Church Calendar and News MArch 1997

St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church New Orleans Louisiana

March 1997 Church News Letter & Activities Calendar

LOVE

"So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love." I Corinthians 13:13"

Love is the first virtue, it is the conglomeration of all virtues. When the Lord Jesus Christ was asked about the greatest commandment in the law, He said that it was love. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength…and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." "And with this, all the commandments and the prophets are concerned."

The Lord Jesus came to the world to spread love, the sacrificial love, the love of God to man, the love of people to God, and the love of people to one another. Thus, He said to His holy apostles, "In this way, everybody knows that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Thus, He taught us to love God, to love benevolence, and to obey God for our love for Him and His commandments.

We are joined with God by the relation of love and not the relation of fear. Fear brings up slaves, but love brings up sons. We may begin our relationship with God in fear, but this relationship should be elevated and developed until it attains the degree of love-then fear disappears. Once the great St. Anthony said to his disciples, "My sons, I do not fear God." When they wondered saying, "Our father, this is difficult to understand," he answered saying, "That is because I love Him, and love drives fear away."

The person who reaches the position of the love of God will not be overcome by sin. The devils fight against him on the outside, and all their arrows are destroyed upon the rock of his love. The Holy Bible says, "Love shall never fail." Solomon the Sage in his book the "Song of Solomon" says, "Love is powerful as death…so much water cannot put out love." Therefore, Saint Augustine said, "Love. Then, do whatever you like after that."

Such is the importance of love that it has become a name for God. It was said in the Holy Bible, "God is love and whoever is confirmed in love is confirmed in God and God is confirmed in him." Love is the peak of all virtues. It is the highest (or the noblest) of all virtues, better than faith and hope. Paul the apostle says, "If I speak in all tongues of men and of angels but have no love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have no love, I am nothing."

"Knowledge breeds conceit; it is love that builds." Religion is not a mere practice, formality, or duty to be imposed, but it is love; and as much as one has love for God, for people, and for benevolence, so will his reward be on the day of judgment. God does not heed the acts of benevolence done by people, but what is important to Him is the love of doing good and the love of God.

There are some people who do good for show and not from their hearts, and there are some people who do good being compelled by others, or by order of the law, because they are afraid of criticism, and of being dubbed as shy. Others do good seeking glory or admiration. These individuals do not get a reward unless love is their incentive for doing good.

Therefore, we should practice every virtue with love and deal with any matter in love. Love should be our impetus, our method, and our aim. We should keep in mind the statement of the Holy Bible, "Let all your matters be in love."

H. H. Pope Shenouda III "Virtues"

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
23	24	25	26	27	28 February Vespers & Bible Study Mobile, AL. 7:00PM-9:00PM	1 March Divine Liturgy Mobile, AL. 9:00AM-12:30PM Aghapi ------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
2 Divine Liturgy "English" New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	3	4 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 5:00 - 7:00 AM	5 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 9:30 - 12:00 AM	6	7 Bible Study Birmingham, AL. 7:00PM	8 Divine Liturgy Birmingham, AL. 9:00AM ------------ Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
9 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	10	11	12 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 9:30 - 12:00 AM	13 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 4:00-7:00 PM	14 Bible Study Tallahassee, FL. 7:00PM	15 Divine Liturgy Tallahassee, TN. 9:00 AM ------------ Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
16 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	17	18	19 Divine Liturgy (Feast of Cross) New Orleans 8:00-11:00AM ------------------- Abouna's Trip To Phoenix, AZ.	20 Priests Meeting Phoenix, AZ.	21 Fr. Shenouda Trip To Memphis, TN.	22 Divine Liturgy Memphis, TN. 9:00 AM ------------ Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
23 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	24	25 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 9:30-12:00AM	26 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 9:30 12:00 AM	27 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 4:00-7:00PM	28 Bible Study Mobile, AL. 7:00PM-9:00PM	29 Divine Liturgy Mobile, AL. 9:00AM-12:30PM Aghapi ------------- Vespers, Bible Study&Midnight New Orleans 7:00PM-9:00PM
30 Divine Liturgy New Orleans 8:30AM-12:30PM Aghapi	31	1 April	2	3	4	5

Church News:

The church congratulates Adly Ghobrial, Adel Sakla, and Samer Bortol for their ordination as deacons (Readers).
The church also congratulates Ashraf Soliman on his graduation.
The church would like to remind everyone that the fast of the Great Lent will begin on March 3, may the blessings of this holy time be with us all.
Father Shenouda will be available for the Anointing of the Sick if anyone is interested.
Please forward to Father Shenouda any item that you would like to be published in this newsletter.
The church has Here own new home page on the World Wide Web accessible at the following URL: http://www.coptic.org/stmarkno
Remember the first Sunday Liturgy of every month will be celebrated in English.

If you have any comments or suggestion, Please send me an E-mail me at

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Last Modified 3/6/1997