The 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
“Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?”
The “Mystery of Evil” - Why doesn’t God just make evil go away - is central to Christianity. There are dozens of scriptural passages, like this one from today’s Gospel, and thousands of brilliant books, essays, arguments, and sermons which detail the Christian understanding of the Mystery of Evil.
The reason it’s so tantalizing and, at the same time, that it comes up so often for us is that our interaction with evil isn’t entirely intellectual. Few of us, for example, ask about the Immaculate Conception. It’s a difficult theological concept to which we have little direct emotional connection. The Blessed Virgin Mary was born without Original Sin due to Prevenient Grace. Great! Those who are interested tend to learn that and they don’t need to revisit it very often. But when it comes to the Mystery of Evil, we’re engaging it with our whole selves. We’re not just intellectually trying to understand why our loved one died, we’re grieving our loss of that loved one! We’re not just intellectually trying to understand why God allows natural disasters, we’re fearfully awaiting the storm’s landfall. We’re not just thinking about why physical pain or criminal acts persist after Our Lord’s Death and Resurrection, we’re experiencing that physical pain or the fallout of that malice.
A good psychologist will ask someone who is hurting to realize that the answers they are seeking won’t help much. Why did this happen or who let this happen won’t actually help with healing. Most victims of crime don’t feel better just because the criminal is jailed. A complex explanation of cold fronts and ocean currents which cause hurricanes or tornadoes won’t help much either.
Because suffering and the experience of evil is a whole person experience, our whole selves - heart, mind, body, soul - a holistic response is required and that’s what Christianity offers. The intellectual answer may be helpful, but it has to be understood in concert with our emotional, physical, and spiritual lives as well. The reasons that evil persists can be helpful to us, but without prayer, self-mastery, and support from others, we won’t be able to face it.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
This Wednesday is the feast day of Sts Joachim and Ann, who are the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Grandparents of Jesus. As such, they are the patrons of Grandparents and that makes this Wednesday, the patronal feast day of Grandparents!
I have a fairly small family. I am the oldest of three kids. I have two sisters (Stacy and Carlie), but no brothers. Mom is one of six, but they all live away (mostly in Michigan). My dad has one sister who lived in Alexandria, where I grew up. So my experience of family was the five in my home, my aunt, her two boys (who were older), and my two grandparents. Mostly, that was the adults doing their thing while my sisters and I entertained ourselves.
Once every year or so, we’d load up in the Blue Econoline van and drive 17 hours to Michigan to see my mom’s people. Up there, I had a dozen cousins of roughly my age! It was a totally different experience of family in general, but it also elevated by maternal grandparents to a higher status. The herd of kids required a whole different type of parenting and grand-parenting.
I absolutely love being in Tallulah because of the family dynamic that pervades here. There are so many cousins and extended families with these wonderful gradations of authority and respect and appreciation. In particular, I loved to watch Ms. Mary ‘Nona’ Ernest preside over the chaos of her families. Having a great-grandma around is something everyone seems to know is special.
Patronal feasts are specific to cultures. Spanish and Italian saints-days are typically celebrated with community festivals. Every village and most families had a patronal saint that they celebrated. So the village might have a village-wide festival on the feast of St. Isidore the Farmer. That festival would have special food. Bands would play. Children would dance. Think about the way that small towns in South Louisiana still celebrate Mardi Gras. If you go to Mamou on Sunday before Mardi Gras, you’re not going to see New Orleans-style parade debauchery. You’re going to see pigs covered in peanut oil and kids from the ages of 4-14 trying to get ahold of that oinker and pick it up! Other kids are going to be chasing very unhappy chickens around another paddock. There’s going to be Cracklins’ (AKA ‘gratons’).
Sadly, in American culture, we don’t really celebrate our saints very much. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t and that we can’t start now! Our kids can certainly make a special artsy gift for grandpa and grandma on this Wednesday. They can get together with them and say a Rosary. They can make a special dessert or treat and bring it by. Families could even make a plan to have a cookout or a seafood boil in honor of Ss. Joachim and Ann and in honor of grandma and grandpa near to the 26th of July every year!
At bare minimum, this Wednesday is a day of prayer for our beloved grandparents - living and deceased.
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 Kathleen Mills/Magoun
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Delia and Thomas Trichell/Tommy
- Thu 9:00a (Legacy Nursing & Rehab) In memory of Rosa & Gus Gremshell and May DiTomasso
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Racer and SeSe Holstead (anni)/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/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 | Lectors | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/22 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow | MaryAnn Gilfoil |
| 7/23 9:00a | Chandler and Annie | S Marsh | None Scheduled |
| 7/29 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil | Cathy VandeVieren |
| 7/30 9:00a | MaryKatherine and Courtland | A Oliver | None Scheduled |
| 8/5 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome | Marie Ernst |
| 8/6 9:30a | Cooper and Maura | B Sullivan | None Scheduled |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and on Sunday from 9a until Mass
- Sunday Catechism and Donuts after Mass during the school year unless otherwise indicated
- Wednesday Morning Catechism about 9:30 a.m in Church and on Facebook and YouTube
Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Wednesday at 6p
July 26 Vicksburg Catholic Moms Group will meet at 6 p.m. in St Paul’s Glynn Hall.
- July 27 Thursday Daily Mass moves from the Church to Legacy Nursing & Rehab Center
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.
FORMED.ORG… FORMED has an entire page of weekly featured videos that are worth checking out at https://watch.formed.org/this-week-on-formed. Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at http://signup.formed.org
MASS AT LEGACY NURSING (AKA Olive Branch)... Beginning Thursday, July 27, we will once again be offering a weekly Mass for the local community and the residents of the Legacy Nursing & Rehab Center on Crothers drive. When COVID hit in March 2020, most American “Nursing Homes,” that’s not the right term but we’ll just go with it, went on high alert. In the past three years, Legacy has been very strict in their effort to protect their patients. Even in the past year, Fr Ryan wasn’t allowed to visit on several occasions. This month, though, Legacy has finally lifted their remaining restrictions and has invited us to begin offering a weekly Mass in the chapel. On Thursday, July 13, we had Mass there just to see if everything would still work out smoothly. Thankfully, everything went very well and so beginning on Thursday, July 27, we will not have a Thursday morning Mass in the Church, but we will have Mass at 9am at LNH (32 Crothers Drive, Tallulah). Please note - IF YOU ARE ILL, Legacy asks that you don’t risk spreading infection by coming into the facility.
Stewardship Good stewards in a parish are like the yeast in today’s Gospel. Their selfless gifts of time and talent help the parish grow and thrive, and their example inspires others to become good stewards, too.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| June Budget | $ 8,444 |
| June Income | $ 14,015 |
| June Expenses | $ 14,718 |
| July Budget | $ 10,555 |
| July 15-16 Collection | $ 3,251 |
| July Income To Date | $ 7,242 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Preston Collins (July 22)Nap Book (July 26)
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 Pope Francis; 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, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, Bill Kennedy, Hannah Wood McCarty, Ed Mills, Terry and Susie Murphy, Sue & Mike Rome
Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy, Carol Dunning, Keith Capdepon
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Kathryn Wood Allsopp (D Wood), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Tommy Bickham (C Copes), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Fran Castile (Keene), Ruthie Coenen (Wilks), Jami Cook (Wilks), Bobbe and Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, Susan Ward Daigle (Gilfoil & Keene), Don Deweese, Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Monique Florence, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Dee Jones (Keene), Josh and Kim Wallace (Gilfoil), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Cindy Mathieu (Wilks), Boyce Miller, John Neill, Caryn Oliver, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Levi and Kristin Reagan and their infant twins, Mary Anne and Adam Todd (Gilfoil/Ginn), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), the families of Stewart Scurria and Brad Terrel, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Joe Yerger,
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, Callie Ezell, Lilly Falgout, Jag Gilfoil, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Bruen Johnson, Caroline Marsh, Emmy Lu Marsh, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Marsh Wood
