The Ascension of the Lord
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
The Ascension of the Lord is meant to be celebrated forty days after Easter on a Thursday. Ascension Thursday mirrors Holy Thursday on which the Last Supper was celebrated and at which Jesus commanded us to offer the Holy Eucharist in His memory. Just as Holy Thursday, during Holy Week, is the last Thursday before the Easter Season begins, the feast of Corpus Christi (the Body of Our Lord) is meant to be celebrated on the first Thursday after the Easter Season has formally concluded. Holy Thursday and Corpus Christi, which are not Holy Days of Obligation, serve to contextualize and amplify the Ascension, which is a Holy Day of Obligation.
In much of the United States, both Ascension and Corpus Christi have been moved to the nearest Sunday which allows everyone to celebrate them, but robs the days of their context and alignment with Holy Thursday.
The unifying theme of these Thursday Feasts is the Holy Eucharist and the mystery of God’s physical, tangible presence among us. At the Ascension, the Lord tells us that He will remain with us always, even until the end of the Age. At the very moment He says this, He ascends to Heaven and visibly disappears. Without context, this seems like a ludicrous and contradictory series of events.
But in light of Holy Thursday and Corpus Christi Thursday, we see that the Holy Eucharist is the mode in which Jesus remains physically with us even until the end of the Age. St. Thomas Aquinas, in the "Tantum Ergo" (perhaps the most famous hymn ever written), writes "Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui" which comes into English as something like "Faith provides for all our defects, where our feeble senses fail." The loss of Jesus (to our senses) at the Ascension is actually, then, an aid for our Faith to perceive Him present in the Holy Eucharist.
Perhaps more than any idea of Christianity, this notion that "it is better to have not seen and yet believed" is hard to get our heads around. Common sense tells us that if Jesus had just set up a regular old kingdom with a headquarters and a PR team, there would be a whole lot more Christians… If you add to that the not-patented JesusCuresYou™ health care plan and the super cool miracles that come with it, it would seem that everyone would want to sign up to be a Christian.
But our Human common sense tends to fail us more often than we usually realize. Even today, the best place to look for folks taking their faith seriously is among the poor and the oppressed. The worst possible place to be if you want to grow in holiness is among the rich and the idle. That seems to be totally backward. There's also a certain paradox in study. One would think that the more someone looks into the sordid history of the Church with Her bad popes and sketchy priests and questionable monks and nuns, the more someone would want to keep their distance from Catholicism and instead lean toward the Baptists or the Methodists. But the opposite is true. The more a Christian studies history, the more likely he is to want to become Catholic. Common sense would say an easy sermon would be more popular than a hard one, but the opposite is generally true. Common Sense would say that Mass in English with folk hymnody would be preferable to incomprehensible Latin prayers and chants, but the data shows that to be a faulty assumption as well.
The anchor for all of these counterintuitive realities is the Holy Eucharist. More than any other aspect of faith, devotion to the Holy Eucharist makes for holy individuals, holy families, and holy Churches.
So it is that we return to the idea that the departure of Jesus from the visible part of our world is actually an aid to our Faith. The celebration of the Ascension, then, is a genuine time for rejoicing, even if it seems to be something of a setback or an extra burden. Whatever our common sense may tell us, we should be thankful to God today for His choice to ascend and to leave us relying upon the Holy Spirit and the Holy Eucharist where our feeble senses fail.
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
May 16 la Primera Comunión para niños de México a las 13:00h ¡Todos son bienvenidos!
May 20 Pastoral Council Meeting meeting - 6pm in the Parish Hall
June 7 Second Quarter Social - Potluck Brunch following 9:30a Mass Mark Your Calendars
For Your Information:
CONGRATULATIONS to WILL RICHARDSON who graduated from St Frederick Catholic High School this week. Will attends Mass on Saturday evenings and is the grandson of Blanche and Prentiss Wilks.
CONGRATULATIONS to EVIE ROME who graduated from Tallulah Academy last week. She is the granddaughter of Mike and Sue Rome and the daughter of Curt and Brianne Rome.
PRAYERS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR MR DAN FORDICE who tragically died this past week. The Rosary will be prayed at Fisher-Riles Funeral Home, Indiana Avenue, Vicksburg on Monday at 7 p.m. and a Funeral Mass will be offered by Fr Rusty Vincent on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at St Paul’s Catholic Church in Vicksburg..
PILGRIMAGE RESCHEDULED TO ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI, Waterproof, LA to Monday, June 1. Anyone interested in participating is invited to meet at the Church parking lot for 10a. We will carpool to reduce the number of vehicles. Fr. Taylor Reynolds will offer Mass at 11a, and, following Mass, the group will pray the Rosary. On the return to Tallulah, Dutch-treat lunch is planned in St Joseph.This is to honor the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis and is an official Jubilee Year devotion. Louise Magoun is serving as the coordinator and she can be contacted by text or phone at 318-341-2403.
SECOND QUARTER SOCIAL will be a potluck Brunch on Sunday, June 7 following the 9:30 a.m. Mass. Everyone is invited to attend and celebrate the beginning of Summer. Get out your recipes and find something interesting to prepare and share!!! The Second Quarter (April, May, June) Social Committee is chaired by Cathy VanderVieren and includes Libby Bullard, Angel Farlow, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, MaryAnne Gilfoil, Terry and Andy Hall, Isabell Hernandez, Cindy and Jamie Howington, Ann Keene, Alyce and C.W. Keene, Frances Kennedy, Elizabeth and Paul Naya, and Bobby Reynolds.
ROSARY GROUP meets on Monday at 5:30p for prayer and supper. Everyone is invited. 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 Summer 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.
ATTENTION ST EDWARD YOUTH Mrs. Dana Hamilton has volunteered to organize several events, trips, and activities for teens from grades 6-12. She will be calling a meeting soon (probably on a Sunday). If you are interested in helping her or your children are interested in participating, please touch base with Dana or let Fr Ryan know. More info is forthcoming.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Gail Graugard and Mary Agnes York/P Gilfoil
- Sun 8:00a (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
- Sun 9:30a In memory of Russell Petersen/Rome
- Mon NO MASS
- Tues 9:00a For a special intention of the Guizerix family
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Patrick Thomas (anni of death)/Bullard
- Thu 9:00a (Legacy Nursing Home) In celebration of the anniversary of Ordination of Fr Ryan
- Fri 5:30p In celebration of the birthday of Isabell McFall/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Delia and Thomas Trichell/B Hayes
- Sun 8:00a (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
- Sun 9:30a In celebration of the birthday of Brittany McFall/family
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Margo Corulla
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHC(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/16 5:30p | - | M Rome | C VanderVieren |
| 5/17 9:30a | Finley, Ashlyn, & Michael | Youth-Courtland | - |
| 5/23 5:30p | - | C VanderVieren | M Ernst |
| 5/24 9:30a | Kathleen, Daniel, & Evelyn | B Sullivan | - |
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2025-2026 | $ 2,500 |
| April Budget | $ 10,000 |
| April Collections | $ 17,278 |
| April Expenses | $ 14,838 |
| May Budget | $ 12,500 |
| May 10 Collection | $ 2,612 |
| May to Date | $ 8,810 |
Stewardship In the Gospel, Jesus prays, “I have given you glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.” Good stewards follow HIs example by using their time and talents for the glory of God.
Community Celebrations
Happy Birthday to Isabella McFall (May 22) and Dave Collins (May 24)
Happy Anniversary of Priestly Ordination to Fr Ryan Humphries (May 21)
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
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Marie Farlow Bellard, Martha Book, Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), the Brad Bourgeois Family, 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, Maggie Reynolds Guillory, 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), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Mike Morelli, Cole Norris, 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
