The 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
"And other boats were with him.”
St Mark’s Gospel is notoriously light on details. When he throws in little lines like this about other boats, we have to give them our notice.
It’s always good to keep in mind the actual circumstances of Jesus’ traveling and preaching. It’s easy to slide into thinking that Jesus’ sermons were given mostly in synagogues or at the temple or in settings akin to our structured, modern church experience.
In reality, Jesus traveled with a large entourage of regular, occasional, and local followers. His Apostles and a smallish group of devoted disciples were with Him most of the time. But He traveled on foot and split His nights between staying at people’s homes and camping. If they stayed at a big house, everyone might sleep in the home. If not, some of the people would camp at the edge of town.
Ancient middle eastern homes were usually built as one-room boxes with a flat roof. It was common for people to sleep on the roof on a small pad if it was warm out and so even a small house could accommodate a lot of folks.
Jesus’ preaching was mostly informal. He would go wherever the people were gathered. Sometimes that was the open-air market and sometimes it was the synagogue or the temple. He would preach for several hours to groups of various sizes and answer questions alongside His miracles.
When He finished for the day, supper consisted of donations, some purchased foods, leftover bread, and the like. None of this was highly organized though... People came and went. Disciples’ enthusiasm waxed and waned. Each local community was different.
And so when St Mark tells us that there were other boats on the night of this storm, He’s reminding us that it wasn’t just the Apostles in the boat and it wasn’t just those close to Jesus who were anxious. This was a real test of Faith in Jesus. Most of them had seen simple miracles of healing or mind-reading. But they weren’t able to understand Him as anything other than a prophet or a kind of magician. They didn’t understand that Jesus is God... That’s what this moment really is. It’s Jesus revealing His divinity to His followers.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
“Pray, pay, and obey...”
This little formula was used by some Catholic clergy in the 1800s and was taken as a rallying cry in the 1970s by the laity against bishops and priests who refuse to listen to their concerns and insights into the governance of the Church.
It’s a demeaning sort of phrase. But even more than that, it’s a misunderstanding of obedience. After Faith, Hope, and Love (aka Charity), the “highest” virtue in the Christian life is obedience. It really is. “If you love Me, says the Lord, you will keep My commandments” (Jn 14:15).
Obedience is that virtue which disposes us to act and to think in the ways in which the Lord instructs us. It’s a virtue which requires humility, trust, and understanding. It’s not just a function of blindly doing what we’re told. Jesus makes it clear that obedience begins in the heart with love and trust. Doing (or not doing) something with the wrong intentions is wrong, even if the outward action is right. That’s why we have the Commandments about coveting our neighbor’s spouse and property. Rather, real obedience is about loving God enough to trust that His will for me is what’s best for me. And so if He says do this and don’t do that, I trust Him enough to obey even if I feel strongly about another choice.
Most of us are pretty comfortable with this way of thinking. And few of us are really going to try to justify disobedience to the 10 Commandments or the Bible. Things get harder when it comes to choices not in the Bible, though. Again, most of us are likely to understand that the Catechism of the Catholic Church, for example, is also pretty clear and specific. Not many of us can really argue that foul language or contraception is ok morally, even if we are in the habit of using them.
Where obedience gets confusing, especially in our day and age, is when it comes to instructions from Church leadership. Not since the time of the French Revolution has the leadership of the Church had less credibility. Sins, crimes, and all sorts of negligent leadership have been revealed in public and damning ways. To make matters worse, bishops and priests disagree with each other (and with Scripture, the Catechism, etc) on matters of morality and doctrine which should be clear and certain. “Priest-shopping” for whatever opinion you want to hear has been common for years now. And with the internet, it’s trivial to find a quotation from a priest or a nun or bishop that is entirely irreconcilable with the Catholic Faith. So what does obedience mean in that context?
Well, it’ll take more than a paragraph to explain, but the thumbnail sketch is that obedience isn’t about doing what we’re told without question or talkback. Rather, it’s about the attitude. It’s about humility, docility, and trust in God. Thankfully, most of us aren’t going to have to get into the mud of whether this or that detailed instruction from the Pope or the Bishop must be obeyed and in what manner. Most of us can comfortably rely on the Bible and the Catechism and leave the nuances to our Bishop or Pastor. At its depth, the virtue of obedience IS high on the list, but for most of us, the attitude is the heart of the virtue!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Mary Ernst/Magoun
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Rosa and Gus Gremshell and May DiTomasso
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Kathleen Mills/H Massey family
- Thurs NO MASS (Priests' Meeting in Alexandria)
- Fri 5:30p In memory of deceased members of the Roy and Johnson families/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/family
- Sun 9:00a 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/22 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow | M Ernst |
| 6/23 9:30a | Maura and Thomas Meyers | C Guizerix | - |
| 6/29 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil | L Magoun |
| 6/30 9:30a | MaryKatherine and Courtland | D Hamilton | - |
| 7/6 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome | A Keene |
| 7/7 9:30a | Cooper and Maura | J Howington | - |
Stewardship St Paul reminds us in the second reading that Christ died “so that those who live might live no longer for themselves.” What we give to and do for others, we give to and do for Jesus!
Next Weekend’s Second Collection will be for Peter’s Pence to support the works of the Pope.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| May Budget | $ 8,444 |
| May Income | $ 8,572 |
| May Expenses | $ 11,940 |
| June Budget | $ 10,555 |
| June 15-16 Collection | $ 2,930 |
| June Income To Date | $ 7,240 |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and on Sunday from 9a until Mass
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. Father has more information. 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
THIRD QUARTER ALTAR ASSISTANTS SCHEDULE …. for July, August, and September can be found on the table at the entrance to church.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Cindy Howington (June 23), Margo Corulla (June 26), Sally Reynolds (June 26)
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; our 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), Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), Dick and Sue Boyd (S Gilfoil), 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, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), 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, Gannon Sims and Robbie Sims and Keri Post, 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, Bruen Johnson, Matilda Johnson, Caroline Marsh, Emmy Lu Marsh, Charlize Richardson, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Chandler Wood
