March Birthdays at St. E's ~ Ethel Cooley

Happy Birthday Everybody!







03-03-11 ~ Sheryl Smith

03-04-11 ~ Jim Allen

03-08-11 ~ Phyllis Booth

03-09-11 ~ Carolyn Nash

03-10-11 ~ Kelmern Tunstall

03-13-11 ~ Gia Terreforte

03-16-11 ~ Mira Davis, Isreal Murray and Clifton Wright

03-19-11 ~ Marguerite Branch and Joseph Smith

03-22-11 ~ Stanley Lamb and Akhira Walters

03-23-11 ~ Ronald Timmons

03-24-11 ~ Lord Davis, Sr.

03-26-11 ~ Quentin Sullivan

03-31-11 ~ Ethel Cooley, Micole Jordan and Marva Williams


~ Clipart by Webweaver

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself ~ by Ronnie Archer

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lv 19:1-2, 17-18
Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
1 Cor 3:16-23
Mt 5:38-48

"An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth... when someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other one as well." These verses are Jesus' command from the Gospel of Matthew 5:38-39.

The Lord tells us in the first reading this 7th Sunday, that we are to not bear hatred even though we might feel we have a reason to feel that we have been wronged by someone. Jesus tells us NOT to incur sin because of him/her.

On this Sunday's celebration of Black History Month, we are told how our ancestors knew how to "turn the other cheek"... There were many times that they had to walk through difficulties and persecution. They knew that Jesus prayed for those who persecuted Him; and He challenges us to do the same.

Our ancestors, as well as many others of our own lifetime, have gone before us and they did not come alone, but by faith in God. The Good News of His Son Jesus' love and mercy that we hear about in Matthew's Gospel was what they remembered and kept in mind during those difficult years.

All of us can tell stories of incidents where we know that God has worked on our behalf through our faith journey.

We come from people who believed in the Word of God that worked wonders before, and would do so again. They did not strike back; they knew that God had worked with dry bones before and that He would work with them again. Our ancestors remembered what God spoke to Ezekiel, that he prophesied and breathed life into dry bones. (Ez 37:4-5)

Thanks be to God that we had people who didn't take revenge. They prayed and came this far by FAITH! They knew that God was with them even in the midst of trouble - now our journey is to keep up what our ancestors did.

We are living in an evil world. Satan works all the time. We have to teach our children and pray for, and with them, or we will lose a generation; and if a generation is lost, then the church will be lost, and if the church is lost, then our world is doomed.

Jesus had to deal with all sorts of conditions, but HE knew that God, His Father, was with Him. God did NOT promise life without trials, but He promised us that HE would be with us through them.

Peace is not the absence of trials, but realizing that He is with us through it all.

In this dangerous world, we need to be WHAT God called us to be, for the sake of our children.

We are not only commanded to share the Good News, but to BE the Good News!

Do not hide your light under a bushel basket. We are called to be the LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

We have come this far by Faith, and we cannot turn around now!



* From Deacon Calvin Bailey's homily ~ Black History Celebration Sunday


~ Sermon on the Mount by Fra Angelico, c. 1440

~ Image from Free Christ Images

Various Reflections on the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ by Josephine Fernando

Josephine attended several Masses during this weekend and kindly sent along these reflections on the homilies she heard:


St. Patrick's Catholic Church ~ Fr. Wayne's sermon...

The first reading speaks about grudges. Matthew's gospel ends with a final instruction, "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect". How to be perfect? What is the distinction between being in error and committing a sin? Sin is doing wrong; we know it is wrong and still we choose to do it.

We as human beings will definitely make mistakes. Mistakes are not sin. Sin needs choice. Suppose someone is ill, is mentally handicapped; then we know the reason why that individual behaves in that way. However, if we normal human beings behave in some weird way, we need to seek medical advice.

We cannot help someone else's doing but my reaction (response) to his / her doing is my choice, and can help us behave in a decent way. I have to overcome people who provoke me. Let go and let God.

The theme in the first reading is TO BE HOLY. The theme in the second reading is YOU ARE HOLY, BECAUSE GOD DWELLS IN YOU. St. Paul, in the second reading tells us, that we have everything that will make us holy. Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. Is it easy? No. We need to work on it.

People can provoke us, but we can control what we say. We need to be aware, that God is with us. Stop in between your busy schedule and pray. Let us remind ourselves of the presence of God. We have the freedom to choose the kind of person that we want to be. We are to be like God.

Can we make the responsorial psalm to be our own? "The Lord is kind and merciful, the Lord is kind and merciful, slow to anger and rich in mercy." Replace the Lord with I. Can we act on, or can we say, that I am kind and merciful, I am kind and merciful. Slow to anger and rich in kindness? Yes, we can say it and do it, how? By the Spirit of God which dwells in us, by the sacrament of the Eucharist, by the sacrament of Reconciliation. We make errors, yes. Can we try to live without sin? Oh yes, by being aware of the presence of God in us, when we are constantly making choices.


Cathedral ~ the Deacon's sermon...

This deacon stressed the word, Forgiveness.

It is easy for us to love those who love us; to do good to those who do us good; to be kind to those who are kind to us; to borrow and to lend. It is easy, because this is the current trend in the world. It is a reasonable and a rational behavior. However, the Lord invites us to forgive more; to give more; to offer more, to make enemies our neighbors, to go an extra mile; to be more generous, to pray for our adversaries... for we will become children of God.

To show real love, excessive compassion, to do good for evil... that is sacrificial love. It is a polar opposite. When we forgive, the Lord will restore our dignity, our self-worth. The important prayer which Our Lord taught us: forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. To err is human, to forgive is divine. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we should not retaliate. We should be generous; we should not judge. Thus Jesus overturned the standards of this world; how to honor and nurture relationships with one another.

A Reflection on the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ by Josephine Fernando

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sir 15:15-20
Ps 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34
1 Cor 2:6-10
Mt 5:17-37

In order to avoid temptations, one should have a strong will and should cooperate with God's graces. The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes are guidelines to live a gracious and a fruit filled life in Our Lord Jesus Christ. When we give in to temptations, we get habituated, and slowly addicted. However, if we choose to fight it in the first instance with prayers and confession, then we can make good progress.

The Bible is our road map for life. A very strict gospel message on a Valentine's Day. However, the Lord is very clear in what we need to follow to grow in Him.

The Sacrament of Marriage was given as an example, a marital relationship. One ought to think well, whether the courtship will carry them into a full fledged marriage. There are warning signs shown during the courtship period, to which one has to heed. One has to think with heart, mind and soul. It is very good to take advice of our parents or our relatives, who have a good experience.

Most often we are blind in a relationship and we go into it with our eyes closed. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, so we need to make good decisions. We can for very sure, pray to Our Lord for guidance and directions. He will definitely lead us to make the right choice if we trust in Him. Most often we try to handle it by ourselves, where our heart rules our head and we fumble and make wrong decisions and we fail in our marriage and we end in divorce.



~ Image by Hermano Leon Clipart

St. Edward's Annual Benefit for St. E's - Pancake Dinner!

St. Edward Church
Annual Mardi Gras
Pancake Dinner

Fun for the whole family!!!

March 8, 2011 - 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
In the Community Center

All the pancakes and sausages
You can eat!!

Milk, coffee, soft drinks provided


$5.00 per person

Maximum per family $15.00
Age 6 and under eat FREE!

**All proceeds go to help St. Elizabeth's Church**

Cooked by the famous Knights of Columbus Council #6546

For more information, call
Parish Center 272-2948
Al Anonick 794-3234

Photos from St. E's 2010 Jazz and Food Fest

Take a look at the nice pics that Ethel Cooley took at the St. Elizabeth Jazz and Food Festival last year! You will find them by going to the parish website and clicking on Parish Life in the left column.

Click the link at #16 and you will go to our Picasa Picture Album where you can see the pictures as a slideshow if you so wish.

Enjoy!


~ Photos by Ethel Cooley

Reflection for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~ by Barbara Williford

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 58:7-10
Ps 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
1 Cor 2:1-5
Mt 5:13-16

Our enthusiastic homily today focused on Jesus' call for us to be LIGHT. A light for the world to see.

Pre-Vatican II, when the Latin language was used to say the Mass, the final prayer words were: "Ite Missa est". This is now translated into "Go, the Mass is ended". And we responded, "Thanks be to God".

Father suggested the Latin could be translated into "Go - Now - is the Mission". He was telling us that we had been fed at the table, heard the words of good news and all of the challenges the readings present to us; so our task is to go out and do the Mission of the Church. Each of us is called to be a missionary.

Like salt, we cannot lose our flavor. We cannot be hidden under a basket. We must be a light to others. Remember, the needy may not need our money; they may need our LOVE - the Love of God in us. God's Love is given to us to share with the world. We have been saved. "Thanks Be To God, Amen!"


~ Image by Hermano Leon Clipart

February Birthdays at St. E's ~ Ethel Cooley

Happy Birthday, Everyone!





02/01/11 - Anne Holton Kaine

02/02/11 - Lauren Cotman and Genelle Frizzelle

02/03/11 - Elizabeth Ruffin and Jennifer Soistman

02/04/11 - Jennie Green

02/06/11 - Cathy Woodson

02/07/11 - Eva Chiles

02/09/11 - Thomas Smith

02/10/11 - Amy Williford

02/11/11 - Sr. Cora Marie Billings

02/15/11 - Kenneth Williams

02/17/11 - Alexandra Williams

02/23/11 - Katrinia Murray

02/24/11 - Naseem McDowell

02/25/11 - Stanley Glover and Tyronna Jones

02/26/11 - Kamryn Beverly, Morgan Jaquez and Tim Kaine

02/28/11 - James L. Strother, Sr.


~ Graphic by Webweaver.nu