The Fifth Sunday in Lent
From the Scripture
In the law, Moses commanded us to stone [adulterous] women. So what do you say? They said this to test him.
The Jews were driven by an almost-obsession with the law in ways that we can barely even imagine. In Christianity, the Love of God is the highest virtue. In Judaism, though, obedience to God was the highest virtue. And so St. John wants to be very clear in his telling and Jesus is very clear in the story, itself, that the woman does, in fact, deserve death for her sin. The problem isn’t even that the scribes and the Pharisees brought her to Jesus and confronted Him with her. Jesus, after all, had a seemingly casual way of thinking about the Law of Moses. The problem here is that the scribes and the Pharisees did this specifically to test Jesus.
And so while we have every reason to believe that Jesus would have shown mercy to the woman caught in adultery, who is traditionally believed to be Mary Magdalene. His attention here is primarily directed to the scribes and the Pharisees. He wants to show them and the onlookers that the law is the servant of love and mercy.
That said, we should notice that Jesus doesn’t dismiss her sin! He doesn’t explain it away. He doesn’t bemoan the societal injustices that pushed her to prostitution as a career. He doesn’t condone her sin in any way. What He does, is point out that no one present, except Himself, has the authority to punish her sin.
In our own spiritual lives, that’s worth some serious meditation… God alone is the judge, juror, sentencer, and executioner. As such, He is the only one who is justly able to dispense mercy. When we think about our own sin, our unvirtuous habits, and those attitudes that we convince ourselves are ok, we should consider that God and God alone can eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil without death. He and He alone judges.
Surely, our lives in this world may be affected by the consequences of our sins. Those consequences may be truly horrible in this life. But, as St. Paul says, the sufferings of this present age are as nothing compared to the glory that is to be revealed in Christ Jesus… We are not justified by the law, but by faith in Christ Jesus. And thanks be to God for that!
Thoughts from Fr Ryan
I explained a few weeks ago that Lent used to be a series of smaller, more focused mini-seasons. One of those was “Passiontide” which begins this week. The most visible aspect of Passiontide was the “veiling of the statues.”
Remember that fasting isn’t about getting rid of bad habits, but about consciously limiting our enjoyment of good things... We limit our enjoyment of good things so as not to become overly attached to the pleasures of this life at the expense of attachment to eternal things. When we fast, we tell the Lord (and we remind ourselves) that I consider Jesus to be more
important to me than anything!
It’s worth realizing that we do this with people we love all the time. When we need to focus on our spouse or on our child, we might need to turn the TV off, put the phone aside, or forgo something we enjoy to turn our full attention to them. In the context of romance, this is a sign of intention and commitment... “Will you skip that outing with friends to spend time with me instead?!?”
Fasting from food has a long spiritual lineage, but fasting from other pleasures of life goes back a long way as well. Many of the great spiritual
masters, including Jesus, forewent sleep... or warm clothing... or even speech in order to focus on the Lord.
In Passiontide, we cover the statues as a kind of fasting of the eyes from the images in the Church. In a perfect world, we would veil every religious image in the Church, but we’re quite blessed here in Tallulah to have a lot of images that can’t be conveniently covered, including our stations and our magnificent Crucifix. Still, by veiling the statues and the processional cross, we are reminded of this fasting of the sense that is designed to prepare us - in an immediate way - for Holy Week.
The other traditional change during the season of Passiontide doesn’t apply to the New Mass. At the Old Mass, the Glory Be was said a lot - Probably six or seven times. During Passiontide, though, the Glory Be was omitted. The reason for the omission is the same as the reason the statues are veiled, but as the priest... I can attest that the absence of the Glory Be’s is a potent and deeply felt change. Having offered the Old Latin Mass for close to 17 years now, I am constantly amazed at how organic it is. There are myriad little changes that happen from season to season and saint to saint which are shockingly effective. Granted, I’ve only rarely been in attendance at the Old Mass and so I don’t know how powerful those little adjustments are for the faithful. Still, it’s during this time of year that I harbor a greater admiration for the brilliance of our predecessors who so carefully listened to the Holy Spirit.
Spiritually, this Sunday represents the last push toward Easter. So we need to buckle down and do our best to keep up with our Lenten penances and focus in on prayer to get ready for Palm Sunday next week and for the Holy Triduum in anticipation of Easter. It’s not long now, but as the Fathers of the Church often said, you can’t get to Easter without passing through Good Friday! So let’s all encourage one another to make these last few weeks of Lent really count!
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton and Donald Trichell/family
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon 9:00a In memory of Carol Folk LaHitte/P Lancaster
- Tue NO MASS
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Bryan Stamey/family
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Joe Farlow/Bullard
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Gertrude Roy/Johnson
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard (death) & R L Reynolds (birth)/Bullard
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning in memory of Vickie Morelli by the Ernst family
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHC(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/5 5:30p | None Scheduled | L Bullard | M Ernst |
| 4/6 9:30a | Mary Katherine,Courtland, Katelyn | A Oliver | - |
| 4/12 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow | N Ernst |
| 4/13 9:30a | Cooper, Maura, Michael | B Sullivan | - |
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and Sunday from 9a until Mass
- Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall (with Coffee & Donuts) after the 9:00a Mass during the School Year unless otherwise indicated
- Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Wednesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
- April 5 First Saturday Devotions to our Blessed Mother-Mass & Holy Hour– 9 a.m.
- April 6 First Sunday Benediction following weekend Masses
- April 11 Lenten Soup Supper - following 5:30 p.m. Stations and Mass
- April 19 Easter Egg Hunt for our children and their guests … 10 a.m. at church
- April 27 First Communion for our young children …. Reception following Mass
For Your Information:
LENT. The Season of Lent is meant to be penitential. It’s meant to be a time of deliberate and conscious discomfort in order to shake up our normal ruts and clarify our attention to the Lord and His Sacrifice for us and for our sins.
Catholics aged 18 and up are obliged to abstain from meat on every Friday in the Lenten season. If your doctor advises otherwise, feel free to check in with Fr Ryan.
Finally, all Catholics are expected to “give something up” for Lent. As good as it might be to “do something extra” such as attend Daily Mass, say an extra Rosary, etc, Lent isn’t about doing something extra - it’s about giving something up. It’s a penitential season, not merely a virtuous one. As such, every Catholic from about the age of 14 should choose a food or activity which they generally enjoy and from which they can medically abstain for the entirety of Lent. As with all penances in the Church, Sundays are the Lord’s Day and fasting is not allowed! And so whatever you give up, you CAN have on Sunday.
LENTEN DEVOTIONS… On the Fridays of Lent, Confession is available at 5:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross at 5:30 p.m. followed by Mass. On April 11, we will have a simple meat-free Lenten potluck after Stations and Mass. Fr Ryan will make a hearty soup.
FIRST SUNDAY BENEDICTION… APRIL 6…at the conclusion of weekend Masses as part of our larger program to improve Eucharistic Devotion and to understand what a gift we have in the Most Holy Eucharist.
EASTER EGG HUNT….on the church grounds on Saturday, April 19, at 10 a.m. Stephenie Marsh assisted by Mary Katherine Marsh will give leadership to the event so please check with her to offer your assistance. We will need hard-boiled eggs that are dyed or plastic eggs with treats so your help is appreciated.
ENVELOPES FOR EASTER FLOWERS AND LILIES…..can be found on the tables at the entrance of church. If you would like to make a contribution, please pick up an envelope. If you would like that to be in Memory of or In Honor of, please make that notation.
FIRST COMMUNION ….for our young people will be on Sunday, April 27. A reception to honor them will follow in the Hall and all are invited to join in.
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.
Stewardship In today’s second reading, St. Paul says, “for His sake, I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all else rubbish so that Christ may be my wealth.” Does my stewardship suggest that I could say the same?
SECOND COLLECTION this weekend is to support our once monthly Building Fund.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| February Budget | $ 8,444 |
| February Collections | $ 14,190 |
| February Total Expenses | $ 10,915 |
| March Budget | $ 8,444 |
| March 30 Collection | $ 1,474 |
| March Collections To Date | $ 11,810 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Henry Ellerbee (April 7), Ann Marie Marsh (April 8, 2013), Michael Lancaster (April 13)
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; our 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, under full-time care and for those who care for them, and for those otherwise in need of our prayers: MaryKathryn & Nap Book, Connie & Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Leslye Ellerbee, Norman and Marie Ernst, Susan & Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret & Pat Gilfoil,Terry Farlow Hall, Sidney & Mary Jane Johnson, Frances & Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Susie Murphy, Bobby Reynolds, Mike & Sue Rome, Kenny and Betty Smith
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), Marie Farlow Bellard, Nap and Martha Book, Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), Dick & Sue Boyd (S Gilfoil), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Fran Castile (Keene), Caroline and Albert Christman, Jeannie & Donald Collins, Teresa Carney Condra, Jami Cook (Wilks), Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Wayne Edwards, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Emily Fortenberry, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Fred and Cathy Fulton, Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Theresa Gunter, Rita Hargrave, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Callie Halback Hyams, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Ruth McDonald (Copes), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Randy Parker, John Neill, Bailey, Scott, and Tiffney Rome, Dianne Roper (Murphy), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), Debbie Kedrick Sims, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Randy Watts, Jr.
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, Henry Ellerbee, Lilly Falgout, Jag Gilfoil, Bruen Johnson, Matilda Johnson, Caroline Marsh, EmmyLu March, Charlize Richardson, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Chandler Wood, Marsh Wood
