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The Ascension of the Lord

May 24, 2020

From The Font

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

While it was the 11 Apostles who were sent to the mountain to witness the Lord’s Ascension, the traditional number of those who were with them makes the total number of witnesses over five hundred men plus many of their wives.

One of the great blessings of being in a rural parish in a not-very-Catholic part of the South is that all of understanding intuitively that if evangelization is going to happen, it’s not going to be just because of the priest or the nun… it’s going to be because all of us work together to present our Faith in a fulfilling, genuine, attractive and life-giving way. Thankfully, the Lord takes care of most of the heavy lifting of that work. Prayer, the Sacraments, and the spiritual life are - in and of themselves - very attractive to those who are open to the Lord. And those who aren’t open, well they aren’t open. There’s only so much we can do to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped...

The apostles were sent. They were told to go forth... to baptize and to teach. That commandment is mostly directed toward the bishops and the priests… So what command is given to all of us - no just the priests? That command is given six chapters earlier in St. Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus says that we must love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. That command is the beating heart of the Christian vocation of all of us. It’s as important as the command directed to the clergy because the Sacraments and all the miracles in the world can’t make someone holy who isn’t loving the Lord and their neighbor.

In many ways, it’s more important just because of sheer numbers. There are so many more laity than there are clergy. For better or worse, that means that lay Catholics are going to be doing their fair share of teaching - like it or not - and so while Jesus' command today is directed to the priests and bishops, in our world, every Catholic who draws breath is going to end up shouldering some of the load. Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit to take most of the weight!

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

The great debate of our moment isn’t even a conversation… It’s everyone yelling at two straw-men. In the world of debate and logic, a straw-man argument is when someone reduces my argument to a caricature or an imitation of itself (like a scarecrow) and then debates that rather than talking about my argument at all. Today, plenty of people are saying that anyone who says “wear your mask” is really just a communist out to destroy the lives of the middle class. On the other hand, plenty of people say that anyone who wants to get back to work is a heartless fanatic who wants to watch sweet little old ladies die horribly on a ventilator. It’s really sad and really stupid, but that’s where logic is in our culture nowadays. It’s no different in politics. If you like Trump, you’re a racist who hates everyone who’s not ‘murican. If you don’t love Trump, you’re a moron or a snowflake. It’s not really about the politics or the virus precautions - it’s actually something much deeper in our culture…

Feel free to disagree with me, but I think much of our problem with one another comes right down to problems with ourselves. Folks born in the 30s and 40s tend to be more practically minded and grounded in the old American-Dream way of thinking. Folks born in the 50s and 60s tend to be more Idealistic. They grew up in a time of general economic prosperity when Americans began to believe that “I can do anything if I put my mind to it.” Folks born in the 70s and 80s tend to be rebellious and adolescent and, strangely, utopian in their thinking about themselves and the world around them. Folks born in the 90s and the naughts have been taught to believe that the self is the measure of all things and that all problems - big and small - can be solved with passion and cooperation.

Every society has generational differentiation that causes different and conflicting worldviews and ideas about solving problems. But as more and more of our population has embraced the “anything is possible” or utopian mindset and and the generations grounded in practical wisdom have aged and died, we’ve found ourselves confronted by the reality that everything is not possible… That I can’t do everything I put my mind to… That I am not the measure of all things.

That reality is painful to learn. Thanks be to God that most of us reading this have been grounded by rural living and the sanity that comes from respecting one’s elders and knowing a little about our own history. But as more and more people live disconnected from the real world by screens or by false ideas or by whatever else, our collective inability to confront the brokenness of our thinking systems is going to lead us to reject outright any idea which isn’t completely in line with our own.

Of course, these are broad strokes of thought. No one analysis can encompass 380 Million people. But for what it’s worth, I think our struggle to dialogue with one another is much, much deeper than politics or Donald Trump or COVID-19. And I think the sooner we face that head-on, the healthier we’ll be as individuals, as a community and as a nation.

Up To Date Information on COVID-19

For up to date info on St. Edward’s response to the COVID situation, please visit StEdward.space and click on QUARANTINE or type in Stedward.space/pages/live

You can also visit Facebook.com/StEdwardTallulah. We also have a shared calendar that you can add to your phone or your computer calendar at Bit.ly/stedwardcalendar.

Please feel free to call, text (318-542-3316), or email (frhumphries@gmail.com) Fr. Ryan at any time if you have questions, concerns, ideas, suggestions, or pastoral needs. For better or worse, we’re all in this together. Don’t hesitate to reach out!

Calendar of Events

  • Saturday May 23
    • 5:00p Confessions
    • 5:30p Holy Mass
  • Sunday May 24
    • 9:00a Holy Mass
    • 11:15a Holy Mass @St Theresa, Delhi
  • Monday May 25
    • In an effort to get back to a normal schedule, Fr. Ryan will go back to taking Monday “off” - which just means he has no standing events on his schedule.
    • Fr. Ryan usually offers a private Mass around 9am. If he decides to live-stream or invite public attendance, it will be posted on his own twitter profile (@FrHumphries) and the parish facebook page Facebook.com/StEdwardTallulah.
  • Tuesday May 26
    • 9:00a Holy Mass
    • 11:00a COVID-Catechism (Live Stream)
  • Wednesday May 27
    • NO MASS from St. Edward - Fr. Ryan at Chrism Mass at the Cathedral in Alexandria.
  • Thursday May 28
    • 9:00a Holy Mass
    • 11:00a COVID-Catechism (Live Stream)
  • Friday May 29
    • 5:00p Confessions
    • 5:30p Holy Mass
  • Saturday May 30
    • 5:00p Confessions
    • 5:30p Holy Mass
  • Sunday May 31
    • 9:00a Holy Mass
    • 11:15a Holy Mass @St Theresa, Delhi

For Your Information:

Happy Memorial Day to everyone! Remember that Memorial Day is first and foremost a time for prayerful remembrance of those men and women who died in battle. The US has fought for her own freedom and security throughout our history, but we’ve also lost a lot of brave men and women to wars and battles fought on behalf of our friends and on behalf of humanity as a whole. For all the men and women who died on our own soil and on foreign lands in service of our great nation, let us pray a prayer of thanksgiving and a prayer for the repose of their souls and the consolation of their friends and families.

Our Return to the Lord

  • Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $2,111
  • April Budget $8,444
  • April Income $7,085
  • April Expenses $7,910
  • May Budget $10,555
  • Collection May 16/17 $2,795
  • May Income to Date $7,940

Stewardship In the Gospel, Jesus prays,”I have given You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave Me to do.” Good stewards follow His example by using their time and talents for the glory of God.

Mass Schedule & Intentions for the Coming Week

  • Sat 5:30p In memory of Dale Magoun/G Cox
  • Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish
  • Mon NO PUBLIC MASS
  • Tue 9:00a In memory of Suzanne Wood/Fulton
  • Wed NO MASS at St. Edward - Fr Ryan at Chrism Mass at Cathedral in Alexandria
  • Thu 9:00a In memory of May DiTomasso
  • Fri 5:30p In memory of Michael Mills/family
  • Sat 5:30p In memory of George and Margaret Magoun
  • Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish

ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Margo Corulla

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Dave Collins (May 24), Olivia Clare Copes (May 29), Anna Ginn (May 29), Mary Katherine Marsh (May 29)

In Our Daily Prayers…

Our Holy Father Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI; Archbishop Aymond, Bishop-elect Robert Marshall 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, Libby Bullard, Connie and Dan 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, Carol Dunning, 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, Karen Cobb, Jami Cook (Wilks), Carol Dipert (Rome), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Meg Gaumnitz (Copes), Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Bo Holloway, Terry Lynn Jones (Howington), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire (Gilfoil), Tobie McKowen (Wilks), Keith Melancon (Regan), Debbie Pettis (Rome), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Lee and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Linda Sanchez (Wilks),Mary and Spencer Sevier and family, 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.