Mary, The Mother of God
From The Font
“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”
These simple words have consoled saints and ordinary folks for centuries. They remind us that even the holiest of us human beings can be left speechless and even thoughtless in the light of God. The scriptures tell us that Mary was afraid when she saw the angel Gabriel. And, further, she didn’t understand what he meant when he called her “full-of-grace.” Add to that the months of being accused of adultery (she was pregnant without being married first) and the fact that her husband-to-be was having dreams with angels in them… And Mary had a lot to think on. Judaism didn’t have a way of understanding personal revelations from God and the age of the Prophets was long past. She couldn’t make sense of her experiences and so she reflected on them. She replayed them and was aware of her feelings and she asked the Lord for wisdom and understanding.
Twenty centuries later, we are blessed with a broad and complete way of understanding almost any religious experience that might come our way. From Stigmata to miracles to a vision of the Blessed Virgin, we have a saint or a paragraph in the catechism or a complicated theological word for it… And still, our human nature hasn’t grown or changed. We still find ourselves overwhelmed trying to understand why God has allowed some tragedy to befall us or what God wants me to do with the life and circumstances that He’s given me. And the best thing we can do, is to imitate Our Lady and simply to consider and reflect upon these things in our hearts. Understanding is one of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit… It comes from God and we have to wait for it. As with so many things in life, wisdom takes time.
And so for all those questions and confusions and befuddlements that can weigh on us in this life, there may well be some brilliant essay or book or complicated vocabulary, but the best thing we can do is to imitate Our Lady and keep these things in our hearts. When we pray, we bring them before the Lord and ask for wisdom and understanding. We cycle through our questions and listen in silence as the Lord molds and shapes our minds to comprehend His mysteries. It’s hard to think of a better model for us to imitate!
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
THANK YOU to all who helped make Christmas so special… The decor was lovely from the creche to the tree to the altar florals and even the cute little window angels! The music, too, went off without a hitch and we had some more singing than usual from the congregation! Our Masses went so well and our Lectors and Servers really brought their A-Games. It was a lovely Christmas week and I couldn’t be more appreciative of all of you for making it happen for the Lord, for us and for our many guests!
THANK YOU, too, to those who were so generous in giving me gifts, personally, this Christmas! Everyone was so generous and I am happy to say that I was able to use those gifts to set up a small gym in the garage to help with my physical health and, hopefully, lose some weight.
One of the few really good lessons I learned in seminary was that Thank You cards should go out as quickly as possible. I’ve always tried to do that and, hopefully, I haven’t missed anyone that I know of. To my generation, Thank You cards are a quaint and even nostalgic sort of thing. We could just as easily send a text or say thank you in person. But there’s something wonderfully human about the physical act of writing a note and posting it and having someone get that little boost that we all feel when we get an envelope (without a plastic window) with our name handwritten on it.
My handwriting is basically illegible - as most of you know personally - and yet I really enjoy the act of writing a Thank You note. In fact, I bought a few thousand custom printed cards with a simple red cross in the corner that I use for Thank You notes. It’s taken me 17 years of priesthood, but the 3500 cards I bought a few months before my ordination as a deacon in 2005 are about to run out. I have a supply to last a year or so, but I’m looking forward to designing a card and having it printed and writing mostly illegible Thank You notes for years to come.
One of the struggles we have as Americans is that this time of the Holiday Season is the time of burnout. We’ve opened all the gifts. We’ve eaten and drank more than we should’ve. We’ve done the special Masses, thrown the parties, and watched the movies. The music has been in our ears for weeks and we’ve had pumpkin spice everything. Now, we’re ready for a break. But this time is the ACTUAL Christmas season! This is the time for celebration and festivity. I’m not going to tilt at windmills and tell you to become crusaders for a new way of doing Christmas, but I will say that the best way to recover after the Holidays is to step up your time in prayer, esp listening in prayer.
Prayer can be restorative if we don’t stress ourselves out about it. This is an ideal time to take the end of year stress and offer it to the Lord. Your prayer doesn’t need to have a formula, it doesn’t need to accomplish something, it doesn’t need to meet any standards, and it doesn’t need to be anything more or less than the raising of your heart and your mind to the Lord in a moment of quiet. Don’t fret about distractions. Don’t fret about boredom or method. Just sit with the Lord and enjoy actual Christmas with Him.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of A.P. and Pat Guizerix/Guizerix
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Patsy Tryon/Mills-Thompson
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Rosa Gremshell
- Fri 5:30p in memory of Becky Lancaster/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of deceased Regan, Adams, and Weimer family members/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 Angel Farlow
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 12/31 5:30p | None Scheduled | L Bullard |
| 1/1 9:00a | Cooper and Volunteer | C VanderVieren |
| 1/7 5:30p | None Scheduled | MK Book |
| 1/8 9:00a | Kathleen and Evelyn | D Ellerbee |
| 1/14 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Keene |
| 1/5 9:00a | Henry, MaryKatherine, Maura | Youth |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass at 5:30p
- Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall after the 9:00a Mass unless otherwise indicated
Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Tuesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
Jan 7 Mark your calendar – Burning of the Greens on Saturday following Mass. All are invited to come and enjoy Queen’s Soup and King Cake in the Church Hall
- Feb 1 Mark your calendar – Mardi Gras Brunch after the Sunday 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.
FORMED.ORG… Check out the Christmas Page! (https://watch.formed.org/advent-and-christmas) They’ve got a ton of great content for all ages! Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at http://signup.formed.org
BURNING OF THE GREENS… on Saturday, January 7, 2023 will mark the Epiphany of the Lord and the end of Christmas time. As Carnivale season begins, following Saturday Mass, we will have supper in the Hall with Queen’s Soup and the blessing of the King Cakes! Plan to join in the festivities!!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY….. A total of $1,132 was given by our Faith Family for the poinsettias and the decorations for our Advent and Christmas season.
Stewardship Today’s second reading reminds us that through Christ, we have been delivered from the law and become sons and daughters of God. New Year’s Day provides a perfect opportunity to ask ourselves the question: Does my life reflect my gratitude for all that my loving Father has given me?
SECOND COLLECTION Our monthly Building Fund
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| Novemer Budget | $ 8,444 |
| November Income | $ 8,375 |
| November Expenses | $ 11,785 |
| December Budget | $ 8,444 |
| December 24-25 Collection | $ 9,679 |
| December Income To Date | $ 23,452 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Jamie Howington (Jan 1), Beth Sullivan (Jan 4)
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 Holy Father Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI; 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, Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Terry and Susie Murphy, Sue & Mike Rome, Delia Trichell, and Don Wood
Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy, Carol Dunning
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), Ruthie Coenen (Wilks), Jami Cook (Wilks), Susan Ward Daigle (Gilfoil & Keene), Don Deweese, Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Ashley and Chuck Edwards (Keene), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Monique Florence, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), Charlotte Green, Carol Drawe Guidry (Gilfoil & Keene), Rita Hargrave, Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Melissa Jennings (Gilfoil & Keene), Dee Jones (Keene), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Caryn Oliver, Sue Perrilloux (D Wood), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Frances Robinson (Wilks), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Albert Thom (Rome), LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Joe Yerger
Our collegiates: Aidan 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
