the honors we
have taken for ourselves. If we've become the king of the remote controls,
we can relinquish some of this control to others. We can defer to family
members and friends. We can even offer our brother or sister the bigger
piece of cake or candy. We can help them to feel better about themselves
and what they have to offer.
When we relax a little more and notice the good in the people around us, the
pressure is less. And when we affirm the gifts of others, it seems that we
receive unexpected gifts in return. "It's nice to be important, but it's
much more important to be nice." The humble folks in my life have been the
most important to me. I'm sure many of us would have to say the same. Have
a good week!
(c)MMVII 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
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