<TW>Weekend of 11 and 12 August 2007
- From: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 16:38:49 -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 MET OUR GOAL OF 36 TRAVELERS.
$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!
___________________________________________________
.=: V O L U M E 2 0 0 7 , Number 08-12 :=.
.=: T H I S W E E K E N D ' S S C R I P T U R E S :=.
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C.
Weekend of 11 and 12 August 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 :=.
"If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." What does it mean to
harden our hearts to God's voice?
"Think of what is above, not of what is on earth." What are the things of
earth that are the most distracting to us? In the long run, how much can
they benefit us? What do we lose when we focus on the things of earth?
"Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry." What
changes does this call us to make? Can we trust that God will be with us as
we strive to make these changes?
"Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision,
barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all." Our
prejudices are "earthly." Which ones are the most difficult for us to give
up? Which ones are we unwilling to give up?
"Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's
life does not consist of possessions." What part do possessions play in our
lives? Is that part too big? If life doesn't consist of possessions, what
does it consist of? When have we found that obtaining possessions hasn't
been helpful to us?
"'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you
have prepared, to whom will they belong?" If our life ended this night,
what possessions would be helpful to us? What would be helpful to us?
"Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not
rich in what matters to God." What are the things that matter to God?
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 :=.
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be." God calls us to be his
own people. He has a dream for each of us. We are called to live as God's
children, as sisters and brothers to one another. We are to love God above
all things and our neighbor as ourselves. We are to use the things of the
world to accomplish God's work. How well are we doing?
The things of the world are certainly attractive to us. We can be tempted
to build new and bigger houses and to own all the things the world holds up
things that prove our worth. We care about how we look and what we have.
Sometimes we alter our behavior and even our words in order for us to fit
in. Others can tell what our treasure is. They can observe the things we
get excited about, the things we talk about, the things that seem to be our
priorities.
As we prepare for the beginning of a new school year we shop for school
supplies and school clothes. Chances are that we've done lots of talking
and listening. We want to wear what other kids are wearing and have what
they'll have. Parents want that for their children, too. Sometimes we're
tempted to spend more than we can afford in order to have the things that
help us feel that we fit in.
On the other hand we strive to be our own person. Young and old alike try
to express themselves. Sometimes kids are tempted to be a little radical.
Then we look at their friends and find that "radical" means "just like
them." We can actually lose our identity as we try to be just like others.
All the things we've been talking about are merely distractions from what is
really important. If they become our "treasure," we find that we devote
more time, resources and energy toward them than the other things in our
lives. We can work more hours in order to have "things," and find that we
don't have the time or energy to spend good time with our family members and
friends. As kids we can be so concerned with what others would think that
we spend lots of time with those we'd like to like us and not as much with
those who truly love us.
In the midst of all this we seek meaning in our lives. We yearn for
closeness with God, yet don't seem to find or make the time to be with God.
We'd like to have the faith of Abraham, yet are not willing to put in the
time and energy to grow in peace and holiness. Where we spend our time
betrays where our heart is.
Sometimes we have rude awakenings in our lives. We can see how poorly we've
spent our time and energy as the relationships around us deteriorate. We
realize how wise our parents were when we find ourselves in trouble because
we choose to do things our own way. We can be devastated by the emptiness
within even as we've accumulated the things that were supposed to make us
happy.
That emptiness is a sign that we need God. Our sinfulness and selfishness
is a sign that we need God. God is not far away at all. When God seems far
away, that's because we have moved away. When we turn back we are welcomed
with open arms.
This week we can consider the things that are truly important. We can ask
ourselves whether we spend the time and energy that are necessary in order
to cultivate good relationships with family members, friends and God. We
can make some changes in our lives and then gain the peace and serenity that
come naturally when we pursue the things that really matter. As parents and
grandparents we can set that example for our families. And if we have
children or grandchildren who seem to have discovered the secret, we can
follow their example. 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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