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Reflection for the Week of 07/30/06:
"We Come for the Food"

By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

one of our parishioners says that he first came to St. Vincent's for the meals; he now stays for the community. Today's first reading and the Gospel passage from the writer of John both paint pictures of meals with leftovers. The prophet Elisha fed a crowd and "there was some left over." The familiar story of the feeding of the multitude also mentions that there was "more than they could eat." The real work of wonder is that the people shared what they themselves had brought along so that love and generosity was stronger than selfishness and hoarding.
Jessica Powers, the Carmelite poet, aptly relates both readings in her poem

"The Leftovers."
With twenty loaves of bread Elisha fed
the one hundred till they were satisfied,
and Scripture tells us there was bread left over.
Jesus did more: with five small barley loaves
and two dried fish he fed five thousand men,
together with their wives and children, all
neatly arranged upon the cushioned grass.
The awed disciples, when the crowd had eaten,
gathered up what was left: twelve baskets full.
Who then received these fragments? Hopefully
the least (though not less favored) and the poor.
I think of those who always seem to get
the leavings from the banqueting of others,
the scraps of bread, of life, that goodness saves.
I pray that they come proudly when invited,
make merry at their meal and have their fill,
and rise up thankfully, remembering
the fragments, too, were miracles of love.

Most people have fridges with leftovers in them. Those leftovers can be symbols of the food of ourselves that we can easily share with others. As Jessica Powers reminds us, even the fragments are miracles of love. Our parish has a reputation for its love of and generosity to the poor and to the hungry who come to our doors. While our guests might come for the food, we can share more than food. We can feed them with the generous miracle of our love.
Ponder:
*What in my life can I share with someone that can become a miracle of love?
*If I come to St. Vincent's to be nourished by our liturgy, prayer together, and music, how can I contribute to our mission?
Do:
*Do the obvious this week: help with meals!

 

Previous Articles

Week of 07/23/06:
"Another Prophet with a Pointed Message"
By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

Week of 07/16/06:
"Amos, a Reluctant Prophet"
By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

Week of 07/09/06:
"The Commonplace Prophet"
By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

Week of 07/02/06:
"Your Faith Has Saved You"
By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

Week of 06/25/06:
"Behold New Things Have Come"
By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

Week of 06/18/06:
"Noon Eucharist at St. Vincent's"
By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

Week of 06/11/06:
Was It Ever Heard Of?
By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

Week of 06/04/06:
The First Pentecost
By Sr. Reginia Siegfried, ACS

Week of 05/28/06:
Home to Learn
By Mark Grayson

Week of 05/21/06:
Home to Learn
By Lindsey Oliver

Week of 05/14/06:
Home to Learn
By Bridget McKenna

Week of 05/07/06:
Home to Learn
By Matthew Pettitt

Week of 04/30/06:
Home to Learn
By Danielle Koenig

Week of 04/23/06:
Home to Learn
By Milton Edward Laxton

Week of 04/16/06:
"Easter" is a Verb
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 04/09/06:
It's a Drama of Redemptive Proportions
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 04/02/06:
Plant a Seed this Spring
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 03/26/06:
Better Believe It!
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 03/19/06:
Let's Make This Perfectly Clear
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 03/12/06:
Tales of Two Sons Are Our Stories Too
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 03/05/06:
"Look, Look to the Rainbow": God's Covenant with Us and the Earth
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 02/26/06:
"You are Our Letter, Written on Our Hearts"
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 02/19/06:
Carry That Mat Proudly
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 02/12/06:
"The Other" Within
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 02/05/06:
"Everyone is Looking for You"
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 01/29/06:
Who Are the Prophets When You Need Them?
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 01/22/06:
Who? Me? Servant and Disciple?
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 01/15/06:
"Speak, for Your Servant is Listening"
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

Week of 01/08/06:
"All Stars are One"
By Sr. Regina Siegfried, ASC

 

 

Parish Mission Statement

We, the people of St. Vincent's Parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri, are committed to following Christ, evangelizer of the poor. We do this through:
- Worship and continued spiritual formation for both laity and clergy
- Serving the poor and oppressed
- Preaching the Gospel by word and action in an ecumenical spirit