The Solemnity of Pentecost
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
"When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled…”
All ancient societies took the passage of time very seriously. In the broad scale, marking the seasons of the year was essential for agriculture - to prepare for flooding, rainy seasons, and temperature changes. The seasons were divided into lunar months which were important religiously and for the purposes of government, especially taxation. From there, the week - lasting four to ten days, depending on the society - organized community and family life. The day is the most ancient measurement of time and it organized life in the most fundamental way. The light was for work and interpersonal activity and the dark was for barricading one’s family into the home for safety and sleep. The ancient world had various systems of hours dividing the daylight and the darkness into “watches'' based on sun\moon position.
All that is relevant because Pentecost is the Feast of Weeks. It takes place seven times seven days after Easter. For the Jews, 7x7 is an important religious number. It’s a sabbath of sabbaths sort of thing. Every fiftieth year was a “Jubilee” in which debts were forgiven, grudges put aside, pawned property given back and everyone basically made a bunch of super-duper new years’ resolutions about life, the universe and everything. Everyone who lived through a Jubilee thought it was the best year of their life.
Pentecost, then, was a mini-Jubilee that happened every year and it was the same sort of thing. If you had rented or borrowed something, you were expected to at least offer to vacate it back to the original owner. If you had done someone wrong, you were expected to try to make things right. It was a time of personal and religious fervor and a time when everyone was expected to be generous with food and booze. That’s why so many people were in the city for Peter and the Apostles to preach to after the descent of the Holy Spirit. It was a party with a New Years’ vibe and a sense of the most hopeful and joyful parts of religion.
The Lord chose this feast - the sabbath of sabbaths - as the birthday of His Church and the moment for the Holy Spirit to descend into the world.
June is traditionally a time for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In our age of broad religious indifference, when religious enthusiasm and charity have grown cold for so many, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is all the more important as the symbol of God's infinite love. Jesus shows His Divine Heart as a furnace whose burning rays of love are able to reanimate faith and rekindle love in hearts grown cold and ungrateful.
But why His Heart? Because in every language, in every age, the heart is regarded as the natural symbol of love and affection. What more natural and expressive symbol is there, then, of the excessive love of Jesus than His Sacred Heart? The visible object of devotion to the Sacred Heart is the real, physical Heart of Jesus - the Heart of flesh, the living and loving Heart of our Blessed Lord; the Heart that beat in His Divine breast at the moment of the Incarnation; the Heart that loved us during the life of Jesus on earth, that poured forth its blood to the last drop on Mount Calvary; the beatified Heart now glorious in Heaven and still dwelling among us in the Blessed Sacrament; the Heart ever united to the Person of the Divine Word, to whom is due supreme homage and adoration.
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is devotion to Jesus Christ Himself, but in the particular ways of meditating on His interior life and on His threefold love – His divine love, His burning love that fed His human will, and His sensible love that affects His interior life.
Traditionally, devotion to the Sacred Heart has two aspects: Consecration and Reparation. We consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart by acknowledging Him as Creator and Redeemer and as having full rights over us as King of Kings, by repenting, and by resolving to serve Him. We make reparation for the indifference and ingratitude with which He is treated and for leaving Him abandoned by humanity. The most popular mode of these aspects is attending Mass on the First Friday of each month to pray in reparation for my personal sins and those of the whole world.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30 pm In memory of Payton and Donald Trichell/family
- Sun 9:30 am Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00 am In memory of Gail G Graugnard/Nettles
- Wed 9:00 am In memory of Inez and C B DeMoss/family
- Thu 9:00 am In memory of Kathleen Mills/Massey
- Fri 5:30 pm In memory of Edgar Lancaster (birth)/family
- Sat 5:30 pm In memory of Thomas Trichell (birth)/family
- Sun 9:30 am Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Becky, Beverly, and Edgar Lancaster
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHC(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/7 5:30p | - | MA Gilfoil | M Rome |
| 6/8 9:30a | Kathleen, Evelyn M, Daniel M | S Marsh | - |
| 6/14 5:30p | - | M Rome | C VanderVieren |
| 6/15 9:30a | MaryKatherine, Maura, Elizabeth M | Youth - | - |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Fri & Sat ~ 5 pm until Mass and Sunday ~ 9 am until Mass
- June 22 Deanery wide picnic at Lake Bruin (see notes inside)
For Your Information:
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.
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
ALTAR CANDLES Anyone wishing to provide candles for the altar in honor of their loved one or in prayer for some intention may do so simply by asking. A small donation is recommended, but not required. A list of dates is in the sacristy and a date can be reserved up to one year in advance.
MAUSOLEUM Arrangements have been completed with American Cemetery Consultants LLC to build a beautiful new Garden Mausoleum in St Edward’s Eternal Hope Cemetery (opposite the Church across Bond St). The program has the full approval of Bishop Marshal and the Diocese of Alexandria. Mr Garth Daniels, ACC Rep, is available in Tallulah for the next several weeks at (318) 295-4409 to answer questions about the Mausoleum. The number of crypts reserved before construction will determine the size of the mausoleum. Crypts will be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis. More information is available at AmericanCemeteryConsultants.com/open-projects
SPECIAL MASS & DEANERY-WIDE PICNIC on Lake Bruin on Sunday, June 22. We will have our usual Weekend Mass Schedule here at St Edward on the weekend of June 22, which is the Feast of Corpus Christi. Fr Taylor and several other priests will offer an additional Mass under the big pavilion at Lake Bruin State Park at 4:30p. Socializing will begin at 3p and a potluck-style dinner will be served around 5:30p. Families can expect a Splash Pad and Playground for the kids as well as plenty of opportunities to socialize. All are welcome to attend and there is no charge. The Mass will count for your weekend obligation.
THE WORD AMONG US for June can be found on the table beneath the statue of St. Joseph.
Stewardship One miracle of Pentecost was that, despite their diversity, each listener heard God’s word in his or her own language. The meaning for stewardship is that, by sharing the gifts poured out on us by the Holy Spirit, we will be empowered to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters , wherever they may be.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $2,111 |
| May Budget | $8,444 |
| May Collections | TBD |
| May Total Expenses | TBD |
| June Budget | $10,555 |
| June 1 Collection | $3,575 |
| June Collections To Date | $3,575 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Billy Marsh (June 8), MaryKathryn Book (June 13), Emily Ginn (June 14), Connie Copes (June 15)
Happy Anniversary Beth and Chip Sullivan (June 19)
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 Pope Leo, 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, Norman and Marie Ernst, 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, Beth and Chip Sullivan
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Marie Farlow Bellard, Nap and Martha Book, Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), Dick & Sue Boyd (S Gilfoil), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Fran Castile (Keene), Caroline and Albert Christman, Jeannie & Donald Collins, Teresa Carney Condra, Jami Cook (Wilks), Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Wayne Edwards, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Fred and Cathy Fulton, Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Theresa Gunter, Rita Hargrave, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Callie Halbach Hyams, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Ruth McDonald (Copes), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Boyce Miller,Cole Norris, Randy Parker, John Neill, Bailey, Scott, and Tiffney Rome, Janie Saxon (Lancaster), 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, Bruen Johnson, Matilda Johnson, Caroline Marsh, EmmyLu Marsh, Charlize Richardson, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Chandler Wood, Marsh Wood
