The 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
One of the greatest sermon openers I’ve ever heard about came from a priest of this diocese who had been ordained for a matter of months. He started his first Sunday sermon at the Cathedral with: “Y’all, the Devil is Full’a Crap.” I love it!
The single greatest thing we miss in READING about Jesus is HEARING Him speak. St. Paul confirms this in Romans 10: How can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? There’s nothing about reading. A preached sermon isn’t just the words, it’s the tone, the gestures, and the inflection that add a genuine human connection that the written word can’t capture.
We get hints of the spoken tone when Jesus uses what we call rhetorical devices in His preaching. The easiest to recognize is “hyperbole” - massive exaggeration. We see it when Jesus tells us to cut off our hands rather than commit a sin, because it’s better to go to heaven one-handed than to hell with both. The same with His advice about plucking the splinter from my neighbor’s eye without first taking the plank out of my own… These are obviously not meant to be taken at face value. They’re absurd and in the absurdity, they drive the point home.
This use of exaggeration is cultural. Some cultures don’t use it at all. Germans, for example, and Russians tend to be exact and literal. Any exaggeration might as well be a lie for them. But Americans and Aussies tend to describe everything from food to football as the “best thing in the world” or “life changing.” My own style of preaching uses a fair bit of exaggeration which tends to be pretty effective here in the States. Many of you reading this will remember Fr. Ferre’s mythical uncle who seemed to be able to do everything from cook a world-class ten-course meal to skydive without a parachute! These rhetorical devices are part and parcel of preaching. They keep our attention. They shock us a bit.
That’s why we are all taken aback when Jesus advises us to hate our families! The Greeks have a word for “to prioritize” (προτεραιότητα), but Jesus chose the more emotionally charged word “misei” (ηισει) which means “to reject” or, in certain contexts, “to hate.” From the context of the Gospel, there’s no doubt Jesus isn’t prescribing emotional hatred. After all, He’s just told us to love our enemies and our neighbors as ourselves. Still, the emotional charge of the word engages our emotions and passions and makes us pay attention to the deeper message of the teaching. In the context of Jewish family life, which was extremely involved compared to our culture, “hate” may be a good translation…
And, if we’re thinking through history, setting aside one’s family when and if that family gets in the way of “[carrying] his own cross and [coming] after [Jesus]” is hard to be sure, but it’s something that most every priest, nun, sister, monk, and brother have done for the last 20 centuries - so it’s not beyond the reach of imagination as a literal instruction.
Even so, the message is obviously not meant as literal for everyone who practices Christianity today. Jesus advises us over and over to love our friends, our neighbors, even our enemies. It’s unreasonable to think that the only people we're supposed to hate are our families…
His underlying point is that compared to God, no one else in our lives should even come close. Jesus is saying that if we love anyone above God, we sin and if we try to love anyone separate from God, we sin. Even very good things can be a detriment to us when they get in the way of our spiritual, mental, or physical health. One serving of boiled crawfish is good, thirty is bad. Anything can be overdone.
If we love God first, that love will spill over into every aspect of our lives and we’ll love our families better than if we had tried to prioritize them above the Lord. Genuine love of our families, then, begins with loving God first and before them. That love of God will bear fruit in us and thus be a greater gift to those we love than we, alone, could ever be.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30 pm In memory of Nettie and Philip Scurria/family
- Sun 8:00 am (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
- Sun 9:30 am For special intentions of Guizerix family
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00 am In memory of Terry Murphy (death anni)/family
- Wed 9:00 am For special intentions of Guizerix family
- Thu 9:00 am In memory of Kathleen Mills/Massey
- Fri 5:30 pm In memory of Beverly Lancaster (birth anni)/family
- Sat 5:30 pm In memory of JCB “Skeezix” Jumonville (birth anni)/family
- Sun 9:30 am In memory of R L Reynolds (death anni)/family
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning in memory of Vicki Morelli
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHC(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/6 5:30p | - | A Farlow | C VanderVieren |
| 9/7 9:30a | Annie, Thomas Meyers, Katelyn | A Oliver | - |
| 9/13 5:30p | - | M A Gilfoil | A Keene |
| 9/14 9:30a | Michael, Finley, Ashlyn | B Sullivan | - |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and Sunday from 9a until Mass
- Sept 7 First Sunday Benediction following Masses of the weekend
- Sept 7 Sunday Morning Catechism resumes with Coffee & Donuts (after 9:30 a.m. Mass)
- Sept 17 Pastoral Council meeting at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall
- Sept 21 Tax-Free Second Collection (more info to come)
For Your Information:
FORMED.ORG has weekly features at https://watch.formed.org/this-week-on-formed. Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at https://signup.formed.org
ROSARY GROUP meets on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to pray the Rosary. Everyone is invited to join in prayer. For more information, contact Louise Magoun (318-341-2403), coordinator.
MAUSOLEUM We have reached the end of our sales period for the Mausoleum. It will, of course, be possible to purchase spaces in the future, Our sales representative, Garth Daniels, can be reached at (318) 295-4409 If you have any questions or you know of anyone else interested in making a purchase, please encourage them to speak with Garth or call the church office.
FIRST SUNDAY BENEDICTION will follow all Masses this weekend as part of our larger program to develop a richer Eucharistic Devotion and to appreciate the gift we have in the true presence of Jesus on the Altar.
EMPOWERING GOD’S CHILDREN… parish volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and go online regularly at www.virtus.org for the latest training bulletins. Any questions or issues can be reported to the office. Printed resources are available on the table at the entrance to the Church.
- “Protecting our Children, Understanding and Preventing Child Sexual Abuse” includes Resources and Contact Numbers for reporting abuse.
- “Protecting God’s Children, Teaching Touching Safety Quick Reference Guide” The Diocesan Policy for the Protection of Minors and The Diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct for Priests, Deacons, Pastoral Ministers, Administrators, Staff, and Volunteers are available in the Safe Environment section of the diocesan website at DioceseAlex.org or a copy may be requested from the Safe Environment Office (318) 445-2401.
PLEDGE TO HEAL...If you or a family member has been abused or victimized by a representative of the Catholic church or a member of the clergy, please believe in the possibility for hope and help and healing. Dr. Lee Kneipp, Clinical Psychologist, Victim Assistance Coordinator, Diocese of Alexandria encourages those persons to come forward and speak out. Dr. Kneipp is establishing support groups in the central Louisiana area for victims and family members. The focus of these groups is to further emotional and spiritual healing as an adjunct to therapy, in an atmosphere of others who understand the pain, betrayal, and fear associated with abuse. Dr. Kneipp can be reached at 318-542-9805. All calls are confidential.
THE WORD AMONG US…..The September edition can be found on the table in front of the choir. If you would like to add this devotional help to your library of aids, please feel free to take a copy.
PRAYER FOR HURRICANE SEASON Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us during the Hurricane Season from all harm. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hastened to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen (Hurricane Season runs from June 1 through November 30)
Our Return to the Lord
Stewardship Jesus tells the crowd that only those who renounce all of their possessions can be His disciples. Is He truly asking us to give up everything? Perhaps instead He is trying to help us see that everything we think we own is really a gift from God. Good stewards know that and strive to use those gifts accountably.
SECOND COLLECTION this weekend is for our once monthly BUILDING FUND.
| Weekly Budget FY 2025-2026 | $ 2,500 |
| July Budget | $ 10,000 |
| July Collections | $ 14,417 |
| July Total Expenses | $ 6,599 * |
| August Budget | $ 10,000 |
| August 31 Collection | $ 3,075 |
| August Collections To Date | $ 15,035 |
* July’s expenses are actually a few thousand dollars higher than this number and are just about average for us for July for the past few years. The number looks much lower due to dates on which some checks were deposited. Our August expenses will seem off in the other direction for the same reasons.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Charlize Richardson (Sept 7), Kathleen Ellerbee (Sept 8), Lori Sullivan (Sept 11), Dan Copes (Sept 12), Gabriel Paz (Sept 15), and Ann Claire Fordice (Sept 15)
Happy Anniversary Sally and Bobby Reynolds (Sept 9)
In Our Daily Prayers…
Please let us know of anyone who is ill or hospitalized and would like to receive a visit from Father. Also, help us keep our prayer list up to date by advising us of those who should be added or removed.
For our Pope, Leo XIV, our Bishop, Robert Marshall; and our Diocesan leaders, our President, Governor, Mayor and national, state and local elected representatives
Our parishioners who are sick, shut-in, under full-time care and for those who care for them, and for those otherwise in need of our prayers: MaryKathryn & Nap Book, Connie & Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Leslye Ellerbee, Susan & Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret & Pat Gilfoil,Terry Farlow Hall, Sidney & Mary Jane Johnson, Frances & Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Susie Murphy, Bobby Reynolds, Mike & Sue Rome
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Marie Farlow Bellard, Martha Book, Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), Dick & Sue Boyd (S Gilfoil), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Gayle Brown (Dukes and Oliver), Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Fran Castile (Keene), Caroline and Albert Christman, Jeannie & Donald Collins, Teresa Carney Condra, Jami Cook (Wilks), Mike Coullard (Oliver), Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummins, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Fred and Cathy Fulton, Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, Family/Friends of Cynthia Hicks, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Patricia Lively (Wilks), Lonnie Hollowell (Naya), Charles Howington, Callie Halbach Hyams, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Frank McKinney, Skipper and Marty McKinney, Boyce Miller,Cole Norris, Randy Parker, David Peterson, John Neill, Bailey, Scott, and Tiffney Rome, Sara and Jess Shields (Keene), Debbie Kedrick Sims, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Randy Watts, Jr.
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, Henry Ellerbee, Lilly Falgout, Jag Gilfoil, Matilda Johnson, Caroline Marsh, EmmyLu Marsh, Charlize Richardson, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Chandler Wood, Marsh Wood
