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Fifth Sunday of Lent

March 29, 2020

Online Masses & Devotions

Remember that the schedule and all the links you need to watch online are on our parish website at StEdward.space

This week:

  • Sunday
    • 8:15a Holy Mass (Traditional Latin) - Fr. Ryan
    • 9:15a Holy Mass (Simple English) - Fr. Ryan
    • 11a Holy Mass (Sung English) - Fr. Chris
  • Monday
    • 8:30a Holy Mass (English) - Fr. Chris
    • 9:15a Holy Mass (Traditional Latin) - Fr. Ryan
    • 9p Night Prayer - Fr. Chris
  • Tuesday
    • 8:30a Holy Mass (English) - Fr. Chris
    • 9:15a Holy Mass (Traditional Latin) - Fr. Ryan
    • 9p Night Prayer - Fr. Chris
  • Wednesday
    • 8:30a Holy Mass (English) - Fr. Chris
    • 9:15a Holy Mass (Traditional Latin) - Fr. Ryan
    • 8p Stations of the Cross - Dc. Josh
    • 9p Night Prayer - Fr. Chris
  • Thursday
    • 8:30a Holy Mass (English) - Fr. Chris
    • 9:15a Holy Mass (Traditional Latin) - Fr. Ryan
    • 9p Night Prayer - Fr. Chris
  • Friday
    • 8:30a Holy Mass (English) - Fr. Chris
    • 9:15a Holy Mass (Traditional Latin) - Fr. Ryan
    • 3p Stations of the Cross - Fr. Ryan
    • 8p Stations of the Cross - Dc. Josh
    • 9p Night Prayer - Fr. Chris
  • Saturday
    • 9:15a Holy Mass (English) - Fr. Ryan

Fr Chris Decker is a priest of the diocese of Baton Rouge. Dc. Josh is a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Lafayette

Please see below for intentions

From The Font

And Jesus wept.

How should we understand this story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus? Well, it's straightforward enough. Lazarus dies. Everyone is sad. Jesus arrives. He raises Lazarus from the dead. It's not the only time this kind of thing happens.

It's also not all that interesting that Jesus has some particular friends - people He's closer to than others. We know that He visited the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha several times. He's certainly closer to his Apostles than He is to most other people. He spends time with His disciples. We know Mary Magdalene felt very close to Him.

The wrinkle in this story is all about the shortest verse in the Bible: John 11:35. Why did Jesus weep? He knew that He would raise Lazarus. So He couldn't be weeping for Lazarus. Could it be because other people were weeping and Jesus saw that as a lack of understanding of His teaching and therefore a lack of faith? Could it be because He saw people He loved suffering and He shared in their experience of sorrow - even though He was going to fix them up very soon? Could it that Jesus wasn't fully aware of what He, Himself, was planning to do?

Surely, some of those are more likely than others, but we don't really know why Jesus wept at the grave of His friend Lazarus. He never tells us exactly why He weeps before raising Lazarus from the dead. But what we do know is that in Jesus Christ, death has lost its real sting. While death saddens us and sometimes frightens us, it is not the end.

This moment in scripture raises another interesting question that's worth thinking about as we enter into the time of the Church calendar which is known as Passion-Tide... How should WE deal with death? Should we mourn in black clothes and somber funerals? Should we weep - as Jesus did - for the loss of our friend or our family? Should we embrace the sadness that naturally arises from loss? Rather, should we exchange funerals for celebrations of life? Should we exchange mourning for recalling the good times? Should we rename mourning to depression and psychoanalyze ourselves into emotional health?

The reality of our Human nature is such that we cannot, by sheer force of will, change it. We are all of us hardwired to mourn. We all go through the Kubler-Ross stages of grief. As such, our nature demands that we mourn for the loss of a loved one and not merely celebrate their life. Surely, we have Christian Hope in God's mercy and in salvation. But we still mourn for what could have been. We mourn for those who will suffer most due to the loss of this person we love. We mourn for ourselves who won't hear their voice or share their experiences again. We mourn for a hundred things. And whatever the deep and profound reasons that Jesus wept for the death of His friend Lazarus, in part, He wept because that the Human thing to do in the face of death.

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

My friend, Fr. Chris, has just texted to tell me he's going a bit stir-crazy. That's the third text today from three different people that made use of that word... I'm a natural introvert and so I'm quite happy to spend the vast majority of my time alone. Still, even I am starting to feel a little disconnected from reality.

One of the positive side effects of this whole thing will, I hope, be a more genuine appreciation of the limitations of technology. Phones and screens are a fine way to chat with people, but they simple can't replace human contact. One of the great disasters of the last hundred years or so in Western Culture is that two contradictory ideas have become the norm in our thinking. On the one hand, we believe that we as a people are now more intellectually sophisticated than the savages of the past. We believe that by being more cerebral and more sophisticated, we have become better than those who sewed flour sacks into dresses and who went to the doctor for a rousing leech treatment every month. That belief in our own sophistication means that we can dismiss as outdated any and every limitation upon our physical bodies... At the same time, we believe that our minds are just a meaningless collection of electrical circuits and that our bodies are the result of Darwinian evolution - devoid of any meaning, purpose or real value... This odd contradiction means that we believe that we can live entirely in the mind AND treat our bodies with abandon with no consequence at all.

The philosophy may seem entirely academic, but it's coming to life as we realize that video chatting just isn't enough. It's coming to life as we realize the need we have to engage our other senses and to experience new people beyond our immediate families. We start to realize just how important our daily routines are. We start to realize how much it matters to go into an office or a shop or a friend's home.

Surely, 50 years ago, this quarantine would've been a very different experience. We would've had a few TVs in the home. We'd have a record player or two and a radio. We'd have a telephone and the kids would be much more content to play outside. Still, the need to human contact wouldn't change at all. It's not about the time, it's about our human nature.

Our Return to the Lord

Stewardship When Jesus heard about the illness of His friend, Lazarus, He responded. “This illness is not to end in death; rather it is for God’s glory, that through it the Son of God may be glorified.” Every aspect of our lives--our gifts as well as your sufferings--can, if surrendered to Christ, lead to blessing for ourselves and others.

Mass Intentions for the Coming Week

Please see above for schedule - some Masses are offered in Latin

  • Sun 8:15a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish
  • Sun 9:15a In memory of John and Marie Johnson/family
  • Mon 9:15a In memory of Gus Gremshell
  • Tue 9:15a In memory of Darryl Ellerbee, Sr (anniv of death)/family
  • Wed 9:15a In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
  • Thu 9:15a In memory of May DiTommaso
  • Fri 9:15a In honor of Trey Williams(birth) and in memory of Father Ferre (anniv of death)/Magoun
  • Sat 9:15a In memory of SeSe Holstead (anni of birth)/family
  • Sun 8:15a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family
  • Sun 9:15a In memory of Rosa Gremshell

ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning aside Our Lady of Fatimá for the special intentions of Margo Corulla

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Dana Dukes (March 28), Teddy Oliver (March 28), Jim Roemer (April 1), Harper Bedgood (April 2, 2012), Betty Smith (April 2), Carter Sullivan (April 2), Walker Sullivan (April 2)

In Our Daily Prayers…

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 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. ALSO, PLEASE HELP US TO UP-DATE OUR PRAYER LIST BY ADVISING US OF ANYONE WHO SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE PRAYER LIST.