The 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
The basic meaning of this Gospel is easy enough to understand mentally: if someone isn’t prepared to love the Lord over and above every other relationship in his or her life, then they’re not seriously ready to follow Jesus.
But, like many great Jewish preachers, Jesus brings intensity and emphasis to His teaching by the use of hyperbole or exaggeration. He does this elsewhere when He tells people to cut off their own hand if it might cause them to sin or when He accuses hypocrites of ignoring a log (literally a “plank”) in their own eyes.
The use of exaggeration is cultural. Some cultures don’t use it. Germans, for example, and Russians tend to be exact and literal. An exaggeration might as well be a lie for them. But Americans and Aussies tend to describe everything from food to football as the “best thing in the world” or “life changing.” My own style of preaching uses a fair bit of exaggeration which tends to be pretty effective
here in the States. I like to pose bizarre little mental images like when I explained that God is more glorified when an unqualified person does something amazing than when a qualified person does… I brought it home by asking which would be more jarring - a cute little 90 lb ballerina perfectly dancing swan lake… or me in a tutu?!?
The image is patently absurd and insane. And that kind of exaggeration has the effect of jarring us into thinking about something differently. The Greeks have a word for “to prioritize” (προτεραιότητα), but Jesus chose the more emotionally charged word “misei” (ηισει) which means “to reject” or, in certain contexts, “to hate.” From the context, there’s no doubt Jesus isn’t prescribing emotional hatred. After all, He’s just told us to love our enemies and our neighbors as ourselves. Still, the emotional charge of the word makes it a good translation because the purpose of the whole image is to shake us up! It’s to engage our emotions and passions and make us pay attention to the deeper message of the teaching.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
I have a warm spot in my heart for September 8. It’s the religious feast of the birthday of Our Lady and the name of the blessed little Church in Campti where I was first made a pastor. I remember fondly a group of men carrying the statue of Our Lady on a bier from the Church to a flower-strewn table in the parish hall while we all sang hymn after hymn and shared a big potluck meal with good red wine purchased by the parish.
The tradition of that kind of sentimental, flowery celebration arose from what we call the “French School” of spirituality. Certainly there were traditions of flowers and statues being carried in the street before the French School arose in the late 1600s and 1700s, but they were limited to specific celebrations in specific places.
The French School took aspects from many spiritual traditions and established a kind of packaged toolbox that could be implemented at the parish level anywhere. Most of the hymns we love, for example, came out of the French School: Immaculate Mary, Sing of Mary Pure and Lowly, O Holy Night (orig. Minuit, chrétiens) are all legacies of it.
The big names associated with the French School are St. Francis de Sales, St. Vincent de Paul, St. John Eudes, St. Louis de Montfort, St. Jean Vianney, and St. Magret Mary Alacoque. It’s worth noting that the French School was just coming into its maturity when the miracles started. Of particular interest were the miraculous appearances of Our Lady at Rue de Bac, La Salette, Lourdes, Étienne-le-Laus, Pontmain, and Pellevoisin - all in France over 200 or so years...
And we should be aware that almost all of the evangelists that brought our part of the New World to the Catholic Faith came from these traditions of the French School. So our own historical experience of Faith is strongly tied to the traditions of the French School. Our affection for congregational singing, special devotion to the Saints, Scripture study and scriptural mediation, the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, having priests bless all sorts of things, respect for the clergy, celebratory meals, elaborate decorations in the Church and the Hall, and so much more are all the fruit of the French School.
In the same vein, much of the drama, worse now than ever, in the Church about “traditionalism” is strongly tied to a modern rejection of the French School. Many of the so-called reforms which took place after Vatican II (most of which had nothing to do with the Council) were efforts by Italian clergy to remove the vast influence of the French School from the rank and file in the Church. There are multi-volume books devoted to the reasons why, but many priests like myself cleave so strongly to traditionalism and the French School simply because IT WORKS! The French School spread throughout the Church like wildfire and became the single most important and effective tool for evangelization ever. Where it is implemented today, it still works. In Campti, my little congregation tripled - TRIPLED! - when I implemented aspects of the French School. It’s truly tragic that so many of the clergy have expressed their disdain for its methods and well-proven pastoral tools.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Jim Jumonville/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Patsy Tryon/Mill-Thompson
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Gus Gremshell
- Thurs 9:00a In memory of Dorothy Neill/Gustafson
- Fri 5:30p In memory of John Johnson/family
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard/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 Blanche and Skeeter Wilks
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 9/3 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow |
| 9/4 9:00a | Chandler, AnneMarie, Maura | Beth Sullivan |
| 9/10 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil |
| 9/11 9:00a | Preston, Cortland, Evelyn | A Keene |
| 9/17 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome |
| 9/18 9:00a | Cooper and 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
September 6 “Dealing with Stress and Anxiety as a Christian”…Parish Hall… 6 p.m.
- September 11 Sunday Morning Catechism will begin
- October 2 Potluck Brunch (third quarter social group - 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.
DEALING WITH STRESS AND ANXIETY AS A CHRISTIAN … we will continue our series of workshops on SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 in the Parish Hall at 6 p.m. The topic will deal with using twelve step programs in coping with stress.
POTLUCK BRUNCH (Third Quarter Social group) on October 2, 2022 following Sunday Mass. All are encouraged to join in this faith family event.
EMPOWERING GOD’S CHILDREN… parish volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and go online regularly at www.virtus.org for the latest training bulletins. Any questions or issues can be reported to the office. Printed resources are available on the table at the entrance to the Church. “Protecting our Children, Understanding and Preventing Child Sexual Abuse” includes Resources and Contact Numbers for reporting abuse. “Protecting God’s Children, Teaching Touching Safety Quick Reference Guide” The Diocesan Policy for the Protection of Minors and The Diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct for Priests, Deacons, Pastoral Ministers, Administrators, Staff, and Volunteers are available in the Safe Environment section of the diocesan website at DioceseAlex.org or a copy may be requested from the Safe Environment Office (318) 445-2401.
PLEDGE TO HEAL...If you or a family member has been abused or victimized by a representative of the Catholic church or a member of the clergy, please believe in the possibility for hope and help and healing. Dr. Lee Kneipp, Clinical Psychologist, Victim Assistance Coordinator, Diocese of Alexandria encourages those persons to come forward and speak out. Dr. Kneipp is establishing support groups in the central Louisiana area for victims and family members. The focus of these groups is to further emotional and spiritual healing as an adjunct to therapy, in an atmosphere of others who understand the pain, betrayal, and fear associated with abuse. Dr. Kneipp can be reached at 318-542-9805. All calls are confidential.
PRAYER FOR HURRICANE SEASON… O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a stormless eternity awaits us. Amen (Fr. Al Volpe, Cameron Parish, LA, originally dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Audrey in 1957)
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2020-21 | $ 2,111 |
| July Budget | $ 10,555 |
| July Income | $ 10,849 |
| July Expenses | $ 11,185 |
| August Budget | $ 8,444 |
| August 27/28 Collection | $ 2,673 |
| August Income To Date | $ 10,003 |
Stewardship Jesus tells the crowd that only those who renounce all of their possessions can be His disciples. Is He truly asking us to give up everything? Perhaps instead He is trying to help us see that everything we think we own is really a gift from God. Good stewards know that and strive to use those gifts accountably.
SECOND COLLECTION Monthly Building Fund
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Sug Regan (Sept 4), Kathleen Ellerbee (Sept 8, 2009), Lori Sullivan (Sept 11)
Happy Anniversary Sally and Bobby Reynolds(Sept 9, 2019)
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, Mary Ernst, 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), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Ruthie Coenen (Wilks), Kevin and AnnaBeth Collins (Book), Truman and Diane Collins, 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, Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), John and Carlyle Ashly Hoogland, Melissa Jennings (Gilfoil & Keene), Dee Jones (Keene), Lyn and Calvin Lisonbee (Keene), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Caryn Oliver, Sue Perrilloux (D Wood), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Frances Robinson (Wilks), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Albert Thom (Rome), Janice Spencer and family (Wilks), Vance Sullivan and grandmother, Judy Sullivan, Meg Keene Thomas, Lucy Thomason (gr-dau of Bentley Curry)(Book), Gabby Trejos (Wilks), Paul Wayne and 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, Maddie Oliver Bridges, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Brice Wood, Marsh Wood
