Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
From The Font
“If you, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
In our modern world of fragile egos, this can come across as harsh. But for people with real world experience, this is a powerful image. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and all of us are chock full of what we call in theology “concupiscence,” which is the desire to sin. All of those distractions and those moments of self-interest… All of those times we are tempted not by devils, but by ourselves… If we are honest, each of us is a bit of a mess a lot of the time!
And yet look at the wondrous good that we’re still able to do! Look at how we’re able to love and to sacrifice and to create! Of course we know that the Lord is the one giving us all that potential and power, but look at what good God brings from broken vessels like us. It’s astounding. And as we think about it, we can’t help but marvel at God’s generosity and His overwhelming constancy for us!
Of course, our experience of God is most of what we know about Him and that can be a problem because our experiences are limited and colored by our concupiscence. The exception is the teaching of Jesus which is given to us as truth uncolored by our personal experience of the Lord.
And that’s what Jesus is very aware of as He preaches this sermon. He wants us to realize that God isn’t limited in the ways we are and so we should be fearless and persistent in asking for any- and everything we need and\or want. The Lord knows what is good for us and what isn’t. Just as a good parent forbids a child sweets right before supper, the Lord won’t give us what is detrimental to us. But that shouldn’t stop the child from the asking. After all, if the child expresses their hunger, then mom is able to satiate it with something even better that what they were asking for in the first place!
God knows us better than we know ourselves and He is very specific in telling us to ask, seek, and knock with every need and want that enters our hearts!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
July 26 is the feast of Ss. Joachim and Ann, the Grandparents of Jesus and the patrons of ALL GRANDPARENTS!
As transportation and communication have developed, blood relationships have become less important to our sense of personal identity. For better or worse, most modern people know little to nothing about their ancestry or heritage beyond their grandparents.
And that’s a major part of the reason that grandparents matter more now than ever before! Our younger generations are lost in their own narcissism and so the sense of perspective, especially historical perspective, are such an important blessing for them!
Beyond anything so mundane as usefulness, grandparents are also just awesome! They know all the best stories about what mom and dad were like when they were younger… They know the rank hypocrisy (haha) that dad is showing when he punishes me for something that he did ten times!!! They are generally responsible for trying to spoil children to the constant chagrin of mom and dad… In sum, grandparents are a blessing to have!
I grew up with my dad’s parents around frequently and my dad’s dad is still kicking at the ripe old age of 98. My mom’s people are from Michigan (yes, I’ve got some Yankee blood, but it’s limited) and so I only got to see them once a year or so, but almost always around Christmas. My mom’s dad was a mechanic (who spoke just like Public Radio’s Car Talk) and he was the very definition of blue collar. “Poppy Frank” was Brusque, vulgar, and a little mean but that was in contrast to my dad’s dad “Pawpaw” who is a deeply cerebral man of few words. My mom’s mom was a carbon copy of Edith from All in the Family down to the voice and mannerisms! I’m not exaggerating at all.
When we visited my mom’s family, everything was loud and raucous and busy and chaotic. I don’t know that I would’ve liked it all the time, but it was wonderful as a kid. There was always snow and Christmas treats and a herd of cousins that I only ever saw at Christmas. It’s interesting that my mom is the quieter one of my parents.
When we went to my dad’s family, everything was much more subdued and peaceful. Visits to “pawpaw and nanny’s” place were all about the Grand Ole’ Opry and watching my mom and dad drink coffee that was clearly unappealing to them!
For a lot of us here, our extended families aren’t at a distance. But for some of us, they are. Either way, grandparents can have a profound impact upon kids. They can provide perspective, depth, and even context for the questions that arise in young minds, especially the questions that kids don’t feel comfortable discussing with their parents!
And while grandparents can be a pain in the keester sometimes, they are almost always a blessing to their grandkids. And so to all our grandparents on their patronal feast this Tuesday: We love you!, we need you!, and we’re praying for you!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Jackson Jumonville/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of May DiTomasso
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Lee Rome/Bullard
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Racer and SeSe Holstead (anniversary)/family
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Dorothy Neill/Gustafson
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Lee Rome/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 Mary Anne Gilfoil
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 7/23 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil |
| 7/24 9:00a | Cooper and Maura | C Guizerix |
| 7/30 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome |
| 7/31 9:00a | Henry and MaryKatherine | J Howingston |
| 8/6 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren |
| 8/7 9:00a | Chandler, Kathleen, Maura, AnneMarie | M Lancaster |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass at 5:30p
- Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Tuesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
- August 2 STRESS Workshop – Parish Hall – 6 p.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.
PRAYER FOR HURRICANE SEASON… O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a stormless eternity awaits us. Amen (Fr. Al Volpe, Cameron Parish, LA, originally dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Audrey in 1957)
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2020-21 | $ 2,111 |
| June Budget | $ 8,444 |
| June Income | $ 9,048 |
| June Expenses | $ 9,641 |
| July Budget | $ 10,555 |
| July 16/17 Collection | $ 1,783 |
| July Income To Date | $ 6,346 |
Stewardship Jesus is describing God’s immeasurable generosity when He says in today’s Gospel, “whoever asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; whoever knocks, is admitted.” But it should also be the description of us as Christian stewards–those seeking to follow Christ by using our gifts in service to others.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Nap Book (July 26), Edmond Copes (July 30, 2015)
Happy Anniversary Renee and Robert Wood (July 30)
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, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, Jamie and Cindy Howingston, C.W. and Alyce Keene, Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Terry and Susie 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), Kevin and AnnaBeth Collins (Book), 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, Monique Florence, 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), Caroline Marcello (Watts), 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), Albert Thom (Rome), Janice Spencer and family (Wilks), 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.