The 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt.
Slavery is a touchy subject... Unfortunately (and wrongly) slavery has become associated entirely with race. That’s historically absurd, and really just a political convenience. Slavery was a part of every ancient society and culture. Basically all ancient soldiers expected to be paid either directly in slaves or in the proceeds from the sale of slaves. Debtors were frequently sold into slavery.
The Jews weren’t necessarily anti-slavery, but the Old Testament law didn’t allow Jews much leeway as far as taking, keeping, or selling slaves. Because the Jews shared a lot of borders with a lot of kingdoms, they were very familiar with the way that others treated their slaves. A few major Jewish landowners owned slaves, but even they respected the rules of Jubilee in which all purchased property (associated with ancestry) had to be returned to the proper owner and all slaves and prisoners were to be set free.
Even today, slavery is an important part of the world economy. Much of our food and almost all of our electronics and clothing come from the work of at least some slaves. If you’ve ever traveled in Europe and encountered a busker trying to sell you an umbrella or a selfie-stick, you’ve met a modern day slave.
Modern slavery is wrapped in a thin veneer of legitimacy. People are trafficked from some poor circumstance to a seemingly more prosperous one. Their passport is confiscated (if they ever had one) and they’re told they owe a debt... They work and make real money, but their income is a pittance compared to the cost of living which is constantly added to their debt. This is the case in Chinese factories, SE Asian sweatshops, most African mining, most non-Western fishing operations, most sex work, and basically all coffee and tea plantations.
Slavery is unquestionably evil! Because of that, it’s all the more important that we keep a clear sense of what slavery really is and reject the politically convenient misrepresentations of it that are ubiquitous in our news today.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
This Saturday is the feast of Padre Pio. St. Pio of Pietrelcina was a “Capuchin” monk - one of the cloistered Franciscan orders. As a young monk, he was unremarkable. He was especially holy and humble, but that’s what makes for a good monk! And then, he received a mystical gift from the Lord - the Stigmata.
Stigmata is an exceedingly rare spiritual gift. St. Francis famously received it toward the end of his life. Basically, the recipient suddenly and continuously experiences the physical marks of Jesus’ Crucifixion! It’s just like it sounds... St. Francis was praying one day near the monastery of San Damiano and suddenly gaping wounds appeared on his hands, his feet, and his side. The wounds slowly dripped blood and were exceedingly painful. Francis wrapped the wounds and expected them to heal, but they never did. Francis died not long after...
Why would God do this? Simply because suffering CAN be good for us. It CAN unite us to Jesus Who suffered for us. Suffering can also overwhelm us or make us feel sorry for ourselves or damage our faith. Still, in Scripture, Jesus tells us that we must take up our own crosses and follow Him. Each of those crosses is best suited to our own dispositions and needs. For some, our cross is light. For others, the Lord makes all things - even illness and tragedy - work to the good of those of us who love Him. For a very special few, the Lord offers suffering beyond their humanity and allows these saints to experience this suffering and to “offer it up” in repentance for their sins and the sins of others. The petition in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy phrases it as “atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”
Of these few saints who have asked the Lord for “the Grace of Redemptive Suffering,” only a small number have been given the Mystical Gift of Stigmata. The most famous, by far, is Padre Pio. He received the gift at a relatively young age, not long after he was ordained as a priest. When he received it, he immediately showed the wounds on his hands, feet, and side to his religious superior. The superior was concerned that Pio had perhaps done this to himself as a way to claim attention. For months, doctors ran tests, restrained Padre Pio’s hands to prevent him from “inflicting himself,” and even forbade him from preaching. In fact, Padre Pio was treated horribly by his superiors who were obsessed with preventing him from becoming famous.
Even so, people flocked to him for confession. It became known that, in addition to his stigmata, Padre Pio could read souls. He was able to tell the person coming to him for confession the sins they were omitting or hiding. Pope St. John Paul II went to Padre for confession several times before he became Pope.
Padre Pio had an incredibly hard life and yet he admitted that he had asked the Lord to allow him to suffer physically and spiritually. He made this request because He wanted to be nearer to Jesus, himself, and because He loved all of us enough to suffer some of the suffering that we are due for our sins... Our Pilgrimage group will visit his tomb next September.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/family
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon No Mass
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Jackie Jumonville/family
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Mary Ernst/Gustafson
- Thu 9:00a (Legacy Nursing & Rehab) In memory of Rosa and Gus Gremshell and May DiTomasso
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Lee Rome/Kev Collins
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lectors | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/16 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil | A Keene |
| 9/17 9:30a | Chandler and Annie | Youth | None Scheduled |
| 9/23 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome | MA Gilfoil |
| 9/24 9:30a | MaryKatherine & Courtland | A Keene | None Scheduled |
| 9/30 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren | M Ernst |
| 10/1 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 with Coffee and Donuts after Mass unless otherwise indicated
Wednesday Morning Catechism about 9:30 a.m in Church and on Facebook and YouTube
September 20 Pastoral Council meeting - 6 p.m. Church Hall
For Your Information:
SPECIAL NON-ASSESSED COLLECTION... This weekend is one of the two special collections that are entirely un-assessed by the diocese. 100% of this Sunday’s SECOND collection remains entirely in our parish. The purpose of this special collection (and the second collection on Easter Sunday) is to offset the payments we make every month for our retired and infirm priests. We encourage you to be generous!
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
PASTORAL COUNCIL..will hold its regular meeting on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 at 6:00 p.m in the Church Hall. Appointed members of the Council are: MaryKathryn Book, Kendra Collins, Norman Ernst, Jamie Howington, Jason Trichell and Shannon Wood.. Appointed as Trustees by the Bishop are Michel Lancaster and Cathy VanderVieren. Appointed by the pastor to serve as Finance Council Chair is Darryl Ellerbee. All members are requested to make a special effort to attend. Parishioners are encouraged to attend and contribute to the discussions.
VICKSBURG CATHOLIC MOMS GROUP…Calling all moms! Join Vicksburg's Catholic Mother’s Group on Wednesday September 27th 6 pm in St. Paul's Glynn Hall as we discuss God's providence in "A Remarkable Visit with a Bishop." We'll be looking to St. Teresa of Avila. This is a great opportunity to go deeper in your faith life and connect with other incredible Catholic moms. Have questions? Contact vicksburgcatholicmomsgroup@gmail.com
CHOIR FOR CHRISTMAS ON THE BAYOU… This year’s music program for the December festival is “The King is Here.” The performance is scheduled for December 3 at First Baptist Church followed by the fireworks program on the bayou. Practice has begun and will be at 4 p.m. each Sunday afternoon. If you would like to join in to make a joyful noise, please do so!
Stewardship Stewardship is not optional! “None of us lives as his own master and none of us dies as his own master,” says St. Paul. “While we live, we are responsible to the Lord; and, when we die, we die as his servants.”
SECOND COLLECTION this weekend is for our Diocesan collection to support the Retired Priests of our diocese.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| August Budget | $ 8,444 |
| August income | $ 9,372 |
| August Expenses | $ 12,273 |
| September Budget | $ 8,444 |
| September 9-10 Collection | $ 2,595 |
| September Income To Date | $ 3,640 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Bruin Johnson (Sept 18). Chris Cagnolatti (Sept 21), Bugs” Brown (Sept 23), Leslye Ellerbee (Sept 25)
Happy Anniversary Isabell and Sylvester Hernandez (Sept 23, 1967), Peggy and Phillip Scurria (Sept 23, 1978)
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, 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, 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), Jeannie and Donald Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Bobbe and Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, Susan Ward Daigle (Gilfoil & Keene), Don Deweese, Carol Dipert (Rome), 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), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Cindy Mathieu (Wilks), Boyce Miller, John Neill, Caryn Oliver, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), George and Ann Shepherd, Debbie Kedrick Sims, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Mary Claire Warner and her parents , MaryBeth and Steve
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, 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
PRAYERS FOR OUR FARMERS! O God, Source and Giver of all things, Who manifests Your infinite majesty, power and goodness in the earth about us, we giveYou honor and glory. For the sun and rain, for the manifold fruits of our fields,for the increase of our herds and flocks we thank You. For the enrichment of our souls with divine grace, we are grateful. Supreme Lord of the harvest, graciously accept us and the fruits of our toil, in union with Christ Your Son, as atonement for our sins, for the growth of Your Church, for peace and charity in our homes, for salvation to all. Amen.
