The 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
The virtue of “Filial Piety” is the good habit by which we appreciate and are thankful for the circumstances into which the Lord gave us life. Whether those circumstances seem to be pleasant, easy, positive, or “good” or whether they seem to be disenfranchised, difficult, negative or “bad.”
We, as Christians, are not slaves to our circumstances! The Lord makes all things work to the good of those who love the Lord and so whether our circumstances are necessarily to our liking or whether they seem positive or negative by the mores and standards of this moment in history, God intends to use those circumstances to lead us to salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord!!
And so if I grew up rich or poor, as a Christian, I am thankful for that. The poor, as the Gospels say, are especially loved by the Lord. The rich have to work harder to fit their camel through the eye of the needle. Beautiful people have some advantages and some very real disadvantages. People who were born into healthy, intact families have a lot going for them. People who were born into more dysfunctional families have to work harder.
We’re not pretending toward some silly ideal of equality as Christians. Rather, the virtue of Filial Piety leads us to recognize that what the Lord has given to me and what the Lord has not given to me are both things that I should be grateful for. This virtue is an extension of the Theological Virtue of Hope which is the sure and certain trust that God will provide all that is necessary for our salvation. And while the grass may certainly feel greener on the other side of the fence, the Holy Spirit is not to be found anywhere other than where the Lord has placed me.
All of this is especially important as we prepare to celebrate this auspicious anniversary of July 4, 1776. It’s important to be clear that we ought not to look back on the events surrounding the American Revolution as if they were all good, moral, or wise. As with all history, the events of that moment were muddled by good and bad intentions, wise and foolish people, brilliant planning and dumb luck. As Christians, we don’t pretend that because it happened to us, it’s automagically good! Rather, we recognize that God has used those events for our good. And God intends to use the events of our day for our good; events which are also muddled by good and bad intentions, wise and foolish people, brilliant planning and dumb luck.
We don’t thank God for living where we do, when we do, as we do because it’s the best country, state, city, and parish Church in the whole wide world. We thank God for being here now and for coming where we came from because these are the special circumstances the Lord intends to use to help us work out our salvation. St Thérèse of Lisieux died of TB at the age of 24 in a cold monastery room in France in 1897. It was not the best country, the best monastery, or the best time to be a Catholic nun… And yet those specific circumstances (including an array of comically annoying sister-nuns!) were the pathway by which she was transformed from a precocious child into a saint in only 9 years… St Francis of Assisi was born into a time and a place where the Church was utterly corrupt. The priests and bishops were far from holy. The Holy Spirit had to make a personal intervention in the heart of the not-so-good pope just to get a hand-wavy permission for Francis to wear a habit and be the leader of a rag-tag group of mendicants. It wasn’t by any standard the best place or the best time to be a Christian but those were the circumstances the Lord used to give us one of the greatest saints in our history.
Our nation today is a pretty pleasant place to live. We are profoundly wealthy (in comparison to the rest of the world). We live in historic safety and comfort. We have opportunities that few people in human history have ever had. (Think about all the Europeans on social media talking about Bucc-ees and free coffee refills…) There are downsides to our national culture as well. We are materialistic. We are increasingly unappreciative of our place in history. And yet, these circumstances are what God intends to use to sanctify us!! When we stand before the Judgement seat of God, our personal moment of judgement is going to be all about what we did with THESE circumstances - these challenges and these opportunities.
And so, as Christians, we are thankful and appreciative of these blessed tools that God has given us. For this place and for this moment in history - our own personal history and our nation’s history - we give thanks to God!
Upcoming Events
Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and Sunday from 9a until Mass
Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Wednesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
July 4-5 First Sunday Benediction
July 4-5 Blessing of Flags and Military Honors for 250th US Independence Day
July 18 Reynolds/Neuroth/Tryon Families Reunion in the Church Hall
For Your Information:
FIRST SUNDAY BENEDICTION for the weekend of JULY 4-5 will conclude Masses as part of our larger program of Eucharistic Devotion.
TALKS ABOUT SPAIN As we have a number of folks who will be traveling on pilgrimage to Spain this fall, Fr Ryan will offer four talks organized around the geographic regions on the tour. All talks will be in the Hall and are open to anyone. All talks will begin at 6p and will include a powerpoint-style slide show with lots of pictures and explanations of the place, its cultural significance, and its spiritual significance.
- Wed, July 8, 6p Talk 1 - Catalonia & Ignatius of Loyola (Barcelona, Montserrat & Manresa)
- Wed, July 22, 6p Talk 2 - Madrid & Toledo
- Wed, Aug 5, 6p Talk 3 - Santiago de Compostela and the Camino of St James
- Wed, Aug 26, 6p Talk 4 - Fatima
HOLY COMMUNION FROM THE CHALICE will only be offered at Masses on Wednesdays and Fridays as of July 1. Holy Communion from the Chalice will not be offered on Tuesdays and Saturdays and we are not accustomed to doing so at Masses offered at the Legacy Nursing Home on Thursdays. I want to balance the right and devotion of those who would like to receive Holy Communion from the Chalice with proper reverence and the inherent challenges in offering Holy Communion from the Chalice to groups of people. THANK YOU to all who have served as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion on Saturday evenings! I may well call on some of you for help at Christmas, on Lenten Fridays, and at other times as needed in the future. Any questions or concerns can be addressed to me at any time. – Fr Ryan
ROSARY GROUP meets on Monday at 5:30p for prayer and supper. Everyone is welcome. Contact Louise Magoun (318-341-2403), coordinator for more 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
MAUSOLEUM Construction will begin in the coming months. 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.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Carroll Regan
- Sun 8:00a (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
- Sun 9:30a In memory of Marion Roy (birth anni)/Johnson
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Paul VanderVieren (birth anni)/family
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Joe Farlow/Bellard
- Thu 9:00a (Legacy Nursing Home) In memory of Irvin Rome (birth anni)/family
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky, Beverly, and Edgar Lancaster/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat & Marleigh Bullard, Patrick Thomas, & Eva & RL Reynolds
- Sun 8:00a (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
- Sun 9:30a For a Magoun special intention
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning in memory of Vicki Morelli
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 7/4 5:30p | - | C VanderVieren |
| 7/5 9:30a | Mary Katherine, Maura, & Elizabeth | C Guizerix |
| 7/11 5:30p | - | P Wilks |
| 7/12 9:30a | Cooper & Courtland | M Lancaster |
Our Return to the Lord
| May Budget | $ 10,000 |
| May Collections | $ 18,461 |
| May Expenses | $ 14,557 |
| June Budget | $ 10,000 |
| June 28 Collection | $ 2,675 |
| June to Date | $ 10,501 |
Stewardship “Let all Your works give You thanks, O Lord, and let Your faithful ones bless You,” says the Psalmist. Stewardship is this “attitude of gratitude” for the many gifts God has given us.
SECOND COLLECTION this weekend is our once-monthly Building Fund collection.
Community Celebrations
Happy Birthday to Candler Hamilton (Jul 5), Jude Nadeau (Jul 7), Chip Sullivan (July 11), Aidan Collins (July 12)
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, Ann Claire Fordice and her children, Susan & Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret & Pat Gilfoil,Terry Farlow Hall, Sidney & Mary Jane Johnson, Frances & Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Susie Murphy, Bobby Reynolds, Phillip and Peggy Scurria, Mike & Sue Rome, Lori Sullivan, Mary Trichell
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Marie Farlow Bellard, Martha Book, Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Gayle Brown (Dukes and Oliver), Albert Christman, Jeannie & Donald Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Gene Cox, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Judy Fortenberry, Donna Fulton (Ellerbee), Fred and Cathy Fulton, Morgan, Alex, and Palmer Gilfoil, Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Steve Green, Rita Hargrave, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Patricia Lively (Wilks), Charles Howington, Callie Halbach Hyams, Jimmy Hopson(Wilks), Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Andrew and Chelsea Keene-Lewis, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Jessica McCoy (Reynolds), the family of Lee McCoy (Reynolds), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Mike Morelli, Randy Parker, Betty Petersen, David Peterson, Quintin Purvis, John Neill, Curt and Brianne Rome, Bailey, Scott, and Tiffney Rome, 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, Chandler Wood
