Fourth Sunday of Advent
From The Font
“The angel Gabriel was sent from God…”
The word Angel (from the Greek ἄγγελος) means “messenger.” The name Gabriel (from the Hebrew גַבְרִיאֵל) means “God is my Strength.” Gabriel isn’t the first angel we meet in the Bible… In Genesis, an unnamed Angel stops Abraham’s hand before he kills his son Isaac. Jacob wrestles with an angel. We meet the “Angel of Death” in Exodus at the Passover. In the book of Tobit, we meet our first named angel, Raphael. Michael is first introduced to us in the prophecy of Daniel. Other angels appear with astonishing frequency in the Bible and in Christian history.
The modern era has gone to great lengths to denigrate angels in movies and film where they are usually portrayed seriously as kindly old do-gooders or as self-interested power brokers and unseriously as fat babies or mere metaphors for conscience.
Exorcists, spiritual masters, and those who interact with the Supernatural on a regular basis know better. Angels are incredibly powerful and they are an important part both of the world around us and of our salvation. The angels serve both as messengers of God’s will for us - big and small - but they also serve as a front-line response to the fallen angels (aka demons) that rage against God by raging against us. The spiritual realities of the world are easy to ignore (especially in our deeply un-sane world). But the approximately 600 exorcisms performed daily in Rome and the thousands upon thousands performed around the world every day tell a story of a world in the midst of a real spiritual battle. Spiritual realities are not about fat babies and berobed cartoons giving advice from my left shoulder or my right. Demonic activity is all too real. Angelic response to that activity is largely invisible, but absolutely essential to our salvation…
More than ever, this is the time to pray daily the prayer to my guardian angel and to invoke these powerful messengers from God. Nothing in the universe is accidental… As such, we must believe that God created these supernatural beings for a serious and deep reason!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Merry Christmas!!
The Birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary, changed everything in Human Existence. In taking upon Himself our human nature, Jesus sanctified and transformed every human being, past, present and future.
Our nature had been irreparably damaged by original sin… In a word, our entire species and race had been broken. From that brokenness followed the Tower of Babel and then the flood… From that brokenness followed the slavery in Egypt and the tretchery of Saul and the sin of David and the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the sloth of Herod…
When Jesus took upon His divinity our humanity, He made our salvation possible. He made our suffering a fulfillment of justice and a reparation for our own sins and the sins of our entire human family. His flesh sanctified our flesh and His redemption in the Temple on the eighth day after His birth fulfilled the Abrahamic Covenant setting the stage for the New Covenant which the Lord would fulfill the next time He shed his blood for us 33 years after his presentation.
Our modern world refuses to see any action as having any real repercussion, but as Catholics we recognize that sin reaches far beyond just God and myself. A single sin that I commit in the privacy of my home or even my mind has spiritual effects which can reach through space and time in ways that I can’t begin to imagine… If it didn’t, then Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross would be unnecessary and meaningless! For redemption to matter, sin must matter. And if sin matters, then the original sin that introduced death into the world must matter. And it matters enough to cause the Lord God, Himself, to send His only begotten Son into the world to live and die for us. It’s that “mattering” that causes us to celebrate today with such intensity. We’re not merely remembering an anniversary or a past event - we’re celebrating an event which matters as much to us today as it ever has or ever will so long as humanity exists! The Birth of Jesus Christ changed the world in a way which is all but impossible to describe and which we should celebrate with all our might!
My hope and prayer for all of us as we enter this Christmas season is that we reorient ourselves toward what really matters. The past year has caused us to ask ourselves what is really important and what isn’t… How important is LSU football? How important is eating out? How important is spending time with family and close friends! How important is going to our “home” Church! How very important is it to feel like there is some place stable and grounded when so much of the world around us seems to be unhinged.
The Church is for us a place of surety and security. We need to know that while the world and its structures may rise and fall, God is strong and powerful and cannot be moved by anything other than His love for us and His mercy towards us!
Merry Christmas!!
Upcoming Events
-
Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass at 5:30p
-
Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall after the 9:00a Mass unless otherwise indicated
-
Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Tuesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
-
Dec 20 Birthday Party for Jesus following 9 a.m. Mass
-
Dec 24/25 Christmas Eve Mass at 6 p.m. and Christmas Day Mass at 9 a.m.
-
Jan 9 “Burning of the Greens” following 5:30 p.m. Mass. More info to follow….
For Your Information:
ROSARY GROUP … a group of parishioners is meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to pray the Rosary. Everyone is invited to join with the group. If you need additional information, please contact the Coordinator, Louise Magoun, at 318-341-2403
ANGEL TREE … On Wednesday, ANGEL TREE gifts and food baskets were shared with the selected families. This year, sixteen children from six families and eight group home residents had special needs met by the generosity of the St. Edward Faith Family!!! If you still want to be a part of our project, you may want to make a monetary donation to offset the cost of Food Baskets. Cash can be put in an envelope, marked “Angel Tree, and given to Father or the Church Office or put in the collection or a check with notation that it is for Angel Tree can be put in the collection.
BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS…will be this Sunday, December 20, following 9:30 a.m. Mass and all are invited to join the children for this festive event. Kendra Collins will be giving leadership to this event.
CHRISTMAS EVE AND DAY MASS SCHEDULE...Christmas Eve Mass will be celebrated at 6 p.m. as Father Ryan will need time to return from Delhi where he will have celebrated Mass at St. Theresa earlier in the afternoon. Christmas Day Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Altar servers for Christmas Eve: Caroline Marsh, Henry Ellerbee, and Kathleen Ellerbee. Lector MaryAnne Gilfoil Altar servers for Christmas Day: None needed: Lector: Angel Farlow
FLOWERS FOR CHRISTMAS...envelopes can be found at the entrance of Church. Please indicate if you have a Special Intention, In Honor, In Memory. Envelopes can be returned in the collection basket
CALENDARS FOR 2021..can be found on the table at the entrance of church. We have quite a large number of calendars so please feel free to take as many as you would like!!
2021 ENVELOPES...at the side entrance of church, there are numbered and labeled boxes of 2021 stewardship envelopes for you to take. If you want to use envelopes and do not see your name, please put your name on the list on the table and take the next successive numbered box. If you have questions, please contact Father Ryan or the church office. For those who prefer to drop a check in the collection or use bank-pay, we have a recording system to provide a year-end summary for your tax use.
NEW YEAR’S DAY...The Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God (normally a Holy Day of Obligation). We will have Mass at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on that day.
BURNING OF THE GREENS… To celebrate Epiphany as the conclusion of the Christmas Season, we will burn the Greens on January 9 after the 5:30p Mass. Bring your live trees, boughs, etc and BYOB. Setups will be provided and potluck hors d'oeuvres are welcomed, not required.
SAINTS ALIVE…ANGELS AT WORK…Our thanks to each of you who took the name and needs of the children in the Angel Tree project and responded so generously!!! It was exciting to see the gratitude of the relatives (often grandparents) who received those gifts this week! The adults who picked up the gifts did so at the Church Hall so it was a very solid connection of WHERE the gifts came from. A special thanks to our coordinator who voiced that she got more out of the experience than any of the recipients!!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of In memory of J.E. “Boyzie” Jumonville (birth)/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon No Mass
- Tue 9:00a In memory of May DiTomasso
- Wed 9:00a In memory of C. L. Keene (60th wedding anniv)/family
- Thu 6:00p Christmas Eve….In memory of Eva Reynolds (birth)/family
- Fri 9:00a Christmas Day….Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Sat 9:00a Private Intentions of Father Ryan (Traditional Latin Mass)
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Thomas Trichell/Tommy
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of C.L. Keene
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 12/19 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow |
| 12/20 9:00a | Preston, Marsh, and Evelyn | MaryKatherine & Chandler |
| 12/26 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome |
| 12/27 9:00a | Walker and Cooper | D Ellerbee |
| 1/2 5:30p | None Scheduled | P Wilks |
| 1/3 9:00a | Chandler, Mary Katherine, Carter | B Sullivan |
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 | $ 2,111 |
| November Budget | $10,555 |
| November Income | $9,828 |
| November Expenses | $8,959 |
| December Budget | $8,444 |
| December 12/13 collection | $4,272 |
| December income to Date | $6,998 |
Stewardship In the first reading, God promises King David that his house and his kingdom will endure forever. It is through Mary’s “Yes” -- “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me as you say.” -- that the promise finds fulfillment.
SPECIAL COLLECTION ON CHRISTMAS … Traditionally at all Christmas Masses, a second collection is taken for the education and formation of our priests. Through the CHURCH VOCATIONS collection, your generosity and prayers allow the church to continue to provide priests, sisters and brothers to serve our spiritual and physical needs.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Bart Wood (Dec 19), Robbie Kivett (Dec 25), Emmy Lou Marsh (Dec 27), Jen Yabut (Dec 27), Emory Dukes (Dec 30)
In Our Daily Prayers…
Please let us know of anyone who is ill or hospitalized and would like to receive a visit from Father. Also, help us keep our prayer list up to date by advising us of those who should be added or removed.
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: Connie and Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Marie and Norman Ernst, Mary Ernst, Monique Florence, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, Susan and Johnny 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, Sharon Hansen of Gonzales, Consuelo Marsh of Lake Providence, Marie Cedotal Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Alexander (Regan), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Molly Corulla, Georgie Gilfoil Breard, Hattie Brown (Lancaster), Jerry Bullard, Stella & Fernando Calvo (Keene), Sara Cannon (Gilfoil), Karen and Rod Cobb, Truman and Diane Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Carol Dipert (Rome), Tommy Dunning, Eli Edgecomb(Gilfoil), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Rita Hargrave, Terry Lynn Jones (Howington), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Pops Neumann, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Lee and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Linda Sanchez (Wilks), Theresa and Albert Thom (Rome), Meg Keene Thomas, Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Teresa Vidrine (Wilks), Joe Yerger
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.