Immaculate Conception / St. John the Baptist

09/02/2026

To prepare for upcoming events like Family Faith Formation and Bazaar we will be cleaning the Church Hall here in Lyons Point, this Thursday September 3rd @ 8 am. Please join us to help clean it. You are greatly appreciated!

08/30/2026

The Office will be closed Labor Day!

08/29/2026

Feast of the Passion of St John the Baptist: Our Patron - Lyons Point

Commemoration: It honors the martyrdom and beheading of Saint John the Baptist by King Herod.

Aug 29, Saturday, 2026
Beheading of St John the Baptist

St John, the baptizer, lived in a desert until the day when he started preaching penance, to “prepare for the Lord a perfect people”. His hearers were urged to be faithful and honest in fulfilling their worldly duties and to be baptized in the Jordan for the remission of repented sins. On the day when Jesus submitted to this ceremony, the Father manifested him to the world: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!” (Mt 3:17)

John gathered many disciples together and taught them to lead a life of prayer and fasting. Then, for having openly rebuked King Herod Antipas for his incestuous relationship with Herodias, his half-brother’s wife, he was arrested and imprisoned in the mountain fortress of Machaerus. Herodias never forgave him and did not rest until Herod ordered the Precursor’s decapitation, the result of a rashly taken oath on the occasion of Salome’s notorious dance at Herod’s birthday celebrations. All this took place about a year before Jesus’ own Passion.

Reflection: “Such was the quality and the strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment” (St Bede the Venerable).

08/28/2026

08/26/2026

Please pray for Betty Dupre, Wendell Bertrand, Kent Bertrand, Lee C. Bertrand, Ryker Navarre, Mary A. Cormier, Eulice J. Marceaux, Estella Marceaux, Garry Primeaux,Timothy Clement, Percilla Adams, Ray & Mary Schexnayder, Babs Simon, and Kevin Hall

08/22/2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Faith: Article 2 unfolds four fundamental titles that reveal who Jesus is.
From Creator to Redeemer: In Article 1, God speaks the universe into existence ("I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator..."). In Article 2, the eternal Word (Logos) through whom all things were made takes on a human identity to redeem that creation.
From God Above Us to God With Us: God the Father created us out of infinite love; God the Son comes in person so we can know, love, and share directly in the Father's divine life.

1. Core Teaching & The Four Titles (CCC 422–455)

I. JESUS ("God Saves")
• The Meaning: In Hebrew (Yeshua), the name means "God saves." In the ancient world, a name revealed a person’s identity and mission.
• Biblical Witness: "She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
• Catechism Anchor (CCC 430): The name of Jesus signifies that the very name of God is present in the Person of His Son, made man for universal redemption.

II. CHRIST ("The Anointed One")
• The Meaning: Messiah (Hebrew) and Christos (Greek) mean "Anointed One." In the Old Testament, three groups were anointed with holy oil for sacred duties: Prophets, Priests, and Kings.
• Biblical Witness: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power" (Acts 10:38).
• Catechism Anchor (CCC 436): Jesus fulfils the messianic hope of Israel in His threefold office as Prophet (Teacher of Truth), Priest (Sacrifice and Mediator), and King (Ruler of Love and Mercy).

III. HIS ONLY SON ("Begotten, Not Made")
• The Meaning: We are sons and daughters of God by adoption through Baptism. Jesus is the Son of God by nature, sharing the exact same divine essence as the Father from all eternity.
• Biblical Witness: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father" (John 1:14).
• Catechism Anchor (CCC 444): The divine filiation of Jesus is not an adoptive status, but His eternal relationship to God the Father.

IV. OUR LORD ("Kyrios")
• The Meaning: When the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the Septuagint), the sacred name of God (YHWH) was translated as Kyrios ("Lord"). Calling Jesus "Lord" explicitly proclaims His absolute divinity.
• Biblical Witness: "Therefore God has highly exalted him... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Philippians 2:9–11).
• Catechism Anchor (CCC 446): By attributing to Jesus the divine title "Lord," the Church affirms from the beginning that power, honor, and glory belong to Him equally with the Father.

2. Voice of the Ecumenical Councils
• First Council of Nicaea (325 AD): Countered the A***n heresy (which falsely claimed Jesus was merely a created being). The Council defined that Jesus is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father, true God from true God, begotten, not made.
• Council of Chalcedon (451 AD): Declared that Jesus Christ is one Divine Person with two complete natures; fully God and fully man, without confusion, change, division, or separation.

3. Insights from the Saints & Church Fathers
• St. Athanasius (296–373 AD): "God became man so that man might become god" (meaning, elevated by grace to share in divine life).
• St. Cyril of Jerusalem (313–386 AD): "We do not call Him 'Lord' as a mere title of courtesy, but because His very nature is Lordship and Sovereign Power."
• St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153 AD): "The name of Jesus is light, food, and medicine to the soul."
Living as the Anointed (Christ): Embrace your baptismal calling by speaking the truth with courage, offering up daily duties as a loving sacrifice, and serving others through patient self-control.
Reverence for the Holy Name (Jesus): Cultivate deep respect for the name of Jesus by using it only in prayer and love, making a quiet bow of the head whenever His name is spoken to honor His saving power.
Surrendering to His Sovereignty (Our Lord): Place every aspect of daily life—your decisions, habits, media consumption, and relationships—under Christ's authority, actively choosing Him as the ultimate leader of your day.

May God bless you and your loved ones abundantly.
Fr. Jesuraj Perkmans
August 23, 2026

08/08/2026

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Anchored in the Ancient Faith: Origins & Historical Evolution
Every Sunday, when we stand together to recite the Creed, we join our voices with two thousand years of Christian history, proclaiming the truth handed down from the Apostles and zealously safeguarded by the early Church Fathers.
The Creeds arose from the Church's vital need to express its biblical faith clearly. Beginning as brief Trinitarian declarations spoken at Baptism—giving us the Apostles' Creed—these statements evolved into the Nicene Creed during a period of fierce theological trial. In 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea, and later in 381 AD at Constantinople, the Council Fathers gathered to defend Christ's divinity against the A***n heresy, which falsely claimed Jesus was merely a created being. Guided by the Holy Spirit, the Fathers proclaimed that Jesus is consubstantial (homoousios) with the Father—true God from true God—who truly took on human flesh, died, and rose for our salvation.
In a concise summary, the Creed outlines the core mysteries of our salvation history: God the Father as Creator of heaven and earth; Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, rose on the third day, and will come again in glory; the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life; and the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, united through one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and awaiting the resurrection of the dead.
Our Catholic identity flourishes when this profession of faith integrates with the traditional "Three Cs" of the spiritual life:
• The Creed (What We Believe): Anchors our intellect in God's revelation, deepening our Faith amidst a world of shifting ideologies.
• The Cult (How We Worship): Through the Eucharist and Sacraments, Christ's grace enters our lives, filling us with enduring Hope.
• The Code (How We Live): Living out the Commandments and Beatitudes through active charity builds Trust and radiates Christ’s love to others.
When you recite the Creed at Mass, remember that you are stepping into a living, sacred legacy. You are anchoring your soul on the unshakable bedrock of the Apostles. May this shared faith transform your heart today and inspire you to be a courageous beacon of Christ's peace, truth, and mercy in your home and community this week.
May God bless you and your loved ones abundantly.
Fr. Jesuraj Perkmans
August 09, 2026