The 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
"See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them!”
Today’s Gospel is a potent reminder of the danger of reading scripture uncritically and without authoritative interpretation. St Luke, who was St Paul’s secretary until Paul was martyred in the late 60s, recalls these words of Jesus which were addressed to a specific group of people about the specific destruction of the Temple of Solomon, which had been rebuilt in the 600s BC and then restored in the 60s BC. The temple was ultimately destroyed, as Jesus prophesied, in the 70s AD, less than 5 years after St Peter and St Paul were martyred in the city of Rome.
Undoubtedly, St Luke included these words of Jesus in His Gospel because the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem had a massive impact upon Christianity which understood itself to be the fulfillment of - not merely a replacement for - Judaism.
Of course, all scripture operates on many levels over and above merely the historical circumstance of its original utterance. And, in fact, almost all of scripture has something to contribute to our understanding of God’s Self-Revelation, to our understanding of how we are to gain eternal life, to our understanding of how we are to live the Moral Life, and to our understanding of the end of days. Each of these “senses” of scripture, though, require serious study and a profound humility with regard to Sacred Tradition and sound theology. As such, we must be especially cautious about reading a passage of scripture and concluding that it necessarily means one thing or the other.
Jesus, for example, “said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.’” IN NO WAY, does this passage specially apply to the political drama or the natural disasters of our day. At least, in no way does it apply more to our moment in history than to any other. Nations have been going to war against one another at every moment in human history. Earthquakes, famines, and plagues have occurred from place to place as well. Insofar as every generation should think of their moment in history as the end of days - which is not a bad way to think - then we should see these words as applying to us. But these words aren’t UNIQUE to us.
The one important caveat is that every word of scripture may well be unique TO ME… When we read the Bible, every passage has a “canonical” meaning and interpretation. Each bit of Scripture is part of the whole and has its place in the larger teaching of the Church and in our understanding of God and His will. BUT each of us who reads the Bible is also on a personal journey with the Lord. And the Lord is really quite clever… He uses all sorts of things to reveal Himself to each of us personally. God may use a sunrise or a waterfall or a personal encounter or a car wreck or a movie or a memory or an illness or a turkey sandwich to jolt us with an understanding of His presence and His love for us. As St Paul says, All things work to the good of those who love the Lord and as He says to St Timothy, All scripture is useful for teaching and for edification. God can and does speak to us in a personal sense through the scripture as well as in those more intellectual and profound senses.
The most common passage I use to illustrate this is the story of Jesus walking on the Water during which St Peter joins the Lord on the water, sinks, and is rescued by Jesus. The story’s “textual sense” and “spiritual sense” are widely understood. Most of us can easily see how the passage plays out to solidify Peter as the leader of the Apostles and how it foreshadows Peter’s failures (and the failures of his successors, the popes). It’s easy to understand that we are all meant to follow Peter with courage and, when we fall, to follow Peter’s humility. Easy enough. For me, though, the passage has a personal sense because it was extremely important in my personal journey to consider becoming a priest. In my personal journey, details about the boat sparked memories of fishing with my dad which sparked other memories and thoughts which ultimately led me to be willing to consider going to seminary… That “personal sense” of scripture is wonderful! But I shouldn't universalize it. I don’t preach about the relationship between Galilean fishing boats and 80s-era bass boats…
When we read scripture, we should definitely expect the Lord to speak to us. But we should be careful to keep that speech in the context of our personal journey to holiness and not to universalize it.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30 pm In memory of Mary Ernst (birth anni)/family
- Sun 8:00 am (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
- Sun 9:30 am In memory of Inez DeMoss (birth anni)/family
- Mon NO MASS
- Tues 9:30 am In memory of Craig Stamm/Boothe
- Wed 9:00 am In memory of Anna May Farlow/family
- Thu 9:00 am In memory of Jimmy Howington (death anni)/family
- Fri 5:30 pm In memory of Vicki Morelli (death anni)/family
- Sat 5:30 pm In memory of Louise Testa/family
- Sun 9:30 am In memory of deceased members of the Roy and Johnson families
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Blanche and Prentiss Wilks
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHC(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/15 5:30p | - | C VanderVieren | M Rome |
| 11/16 9:30a | Annie, Thomas Meyers, Katelynn | Youth - Maura | - |
| 11/22 5:30p | - | P Wilks | C VanderVieren |
| 11/23 9:30a | Michael/Finley, Ashlyn | S Marsh | - |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and Sunday from 9a until Mass
- Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall (with Coffee & Donuts) after the 9:00a Mass during the School Year unless otherwise indicated
- Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Wednesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
- Nov 19 Pastoral Council meeting at 6 p.m. in the Church Hall. All are invited to attend.
- Nov 23 Potluck Brunch following Sunday Mass. All are encouraged to attend.
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 Construction will begin in 2026. 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 to call the church office.
ANGEL TREE 2025 Dana Hamilton and Dana Dukes who will oversee our Angel Tree 2025 program. They are searching now for families with children who are in need of help for the holidays. If you know of such a family, please contact either of the Danas or the Church Office with contact information for the adult guardian responsible for the children. For those unfamiliar to the Angel Tree project, donors usually provide an article of clothing, a toy, an age-appropriate religious item or book, and personal items (toothbrush, hair brush, etc) for each child. The parish will also provide a food basket for each family.
FOURTH QUARTER SOCIAL is scheduled for Sunday, November 23 following Mass! Mark your calendar and plan to bring your favorite potluck dish as we celebrate Thanksgiving. The Committee is led by Skeeter & Blanche Wilks and Louise Magoun with assistance from Leslye Ellerbee, Susan & Johnny Gilfoil, Sherry Lynn & Timmy Harris, Michael Lancaster, Billy & Ginny Marsh, William & Sharyn Marsh, Hannah McCartney, Sug Regan, and Skipper & Christy Guizerix.
PASTORAL COUNCIL will meet on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the Church Hall. Appointed members of the Council are: Kathleen Ellerbee, Norman Ernst, Jamie Howington, Elizabeth Naya, Mike Rome, and Shannon Wood. Appointed as Trustees by the Bishop are Michel Lancaster and Cathy VanderVieren. Appointed by the pastor to serve as Finance Council Chair is Darryl Ellerbee. All members are requested to make a special effort to attend. All are welcome to attend and contribute to the discussion.
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
Our Return to the Lord
Stewardship Today’s readings paint a somewhat frightening picture of the end of time. But, the Gospel ends with the assurance to faithful stewards that those who persevere will be saved.
| Weekly Budget FY 2025-2026 | $ 2,500 |
| October Budget | $ 10,000 |
| October Collections | $ 12,517 |
| October Expenses | $ 11,629 |
| November Budget | $ 12,500 |
| November 9 Collection | $ 2,622 |
| Collections To Date | $ 6,894 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Isabel Hernandez (Nov 19), Lynley Riddick (Nov 20), Libby Bullard (Nov 20), Kaci Ernst (Nov 21), Darryl Ellerbee (Nov 22)
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, Chris, Susan, and David Cagnolatti, 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, Lori Sullivan
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Marie Farlow Bellard, Anna and John Luke Bigelow, 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), Craig Cox, Gene Cox, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Fred and Cathy Fulton, Morgan and Alex Gilfoil, Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, 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), Boyce Miller,Cole Norris, Randy Parker, Russell and Betty Petersen, David Peterson, Quintin Purvis, John Neill, Bailey, Scott, and Tiffney Rome, Sara and Jess Shields (Keene), Debbie Kedrick Sims, 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
