Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time | St. Edward Catholic Church, Tallulah

From The Font

“It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”

Our modern experience of religion is driven by capitalism. Christians of all sorts are actively competing for people to come to their churches and put money in their collections. That marketplace mentality means that many Christians have reconfigured the teachings of Jesus into advertising slogans and the central command to take up our crosses and follow after Jesus has been replaced with “welcome to our loving community of faith…” With so much effort given to “purchasing” our allegiance by so many churches, the idea that Jesus would dismiss a beggar as a “dog” feels utterly foreign to us.

But the Bible is not the bubble-wrapped pamphlet of slogans and positive energy that we’re often told it is. Both the Old and the New Testament are chock full of very hard sayings and of the Lord doing pretty harsh things to people. It’s not just the Old Testament! In Acts 12, God smites King Herod in front of everyone… John the Baptist calls some soldiers a ‘Brood of Vipers’ and Jesus has lots of harsh words for lots of people…

Does that mean that kindness or courtesy are meaningless? Of course not! Rather it squashes the modern idea that Jesus is all about niceness and positive vibes.

When a kind word is the best thing, Jesus has a kind words. When a hard teaching is needed, Jesus has a hard teaching. In the case of today’s Gospel, the hard lesson is for His disciples and for those looking on, but the tough words aren’t addressed to them. Rather, the poor woman’s faith is revealed in her humility. If she couldn’t have handled Jesus’ words, He wouldn’t have said them. But because He knew her faith, He could use her humility to shame his disciples who tried to prevent her from coming to Him.

Sometimes the same happens with us. God will give us a hard test of faith and He will use our response to that challenge to build up the faith of others. At the moment, this seems horrific. In eternity, we will look back with the greatest joy that God used us for the salvation of a soul! In Jesus, all things really do work for the good.

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

This week, Msgr. Robert Marshall will be consecrated as our new Bishop. He was born in Memphis in 1959. He went to Catholic elementary school and then to Christian Brothers high school and then to Christian Brothers University, all of which are right there in Memphis. He obtained a master in Law and practiced law for several years in Memphis and in St. Louis.

In the early 90s, while working as an attorney, he began to discern that the Lord may want more from him and more for him than the law could provide. He entered seminary in the mid-1990s in New Orleans at Notre Dame Seminary under the watchful eyes of our own Apostolic Administrator Archbishop (then Monsignor) Greg Aymond. Fr. Marshall was ordained in the year 2000 for the Diocese of Memphis and became a parish priest.

In the past 20 years, he’s been in large parishes and in small parishes. He’s worked with excellent bishops and not-so-excellent bishops. He’s had good times and bad times in the course of pastoring souls and serving in the parish and in the larger diocese. A few years ago, he was pleased to be assigned to the Cathedral in Memphis when our very own Bishop David Talley passed through Tallulah on his way to Memphis as their new Bishop.

In sum, we couldn’t ask for a more well-suited and well-prepared man as our bishop. I hope you’ll all take the time to watch the Mass of Consecration on Thursday morning which will be streamed live from the Cathedral in Alexandria. Please pray for our new Bishop and for all of his needs and concerns as he steps in to big shoes!

All times of change like this are moments for cautious optimism and renewed trust in the Lord. Of course, we hope and pray that our new bishop is a man of every single human and supernatural virtue and that every choice he makes, direction he chooses and plan he proposes is exactly what Jesus would do if He were to set up shop in Alexandria… And we have good reason to believe that Bishop Marshall is a really good man.

Still, it’s also essential for us to remember that holiness is about taking up our cross and following after Jesus. That’s true even if those crosses come to us in the Church! Undoubtedly, some of the decisions Bp. Marshall will make will seem to us to be flawed, just as plenty of my own decisions and yours have been flawed. Some of us will disagree with this or that direction he will choose. And in the midst of all that, we would do well to remember that the cross is to be found in places both profane and sacred, within the Church and outside of Her as well. The Lord’s direction for us in all of these moments, though, is to take up our cross and follow him.

I’m very thankful for the abundance of blessings that come with Bp. Robert Marshall and I hope that together we look forward to praying for him and with him. I hope that when he does something that makes sense to me that I remember to pray to the Lord in thanksgiving and I hope that when he makes a decision with which I don’t agree that I remember to pray for him and to ask the Lord to use all of his decisions for the glory of the Lord in our midst.

Come Holy Spirit and bless our new bishop!!

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 except Jun & Dec
Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall after the 9:30a Mass unless otherwise indicated

For Your Information:

SUNDAY MORNING CATECHISM RESUMES… Sunday Morning Catechism along with Coffee and Donuts will resume on Sunday, August 23 after the 9 a.m. Mass. As has become our program, Fr. Ryan will present a short teaching using the projector which is correlated to a specific chapter in our workbooks. Workbooks for all ages will be available free of charge to anyone who needs one in the hall throughout the year. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend these presentations as they will help you teach your own children and, hopefully, increase your own knowledge and understanding of our Faith.

PASTORAL COUNCIL..will hold its regular meeting on TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, at 6:00 p.m in the Church Center. All members are requested to make a special effort to attend. Appointed members of the Council: MaryAnne Gilfoil, Louise Magoun, Ginny Marsh, Beth Sullivan, Levi Washington, and Blanche Wilks. Appointed as Trustees by the Bishop are Michel Lancaster and Cathy VanderVieren. Appointed by the pastor to serve as Finance Council Chair is Darryl Ellerbee. Parishioners are encouraged to attend and contribute to the discussions.

INSTALLATION OF BISHOP ROBERT MARSHALL….on Thursday, September 20, 2020 at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Alexandria. Please pray for Bishop Marshall and the priests of the Diocese of Alexandria.

Our Return to the Lord

Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $2,111
July Budget $8,444
July Income $11,621
June Expenses $8,705
August Budget $10,555
August 8/9 Collection $1,920
August income to Date $4,140

Stewardship In today’s second reading, St. Paul tells the Romans, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” To what is God calling me today? What gifts are mine to share?

Mass Schedule & Intentions for the Coming Week

Sat 5:30p In memory of Wayne Magoun/family
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
Mon NO MASS
Tue 9:00a In memory of Sue Scurria/Wilks
Wed 9.00a In memory of Thomas Trichell (death anni)/family
Thu NO MASS - Installation of Bishop Marshall
Fri 5:30p In memory of Lillie “MaMe” Jumonville (for 23rd)/family
Sat 5:30p In memory of Fred Wyly/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 the Wilks family

Lectors at Holy Mass

8/15 5:30p
- L Bullard
8/16 9:00a
- J Howington
8/22 5:30p
- C VanderVieren
8/23 9:00a
- A Oliver
8/39 5:30p
- MA Gilfoil
8/30 9:00a
- A Keene

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Teri Wilson (Aug 17), Kim Donham (Aug 19), Elizabeth Crothers (Aug 21), Will Donham (Aug 23)

Happy Anniversary Shannon and Bart Wood (Aug. 15), Susan and Johnny Gilfoil (Aug 22)

In Our Daily Prayers…

Our Holy Father Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI; Archbishop Aymond, Bishop 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: 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, Terri Wilson, 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 Cedotal

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), 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), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Lee and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Linda Sanchez (Wilks), Theresa Thom (Rome), Meg Keene Thomas , 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.