The First Sunday of Lent
From the Scripture
“You shall worship the Lord, your God, and Him alone shall you serve.”
It’s impossible to argue that we haven’t lost much of our sense of what “worship” is in the last seventy-five years. Holy Mass nowadays is so casual and the atmosphere is so relaxed, that talking in Church, dressing down for Mass, and even the use of phones and handheld games at Mass doesn’t seem entirely out of place as it certainly did in years’ past.
I wonder, then, if that loss of the “Sense of the Sacred” which Pope Benedict spoke about constantly hasn’t had a direct effect upon the way that we think about idolatry and the first of the Ten Commandments.
Surely, no one reading this is likely to have set up a literal pagan altar at home. I doubt we’re secretly Hindu or that we chanted the Hymn to Bacchus at Saturnalia… But how many of us prioritize other things before our eternal salvation? How many of us would miss Mass or a Holy Day of Obligation to attend a ball game? How many of us would knowingly choose to do what Jesus teaches us not to do if we believe we have a good reason for it? How many of us opted for the crawfish pasta on Ash Wednesday or are planning to attend a party on Good Friday? How many of us regularly put our jobs, our various recreation, our love for sports before our religious obligations? How many of us put our personal sense of pride above the need we have for a regular confession?
All of these questions are lifted straight from a standard-issue confession pamphlet! Each of them comes from an honest reading of the first of the Ten Commandments. I certainly don’t write this to wag the finger or assign condemnation! Rather, these are the kinds of questions that any and every Christian should be asking ourselves all the time. These are the kinds of questions that are going to decide whether we spend eternity in Heaven or Hell!
Just as an honest parent has to ask whether they’re making the right calls about their kids and an honest employee has to ask if they’re making the right calls about their work, so an honest Christian has to ask if they’re living the Christian Life that Jesus has taught. As Lent begins, let’s have the courage to ask them!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Lent is a great gift to us as Catholics. Especially in light of the last few years. The evils in the world aren’t necessarily a direct result of sin or moral evil, but it should call us to reflect and pray.
The season of Lent isn’t really about just being somber and self-flagellating. Acts of Penance like fasting aren’t meant to turn our eyes inward, they’re meant to turn our eyes outward from ourselves to the Lord and to our neighbors. The two aspects of Lent - penance and reflection - compliment each other. By looking inward and taking responsibility for my own sins, my own weakness, my own laziness, my own self-centeredness, etc, I can, in a sense, take possession of myself as I am. And then, in penance, I can offer myself, the good and the bad, to the Lord and to my neighbors.
That two-fold process is freeing because it means we don’t need to expend any energy convincing ourselves or the Lord of anything which isn’t already true and real. Am I lazy in prayer? Then I can admit that to the Lord and even to my neighbor and every sermon I hear about prayer then becomes an encouragement rather than a condemnation or an accusation. Also, the work of prayer becomes something that I can do for the Lord rather than being something that reminds me of my weakness or failure. If I have sinned, then I’m all too happy to admit it because I trust that God will forgive and that I can step forward in His love!
Lent also gives us an excuse, not that we need it, to start afresh. If you’re feeling embarrassed about having to say “Bless me Father, it’s been five years since my last confession,” Lent transforms that statement from an indictment to a proclamation… It makes us free to admit that I have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God and makes it all the more praiseworthy for us to get going.
One of the most moving things I’ve ever witnessed is when a newcomer at an AA meeting realizes that others there sympathize with their shame. “I missed my daughter’s birthday because I was drunk.” That kind of statement is cause for shame. But in a meeting, it becomes a cause for hope… “and because I missed that party, I realized that Alcohol was my master… It was my rock bottom and I started the program the next day!” Now, that cause for shame is a cause for thankfulness and hope.
I experience the same kind of thing in confession when the frame of mind changes from “I hate having to share my shame with a priest” to “I failed, but God is so much bigger than my failure.”
Lent is our chance to experience that shift in perspective every year and, as we were robbed of most of Lent last year, we need it now more than ever. Let’s make this Lent a real gift to ourselves and to the Lord!
From the Saints
"Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God's ear to yourself." —St. Peter Chrysologus
"Lent is like a long 'retreat' during which we can turn back into ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in order to defeat the temptations of the Evil One. It is a period of spiritual 'combat' which we must experience alongside Jesus, not with pride and presumption, but using the arms of faith: prayer, listening to the word of God and penance. In this way we will be able to celebrate Easter in truth, ready to renew the promises of our Baptism." —Pope Benedict XVI
"As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus' thirst…'Repent and believe' Jesus tells us. What are we to repent? Our indifference, our hardness of heart. What are we to believe? Jesus thirsts even now, in your heart and in the poor — He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you." —Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat and Marleigh Bullard, Patrick Thomas & Eva & RL Reynolds
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon 9:00a In memory of deceased members of the Roy and Johnson families
- Tue No Mass
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Joe Farlow/Bullard
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Kathleen Mills (birth anni)/Crothers
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Gail Gilfoil Graugnard/Nettles family
- Sat 5:30p J C B “Chipper” Jumonville/family
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning in memory of Becky, Beverly, and Edgar Lancaster
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHC(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3/8 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome | L Magoun |
| 3/9 9:30a | Mary Katherine & Maura | J Howington | - |
| 3/15 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren | M Rome |
| 3/16 9:30a | Cooper, Courtland, Michael | Youth | - |
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
- March 8 Lenten Devotions - Stations of the Cross 5:30 p.m.
- March 14 Lenten Soup Supper - following 5:30 p.m. Stations and Mass
- March 19 Pastoral Council meeting- 6 p.m. - Parish Hall
- March 25 Holy Day of Obligation - The Annunciation - Mass at 9 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.
For Your Information:
FORMED.ORG… has an entire page of weekly featured videos that are worth checking out 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… a group of parishioners is meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to pray the Rosary. Everyone is invited to join the group. If you need additional information, please contact the Coordinator, Louise Magoun, at 318-341-2403. THE WORD AMONG US… The March edition can be found on the table at the back of the church.
BLACK AND INDIAN MISSIONS… This week we will be taking up a collection for Black and Indian Missions. This collection exists to help diocesan communities to build the Church and preach the Gospel of Jesus among the African American, Native American, and Alaska Native people of God. It supports parish life and catechesis, evangelization, Catholic education, and vocations in Black and Indian Missions across the United States. Please give generously.
LENT. The Season of Lent is meant to be penitential. It’s meant to be a time of deliberate and conscious discomfort in order to shake up our normal ruts and clarify our attention to the Lord and His Sacrifice for us and for our sins.
Catholics aged 18 and up are obliged to abstain from meat on every Friday in the Lenten season. If your doctor advises otherwise, feel free to check in with Fr Ryan.
Finally, all Catholics are expected to “give something up” for Lent. As good as it might be to “do something extra” such as attend Daily Mass, say an extra Rosary, etc, Lent isn’t about doing something extra - it’s about giving something up. It’s a penitential season, not merely a virtuous one. As such, every Catholic from about the age of 14 should choose a food or activity which they generally enjoy and from which they can medically abstain for the entirety of Lent. As with all penances in the Church, Sundays are the Lord’s Day and fasting is not allowed! And so whatever you give up, you CAN have on Sunday.
LENTEN DEVOTIONS… On the Fridays of Lent, Confession is available at 5:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross at 5:30 p.m. followed by Mass. On March 14, March 28, and April 11, we will have a simple meat-free Lenten potluck after Stations and Mass as we have done in years’ past. Fr Ryan will make a hearty soup.
SAINTS ALIVE…ANGELS AT WORK… thanks to the hosts for the First Quarter Social last weekend….Margo Corulla and Darryl and Abby Ellerbee (co-chairs), Norman and Marie Ernst, Katherine Ernst Bedgood, Brian Johnson, Sidney and Mary Jane Johnson, Robbie and Tori Kivett, Brian and Brittany McFall, Ed Mills, Billy and Courtney Nadeau, Teddy and Alyssa Oliver, Mike and Sue Rome, Jason Trichell, Mary Trichell, and Levi Washington
Stewardship Today’s first reading describes the offering of first fruits the people of Israel were to present to the Lord in thanksgiving for their deliverance from Egypt and the gifts of the promised land. Is my offering at today’s Mass an appropriate response to the many blessings the Lord has given me?
SECOND COLLECTION For the Black and Indian Missions collection…see notes elsewhere in the bulletin.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| February Budget | $ 8,444 |
| February Collections | $ 14,190 |
| February Total Expenses | $ 10,915 |
| March Budget | $ 8,444 |
| March 2 Collection | $ 2,699 |
| March Collections To Date | $ 2,699 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Levi Washington (March 10), Bobby Reynolds (March 12), Abby Ellerbee (March 12), Shannon Wood (March 15), Mary Trichell (March 16), Alyssa Oliver (March 17)
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.
Our Pope, Francis; 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, C.W. & Alyce Keene, Sidney & Mary Jane Johnson, Frances & Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Susie Murphy, Alyssa Oliver, Bobby Reynolds, Mike & Sue Rome, Kenny and Betty Smith
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Kathryn Wood Allsopp (D Wood), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), Marie Farlow Bellard, Tommy Bickham (C Copes), 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, Monique Florence, Jimmy Fordham (Gustafson & Fordice), Emily Fortenberry, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Fred and Cathy Fulton, Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Theresa Gunter, Rita Hargrave, Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Callie Halback Hyams, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), Lynn Lisonbee, LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Ruth McDonald (Copes), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Randy Parker, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), John Neill, Bailey, Scott, and Tiffney Rome, Dianne Roper (Murphy), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), 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 March, Charlize Richardson, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Chandler Wood, Marsh Wood
