St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Green Bay shared a reflection in their Aug. 9 bulletin on the matter of our existence and why we are here.

Deacon Steve Meyer shared a story about his grandfather who believed strongly in a handful of things: God, family, community, honesty, draft horses and mission.

“And his mission was farming,” Meyer said. “He got up before dawn and worked in the sun all day, driven by the heartfelt and noble purpose of feeding the world.”

Meyer’s grandfather believed that it was his duty to feed everyone and that it was a basic thing to provide for the physical hunger that people experience.

“The thing that bothered Grandpa more than anything else was the fact that American farmers like himself produced plenty of food to feed the world," Meyer said. "There was no reason why kids in India or Africa or Flint or Oakland should go hungry."

Meyer’s grandfather understood that the true problem was distribution was not happening in the way in that it should. In other words, people go hungry because of political issues muddying the waters of food distribution.

Meyer relayed the story in time for the parish’s Confirmation weekend.

While we may understand what needs to be done, our desires and priorities can make it difficult for us to remember to put first the Kingdom of God.

“At its most foundational and rudimentary level, our faith calls us to care enough about our fellow human beings to make sure everyone has food to eat, clean water to drink and a safe place to sleep at night,” Meyer said.

As new individuals become confirmed into the church, Meyer petitions that they seek out what their missions are and what God gave them to handle in their lifetime.

“As we all renew our baptismal promises, we are invited to reflect on our own passion and priorities,” Dcn. Meyer concluded.