The 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
From the Scriptures
“Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.”
The common understanding of the Bible, here in the Bible Belt, is that the Holy Spirit stood over the shoulder of each author of each book and dictated word for word what the Bible should say. And therefore, the Bible is almost magical. What’s more, Bible Christians say that the Bible is the ONLY direct revelation of God.
We, as Catholics, don’t believe this AT ALL. Not even close. Just like every saint and every one of us, the books of the Bible have their own history and purpose and meaning and style. Some books are straightforward histories, while others are parables, or hymnals, or philosophy books. The books of Job, Jonah, and Tobit probably reference real stories, but they’re not meant to be factual books about real people. The Gospels are handbooks, originally written to be used by the Apostles and their successors alongside personal explanations, meditations, and stories that the Apostles used when training the first Bishops. The Letters of St Paul weren’t written to be included in a book of scripture, they were letters addressed to individuals or groups.
Around 150 BC, what we know as the Old Testament was compiled into a single volume and all of the books, written variously in Hebrew, Aramaic, Uritic, and Greek, were translated into Roman-style Greek. This book, bizarrely called the LXX (AKA Septuagint) was kept in the Library at Alexandria and copies were made for Jews around what we call the Middle East.
In the 400s AD, St Jerome traveled to all the dioceses he could find and asked all the Bishops “what books of scripture do you use AT MASS?” He compiled the books that basically everyone used at Mass into a single volume that we know as the New Testament. He translated the Greek Old Testament (LXX) into Latin and then he translated the newly compiled New Testament into Latin and presented it to a council of Bishops and so we have the first Bible in the late 400s.
The Bible was not dictated by the Holy Spirit onto scrolls by mindless people throughout history. It was a mixture of prophecy, history, prayer, hard earned wisdom, and God’s inspiration. Even so, the Bible is not the fullness of God’s revelation. JESUS IS THE WORD OF GOD. The Bible is a Divinely Inspired compilation of writings about the Word of God. We call the Bible “the Word of God” because it reveals to us who Jesus is. But we must never forget that the Bible is not the foundation of Christianity, Jesus is!
When we read the Gospel, we usually get three or four sentences from Jesus. But His sermons lasted for hours. We get very brief summaries of His miracles, but none of the Gospels has more than 10 or 15 miracles listed. Jesus performed thousands of miracles in His three years of ministry. He would’ve spent the evenings around the campfire explaining His teachings that day to His Apostles. Conservatively, that would be a thousand or so lessons not recorded in the Bible.
I say all of this to help us understand that the Bible is an incredible gift, but that it is a means to an end. The vast, vast, vast majority of Christians - even of Christian saints - throughout history could not read and so did not read the Bible. They heard it preached and they were sanctified by it, but reading the Bible is not an end in itself. We have to be cautious... What we are reading is a translation and, therefore, someone else’s interpretation of the Word of the Lord. We, too, interpret the word according to our own ideas and concerns. God is good and the Holy Spirit gives wisdom to those who seek it, but the Bible is not an end in itself. Like every saint, it has context and history and complexity that we have to respect and consider.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
This Tuesday is the feast day of Thomas Aquinas who is the patron of Students and Teachers. He was an Italian born in the 1200s to a rich family. He was also brilliant and his family had a big plan for him. Much to their frustration, Thomas joined the Dominicans - an order which took a vow of poverty - and left his family’s money and power to study in Paris at the most important university in the world at the time.
Despite his brilliance, Thomas was a deeply prayerful man and toward the end of his life, he started to resist writing in favor of praying. But his spiritual director and the head honcho of his Monastery (AKA the Prior) demanded - through Holy Obedience - that he continue to write. In the midst of finishing his most important work, the Summa Theologica, Thomas was so overcome with a vision in prayer that he rushed upstairs to his study intending to burn the entire book. His young secretary, also a Dominican brother, rushed into the fire and saved the book from destruction. There are some wonderful legends about that young man… At any rate, Thomas was also forbidden by the Prior and his spiritual director from damaging his writings in the future.
His life is a pretty good example for any student who is serious about learning anything - whether it’s algebra, religion, piano or pinball… Learning demands a certain degree of natural aptitude. Then it demands study and practice. It also demands that we have our broader life and our human nature in good working order. From there, we need coaches we can trust and we need passion. It may be hard to put all that together for a subject in school, but we as human beings must be life-long learners. If we content ourselves with what we already know, we will quickly begin to decline and to lose whatever we have. But if we’re constantly trying to learn a little more and to teach what we have learned to others, then we’ll be more fully human, more intellectually acute, and much more personally happy. That goes for everything from minor stuff like languages and hobbies to essential things like the Lord Jesus.
From the Saints
Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth - in a word, to know himself - so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.
-- Saint John Paul the Great
Let us love the Cross and let us remember that we are not alone in carrying it. God is helping us. And in God who is comforting us, as St. Paul says, we can do anything.
-- Saint Gianna Molla
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard (birth)/L Bullard
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon 9:00a In memory of Becky Lancaster (death)/J Williams
- Tue No Mass
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Racer Holstead (birth)/family
- Thurs 9:00a In honor of the anniversary of Brian & Brittney McFall Legacy
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Payton and Donald Trichell/family
- Sat 5:30p In honor of Brendan McFall (birthday)/family
- 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/25 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren | L Magoun |
| 1/26 9:30a | Annie & Thomas Meyers | B Sullivan | - |
| 2/1 5:30p | None Scheduled | P Wilks | M Rome |
| 2/2 9:30a | Kathleen, Ashlyn, & Evelyn | K Collins | - |
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
Feb 2 First Sunday Benediction following weekend Masses
Feb 2 Blessing of Throats for St Blaise Feast Day on February 3.
Feb 7 First Friday devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus - 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.
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
SECOND COLLECTION FOR THE CHURCH IN LATIN AMERICA... This week (January 26) our special collection supports the Church in Latin America. For many living in Latin America and the Caribbean, a rising secular culture, difficult rural terrain, and a shortage of ministers all make it difficult for people to practice the faith. Your donations fund catechesis, marriage and family life programs, and seminarian formation, so that people can grow closer to Christ. Please prayerfully consider supporting this collection to share your faith with our brothers and sisters in Latin America and the Caribbean. Thank you!
FIRST SUNDAY BENEDICTION… Next week at the conclusion of our Masses as part of our larger program to encourage Devotion to Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist.
FEAST OF ST BLAISE and BLESSING OF THROATS Next Weekend following all Masses.
FIRST FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7... Mass and Benediction at 5:30 p.m. Come make devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus a priority by attending first Friday devotions for nine consecutive months.
THE WORD AMONG US… Pick up the February copy at the entrance of church for your daily meditation.
Stewardship The U S Bishops pastoral on stewardship reinforces today’s reading from I Corinthians: “Because its individual members do collectively make up the Body of Christ, that body’s health and well-being are the responsibility of the members–the personal responsibility of each one of us. We all are stewards of the Church.”
SECOND COLLECTION… supports The Church in Latin America. See details elsewhere in the bulletin.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| December Budget | $ 10,555 |
| December Collections | $ 22,343 |
| December Total Expenses | $ 11,981 |
| January Budget | $ 8,444 |
| January 19 Collection | $ 2,696 |
| January Collections To Date | $ 7,066 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Courtland Collins (Jan 29), Hazel Bedgood (Feb 2), Evelyn Kivett (Feb 2)
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, Alyssa Oliver, 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, 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, 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
