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MarchEvery Thursday Memorial Mass for the enrollees

in the CLJ! Memorial Burse

March 11st Sunday of Lent

March 8

2nd Sunday of Lent

March 15 3rd Sunday of Lent

March 224th Sunday of Lent

March 295th Sunday of Lent

NEWSLETTERMARCH 2020 VOL. XLV NO.57Come,

Lord Jesus!

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produc-es much fruit." John 12:24In the parable of the seed, Jesus is speaking of death as the means of gaining life. Jesus’ death is the means of bringing life to all people. In this parable, Jesus elucidates the mystery of his atoning death. If it be thought strange that he must die in order to bring life, let it be remembered that this paradox al-ready exists in nature. The grain of wheat left to itself produces nothing; only when it ap-pears to have died and has been buried does it bring forth fruit – in far greater abundance than itself. The contrast to dying and bearing fruit is one of not dying and thus remaining unproductive. Mysteriously, life is released from the germ enclosed in its shell and it pro-duces thousands of other grains containing its same nature. Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, many sons and daughters are born of God, inheriting eternal life and participating in the divine nature. “Whoever loves his life loses it, and who-ever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life.” The interests of spiritual supernatural life must take priority over everything. To love the lower life more is to lose the higher; to hate (which means to love less and subordinately) what is life in this world is the means of self-preservation unto life everlasting.

This is the law of self-denial so often pro-claimed by the Savior - of which the highestact is martyrdom.One saves his life - the only life that truly matters - not egoistically clinging to his separate identity as a good to be preserved at all costs, but by being willing to relinquish it. This is the way of renunciation, of sacri-fice, and of service, which Jesus revealed as the genuine meaning of life, and this way of Jesus must also be that of the Christian. The man who loves himself inordinately destroys himself. It is another observable paradox that the meaning of life so eludes him who thinks he is living it to the hilt. Self-ishness, man’s false love for himself that will not permit him to sacrifice himself ends in destroying him. While the person who hates himself in this world, preserves himself for eternal life. It is only by treating one’s life as worthless from a this-worldly view does a person gain the only life that really counts. The principle of sacrifice – the explanation of Jesus’ life – also holds for anyone who will count himself a true follower of Jesus. Following Jesus includes a willingness to imitate him in suffering and death. Jesus’ obedience to death is not a matter of easy compliance with the Father’s will but the testing, trying obedience of a loving and faithful son. Obedience demands a soul-shaking sacrifice of Jesus. Father Conley Bertrand

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The Passion of Jesus shows us the devastating effects of sin – the suffering and death it causes. Through sin, we hurt the one who loves us most. Jesus’ great love for his Father and for us moved him to voluntarily embrace the cross. It is though the cross that he saves us from sin. It is through the sufferings of the cross, willingly accepted, that we are purified from sin and made fit for the kingdom of heaven. Jesus perfectly went through and fulfilled the role of suffering servant. Jesus recites the twenty-second psalm while hanging on the cross. It is a prayer to God expressing his feeling of utter desolation as he is abandoned by his disciples, and seemingly even by God himself, to die on the cross. He cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But this psalm is not one of despair – it is one of total trust in God as he fervently prays for divine assistance: “But you , O Lord, be not far from me, O my help, hasten to aid me.” And when God does deliver him, he confidently says, “I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you…”And that is what Jesus did when he returned in glory on Easter Sunday morning to tell us about his triumph over death and all evil. Unlike Adam who grasped at becoming equal to God, Jesus emptied himself of his rightful glory as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity; he humbled himself by becoming human; he be-came the suffering servant, even to the point of death, even the most horrible death by crucifix-ion. He wanted us to understand what a terrible thing sin is, that it caused the Son of God to suffer so much and die; and at the same time, he wanted us to see how much he loves us.

His redemptive sufferings brought salvation to the whole world. This teaches us the value of ac-cepted suffering when it comes our way. Suffering will purify and sanctify us if we lovingly accept it as God’s will for us.

Jesus, when I look upon you on the cross, hanging there in an agony of continuous pain because you love us sinners enough to want to die for us, I am made to realize how great your love for us must be, I don’t believe that you could have chosen a more impressive way to demonstrate how much you care for us and how much we mean to you. In this open-armed posture of embracing the whole world of sinners like me – You remain eternally fixed. At this point of self-givenness you remain. With arms stretched out as far and as wide as they could reach, you are ever saying to me, “I love you - More than myself.” Your gaze never leaves me.

Father Conley Father Conley Bertrand

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Diocese of Lake Charles Come, Lord Jesus! Day of Reflection

ATTENTION LEADERS! Update sheets were recently mailed to you. Please check with your group and make any corrections or additions and return sheets to the office as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Please join us on March 21 at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Lafay-ette for a morning of inspirational talks by our phenomenal keynote speaker, Father Keith Pellerin, who will present: Deadly Sins, Vir-tues, and the Gifts of the Spirit. Starts at 8:30 and concluding with 11:00 Mass.

Come, Lord Jesus! Annual Conference

Sr. Diane Depwe, L. P. C. Presenter

Father Conley Bertrand

Mary Parker

Glenda Leblanc, Marianne Hebert and Linda Stewart, Lake Charles Diocesan Coordinator

The Narrow Gate “I have called you by name, you are mine". Isaiah 43:1Our Come, Lord Jesus! groups are asked to select a Biblical name at the initiation of their new identity in Christ through the program. Pictured above is Sybil Vidrine’s group from Sacred Heart in Ville Platte who chose “The Narrow Gate” as their designated name and reflection of Christian character. In Jesus’ discourse found in Matthew 7:13, he challenges us to “enter the narrow gate” by living in obedience to his teachings and striving for heavenly glory. May every decision we make contribute to our growth in holiness.

The opening chapter of Baruch tells how on one oc-casion the Jewish exiles in Babylon “wept and fasted and prayed before the Lord and collected such funds as each could furnish” (1:5-6). This is a good summary of the common penitential disciplines of God’s people since ancient times. During the season of Lent, we continue to express sorrow for our sins,and increase our desire to draw closer to God, through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The Church recognizes the importance of setting time aside for penitential disciplines since hu-man nature is weak and although these important practices should be our way of life, many of us are tempted to neglect them. In the life of ancient Israel, God himself set the precedent for designating special days for penance. Through Moses he commanded the people to ob-serve an annual Day of Atonement “on the tenth day of the seventh month” (Lv 16:29).

On this day, the people were to “mortify” themselves and do no work, so they could devote the day to repentance and prayer, asking God to cleanse them of their sins( see Lv 16:29-34). In the later times, the Jewish people set aside additional days and seasons of penitential fasting (see Zec 8:19).The practice of penitential days and seasons was continued by the early Christians (see Acts 13:2-3) and became an established tradition in the Church. Lent, observed in the forty days before Easter, developed as a way of recalling our Lord’s own forty days and nights of fasting in the wilderness while he prayed and battles with the devil (see Lk 4:1-13).The value of prayer is immediately obvious. When we make small sacrifices such as giving up food and giving away alms, we detach ourselves from the things that we tend to love too much (see E z 16:49) – thus making more room for in our lives for God. (The New Catholic Answer Bible)

The Biblical Roots of Lent

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Abbeville, LA: Valerie DeshotelsBroussard, LA: Phyllis Bowman, Vergie Marshall Wayne Bernard, Joanie BernardCankton, LA: Charlotte DickeyCow Island/Forked Island, LA: Alena Gaspard DeRidder, LA: Keith LandonDuson, LA: Becky Brasseaux, Pat GilbertEgan, LA: April Trahan Estherwood, LA: Lisa Lejeune Harvey, LA: John CarpenterHouma, LA: Celeste M. ComeauxJeanerette, LA: Mary Ellen Larroque Jefferson, LA: Tim Kenedy, JoAnn Keegan, Rene HymelLori Nunez, Cesar Nunez, Mary M. White, Sandy MichellKinder, LA: Marsha Billodeaux Lafayette, LA: Lori Bourgeois, Pat CormierLeesville, LA: Steve Stephen, Lynn StephenMermentau, LA: Debbie RichardMetairie, LA: Karen HollingsworthMire, LA: Hannah Alleman JohnsonSt. Amant, LA: Lori BrockSulphur, LA: Clarisa Arceneaux, Gabrielle LainezThibodaux, LA: Natale Morvant, Scheryl KliebertVerdunville, LA: Evelyn ClausenVille Platte, LA: Ruth Fontenot, Lisa FontenotYoungsville, LA: Shirley Parker, Linda Desormeaux

January 2020 Gift Bags Received

Thank you for your generosity!

AbbevilleArnaudvilleBakerBaton RougeBayou VistaBell CityBorger, TX Breaux Bridge BroussardBuda TXCanktonCeciliaCoteauCow IslandDelcambreDeRidderDry CreekDusonEganErathEuniceFranklinFritch, TXGrand IsleGrand LakeGrand PrairieGretnaHarvey

HendersonHoumaIotaJeffersonKinderLacombeLafayetteLake ArthurLake CharlesMarreroMauriceMetairieMidlandMireMorgan CityMorseNew IberiaOberlinOpelousasPierre PartPine PrairieRagleyRayneRichardSchrieverScottSlidellSt. Amant

SulphurVille Platte WashingtonYoungsville

Port Barre, LA: .....Crystal Stelly .... LeaderKrystal and Joe Leger, Matt and Crystal Stelly,Corey LegerCarolyn Guillory, Kim Marks, Joe Leger, Cegie LegerDeanna LeJeune, Andrew LalondeLake Charles, LA: ..... Shaine Rider.... LeaderScott Eastman, Robert Fontenot, Randy Duhon, Arlo LaurentzMitch Landry, Joe RicheyVerdunville, LA: ..... Daryl Leleux .... LeaderWarren Walker, Nashanta Benjamin, Lorena BenjaminMarkita Westley, Carla Weidenboner, Pam LeleuxRuth C. Bogan, Oneida Louis, Peter Louis, Jr.Franklin, LA: ..... Constance Butler.... Leader Kimberly Saucier, Darrell Johnson, Rose Garrison, Marlene Owens, Janis Jones. Elodia Navy, Patricia MitchellMetarie, LA: ..... Ken Berthelot.... LeaderJennifer Lam, Donna Rivera, Brian Abadie, Robyn Bogataj,Becky Hale, Paula Roy

Returning MemberLafayette, LA: Corinne Davidson

New Groups continued

Welcome New Members

Jennings, LA: ..... Donna Pierce.... LeaderSue Menard, Helen Atchison, Warren Hoag, Martha HoagSharline Kershaw, Janet JonesJeanerette, LA: ..... LoLo Robichaux.... LeaderRoyce Landry, Susan Garcia, Judy Lapeyrouse,Lucy Bishop, John Bishop, Doug RobichauxPanama City Beach, Fla:..Cindy Burke.... LeaderPaula PeltierPort Barre, LA: .....Jackie Brown.... Leader Cassie Benoit, Dee Jesclard, Dene Pickney, Pam Ortego Terry L. Artigue, Bernadine Nezat, Megan Nezat

Welcome New Groups!

Reldon Barré Joanne Morreau Marion Doucet Jacques Ourso Lloyd Carroll Edwards Juan Rosenthal Salas Charles Eddie LeBlanc Michael James Veazey, Sr Cindy McDonald

Come, Lord Jesus!1804 W. University Ave.Lafayette, LA 70506

Non-Profit Org.US Postage

PAIDLafayette, LA

Permit No. 729

Memorial Burse DonationsJAN 20 - FEB 17,2020

Condolences March 2020 To member Loretta Arceneaux of Kenner, LA on the death of her brother-in-law, Reldon Barré

To the members of Hearts on Pilgramage on the death of their member, Betty Bares

of

To the member Ro Burleigh of Carencro, LA on the death of her brother-in-law, Juan Rosenthal Salas

To member Sadrie Devillier of Carencro, LA on the death of her brother, Marion Doucet

To member Margaret Hossley of Eunice, LA on the death of her husband, Louis Hossley