Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
From The Font
“...the more He ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it…”
Even theologians ask the question of why Jesus was so adamant that everyone keep quiet about the miracles He did all over the place… It feels both counter-productive and oddly futile. That confusion gets worse when we switch from one of the “synoptic” Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) to the Gospel of John where Jesus seems all-too-happy to share the stories of His miracles with any- and everyone around Him.
The two keys to understanding this mystery are simple enough. First, the four Gospels were written to specific audiences and across several decades. Mark was probably written in the 50s or early 60s AD to Christians in Rome. Matthew and Luke were both written in the late 60s or early 70s AD to Jewish and Greek believers around what we would call the Middle East. All three were written to help convert non-Christians to the Gospel of Jesus. St. John’s Gospel came much later, probably in the 80s AD and it was written mostly for the Christians of modern-day Turkey. So it wasn’t meant to convert people, but to strengthen the Faith of people who were already Christians… Hence the difference between the four Gospels.
The other key is found in Jesus’ interactions with Herod during the night of His Passion. Herod wants to see a miracle and Jesus refuses. Why? Because, as Jesus will later tell Thomas, it is better to have not seen and yet believed. Herod wanted religious entertainment (as do many folks in our own day and age). Jesus worked miracles to build Faith, not to entertain. He wanted His miracle kept quiet so as to keep the focus on the Faith and to reinforce the truth that Faith is not about sensation, but about supernatural relationship… If miracles get in the way of the fundamental aspects of Christianity, then they are, by definition, distractions and detriments to Faith rather than confirmations and encouragements to it.
The Lord’s goal is not to make this life into a Hallmark movie, but to give us the tools that we need to enter into eternal life with Him in Heaven. The Lord is working to that end with each of us, but our own differences and our shared experiences of the different ways in which God goes about that work are sometimes best kept quiet or even invisible to avoid confusion.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
This Wednesday, Sept 8 is the feast of Our Lady’s birthday. My first parish as pastor was Nativity of the BVM in Campti near Natchitoches and so I have a special love for Her feast day.
Tradition gives us all sorts of interesting and quirky little details from the name of the Angel that stopped Abraham from killing Isaac through to the date of Our Lady’s birth and the fact that Joseph was a widower who had several children before he was engaged to Mary. These little details aren’t going to get anyone to Heaven any faster, but they fill in the gaps and provide color to stories that can seem rather bland for the inspired Word of God…
We have to remember that the Gospels and, indeed, most of the Bible, wasn’t written like an encyclopedia or a modern history textbook. The authors of the Books of the Bible were limited both by their specific purpose in writing and by their circumstances. My purpose in these bulletin articles is specifically to bring to you interesting details of our Faith that don’t necessarily fit into a sermon or a lesson. Maybe they’re too small or maybe they just don’t matter all that much, but they are interesting and fascinating to me and I hope they’ll also be interesting to you.
My circumstances in writing these bulletin articles are wildly different from the ancient authors! I can write as many words as I want. I can change and misspell and respell. I can look up dates and names and quotations instantly. I can print 40 copies in the time it would’ve taken a Biblical writer to sharpen his quill and condition his scroll.
When we think about what details were and weren’t included in the Book of Genesis (The Archangel Uriel) or in the Gospel of St. Luke (Mary’s Birthday), we have to remember that those texts were written in longhand using expensive materials and so the author needed to have a very clear picture of why he was writing and what details he needed to include to accomplish that purpose before ever setting pen to paper.
If I write a stinker of an article, it’s no harm, no foul. I’ve wasted some of my time and some of yours, but that’s the worst of it. If an ancient author wrote junk, it was a real issue. Even as recently as the modern era, American poet Emily Dickinson wrote most of her poetry on scraps of paper despite the relative wealth of her family… That context matters when we think about Biblical principles like Martin Luther’s ‘sola scriptura.’ Luther’s idea that ONLY the words recorded in the Bible are truly revealed by God is absurd… Neither can he argue that the Bible has ALL that is needed for salvation because that principle itself is not to be found in the Bible. Nor can he argue that the Bible itself is necessary at all because the Bible wasn’t compiled until the 400s and it wasn’t broadly available in vernacular translation until the Gutenberg Press in the 15th century and was not available cheaply until the last 200 years. Fascinating little details…
As important as the Bible is, there’s a lot more to Christianity than just the Bible… Some of it is important, some of it is just interesting.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Enoul “Jim” Jumonville/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon No Mass
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Thomas Trichell/Tommy
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Rosa Gremshell
- Thurs 9:00a In memory of Kirby and Paul Fortenberry/family
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/Lancaster
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Beverly Lancaster/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 Blanche & Skeeter Wilks
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 9/4 5:30p | None Scheduled | L Bullard |
| 9/5 9:00a | Chandler, Cooper, Maura | D Ellerbee |
| 9/11 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren |
| 9/12 9:00a | Henry and MaryKatherine | M Lancaster |
| 9/18 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow |
| 9/19 9:00a | Chandler, Kathleen, & Maura | 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
- Sept 5 SUNDAY MORNING CATECHISM in Hall after 9:00 a.m. Mass.
- Sept 3-6 Labor Day weekend
- Sept 21 Parish Council Meeting
- Sept 22 Wednesday Night Catechism
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.
EMPOWERING GOD’S CHILDREN… parish volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and go online regularly at www.virtus.org for the latest training bulletins. Any questions or issues can be reported to the office. Printed resources are available on the table at the entrance to the Church.
- “Protecting our Children, Understanding and Preventing Child Sexual Abuse” includes Resources and Contact Numbers for reporting abuse.
- “Protecting God’s Children, Teaching Touching Safety Quick Reference Guide”
The Diocesan Policy for the Protection of Minors and The Diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct for Priests, Deacons, Pastoral Ministers, Administrators, Staff, and Volunteers are available in the Safe Environment section of the diocesan website at DioceseAlex.org or a copy may be requested from the Safe Environment Office (318) 445-2401.
PLEDGE TO HEAL...If you or a family member has been abused or victimized by a representative of the Catholic church or a member of the clergy, please believe in the possibility for hope and help and healing. Dr. Lee Kneipp, Clinical Psychologist, Victim Assistance Coordinator, Diocese of Alexandria encourages those persons to come forward and speak out. Dr. Kneipp is establishing support groups in the central Louisiana area for victims and family members. The focus of these groups is to further emotional and spiritual healing as an adjunct to therapy, in an atmosphere of others who understand the pain, betrayal, and fear associated with abuse. Dr. Kneipp can be reached at 318-542-9805. All calls are confidential.
WEDNESDAY MORNING CATECHISM… Most Wednesday Mornings after the 9am morning Mass, Fr. Ryan live streams a 25-30 minute talk on some catechetical topic of interest. Beginning this past week, Fr. Ryan has begun an extended series of these talks, each of which will provide an introduction to a book of the Bible. Father will speak about the author, the date of writing, the historical context, some of the highlights and themes, and whatever specific issues of Biblical Scholarship which may be helpful to know before reading it. He will generally address the books of the Bible in order and some books which are very similar to one another (for example, 1st and 2nd Kings) will be treated together. Father is presently working to build a new parish Website on which he will be able to list each of these videos in an easy-to-watch format. All are encouraged to watch live on Wednesday mornings around 9:30a or to find them on our parish Facebook Page.
PRAYER FOR HURRICANE SEASON...Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us during the Hurricane Season from all harm. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
Stewardship The good steward must not show favoritism. The rich may have many material gifts to share, but St James reminds us in the second reading that God has chosen the world’s poor to be rich in faith and inheritors of God’s kingdom.
Second Collection this weekend for our monthly Building Fund.
Next weekend… Catholic University of America
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2020-21 | $ 2,111 |
| July Budget | $ 8,444 |
| July Income | $ 7,574 |
| July Expenses | $ 9,001 |
| August Budget | $ 8,444 |
| August 28/29 Collection | $ 2,180 |
| August Income To Date | $ 9,611 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Sug Regan (Sept 4), Kathleen Ellerbee (Sept 8), Lori Sullivan (Sept 11), Dan Copes (Sept 12)
Happy Anniversary Sally and Bobby Reynolds (Sept 9)
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, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, C.W. and Alyce Keene, Bill Kennedy, Charlotte Marsh and Lance and Stephenie, 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
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, Sara Cannon (Gilfoil), Truman and Diane Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Carol Dipert (Rome), Tommy Dunning, Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Rita Hargrave, Sharon Jackson (Wilks), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Cameron and Katie Murphy Murray, Caryn Oliver, Sue Perrilloux (D Wood), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Frances Robinson (Wilks), Lee and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), 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, Calli Ezell, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Emmy Lu Marsh, Maddie Oliver, Bailey Rome, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Brice Wood, Marsh Wood
Those Catholics residing at Christian Acres, Louisiana Transitional Center for Women, and our local Detention Centers and for their families and loved ones.