Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
From The Font
“This is how it is with the kingdom of God…” “To what shall we compare the Kingdom??”
Even more than Christians, who are taught to be always on the lookout for the second coming of Jesus, the Jews were a people in anticipation. They were awaiting “The Day of the Lord” on which God would appear in His might and destroy the enemies of the Chosen People and usher in a new Kingdom of God in which they would still live and die human lives, but in a world of peace, security, and ease.
Just as many of us are especially interested in what the Bible and the Mystics have to say about Heaven, so the Jews were always interested in a new sermon on the Kingdom of God… How would the Lord devastate the Romans? How would the Lord destroy all His enemies? What kind of food and drink would there be in His Kingdom?
Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom were not especially mindbending. Other preachers did preach similar sermons. Jesus’ sermons were probably different only in that they were less spectacular and less amazing than the ones told by His competition. In other sermons by other preachers, the Lord would show up in a golden, fiery chariot with Caesar’s head strapped on to one of the horses, and the Messiah would have a giant sword and behead every Roman around. Then the Lord would open up a bag of seed and the desert would change into lush foliage and so on and so on…
The Sermons Jesus preaches about the kingdom are much more reserved. His emphasis is less on what the Kingdom will be like and more about what we need to do to be the kind of people who will inherit it.
Sure, for some people, this less ostentatious style wasn’t as appealing as the Joel Olsteens of that day, but for many, Jesus was far more appealing. By setting aside sensationalism for something more authentically Jewish, the Lord presented an image that resonated more with the human heart. Even today, many of us know that feeling when we hear or read something true about ourselves or the Lord and we feel good about it, even if it’s a hard saying to hear. The Kingdom of God is like that. It’s not just whatever we want it to be - it’s a deep union with the Lord...
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Years ago, this coming Sunday would have been known as the third Sunday after Pentecost. The first was always Trinity Sunday. Corpus Christi moved from Thursday to Sunday and took the place of the Second Sunday after Pentecost. And so here we would be at the Third Sunday after Pentecost.
Contrary to the popular understanding, the Second Vatican Council did not call for a radical reconstruction of the Mass or the Roman Calendar. The change from Sundays after Pentecost to the bland and unspiritual “Ordinary Time” didn’t come from the prayers and consideration of the Bishops of the Church. It came from a committee of disaffected Italian priests who called themselves “The Consilium” (The Council) as any group of pompous windbags might... They sat at cafes and reinvented the entire Liturgical Calendar of the Church based upon nothing more than their intuition and 1960s-era ideologies.
Those who read this column know that I write my fair share of complaints about the post-Vatican-II changes to the Liturgy. It may seem like I’m just beating a dead horse. And, hey, I may be! I don’t have any special authority beyond Madison Parish, Louisiana. My opinions aren’t being read to Pope Francis over his breakfast tea!
The reason that I bring up topics like this over and over again isn’t to affect change. I do it for the same reason that I bring up Persian history when we read from the Book of Daniel at Mass. It’s the same reason I bring up German history on the feast of St. Boniface and English history on the feast of St. Edward, our Patron. History contextualizes the present.
Statisticians are constantly evaluating the Catholic Church. What percentage of Catholics go to Mass? What percentage of Catholics believe in the Holy Eucharist? What percentage of Catholics volunteer in their parishes? These are the hard numbers that determine the health of a Church and the viability of the preaching of the Gospel in one way or another…
History and Statistics come together to tell us from the past and in the present what works and what doesn’t. And when something doesn’t work now and it did work at another time or another place, we have a certain moral obligation to take that data seriously.
I doubt anyone is going to go to Heaven or Hell because The Consilium of Italian blowhards changed the relatively meaningful “Time after Pentecost” to “Ordinary Time.” But those changes - most of which were NOT called for Vatican II - have accompanied the worst apostasy in the history of the world! More people (including priests and nuns) have abandoned the Church in the last 75 years than have done so basically in world history… At a certain point, we need to ask ourselves what happened, when it happened, why it happened, and what we need to do differently…
So it can feel like beating a dead horse, but it’s worth thinking about and considering both the what and why of this great experiment of our age.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon No Mass
- Tue 9:00a No Mass as Father away
- Wed 9:00a No Mass as Father away
- Thu 9:00a No Mass as Father away
- Fri 5:30p For friends and benefactors of Father Thomas Kennedy
- Sat 9:00a Private Intentions of Father Ryan (Traditional Latin Mass)
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Thomas Trichell/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Mary Anne Gilfoil
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 6/12 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome |
| 6/613 9:00a | Chandler, Cooper, and Maura | C Guizerix |
| 6/19 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil |
| 6/20 9:00a | Henry and MaryKatherine | Youth |
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
- June 18 Father Thomas Kennedy will celebrate Friday’s 5:30 p.m. Mass at St Edward. Following Mass, there will be a potluck social during which we will present the gift of our faith family to him in honor of his recent ordination.
- June 20 Father’s Day
- June 27 Potluck Picnic to celebrate an early July 4th...following 9 a.m. Mass. ALL are invited to attend. The Second Quarter Social Committee will open the doors and clean up following the event. See notes elsewhere in the bulletin.
For Your Information:
FATHER RYAN WILL BE AWAY FROM THE PARISH THIS WEEK FOR DAILY MASS EXCEPT FOR FRIDAY 5:30 P.M. MASS.
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.
VISIT OF FATHER THOMAS KENNEDY to offer his first Mass at St. Edward will be on Friday, June 18 at the 5:30 p.m. Mass. All are invited to join in celebrating Father Thomas’s Ordination which was May 22. Father Thomas’s first assignment is in Alexandria at Our Lady of Prompt Succor. In connection with Father Thomas’s visit, those who would like to do so should plan on joining him after Mass for supper in the Church Hall to enjoy food and conversation. If you are attending and would like to bring a dish, there is a list at the entrance of church for you to record what you plan to bring.
FATHER’S DAY… JUNE 20. We invite all the dads of our community to join us for a special blessing of Fathers at each of our weekend Masses!
SECOND QUARTER SOCIAL … Mark your calendar for JUNE 27 and celebrate an early 4th of July with a Potluck Picnic following Sunday Mass. The Committee for Second Quarter (April, May, June) - Libby Bullard (Co-chair), Elizabeth Crothers*, Angel Farlow, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, MaryAnne Gilfoil, Terry and Andy Hall, Isabell Hernandez, Ann Keene, Alyce and C.W. Keene, Frances Kennedy,* Bobby Reynolds, Delia Trichell, and Cathy VanderVieren (Co-chair).
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2020-21 | $ 2,111 |
| May Budget | $10,555 |
| May Income | $12,111 |
| May Expenses | $ 8,028 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday MaryKathryn Book (June 13), Emily Ginn (June 14), Connie Copes (June 15), Margaret Gilfoil (June 16), Matt and Josh Hall (June 18), Robert Wood (June 18)
Happy Anniversary Kate and Bruce Copes (June 18), Beth and Chip Sullivan (June 19)
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: Harper Bedgood, Connie and Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Mary Ernst, Monique Florence, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, C.W. and Alyce Keene, Bill Kennedy, Charlotte Marsh and Lance and Stephenie, Brittany and Brian McFall, 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
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Alexander (Regan), Kathryn Wood Allsopp (D Wood), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Molly Corulla, Jerry Bullard, Sara Cannon (Gilfoil), Truman and Diane Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Carol Dipert (Rome), Jared and Ainslie Oliver Duff, Tommy Dunning, Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Rita Hargrave, LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Cameron and Katie Murphy Murray, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Frances Robinson, 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), George and Katie Magoun Williams, Joe Yerger
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Emmy Lu Marsh, Maddie Oliver, Bailey Rome, 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.