Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
From The Font
“Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.”
More than any passage of Scripture, I believe this verse from St. Matthew speaks to our times. For the past hundred years, since Our Lady of Fatima’s messages, the Church in Europe and America has been in dramatic decline. The clergy have become increasingly self-serving and concerned about their status in the eyes of the world. With the brief exception of the 1950s, the number of converts and those seeking religious life has been in decline. It hurts to speak about the atrocities committed against children and those who can’t protect themselves by both the clergy and those employed by the Church. And, of course, we can’t omit the increasingly bureaucratic role being played by the clergy who seem more fearful than courageous in the face of attacks against our Faith from all sides.
Of course, this didn’t happen in vacuum. Our Lady at Fatima had words of warning. She also confided secrets to the child Lucia who would go on to become a holy nun. When the day came and went for the Pope reveal the so-called “Third Secret” of Fatima, Our Lady began to appear with alarming regularity. These and a number of other signs and portents lead me to believe that the last hundred years were no accident of history nor were they merely progress marching on. The past hundred years were a very particular type of spiritual trial under which we have all spent our lives. This moment, then, is what Fr. Richard Heilman calls the “Great Unbinding.” Our time is the moment of revealing those secrets which have been concealed. And as we look at the ongoing coverup of former-Cardinal McCarrick by his politically-obsessed successor, we can’t help but recognize the need for this uncovering. Painful as it may be, nothing heals like the light. Nothing is so helpful for the soul that the release of secrets and the freedom of honesty.
While we have reason to be anxious about our Church and our Nation, today the Lord gives us good advice: “Fear no one!” Whatever may come in our Church or in Our world, Jesus is Lord. He chose a traitor for His apostles on purpose to call us to trust in Him above all else!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
This week, I’m on vacation. I had intended to visit my parents in February, but I punted that trip due to busyness and I told them I would get over there in March. But then chaos came and I wasn’t to get over there until now.
I can say that I need a break. While there hasn’t been an overwhelming amount of work, the emotional stress of the lockdown has taken more of a toll than I would have predicted. Producing videos is a great deal more stressful than it would seem from the outside looking in. I know all of us felt the stress of not knowing what comes next. There’s anxiety for our friends and our loved ones. I have good friends who are running small businesses and who are in cities like New York and Washington DC where the effects of COVID have been more seriously felt. The recent politically motivated rioting only adds to anxiety that I know we all feel and robs of us of the sense that this whole mess is finally coming to an end.
The vacation part of this vacation will simply be a few days off the clock. It’ll be an opportunity to offer Mass privately without a camera and without a public sermon. It’ll be an opportunity to do some physical labor with my dad and let my mind rest. It’ll also be an opportunity to visit with my parents and bake a few loaves of bread with my mom. It’ll be an opportunity to fight with the dogs. My dad’s Golden Retriever, “Brodie,” had to be put down a few weeks ago and the big Boxer, “Roux,” needs some cheering up (or so my mother tells me…). It’ll also be a chance to just be somewhere other than my house. I expect most of us are getting a little stir crazy.
All that said, I have to report what a blessing it has been to be here with you through this. Our little parish produced more live-streamed video than basically every parish in the state. My former parish, chock full of resources and talented people, produced next to nothing and are just now starting to offer public Masses again. We’ve been able to be back to something like normal for weeks.
What’s more, y’all have been incredibly generous. I haven’t mentioned money at all and yet all of you have been so, so generous in leaving your St. Edward envelopes in every imaginable place. While other priests are panicking about their budgets, we’ve been able to be extra-frugal and to apply for the federal PPP and to have all of you give even without a collection plate and a guilty look from our ushers. ;)
I just can’t explain how thankful I am to all of you for being so incredibly good to the Lord, the Church, and to myself during the truly uniquely challenging time. I say it sometimes without a great deal of thought, but I want to say with great deliberation, that I hope and pray that God Reward You for being good Catholics during this time.
My vacation means that our weekend schedule is the same. Our daily Masses will be cancelled until the evening of Friday, June 26. I’ll be back in plenty of time to offer our 5:30p Mass then. Until then, thank you again and please keep me in prayer as I get some rest and journey back to you this week! God Reward You!
Calendar of Events
- Saturday, June 20
- 5:00p Confessions
- 5:30p Holy Mass (Fr. Louis Sklar)
- Sunday, June 21
- 9:00a Holy Mass (Fr. Louis Sklar)
- 11:15a Holy Mass @St Theresa, Delhi (Fr. Louis Sklar)
- Monday, June 22 - Thursday, June 25 - Fr. Ryan on Vacation in Texas
- Friday, Jun 26
- 5:00p Confessions
- 5:30p Holy Mass
- Saturday, June 20
- 5:00p Confessions
- 5:30p Holy Mass
- Sunday, June 21
- 9:00a Holy Mass
- 11:15a Holy Mass @St Theresa, Delhi
Our Return to the Lord
- Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $2,111
- May Budget $10,555
- May Income $12,405
- May Expenses $7,962
- June Budget $8,444
Stewardship The Scriptures today remind us that ”we, many though we are, are one body for we all partake of the one loaf.” How are we using our gifts of time and talent to build up the body of Christ?
Assistants at Holy Mass
- 6/20 5:30p
- C VanderVieren
- 6/21 9:00a
- B Sullivan
- 6/27 5:30p
- M Rome
- 6/28 9:00a
- J Howington
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Margo Corulla (June 26), Frances Roemer (June 27)
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 Wilson, Libby Bullard, Connie and Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Mary Ernst, 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), Fr Chris Decker and The Catholic Underground Ministry, Carol Dipert (Rome), Kim Dorbeck (Keene), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Meg Gaumnitz (Copes), Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Bo Holloway, Terry Lynn Jones (Howington), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), James H. Lossin (Keene), 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), Ray Thornton, Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Teresa Vidrine (Wilks), Todd Windham
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Anna Ginn, Josh Hall, Chris Hall (USMC), Matt Hall (USArmy), Nick Hall, Emmy Lu Marsh, 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.