The 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
“This is the time of fulfillment.”
In this world - by which I mean not eternity, not Heaven, not Hell, but this creation which will pass away - the passage of time limits and controls everything we do. Literally every aspect of our lives is affected by the way in which time passes one second after another so that we cannot change the past and we cannot see or predict the future. As such, our human lives are a bit of a guessing game. And so when Jesus says that THIS is the time of fulfillment, we’re weighed down by what we think of as now...
This can seem obtuse and philosophical, but it has real practical importance. We can’t help but think of the time of fulfillment as the future. But that’s not the way Jesus means it. The time of fulfillment was the now of the early 30s AD, but it is also the now of each and every human life - past, present, and future. God is eternal and so the fulfillment of Divine righteousness and the Divine commission with which Jesus was sent to fulfill Divine Justice by His death and Resurrection are also eternal. God’s just wrath was not sated 2000 years ago. It is being sated outside of the passage of time and outside of our creation by the continual offering of Jesus’ sacrifice on the eternal altar of Heaven as is described in the Book of Revelation. From our perspective, the event of that offering was in the past. But we also have access to that event in each moment of our lives and especially when we attend Holy Mass where the offering is made present in a Sacramental way.
Again, this can seem hopelessly philosophical, but so can understanding anything which is beyond the limits of the human mind. Why are there so many love songs? Why are so many poems dedicated to beauty - human or in nature? Why do artists feel compelled to capture the light of the sun or the subtlety of a flower when they can just look at it? Because we are made for mystery! We are drawn to that which is beyond human ideas and human language. Artists and poets express wonder in art. Human reason expresses wonder in words.
These big ideas about time and reality and God’s plan are what Jesus came to reveal about God in His teaching and His preaching.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
This Thursday is the feast of my personal patron, St Paul. When asked about the Conversion of St Paul, most Catholics will recall that Jesus appeared to him and knocked him off his horse. The story, though, doesn’t mention a horse. We think of that detail because painters through history have added it. It’s the same with Adam and Eve and the apple... There’s no mention of an apple in Genesis 3... But so many painters and poets have depicted the forbidden fruit as an apple, that we have unconsciously accepted it.
Such is the effect of art. Modern education has ruined our thinking about art... I’m not some grumpy antiquarian. I love modern art! I have a Jackson Pollock print on the wall of my office. Classical media includes sculpture, drawing, painting, and mosaic and I have my favorites of those. Modern media includes audio, digital layout, and video of various types from classic films like Casablanca to tiktoks. And there’s art there as well. Surely, not all of it is good and not all of it is art.
I ascribe to the thinking that art is all about impact over time. Amazing sculptors like Michelangelo and great painters like Raphael are great not just because of their technical skill, but because of their impact. It’s harder to make that judgment about modern art because not enough time has passed to determine what has had real impact. Forty years ago, people believed that Andy Warhol and Orson Wells were great artists... It’s harder to make that argument now because, outside of specializations and industrial groups, their impact is sparse at best.
That’s not to say that they aren't GOOD artists. It’s not to say that their art isn’t good, in itself. But their impact implies that they aren’t great in the sense of DaVinci and Monet. The same applies to other forms of art like music and poetry. Emily Dickenson is not to my taste, but I read her work because she’s stood the test of time. So have Bach and Wagner. The Beatles seem to be great, but time will tell.
I write all this because as human beings, we are in need of both good and great art. Our society is increasingly disposable. A cultural phenomenon like grumpy cat (who I loved!) is almost entirely forgotten today. So are Brangelina, Ross & Rachel, and the ending of St Elsewhere (or the Sopranos). Fewer and fewer aspects of our lives last... But we NEED things that last. We need keepsakes and heirlooms and old inside jokes and art and music and movies that draw us out of the now and into the eternal. We need to cook old family recipes and we need to tell the family stories. That need isn’t just because we’re us - it’s because we’re human, made in the image and likeness of our eternal God.
And so as we bring to an end our many family Christmas traditions and prepare to celebrate our Mardi Gras traditions, let’s do so with a deliberate sense of awareness of the value those traditions have and of the weighty role they must play in our lives. We need art because we need the eternal. We need lots of things in our lives which are bigger than we are and whose impact has gone and will go far beyond the moment of their creation.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Delia and Thomas Trichell/T Trichell
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon 5:30p No Mass
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Kathleen Mills/Ervin
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Margaret Magoun/family
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Pat Bullard (birth)/family
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Marie and John Johnson & Marion and Gertrude Roy/Johnson
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
- Sun 9:30a Populo for the Living Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Delia Trichell by Angel Farlow
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/20 5:30p | None Scheduled | MK Book | Mike Rome |
| 1/21 9:30a | Cooper and Maura | Youth-MaryK & Court | None Scheduled |
| 1/27 5:30p | None Scheduled | L Bullard | Norman Ernst |
| 1/28 9:30a | Kathleen and Evelyn | J Howington | None Scheduled |
| 2/3 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow | A Keene |
| 2/4 9:30a | Chandler and Annie | M Lancaster | None Scheduled |
Stewardship There is a certain urgency in today’s Gospel as Jesus calls His first disciples–Andrew and Simon, James and John. Each one follows Jesus immediately, unhesitatingly abandoning nets and boats and father and fellow-workers. To what is Jesus calling me–at this moment, in these circumstances? What will I need to abandon in order to follow Him?
SECOND COLLECTION… next weekend is to support the Church in Latin America.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2023-2024 | $ 2,111 |
| December Budget | $ 10,555 |
| December income | $ 15,444 |
| December Expenses | $ 10,483 |
| January Budget | $ 8,444 |
| January 14 collection | $ 2,309 |
| January Income To Date | $ 4,178 |
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
Jan 24 Pastoral Council (re-scheduled from last week) … 6 p.m. in Church Hall
- Jan 28 Special Talk from Fr Ryan 6 p.m. in Church Hall. See opposite side for details
- Feb 11 First Quarter Social — Mardi Gras potluck brunch – following 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.
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
VICKSBURG CATHOLIC MOMS GROUP…..Calling all Moms!! Whether you have toddlers or your chicks have flown the coop, Catholic Moms Group is for you! We will be having our next meeting celebrating our 2nd Annual Anniversary Monday February 12th at 6 pm in Glynn Hall. We hope to see you there, even if it's for the first time!! More information contact Brittany McFall or Kathleen Harris at vicksburgcatholicmomsgroup@gmail.com, or visit our BRAND NEW Facebook page: Vicksburg Catholic Moms Group.
FIRST QUARTER SOCIAL …. Mark your calendars to join in on Sunday, February 11, in the Church Hall following Mass for Potluck Brunch. The First Quarter (Jan, Feb, March) committee to decorate and clean up consists of Margo Corulla and Darryl and Abby Ellerbee (co-chairs), Norman and Marie Ernst, Katherine Ernst, Brian Johnson, Sidney and Mary Jane Johnson, Robbie and Tori Kivett, Ed Mills, Billy and Courtney Nadeau, Teddy and Alyssa Oliver, Mike and Sue Rome, Jason Trichell, Mary Trichell, Levi Washington
HOLY COMMUNION FROM THE CHALICE... After a month or so on hold due to flu and rsv, we’ll return to offering Holy Communion from the Chalice this weekend. Of course, if you’re feeling ill or someone in your household is ill, we ask that you refrain from receiving from the chalice as a courtesy to other parishioners. Remember that both species of Holy Communion are fully and completely the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus.
CHURCH IN LATIN AMERICA…Next weekend, January 28, we will take up the Collection for the Church in Latin America. For many in Latin America and the Caribbean, a rising secular culture, difficult rural terrain, and a shortage of ministers all present obstacles to practicing the faith. Your support for the collection provides lay leadership training, catechesis, priestly and religious formation, and other programs to share our Catholic faith with those who long to hear the Good News of Christ. To learn more about how your gifts make a difference, visit www.usccb.org/latin-america.
SPECIAL TALK FROM FR RYAN... Next Sunday, January 28, 6pm in the Hall, Fr Ryan will give a talk on a highly requested topic. How do we make sense of all the troublesome things going on in the Church? Attendance is in decline across the Western world. There are public, even angry disagreements on essential matters of doctrine between bishops and cardinals. The news has a new story every day about what is happening or what might be happening in the near future. There’s a great deal of anxiety about our recent past and our near future. Fr Ryan will explain what those issues are and how we, as Christians, deal with them. Any- and everyone is welcome to attend!
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Mary Jane Johnson (Jan 22), Brice Wood (Jan 22), Travis Hamilton (Jan 24, 2013), Courtland Jude Collins (Jan 29, 2009)
Happy Anniversary Kaci and Norman Ernst (Jan 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), Willetta and Mac Cagnolatti, 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), 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), Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, Ralph Harris (Gilfoil), Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Dee Jones (Keene), Calvin “Beans” and Lynn Lisonbee, LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Cindy Mathieu (Wilks), Boyce Miller, Vickie Morelli (Ernst), John Neill, Caryn Oliver, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), Walter and Vivian Scott, Debbie Kedrick Sims, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Mary Claire Warner and her parents, MaryBeth and Steve
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
