The 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
“Seek the LORD, all you humble of the earth”
The word humility comes from the Latin for “soil.” It traces back to the image in Genesis 2 of the Lord making Adam from the dust. Humility is a big part of Christianity and is one of the most misunderstood virtues today.
Humility is a rich understanding of self and of God… A humble person understands that God is God and he is not. Humility isn’t about self-deprecation or considering oneself to be the worst sinner in the world. Rather, it’s about “grounding” oneself in a realistic understanding of our place in the universe.
If I have some natural talent, where did that come from? It came from God. Now, should I be praised if I have taken the simple talent the Lord gave me and - through hard work - made that talent better and more useful? YES! That’s the moral of the Parable of the Talents (Ms 25).
If I have made some bad decision, what was the origin of that bad decision? It was probably my own selfishness or lack of moral strength. Should I own up to that or make excuses? I should own up to it! Jesus is happy to forgive, but I need to own up and ask Him for it.
We see this same sort of thing happening in kids. A five-year-old might brag at school about a recent vacation or whatever. Who made that possible? Mom and dad did… The kid doesn’t deserve any credit for going to Disney World. But she does for the cool picture she drew of the experience. When the kid punches her classmate for not being impressed by the big trip, who is to blame for that bad decision? The kid is.
Humility is complex theologically speaking because we are complicated creations, but at its core, humility isn’t anything other than radical honesty about God and about self. And as with all self-reflection, it requires practice, courage, trust in God, and, often, help from others.
For what it’s worth, I often solicit feedback from friends and others about my preaching, my pastoral skills, and the performance of my priestly duties in order to help with humility. I’m not naturally meek or especially self-aware and so, at any given moment, humility is hard for me… Of course, that realization, itself, is part of the slow, but necessary work of humility.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
January is passing and how are we doing on our Read The Bible in 2023 Challenge?
Hopefully we’ve gotten through the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. I know I’ve enjoyed the Book of Tobit - which is kinda the RomCom of the Bible. This year, I also took special note in the Letter of St James to his words about “Is there anyone sick among you, let him call in the priests of the Church… and let them anoint him with oil… and if he is in sin, they shall be forgiven him.” With all of our recent illness and deaths in the community, that part really hit home for me!
February is another good month, it has probably my favorite books of the bible… The story of Esther is always so moving. It’s the Date-night Thriller of the Old Testament and it’s also one of those books that seems so odd to us as Christians. Queen Esther is not in a Christian marriage by any stretch of the imagination… She doesn’t make her decision for holy and pious reasons. The story is not about the triumph of good vs evil or the way in which the Lord makes everything turn out well… The same for the story of Judith and her battle of wits with Holofernes. These are brutal stories which do not reinforce the “safe” images of God working through ordinary and comfortable paragons of virtue. Rather, they tell the story of God preserving His people through really hard times.
Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this theme for a while now. I mean, just look around… Our world and our Church are not healthy by any measure. (St Edward as a parish is, but we’re the exception to many, many rules!) For the most part, the world is a mess. And so why does God allow that and how does God intend to fix it?
The books of Judith and Esther both answer that question exactly! In fact, so does the Book of Job which is also on our February list.
So often, modern Christianity is reduced to a very familiar set of rules and structures. The Old Testament is a powerful antidote to the limited ideas that prevail in our US Christianity. By looking at the ways in which the Lord works in history, we can see that He has often employed painful remedies for human sin! Look at the Flood or the Babylonian Exile or the Destruction of the Temple. The Bible ended before we got to the Iconoclasm or the Black Plague or the so-called Enlightenment, but these post-biblical events aren’t so different from the others. And in the past, the Lord has used something akin to spiritual Chemotherapy on us. In Scripture, Jesus tells a parable about the weeds which grow up alongside the wheat. The Lord tells us that the end of time will include a judgment and a condemnation of evil. But along the way, the Lord isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done to keep as much of the wheat alive as He can.
Reading the Old Testament is SO GOOD for this kind of thinking and spiritual consideration. It helps to expand our perspective and the breadth of our understanding of the Lord!
If you didn’t jump into our Read the Bible in 2023 challenge in January, it’s never too late to start! Dive it!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Racer Holstead (birth)/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon-Thu NO MASS - Fr Ryan Out of Town (Note: Sorry for the confusion of our Mass Schedule for the past two weeks! I have been rescheduling consultation meetings around BR in order to be here for the dying - which has created some chaos in our scheduling. Apologies! -FrRyan)
- Fri 5:30p in memory of Mary Ernst/G Gustafson
- Sat 5:30p In celebration of Patten Dill and Eloise Duff
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning in memory of Mary Ernst by Mike and Sue Rome
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1/28 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome |
| 1/29 9:00a | Courtland and Preston | C Guizerix |
| 2/4 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren |
| 2/5 9:00a | Cooper and Volunteer | J Howington |
| 2/11 5:30p | None Scheduled | P Wilks |
| 2/12 9:00a | Kathleen and Evelyn | M Lancaster |
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
- Feb 3 First Friday
- Feb 4 First Saturday
- Feb 4/5 Blessing of Throats for Feast of St Blaise following Mass
- Feb 17 Quarterly Mass for Healing at 5:30 p.m.
- Feb 19 Mark your calendar – Mardi Gras Potluck BRUNCH after the Sunday Mass
- Feb 22 Ash Wednesday - Lent begins
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… Pope Benedict was a remarkable man, a saintly priest, and his significance intellectually is hard to overstate. FORMED has a collection of videos that are worth checking out at https://watch.formed.org/pope-benedict-xvi. Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at http://signup.formed.org
FIRST FRIDAY…FEBRUARY 3 ...Holy Hour and Mass....5:30 p.m. ...make a special devotion to the Sacred Heart and attend first Friday devotions for nine consecutive months.
FIRST SATURDAY …FEBRUARY 4 … Mass and Holy Hour … 9 a.m. Our Lady of Fatima called for special devotions to be offered on the first Saturday of each month. All are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
FIRST QUARTER SOCIAL…: Our First Quarter Social will celebrate Mardi Gras on Sunday, February 19, 2023 following Mass. Please mark your calendar and join in a Potluck BRUNCH. The First Quarter (Jan, Feb, March) Committee: Margo Corulla and Darryl and Abby Ellerbee (co-chairs), Norman and Marie Ernst, Katherine Ernst Bedgood, Brian Johnson, Sidney and Mary Jane Johnson, Robbie and Tori Kivett, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Billy and Courtney Nadeau, Teddy and Alyssa Oliver, Mike and Sue Rome, Jason Trichell, Mary Trichell, Levi Washington
PLANT SWAP… the Tallulah Campus of Louisiana Delta Community College in Tallulah is hosting a Plant Swap on February 4, 2023 on their site and invites the public to join them.
THANKS FROM THE FAMILY OF MARY ERNST….The gracious spirit of all the St Edward the Confessor church members and kindness throughout the day brought sunshine to the darkness of our hours. We will never forget the church’s expressions of love and honor for our mother and Nanny. On behalf of the family of Mary M. Ernst, we would like to express our thanks to all of those who performed services at her funeral mass. Sincere gratitude goes out to Rev. Ryan Humphries, Ann Keene, Michael Lancaster , Mike Rome, Blake Sullivan , and all of the families that provided a beautiful reception after the Mass. Your kindness, words, and love at our time of need will always be treasured by our family! Forever blessed.
Stewardship Blessed are they who are what they are and do what they do for the sake of the kingdom! The Gospel today assures good stewards that their suffering and their service on behalf of the Kingdom will be rewarded!
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| Decemer Budget | $ 8,444 |
| December Income | $ 23,452 |
| December Expenses | $ 9,083 |
| January Budget | $ 10,555 |
| January 22 Collection | $ 1,405 |
| January Income To Date | $ 7,615 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Courtland Jude Collins (Jan 29, 2010), Hazel Bedgood (Feb 2, 2016), Evelyn Grace Kivett (Feb 2, 2011), Susan Gilfoil (Feb 3), Blanche Wilks (Feb 5)
Happy Anniversary
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; 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, 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 and Carolyn 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), 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), Melissa Jennings (Gilfoil & Keene), Dee Jones (Keene), William and Averyell Kessler (Lancaster), 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), Thomas Trichell, 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
Our sympathy for the family of Kathleen Mills who died on Sunday and whose funeral was this weekend.
