The 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
“Lo, the day is coming…”
“What sign will there be…?"
“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen”
Every generation has believed itself to be at the end of days. That’s not accidental. It’s an important aspect of Christianity that we see and perceive ourselves at the end of our human abilities. If we think that we’re ok to handle anything that comes our way, we’re delusional and living in a fantasy.
The Old Testament reminds us that we are “strangers and sojourners” here in this world. This life isn’t our home. Since the sin of Adam and Eve, this life has been reduced to a brief time of trial and test before we are judged, hopefully, into Heaven which is our true home.
It does us no service for the Lord to make these lives of ours perfect or comfortable or anything other than temporary. That can seem bleak, but if understood in the Christian context, it’s actually a source of great hope!
The trials and sufferings of this life that have made previous generations sure that the end is nigh, are the same one that Jesus tells us will make us holy. They are the crosses that He tells us to pick us as we follow Him. And the more enthusiastically we pick up our cross, the more clearly we’re able to see this world for what it is!
The current obsession with politics is a good example. Every single US election for the last ten years has been “the most important election EVER!!!!” It’s easy to see that the US is sliding into a dangerously totalitarian form of government. But for us as Christians, we’re not called to be terrified of that any more than we were called to be terrified during the nuclear scare of the 50s and 60s or during the panicked overreactions of COVID…
All the things of this world will come and go. Some will seem to us good, others bad. But as Christians, all things work to the good of those who love the Lord. And so “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified.” Every generation believes they are at the end of days and every generation is a little right and a little wrong. Our focus, though, shouldn’t be on the end, it should be on Heaven.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
As I wrote about in the other article, the readings today are strongly apocalyptic. They raise important and terrifying questions… What will the end look like? How will we know it’s coming? What can we do about it?
On the Priests’ retreat a few weeks ago, a lot of us priests spent a lot of time discussing these questions exactly. A lot of us have parishioners who have bought into Protestant ideas of the Rapture. Those are nonsense. Other parishioners have caught onto a quirky idea about a coming “three days of darkness” which requires Christians to have a specially designed survival kit including real beeswax candles. That’s also probably nonsense. There are plenty of other theories too ranging from perfectly reasonable Christian teachings about the need to go to Confession frequently to bizarre ideas about the coming of the antichrist from such and such a city on some given day.
The thing about the apocalypse is that Jesus said clearly “NO ONE knows the day or the hour.” God isn’t going to change His mind and start passing out hints two millennia later… God didn’t hide a secret code in the Bible. He’s not going to give us all a big wink and send some random mystic to tell us the day or the hour.
What we know about the apocalypse, we have been told because the Lord wants us to be ready for it - not to obsess over the details of it.
Perhaps the only 100% Church-approved new piece of information that we have about the apocalypse since the book of Revelation was completed in the 90s AD came to us 100 years ago when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared at Fatima. She had lots of scary predictions… And yet she didn’t try to give us some secret insight to when everything would happen. At Fatima, Mary told us what to do to be ready: pray the Rosary daily and offer us the little sufferings of daily life for the repentance of sins.
And that’s the same basic advice the Church has always given us in light of the apocalypse: get your spiritual life in order!
There were plenty of moments that could’ve been considered apocalypses to the people living through them in the past 2000 years: The Black Plague, Spanish Flu, the Little Ice Age, the Mongol invasion, the Moslem invasions, etc.
In our time, we might have plenty of reasons to think that the end is nigh… But two thing we know for sure is that #1 “NO ONE knows the day or the hour” and #2 whether it’s THE end or MY end, I need to get my spiritual life in order. We don’t need beeswax candles or some talisman or totem for that day.
We need to do the things that the Church tells us are going to get us into Heaven. We need to make a frequent confession, make a regular, worthy Holy Communion, pray daily, especially the Rosary, offer up our sufferings for our sins and the sins of the whole world, do works of charity and be genuinely docile to the will of God.
AN end is coming for each of us… That doesn’t need to frighten us, it needs to motivate us and encourage us because the Lord wants us to succeed and to spend eternity with Him in Heaven! That’s good news!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Donald Trichell (anni of birth)/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Cougan Fulton/Lancaster
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Inez, C.B., and Claude DeMoss/family
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Rosa Gremshell
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Lee Rome/P Gilfoil
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Anna May Farlow/VanderVieren
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Margo Corulla
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 11/12 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren |
| 11/13 9:00a | Courtland, Preston, Maura | A Keene |
| 11/19 5:30p | None Scheduled | P Wilks |
| 11/20 9:00a | Cooper and Volunteer | Youth |
| 11/26 5:30p | None Scheduled | MK Book |
| 11/27 9:00a | Kathleen, Evelyn, Maura | B Sullivan |
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
Nov 15 Pastoral Council Meeting – Parish Hall – 6 p.m
- Nov 16 Wednesday Night Catechism - Parish Hall - 6 p.m.
- Dec 4 Christmas Along the Bayou Festival - Parade, Music program at First Baptist Church followed by fireworks.
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 “Eternal Rest: The Art of Dying Well” (https://watch.formed.org/eternal-rest) It’s a series of videos that considers death - our own and the loss of loved ones - from a Christian perspective. 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, NOVEMBER 15, 2022 at 6:00 p.m in the Church Hall. Appointed members of the Council are: MaryKathryn Book, Kendra Collins, Norman Ernst, Louise Magoun, Jason Trichell and Blanche Wilks. 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.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT CATECHISM this week is all about Pope St John Paul II - his story and his importance… The talk will be livestreamed after the Morning Mass at ~9:30 and given live in the Hall at 6:00 p.m.
CHRISTMAS ALONG THE BAYOU… on Sunday, December 4, 2022 the community festival will take place. There will be a parade, music program at First Baptist Church, and fireworks on the bayou.
ARCHDIOCESE FOR THE MILITARY SERVICES, USA… Special Collection, November 13, for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. This week our parish will take up a collection to benefit the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (AMS), a collection approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to be taken every three years. The AMS is the Archdiocese for the Military Services, not of the Military Services. This is an important distinction, because the AMS receives no funding from the U.S. Government or U.S. Military and has no parishes from which to receive a weekly assessment. Instead, it must rely on the generosity of those whose values and priorities align with its mission, programs and services, to meet its costs. Please prayerfully consider a contribution to this special collection to support active-duty military men and women, and their families – including those from our own parish. Please give generously.
ANGEL TREE… Families and children have been identified; and, next weekend, our Angel Tree Coordinator, Dana Dukes, will have the Angel Tree set up in the Church Hall for families to select who they would like to provide for this Christmas.
YOU ARE INVITED… The children of Delia Trichell invite you to join them on Saturday, November 26, 2022 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Church Hall to celebrate Delia’s 85th birthday. No gifts please; your presence is “gift enough”!
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2020-21 | $ 2,111 |
| October Budget | $ 10,555 |
| October Income | $ |
| October Expenses | $ |
| November Budget | $ 8,444 |
| November 5-6 Collection | $ 2,385 |
| November Income To Date | $ 2,385 |
Stewardship Today’s readings paint a somewhat frightening picture of the end of time. But, the Gospel ends with the assurance to faithful servants that those who persevere will be saved.
SECOND COLLECTION Is for Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. See notes on insert.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Bernadette McFall (Nov 12), Brian McFall (Nov 13), Cathy VanDerVieren (Nov 13), Isabel Hernandez (Nov 19), Libby Bullard (Nov 20)
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), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Ruthie Coenen (Wilks), Kevin and AnnaBeth Collins (Book), 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, 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), Caryn Oliver, Sue Perrilloux (D Wood), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Frances Robinson (Wilks), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Albert Thom (Rome), Gabby Trejos (Wilks), 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, Brice Wood, Marsh Wood
