The Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
From The Font
"Jesus asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’"
The most fundamental problem with Christians today is that, like the Jews in the Gospel, we have different answers to this question of Jesus... Who do we say that Jesus is?
Catholics say that Jesus is the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Word of God. Bible Fundamentalists say that Jesus is the Son of God and that each believer must come to know Him as their personal Lord and Savior. So-called “Mainstream Christians” (e.g. Methodists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians) say that Jesus is Lord and that everything beyond that isn’t really necessary. The one thing most Christians that we call “Protestants” tend to agree on is that these disagreements aren’t all that big of a problem.
But we as Catholics consider it a great big problem because Who-Jesus-is is perhaps the single most important question in the history of our world! If I think of Jesus wrongly... that will
affect every aspect of Christianity! If Jesus is a big ole meanie or if he is a tiny little softie, that makes a big difference in my behavior and in my prayer life. If Jesus’ forgiveness requires me to really be sorry for my sins, that requires an entirely different approach to life than if His forgiveness is automatic. If all the little teachings of Jesus really matter, then that calls for a very different way of living than if all Jesus cares about is my personal faith in Him.
There’s no doubt that Faith is essential to gaining eternal life with Jesus in Heaven. But Jesus spent a lot of energy and showed a lot of care telling us about Himself, about the Father, about the Holy Spirit, about the Moral life, and about prayer. Nothing that Jesus did was accidental, inconsequential, or random. As such, we ought to show those teachings and those examples the respect they deserve. And that means that we have to take very seriously the question Jesus raises in the Gospel today - “Who do the people say that I am?”
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Each month of the year has a traditional devotion attached to it. Usually, that’s because the month contains an important feast day. St. Joseph’s Day is March 19 so March is for St. Joseph.
The general list is:
- January - The Holy Name of Jesus
- February - The Holy Family
- March - St Joseph
- April - The Holy Eucharist
- May - The Blessed Virgin Mary
- June - The Sacred Heart of Jesus
- July - The Precious Blood of Jesus
- Aug - The Immaculate Heart of Mary
- September - The Sorrows of the BVM
- October - The Holy Rosary
- November - The Holy Souls in Purgatory
- December - The Immaculate Conception
These can change a bit from place to place as specific communities may emphasize different feast days (such as that of a patron saint) or because of a cultural event. The Saint Joseph Altar, for example, is a BIG DEAL in New Orleans and among Catholic communities in the Gulf South... Devotion to St Patrick is far more significant in the very Catholic Irish communities of New England. And even St Joseph can be overshadowed at times by Holy Week or a crisis event like COVID.
Even though each year and each place is different, we all know the value of associating a specific time of year with certain thoughts, feelings, and activities. In the US, we are entering
the “holiday season.” Pumpkin Spice everything is being placed on grocery shelves as I write this. Halloween Decorations are imminent. And even though we’re still in the sweaty part of football season, all the associated feelings, memories, and anticipations are already brewing in us. Soon the holiday music and the family plans will begin to crystalize and we’ll be in holiday mode. It’s part of our human nature to associate different times with specific “modes” of being. When the holidays end, we’ll have a precious month of neutral feelings before Mardi Gras will be upon us. Then will come Lent, Easter, End of School, Summer, Back to School, and over and over again.
We do the same thing week to week with that Friday feeling, that Monday feeling, that Hump Day feeling...
By associating whole months with representative feast days, the Church invites us to a stable pattern of spiritual growth and awareness. This month of September is associated with the Exaltation of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows. It’s a time to be aware of our struggles - mental, physical, financial, familial, etc - and to offer them to the Lord with trust. By looking at Our Lady who stood beneath the Cross, we come to realize that God understands human suffering deeply and that He chose to die the way He did in order to transform suffering into something redemptive, useful, and sanctifying! When we offer our trials to Him, we ask Him to do the same and to make our struggles work to our benefit.
It’s not something we necessarily want to think about every day, that’s why we have next month.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of R. L. Reynolds (death)/Bullard
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Mon NO MASS
- Tue 9:00a In memory of Jackie Jumonville/family
- Wed 9:00a In memory of deceased members of the Regan, Adams, and Weimer families/family
- Thurs 9:00a In memory of Rosa and Gus Gremshell and May DiTomasso Legacy
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Mary Agnes Gilfoil York/P Gilfoil
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/family
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family
**ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of **
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/14 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Keene | M Ernst |
| 9/15 9:30a | Annie and Thomas Meyers | Youth- | - |
| 9/21 5:30p | None Scheduled | L Bullard | L Magoun |
| 9/22 9:30a | MaryKatherine & Courtland | C Guizerix | - |
| 9/29 5:30p | None Scheduled | A Farlow | M Rome |
| 9/29 9:30a | Cooper & Maura | J Howington | - |
Stewardship In the second reading today, St James has harsh words for those who do not put their faith into action. May we be such good stewards of God’s gifts to us that we can never be accused of having “faith that does nothing in practice.”
SECOND COLLECTION supports the Retired Priests’ Fund for which we are assessed each month to support those faithful priests who have reached retirement age after many years of faithful service. This collection remains in our parish and is untaxed for assessment purposes.
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| August Budget | $ 8,444 |
| August Income | $ 10,660 |
| August Expenses | tbd |
| Sept Budget | $ 10,555 |
| Sept 8 Collection | $ 1,469 |
| Sept Income To Date | $ 4,666 |
Upcoming Events
Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and on Sunday from 9a until Mass
Sunday Catechism with Coffee and Donuts after Mass unless otherwise indicated
Wednesday Morning Catechism about 9:30 a.m in Church and on Facebook and YouTube
Sept 14-15 Tax Free second collection for Retired Priests Fund that is retained in our parish
Sept 15 Sunday Catechism begins following Sunday Mass
Sept 18 Pastoral Council meeting - 6 p.m. - Parish Hall
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 an entire page of weekly featured videos that are worth checking out at https://watch.formed.org/this-week-on-formed. Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at http://signup.formed.org
PASTORAL COUNCIL..will hold its regular meeting on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 at 6:00 p.m in the Church Hall. Appointed members of the Council are: Kathleen Ellerbee, Norman Ernst, Jamie Howington, Mike Rome, Jason Trichell and Shannon Wood.. 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.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Ann Claire Fordice (Sept 15)
Happy Anniversary Isabell and Sylvester Hernandez (Sept 23, 1967), Peggy and Phillip Scurria (Sept 23, 1978)
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, Susan & Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret & Pat Gilfoil, Terry Farlow Hall, C.W. & Alyce Keene, Frances & Bill Kennedy, Hannah McCarty, Ed Mills, Susie Murphy, Bobby Reynolds, Mike & Sue Rome
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), Marie Farlow Bellard, Tommy Bickham (C Copes), Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), Dick & Sue Boyd (S Gilfoil), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), David Cagnolatti, Willetta and Mac Cagnolatti, Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Fran Castile (Keene), Jeannie & Donald Collins, Teresa Carney Condra, Jami Cook (Wilks), Bobbe & Gene Cox, Marla Evans Cummings, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Monique Florence, Jimmy Fordham (Gustafson & Fordice), Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Theresa Gunter, Rita Hargrave, Ralph Harris (Gilfoil), Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Charles Howington, Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Chelsea Keene & Andrew Lewis, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), Lynn Lisonbee, LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), James Albert Martin, Ruth McDonald (Copes), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Vickie Morelli (Ernst), John Neill, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne Roper (Murphy), Janie Saxon (Lancaster), Debbie Kedrick Sims, Gannon Sims, Robbie Sims, Keri Post, Tommy Trichell, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Mary Claire Warner and her parents, MaryBeth and Steve, Randy Watts, Jr.
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, Henry Ellerbee, Callie Ezell, Lilly Falgout, Jag Gilfoil, Bruen Johnson, Matilda Johnson, Caroline Marsh, Charlize Richardson, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Chandler Wood, Marsh Wood
Our sympathy is extended to the family of Terry Murphy who passed away on Monday. Please keep Susie, Chris, and Katie and their families in your prayers.
PRAYER FOR HURRICANE SEASON...Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us during the Hurricane Season from all harm. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hastened to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
