Fourth Sunday after Easter, April 24th, 2016
My tongue has caused a wide variety of, how shall we say, adventures in my life. As a priest, I use my tongue to preach about God and use this opportunity to urge people to a greater relationship with Our Blessed Saviour. It is a great and wonderful honour that priests enjoy when they stand before a congregation to tell them about God. That being said, my tongue has also gotten me into a whole lot of trouble in my life, it would seem. I get upset and say things that I shouldn't say. Sometimes I get an attitude and say sarcastic things that I shouldn't say. And when the Cubs blow a lead in the ninth inning and lose the game, I certainly say things that I shouldn't say. Let's face it, I am sure that everyone reading this can say the same thing. We lose our temper and say things out of anger. We get frustrated, both with people and situations, and we say things that we wish we hadn't later on. Even St. James marvels at the little size of the tongue, compared to other parts of our body, and yet, behold all the damage and harm this "little member" can cause: "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" (St. James 3:5) Yes, all of us, including me, have seen what consequences occur after we say something that we should not.
Also from St. James, we hear: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (St. James 1:19). A good rule of thumb, if you will, is to remember that we have TWO ears and only ONE mouth. Therefore, it is probably a good practice to get into by attempting to listen twice as much as we speak. This is hard to do, though, quite frankly. Did you ever notice that even in conversation, very often we are not listening to what the other person is saying to us. Oh, sure, we are quiet while the other person is speaking. But instead of actually listening, we are mainly formulating in our minds what we are going to say when the other person stops talking! We're not really "listening" as much as we're planning on what WE are going to say next! Unfortunately, our prayer life is often like that as well. We are not so much "listening" to what God has to say to us, as much as WE are telling God how it should be. Also, it's hard for most people to listen to God due to all the clamor and chatter from the world around. Have you ever been in a noisy venue such as a restaurant, a bar, a concert, etc., where you just could not hear the other person talking to you due to all of the "external noise" around you? It was very difficult to hear what the other person was speaking to you. This is the same scenario when it comes to prayer, very often. The world around us is so "noisy" that it keeps us from keeping silent and truly listening to God with no distractions. The world is full of distractions that prohibit us from truly listening to God and focusing on God as we ought.
Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Join us as we hear the Word of God speaking to us in a powerful way. Join us as we join together in song. And join us as we come forward to receive Our Blessed Lord in His Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.
Two opportunities to attend church on Sunday, April 24th, 2016:
At 9:30 AM, St. Margaret Church gathers together to worship God. Mass is celebrated in the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.
At 1:00 PM, Holy Spirit Church comes together to worship Our Risen Saviour. Mass is celebrated in the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church, located at 116 W. South Street in Greenfield, Indiana.
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