First Sunday after Christmas, December 29th, 2024

 First Sunday after Christmas, December 29th, 2024

In the Fourth Chapter of the Letter to the Galatians, we hear the following:  "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."   It is never good to be "full of ourselves."  In other words, we should never think too highly of ourselves than we ought, but when you consider the fact that God thinks so highly of His creation that not only did He send His Son into the world to save us, but that as a result we are now considered "sons" and "daughters" of God, the honour is beyond comprehension!  Think about it, God has chosen you . . . He has redeemed you . . . He has made you His very own child!  The only thing that we have to do is to respond and then act accordingly.  So often, when we are out and about, we may see a child in a store who is throwing a fit.  And the first thought to our mind is:  "What an ungrateful child" or "spoiled child."  And, yet, when it comes to the spiritual life, are we not "spoiled children" to Our Heavenly Father?  Perhaps, we ignore God completely.  Perhaps, we only approach God when we want something.  Maybe, we don't hear God speaking to us because we are too far away and not paying attention.  We have to always remind ourselves on a daily basis the dignity and honour that God has given to each one of us by being called "son" or "daughter" of the Almighty.

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. 

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

 Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 22nd, 2024

"REJOICE in the Lord always . . . " (Philippians 4:4)

Have you ever tried to do something "non-stop"?  In other words, you kept doing the same thing over and over and over.  It's gets tiring after a while, doesn't it?  And after a while, we get worn out from doing whatever we are doing.  Whether it's going to always working on reports or always working without any days off.  Whether it's always fixing the same thing over and over and over again.  And yet St. Paul is telling the Philippians to "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!"  As human beings, we rejoice when we are happy.  When our favorite sports team scores late in a game and wins, we rejoice.  When we are with good friends that we haven't seen for a while, we rejoice.  We rejoice when we get a raise at work.  We rejoice when a difficult project gets completed.   And yet most people don't constantly rejoice, do they?   Sometimes our favorite sports team doesn't win the game.  Sometimes we get overwhelmed at work.  Sometimes we get bad news.  Sometimes we get angry.  Do we rejoice in these situations?  No.  And yet St. Paul reminds the Philippians  . . .  as he does us . . . . to "Rejoice in the Lord always!"  The key is to set our mind to rejoicing no matter what.  The key is to remind ourselves that life is sometimes good . . . . sometimes it's bad.  Sometimes we are healthy, other times we get sick.   Sometimes we get a raise at work.  But sometimes we get laid off from a job.  Again, life is not one constant, straight path where nothing ever changes and always stays the same.  If it was that way, it seems to me that it would be somewhat boring.  Sometimes things get difficult in life.  But if we remind ourselves that God is always with us, even in the bad times, then we can rejoice.   Even in the times that things seem the darkest, as long as we keep our minds focused on God being with us, we know that we will get through whatever faces us.  God loves us more than we will ever know.   How do I know this, you ask?  I know it because He sent His only begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  He sent His Son into the world to walk among us, to be with us, to eat with us, to talk with us, to witness our good times and our bad times.  God knows that life is not always easy for us.  And yet Our Blessed Lord is always with us . . .  in the good times and the bad.  And we are called to always rejoice in that fact.  As we are on the doorstep of Christmas on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, let us not get overwhelmed by life, but rather let us rejoice that God sent His Son into the world to be with us always.  Let us remember that God is with us when we are on the mountain top but He is also with us when we are far down in the valley.  Let us rejoice that God is always with us.

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. 

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Third Sunday in Advent, December 15th, 2024

 Third Sunday in Advent, December 15th, 2024

Have you ever been overjoyed by something and before you knew it, the joy had worn off?  Or the joy that you had experienced had certainly lessened.  As children, especially at Christmas time, we are overjoyed at what Santa Claus will bring us.  We anxiously look forward to all the presents under the tree and try to figure out what is wrapped inside.  Or it could be the case as you had gotten older and you decided that you just had to have the latest electronic doo-dad or perhaps it is some clothing item such as a new dress or a fancy pair of boots.  And so you save your money and finally go and make your purchase and you are overjoyed at what you have obtained.  But then after a while your joy lessens because after a while your attention is turned toward the next "item" that you have set your sights on acquiring.  Let's be honest, whether as children or adults,  . . .  whether it is a gift given to us or something we have purchased ourselves  .. . .  whether it is an actual physical product or whether it is simply a good meal that we look forward to devouring . . . . the point is the same:  things of this world do indeed bring us joy for a time but then the joy eventually fades.  Even if you look at it from the perspective of someone who turns to drink or drugs to find their "happiness,"  . . . . what happens when the effect of either drink or drug wears off?  That person goes back to feeling like they did before.  The "high" feeling . . .  the "drunk" feeling only lasts so long.  Things of the world . . .  whether they be electronics .  . . or food . . . . or clothing . . .  or positions of honour . . . . or titles at our jobs . . . or booze  . . . . or drugs . .  . all these things only bring temporary fulfillment.  They do satisfy, yes, but only for a time.  The joy we find in them  is only temporary, never lasting.

For the Christian, on the other hand, the joy that is everlasting is our relationship with God.  "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for it becometh well the just to be thankful." (Psalm 33)  Our personal relationship with Our Blessed Saviour will never disappoint.  Our personal relationship with Our Lord and Saviour is one that will last an eternity.  While other things in this earthly life will fade away . . .  or be consumed . . . or rust away . ..  or go out of fashion . . . . the relationship that God offers to us is forever.  God will always be faithful to His people.  "Gaudete in Domino semper" ("Rejoice in the Lord always")  (Philippians 4:4-5)  Rejoice in the fact that God loves you!  Rejoice in the fact that God sent His only Son to die for you!  Rejoice in the fact that God offers you the possibility of eternal life!  Give your heart to the One that offered His Heart to you!  Give your life to Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and rejoice in the Lord always!

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. 

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

 Second Sunday in Advent, December 8th, 2024

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."  (Romans 15)

Did you ever order something or send away for something and the item finally arrived and you open it with great anticipation.  And when you open the package and see what you ordered, the item that arrived does not match up with what you thought it would be.  You were "under-whelmed," so to speak.  "This is it?!?"   "This is what I've been waiting for?!?"   As we have spoken in the past, the faithful Jews were indeed praying for a Messiah to save them.  They were anticipating the arrival of the Messiah.  They knew that God would save them and they were waiting.  But they had a preconceived notion of what the Messiah would look like, I would imagine.  They expected the Messiah to arrive as a great warrior riding in on a powerful horse, surrounded by a mighty army in support with flags waving and banners raised.  They expected this messiah and his army to wipe out their foes and save them from their misery.    And yet we know that, yes, the Messiah did indeed arrive as promised but Our Saviour arrived as an innocent little baby, born to a common family, born in a lowly manger on a cold winter night  because nobody would take them in otherwise.  In fact, the actual arrival itself was so "low-key" that hardly anyone knew about it at all except for the angels and a few shepherds.  I mean let's be honest here.  In regards to anticipating the arrival of the Messiah, I am sure that none of us would picture the Saviour of the world arriving as a small baby, born to an impoverished family, with nowhere else to stay other than in a place for animals.  But, then again, if we look at a dying man hanging on a cross, if we didn't know any better, we wouldn't picture that as "victory," either.  It would seem more like "defeat" than "victory."  And yet we know through our faith that hope was born in that little manger at Bethlehem and we know that victory truly was earned on that Cross at Calvary.  Sometimes, hope is deceiving to our physical eyes.  The important thing for us to always remember as people of faith that we have to look at hope through the eyes of faith if we really want to see how God is working in our lives.  So, use this holy Season of Advent to look at things in a brand new way, the way of faith.

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. 

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

First Sunday in Advent, December 1st, 2024

 First Sunday in Advent, December 1st, 2024

"OWE no man any thing, but to love one another" (Romans 13:8)

If you have ever applied for a loan from a bank, you will soon find out how many "hoops" you have to jump through in order to borrow the money you need.  You have to provide documentation of every sort:  copies of your ID; copies of bills that you currently have; copies of mortgage statements; copies of your latest paychecks.  You have to go though background checks and they need to verify who you are.  This is certainly understandable considering that banks can not go around handing out buckets of cash to anyone and everyone that walks in off the street.  But after a while, it becomes frustrating because you get the feeling that you are jumping through endless hoops.  The same process happens when you purchase a car, a house, apply for a credit card, etc.  That being said, it would be easy for me as a preacher to use the words of St. Paul in Romans 13:8--"OWE no man any thing, but to love one another" and say how simple and easy it is to love one another compared to getting a loan as described above.  But is it really that simple to go out and "love" someone?  How about showing love to our enemies?  How about loving those whom we are not fond of?  Is it ever easy to show love to those who have done wrong to us?  How about family members or even spouses that irritate us from time to time?  Is it that easy to show them love and to love them?  Yes, it's easy to show love to those that are lovable but it is definitely a challenge to love those who are not easy to love.  Now what does all this have to do with the season of Advent?  It is in the season of Advent that we prepare for the coming of the Divine Child born in Bethlehem.  Advent is a time that we prepare for the birth of the Messiah, the personification of pure love.  It was at Bethlehem that He was born to begin His earthly journey towards the hill at Calvary.  He died on the Cross for all . . .. not just for those who liked Him . . .  not just for those who loved Him.  He died on the Cross even for those despised Him . ..  who hated Him.  Our Blessed Saviour came to save all from their sins; a feat we could never achieve by ourselves.  So Advent is a time to prepare our hearts for Our Saviour.   No, it is not always easy to love but it is something as Christians that we are commanded to do.  So, this Advent season, let us prepare our hearts and do our best to show love to all . .. .  even to those that it is not easy to do.  This is something that Our Lord did and it is something that He wants us to do.  Showing love is not always easy but it is necessary if we want to call ourselves Christian.

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. 

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Sunday Next Before Advent, November 24, 2024

 Sunday Next Before Advent, November 24th, 2024

At the very beginning of the epistle from Mass for the Sunday Next before Advent we hear to following:  "BEHOLD, the days come, saith the LORD .  . . " (Jeremiah 23:5)  Our society is obsessed with upcoming events.  For example, this time every year, we get constant reminders about how close we are to Christmas, courtesy of all the department stores, retail stores, online book stores, etc.  Behold, the big sale is about to happen . . . . Behold, this sale won't last long . . .  Behold, come and spend your hard-earned money here so that your loved ones will be happy at Christmas time.  But these "reminders," in all fairness go on all year around, quite honestly.  We are reminded on the nightly news about the upcoming summits, or upcoming sessions of Congress, or when a bill is about to be voted on.  Even in our personal life, we have to deal with upcoming reports at our jobs being due, and upcoming doctor's appointments, and things to do around the house:  whether they be preparing the house for winter or getting ready for an upcoming dinner.  So, you see, we are constantly reminded of upcoming events and the days ahead . . .

But this is not what Jeremiah wants us to think about.   In the "reminders" that I mentioned above, they are concerned with earthly, material things.  And nothing is necessarily wrong with with the things that I mentioned:  it's good to give gifts as a token of affection to loved ones;  it's good to prepare your home for the winter; it's good for politicians to do their job, etc.  But we have to keep everything in perspective of what is important.  Jeremiah continues:  "BEHOLD, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth"    We need to be concerned with the coming of the Lord as Christians.  We need to concern ourselves with making a place ready for Him when He comes.  And, quite frankly, we can make that happen now!  Yes, we can prepare our hearts for Him and prepare a place in our heart for Our Blessed Lord.  You see, all of the daily routines in life have their place: the daily chores, preparation of meals, going to work, paying bills, etc.  But there is one more daily "chore," and it should not even be called a "chore,"  it would be better described as a "daily necessity,"   . . . . and this "daily necessity" is time spent with Our Lord and preparing  a place for Him in our hearts!  As we come upon the liturgical season of Advent, the Church prepares for the coming of the Lord as a small innocent Infant.  Let us also prepare our hearts for the coming of that small Divine Infant by making a place for Him to dwell.  Get to know Jesus.  Give Him your heart because He has already given His Sacred Heart to you!

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. 

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity, November 17th, 2024

 Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity, November 17th, 2024

In today's Epistle (I St. John 3:1), we hear the following:  "BEHOLD, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God"  It is good to reflect on the fact that God has chosen us above all other creatures to be His chosen ones.  For elsewhere we hear in Scripture:  "Being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.  For to which of the angels said he at any time, You are my Son, this day have I begotten you?"  (Hebrews 1:5-6)  In other words, It was the intention that Our Blessed Saviour was born as a human being and not as an angel.  God proves the love that He has for us by sending His Son to humanity.  We should take time to reflect on the fact that we are each chosen to be called the sons and daughters of God.  The God that has created the entire universe has chosen us as His sons and daughters.  He has sent His Son to be a human being in order to redeem fallen humanity from its' sins.  This fact should boggle the mind when you think about "what manner of love" the Father has for each one of us.

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. 

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!