The 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
The tension between the mind and the soul is not just decoration. It is really true that Jesus can be known to a significant degree through the teaching of the Church because the teaching of the Church is the revelation of the Father through the Son. At the same time, it is really true that Jesus can (and must) be known through prayer and a relationship with Him.
There are saints who were brilliant scholars who knew ABOUT the Lord and who knew the Lord. There are also plenty of saints who were intellectually simple and who knew about the Lord almost exclusively through their prayer.
St Paul describes this tension through the lens of the Gifts of the Spirit. He identifies gifts of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding which come from the Holy Spirit through prayer.
St. Thomas Aquinas, for example, was a once in a generation scholar who synthesized the writing of Plato, Aristotle, St Paul and others to create the most amazing singular work of theology ever written (the Summa Theologica).
Mother Teresa, on the other hand, was a woman of profound prayer but relatively little formal study. She studied the scripture and knew the Church’s teaching in areas relevant to her work with the poor, but she didn’t spend most of her time in study. Both were wise, knowledgeable, and understanding when it came to matters of faith and holiness.
All that said, study alone can give us a lot of information, but it can't truly make us wise or understanding. For that, we need to know the Lord. We need the Holy Spirit. Knowing about the Lord does help us to know the Lord, but it can’t do the important relational work that prayer and fasting and loving our neighbor does. And so we have to be conscious of both parts of the work of Jesus to reveal the Father. We need to know about the Lord and we need to know the Lord, Himself, through prayer.
We also need to remember that the truth about the Lord matters! We can’t give in to the common temptation to assume that everything said about Jesus by everyone is of worth. All teaching isn’t good teaching, so stick to reliable sources!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
This week, the monks of the monastery where I went to seminary will hold a closed meeting to elect a new Abbot. The Order of St Benedict began 1500 years ago with Benedict of Nurcia taking up residence in a cave. He wanted to live “a life of perfection.” So, he became a hermit and spent the vast majority of his day in prayer and fasting. As often happened with the hermits whose stories we tell - people starting showing up and harassing him for prayers and for advice. Before Benedict knew it, a dozen young men were setting up shop in neighboring caves to seek perfection in the Lord using the same rules of daily life he was using.
Eventually, Benedict wrote his daily program of life in a formal way which could be adopted by groups of men. This “Rule of St Benedict” wasn’t wholly original. Benedict had developed his plan of life from the writings of several other saints. But the Rule of St Benedict became, by far, the most popular and successful Religious Rule. By the mid 1200s, the Benedictine order was the most important organization in what we call Europe. At its height, the chief Abbot of the Order of St Benedict was a good deal more important politically and religiously than the Pope.
Even today, Benedictine monasteries are all over the world and they live the same basic rule of life. Some brothers are priests and some are simple monks. Their primary work is the life of perfection which they seek through “Ora et Labora” (Prayer and Work). Each monastery chants the Liturgy of the Hours (a mixture of psalms, hymns, and scripture readings) throughout the day. In many “houses” (aka monasteries), the brothers are divided into “choir monks” and “active monks.” The choir monks devote themselves to what can be 5-6 hours per day of chanting the word of God as a constant prayer for the monastery, the Church, and the world. The active brothers do the work of cooking, cleaning, and producing things to be sold to support the monastery. The monks in Covington make and sell delicious bread and lovely caskets... It’s an odd mixture. Other houses make soap, cheese, beer, or liqueurs. Try a bottle of “Benedictine!” It’s for sale in Delta at the end of the Bourbon/Whiskey section. It’s amazing!.
When the brothers elect a new abbot, he will be like a mini-bishop. While there’s a cordial working relationship between the Abbot in Covington and the Archbishop of New Orleans, each Monastery is its own sovereign religious institution. The monks are free to do what they determine among themselves is best for the monastery. They only elect new leadership every 10-20 years, when the old abbot dies or retires. So this week is a big deal for one of the most important monasteries in our entire region.
While I could never have made it as a monk of St Benedict, I have great love and respect for the order. In fact, when I can, I make my retreats at another Benedictine Abbey in Oklahoma. I hope we can all find some time this week to pray for the outgoing abbot, Ab. Justin Brown and for his successor, whoever that may be.
St. Benedict, Pray for them!
St. Scholastica (sister of St Benedict), Pray for them!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Irving (birth) and Lee Rome/Kev Collins
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon No Mass
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Deceased members of the Bullard, Reynolds, and Thomas families
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Rosa and Gus Gremshell and May DiTomasso
- Thu 9:00a (at Legacy Nursing Home) For a special birthday of the Magoun family
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Jack Ellerbee/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Patrick Thomas/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
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lectors | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7/8 5:30p | None Scheduled | MK Book | TBD |
| 7/9 9:00a | Cooper and Maura | M Lancaster | TBD |
| 7/15 5:30p | None Scheduled | L Bullard | TBD |
| 7/16 9:00a | Kathleen and Evelyn | Youth | TBD |
| 7/22 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow | TBD |
| 7/23 9:00a | Chandler and Annie | S Marsh | TBD |
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
- July 18 Pastoral Council Meeting – Parish Hall – 6 p.m.
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
PASTORAL COUNCIL …….will hold its regular meeting on TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2023 at 6:00 p.m in the Church Hall. Members of the Council include 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.
WELCOME… to the REYNOLDS, NEUROTH, and TRYON families who are with us this weekend for their annual family reunion
Stewardship “Let all your works give You thanks, O Lord, and let Your faithful ones bless You,” says the Psalmist. Stewardship is the “attitude of gratitude” for the many gifts God has given me.
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 1-2 Collection | $ 2,488 |
| June Income To Date | $ 2,488 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Chip Sullivan (July 11), Aidan Collins (July 12), Luke Aucoin (July 15), Sue Rome (July 16)
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.
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, 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),Tuleta Sasser (Wilks), Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Joe Yerger,
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, Callie Ezell, Lilly Falgout, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Bruen Johnson, Caroline Marsh, Emmy Lu Marsh, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Marsh Wood
