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Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 15, 2019

From The Font

“We must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again”

Some parables don’t benefit from explanation or sermons, they are profound in themselves and the only way to react to them is to consider them. The Parable of the Prodigal Son touches on many core themes of Jesus’ preaching and each time we encounter it, we do well to let the Holy Spirit speak to us in the quiet of our hearts. Sometimes, we’ll resonate with the forgiveness of sin. Sometimes we’ll resonate with the Father’s welcome. Sometimes we’ll empathize with the prodigal who is deceived by the allure of this or that sin which seemed like such a good deal at first.

The conclusion, though, is universal. Whether we empathize more with the younger brother or the older, whether we are more moved by the Father’s forgiveness of the prodigal or his firm rebuke of the older son... IF we can see ourselves in one or the other, then we can celebrate and rejoice because one brother (and maybe two) was dead and has come to life again. If, on the other hand, we cannot see ourselves as sinners, we will reach the last sentence of the gospel unmoved.

The world around us demands that we pretend that sin is not sin. It demands that we lie to others and lie to ourselves about right and wrong, truth and untruth. And the result of that thinking is that we come to believe that my choices have no moral impact. A choice may have turned out badly, but that doesn’t mean anything in the long run. And, for the Christian, that means that we aren’t able to repent of our sins and so the parable of the Prodigal who finds the love of His father dissolves into a story of a failed business venture and the son who had to come home and move back into mom & dad’s basement. It becomes a sitcom in which the older brother, who is a successful businessman, bemoans the parents who are too soft on the younger brother. Without repentance, forgiveness becomes a character flaw and a punchline.

I strongly encourage everyone to flip open their Bibles to Luke 15 and read through the Parable of the Prodigal Son slowly and deliberately and let the Holy Spirit highlight something for you… Maybe you’ll find cause to celebrate and rejoice.

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

St. Edward has a few online footprints. At the bottom of the page, you see that we’re on facebook at Facebook.com/StEdwardTallulah. We also have an online Google calendar available at Bit.ly/stedwardcalendar. My personal website is FrHumphries.com and that’s where the bulletin has been hosted for a few years.

As I’m working on some other projects, my nerd skills have increased and I was able to create a simple website for our Church which can be easily updated by almost anyone and which is available to us for free. The website’s URL is a little unwieldy: www.stedward.space. We have that because stedward is a very, very common name on the internet (so stedward.com, .org, etc were all taken) and because I had a coupon because of another project I was working on.

So, c’est la vie. As I say, the site is simple. It has Mass times and bulletins. To be honest, we really don’t need it, but as I was rethinking my own site, I thought it wise to split my blog and the bulletins into two distinct sites. The Diocese website is where a lot of people end up when they search for our Church. And our bulletin is shared every week on Facebook. So, the new site is not really a major necessity, but it’s an easy-enough thing to provide for you and for anyone who might be interested in the parish.

The website is interesting, but it’s this last little bit that makes me want to share all this. There are so many little things that we can each personally offer to the Lord which, on the surface, don’t seem very religious. Writing computer code is far from holy. Operating digging equipment or pressure washing buildings doesn’t bring to mind pictures of praying nuns… But each of us has gifts and we have passions and we have interests and we have resources and we have oddities that we can choose to put at the service of ourselves and at the service of the Lord. Everything from music to being willing to help out in the office to being willing to be in charge of donuts is a gift to the Church and a gift to the people of the Church and a gift to the Lord.

And so this is not so much a plea for specific volunteers any more than it’s an article about visiting our new website. It’s more an expression of hope that each of us would look at ourselves honestly and think about what we have and what we are and how we can put all of ourselves at the service of the Lord - even those parts of ourselves which don’t immediately seem suited to religion. As often as not, it’s those parts which the Lord can put to the most creative and unexpected uses and which the Holy Spirit will use the most powerfully… Perhaps that’s so because we are less inclined to get in the way of ourselves!

Whether you’re thinking of volunteering here at St. Edward or you’re just asking yourself “what can the Lord do with my unique talent for licking my elbow,” let’s make a commitment to one another to trust that the Lord didn’t give us anything by accident and that He is big enough and smart enough to make use of any and everything we are willing to put at His service!

Calendar of Events

  • Confessions every Fri & Sat from 5p until Mass at 5:30p and on Sun from 9a until 9:30a Mass

  • Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Tuesday after the 5:30p Mass

  • Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall after the 9:30a Mass unless otherwise indicated

  • Sept 15 Youth Mass at 9 a.m. Mass -- Coffee and donuts following Mass

  • Sept 15 Benediction following 9 a.m. Mass

  • Sept 17 Pastoral Council Meeting – Parish Hall – following 5:30 p.m. Mass

  • Sept 18 Wednesday Night Catechism after 5:30 pm Mass

For Your Information:

Through September, our schedule will be:

  • Sat. 4pm - Waterproof
  • Sat. 6pm - Tallulah
  • Sun. 9am - Tallulah
  • Sun. 11:00am - St. Joseph

YOUTH MASS... is being observed THIS SUNDAY and coffee, juice, and donuts will be served in the Church Center immediately following the 9 a.m. Mass. Please join us!

PASTORAL COUNCIL... will hold its regular meeting on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, at 6:00 p.m(after 5:30 p.m. Mass) in the Church Center.

Members of the Council: MaryAnne Gilfoil, Josephine Hodge, Michael Lancaster, Ginny Marsh, Beth Sullivan and Levi Washington. Appointed as Trustees by the Bishop are Brian Johnson and Dale Magoun. Appointed by the pastor to serve as Finance Council Chair is Darryl Ellerbee. Additionally, serving on the Council in an ex-officio capacity as President of the Altar Society is Cathy VanderVieren. All members are requested to make special effort to attend.

Parishioners are encouraged to attend to contribute to the discussions.

WEDNESDAY EVENING CATECHISM... Wednesday, September 18... In the Hall, after the 5:30p Mass. The topic for September is “Islam”. Father will answer questions after each talk. Guests are welcome!

NEW ALTAR SERVER TRAINING… those children who have made their First Communion and are interested in becoming altar servers will have the opportunity to have training this Fall. Parents should contact Father Ryan for arranging a schedule that is mutually convenient.

PRAYER FOR HURRICANE SEASON… Our Father in heaven, through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us from all harm during this hurricane season, and protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to our help. Amen

PRAYER FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW BISHOP...Praise to you, Lord our God, our eternal shepherd and guide. In your faithfulness, grant to the Diocese of Alexandria a new bishop whose watchful care will serve to continue the good work of his predecessors. In your Love, give us a shepherd who will lead us in being Christ’s heart of mercy, voice of hope,and hands of justice. Help him to fill our minds and hearts with the truth of the Gospel, the power of the sacraments, and the desire to build up your holy Church. We ask this through Jesus Christ,your Son our Lord, in the unity of the HolySpirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

ON THE WEB … St. Edward has a Facebook page (Facebook.com/StEdwardTallulah). Fr. Ryan is sharing our parish bulletin and his Sunday sermons from his own website there weekly. We also have a shared calendar (Bit.ly/stedwardcalendar) and email address (StEdwardTallulah@gmail.com). Fr. Ryan is also active on the web. He has a blog\webpage at FrHumphries.com and all are encouraged to friend, like or follow him on Facebook (Facebook.com/frhumphries), Twitter (Twitter.com/frhumphries) and Instagram (Instagram.com/frryan).

ALTAR FLOWERS … this weekend are in memory of R. L. Reynolds and have been given by his children, Libby Bullard, Margo Corulla, Frances Kennedy, and Bobby Reynolds.

Our Return to the Lord

  • Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $2,111
  • August Budget $8,444
  • August Income $8,516
  • August Expenses $7,836
  • September Budget $8,444
  • Collection Sept 7/8 $2,622
  • September Income to Date $3,687

Stewardship We can hear God speaking to us today the words of the father to his elder son: “You are with me always, and everything I have is yours.” What is my response to such remarkable generosity? Do I give joyfully and generously as God gives to me?

SPECIAL COLLECTION Next weekend, we will participate in the Retired Priests collection for our priests who have reached retirement age after years of faithful and dedicated service to the Diocese. With costs continually escalating, the monthly retirement benefit for our 15 retirees must be adjusted periodically as well. Your generosity in helping to assure that the needs of our retired priests will continue to be met is appreciated and you are asked to also keep them in your prayers.

Mass Schedule & Intentions for the Coming Week

  • Sat 6:00p* In memory of R. L. Reynolds (death)/family
  • Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish
  • Mon NO MASS
  • Tue 5:30p In memory of A.J.S. “Jackie” Jumonville/family
  • Wed 5:30p In memory of John and Marie Johnson/family
  • Thu 9:00a In memory of May DiTomasso Legacy Care Center
  • Fri 5:30p In memory of Billy Hodge/family
  • Sat 6:00p* In memory of Marie Phillips Michele/Weaver
  • Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family

ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Sug Regan

Assistants at Holy Mass

  • 9/14 6:00p
    • Lector: M Rome
    • EMHCs: MA & M Gilfoil
  • 9/15 9:00a
    • Servers: C Marsh & H Ellerbee
    • Lector: P Collins/H Ellerbee
    • EMHCs: N & M Ernst
  • 9/21 6:00p
    • Lector: MA Gilfoil
    • EMHCs: C VanderVieren & L Bullard
  • 9/22 9:00a
    • Servers: C Sullivan & C Wood
    • Lector: D Ellerbee
    • EMHCs: B Smith & K Collins
  • 9/28 6:00p
    • Lector: C VanderVieren
    • EMHCs: A Farlow & M Rome
  • 9/29 9:00a
    • Servers: P Collins & M Wood
    • Lector: A Oliver
    • EMHCs: N & M Ernst

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Bruin Johnson (Sept 18),“Bugs” Brown (Sept 23), Leslye Ellerbee (Sept 25), Bishop Johnson (Sept 26), Blake Sullivan (Sept 26)

In Our Daily Prayers…

Our Holy Father Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI; Archbishop Aymond and our Diocesan leaders, our President, Governor, Mayor and national, state and local elected representatives

Our parishioners who are sick, shut-in, or otherwise in need of our prayers: Pat Bullard, Connie Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Susan Gilfoil, Josephine Hodge, Bill Kennedy, Dale & Louise Magoun, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Sue & Mike Rome and Delia Trichell

Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy, Sue Scurria (Texas), Jim Farrell of Vicksburg, Margaret Fortenberry of Tensas, Sharon Hansen of Gonzales, Consuelo Marsh of Lake Providence, Jean Cantrell, Marie Cedotal

Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Weimer Alexander (Regan), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), Margaret Baker (Magoun), Marie Farlow Bellard, Hattie Brown (Lancaster), Jerry Bullard, Colton Bullock (Farlow), Richard Chappuis (Johnson), Karen Cobb, Jami Cook (Wilks), Jackie Daniels (Lancaster), Carol Dipert (Rome), Carole Ducote (Lancaster), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, David Fortenberry, Thom Gilfoil, Melissa Grady (D Wood), Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Cooper Harris (R Wood), Bo Holloway, Diane Johnson (Johnson), Jeannie Kivett, Ben Lenhart (G Marsh), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire (Gilfoil), Tobie McKowen (Wilks), Keith Melancon (Regan), Tucker Melancon (Johnson), Lindsay Mills, Thomas Joseph O’Dowd (Army Ranger/Italy/M Scurria O’Dowd), Suzanne Paxton (Regan), Debbie Pettis (Rome), Sam and Betty Phillips (Hodge), Yvonne Phillips (Hodge), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Lee and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Linda Sanchez (Wilks), Walter Scott, Andy Sevier, Spencer and Mary Sevier, Beverly Sibile (Gilfoil), Theresa Thom (Rome), Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Adam Triplett (Reynolds), Teresa Vidrine (Wilks), Conner and Hudson Wood (nephews of Bart), Max Yerger

Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Norman Ernst, Anna Ginn, Josh Hall, Chris Hall (USMC), Matt Hall (USArmy), Nick Hall, Emmy Lu Marsh, Maddie Oliver, Bailey Rome, Blake Sullivan, Brice Wood

Those Catholics residing at Christian Acres, Louisiana Transitional Center for Women, and our local Detention Centers and for their families and loved ones.

PLEASE LET US KNOW OF ANYONE WHO IS ILL OR HOSPITALIZED OR WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE A VISIT. PLEASE HELP US TO UP-DATE OUR PRAYER LIST BY ADVISING US OF ANYONE WHO SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE PRAYER LIST.