st bridget catholic church welcome all

My Dear People of God,

On this Fourth Sunday of the year, the Gospel reading is a con nua on of last Sunday’s Gospel. We heard about the inaugura on of God’s Kingdom among us, and we were called to repentance: to turn away from evil and sin. We also had an account of the call of the first disciples whom Jesus later sent as apostles.

According to St Mark, today’s gospel reading is the first public ac on of Jesus. This first public ac on manifested His power to the amazement of the people who heard Him and witnessed the driving out of the unclean spirit (demon). Today we call this the ministry of exorcism. All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” Why were they surprised and amazed?

They were surprised and amazed because they had ‘missed the memo’ regarding Christmas! They did not know that the Savior of the world was in their midst. They did not know that He is Emmanuel- God with us. In the same vein, if we do not allow the mystery of Christmas to permeate our lives, we will be surprised by the manifesta ons of God. Conversely, if we allow that mystery to give meaning to our lives, our response to those manifesta ons should be a response of praise and thanksgiving.

What may also surprise us Chris ans today, is that the exorcism took place in a synagogue. The obvious and good ques on to ask in this circumstances is: How could it be possible that an unclean spirit could be in a holy place dedicated to the worship of God?

The obvious and simple answer is that simply belonging to God in some sense is not enough to guarantee holiness. If we are all bap zed Chris ans then we certainly belong to God, but can we say that there is no evil hidden in our hearts and that everything about us is pure and holy? It is one thing for God to stoop down to us with the offer of his grace; it is another thing for us to accept that grace, and submit willingly to our own purifica on. Without a personal commitment to Christ, we can s ll be enslaved to sin or any other kind of evil.

My dear brothers and sisters, some mes that evil can be in the form of a sin that we think we have under control since we have yet to be confronted or rejected because of it, nor has it brought us serious nega ve consequences. Maybe we’re afraid to take a stand against an evil because it’s what everyone does where we work or in our culture, therefore we go along with the crowd even though we know, deep down, that we should not be doing evil. Or maybe we simply harbor the evil spirit of un-forgiveness while bearing grudges and keeping track of other people’s faults, so that we can use it against them in our next argument.

The Le er to the Hebrews states that, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. As we gather today to celebrate God’s love and saving presence in our midst, we are reminded that Jesus Christ has the power to cast out unclean spirits.

As we gather today, we know that Jesus Christ is present among us. He is present to us in a special way in the Eucharis c celebra on where we encounter Him in His Word and in the Blessed Sacrament. Where He is pre-sent, no evil can dwell. However, Jesus will not force Himself on us. Rather He gives us an opportunity to let Him into our hearts and lives. And when He comes in, He drives out all unclean spirits.

The response to the Responsorial Psalm is a rallying call for us in a special way today: If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts. Let us not harden our hearts. Let us open them to the Lord that He may bring healing, freedom and transforma on.

Thanks and God bless, Fr Simon Peter

TODAY’S READINGS

FIRST READING | (Deuteronomy 18:15-20) PSALM | (Psalm 95)

SECOND READING | (1 Corinthians 7:32-35) GOSPEL | (Mark 1:21-28)

FEAST OF FAITH I Confess

One form of the peniten al rite at the beginning of Mass is the tradi onal Confiteor, or “I confess,” a pray-er that was formerly prayed by the priest alone at the foot of the altar, but which is now prayed by the en-

re assembly. The Confiteor is at once personal—“I confess”—and communal, prayed aloud, together. We recognize that sin does not just separate us from God; sin comes between us and others, isola ng us. We acknowledge that sin has many dimensions, individual and communal: sins of thought, sins of speech, sins of ac on, sins of omission. Sin is not something that happens to us; sin is something we do. In the Confite-or, we take responsibility for our own ac ons. The repeated insistence on our “fault,” with the ritual ges-ture of striking the breast, an ancient sign of penitence, is not meant to lower our self-esteem. Rather, it acknowledges our human ins nct to transfer the blame whenever we can (“The devil made me do it!”). This prayer stops us short. We take responsibility for ourselves, our ac ons, our failure to act. Then we cry out to God in those ancient words, Kyrie, eleison—Lord, have mercy. For the sinner who repents, there is mercy. This truth is at the heart of our faith, and it is where the Mass, our feast of faith, begins. —Corinna Laughlin, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

FALSE PROPHETS, TRUE PROPHETS

In Deuteronomy today we hear that God’s very words will fill the mouth of a true prophet, but a false prophet will, in a manner of speaking, put mere mortal words into God’s mouth. In Mark’s Gospel, we see Jesus teaching and healing as a true prophet, one filled with the authority of God’s own voice, the Holy One of God. The whole history of our church is filled with both true and false prophets. But in today’s Gospel we learn that Jesus’ fame spread because he taught with authority; he wasn’t an authority because he was popular or famous. We also learn from him, in his desert tempta on confronta ons with Satan, that anyone can quote scripture, even against God’s purposes. And today we hear that his authority was not like that of the scribes, who held the official posi ons of religious authority in his day. Our work is to do our best to dis-cern the true prophets in our midst, and to be true prophets as well. The psalmist tells us how to do this: by not hardening our hearts when God speaks. If we truly listen to God, it will be God’s very words filling our mouths.— Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Celibacy Leads to Limitless Love By Sister Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.

"How can you be a nun? You’re the most boy-crazy girl I know!” My good friend first jokingly teased me with this ques on when we were both s ll teenagers. I was in the earliest stages of my discernment at the me, and I couldn’t give her a good answer to her ques on. That was nearly two decades ago. I like to think that I’ve matured a lot since I was a teenager and that I’ve come to understand how the complex parts of my personality can all enrich my rela onship with God. I’m convinced that God used my teenage feelings to steer me toward my voca on. In fact, being boy-crazy actu-ally influenced my very first sense of voca on to sisterhood.

Awkward phases

I was a teen who deeply desired to please God. Alone in my bedroom one night I remember praying for guid-ance regarding my a rac on to a certain boy. As I prayed, I heard a very intense answer. Like a song stuck in my head on repeat, over and over I heard, “Be a nun.” I tried to ignore this phrase, but it only got louder. I knew it was coming from a very deep, very true part of me. In awe and fear and confusion, I started to sob.

It makes sense that I felt confused by this feeling that was bubbling up within me; I didn’t know any nuns or sisters growing up, so I didn’t know what “nun” meant. It was only later that I understood that what I was really called to was Catholic sisterhood. (Technically, “nun” means a cloistered contempla ve and “sister” is an ac ve minister out in the world.)

I never disagreed with the boy-crazy label my friend gave me. She had heard me speak about my feelings for several cute boys through all the drama of junior high and high school, so she could make a good case. In fact, she is the only person who also remembers my first “boyfriend” from our childhood. For prom, we dou-ble-dated a set of twins. Then during college, we con nued to giddily share with each other our secrets about boys.

I may have been nuts about boys, but I didn’t really date that much. I was always very clumsy at it, and being a boy’s girlfriend never felt natural to me. What li le da ng I did made me realize that I frequently and quick-ly developed deep, affec onate feelings for others. I would get very excited about the goodness and beauty that I saw in other people. All the while, I kept feeling an even stronger pull to Catholic sisterhood. Even with all my affec on for others, I found that my eagerness to serve and love God and live in community was much more intense. God tends to have a clever and mysterious way of making the right things happen.

When I entered my community, I brought all the dynamics of my personality right along with me, including my friend’s ques on about me being boy-crazy. That voca onal ques on, and other early struggles, gradually evolved like the shorelines of the sea. My journey has been rich and blessed and full of many experiences. I have been with my community for enough me for me to now know that this lifestyle is the best fit for me. I have a deeper understanding of who I am and what I really want. I have come to understand that the vows of religious life suit me well. Put simply, celibacy works for me.

Unlimited love

It works for me because it permits my love to be inclusive and expansive, like God’s love. Celibacy is pro-phe c of the kingdom of God, where we are told that we will be free of any a achment, even marriage (Mark 12). More than a “no,” it is a “yes” to God’s love. I am free to experience the solitude and silence that nourish my rela onship with God. It frees me from being a ached to a par cular person or place and allows me to be i nerant and go where God needs me. Being a consecrated celibate means that my love is not focused mostly on one par cular person, or family. I am allowed to love in a way that feels unlimited.

I can celebrate the beauty of any person that God puts in my life and experience God’s affec onate love through all sorts of human rela onships. I try to be an instrument of God’s love for all of God’s people, for the en re church, and the wider human community. Like all forms of love, the vow of celibacy involves some difficult sacrifices. It can be agonizing to fall in love with people and then have to direct my life away from them, when all I really want is to be as close to them as possible; I have to keep in mind that healthy bounda-ries are an important part of every lifestyle. I would have loved to have been a wife and mother; I an cipate that I will need to grieve this renuncia on throughout my life. Despite its challenging nature, I find that celibacy is sacred and powerful. Living my life in a strong, loving community helps me to experience much of the same in macy, companionship, and friendship that I expect marriage would offer me. Even though I won’t ever share my body with another person, I am humbled that I get to give my whole life and body to God in this sacred way. Even as a vowed celibate, I am s ll a woman who is boy-crazy, who falls in love over and over again, a woman who gets enamored with others. But more than that, I am people-crazy with love. I am challenged to love like God loves. On my best days, I am joyful about the goodness I see in almost everyone. VISION: Voca on Network. A resource for the Na onal Religious Voca on Network

CELEBRATING OUR PAST BUILDING OUR FUTURE

2021 ST BRIDGET’S 110TH ANNIVERSARY!

May this anniversary year bring a fresh start, new aspirations and inspiring

success to our parish. Let us walk with grace and achieve greater heights.

YOUR GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. WE APPRECIATE YOU!

JANUARY 24, 2021

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CHAPEL OPEN | 6 AM—8 PM

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest.”

- Matthew 11:28 YOUTH FORMATION OFFICE: 985-446-1985

CONTACT: BERNADETTE MABILE

TO GIVE ONLINE | VISIT: stbridget-htdiocese.org

GOD IS GOOD | ALL THE TIME

THE SANCTUARY LIGHT IN MEMORY OF

MASS INTENTIONS

JANUARY 30 4 PM | Thanksgiving to Miss Be y McShane and family JANUARY 31 8:30 AM | Billy Gaubert by Deacon Lloyd and Faie Duplan s and family FEBRUARY 1 8 AM | Salva on and Prosperity for the Jeff Family FEBRUARY 2 8 AM | The Alliance of Two Hearts, Jesus and Mary FEBRUARY 3 8 AM | The Atonement of Sins of William and Rita Jeff and Descendants FEBRUARY 4 8 AM | Janet J Johnson and family FEBRUARY 5 8 AM | Mrs. Margaret Simpson, family and descendants | Alisa and Dus n Ransome by Therese Oubre FEBRUARY 7 8:30 AM | Gerald and Jane LeBouef by Vanessa Knight, Faye Seal and families 10:30 AM | Alicia Weimer by Cindy Poiencot

READINGS FOR THE WEEK

Monday: Heb 11:32-40; Ps 31:20-24; Mk 5:1-20 Tuesday: Mal 3:1-4; Ps 24:7-10; Heb 2:14-18; Lk 2:22-40 [22-32] Wednesday: Heb 12:4-7, 11-15; Ps 103:1-2, 13-14, 17-18a; Mk 6:1-6 Thursday: Heb 12:18-19, 21-24; Ps 48:2-4, 9-11; Mk 6:7-13 Friday: Heb 13:1-8; Ps 27:1, 3, 5, 8b-9; Mk 6:14-29 Saturday: Heb 13:15-17, 20-21; Ps 23:1-6; Mk 6:30-34 Sunday: Jb 7:1-4, 6-7; Ps 147:1-6; 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23; Mk 1:29-39

PRAYER LINE If you or someone needs to be added to the prayer line, call Nina Richard at 446-1206 or the rectory at 446-6801. In the charity of your prayers, please pray for the sick, elderly, and homebound. Please pray for: Elaine Ables, Susan Arceneaux, Heidi Ardoin, Jacob Aucoin, Jeannie Aucoin, Sara Aucoin, Elvin Babin, Jane Babin, Tommy Badeaux, Chad Barrileaux, Ronnie Bednarz, Chuck Beebe, Gertrude Benoit, Fr. Paul Ber-geron, Rosemary Besson, Mitzy Bettridge, Gretchen Bilello, Pat Billiot, Preston Billiot, Alvin & Gail Blanchard, Dennis Blanchard, Ronald Blanchard, Aline Boudreaux, Cody Bourgeois, Emile “Jay” Bourgeois, Patricia Bour-geois, Troy & Joan Bourgeois, Wade Bourgeois, Connie Bouterie, Beau Brassette, Dustin Brassette, Mark Bras-sette, Emma Del Broussard, Susan Caillouet, Gary & Sheila Cavalier, Bessie Chiasson, Randy Chiasson, Brad Clement, Bryce Comeaux, Huey Cortez Sr., Martha Cortez, Randy Davis, Cary Davis, Jr., Barbara & Ronni Duhon, Alan Dunbar, Linda Ekiss, Avery “Brother” and Sonja Fonseca, Darin Fonz, Robin Ford, Marie Fournier, Alisa Frederick, Dante Galliano, Toby Gambarella, Leigh Ann Gardner, Carrie Gibbens Belinda Gil, Brandon Gil, George Gil, The Gil Family, Carrie Mae Givens, Austin Gros, Bryan Gros, Chad Gros, George Gros, Rosebella Gros, Kendra Guillot, Joy Hebert, Katie Hebert, Jerrell Hebert, Sr., Jessie Hoffpauir, Samara Holland, Kristen Koppel, Eldine LaFleur, Jackson LaFleur, Mona Lambert, Elmay Landry, Judie Landry, Joyce Landry, Craig Landry, Mark Landry, Barbara Nell Lapeyrouse, Allie LeBlanc, Emily LeBoeuf, Evelyn Leger, Tammy Babin Loney, Tim Long, Payton Martin, Rick Melancon, Asher Miller, Savannah Miller, Emma Mire, Bethany Moore, Meghan Naquin, Misty Naquin, Shannon Naquin, Eric Oliviery, Annie Ordoyne, Kara Pellegrin, Sherry Pen-nison, Lisa Pennison, Kenneth Pitre, James Pierce, Kip Pierce, Owen Prejean, Sharon Prejean, Ed Raidl, Kerri Reynolds, Bryce Richard, Ella Richard, Gladys Richard, Lorita Rodrigue, Susan Rodrigue, Cynthia Rogers, Dan-ielle Samanie, Chester Sanchez, Karla Saunier, Kathy Savoie, Earline Simmoneaux, Penny Simmons, , Brenda Sonier, Deacon Ryan Stawaizz, Louis Stevens, Melissa Tardiff, Trish Templet, Pierre & Mary Theriot, Cammie Thibodaux, Lacey Thibodeaux, Thibodaux Family, Wendy Thibodaux, Ronnie Thomas, Chris Toups, Joyce Toups, Ricky Turner, Suzanne Usey, Sara Day Vignes, Allison Walters, and Wanda Wawrose, Freddie Webre, Anna Wooten. Please notify the office when names can be removed.

JANUARY 24TH—30TH

Rudy Thibodaux by Family Kip Paul Pierce Jr by Mom and Dad

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