Sacred Heart Parish (Erie, PA)

What do you do when things go wrong or turn out badly? How do you cope when your loved one dies or leaves home? How do you handle the teenager whose course in life seems set on destruction? There is only one way. It may sound simple or trite, but it works each and every time. Lay down your expectations. Be still in your heart and quiet in your spirit, and listen for God’s word to you. Trust Him as David did to lead you through the valley and back out into the light of His eternal hope. The victory is near. --"On Holy Ground: A Daily Devotional" by Charles F. Stanley

Imagine living in a time, place, and culture where the only people who believed in God were your immediate family. When you mentioned God to neighbors, friends, and even extended family members, they thought you were delusional. After all, no one could recall ever seeing or hearing God, and the only one talking about Him was building a huge boat on dry land. It took Noah several decades to build the boat described in Genesis 6. He likely suffered through just as many years of... ridicule by building a boat that only made perfect sense to God. Noah bore the weight of negative public opinion. If there were polls, Noah paid no attention. If neighbors wanted to argue, Noah just put his back into his work. If you find yourself being mocked because you follow God, remember Noah. God never asks you to do something that doesn’t serve a purpose. Follow His Word. Follow His steps. Follow His plan. He’s leading you somewhere you could never find on your own. It’s a protection. It’s a blessing. --"Daily Wisdom for Men 2021 Devotional Collection" by Compiled by Barbour Staff See more

Click here for the link to Fr. Mark's Mass for Monday, January 11th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPh8Ff74-5U

In September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a History teacher at RobinsonHigh School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On... the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks in her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks. 'Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?' She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.' They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.' 'No,' she said. 'Maybe it's our behavior.' She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.' And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. Kids called their parents to tell them what was happening and by early afternoon television news crews had started gathering at the school to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom. Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he or she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.' At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned. Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.' By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year for the State of Arkansas in 2006. She is the daughter of a WWII POW. Do you think this email is worth passing along so others won't forget either, that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by our U.S. Veterans?... I did. Let us always remember the men and women of our military and the rights they have won for us.

Here is the link for the streamed Mass for Sunday, January 10th at 9 AM.