The Baptism of the Lord
From The Font
“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & fire.”
Even today, fire is scary. Despite all the power of modern technology, fire is still a serious threat aboard naval vessels and submarines, in industrial plants, and in ordinary homes. All the more was fire scary to ancient people who knew how to light it, but had little more than jars and sand to fight it.
At the same time, the Jewish people had a long history of associating fire with divinity. The Burning Bush which Moses encountered was a very clear sign of the presence of God to the degree that the voice told Moses to remove his sandals because he was standing on Holy Ground. The great prophet Elijah, too, used fire to destroy the enemies of God by calling down a blaze upon the prophets of Ba’al.
Even so, John the Baptist’s meaning isn’t entirely clear here when he tells the crowd that the Messiah is coming and that he will baptize them (literally “plunge them”) into the Holy Spirit and into fire.
The Holy Spirit part we can understand. The Jewish people held an understanding that God - YHWH - existed as a pure spirit who was able to interact with the material world using some form of mediation that they neither understood nor sought to understand. So when John calls God A Holy Spirit or THE Holy Spirit, no one raised an eyebrow.
But telling the people that the Messiah would be dunking them into fire would have been a harder pill to swallow.
Of course, no one runs away when John says this. Neither do they seem all that confused or disoriented when John speaks about the “Lamb of God” who will take away the sins of the world… Today’s Gospel is one of many places in the Bible where we would love to have the full text of the sermon! Even so, it serves as a good reminder that the Bible isn’t meant to cover every base. The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, not as an index and encyclopedia of Christianity. What we have, we are thankful for - what we don’t have in the Bible, the Lord, Himself, will provide!
The Lord Jesus has indeed baptized us with the Holy Spirit and fire in the Sacraments. We have our whole lives to understand that.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Hasten to our Help!
The State of Louisiana has a special patron saint separate from Our National Patron. The title “Our Lady of Prompt Succor” is a French devotion from the 1700s which translates nicely as Our Lady of Hasty Help or Our Lady of Quick Assistance.
The devotion comes to us via the Ursuline Nuns who set up shop on State Street in New Orleans in 1727. In 1812, a great fire raged across old New Orleans and the sisters’ convent and school were directly in its path. The sisters were ordered to flee but Sr. Anthony Delatre rushed to find a small statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the Prioress, Mother Michael, began to pray the now-famous invocation, “Our Lady of Prompt Succor, we are lost unless you hasten to our aid!” The fire immediately changed direction and the convent and school were completely unharmed despite utter devastation around them.
Only three years later, General Andrew Jackson was facing a British force more than twice the size of his 6,000 man platoon on the plains of Chalmette in what is now called the Battle of New Orleans. The battle seemed hopeless and, aware of the miracle of the fire, New Orleanians began to gather at the convent to ask Our Lady for aid once again. As the battle raged, Msgr. William Dubourg rushed to the convent to offer Mass on the Altar where the miraculous image had been permanently installed. Cannon fire could be heard from the chapel. The Prioress of the convent, Mother Ste. Marie Olivier de Vezin, made a vow to have a Mass of Thanksgiving sung annually should the American forces win. At the very moment of communion, a courier ran into the chapel to inform all those present that the British had been defeated after a heavy and unexpected fog caused most of their troops to wander into a swamp. An annual Mass of Thanksgiving has been held January 8 ever since. I was able to attend several of them during my time in seminary.
On September, 21 1851, Pope St. Pius IX authorized the devotion and celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the singing of the yearly Mass of Thanksgiving on January 8. On June 13, 1928, Pope Pius XI declared the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Prompt Succor as the Patroness of Louisiana after receiving a formal request from the Archbishop of New Orleans (Shaw) and the ; Bishops of Alexandria (Van de Ven) and Lafayette (Jeanmard).
Devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor has been a fixture in New Orleans ever since. Churches in her honor exist in the Archdiocese and in our own diocese in Alexandria and in Mansura.
In a neat little side note, I was ordained as a Deacon on January 8, 2005 which was the 190th anniversary of the Miracle of the Battle of New Orleans. On January 8, 1935, a few hours due North of New Orleans, in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley was born on this auspicious feast…
So no matter how you look at it, it’s a day worth celebrating!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/Rome
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Anna May and Curt Farlow/VanderVien
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Louise Testa/Magoun
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Gus Gremshell
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/D. Fortenberry
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Margo Corulla
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome |
| 1/9 9:00a | Caroline, Cooper | A Oliver |
| 1/15 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow |
| 1/16 9:00a | Henry & MaryKatherine | Youth |
| 1/22 5:30p | None Scheduled | P Wilks |
| 1/23 9:00a | Chandler, Kathleen, Maura | S Marsh |
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
- Jan 18 Pastoral Council Meeting – Parish Hall – 6 p.m.
- Jan 19 Wednesday Evening Catechism - Parish Hall - 6 p.m.
- Jan 22 Bishop’s Pastoral Visit – 5:30 p.m. Mass
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 the group. If you need additional information, please contact the Coordinator, Louise Magoun, at 318-341-2403.
PASTORAL COUNCIL..will hold its regular meeting on TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022, 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…JANUARY 19, 2022 at 6 p.m. in the Church Center. Topic for the month is “Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary”.
POINSETTIAS…About half of the 30 poinsettias have been removed from the altar and are in the Flower Sacristy on the Blessed Mother side of the altar. If you would like one (or more), please feel free to pick them up after Mass this weekend. After that, we will remove them. The plan for the moment is to leave the ones on the altar there for another week or so depending on how well they do.
SAINTS ALIVE, ANGELS AT WORK… Due to your generosity, $850 was given towards the Christmas poinsettias and the creche and decorations for the Advent season. A list on the bulletin board at the entrance of church details the dedications of gifts.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2020-21 | $ 2,111 |
| December Budget | $ 8,444 |
| December Income | $ 11,897 |
| December Expenses | $ 9,174 |
| January Budget | $ 10,555 |
| January 1/2 collection | $ 2,476 |
| January To Date | $ 2,476 |
Stewardship Jesus, whom God called “my beloved Son,” is also the “servant” of whom Isaiah speaks in the first reading. We who are baptized in Christ must follow His example and use our time and resources in the service of God and neighbor.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday C. W. Keene (Jan 9), Matilda Johnson (Jan 10, 2005), Pat Gilfoil (Jan 15)
Happy Anniversary Alyssa and Teddy Oliver (Jan 10)
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, Leslye Ellerbee, 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), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Kathryn Wood Allsopp (D Wood), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Ruthie Coenen (Wilks), Molly Corulla, Sara Cannon (Gilfoil), Truman and Diane Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Amelia Florence Cowart and her family (Florence), Don Deweese, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Tommy Dunning, Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, April Franklin (Wilks), Cogan Fulton (Ellerbee), Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Rita Hargrave, Carroll Holmes and family (Keene), Lyn and Calvin Lisonbee (Keene), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Caryn Oliver, Sue Perrilloux (D Wood), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Frances Robinson (Wilks), John and Martha Rogan, Bailey, Lee, and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Saldana Family (Book), Theresa and Albert Thom (Rome), Meg Keene Thomas, Lucy Thomason (gr-dau of Bentley Curry)(Book), Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Joe Yerger
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Callie Ezell, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Emmy Lu Marsh, Maddie Oliver Bridges, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Brice Wood, Marsh Wood