<TW>Weekend of 11 and 12 November 2006
- From: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 13:24:20 -0600
.=: T H I S W E E K E N D :=.
from Father Pat Umberger
___________________________________________________
R A F F L E C A L E N D A R
$16,800 in Prizes!
2007 Adesse Raffle Calendars are now available! There are daily drawings
from 01 January-31 December 2007. Calendars are $25. You'll be a winner
because you'll be helping our parish . . . and you might win a prize as
well! If you're interested, just visit our Parish Web Site to see the
calendar, prizes and more . . . and fill out the easy form there and we'll
save some for you! Just follow the link from:
www.frpat.com
N O V E M B E R
We pray for those who have died.
Visit our special November Pages for All Saints Day, All Souls Day and the
Mexican Day of the Dead. Read about the Catholic view of Cremation. Read
about some of the dangers of the Occult and follow the link to read about
how Halloween can be redeemed!
www.frpat.com
_________________________________________________
.=: V O L U M E 2 0 0 6 , Number 11-12 :=.
.=: T H I S W E E K E N D ' S S C R I P T U R E S :=.
The Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B.
Weekend of 11 and 12 November 2006
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 :=.
"Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare
something for myself and my son; when we have eaten it, we shall die." What
can a person in this shape be expected to give?
Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid. Go and do as you propose. But first
make me a little cake and bring it to me." How does Elijah's request give
her dignity? What kind of faith would prompt her to give away what she and
her son need to live?
"Just as it is appointed that human beings die once, and after this the
judgment, so also Christ, offered once to take away the sins of many, will
appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those
who eagerly await him." Jesus gives all he has to bring us everything.
When are we called to imitate Jesus? Why is this so difficult for us?
"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept
greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of
honor at banquets." Who are those who enrich themselves while making it
appear that they are helping others?
"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other
contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her
poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." In what
situations do we protect what we might want or need before giving to those
in need? What is "surplus wealth" these days?
How are these Scriptures comforting? Challenging?
(c)MMVI 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 :=.
Every so often we hear of the death of a person who lived a very simple and
even austere life-style. After their death everyone is surprised by their
great wealth. Sometimes that wealth is even in cash, hidden around the
house or buried in the yard. Many times too, that person lived a solitary
life. Sometimes they leave a surprising amount of money to an unexpected
charity. Often they leave it to nobody at all.
Sometimes our possessions can possess us. We can worry so much about what
we have and what we can get that we neglect family members and friends. We
believe that accumulating many things will make us happy. Sometimes we are
surprised when we work hard to buy things for those we love and find that
what they needed most was our time.
Then we hear about someone who is generous to a fault. We can even worry
about them as they reach out to help their children and family members. We
think they are being foolish as they contribute to the Church, school or
another charity. When we hear the amount of our donation we can try to
figure out what resources they really have. They must be loaded if they're
giving that much!
That's usually not the case. Many of the most miserable people are spending
lots of time and energy figuring out what they have, what they can get and
how secure they can make themselves. There is nothing wrong with providing
for ourselves and our families, but we can become so obsessed that we almost
believe that we are making ourselves invincible by doing so. The things we
accumulate can easily become our God.
The happiest people are usually the ones involved with many others. Often
they have been extraordinarily generous in raising and helping their
children. While others do not have the time, they seem to be able to help
at Church and in the community at the same time. Although they're busy all
the time and don't seem to have many things they seem to be happy. They
are!
The widows in this weekend's first reading and gospel gave all they had. The
needs of others were that important. They are honored for this. The ones
who parade around in fancy clothes, devour the houses of widows and cover it
up by public prayer come across as looking quite foolish.
Jesus is the supreme example of giving everything for those he loved. He
died and rose again in order to take away our sins and bring us salvation.
This week we can take a look at what we work for. We can look at our values
and try to determine if we're spending our time on cultivating the things
that are the most important. If we find ourselves accumulating and
worrying, we might consider doing something truly generous. Chances are
that we'll find the elusive happiness and joy we seek when we think more
about others than we do of ourselves. Have a good week!
__________________________________________________
<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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