Third Sunday of Advent
From The Font
“Do not complain, brothers and sisters…”
“...blessed is the one who takes no offense at Me…”
The traditional word for the sin of habitual complaining and nursing personal offense is “murmurry.” It may seem that the kind of person who is constantly dissatisfied with his or her lot in life is annoying, but are they sinning?
St. Benedict and most of the great saints who spent a lot of time around groups of people would answer “yes.” It’s one thing to complain that the A/C is broken or the soup you ordered is too spicy. It’s entirely another to maintain a stream of thought - aloud or in mind - of bickering disgust that the world around me and the people in it don’t live up to my standards.
I had a young employee some years ago who constantly complained that no one treated her properly. Not me, not the other employees, not the people she was supposed to purchase from, not the people she was asked to consult with… no one lived up to her personal sense of fairness. Sadly, when I confronted her with the question of whether her standards themselves might be off-kilter, a minor breakdown ensued. While there’s nothing especially Christian about being blindly accommodating or naively optimistic, there is something very un-Christian about being hyper-critical and blindly pessimistic. That’s a lack of Hope!
The Lord asks us to take up our Cross and follow Him. That means that we, as Christians, are supposed to see this world as a gift of seemingly positive “blessings” and seemingly negative “crosses.” While this or that may seem to us to be more pleasant or easier to endure and other things may seem otherwise, all of these occurrences can be used by the Lord to sanctify us and get us to Heaven. As St. Paul says, “All things work to the good of those who love the Lord” (Rom 8:28).
As such, our attitude should reflect an awareness that even trials and difficulties can be a blessing from God if we see them that way. This isn’t the same as optimism. We can and should acknowledge that this or that may have a bad outcome for someone. But in Hope, we can trust in the Holy Spirit that God will make good use of them for me. And thus, there’s real virtue in not taking offense.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Monday is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
¡A todos los de Herencia Mexicana, Feliz Fiesta!
Sadly, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been culturized so thoroughly that the actual significance is often lost in the glittery images and bizarre usage… How does it make any sense that Our Lady’s image belongs on a gangster’s leather vest or a hot pink motorcycle?!?
When Mary appeared to Juan Diego in December of 1531, Europe was in complete chaos with the Protestant Revolt. The Muslim Ottomans were planning another invasion into Europe. The Iberian Conquistadores were invading and devastating Mesoamerican cultures. And the Italian Renaissance, for all its good, was devastating the philosophical tradition of Europe upon which all the laws, cultures, and social structures depended - we’re still living in the fallout of that! It was a pretty dark time for the world. And into this, Mary appeared to what we might call an “indigenous” man. And she did so not as a lily-white Belgian or an olive-skin Arab as so much of the art of the time had depicted her, but as a mesoamerican… Like Jesus assumed the flesh of the locale to which He went, so Mary, in appearing mystically, took the flesh of the one to whom she appeared.
The famous tilda (garment) depicts our lady as a beautiful mesoamerican woman with abundant blessings to pour out.
In doing so, Our Lady reminded the whole world that God has come among us in Jesus Christ not just for this or that chosen group. In assuming flesh, Jesus drew all flesh to Himself and desires to sanctify all of us. All of us can come to Him as we are.
What’s more, Jesus remains Lord of all. Despite the short-sighted arrogance of the Protestant “reformers,” the teaching of Jesus cannot be remade by a German monk or a French revolutionary or a randy English King (or a 1960s Italian monsignor). Jesus is Lord and His mother is prepared to give a stout talking-to to anyone who disagrees!
It’s worth noting that this wasn’t the first time Mary had appeared to someone. Actually, she appeared to people pretty frequently going back to the 200s AD. But it was the first time that her message seemed to be deliberately wide-spread. And it would be the last time until the barrage of appearances beginning in the mid-1800s when Our Lady would appear across France (Lourdes, LaSalette, Rue-de-Bac, etc) and Western Europe (Knock, Fatimá, Garabandal).
Guadalupe continues to stand out. It’s the first of the “great public” appearances of Our Lady, but it’s also very much on its own. Its cultural and historical context can’t be ignored. And even though some of the cultural consequences of her appearances are bizarre, they speak volumes about the desire of the human heart. We all want to know that God loves us and that we are, in some small way, like Him. Mary’s appearance as a mesoamerican woman shows us we are. Which is why even sinners and gang members wear her image. I suppose it’s like CS Lewis wrote: even the man who knocks on the door of the brothel is, in his heart, seeking the cathedral…
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of l Dale Magoun/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Joseph and Louise Testa (anni)/Magoun
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Lee Rome/LeBeau
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Rosa Gremshell
- Fri 5:30p in memory of Michael Mills/Mills-Thompson
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard and Patrick Thomas/Bullard
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Angel Farlow
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 12/10 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow |
| 12/11 9:00a | Chandler, Annie, Maura | K Collins |
| 12/17 5:30p | None Scheduled | MA Gilfoil |
| 12/18 9:00a | Courtland and Preston | Youth-Kathleen |
| 12/24 6p | TBA | B Sullivan |
| 12/25 9:00a | None Scheduled | A Farlow |
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
Dec 18 Birthday Party for Jesus following Sunday Mass. All are invited to join in. See notes elsewhere for details.
- Dec - NO Pastoral Council meeting in December
- Jan 7 Mark your calendar Burning of the Greens on Saturday following Mass. All are invited to come and enjoy Queen’s Soup and King Cake in the Church Hall
- Feb 19 Mark your calendar Mardi Gras Brunch after the 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.
FORMED.ORG… Check out FORMED’s Advent Page! (https://watch.formed.org/advent-and-christmas) They’ve got a ton of great content for all ages! Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at http://signup.formed.org
BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS… will be held on Sunday, December 18 following the Sunday Mass for our children and their families. All are invited to join in the celebration. Kendra Collins will give leadership to this event. Please offer your assistance to her.
CALENDARS… We have plenty of calendars available at the back. Please take one or two as you need.
STEWARDSHIP ENVELOPES…. The purpose of Stewardship envelopes in two-fold. First, it gives you an easy way to make a pre-plannned donation to the parish or to the second collection. Second, it allows us to track your donations and provide a letter of support to the IRS so that you can deduct your offers as charitable giving on your taxes (those of you who use a check for donation, we record those and they are easy to track). In previous years, we’ve gone to the trouble of creating stickers and planning numbers and the like, which has been mostly wasteful. This year, if you’d like us to track your giving via an envelope number (if you don’t want to use a check), feel free to take a box and just note your name (and address if we don’t have it already) on the sheet at the back. Those who give by check in the collection basket, or online or who prefer to give in lump sum can continue to do so and we’ll take care of your records as we have in years past. THANK YOU for your generosity and kindness!
CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS AND DECORATIONS… Thanks to all who have helped out with our Christmas Decor so far! Those wishing to donate to our Christmas Poinsettias fund can find envelopes at the back of the Church. Thank you for your generosity!
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2020-21 | $ 2,111 |
| Novemer Budget | $ 8,444 |
| November Income | $ 8,375 |
| November Expenses | $ 11,785 |
| December Budget | $ 8,444 |
| December 3-4 Collection | $ 1,410 |
| December Income To Date | $ 3,834 |
Stewardship Each of us has his or her own role to play in the coming of the Kingdom of God. John the Baptist was called to be the herald of the Messiah, preparing the way of the Lord. To what is the Lord calling me?
SECOND COLLECTION For the RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS to help the aging sisters, brothers, and order priests who have devoted their lives to prayer, service, and works of mercy. Please be generous!
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Norman Ernst (Dec 12), Ashlyn Naya (Dec 12, 1011), Katherine Ernst Bedgood (Dec 14), Madeline Oliver Bridges (Dec 14), Johnny Gilfoil (Dec 15), Peggy Scurria (Dec 16)
Happy Anniversary Nap and MaryKathryn Book (Dec 14)
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), 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), Mason Miller (Wilks), 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
