Fifth Sunday of Lent | St. Edward Catholic Church, Tallulah

From The Font

“In the law, Moses commanded us to stone [adulterous] women. So what do you say?’ ‘They said this to test him.’”

The Jews were driven by an almost-obsession with the law in ways that we can barely even imagine. In Christianity, the Love of God is the highest virtue. In Judaism, though, obedience to God was the highest virtue. And so St. John wants to be very clear in his telling and Jesus is very clear in the story, itself, that the woman does, in fact, deserve death for her sin. The problem isn’t even that the scribes and the Pharisees brought her to Jesus and confronted Him with her. Jesus, after all, had a seemingly casual way of thinking about the Law of Moses. The problem here is that the scribes and the Pharisees did this specifically to test Jesus.

And so while we have every reason to believe that Jesus would have shown mercy to the woman caught in adultery, who is traditionally believed to be Mary Magdalene. His attention here is primarily directed to the scribes and the Pharisees. He wants to show them and the onlookers that the law is the servant of love and mercy.

That said, we should notice that Jesus doesn’t dismiss her sin! He doesn’t explain it away. He doesn’t bemoan the societal injustices that pushed her to prostitution as a career. He doesn’t condone her sin in any way. What He does, is point out that no one present, except Himself, has the authority to punish her sin.

In our own spiritual lives, that’s worth some serious meditation… God alone is the judge, juror, sentencer, and executioner. As such, He is the only one who is justly able to dispense mercy. When we think about our own sin, our unvirtuous habits, and those attitudes that we convince ourselves are ok, we should consider that God and God alone can eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil without death. He and He alone judges.

Surely, our lives in this world may be affected by the consequences of our sins. Those consequences may be truly horrible in this life. But, as St. Paul says, the sufferings of this present age are as nothing compared to the glory that is to be revealed in Christ Jesus… We are not justified by the law, but by faith in Christ Jesus. And thanks be to God for that!

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

The statues are veiled!

We’ve entered that fascinating part of Lent traditionally called “passiontide” in which the statues of the Church are veiled. Ideally, of course, we’d veil every image in the Church, but that’s no small task even in our little Church here in Tallulah.

As we make our way closer and closer to the silence of Good Friday, we amp up our fasting and penance. So far, we’ve been doing our own penances… We’ve skipped saying the Gloria and singing the Alleluia… We’ve left the altar bare of flowers… Now, though, it’s time to step even further into the silence by setting aside even the beautiful and the good images that draw us into prayer at Church. It might well be a good little devotion to veil your own statues and holy images as home…

For us, this removal of images is even more important than it was for previous generations. Even 50 years ago, most people just didn’t have houses full of images, statues, religious lawn ornaments, iPhone backgrounds, and oddly interesting holographic knick-knacks with the face of Jesus following you around the room. From the time of Jesus until very recently, most people had one or two images of the Lord and maybe one or two more of Mary in their homes.

Mostly, they also didn’t have hundreds of square feet of photographs and canvas prints at home alongside countless tchotchkes and memorabilia. It wasn’t all that difficult to enter into the Lenten disciplines at home because homes were simpler.

We, on the other hand, live better than most royals lived 100 years ago. It’s genuinely difficult to find quiet in our homes. Even if we manage to get the TV, iPhone, kids and dogs quiet all at the same time, our eyes are flooded with imagery and stuff… And so this time of year is all the more important for us to try and give the Lord a little bit more brainspace than usual by limiting our intake of noise (audio, video, and imagery).

At Church, we do this by simply veiling the statues in simple purple cloths. We could remove the statues entirely… But that’s never been the tradition even where it was easy to do. The idea isn’t to pretend they weren’t there, it’s to cover them with a Lenten veil and offer to the Lord the quiet of mind and heart that comes from the limitation we impose on our eyes and our minds. It’s the same idea as what we do with food when we fast.

I do want to say a word of thanks to our Ladies Altar Society, and especially to Ms. Cathy VandeVieren, for their excellent work with our Lenten Season and I want to thank them and Mr. Mike Rome in advance for what is shaping up to be a beautiful Easter Floral arrangement.

Mass Intentions for the Coming Week

Sat 5:30p In memory of Father Ferre and in celebration of Trey Williams/Magoun
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
Mon NO MASS
Tue 9:00a In memory of SeSe Holstead (birth)/family
Wed 9:00a In memory of Gus Gremshell
Thurs 9:00a In memory of Cogan Fulton/Lancaster
Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard/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 Lee Rome, Theresa Toms, and JamesTrimble as requested by Mike and Sue Rome

Assistants at Holy Mass

Date	Servers	Lector(s)
4/2 5:30p	None Scheduled	C VanderVieren
4/3 9:00a	Caroline, Cooper, Maura	K Collins
4/9 5:30p	None Scheduled	P Wilks
4/10 9:00a	Henry and MaryKatherine	Blake Sullivan
4/16 5:30p	None Scheduled	MaryAnne, Beth, Darryl
4/17 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
April 5 Workshop on Dealing with Stress & Anxiety as a Christian - Church Hall - 6:00 p.m.
April 14-17 Holy Week - Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday
April 16 Easter Egg Hunt - Church Hall at 10 a.m. see notes elsewhere in bulletin
May 1 First Holy Communion for four of our children followed by a parish wide reception
May 4 Confirmation for four of our youth followed by a parish wide Potluck Supper
May 8 Mother’s Day
May 15 Senior’s Mass for Youth Sunday followed by a parish wide reception

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.

LENT … All Catholics 18 and older are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. All Catholics 14 and older are obliged to abstain from meat on Fridays of Lent. Further, all Catholics should plan some penance (not just doing something extra) as a way of uniting ourselves with Our Lord’s death on the cross. Lent is a time for sober self-reflection, for prayer, for fasting, for works of mercy, and for redoubling our efforts to grow in the knowledge and love of God. To that end, St. Edward will offer a shared Way of the Cross on Friday evenings at 5:30p followed by Mass. On Apr 8, immediately following the evening Mass, Fr. Ryan will host a meatless potluck (in which he will provide a hearty soup) and show a religious film. All are certainly welcome to attend.

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.

DEALING WITH STRESS AND ANXIETY AS A CHRISTIAN… Tuesday, April 5, 2022…Church Hall… Will last from about 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m…workshop is open to the public and free.. Will feature Father (Dr.) Dale Meade and will include concrete strategies and advice for dealing with stress and anxiety in the wake of the last two years.

EASTER EGG HUNT...on the church grounds on Saturday, April 16, at 10 a.m. Stephenie Marsh will give leadership to the event so please check with her to offer your assistance. We will need hard-boiled eggs that are dyed or plastic eggs with treats so your help is appreciated.

SECOND QUARTER SOCIAL will be a Potluck Supper for all of our faith family on WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 following Confirmation for four of our youth. Please mark your calendars and plan to bring a dish and participate to celebrate the accomplishments of our youth. The Second Quarter (April, May, June) Social Committee - Libby Bullard (Chairperson), Angel Farlow, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, MaryAnne Gilfoil, Terry and Andy Hall, Isabell Hernandez, Ann Keene, Alyce and C.W. Keene, Bobby Reynolds, Delia Trichell, and Cathy VanderVieren will set up the Hall, have the A/C on, and tidy up afterwards.

Our Return to the Lord


Weekly Budget FY 2020-21	$ 2,111
February Budget	$ 8,444
February Income	$ 8,691
February Expenses	$ 8,746
March Budget	$ 8,444
March 26/27 collection	$ 1,320
March Income To Date	$ 8,191

Stewardship In today’s second reading, St. Paul says, “For his sake, I have forfeited everything. I have accounted all else rubbish so that Christ may be my wealth.” Does my stewardship suggest that I could say the same?

Second Collection this weekend is our once-a-month Building Fund collection.

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Harper Bedgood (April 2, 2012), Betty Smith (April 2), Carter Sullivan (April 2), Walker Sullivan (April 2), Henry Ellerbee (April 7), Ann Marie Marsh (April 8, 2013)

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 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: Libby Bullard, Connie and Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Leslye Ellerbee, Mary Ernst, Monique Florence, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, C.W. and Alyce Keene, Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Terry Murphy, Sug Regan, 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), Judy and Danny Beard (Keene), Marie Farlow Bellard, Emily Chancellor (C Copes), Ruthie Coenen (Wilks), Molly Corulla, Truman and Diane Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Don Deweese, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Ashley and Chuck Edwards (Keene), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, April Franklin (Wilks), Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Rita Hargrave, Melissa Jennings (Gilfoil & Keene), Dee Jones (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), Bailey, and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Beverly Sibille (Gilfoil), Albert Thom (Rome), Meg Keene Thomas, Lucy Thomason (gr-dau of Bentley Curry)(Book), Elaine Trimble (Rome), Joe Yerger

Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Callie Ezell, Lilly Falgout, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Bruen Johnson, Emmy Lu Marsh, Maddie Oliver Bridges, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Brice Wood, Marsh Wood