NEWSLETTER
July 2016 VOL. XXII NO. 15
Spiritual Insights
Reports
Formation
Program Updates
July
Every Thursday
Memorial Mass
for the enrollees
in the CLJ!
Memorial Burse
July 3
14th Sunday in
Ordinary Time
July 10
15th Sunday in
Ordinary Time
July 17
16th Sunday in
Ordinary Time
July 24
17th Sunday in
Ordinary Time
July 31
18th Sunday in
Ordinary T ime
Silence is Golden: Summer Meditations
Summer offers invigorating energy, longer days and more opportunities to be
outdoors to enjoy creation. As we embrace the sights and fragrant scents of
summer, let us be drawn to the majesty and splendor of God, our Creator and
take heed to the psalmist’s words, “Be still and know that I am God.” Our
Heavenly Father who knows so thoroughly our human nature recommends
silence and solitude. Our modern way of life, with its accelerated tempo is
never satisfied. It is suprememly distracted by noise, activity, social networking, media and overstimulation - overload of our senses. We are not of this
world but we live in the world and are influenced by it. Dedicated souls have a
mission to create an oasis of silence and of peace. It is of great importance that
we live a more interior life. Our souls must be given time in silence penetrated by
contemplation to strengthen our spiritual and apostolic life.
Be encouraged by these scriptural verses:
• “In quiet and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15
• “You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is set on you.” Isaiah 26:3
• “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before you,
Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:15
• “Do not let this book of the law depart from your lips. Meditate on it by day and by night,
that you may carefully observe all that is written in it; then you will attain your goal; then
you will succeed.” Joshua 1:8
Recover calmness. Recover peace in order to be refreshed...in order to be grounded again in truth
and renewed in love. Spend time loving God.
Marianne Hebert, Outreach Administrator
Mary, our Mother, ( Jn 19:26-27), I pray that you will intercede for me that I may
be obedient to God’s word and will - the way you were (Lk 1:38). Amen
Disposing Ourselves to Hear the Word of God
Mary was not only blessed because she was Jesus’ physical mother. She was even more blessed because she heard the
word of God and observed it. First of all, Mary was able to hear the word of God. She was attentive to God. She kept
herself free from other distracting concerns so that when God did speak to her, she was attentive and totally focused.
She disposed herself to hear the word of God.
It is easy to allow other concerns to distract us from listening to God. We allow worries to preoccupy us. We become
more interested in radio and television or the latest news, if not gossip. We are not wholly given to God or totally
attentive to him and his word.
We would need to abstain from such conflicting thoughts, sounds and images that make it difficult or impossible to
hear the word of God. We need to set time aside each day to read and meditate on the word of God; we must give it
priority.
A good Come, Lord Jesus! leader and member will make this a part of his/her rule of life, using the daily readings at
Mass as well as the Sunday readings. I strongly suggest the method of Lectio Divina; Thus we read, reflect, relate our
thoughts to God in conversation with him, and then remain in loving attentiveness to God in his indwelling presence.
This practice will little by little lead us to live more or less habitually in the divine presence. Holy Scripture affirms
such a practice in the words of Psalm one: “Happy are those (whose) delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law
they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its seasons and
their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper” (Ps 1: 1-3).
Listening to the word of God goes beyond audible words. The ears of our heart must also be attentive. A clear conscience hears the echo of that word of truth resounding in our heart; that inaudible word of God is received in silence.
For us to hear God’s silent words, we must practice purity of heart. Our overwhelming desire must be to please God by
conforming our will to his. We are called to love God with our whole heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mt 22:37). With
no conflicting desires and aspirations our heart is totally free for God; we are attentive to him in the depth of our heart;
we are receptive to his every wish; we live in communion with him.
We are sustained in fidelity to God through the power of his word. We lean on that word; we cling to it; we cherish it;
we draw divine life from it; it stirs faith (Rom 10:17) and connects us to the divine Persons who utter that word; that
creative word enlivens us and makes us children of God. We are thus empowered to live according to that word. We,
like Mary, observe it.
That is why we seek silence. Jesus’ self-revelation takes place in the quietness of our heart. Consequently, we shy
away from conflicting sounds that divert our attention from the divine word and Person revealing himself. These
cacophonous sounds disrupt our communion of life and love. We flee these harsh sounds in favor of the sweet silence
of divine love revealing itself.
Father Conley Bertrand
2
Overcoming the Obstacle of Fear: A Testimony by Joel Taylor
In general I have found that men tend to be more timid when expressing and witnessing their faith, especially in
front of other men. For many years I felt a deep desire to draw closer to the Lord, desiring the peace that I saw others have, a peace that seemed to come from within. My biggest obstacle was FEAR. As human beings we hesitate
to place ourselves in a position of vulnerability. Perhaps this goes back to some early human instinct for survival
when fear was our greatest tool of self-preservation. Taking a chance, risking the security I had established, staying in my “comfort zone,” all of these seemed so hard in my willingness to become vulnerable before God. In Luke
5:4 Jesus tells Peter, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” This scripture really addresses what
God was calling me to…..letting go of my fears and becoming vulnerable before God, trusting that the Holy Spirit
would guide me and preserve me. So I established a routine that I still use today. I meditated, thoughtfully examining the root of my fears, looking inward, asking for guidance in finding the peace I spoke of earlier. I went on a
retreat that helped me to come to understand myself better by encouraging me to look at God as Father. This retreat
was one of the foundational moments needed to go deeper.
The words, “Be Not Afraid” or Fear Not” are the most commonly found phrases in the Bible. This was the basis for
the casting of my net. For me the affirmation came while attending Mass at Our Lady of Fatima in Lafayette about
10 years ago. I entered the church, found a pew and knelt down to pray. Then as I sat back in the pew, my hand
touched this prayer card that had been left by someone earlier. It contained the words of St. John Paul II, “Be Not
Afraid.” I carry in my wallet still today. This was a turning point for me. Like Peter in Luke Chapter 5, I trusted
and become vulnerable, throwing my net over the side. My prayer life became more fruitful and I began to incorporate scripture in my meditations. This was the foundation of my eventual entry into the Come, Lord Jesus! program. I had listened for years to my wife share the blessings of Come, Lord Jesus! with others, always encouraging
me to join a group. So in 2013, the first Church of the Assumption men’s group was started. This group has been a
great blessing to me. Praying with other men who have “cast their nets,” has made me realized the importance of
spiritual friendships and really brought home to me Matthew 18:20, “For when two or three are gathered together in
my name, there am I in the midst of them,” I have found much more than peace through Come, Lord Jesus!. I have
found spiritual friendships, the courage to witness my faith and an ever greater desire to know God as my Father.
The preparation each week has been a source of enjoyment for me providing quiet reflective time as I read, meditate on and answer each question in the workbook. Coming together once a week with the other men in my group is
something I look forward to. Listening to these men become vulnerable in their prayers of thanksgiving and petition
has served to make me bolder in my prayer life. I attend Mass now on Sundays knowing I have prepared myself to
receive God’s Word. I find my attention is more focused at Mass because I have already explored, researched and
opened myself up to The Word.
3
Anniversary Masses Continue
United in our convictions and united in love with a common purpose and a common love (Phil 2:2-4) members
gathered from around the state for jubilant celebrations in
order to thank God for the blessings of this year in Come,
Lord Jesus!. We have so much to be thankful for! Let us
praise God for sustaining us, redeeming us, for answered
prayers, for spiritual growth, for the opportunities he presents in our apostolic life, for his blessings and graces....
Let us always remember our Glorious God and thank him!
Always remember the words of our founder:
Cecilia Area Anniversary Mass Participants
Lake Charles Area Anniversary Mass Participants
We had record turn-outs this year at our Anniversary
Mass celebrations! Not pictured is the Ville Platte
area which drew over 100 zealous Come, Lord
Jesus! members. May God be glorified!
Franklin Area Anniversary Mass Participants
Leader’s Seminar - for all CLJ! leaders and
co-leaders! September 24 at Our Lady of
Fatima Lafayette 8:30 - 12:30
4
May 2016
Gift Bags Received
Adding to our Numbers
New Members
ArnaudvilleLA: Dawn McDonald,Mike McDonald
Geraldine Stelly
Bayou Vista, LA: Anastasia Bergeron
DeRidder, LA: Lori Smith
HoumaLA: Earline Mount, Yvonne Duplantis
Leonville, LA: Ida Rami
Lufkin, TX :Charles Macko
Mamou, LA: Diane Fontenot, Elvin Reed
Metairie, LA: Mary Catherine Oleksik
Milton, LA: Mona Zeringue, Mary Ann Hebert
New Iberia, LA: Emilie Muffoletto
Patterson, LA: Cindy Viola
Sugartown,LA : Theresa Goode
Youngsville, LA: Guersi Hebert
New Groups
Rayne, LA: Susan Henry
Leader
Lisa Constantin,Karl Henry, Ryan Henry,
Abbeville
Amelia
Baker
Basile
Baton Rouge
Bayou Vista
Bell City
Berwick
Borger, TX
Breaux Bridge
Broussard
Carencro
Cecilia
Chackbay
Cow Island
Crowley
Dalhart, TX
Delcambre
DeRidder
Duson
Elton
Erath
Estherwood
Eunice
Forked Island
Four Corners
Franklin
Grand Chenier
Grand Prairie
Harvey
Henderson
Houma
Kaplan
Kenner
Krotz Springs
Lafayette
Lake Charles
Leonville
Lufkin, TX
Maurice
Mermentau
Metairie
Milton
Morgan City
Morse
Mowata
New Iberia
Opelousas
Parks
Patterson
Pierre Part
Pine Prairie
Prairie Ronde
Rayne
Richard
River Ridge
Rynela
Schriever
Scott
Slidell
St. Martinville
Stephensville
Sugartown
Sulphur
Sunset
Thibodaux
Ville Platte
Washington
Youngsville
Connie Henry, Denis LaCroix, Shawn LaCroix
Ira Pryor, Lisa Pryor, Ed Taylor
Returning Members
Thibodaux, LA:
Paulette Plaisance
Aug. 20 Outreach Campaign
Our Lady of Prompt Succor Coteau
Aug. 24 Area Coordinator’s Meeting
Come, Lord Jesus! office 10:00- 2:00
Sept. 10 Outreach Campaign
St. Patrick Lafayette
Sept. 24 Leader’s Seminar
Our Lady of Fatima Lafayette 8:30 - 12:30
Oct. 15 New Orleans Area Anniversary Mass
Our Lady of Perpetual Help 10:00
5
MAY 19- JUNE 22,2016
Condolences July 2016
Shirley Reed of Ville Platte, LA on the death
Toofmember
her son, Christopher Robert Reed.
Linda Branighan of Metarie, LA on the death
Toofleader
her brother-in-law, Kerry D. Hamilton.
Lee Anna Guidry of Cecilia, LA on the death
Toof member
her sister, Cecile Wyble.
member Myrle Landry of Lake Charles,LA on the
Todeath
of her brother, Benjamin Miller.
Betsy Viator of Delcambre, LA on the death
Toofmember
her husband, Jerry Viator.
Come, Lord Jesus!
Melba Melancon
Christopher R. Reed
Wylie Richard
Robert Robert
Herman Saylor
Jenny C.Spizale
Luke Storey
William U. Stracener
Kenneth Thibodeaux
Jerry Viator
1804 West University
Sam Bass
Gloria Knott Cart
Patricia Chachere Castille
Lettie Louise Deas Counce
Louis D. Curet
John Howard “Gil” Ellerby
Raymond Nicholas Gossen
Kerry Don Hamilton
Charlotte Cannon Hollier
Jeanette Hornsby
Diane Lenoir
Lafayette, LA 70506-2544
Memorial Burse Donations
Lafayette, LA
Permit No. 729
PAID
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage