<TW>Weekend of 25 and 26 July 2009

  • From: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Fr. Pat Umberger" <frpat@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:06:54 -0500

.=:  T H I S    W E E K E N D  :=.
     from Father Pat Umberger

__________________________________________________

.=:  V O L U M E   2 0 0 9 , Number 07-26 :=.

.=:  T H I S   W E E K E N D ' S   S C R I P T U R E S  :=.

The Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B.
Weekend of 25 and 26 July 2009

.=:  R E F L E C T I O N    Q U E S T I O N S  :-.

"For thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left
over.'" And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had
said. When have we used the excuse "There won't be enough (time, money,
food, etc.)?"
 
"The hand of the Lord feeds us; he answers all our needs." In what ways is
this true? When are we reluctant to trust this? Why?

" ... I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the
call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love ... " If we were to live lives worthy
of our calling how would we live? How would we have to change? How could
this change others or encourage them to change?
 
Why are humility, gentleness and patience so important? How have we gotten
into trouble through our pride, harshness and impatience? "Where can we buy
enough food for them to eat?" When have we been tempted to encourage others
to "buy" rather than giving to them what we had?

"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good
are these for so many?" When have we been overwhelmed by the generosity of
children? When have we used the excuse, "I might not have enough" when asked
to give?
 
"So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments
from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat." When
have we experienced great abundance within our hearts after helping someone
else?
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   :=.

"That's mine!" Don't we hate to hear those words coming out of the mouths of
our children. We work hard to make sure they share what they have. Still,
when something is theirs they sometimes become very possessive. They might
even be unrealistic in their greed. They might begin to feel that if
somebody even touches a toy or possession that it will never be the same
again.
 
As adults too, it is tempting to think of ourselves first. We can be aware
that this is not good and even go to lengths not to let others know we are
feeling that way. Still, when we work more than somebody else, we can become
resentful. When we have something and others don't, we can conceal what we
have. When we are asked to help we can be tempted to say "I'm too busy," or
"I might be out of town that weekend" before even thinking. When asked to
make a donation we can first consider every possibility and how we might
someday need what we're asked to give and to say, "No."
 
In this weekend's scriptures Paul reminds us to live lives worthy of our
calling. What would the world be like if those who came before us kept
everything they had to themselves. They knew that they owed everything to
God. When they came to this country they knew what would be needed to
provide a good life for themselves and their children. In the midst of
scratching out a living and building houses and lives they strove to live
lives worthy of their calling. Out of their need they built Churches. They
didn't do the minimum either, but made sure those Church buildings reflected
the place of God in their lives. They filled them with stained glass, art
and good music.
 
They loved their children. They didn't think of themselves first, but
provided for the needs of their children. They built schools and made sure
their children attended them. They supported priests and sisters and wanted
to maximize the contact their children had with the Church. They didn't
bother themselves with the concern, "I might need that someday." They knew
that those they loved needed it right then. The legacy they left was more
than money. It bore fruit in eternal life. 
 
Even though they lives were busy and work was hard they made sure they set a
worthy example for their children by coming to Church on Sundays and Holy
Days and giving God glory by dressing in their "Sunday best."
 
They loved their neighbor. Many died young due to disease or accident. Many
children had no parents. They built orphanages and made sure those without
parents had a place to be cared for until they could be adopted. They made
sure too that these children had maximum contact with priests and sisters
and knew they had a home at Church.
 
The built hospitals too, and made sure the sick had spiritual as well as
medical care. But things have changed. We have become addicted to security.
We want many things and easily convince ourselves that those "wants" are
"needs." We would seem unbelievably wealthy to our ancestors. Still, we can
find it easy to convince ourselves that we are poor. Like Jesus disciples we
can see the needs of others and then ask who will help? Certainly the young
people can take care of that. Certainly the welfare system can do it.
Certainly somebody else will do it.
 
After all it might inconvenience me. I might be too busy. I might be "out of
town" then.  And we have the example of the little boy that didn't realize
that he didn't have enough food to feed so many. He gave all that he had and
found that it was more than was needed. Indeed there was more left after the
people were fed than there was in the beginning. And so it can be with us.
Our exaggerated concern for ourselves can lead to feelings of loneliness,
self-pity, isolation, discomfort and even desperation.
 
When we begin to think of others though, our self-seeking melts away.
Meaning and happiness return. We look at what we've given and wonder at how
we don't even miss it. We feel full and fulfilled as we seem to have more
than we started with. 
 
There are children around us who need examples of generosity and faith. They
need a Catholic education. They need contact with the Church, with priests
and sisters. They need to hear encouraging rather than discouraging words.
They need to learn to be generous and faith-filled by watching us live lives
worthy of our calling. 
 
This week we can take stock of what we have and what we really need. We can
compare our own wealth with that of those who first came to this country. If
we have the courage we can ask God to show us how our lives would have to
change if we lived "lives worthy of our calling." We can pray for a
willingness to move beyond self-seeking that we might continue to build in
our homes, in our parish and in our world the Kingdom of God. We won't do
that thinking only of ourselves. There are children all around us wondering
what it means to "live a life worthy of our calling." How are we going to
show them? Have a good week!

(c)MMIX 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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  • » <TW>Weekend of 25 and 26 July 2009 - Fr. Pat Umberger