Sexagesima, or the Second Sunday before Lent,
Sunday, January 31st, 2016
In the eighth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Saviour tell the Parable of the Sower. And in this parable, Our Lord tells the story of the sower who goes out to sow the seed: some seed fell along the way; some seed fell on rocky soil; some seed fell on good soil; etc. Our Lord, upon telling the parable, tells what the parable means to the disciples. But in the parable, there are different types of people represented: those that hear the Word; those that do not hear the Word; those who pay attention for a time and then fall away; etc. It reminds me as well as the many types of people we encounter in our lifetime. Some people we encounter are just that: people we encounter. Nothing more, nothing less. While others become friends due to common interests or similarities. Out of these, some friends become life-long friends, and others (through moving away; or getting another job; or going to another school; etc.) move on and we lose contact with.
There are a variety of people in our life, and many of these people, I am convinced that God has placed them in our life to inspire us, to strengthen us, to encourage us, to be with us. Obviously, many of these people placed in our life are related to us by blood: our parents; our grandparents; aunts; uncles; cousins; etc. Other people such as a spouse or good friends, for example, God may have placed them in our lives to give us support along the way. Each one of us can point out special people in our lives who have supported us or inspired us along the way. I, for my part, can certainly point toward my parents; my grandparents; wonderful, inspiring priests who have blessed me with the Sacraments; I can point to wonderful friends who have been there for me. Each one of these people, I am convinced that God has placed those special people in my life to encourage me along the way. These people have touched my life. They have played a part in forming the person I have become. Certainly, as a priest, I can point towards many wonderful members of churches I have served who have been a wonderful inspiration to me. God places special people in our life to assist us and to inspire us. Let us always remember the fact that for others around us, we may be the one that inspires those around us. You may be the special person that God has placed in that person's life to inspire him or her. Let us always remember to inspire others to greatness. Let us always remember that for the dedicated, committed Christian, we have the potential to be the "Face of Christ" in the world. Let us never forget that God uses us as His instruments in this world to let others know about Him.
Two opportunities to join us for Mass on Sunday, January 31st, 2016:
St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. We also use the King James Version of the Bible. We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . . "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and truly believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time. Come join us every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord. We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.
The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. We also use the King James Version of the Bible. We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . . "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and truly believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time. Come join us every Sunday at 1:00 PM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord. We celebrate Mass in the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church, located at 116 W. South Street (at the corner of South and Pennsylvania Streets) in Greenfield, Indiana.
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