Fourth Sunday of Lent
Special Announcement
Due to the COVID quarantine, all public celebrations of the Holy Mass have been cancelled until further notice. Fr. Ryan is working in cooperation with CatholicUnderground.com which he co-founded about 10 years ago with Fr. Chris Decker of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Two Holy Masses will be offered and livestreamed every morning - one in English (the "Ordinary Form") and one in the Traditional Latin ("Extraordinary") Form. Night prayer and the Stations of the Cross will be offered according to the schedule below.
Further information from Archbishop Aymond regarding the re-opening of Public Masses is available at DioceseAlex.org.
FOR Links to WATCH livestreams and SCHEUDLED events, click HERE
From The Font
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
One of the easiest mistakes to make as Christians in the modern world is to believe that if we pray enough, God will take care of everything else. Years of bad theology from Hollywood, pop-psychology masquerading as religion, self-appointed television evangelists and their incompetent preaching, and poor catechesis from the clergy have left the best meaning Catholic Faithful with too many wrong beliefs. Prayer alone just won’t do that much for you. Neither will Faith alone. After all, the devil believes. Faith and prayer and good intentions are essential to knowing, loving and serving Jesus. But the component that’s been underrepresented in these last sixty years of the sexual revolution is self-mastery. It’s the last of the Fruit of the Spirit which St. Paul identifies in his letter to the Galatians.
Self-mastery or self-possession is nothing less than the integrity of self-discipline. You may have noticed just how often the Scriptures advise individuals to “cast aside” sin or, as we see in today’s second reading, “arise from the dead.” These aren’t things which are easy to do. Without the Lord, they are fools errands. They can’t be accomplished on our own. But neither can they be accomplished by Faith or prayer alone.
Some of us are born with a natural self-drive. Some of us learn to control ourselves in our youth. But more and more Americans are growing up without any sense of self-discipline. That’s a real problem. But it’s not a new problem.
Catholicism has aided people of every kind of culture to grow up and take possession of themselves. The only tools we need are moral guidelines and penance. Lenten disciplines, abstinence, fasting and offering up the little sufferings we endure through the day are the tools that have changed whole civilizations and they work for us just as well.
If you’re one of those self-possessed people - thanks be to God! Focus then on your prayer life. If you’re not, focus in on becoming self-possessed first and then turn your attention to the inner life.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Terry Hall (March 27), Cooper Wood Ellerbee (March 27, 2008), Dana Dukes (March 28), Teddy Oliver (March 28)
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, Mary Ernst, Margaret Gilfoil, Susan Gilfoil, C.W. and Alyce Keene, Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Sue & Mike Rome, Delia Trichell and Don Wood Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy, Margaret Fortenberry of Tensas, Sharon Hansen of Gonzales, Consuelo Marsh of Lake Providence, Jean Cantrell, Marie Cedota
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Alexander (Regan), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Sara Cannon (Gilfoil), Georgie Gilfoil Breard, Hattie Brown (Lancaster), Jerry Bullard, Richard Chappuis (Johnson), Karen Cobb, Jami Cook (Wilks), Carol Dipert (Rome), Carol Dunning, Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Melinda and son, Will, Fewell (Farlow), 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), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Lee and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Linda Sanchez (Wilks), Beverly Sibile (Gilfoil), Theresa Thom (Rome), Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Teresa Vidrine (Wilks), Todd Windham
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.