The
Fourth Sunday of Lent, 2002
1 Samuel 16:1,6-7,10-13
“…for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance,
but the LORD looks on the heart."
Ephesians 5:8-14
"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you
light."
John 9:1-41
This scripture passage tells the story of a blind man cured by Jesus. We are
also told of the temple priest’s reluctance to believe that this miracle has
happened. The deeper meaning is that Jesus brings His light to the world. It is
up to us to recognize that light, ascertain it’s meaning to us, and act on it.
Yes, we believe in Jesus. We come to Mass. We pray,
thanking God for His gifts and asking for His blessings. This is good because in
doing so we acknowledge our dependence on Him. Is this enough? … I thought it
was.
It wasn’t until 1986, after her bypass surgery, that
my late wife Anne said she wanted to “give something back” and volunteered
to teach a religious education class. And it wasn’t until then that I
reluctantly went with her to Renew Small Group sessions. My involvement with
ministry grew from there. We discovered that “giving back” directly to God
was impossible. He has everything. We give back by using the God given gifts and
talents for the benefit of those who need them.
God’s creation provides the world with all that it
needs to survive and prosper. His creation and love provide all that we need to
grow in wisdom and love. That, I believe, was His intent. Mankind responded to
this glorious plan with selfishness and greed. Every man for himself! This
attitude is the “darkness” that Jesus came to dispel.
Jesus came to open our eyes. He came to teach us to
look into our hearts and to awaken us to the fact that each of us must share.
When we look to what we can share, we should be aware that we have been given
talents and abilities, and it is far more meaningful to share these first, and
after sharing ourselves, we can share the material things these talents have
brought to us. We are asked to do just a little bit, and keep in mind that there
would be no beach if it weren’t for each little grain of sand.
You can help change the world, just by sharing God’s
gifts.
Don Plefka
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Church Bulletin Articles
Sunday Reflections
The members of the Liturgy Planning Ministry, meet before the major
church seasons to discuss the "focus" of the season and how the
liturgies can be used to bring the parishioners to a better understanding of the
season. The members of this ministry include the pastor, liturgy staff members,
music staff members, the head of the Art and Environment ministry, and several
parishioners who have an interest and training of the subject. I am a member.
One of the functions of a few of these members is to write articles for the
parish weekly bulletin during these seasons. Articles that I have written are on
this page.
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The
Fourth Sunday of Lent, 2002
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The
World of Grandpa Don
www.plefka.net |
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