The 3rd Sunday of Lent
From The Font
“You people worship what you do not understand…”
Modern Christianity is marked by a low-key rejection of the idea of worship. The word has been redefined by Baptists and Methodists to mean basically any prayer service in church, by charismatics to mean praying with slow music, and by family churches to mean any shared prayer at all.
Partly that change comes from the violent anti-Catholicism of John Calvin who believed that worship of God was a meaningless act. It takes a lot of gall to claim that the Bible must be considered inerrant and at the same time to claim that worship doesn’t matter. Jesus talks about worship constantly. He talks about how the future will be filled with worship. And yet, somehow, most Christians reject outright the idea of worship as it is understood in Judaism, in the Bible, and in early Christianity.
The Letter to the Hebrews goes into extensive detail about how the worship of Jesus, who is God Himself, will relate to the worship in the temple. It explains how the bloody sacrifices on the old altar are fulfilled and replaced by the self-offering of Jesus. And it explains how Jesus intends His followers to continue with new, unbloody sacrifices offered on the “altar” of Christ Himself.
Often, modern Catholics are arrogantly and foolishly dismissive of priests and lay faithful who emphasize the importance of the details of worship. Liberal Catholic magazines like the National Catholic Reporter and America mocking call these concerns “Liturgy Wars.” I expect St. Teresa of Avila would’ve disagreed when she wrote: “I would lay down my life for a single rubic (aka instruction) in the Missal.” Even well-meaning Catholics dismiss the importance of offering the Mass properly by saying “at least we’re here.” Mark me well, dear reader, years of purgatory will be the price for every seemingly funny joke at the expense of the true Faith! Jesus doesn’t play around when it comes to the right worship of God.
Jesus directly and unequivocally ties salvation together with right worship in today’s Gospel. He doesn’t talk about emotion, sincerity, or participation, he says salvation comes from right understanding in worship…
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
I hope many of us are still committed to read the Bible in 2023. After most of the Gospels and the more fun books of the Old Testament, in March we flip all the way back to the beginning.
Specifically, we’re reading Genesis and Exodus which retell the story of the first Covenant in which God chose the Jews, established them as a people, saved them from famine, and then saved them from slavery. Pay special attention to the first 3 chapters of Genesis and to the trials of Moses in the Desert of Sinai for some good Lenten meditations!
We also get two excellent Lent-friendly prophets. Hosea is one of the so-called “Minor Prophets” named not so much for their importance as for the length of their books. Hosea is short and readable, and his primary theme is repentance. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is much longer and his themes are more complex. There’s a lot of political intrigue tied into Jeremiah’s writing and he’s critical of one of the later Jewish kings whose arrogance ultimately caused the horrific “Babylonian Exile.” Jeremiah’s later chapters are filled with fiery sermons calling for repentance and threatening divine retribution to the sinner. In fact, so-called Fire and Brimstone sermons were traditionally called “Jeremiads.”
Remember that if you’re ahead or behind of the program, that’s completely ok. The order is only loosely mapped to the season of the year. Mostly, I’ve set the order of reading to balance long and short books and to balance heavier and more complicated books with lighter and simpler ones.
I also want to take a moment to comment on Bibles and Bible versions.
The best version of the Bible for personal study is the Ignatius Press Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSV-CE). The translation is accurate, readable, poetic, and clear. The notes and comments and introductory guides are also very helpful and faithful. You might ask why it matters… Can the translation make much difference? Well, yes. A translation is always an interpretation… Other than basic names for things, all words in all languages end up having deeper meanings. Just consider the Wedding at Cana. Jesus says to Mary “Woman, what business is that of mine? My hour has not yet come.” There’s a lot going on there… And if I translated that as “It’s none of my business lady, I don’t have time,” it wouldn’t mean the same thing. How many of us have listened to the Gospel at Mass and been confused by translations like “Jesus, took Peter, James, and John… and he said to him that he is he who is to come…” Wait, what’s with all the pronouns?!?
The New American Bible is the commonest version, but it’s a mess of pedestrian pronouns and unpoetic word choice. Versions packaged as “The Leadership Bible” or the “Women’s Faith Bible” are who-knows-what and really shouldn’t be our primary study bible. They may be helpful, but they may also be mistranslating important matters of faith. An old King James is fine if you’re comfortable with thee/thou/thy. The NIV is ok as well, but the RSV is really the gold standard.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard, Patrick Thomas, and R.L. and Eva Reynolds/family
- Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon - No Mass
- Tue 9:00a In memory of John and Marie Johnson/family
- Wed 9:00a In memory of JCB “Skipper” Jumonville (death)/family
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Rosa Gremshell
- Fri 5:30p In memory of a special donor/Magoun
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Ellerbee, Sr. (birth)/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 Margo Corulla
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 3/11 5:30p | None Scheduled | M Rome |
| 4/12 9:00a | Cooper and Maura | B Sullivan |
| 3/18 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren |
| 3/19 9:00a | Kathleen and Evelyn | Youth |
| 3/25 5:30p | None Scheduled | P Wilks |
| 3/26 9:00a | Henry, MaryKatherine, and Maura | K Collins |
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
Mar 11 & 12 (Sat & Sun) - Guest priest, Fr. John Paul, OFM. Fr Ryan will be doing the parish mission at Our Lady of Fatima, Monroe. No Sunday Morning Catechism, everything else as usual.
- March 21 Pastoral Council Meeting – Parish Hall – 6 p.m.
- April 8 Easter Egg Hunt - Church Hall at 10 a.m. (see notes elsewhere in bulletin)
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… FORMED has a collection of videos for Lent that are worth checking out at https://watch.formed.org/lent. Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at http://signup.formed.org
EASTER EGG HUNT… on the church grounds on Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. Stephenie Marsh is giving 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.
CONGRATULATIONS….. to HENRY ELLERBEE who represented Tallulah Academy in the MAIS All Star Basketball game last weekend.
Stewardship When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water, He opened the door for a life-changing relationship with Him. Scripture says her testimony drew many others to Him as well. We, too, must be ready to respond whenever and wherever the Lord speaks to us and to be prepared for it to change our lives!
Second Collection for Black and Indian Missions served by the Catholic Church
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| February Budget | $ 8,444 |
| February Income | $ 8,788 |
| February Expenses | $ 9,571 |
| March Budget | $ 8,444 |
| March 4-5 Collection | $ 2,602 |
| March Income To Date | $ 2,602 |
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Bobby Reynolds (March 12), Abby Ellerbee (March 12),Shannon Wood (March 15), Mary Trichell (March 16), Alyssa Oliver (March 17)
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, Terry and Andy Hall, MaryJane Johnson, 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), Charles Howington, 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), Barbara Thomas (Gilfoil), Tommy 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
