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ASH WEDNESDAY 2026 - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - February 18, 2026

 ASH WEDNESDAY

February 18, 2026

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 15, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 15, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

Today is the last Sunday in Ordinary Time before Lent starts.  During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms and we practice self control through fasting.  We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ's will more faithfully.  Ash Wednesday Mass will be at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the church and Adoration will follow the 5 p.m. Mass.

Here are three tips to deepen your relationship with God during the 40 days of Lent. 1) Participate in the sacraments.  2) Help those in need around you.  3) Sacrifice something that's hard for you.

There are three main components of Lent:  Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving.  Making a commitment to do more of these things helps deepen our relationship with God.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has an online database of prayers for different causes and occasions:  www.usccb.org/prayers.  If you need a place to help you get started to add more prayer to your life, I encourage you to go to this website and find some different prayers that are meaningful to you. 

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics.  In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

For Catholics, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59.  When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as, two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal.  All Catholics aged 14 and up abstain from consuming meat that is not fish or shellfish as abstinence laws consider that meat comes from animals such as chickens, cows, sheep or pigs --- all of which live on land.

By the usher's table are materials for Scripture readings and reflections and Catholic Relief Rice Bowls.  These materials are free and I encourage all households to take one of each for their family.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

~ Information regarding Lent from usccb.org

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 8, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 8, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings, 

I want to say thank you to the children who participated in our rescheduled celebrations of Catholic Schools Week.  We had originally planned to do this on Jan. 25th but we cancelled due to the snow.  We have over 20 children in our parish who attend Catholic schools in Richmond.  Are you interested in enrolling your child in a Catholic school?  Our parish partners with All Saints Catholic School and Cristo Rey Richmond High School, please visit their websites or speak to our Religious Education Director, Liz Wiznerowitz (religioused@stelizcc.org).

Lent starts on Wednesday, February 18th with Ash Wednesday.  Please see the Lent callendar that is in this bulletin to stay up to date with all of the events our Parish has planned.  There is Stations of the Cross every Friday (except Feb. 27th and Good Friday); and throughout the 40 days leading up to Easter, Confessions, Adoration and more!  You can also visit our website at stelizcc.org/events/ to see our live calendar.

We have a variety of Black History Month events planned for the month of February.  If you did not get the flyer in last Sunday's bulletin, please see the flyer on the kiosk by the front doors or in th E-bulletin.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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FATHER JIM'S JOTS - St. Elizabeth Catholic Church - Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - February 1, 2026

St. Elizabeth Catholic Church

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 1, 2026

FATHER JIM'S JOTS

Greetings,

We will have Mass at the usual times this Sunday:  8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.  I hope everyone was able to stay safe during the past week due to the weather conditions.

This Sunday we read the story of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount from Matthew's Gospel.  Below is an excerpt from Pope Francis' 2020 General Audience regarding the Beatitudes.  This is a wonderful breakdown on the meaning of the Beatitudes and how as Christians, we should apply them to our daily lives.  I recommend you read the entire message online if you are able, but these excerpts touch on the core of the message.

This passage, which starts the "Sermon on the Mount", illuminated the lives of the believers and also that of many non-believers.  It is difficult not to be touched by these words of Jesus and the desire to understand them and welcome them ever more fully is righteous.  The Beatitudes provide the "identity card" of Christians - this is our identity card - because they outline the face of Jesus himself, his style of living.

...the "mount" recalls Sinai, where God gave Moses the Commandments.  Jesus begins to teach a new law:  to be poor, to be meek, to be merciful...  These "new commandments" are much more than a set of rules.  Indeed, Jesus does not impose anything but reveals the way of happiness - his way - by repeating the word "blessed" eight times.

...the reason behind the Beatitudes is not a current situation, but rather, the new condition that the blessed receive as a gift from God:  because "theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven", because "they shall be comforted", because "they shall inherit the earth" and so on.

But what does the word "blessed" mean?  Because each of the eight Beatitudes begins with the word "blessed".  The original term does not mean one with a full belly or one who is doing well, but rather, it is a person who is in a condition of grace, who progresses in God's grace and progresses on God's path:  patience, poverty, service to others, comfort...  Those who advance in these things are happy and shall be blessed.

In order to give himself to us, God often chooses unthinkable paths, perhaps the path of our limitations, of our tears, of our defeats.

The Beatitudes always bring you to joy.  They are the paths to reach joy.  It will do us good to take Matthew's Gospel today, chapter 5, verses 1-11, and to read the Beatitudes - perhaps a few more times throughout the week - in order to understand this very beautiful path, so sure of the happiness the Lord offers us.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim, Pastor

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