The Third Sunday of Advent
From The Font
“In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
The Jewish Faith, like Japanese Shinto and Zen Buddhism, sees the world through the lens of what modern philosophers might call “determinism.” Simply put, everything that happens, happens because God specifically plans for it to happen whether that thing is good or bad from this or that perspective and holiness \ happiness depends on aligning oneself with the way the world is rather than the way it should or could be. Certainly, there’s more to it than that, but many ancient faiths deal with unanswered prayers or bad news by convincing themselves that God wants it that way. Some people accuse Christians of the same thinking. And some Christians, wrongly believing that kind of thinking to be good and pious, do adopt this wrong way of seeing the world and the events in it.
In truth, Christians do not deal with our disappointments by simply resigning ourselves to what “must be” God’s will. The difference is subtle but essential. We, as Christians, accept that suffering is an essential part of sanctity.
But we embrace rather than endure the trials of this life. Some of those trials are, seemingly, random occurrences: earthquakes, genetic medical conditions, and bizarre accidents seem to come at us without any moral cause. Other trials are clearly the result of the sin or moral failings of others who commit a crime against us or embrace an addiction or simply fail us. We as Christians embrace these trials as opportunities to draw nearer to Our Lord on the Cross Who, in His suffering, sanctified all Human suffering and made it possible for us to find joy in the midst of sorrow. We don’t experience suffering merely as a part of life, we embrace it as a means of nearness to the Lord. For unbelievers, the distinction is just semantics, but for believers, the difference is everything! “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
Original Sin demands more from the Lord than we can ever understand and so God’s mercy - which frees us from all but the least bit of deserved suffering - is more profound and keeps us from more trials than we could ever begin to comprehend. Hence, we rejoice!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Joy! “Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult!” What is joy, though? Is it contentment? Is it happiness? Is it being entertained or being free from whatever the opposite of joy is?
We live in an entertainment-driven world. Just take a moment to think what percentage of our spending is about entertainment (TV, hobbies, sports, toys for us and for the kids…). It can be startling to think about how much of our time, attention, energy, and wealth goes to preventing boredom and keeping ourselves and our families entertained…
Joy isn’t about contentment. That’s just having an emotional baseline of satisfaction with one’s life and circumstances. Joy isn’t just happiness, either, happiness is either a higher emotional baseline of satisfaction with life or it’s a temporary bump in that baseline. Joy is a state of self in which I find a sense of identity and satisfaction and which insulates me from the negative emotional effects of my circumstances. Scripture tells us that Joy, as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is a source of strength from God. It’s what gave a saint like Teresa, the Little Flower, a cheerful disposition and a genuine lack of fear while she was dying from Tuberculosis. It’s what allowed Mother Teresa to endure her own inner suffering while drawing so many people to her outward appearance of happiness. Mother Teresa famously insisted that any sister who applied to her order (the Missionaries of Charity) must be visibly joyful. There are plenty of stories of young women who wanted to join the order but were dismissed by the sweet little Mother Teresa for frowning or having a sour disposition. Mother Teresa spoke constantly of the power of Joy.
In our world, it’s rare for us to see someone who is unabashedly joyful, unless we know where to look… If we were to visit what I call the itty-bittys (Pre-K & K) at our schools, we would be surrounded by simply joy. The little ones are delighted by their favorite crayons and a little bit of ribbon and glue. They love a goofy story, a silly adult, a cutesy game, or a cuddly puppy. And it’s real joy, too! It is a state of self in which they find a sense of satisfaction with life and which insulates them against the negative emotional effects of their circumstances. Some are poorer. Some are less smart. Some have fewer opportunities. Some will have better lives and some will have worse… But right now, they are little joy machines and there’s real wisdom to be had by looking at them.
What is it that prevents you or me from joyful like that? Is it something that we do to sabotage ourselves? What can we do to get more of that joy? In the same breath, what can we do less of? Is our own drive for entertainment perhaps preventing us from discovering the joy that Jesus freely offers to us in our humanity?
If anyone were looking for advice as to how to be more joyful, my first suggestion would not be about adding to your daily routine, it would be about removing things from it and replacing them with absolutely nothing… Adding 15-30 mins of quiet or even silence into your day will, I expect, pay massive dividends sooner than you could imagine! Happy Rose Sunday!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard, Patrick Thomas, and Eva and R.L. Reynolds/Bullard
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon No Mass
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Mary Ernst (death)/Gustafson
- Wed 9:00a In memory of J. E. “Boyzie” Jumonville (birth)/family
- Thu 9:00a In memory of May DiTomasso and Rosa and Gus Gremshell
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Kathleen Mills/Massey
- Sat 5:30p In memory of C. L. Keene/family
- Sun 9:30a Populo for the Living Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of MaryAnne Gilfoil
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lectors | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/16 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow | N Ernst |
| 12/17 9:30a | MaryKatherine and Courtland | Youth | None Scheduled |
| 12/23 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil | A Keene |
| 12/24 9:30a | Cooper and Maura | B Sullivan | None Scheduled |
| 12/30 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome | C VanderVieren |
| 12/31 9:30a | Kathleen and Evelyn | D Ellerbee | None Scheduled |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and on Sunday from 9a until Mass
- Sunday Catechism with Coffee and Donuts after Mass 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
Dec 17 Birthday Party for Jesus - Church Hall - following Sunday Mass
- Dec 17 Youth Mass
- Dec 17 Adult Christmas Party - Church Hall - 6 p.m.
For Your Information:
CHRISTMAS EVE AND DAY SCHEDULE: Masses to meet the Holy Day of Obligation for Christmas will be an anticipated Mass on Christmas Eve (Sunday) at 5:30 p.m. and on Christmas Day (Monday) at 9:30 a.m. (Note: neither of these Masses will satisfy your obligation to attend Mass on Sunday).
- Altar servers for Christmas Eve will be Kathleen Ellerbee and Evelyn Kivett.
- Lector for Christmas Eve is Libby Bullard.
- Any servers who would like to help out on Christmas Day will be very welcome to do so!
- Lector for Christmas Day will be Ann Keene.
SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD…..January 1, 2024 is NOT a Holy Day of Obligation this year.
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.
PILGRIMAGE!... Fr Ryan is leading a Pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome in Italy in September of 2024. More information is available at HolyTravels.org/FrHumphriesItaly . Please pass the word around!
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
THE CHRISTMAS PARTY FOR ADULTS this weekend…. Sunday evening, December 17 at 6 p.m. A bar will be provided but attendees are asked to bring appetizers or sweets. As in the past, you are free to invite folks from the community, but no one under 21 is allowed.
CALENDARS…Our Catholic calendars for 2024 can be found on the table at the entrance of the church. We have enough copies available for families to have one for home and one for their office. All of the Holy Days of Obligation as well as other notations relating to special days of prayer are shown. Please take some copies for your use.
POINSETTIAS AND CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ENVELOPES…there are envelopes on the table at the entrance of church which you can use to make donations “In Memory of…” or “In Honor of…” family and friends and contribute to the poinsettias and decorations for the Advent and Christmas season. You can drop your envelope (or check with a notation that it is for flowers) in the collection basket, give it to Father Ryan, or leave it at the office.
ANGEL TREE FOOD BASKETS……if you did not get to participate in Angel Tree Project earlier but would like to be a part of the program, we are accepting cash donations to provide food baskets for the families of the children who are being “gifted” this Christmas season. To make a donation, you can leave a check in the collection basket made to St Edward with a notation that it is for the Angel Tree project or you can leave a check or cash with Father Ryan or the church office.
Stewardship All of the people in today’s readings–the prophet Isaiah, the Virgin Mary, St. Paul, St. John the Baptist–seemed to understand clearly and rejoice in what God was calling them to be and to do. Do I?
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| November Budget | $ 8,444 |
| November income | $ 8,917 |
| November Expenses | $ 11,704 |
| December Budget | $ 10,555 |
| December 10 Collection | $ 2,375 |
| December Income To Date | $ 4,430 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Peggy Scurria (Dec 16), Bart Wood (Dec 19), Christy Guizerix (Dec 22), Robbie Kivett (Dec 25), Thomas Myers Hamilton (Dec 25)
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: MaryKathryn and Nap Book, Connie and Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Leslye Ellerbee, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, Terry Farlow Hall, C.W. and Alyce Keene, Bill Kennedy, Hannah Wood McCarty, Ed Mills, Terry and Susie Murphy, Bobby Reynolds, Sue & Mike Rome
Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy
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), Willetta and Mac Cagnolatti, Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Fran Castile (Keene), Jeannie and Donald Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Bobbe and Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, Susan Ward Daigle (Gilfoil & Keene), Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Monique Florence, Jimmy Fordham (Gustafson & Fordice), Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, Ralph Harris (Gilfoil), Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Dee Jones (Keene), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Cindy Mathieu (Wilks), Boyce Miller, Vickie Morelli (Ernst), John Neill, Caryn Oliver, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), Walter and Vivian Scott, Debbie Kedrick Sims, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Mary Claire Warner and her parents, MaryBeth and Steve
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, Henry Ellerbee, Callie Ezell, Lilly Falgout, Jag Gilfoil, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Bruen Johnson, Matilda Johnson, Caroline Marsh, Emmy Lu Marsh, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Marsh Wood
