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Second Sunday of Advent

December 8, 2019

From The Font

"...his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.”

Reverence, also known as Fear of the Lord, is considered the first and perhaps foremost of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Despite what some writers might say, it is a genuine fear. Surely, St. Timothy, in his second letter, says that the “Lord did not give us a spirit of fear.” But Timothy’s letter reinforces Isaiah’s prophesy. Jesus did not come to cause us to revere the world, but rather God. And the more we revere God - the more we genuinely fear Him - the more we also genuinely love Him. St. John’s first letter, too, has something to say about love and fear… He says: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” Why? “...because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” But Fear of the Lord - reverence - isn’t about punishment, it’s about awe.

Think about a normal relationship. If I love someone, there is a certain genuine fear in hurting them. There’s a fear of losing them. These fears aren’t damaging to love, rather they are part of our human condition. Fear of the Lord is the two-fold realization that God is God. He is quite literally everything to me. His love of me is more important by far than everything else in this world. As such, pleasing Him matters more than anything. I should genuinely fear displeasing Him. Partly, that’s because I should fear the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But moreso, it should be because I love the Lord Who is all good and deserving of all my love.

Reverence for the Lord also addresses one of our fundamental human weaknesses. We need both the carrot and the stick. Sometimes, the simple love of another (God, neighbor, spouse, etc) is enough to make us do the right thing and to prioritize another before myself. Other times, though, we are like our mother Eve and we want to make ourselves like unto God and so we need the risk of loss or St. Timothy’s version of fear of punishment to keep us on the right path. This is true of the Love of God and of all other loves in our life. Fear of the Lord brings all of this together into one cohesive whole which functions as a Gift of the Holy Spirit and a virtue which we can and should practice. Awareness of this reverence is a powerful tool in Faith.

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

Today is usually the Feast Day of our National patroness, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Conceived without Sin. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated exactly nine months before the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8 - just as the Annunciation is celebrated exactly nine months before Christmas.

And those two days are closely related. It was when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary in her back yard that he gave her a very peculiar name. He said to Her, “Hail, Full of Grace.” In Greek, the word is “Kecharitomene.” It’s worth remembering that St. Luke wasn’t there. He did visit the Blessed Virgin Mary, though, and would have gotten this story and others in the first few chapters from her. The choice of the Greek word is really, really important. Kecharitomene means full to the top with the perfecting Grace (gift) of God. It’s not a word that St. Luke grabbed from thin air. It’s a really, really specific choice of words and it says a lot about how deeply Mary had meditated upon the event in her heart.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the whole thing to me - is how much Mary was able to reveal about the Birth of Jesus. Everything we know of that time would have come from Jesus, Himself, or from the interviews between Our Lady and St. Luke and St. Paul. It’s amazing to me that what we have is what these saints chose to give us. Whatever else might have taken place was such that these people didn’t consider it to have mattered. We know about the innkeeper, but not about anyone else who may have had something to say. We know about the census, but no other political news. We know about Zechariah’s dream but nothing at all about the years in Egypt or even in Nazareth. Matthew emphasizes the shepherds and Luke emphasizes the wise men from afar (which would have appealed strongly to the Pagan Greek audience he was trying to convert), but we hear nothing about anyone else.

To me, these omissions are fascinating because they remind us that what was chosen for inclusion wasn’t like a modern day social media post. These stories weren’t the whole story - they are a part. The Bible isn’t the whole story, it was compiled to give us what we need to come to know Jesus in a personal way. The Lord Himself will fill in the details that we “need” to know and when we allow Him to love us, we come to realize how little we really need in terms of intellectual data and how much more valuable and satisfying the spiritual gifts of God really are.

Catholics get a lot of guff from our Protestant brothers and sisters for not emphasizing the Bible more, but the Bible itself was never meant to be what our Protestant brethren have made it. Christianity is not a “religion of a book” like Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Shinto or Taoism. It’s a religion of a man - Jesus Christ, truly God and truly Man. The Bible is a tool, but not the centerpiece of our faith.

That’s why we can love Our Lady so much and we don’t need to obsess about finding every detail of our Faith in scripture. Jesus didn’t come to give us a book, He came to establish a Church and to remain with us always through the Sacraments He has established.

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
  • Dec 8 Christmas on the Bayou - crafts, parade, music program, fireworks
  • Dec10-11 Advent Retreat given by Father Dale Mead following 5:30 p.m. Mass
  • Dec 22 Birthday Party for Jesus following 9 a.m. Mass
  • Dec 24 Note that Christmas Eve Mass is at 6 p.m.
  • Jan 4 “Burning of the Greens” following 5:30 p.m. Mass. More info below….

For Your Information:

ALTAR CANDLES… Anyone wishing to provide candles for the altar in honor of their loved one or in prayer for some intention may do so simply by asking. A small donation is recommended, but not required. A list of dates is in the sacristy and a date can be reserved up to one year in advance.

CHRISTMAS PARTY ON THE BAYOU RAFFLE...The Bar Cart consisting of holiday items, foods, and beverages which is being raffled with a drawing around December 15, is on display at Delta Bank.

ANGEL TREE....Did you want to have a part in the Angel Tree but the time got away from you? If so, please feel free to make a monetary contribution as we will be purchasing food items to make a basket to give each of the families for whom we are providing gifts. Cash or checks can be put in the collection basket in an envelope indicating your wishes. Dana Dukes is giving leadership to our Angel Tree project again this year. If you have questions, please contact her or the church office.

CHRISTMAS ON THE BAYOU …. SUNDAY … Craftsmen and vendors will be at the Courthouse lawn from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.,the parade is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the Christmas Choir Concert is at 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church, followed by fireworks on the Bayou at 7:15 p.m. Father Ryan is the Narrator for the Choir Concert and choir members include Michael Lancaster, Mike Rome, MaryKathryn Book and Patty Watts. The Grand Marshall for this year’s parade is Mike Rome.

ADVENT MISSION … DECEMBER 10 and 11… following 5:30 p.m. Mass. Father Dale Meade, St Mary Catholic Church, Winnsboro, will be our presenter.

FLOWERS FOR CHRISTMAS...envelopes can be found at the entrance of Church. Please indicate if you have a Special Intention, In Honor, In Memory. Envelopes can be returned in the collection basket.

2020 CALENDARS …. can be found on the table at the entrance of church. We have a goodly number of calendars so please feel free to take more than one per household.

CHRISTMAS EVE MASS...will be celebrated at 6 P.M. as Father Ryan will need time to return from Delhi where he will have celebrated Mass at St. Theresa earlier in the afternoon.

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY...is celebrated on December 8 but as it falls on Sunday, the Solemnity has been moved to Monday, December 9. While it remains a solemnity and the Patronal Feast day of the United States of America, the obligation for the faithful to attend Mass has been abrogated, i.e., it is NOT a holy day of obligation this year.

BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS...will be held following the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday, December 22, and all are invited to join the children for this festive event. Kendra Collins will be giving leadership to the activity. If you would like to assist, please contact Kendra or Father Ryan.

BURNING OF THE GREENS...JANUARY 4, 2020...You may want to join in the annual Burning of the Greens Epiphany celebration on Saturday, January 4 following the 5:30 p.m. Mass. Blessings of King Cakes and the Queens Soup will be a part of the activity.

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 Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

Our Return to the Lord

  • Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $2,111
  • November Budget $8,444
  • November Income $8,340
  • December Budget $10,555
  • Collection Nov 30/Dec 1 $ 1,484
  • December Income to Date $ 1,484

Stewardship We must be good stewards of God’s gifts to us, receiving them gratefully and cultivating them with care lest we be the ones about whom John the Baptist speaks today: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

SPECIAL COLLECTION THIS WEEKEND (Dec 7/8) for Retired Religious helps religious communities care for their retired members by providing medications, nursing care, and more for thousands of senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests. Your generous contributions are appreciated!

Mass Schedule & Intentions for the Coming Week

  • Sat 5:30p In memory of Sarah Phillips/Hodge
  • Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish
  • Mon NO MASS
  • Tue 5:30p In memory of Agnes “Pooche” Adams/Regan
  • Wed 5:30p In memory of Michel King/Humphries
  • Thurs 9:00a In memory of May DiTomasso
  • Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/Fulton
  • Sat 5:30p In memory of Joseph and Louise Testa/Magoun
  • 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

  • 12/7 5:30p
    • Lector: A Farlow
    • EMHCs: P & M Gilfoil
  • 12/8 9:00a
    • Servers: C Marsh, H Ellerbee, K Ellerbee
    • Lector: B Sullivan
    • EMHCs: N & M Ernst
  • 12/14 5:30p
    • Lector: P Wilks
    • EMHCs: B Wilks & MA Gilfoil
  • 12/15 9:00a
    • Servers: C Sullivan,C Wood, MK Marsh
    • Lector: W Sullivan & Henry Ellerbee
    • EMHCs: B Smith & K Collins
  • 12/21 5:30p
    • Lector: M Rome
    • EMHCs: A Farlow & L Bullard
  • 12/22 9:00a
    • Servers: P Collins, M Wood, E Kivett
    • Lector: J Howington
    • EMHCs: N & M Ernst

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Nick and Chris Hall (Dec 7), Norman Ernst (Dec 12), Katherine Ernst Bedgood (Dec 14), Madeline Oliver (Dec 14), Johnny Gilfoil (Dec 15)

Happy Anniversary Nap and MaryKathryn Book (Dec 14)

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, C.W. and Alyce Keene, 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 Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Weimer Alexander (Regan), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), Marie Farlow Bellard, Hattie Brown (Lancaster), Jerry Bullard, Colton Bullock (Farlow), Richard Chappuis (Johnson), Karen Cobb, Jami Cook (Wilks), 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), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire (Gilfoil), Tobie McKowen (Wilks), Keith Melancon (Regan), Tucker Melancon (Johnson), Lindsay Mills, 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, Beverly Sibile (Gilfoil), Theresa Thom (Rome), Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Adam Triplett (Reynolds), Teresa Vidrine (Wilks), Conner and Hudson Wood (nephews of Bart)

For the repose of the soul of Virginia Bullard Caviness, Delhi, sister of Pat Bullard, who died on Thursday following a short illness

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.