Two opportunities to hear Mass this weekend: once in Greenfield on Saturday evening and once in Indianapolis on Sunday morning!
In the Fifteenth Chapter of St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul is attempting to address a problem that is facing the church at Corinth: namely, that some of the members do not believe in the resurrection. He writes in verse 12: "Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say say some among you that there is no resurrection from the dead?" As a result, St. Paul is forced to confront this issue directly and this is the main purpose of this chapter. He begins this chapter by talking about what was passed on to him: "BRETHREN, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved." St. Paul is merely making the point that he is preaching what he received . . . he is passing along what was first given to him . . . he is sharing the knowledge that was shared with him. Friends, we have to believe in the Resurrection of Our Blessed Saviour because this is our share in eternity. Christ died on the Cross to save us from our sins but He also raised from the dead on the third day so that we can share eternal life with Him! If there are some that did not acknowledge the Resurrection back in Corinth . . . and if there be any people today that doubt the historical fact of the Resurrection .. . . . these people make God a liar. "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son." (I St. John 5:10). The Resurrection is our hope in this dreary world. The Resurrection is the "signpost" that we look forward to and follow. If we do not look forward to our resurrection, then what is the purpose of this life? So many people have the false belief that you live this life and then you die. Period. That's it. End of story. That is a very sad belief. Time and time again, we have seen examples of those who have been given the riches of the world, and it ultimately meant nothing. These poor souls were just as unhappy with their riches, if not even more unhappy.
St. Augustine of Hippo, whose feast-day we celebrated this week, discovered this fact. He was only happy for so long with the pleasures of the world. Each of the pleasures that he discovered did bring him happiness and comfort for a short time but he discovered that all of them eventually failed him in regards to bringing him lasting joy. In other words, the joy they brought him only lasted a short time. It was not until he discovered God that he realized that God is the ultimate joy. God brings the ultimate happiness. Whereas other pleasures of the world disappear after a while, the joy we find in God will never fail us. We can say the same thing in regards to the "Resurrection." If we give our hearts and our souls over to God, and do our best to live faithfully every day, we, too, will one day experience our resurrection and we will spend eternity in the Presence of Our Blessed Saviour. He has promised us and has shown us by His example.
Come join us on Saturday, August 30th, 2014 at 6:00 PM as we gather together for Mass. The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit worships in the historic Chapel in the Park, directly east of downtown Greenfield at the corner of North Apple Street and Main Street. Find out more about Holy Spirit by visiting:
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Mass is held on Sunday morning at 9:30 AM at St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church, which worships at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located on the northwest side of Indianapolis at 8140 N. Township Line Road. Find out about St. Margaret Church by visiting:
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Join us as we listen to God's Word, listen to God speaking to us, worship God in traditional worship, and receive His Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.
