Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
From The Font
“The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings”
Throughout history people have asked, as did Rodney King, “Can’t we all just get along?” The short answer is “no, we can’t.” Human nature precludes us from “live and let live” and just getting along with one another… No matter how innocuously or quietly we might want to go about our lives, there will always be someone who wants to control us simply because they can. There is no such thing as a happy medium. There is no such thing as “you do you.”
The entire Old Testament is one long story of the Jews seeking peace on their own terms. They tried to find peace by isolating themselves from others. They tried to find peace through conquering and military strength. They tried strong government, religious government, submission to others, Kings, Judges, ancestor rule, etc. They tried everything they could think of and everything failed. Superficially, we might see that failure as a bad thing, the Jews certainly did! BUT, the Lord often has to remind us that He is God and we are not. The Jews didn’t understand that God’s intent was to establish a supernatural domain of eternal life. Now that we know about Heaven, we can see the discomforts and evils of the world not as ends in themselves, but as means to sanctify us and to prevent us from becoming so attached to this life that we lose eternal life.
The modern world, rife as it is with luxury and illusion\lies, calls us to a blend of naive optimism and materialistic tunnel vision. We are encouraged to worry about the minutiae of this life and to maximize our happiness and to minimize our unhappiness. We’re encouraged to obsess over our social status, our physical beauty, our personal gifts and personal weaknesses. And while that may bring out the good in some, it will, without question, bring out the bad in many. That kind of living encourages the vices rather than the virtues and it distracts us from our salvation which has little or nothing to do with social status and the specific gifts God has given us.
As Jesus says, in the world, you will have troubles, but I give you my peace! Let not your hearts be troubled, trust in Jesus and He will give you peace!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
This week we have our usual Parish Council meeting on Tuesday and our monthly Wednesday Evening Catechism talk on Wednesday. Thursday is the feast of Padre Pio, an Italian monk with a pile of supernatural (aka “mystical”) charisms (aka “dramatic spiritual abilities”). As such, I’ve titled the Wednesday Evening Catechism talk “St. Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio, and all those crazy mystics with their supernatural gifts.”
I’ve always been fascinated by the diversity of Christian saints. Since I first began to take my faith seriously in High School, I’ve read story after story about this or that saint. This one was a spoiled little rich kid who got his act together one day and founded a religious order (St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis of Assisi). That one was a saint from a young age who saw angels, advised other saints, read souls, and healed miraculously (St Rose of Lima). This one was a mean old codger with a heart of gold and a brilliant mind (Jerome). That one was unambitious and became a saint through the simple work of love and prayer (St. Jean Vianney, St. Andre Bessette). And there are others! Saints who could read minds, saints who could heal with a touch, saints who could physically fly, saints who could be in two physical locations at once, saints who had the physical wounds on Jesus, saints who could see angels, saints whose bodies haven’t decayed in the centuries since they died…
Much like the unexpected and yet deeply mystical and deeply real aspects of our Faith (Holy Water, Relics, etc), the sheer breadth of mystical gifts and the wide range of types of people to whom they were given is a testament in itself to God’s grandeur and His wisdom.
A number of theologians and Churchmen that I deeply respect have argued that the greatest weakness of the Church right now is the lack of emphasis on the supernaturality of our Faith. Catholics believe that Jesus Christ Himself enters miraculously into plain bread and wine at every Mass! We believe in Sacramental Confession and that Baptism fundamentally marks the soul! These aren’t symbolic acts, they’re supernatural! And yet most of us (and most visitors) don’t really see much difference between what we do at Sunday Mass and what the Baptists or the Methodists do. Other than the different order of events, I doubt most Americans could tell the difference… That’s a pretty big problem!
One of the biggest reasons I’m such an advocate for the Traditional Latin Mass is that it’s designed to reinforce the supernaturality of what we do at Mass while the new Mass (of 1968) seems designed to underplay it… But that’s not the point of this article.
The talk on Wednesday will highlight some of the major spiritual gifts that have been given to various saints in history by means of some fun and wondrous stories. Padre Pio is certainly among those who I’ll be highlighting and so those in attendance will be able to attend Mass in his honor the very next day… neat!
The talk will be livestreamed Wednesday morning at about 9:30a for those unable to join us in the evening.
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 In memory of Thomas Trichell/family
- Wed 9:00a In memory of May DiTomasso
- Thurs 9:00a In memory of Rosa Gremshell
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/P Gilfoil
- 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 9/18 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow |
| 9/19 9:00a | Chandler, Kathleen, & Maura | Youth |
| 9/25 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil |
| 9/26 9:00a | Preston and Evelyn | K Collins |
| 10/2 5:30p | None Scheduled | TBA |
| 10/3 9:00a | TBA | TBA |
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 12 SUNDAY MORNING CATECHISM in Hall after 9:00 a.m. Mass.
- Sept 21 Parish Council Meeting – Parish Hall – 6 p.m.
- Sept 22 Wednesday Night Catechism – Parish Hall – 6 p.m. Topic: St. Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio, and all those - crazy mystics with their supernatural gifts.
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.
PASTORAL COUNCIL…PASTORAL COUNCIL..will hold its regular meeting on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, at 6:00 p.m in the Church Center. Appointed members of the Council: MaryKathryn Book, Kendra Collins, MaryAnne Gilfoil, Louise Magoun, 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. All members are requested to make a special effort to attend. Parishioners are encouraged to attend and contribute to the discussions.
WEDNESDAY EVENING CATECHISM... SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 in the Church Hall at 6 p.m. This month’s topic is “St. Francis of Assisi, Padre Pio, and all those crazy mystics with their supernatural gifts”. Father will answer questions after each talk. Guests are welcome!
RETIRED PRIESTS COLLECTION… This weekend, September 18/19, our second collection will be for the RETIRED PRIESTS of our Diocese. This collection, which is UNASSESSED (untaxed) by the Diocese, remains in our parish to offset the monthly assessment that we pay to that diocesean fund in support of the fourteen retirees of our Diocese. You are encouraged to be generous as this replenishes our own accounts. Also, please keep these faithful and dedicated priests in your prayers.
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 Today’s second reading warns that a heart consumed with avarice and envy leads to jealousy, strife, conflicts, and disputes. A giving heart, in contrast, can sing instead with the Psalmist, “Freely will I offer you sacrifice; I will praise your name, O Lord, for its goodness.”
The second Collection this weekend for the Retired Priests Fund remains in our parish to offset our monthly assessment for that cause. Please be generous.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2020-21 | $ 2,111 |
| August Budget | $ 8,444 |
| August Income | $ 9,611 |
| August Expenses | $ 9,843 |
| September Budget | $ 8,444 |
| September 11/12 Collection | $ 2,536 |
| September To Date | $ 4,460 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Bruin Johnson (Sept 18), “Bugs” Brown (Sept 23), Leslye Ellerbee (Sept 25), Bishop Johnson (Sept 26), Blake Sullivan (Sept 26)
Happy Anniversary Isabell and Sylvester Hernandez (Sept 23, 1967)
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, 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
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), Mona Martin-Mills (M Gilfoil), 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.