Journeys:
From Bethlehem to Middle Earth to your house

		Living the Scriptures  with St. Paul University  Catholic Center  Jackie Lesperance

As the youngest of eight boys, I can imagine what David's life might have been like. Always getting the barely wearable hand-me-down clothing, always picked last when playing team games, and always stuck home tending the sheep while his older brothers went and . . . well, did whatever was fun and cool to do back then.

Poor David, he's even stuck at home while his father and brothers go to the prophet Samuel's special sacrifice to God, which turns out to be the anointing ceremony of the future king. How surprised they all must be when they find out that David is exactly who God has in mind for the job! Even Samuel was not expecting that one.

Fourth Sunday of Lent (March 6, 2005) 1 Sam 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a Ps 23: 1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 Eph 5:8-14 Jn 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38

David's story reminds me of Frodo Baggins - the young, unassuming, and inexperienced little hobbit in The Lord of the Rings. Frodo becomes the bearer of the great ring of power and is responsible for destroying it along with the great darkness that exists in the world.

He is probably the last person anyone thinks could accomplish such a task - and, at times, he even doubts himself. The whole journey is something no one had expected.

I, for one, can recognize several instances in my life when God has defied expectations I had of Him and what He was calling me to do. For example, youth ministry was not exactly what I had in mind as I was pursuing a degree in zoology at UW-Madison.

Time and time again, I am reminded to not put God in a box. God could be up to something in ways we would never have guessed. And, as we have seen, He calls ordinary people to extraordinary things.

We, too, like Frodo, are called upon each and every day to expose the works of darkness in this world and in ourselves to the light of the Lord; it is our service as children of God, regardless of age or occupation.

Yet the darkness that exists in our world today does not always reveal itself as warriors or monsters. Much darkness exists in far more subtle forms - like anger, greed, or self-righteousness (to name only a few).

	Reflection questions • What are areas of darkness in your life? How might God be calling you to face these? • What gifts has God given you? How might the Holy Spirit be able to use these gifts for God's purposes?

This may seem disheartening. And, if we were to end the story here, I believe we would have reason to be worried.

However, let's not forget that once young David accepts his calling and is anointed by Samuel, "from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon [him]." It is the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, the grace of God, which enables ordinary people like us to accomplish extraordinary things.

Jackie Lesperance, a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was a peer minister and Bible study leader at St. Paul University Catholic Center. Now a biology teacher, she also serves as youth minister at St. Ignatius and St. Mary Parishes in Mt. Horeb and Pine Bluff and leads the Women's Discipleship Training Group at St. Paul's.

St. Paul's Web site is www.stpaulscc.org

Faith Alive!

In a Nutshell "The Eucharist is a mystery of presence," Pope John Paul II wrote. With the church's entire tradition, "we believe that Jesus is truly present under the eucharistic species," the pope explained. This eucharistic presence of Jesus, the pope said, "is called 'real' not in an exclusive way, as if to suggest that other forms of Christ's presence are not real, but par excellence." Catholic News Service 3211 Fourth St NE Washington DC 20017 202.541.3250 cns@catholicnews.com	Food for Thought   Catholics say "amen" after a Communion minister at Mass says in giving the host to them, "The body of Christ." This amen, Bishop Joseph Charron of Des Moines, Iowa, said, not only proclaims faith in Jesus' real presence in the Blessed Sacrament. "Our amen is also a declaration of intent -- to go and do as Jesus did, even to the extreme sacrifice of our lives." The Jesuit theologian Father Walter Burghardt said something similar. In a 1994 speech he called the Eucharist "a presence of Christ; a real presence; ... a presence that stems from love, from the love of a God-man, and leads to love, a crucified love for every man and woman." Father Burghardt said the Eucharist demands that we become "genuine eucharists" -- become "present to our sisters and brothers, really present." Pope John Paul II asked Catholics in this Year of the Eucharist "to cultivate a lively awareness of Christ's real presence" in the Mass and in "worship of the Eucharist outside Mass." full story   Cultivating a Lively Awareness of Christ's Real Presence By Sister Janet Baxendale, SC Catholic News Service We know that in the Eucharistic Prayer, when the words of consecration are prayed over the bread and wine, these simple physical substances are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. Christ becomes really present in our midst! This awesome reality is a very familiar truth to us. Too often, however, we limit our concept of the real presence to this act of transubstantiation. While Christ's coming under the form of food to feed us so that we may grow strong in him is a gift of inestimable value, it is not the only experience of Christ's real presence the Mass offers. full story  The Day Jesus Rode the Light Rail By Stanley J. Konieczny Catholic News Service Henry was a man of prayer. Every day he spent time praying for those he loved, for those he remembered, for those he read about in the newspaper. But perhaps Henry's most fervent prayer in his retirement years was for good health and vision so that he could continue to drive. For Henry, like many seniors, driving means independence. Henry did not want to "bother" anyone for a ride every time he had an appointment or needed something from the store. full story  You Are What You Eat By Marcellino D'Ambrosio Catholic News Service I've been thinking a lot about Christ's real presence in the Eucharist and what I would say to someone struggling with indifference toward this sacrament or someone not inclined to sit and pray in its presence. I wouldn't argue with this person, but I'd tell a bit of my own story. As a child I thought Catholicism was just a matter of rules, regulations and doctrines to believe. If that were the sum total of it all, I'm not sure we'd need sacraments. full story
	Faith in the Marketplace   This Week's Discussion Point: Where and how is Christ present in your daily life?     Selected Response From Readers:
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