The Ascension of the Lord | St. Edward Catholic Church, Tallulah

From The Font

“As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.”

Why did Jesus go away? He, Himself, tells us that without His departure, the Holy Spirit would be unable to come. Why is that? We just don’t know.

We do know, though, that so much of our human social structures derive from human nature which means that we can look at our normal, family dynamics and see bits of our human nature peek through. In this case, we can recognize that our own human maturity can’t really get going until we leave behind the family home and strike out on our own. Unless we go away from the safety and security of our youth, we don’t really become adults.

Jesus departs in order that we, as the Church, can live life in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is, after all, better to have not seen and yet believed (Jn 20:29).

Of course, this is just an answer by analogy. We just don’t have the human capacity to understand why God does any of the things that He does. Why does Jesus heal some people and not others? Why does Jesus call out some injustices and not others? Why doesn’t Jesus teach specifically about certain very real issues that the Church has faced over and over again in history? Why doesn’t Jesus just specify what He means on certain moral issues? Why does Jesus appoint a bad, even evil, apostle?

The questions go on and on… But whenever we find ourselves asking questions about God’s motivation, we should always try to think about them as ideas to chew on rather than questions to be answered in a single bite. There is real value in asking why God does this or that, but the value isn’t in the answer, itself, the value is in the asking and in the meditation and consideration that comes from it. A simple question like “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?” can yield important insights, deep personal reflection, and even profound spiritual healing if we approach it as a meditation and make time in prayer to listen quietly. On the other hand, if we’re just looking for a simple and direct answer, we’ll never find satisfaction…

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

Even though Easter seems like a distant memory with First Holy Communion, Confirmation, School and Athletic Award banquets, Graduation, and the end of school, we’re still in the midst of the Easter Season. Just as we set aside 40 days (plus the Sundays) to prepare for Easter, we set aside 40 (including the Sunday) plus ten to celebrate Easter. The numbers themselves are symbolic, but that’s not as important as the simple fact that the Lord calls us to celebrate and rejoice.

What’s truly amazing to me is that for most of us, it’s actually harder to feast for several weeks than it is to fast! We all understand that when Lent starts, we’re going to give us something and we’re going to be cautious about our eating plans on Fridays. That’s super concrete and tangible. But we don’t make the same plan to feast as we do to fast. And so it just becomes a kind of mishmash of regular life with some occasional extras…

Still, the plan is only part of the problem. The much bigger part of the problem is that we as modern Americans are comparatively rich - even if we’re not especially wealthy in comparison to our neighbors. Most of us are Richey Rich rich. By which I mean we can afford to eat double or triple the calories we need in any given day and we can afford to indulge in sweets or in rich, savory food really whenever we feel like it. We can afford to eat daily in a way which would have been considered a “special treat” even a few generations ago. We can also indulge in luxuries like art and music whenever we like. We can and do invest a shockingly significant percentage of our time and income into entertainment. Beyond that, our whole society is ordered around avoiding unpleasant stimuli. So we can avoid boredom or tedium. If we’re lonely, we can call, text, email, video chat, or social media ourselves into comfort with the least effort… In short, we live lives of unimaginable luxury daily.

Surely, our lives aren’t perfect! Of course not. But my point is that it’s hard for us to feast because so much of our lives are already feast. It’s easy to skip dessert for a month, that’s just a minor inconvenience… But to eat dessert for a month in a deliberate way is something quite different. To feast on food or other luxuries is part of our culture and way of living.

There is a growing movement of people in the world who are proposing that mental health depends on reducing luxuries and embracing simplicities. Marie Kondo’s philosophy of less clutter is strongly correlated to happiness. Diets involving intermittent fasting are too. So are programs of limiting TV and mobile screen time. Dating couples and friend groups are increasingly finding joy in leaving the mobile devices at home or in another room. Some coffee shops have begun to disallow laptops and iPads.

Of course, we, as Catholics, understood this hundreds of years ago, but the time is here for us to practice what we preach and strongly consider turning down the indulgence of our daily lives and reducing our investment in entertainment in order to make room for real human happiness.

Mass Intentions for the Coming Week

Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/D Fortenberry
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
Mon NO MASS
Tue 9:00a In memory of George and Margaret Magoun(anni)/family
Wed 9:00a In memory of Rosa Gremshell
Thu 9:00a In memory of deceased members of Regan, Adams, & Weiner families/family
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 Margo Corulla

Assistants at Holy Mass

Date	Servers	Lector(s)
5/28 5:30p	None Scheduled	P Wilks
5/29 9:00a	Cooper & Maura	M Lancaster
6/4 5:30p	None Scheduled	A Farlow
6/5 9:00a	Henry & MaryKatherine	C Guizerix
6/11 5:30p	None Scheduled	MA Gilfoil
6/12 9:00a	Chandler, Kathleen, Maura	A Oliver

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 3 First Friday Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus - 5:30 p.m.
June 4 First Saturday Devotions to our Blessed Mother - Mass and Holy Hour - 9 a.m.

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.

FIRST FRIDAY… JUNE 3... Holy Hour and Mass... 5:30 p.m. ...make a special devotion to the Sacred Heart and attend first Friday devotions for nine consecutive months.

FIRST SATURDAY… JUNE 4… Mass and Holy Hour… 9 a.m. Our Lady of Fatima called for special devotions to be offered on the first Saturday of each month. Father Ryan will offer Mass on the first Saturday of each month in the Church. All are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

MEMORIAL DAY… a time during which we pay special tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Keep in your prayers the souls of those men and women who answered the call to defend our freedoms. Remember, too, the families that they left behind….

Our Return to the Lord


Weekly Budget FY 2020-21	$ 2,111
April Budget	$ 8,444
April Income	$ 8,532
April Expenses	$ 9,717
May Budget	$ 10,555
May 22 collecltion	$ 5,665
May Income To Date	$ 11,791

Stewardship If we consider the somber warnings that Jesus is coming soon and will bring to each person the reward that his or her conduct deserves, we might ask ourselves… Has my stewardship of the blessings entrusted to me been such that I could respond joyfully…”Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”?

SECOND COLLECTION supports the Catholic Communication Campaign for building community in our diocese as well as nationally and abroad.

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Olivia Clare Copes (May 29), Anna Ginn (May 29), Mary Katherine Marsh (May 29)

Happy Anniversary Betty and Kenny Smith (June 1)

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, Jamie and Cindy Howingston, 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, Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), 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, Rita Hargrave, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), John and Carlyle Ashly Hoogland, 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, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Beverly Sibille (Gilfoil), Albert Thom (Rome), Meg Keene Thomas, Lucy Thomason (gr-dau of Bentley Curry)(Book), Paul Wayne and LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Elaine Trimble (Rome), Joe Yerger

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

For the family of Patrick Thomas, grandson of Libby Bullard, who died last Saturday after a brief illness.