The Second Sunday of Advent
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
As it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
The prophet Isaiah wrote during the so-called “Babylonian Exile.” The Exile was the second of two great invasions in which the Jews were conquered and forcibly removed from the Promised Land. This was a big deal because the Jews believed themselves to be unconquerable.
While they were in exile in Babylon, Isaiah arose to prophesy that God would restore the Jews to their Promised Land and that He would make it even better than before. BUT... This would require the Jews to be punished for their sins and it would require the Jews to repents of those sins and then to be obedient to God’s commands.
God told Isaiah that He would send a series of supernatural signs and that He would raise up a series of messengers (prophets) who would help the Jews to do all these things.
A lot of the readings we have during Advent are specifically in reference to these signs and messengers. “A Virgin shall conceive and bear a son” for example. Ultimately, we read from Isaiah during Advent (and Lent) because the context of their prophecy is so similar to ours as Christians. Isaiah was a prophet of Hope and the promise that God isn’t just going to fix the current mess, but He’s going to make something substantially better than what we had before.
For Jews, that meant the restoration of Jerusalem. For us as Christians, that means Heaven and eternal Salvation. And so when the Jews read today’s Gospel, they expected that a military leader would rise up among them in Babylon (modern day Iraq) and lead them back to Jerusalem in triumph. When we read it, we understand the desert as a symbol of hardship and suffering. For us, the voice in the desert (which we associate with John the Baptist) is going to lead us to Jesus and to Heaven.
Neither interpretation is wrong, but it’s worth understanding that both of them matter for us as Christians and both of them are good for us to understand and to think about as we take these words of the Holy Bible to prayer.
Patron Saints
Did you know that there is a patron saint of most nations? Some cities like Paris and New Orleans also have patrons. In the US, states with a Catholic background, like Louisiana, also have patrons. (Ours is Our Lady of Prompt Succor, feast on January 8). To my knowledge, the only continental patron saint is Our Lady of Guadalupe who is patroness of “the Americas” and whose feast is this Thursday, Dec 12.
So we’re well covered with Marian patrons. We have a continental patron, a national patron (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, feast on December 8), and a state patron (Our Lady of Prompt Succor). Our diocesan patron saint is St. Francis Xavier, SJ (Feast December 3). Tallulah doesn’t have a patron saint formally established, and when that’s the case, the city informally adopts the patron of the “mother Church” or the oldest Catholic chapel to have been established there. For us, that’s St Agnes (Feast January 21). It’s interesting to me that all of these patrons squeeze their feast days into December and January for us - how thoughtful!
Patron saints are definitely one of the things about Catholicism which can be confusing... What do they do? Is it just a thing? And can anyone just appoint a patron? Can I just decide that St. John of the Cross is my patron? What about St Michael - he’s an angel, do the rules change?
Well... the generic meaning of “saint” is anybody who is in Heaven... Easy enough. Specifically, we use “Saint” as a title to describe someone who is 1) in Heaven, 2) left behind an example which is worthy of imitation or admiration, and 3) who has some association with miraculous intercession. So all saints canonized in the last 500 or so years have been canonized because they led a great life and worked miracles.
And so any person, any organization, any city, really, any anything can adopt a patron saint. Generally, it should be one patron and, maybe, a secondary patron. And mostly, that’s because taking a patron means trying to imitate their virtuous life. We are asking for their prayers, but we’re not just asking for their prayers. We’re saying that we intend to model ourselves around their example. Of course, we can ask for the prayers of as many saints as we like provided that those prayers don’t detract from our worship of Jesus Christ. But we can’t really imitate the virtues of too many saints because every saint makes Faith practical in differing ways. If we tried to be as strong-willed as St Teresa of Avila and as meek as St Therese of Lisieux and as hardworking as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, we’d be a bit spiritually schizophrenic. When we choose a personal patron for ourselves or our organization, we want to think about our natural gifts or the purpose of organization and choose a saint whose example we admire.
For me, that’s St. Paul and St Anthony of Padua. St Paul because he said what needed to be said even if he was punished for it. And St Anthony because he didn’t see his gifts as his, but as the Lord’s. Those two saints line up together nicely.
Even if you’re not looking for a personal patron, it’s a good spiritual exercise to think about it... What virtues naturally speak to you? What types of personality do you gravitate towards? What saintly aspects most captivate your imagination? If you could have any one saintly gift, virtue, or miraculous ability, what would it be?
From the Saints
“Hail, full of grace. What do these words mean? The Evangelist Luke writes that Mary (Miriam), at these words spoken by the Angel, “was greatly troubled…, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be” (Lk 1:29). These words express a singular election. Grace means a particular fullness of creation through which the being, who resembles God, participates in God’s own interior life. Grace means love and the gift of God himself, the completely free gift (“given gratuitously”) in which God entrusts to man his Mystery, giving him, at the same time, the capacity of being able to bear witness to the Mystery, of filling with it his human being, his life, his thoughts, his will and his heart.
- from the writings of Pope St John Paul II, on the topic of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Mary Agnes Gilfoil York/family
- Sun 9:30a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
- Sun 5:30p In memory of Joseph Farlow/Bellard (Special Mass for Holy Day)
- Mon 9:00a In memory of Dale Magoun (Death)/family
- Mon 5:30p In memory of Leon Humphries (Special Mass for Holy Day)
- Tue NO MASS
- Wed 9:00a For the special intentions of the family of Deacon Jim Dunkel/McFall
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Dec members of the Roy and Johnson families/family at Legacy
- Fri 5:30p In memory of Joseph and Louise Testa/Magoun
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton and Donald 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 Margo Corulla
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHCs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/7 5:30p | None Scheduled | C VanderVieren | Ernst |
| 12/8 9:30a | Annie & Thomas Meyers | D Hamilton | - |
| 12/14 5:30p | None Scheduled | P Wilks | L Magoun |
| 12/15 9:30a | Mary Katherine & Courtland | Youth | - |
Stewardship Good stewards believe that God , who has begun the good work in them, will carry it through to completion. In words and deeds, they can sing with the Psalmist, “The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2022-23 | $ 2,111 |
| Weekly Budget FY 2023-2024 | $ 2,111 |
| Novembeer Budget | $ 8,444 |
| November Income | $ 9,187 |
| November Expenses | $ 11,235 |
| December Budget | $ 10,555 |
| December 1 Collection | $ 1,411 |
| December Income To Date | $ 1,411 |
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
Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Wednesday at 6p
Dec 8-9 Double Mass Obligation, see announcement inside
Dec 8 Christmas Concert at First Baptist Church at 6 p.m. followed by fireworks
Dec 15 Birthday Party for Jesus following Sunday Mass
Dec 15 Adult Christmas Party in the Church Hall beginning at 6 p.m.
For Your Information:
Our MAUSOLEUM project is now underway. We are in the pre-sales phase where those who are interested in any way are asked to give us your name and mailing address so that the company can judge if there is sufficient interest to complete the project and so that they can send preliminary information. (Signing up is not an obligation to buy.) If you would like to sign up, you can do so at any Mass or by contacting us via email at the address listed on the inside page of the bulletin. Thanks!
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… 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
THIS WEEKEND
HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION….IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY…Sunday, December 8 and Monday, December 9 are both days of required Mass attendance. Masses for the Sunday obligation are Saturday 5:30p, Sunday 9:30a and Sunday 5:30p. Masses for the Monday obligation are Sunday 5:30p and Monday at 9a and 5:30p
CHRISTMAS ON THE BAYOU…. CHRISTMAS CHOIR CONCERT…. will be this Sunday, December 8 at 6 p.m. at First Baptist Church and everyone is encouraged to join in this community event. Several of our parishioners are participating in the choir and we thank them for their commitment. Following the program, the fireworks program over the bayou will be presented.
ANGEL TREE … ALL of the Angels have been chosen for this year. However, if you would still like to participate in the program, we are taking monetary donations to provide a ham and vegetables for a Christmas meal to each family for whom we are providing. You may give your check or cash to Father Ryan or put it in an envelope marked “Angel Tree” and drop it in the collection. Dana Dukes is giving leadership to our Angel Tree project this year. If you have questions, please contact her or the church office. Angel Tree Gifts should please be at the Church by Sunday, December 8.
Next WEEKEND
BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR JESUS…DECEMBER 15…will be held in the Church Hall on Sunday following Mass. Kendra Collins and Dana Hamilton are giving leadership to the event for our children; and, if you can assist in any way, please contact Kendra, Dana, Father Ryan, or the Church Office.
ADULT CHRISTMAS PARTY…DECEMBER 15….will be held in the Church Hall at 6 p.m. for adult members of our Faith Family and their guests. Drinks will be provided and parishioners are encouraged to provide chips and dips and other finger foods. Shannon Wood and Stephenie Marsh will give leadership to this event and you are encouraged to contact them to offer assistance with decorations, etc.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Nick and Chris Hall (Dec 7), Norman Ernst (Dec 12), 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 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, 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), Nap and Martha Book, Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), Dick & Sue Boyd (S Gilfoil), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), 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), Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Monique Florence, Jimmy Fordham (Gustafson & Fordice), Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Fred and Cathy Fulton, 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, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), Lynn Lisonbee, 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, Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), 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, Charlize Richardson, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Chandler Wood, Marsh Wood
Our bereaved: The family of Marley Bullard
