Pentecost
From The Font
"When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled…"
As a people entirely dependent upon the weather for their survival, the Jews took the matter of time and seasons very seriously. All farming cultures have done so. Without modern technology, the time for the soil prep and the time for planting and the time for harvest were all determined by keeping a close eye on the natural seasons rather than the calendar and the clock.
And so, like all agricultural societies, the Jews marked time very closely and considered the passage of time to be a sacred thing. There were prayers, liturgies, hymns, and festivals to mark every major time-related event.
Pentecost literally means fiftieth day and was the culmination of seven weeks of seven days after Easter which marked the harvest of spring barley and the time for planting summer wheat. It was a party that everyone looked forward to. And, as it is with many of our farmers now, the harvest (and sale) of a crop was a time for generosity and for catching up on tithes to the temple.
Pentecost - aka Shavuot - was also associated with God's gift of the 10 Commandments to Moses on Mt Sinai. And so in addition to the big party where everyone was able to have a full belly for once, there was a profound sense of gratitude to God for providing for their spiritual and social needs as well.
And so the choice of God to reveal the Holy Spirit and to establish the Church on this day was a powerful symbol. It mirrored the gift of the Law and became strongly associated with life in abundance.
It's worth noting as well that Pentecost (or Shavuot) was one of the three major feasts of ancient Judaism. The others being Passover (which we associate with Easter) and Sukkot which is the feast of Booths (aka the Feast of Tabernacles) which was the harvest festival for orchard fruits and vineyards. Sukkot happened in autumn and was referenced quite strongly by St Peter on Mt Thabor at the Transfiguration - which is why we read that Gospel in Lent every year.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Pentecost is one of my favorite days in the Church. When I was graduating High School in 1997, Pope John Paul did something unexpected. He called for a meeting of all Catholics who were "charismatic" - that is who prayed in tongues and sought the supernatural "charisms" spoken of in scripture. He asked these Charismatic Catholics to join him in St. Peter's Square on Pentecost Sunday for prayer.
It was one of the first times that this group had been given any attention and, although I couldn't be there, it made me love Pope John Paul. I found my faith in being Charismatic. I prayed in tongues and experienced some really intense moments. I heard a young woman who was a truly terrible - I mean TERRIBLE singer - chant like an angel for half an hour in a chapel at LSU-A near Alexandria. I remember kneeling in prayer and hearing words clear as day in my mind that I knew - I KNEW - I was supposed to say to that person across the chapel that I had never met. When I mustered my courage and went over to say those words to that person, they burst into tears. They were the same words that their recently deceased father said to them years before. Over and over again, I experienced supernatural moments by listening to and trusting in the Holy Spirit in a moment of intense prayer. And yes, I prayed in tongues. It was a remarkable moment and I have no doubt that God used those moments.
In the past decade or so, I have felt strongly in prayer that the Lord wanted me doing something different. I have felt strongly that the Lord wants me to be more reverent and more traditional in the way that I pray and the way that I offer Mass. And, like when I was very charismatic, the more that I have obeyed that request with courage, the more I have been witness to God's working through those moments. Where I have been more cautious or less bold, I have seen less of God at work in my life.
I'm certainly not the first person I know to experience this transition from very charismatic to very traditional. In fact, I've seen it over and over again. As you can imagine, I've given it lots of thought and asked the Lord why. After all, I liked being charismatic. But, as Tennyson wrote, "mine is not to reason why."
Of course, the Church, Herself, is charismatic. The supernatural is at work in Her all the time. The Church speaks all the languages of the world. The Church experiences the supernatural daily through Her exorcists, Her Sacraments and most poignantly, the Holy Mass. The Church, too, over time has transitioned from a youthful, intensely supernatural body to a more formal, ritual and structured body. In the 1960s, that transition was looked upon as a failing, just as I fretted my own transition from charismatic toward traditional in my late 20s. But as we trust in the Holy Spirit rather than in our own wisdom, we begin to see and understand that it's not by accident that things changed.
The Lord desires more abundance for us than we may want even for ourselves. But we can never go wrong trusting in Him. Never ever.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p Services as usual, no Proper Intention
- Sun 9:30a Services as usual, no Proper Intention
- Mon-Fri NO MASS (Fr Ryan in Europe, Returning May 31)
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/family
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of MaryAnne Gilfoil
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/18 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome | - |
| 5/19 9:30a | Kathleen & Evelyn | Youth-Thomas Meyers | - |
| 5/25 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren | - |
| 5/26 9:30a | Annie & MaryKatherine | B Sullivan | - |
| 6/1 5:30p | None Scheduled | P Wilks | N Ernst |
| 6/2 9:30a | MaryKatherine & Courtland | K Collins | - |
Stewardship St. Paul reminds us today that all of our gifts have their source in the Holy Spirit and that those gifts are given “for the common good.” What gifts are mine to share?
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| April Budget | $ 8,444 |
| April Income | $ 11,478 |
| April Expenses | $12,122 |
| May Budget | $ 8,444 |
| May 12 Collection | $ 1,123 |
| May Income To Date | $ 4,089 |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and on Sunday from 9a until Mass
- May 16-31 Fr Ryan on Pilgrimage / Camino
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.
PILGRIMAGE!... Fr Ryan is leading a Pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome in Italy in September, 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
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Dave Collins (May 24)
Happy Anniversary Priesthood Ordination to Father Ryan (May 21)
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), David Cagnolatti, Willetta and Mac Cagnolatti, Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Fran Castile (Keene), Jeannie and Donald Collins, Teresa Carney Condra, Jami Cook (Wilks), Bobbe and Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, 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), LaVonne Givens, Gail Gilfoil Graugnard, Charlotte Green, Theresa Gunter, Rita Hargrave, Ralph Harris (Gilfoil), Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Chelsea Keene & Andrew Lewis, Emery and Kale Kirkland (Gilfoil), Calvin “Beans” and Lynn Lisonbee, LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), James Albert Martin, Ruth McDonald (Copes), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Vickie Morelli (Ernst), John Neill, the family of Caryn Oliver, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), Tuleta Sasser(Wilks), Debbie Kedrick Sims, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Mary Claire Warner and her parents, MaryBeth and Steve, Randy Watts, Jr
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
