Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time | St. Edward Catholic Church, Tallulah

From The Font

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter.”

In our modern culture, nicknames and “pet names” are common signs of affection. The idea that I love someone particularly and especially so much that even their name should reflect our friendship.

In the ancient world, friendship was generally defined as a relationship in which both parties were willing to allow themselves to be changed and affected by the other. So a friend is someone who I “let in...” Someone whose opinion I take to heart. Then, as now, nicknames were common.

This tradition goes back in our Judeo-Christian culture to Abraham and his wife Sarah in the Book of Genesis, chapter 17. Abraham began his life as Abram. But, after a witness of faith, his name was changed from Abram to Abraham. The tradition continues sporadically through the Old Testament. Jesus was no exception. In today’s Gospel, He renamed Simon as Peter. He also gave a somewhat snarky nickname to John and James (the sons of Zebedee). He called them “sons of thunder.”

After the Resurrection and Ascension, St. Paul was the first to have a change in name. He began life as Saul of Tarsus. In time, monks and nuns began to take new names to symbolize their total commitment to the Lord. When one of those monks was elected Pope, he began the tradition of Popes taking on new names.

The real purpose of this change is to symbolize a life-changing transition. It’s to remind the person themselves and everyone around them that they are a new person in this specific service of Christ.

Certainly, that can be done without any external change at all! I’m certainly a priest even though I didn’t change my name when I was ordained and being a priest has changed just about everything about my life!

Still, the tradition of changing names is important and valuable. In a world where religion is increasingly privatized, it’s good to see signs of total commitment.

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

This Sunday begins again our tradition of coffee, donuts, and family religious education. From the beginning, the Church has identified four interconnected aspects of our shared religious life which are usually denoted by four Greek words: liturgia, koinonia, katekesis, and diakonia.

Litugia is where the word Liturgy comes from. It’s the spiritual life of the parish. Of course, Sunday Mass is the height of liturgia, but it also includes Baptisms, Confirmations, Weddings, Ordinations, special blessings, novenas, retreats, parish missions, and any other spiritual events that take place. Now that we’re moving past the COVID crisis, we should be starting to restore within ourselves that internal commitment to Sunday Mass even while the external obligation has not been reestablished.

Koinonia passes from Greek into Latin and communitas and from Latin into English as community. While we tend to think of this primarily in a social way, the deeper sense of the Christian community is something more like the camaraderie of a military unit or a sports team. As Christian, we rely upon one another to encourage one another in holiness and to challenge those among us who are in spiritual danger. The Christian Community is about having a sense of shared mission and purpose. Certainly, social gatherings and fun events play a part in that community, but the real sense of community is that camaraderie of helping one another toward eternal judgment and - we hope - eternal life.

Katekesis is spelled in English Catechesis. Traditionally, the Church refers to the instruction of non-Christians as Evangelization. The instruction of new Christians is Mystagogia. The ongoing instruction of those who are Baptized and Confirmed is Catechesis. We use the one word for all three. Remember that instruction isn’t just intellectual. We’re learning WHAT the Lord has revealed about Himself, HOW to live the life He prescribes, and WHY we believe what we believe. Catechesis is as much practical as it is academic or elective.

The reason we use the whole-family approach rather than the classroom approach here at St. Edward is mostly practical as well. The classroom approach simply isn’t possible for a series of reasons and, to be frank, unless mom and dad are invested in both living and teaching the Faith, the kids won’t be… It’s just the reality of life!

Diakonia gives us the English word deacon. It refers to what we might call Christian Charity or what is wrongly called Social Justice. Working for Justice in this world may or may not be virtuous but doing works of Charity is always good.

These aspects of the parish life have to be tweaked in every parish. After some prayer, some thought and a good bit of advice from various folks, I think the coffee, donuts and Sunday Morning Catechism is the best solution for us right now. Of course, your thoughts are hugely important to me!!! PLEASE feel free to call or text me if you have thoughts or suggestions. Until then, I hope to see you after Mass on Sundays!

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..

WEDNESDAY EVENING CATECHISM….This Wednesday, August 26, at 6 p.m. in Parish Hall. Father will answer questions after his talk (topic to be determined...if you have a burning question/topic, call Father Ryan). Guests are welcome.

Our Return to the Lord

Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $2,111
July Budget $8,444
July Income $11,621
July Expenses $8,705
August Budget $10,555
August 15/16 Collection $2,639
August income to Date $6,779

Stewardship In today’s readings, St. Paul reminds the Romans-and us-that all things come from God: “for from Him and through Him and for Him all things are.” Good stewards understand that all is gift and share generously the fights of time, talent, and treasure with which they’ve been blessed.

Mass Schedule & Intentions for the Coming Week

Sat 5:30p In memory of Fred Wyly/Magoun
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
Mon NO MASS
Tue 9:00a Special Intention of the Magoun Family
Wed 9.00a In memory of John and Marie Johnson/family
Thu 9:00a In memory of May DiTomasso
Fri 5:30p In memory of Josephine Hodge/Weaver
Sat 5:30p In memory of Father Ferre/Mills & Thompson
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish

ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning in memory of Pat Bullard by Rome family

Lectors at Holy Mass

8/22 5:30p
- C VanderVieren
8/23 9:00a
- A Oliver
8/29 5:30p
- MA Gilfoil
8/30 9:00a
- A Keene
9/5 5:30p
- M Rome
9/6 9:00a
- D Ellerbee

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Will Donham (Aug 23), Bruce Copes (Aug 29)

Happy Anniversary Susan and Johnny Gilfoil (Aug 22), Mary Jane and Sidney Johnson (Aug 26), Kendra and Dave Collins (Aug 29)

In Our Daily Prayers…

Our Holy Father Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI; 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, 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), Terri Wilson, 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.