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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 27, 2019

From The Font

“The LORD is a God of justice, Who knows no favorites.”

The Jews were the Chosen People. The twelve Apostles were chosen especially to found the Church. But why...?

Think about this: each of us is created especially by the Lord Himself, for some specific purpose and vocation… So it’s not as if the Lord chose the Jews or the Apostle at random or because of their grades or their natural aptitudes.

Now, that, in and of itself, is some darn good news! None of us is just randomly as we are. Surely, each of us has focused our lives toward some gifts and aptitudes and away from others - but none of us is the result of a random roll of the dice. But the Gospel doesn’t stop there! What’s perhaps even more amazing is that the Lord made us knowing that we would not live up to what we can be. After all, all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (c.f. Romans). What’s perhaps most amazing is the Lord made us with purposeful raw materials and He gave us a mission, a vocation. AND on top of that, He continues to update and rework His plan so that we are always able - if we’re willing - to step into His will for us and to be used by Him to remarkable ends even if we have failed and fallen short over and over again.

The Lord still listens to our prayers! Think about the football coach who has benched the kid who never comes through on the big catch. The kid might have the right build and the right mind, but he fails over and over. The smart coach benches him. And he cuts him next season. What about the kid who’s the wrong fit for the team? Coach has built his team around quickness and the big, slow center isn’t useful.

There are a thousand analogies that illustrate how odd it is that the Lord continually takes us back and finds a place for us not only to fit in, but to thrive.

The Lord doesn’t play favorites with the one who always gets it right. His love is so much bigger than we can imagine and there’s never, ever a “too late” with the Lord as long as we have breath to ask Him to play on His team.

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

Traditionally, this Sunday was the Feast of Christ the King. It was the last regular Sunday of the year before Advent. (There’s a lot of interesting history associated with the Church Calendar and the month of November.)

The Feast of Christ the King is lost nowadays because Christmas tends to start the day after Halloween. It’s hard enough for Catholics to pay any attention to Advent and so Christ the King is generally just a sermon and, where the tradition exists, a small procession.

The center of the feast is actually really important. It’s the reality that Jesus is not just the King of spiritual or religious things - He is the King of the Universe. Jesus isn’t Lord of Christians - He’s Lord of Buddhists and Baptists and Atheists and Antifa and Muslims and Hindus and England and Russia and the Indian Ocean and the penguins in Antarctica. If anyone on this planet goes to Heaven, it’s through Jesus. If anyone on this planet avoids hell, it’s through Jesus. That means that every soul who has ever lived has encountered Jesus and either dwells in Heaven or Hell at this moment. The only handful of exceptions are the people living in the world right now…

That’s why we as Catholics are supposed to be so evangelical. After all, those sweet friends of ours who have not eaten “the flesh of the Son of God” are in serious danger of not being saved! Jesus didn’t imply in John 6 that only believing Christians or Catholics or even Jews “would not have life within them” unless they receive Holy Communion. That applied to everyone.

We live in a world where people tend to believe that beliefs are fundamentally private. Our young people, though, don’t believe that. Young liberals believe their woke social justice nonsense should apply to everyone, no matter what. Young Christians (Catholic and otherwise) tend to believe the same way. Young Catholics are very evangelical. That instinct isn’t wrong! Truth is truth and everyone should be told the truth and every effort should be made to convince others of the truth. Obviously, violence is not a tool for evangelization, but the passionate desire to share the truth is.

The Kingship of Christ is a powerful and important reality which cannot be set aside with the distinctly unChristian sense that everyone is entitled to his opinion. Are they though? Should error be tolerated? To what extent ought we to be ok with error? Is it love to allow someone to believe wrongly without making every effort to correct them? These questions matter! They aren’t throwaway questions and each of us owes it to ourselves, to our friends, to our family, to the Church and to the Lord to take some alone time and ask them of ourselves…

If Jesus is to be the King of my life and of my Church and of my world, that has real consequences in my life and in my Church and in my world… Some things we can’t make happen, but some things we can and we must bring about.

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
  • Nov 1 All Saints Day - Holy Day of Obligation. Mass will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday (October 31) or on Friday at 9 a.m. at Legacy Nursing Home or in Delhi at 5:30 p.m.
  • Nov 2 All Souls Day - Blessing of Cemeteries will be at 10 a.m.
  • Nov 2 Work Day for tree trimming, etc on the newly acquired property
  • Nov 17 Potluck Brunch following 9 a.m. Mass - Fourth Quarter committee

For Your Information:

ALL SAINTS’/ALL SOULS’…All Saints’ Day is a HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION and ALL Catholics are required to attend Mass. Due to Father Ryan’s schedule for two churches, the Mass at St Edward will be on Thursday, October 31st at 5:30 p.m. or on Friday, November 1, at the Olive Branch (now LNC) at 9:00. You may want to look at your calendar in advance if the St. Edward time is not convenient and plan to go to Delhi (St Theresa) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. or check on a Vicksburg Mass time.

On All Souls’ Day, Father Ryan will go to the Tallulah cemeteries for 10 a.m. Blessing of the Graves.

WORK DAY ON THE NEW PROPERTY… next Saturday, November 2, there will be a work day on the new property. There will be trees to be cut, vegetation to be trimmed back, trash to be picked up, etc. If you are free and can do so, please bring your gloves, pruners, lopers, rakes, chainsaws, blowers, etc and join in the “taming” of the property!! If you can’t do the physical, your presence in the Church Hall would help with water, snacks, and “errand running”....Check with Father Ryan as to the time…..

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME...next Sunday, November 3, is the end of Daylight Savings Time and the time will “fall back” an hour so you will want to mark your calendars!

CHRISTMAS PARTY ON THE BAYOU RAFFLE...as a continuing part of our fundraising related to the purchase of the adjacent property, we will be having a raffle of holiday items, foods, and beverages with a drawing around December 15. Betty Smith and Kendra Collins are giving leadership to this project. Items that they still need to complete the Bar Cart include the following if you would like to add to the Cart: 2 Bamboo cheese boards, carved wood serving bowl, 2 serving platters, 5 kitchen/bar towels, 6 individual guest plates, 4 high-ball glasses, assorted frozen party snacks, venison sausage and assorted liquors and wine. Contact Betty or Kendra as to how you can assist with this churchwide activity. Raffle tickets are available for selling; contact Cathy VanderVieren to acquire some.

POTLUCK BRUNCH SOCIAL..SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, following Mass to celebrate Fall and Thanksgiving!!!! Check out your recipes for your favorite dish and plan to join in this Faith Family celebration for our many blessings. Setting up for the event will be the Fourth Quarter (Oct, Nov, Dec) Social Committee- Dorothy Dyer, Leslye Ellerbee, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, Sherry Lynn and Timmy Harris, Josephine Hodge, Michael Lancaster, Dale and Louise Magoun, Billy and Ginny Marsh, William and Sharyn Marsh, Hannah McCartney, Sug Regan, Skeeter and Blanche Wilks, Robert Wood, Edward and Margaret Yerger.

ANGEL TREE..Dana Dukes will be giving leadership to our Angel Tree project again this year. If you know of a family that you feel is needy and deserving of being nominated, please advise our church office or Dana. More information to follow….

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

Our Return to the Lord

  • Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $2,111
  • September Budget $8,444
  • September Income $8,049
  • September Expenses $8,147
  • October Budget $8,444
  • Collection October 19/20 $1,830
  • October Income to Date $7,136

Stewardship Both the first reading and today’s Psalm say clearly that the Lord hears the cry of the poor. Have I been given the gifts--of time or money or abilities--to be the means by which God answers their need.

Mass Schedule & Intentions for the Coming Week

  • Sat 5:30p For the Magoun Family Special Intention - St Jude
  • Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish
  • Mon NO MASS
  • Tue 5:30p For Vincent Carroll/Fr Ryan
  • Wed 5:30p For Father Ryan’s Special Intention
  • Thu 5:30p* For Margaret Keating/Fr Ryan
  • Fri 9:00a* In memory of Rosa Gremshell Legacy Nursing Home
  • Sat 5:30p In memory of Eva and R. L. Reynolds/Bullard
  • Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family
  • * Note change in time and place

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

Assistants at Holy Mass

  • 10/26 6:00p
    • Lector: C VanderVieren
    • EMHCs: A Farlow/L Bullard
  • 10/27 9:00a
    • Servers: P Collins & H Ellerbee
    • Lector: D Ellerbee
    • EMHCs: N & M Ernst
  • 11/2 5:30p
    • Lector: C VanderVieren
    • EMHCs: L Bullard & Volunteer
  • 11/3 9:00a
    • Servers: W Sullivan & C Wood
    • Lector: J Howington
    • EMHCs: N & M Ernst
  • 11/9 5:30p
    • Lector: A Farlow
    • EMHCs: P & M Gilfoil
  • 11/10 9:00a
    • Servers: C Marsh & M Wood
    • Lector: B Sullivan
    • EMHCs: B Smith & K Collins

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Don Wood (Nov 1), Jason Trichell (Nov 5)

Happy Anniversary Libby and Pat Bullard (Oct 29)

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: Terri Brown, Pat Bullard, Connie Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Susan Gilfoil, Josephine Hodge, Bill Kennedy, Dale & Louise Magoun, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Sue & Mike Rome, Delia Trichell and Don Wood

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

ms (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), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Melinda and son, Will, Fewell (Farlow), David Fortenberry, Meg Gaumnitz (Copes), Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Cooper Harris (R Wood), Bo Holloway, Diane Johnson (Johnson), Terry Lynn Jones (Howington), Ben Lenhart (G Marsh), Toby and Karen Lepley (Keene), 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), Debbie Pettis (Rome), Sam and Betty Phillips (Hodge), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Debbie Prine (Wilks), 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.