The Baptism of the Lord
From the Scriptures
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & fire.”
Even today, fire is scary. Despite all the power of modern technology, fire is still a serious threat aboard naval vessels and submarines, in industrial plants, and in ordinary homes. All the more was fire scary to ancient people who knew how to light it, but had little more than jars and sand to fight it.
At the same time, the Jewish people had a long history of associating fire with divinity. The Burning Bush which Moses encountered was a very clear sign of the presence of God to the degree that the voice told Moses to remove his sandals because he was standing on Holy Ground. The great prophet Elijah, too, used fire to destroy the enemies of God by calling down a blaze upon the prophets of Ba’al.
Even so, John the Baptist’s meaning isn’t entirely clear here when he tells the crowd that the Messiah is coming and that he will baptize them (literally “plunge them”) into the Holy Spirit and into fire.
The Holy Spirit part we can understand. The Jewish people held an understanding that God - YHWH - existed as a pure spirit who was able to interact with the material world using some form of mediation that they neither understood nor sought to understand. So when John calls God A Holy Spirit or THE Holy Spirit, no one raises an eyebrow.
But telling the people that the Messiah would be dunking them into fire would have been a harder pill to swallow.
Of course, no one runs away when John says this. Neither do they seem all that confused or disoriented when John speaks about the “Lamb of God” who will take away the sins of the world…
Today’s Gospel is one of many places in the Bible where we would love to have the full text of the sermon! Even so, it serves as a good reminder that the Bible isn’t meant to cover every base. The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not as an index and encyclopedia of Christianity. What we have, we are thankful for - what we don’t have in the Bible, the Lord, Himself, will provide!
The Lord Jesus has indeed baptized us with the Holy Spirit and fire in the Sacraments. We have our whole lives to understand that.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to our help!
The State of Louisiana has a special patron saint separate from Our National Patron. The title “Our Lady of Prompt Succor” is a French devotion from the 1700s which translates nicely as Our Lady of Hasty Help or Our Lady of Quick Assistance.
The devotion comes to us via the Ursuline Nuns who set up shop on State Street in New Orleans in 1727. In 1812, a great fire raged across old New Orleans and the sisters’ convent and school were directly in its path. The sisters were ordered to flee but Sr. Anthony Delatre rushed to find a small statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the Prioress, Mother Michael, began to pray the now-famous invocation, “Our Lady of Prompt Succor, we are lost unless you hasten to our aid!” The fire immediately changed direction and the convent and school were completely unharmed despite utter devastation around them.
Only three years later, General Andrew Jackson was facing a British force more than twice the size of his 6,000 man platoon on the plains of Chalmette in what is now called the Battle of New Orleans. The battle seemed hopeless and, aware of the miracle of the fire, New Orleanians began to gather at the convent to ask Our Lady for aid once again. As the battle raged, Msgr. William Dubourg rushed to the convent to offer Mass on the Altar where the miraculous image had been permanently installed. Cannon fire could be heard from the chapel. The Prioress of the convent, Mother Ste. Marie Olivier de Vezin, made a vow to have a Mass of Thanksgiving sung annually should the American forces win. At the very moment of communion, a courier ran into the chapel to inform all those present that the British had been defeated after a heavy and unexpected fog caused most of their troops to wander into a swamp. An annual Mass of Thanksgiving has been held January 8 ever since. I was able to attend several of them during my time in seminary.
On September, 21 1851, Pope St. Pius IX authorized the devotion and celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the singing of the yearly Mass of Thanksgiving on January 8. On June 13, 1928, Pope Pius XI declared the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor as the Patroness of Louisiana after receiving a formal request from the Archbishop of New Orleans (Shaw) and the ; Bishops of Alexandria (Van de Ven) and Lafayette (Jeanmard).
Devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor has been a fixture in New Orleans ever since. Churches in her honor exist in the Archdiocese and in our own diocese in Alexandria and in Mansura.
In a neat little side note, I was ordained as a Deacon on January 8, 2005 which was the 190th anniversary of the Miracle of the Battle of New Orleans. On January 8, 1935, a few hours due North of New Orleans, in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley was born on this auspicious feast…
So no matter how you look at it, it’s a day worth celebrating!
From the Saints
The Lord was Baptized, not to be cleansed Himself, but to cleanse the waters, so that those waters, cleansed by the flesh of Christ which knew no sin, might have the power of Baptism. — St. Ambrose of Milan
By going down into the Jordan River, Jesus shows his solidarity with sinners; he is immersed in our condition of sinners, to give us the possibility of rising with him to new life. -- Pope Benedict XVI
Christ is baptized; let us also go down with Him, that we may come up with Him. -- Saint Gregory of Nazianzus
The Baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan is the event in which the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is revealed in its fullness. The Father's voice is heard, the Son is immersed in the waters, and the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove. -- Pope St John Paul II
Incorporation into Christ, which is brought about by Baptism, is constantly renewed and consolidated by sharing in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, especially by that full sharing which takes place in sacramental communion. We can say not only that each of us receives Christ, but also that Christ receives each of us. -- Pope St John Paul II
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Louise Testa (birth)/Magoun
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon 9:00a In memory of Jimmy Howington (birth)/Howington
- Tue No Mass
- Wed 9:00a In memory of deceased members of the Roy and Johnson families/Johnson
- Thurs 9:00a In memory of Thomas and Delia Trichell/Tommy at Legacy Nursing
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/Family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Eva Reynolds (death)/Bullard
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Margo Corulla
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHC(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/11 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil | N Ernst |
| 1/12 9:30a | Mary Katherine & Maura | A Oliver | - |
| 1/18 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome | A Keene |
| 1/19 9:30a | Michael, Courtland, & Cooper | 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
- January 15 Pastoral Council meeting - Parish Hall - 6 p.m.
- January 17 Quarterly Healing Mass - 5:30 p.m.
For Your Information:
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.
CHRISTMAS FLOWERS AND DECORATIONS … 15 families donated $671 for poinsettias and other decorations for the Advent and Christmas season. The cost of all the decorations/flowers was $688. Thanks for your generous contributions!
THE CHURCH TODAY… This weekend, we will be taking up a special collection for the Church Today. Every month, this 20-page newspaper is mailed FREE to every Catholic household in the diocese. All donations to this special collection go directly to the Church Today to help defray the cost of printing and mailing. Your donation also defrays the cost of our digital outreach via the diocesan website www.diocesealex.org. If you, or someone you know, would like to receive the Church Today, you can request it online at Diocesealex.org/the-office-of-communications.
Stewardship Jesus, whom God called “my beloved Son,” is also the “servant” of whom Isaiah speaks in the first reading. We who are baptized in Christ must follow His example and use our time and resources in the service of God and neighbor.
SECOND COLLECTION is to support THE CHURCH TODAY, our diocesan newspaper which goes to every family in the Diocese of Alexandria. See notes elsewhere in the bulletin.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| December Budget | $ 10,555 |
| December Income | $ 22,343 |
| December Expenses | $ 11,981 |
| January Budget | $ 8,444 |
| January 5 Collection | $ 2,276 |
| January Income To Date | $ 2,276 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Pat Gilfoil (Jan 15), Paul Naya (Jan 18), Renee Wood (Jan 18)
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, Susan & Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret & Pat Gilfoil,Terry Farlow Hall, C.W. & Alyce Keene, Sidney & Mary Jane Johnson, Frances & Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Susie Murphy, Bobby Reynolds, Mike & Sue Rome, Kenny and Betty Smith
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), 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), Jeannie & Donald Collins, Teresa Carney Condra, Jami Cook (Wilks), Bobbe & Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Wayne Edwards, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Monique Florence, Jimmy Fordham (Gustafson & Fordice), Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Fred and Cathy Fulton, Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Theresa Gunter, Rita Hargrave, Ralph Harris (Gilfoil), Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, 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, John Neill, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), 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, Charlize Richardson, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Chandler Wood, Marsh Wood
