Sunday, December 31, 2017

Excellency of Power . . . . New Years 2018 Message


Brothers and Sisters, As we are about to celebrate the (secular) New Years, it goes without saying that the vast majority of us wish for better things in the coming year.  As a result, many of us make "New Years Resolutions" and promises of things that we will do better  . .  . or do differently . . . in the coming year.  More than likely, most of these resolutions fall by the wayside after days or weeks into the new year.  But the point is still the same . . . . . as human beings we want better things for not only ourselves but for our loved ones as well.   We want to do better.  We want to act better.  We want to be better.   As human beings, though, we are prone to failure on a frequent basis.  We intend to do good but we end up failing.  As a result we get frustrated through our failure and simply quit trying altogether.  Think of the person, for example, who resolves to stop smoking in the coming new year.  Their intention is marvelous.  Their resolve is to be commended.  And yet when the urge is too great and they break their resolution, they become frustrated and convinced that they can not do it and give up altogether.  How many of us wish that we could do things better . .  . not just in the new year, but throughout the year.  How many of us wish that we could change things for the better?  How many of us, quite frankly, work and work and work on better results in our life and are often left feeling depressed and rejected when we fail?  I remember as a teenager growing up working on a school project.  I was making some sort of model or a model building.  I can not really remember what the exact project was but I do remember clearly my repeated frustration in attempting to put together the model and it kept breaking time and time and time again.  You see, I finally discovered after repeated failures that the materials I was using in making the project were not strong enough.  As a result I had to find something to make the materials stronger so that the project would hold up under the weight and strain.  After this, the project came out beautifully.  But prior to that I was pulling my hair out after repeated failure after failure after failure.

We hear in the Fourth Chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians:  "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."  (II Corinthians 4:7)    As human beings we are weak; we fail; we are lacking; in short, human beings are not perfect.  We resolve to do good but we more often than not miss the mark.  As faithful Christians we know that our success comes through Our Heavenly Father.  In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, we also read:  "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."  (I Corinthians 2:5)  Any wisdom that we have comes from the Almighty.  Any power that we have comes to us from up above.  Any skill, any success, any blessing that we possess was given to us by God. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; our sufficiency is of God."  (II Corinthians 3:5)   In this new year, let us acknowledge the fact that our blessings come to us from God.  Let us acknowledge those gifts and continually give thanks to Our Heavenly Father for all the blessings that He bestows upon us.  And let us resolve to use the skills that God gives to each one us to do His will here on earth.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24th, 2017

Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24th, 2017

"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 project gets completed.  We rejoice at many times over many things, don't we?  And yet most people don't constantly rejoice, do they?   Sometimes our favorite sports team doesn't win the game or the season, for that matter.  I know . . . I'm a Cubs fan . . . . 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 some times 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, 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.

St. Margaret of Scotland Church worships in the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Life Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Come join us for Mass.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the King James Version of the Bible.  

Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, December 24th at 9:30 AM in the Chapel

Mass will also be celebrated Christmas Day, December 25th, at 9:30 AM in the Chapel.

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Third Sunday of Advent, December 17th, 2017

Third Sunday of Advent, December 17th, 2017

For the Third Sunday of Advent, we hear Our Blessed Saviour speaking the praises of His cousin St. John the Baptist:  "What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, `See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' " (St. Matthew 11:2 ff)  In this passage, Our Blessed Saviour is quoting Scripture from the Book of Malachi:  "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: And the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple." (Malachi 3:1)   Two things for us to ponder in regards to these Scripture verses:  Number one, in God, we have such a loving Father that He was not just content to create us and then leave us alone.  No, He loved His creation so much that He not only created us, but He became one of us.  He became a Human Being.  " . .  . and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple . . ."  The Lord did come to His temple . . . . He came to the world as a little innocent child, Who was the Saviour of the world.  Elsewhere, we read:  "And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people"  (Leviticus 26:12)  Our Blessed Saviour has indeed walked among us . . . He is Our God and we are His people.

The second thing for us to always consider is that Our Blessed Saviour desires our assistance.  Let me emphasize, He does not require our assistance, rather, He welcomes our assistance.  He created the universe and He created each one of us.  Anyone that powerful does not need my help and, yet, He desires my help.  `See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'  Like St. John the Baptist . . . like St. Mary . . . like St. Joseph . . .  each one of us are called to prepare the way of the Lord.  We prepare the way of the Lord for others to find God, but we also prepare the way of the Lord to our own hearts.  This is what the holy season of Advent is all about:  to prepare a place for the Christ Child in our hearts.

Join St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church on Sunday, December 17th, 2017 at 9:30 AM as we come together as God's family and worship Our Blessed Saviour in traditional worship.  Join us as we listen to God's Word found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we spend quality time before Our Blessed Saviour and then receive Him in His Precious Body and Blood.  St. Margaret Parish worships each and every Sunday morning at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Coffee Hour follows Mass where delicious goodies and treats are available.  Please consider taking time out of your busy schedule and join us as we prepare a way  for Our Blessed Saviour.

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Second Sunday of Advent, December 10th, 2017

Second Sunday of Advent, December 10th, 2017

"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.

St. Margaret of Scotland  Church worships every Sunday morning at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located on the Northwest side of Indianapolis at 8140 N. Township line Road.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  Come join us for traditional worship.  We use the King James Bible along with the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We gather together to join as God's family to listen to His Word and worship Him and receive Him in His Precious Body and Blood.  Please join us for Mass and then stay with us afterward for our delicious Coffee Hour. 

Saturday, December 2, 2017

First Sunday of Advent, December 3rd, 2017

First Sunday of Advent, December 3rd, 2017

"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.  

St. Margaret Anglican Church meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

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 worship Our Heavenly Father as His family here on earth.  Come receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time so that you can be nourished and fortified for the week ahead.

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Sunday Next Before Advent, November 26th, 2017

Sunday Next Before Advent, November 26th, 2017

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch . . . "  
(Jeremiah 23: 5)

This week, the Church liturgical year is coming to a close.  Next week a brand new year will begin.  This is confusing to most folks because we are so accustomed to the idea of "New Years" being on January 1st.  But for the Church, our "New Year" begins with the first Sunday in Advent.  Thus, for the Church, we are closing out this year and will begin a new year next Sunday.  Whenever we begin something, don't we have hope?  This is certainly true of celebrating "New Years."  We are hoping that the coming "New Year" will be filled with good things.  If you begin a new project certainly you have hope that you will complete the project and it will fulfill the purpose you had for it.  If a window needs to be replaced, for example, you begin the project of changing the window with the hopes of keeping out the weather and other elements.  If you begin a trip, there is excitement and anticipation of reaching your destination.  If you are like me and you enjoy cooking, you certainly will look forward to tasting your new "creation" or the new recipe that you are trying for the first time.  Throughout each of these examples, hope is what motivates us to do what we do.  If we were not hopeful that any of these "projects" would achieve their stated results, why attempt any of them?   "Hope" is something that keeps us motivated to move forward whether we realize it or not.

The Prophet Jeremiah is one of the Major Prophets of the Old Testament.  As a prophet, Jeremiah was warning the people against inevitable judgment, yes, but he also weaves in a message of great hopefulness.  This is what the season of Advent is, which the Church will begin observing next Sunday.  Advent is a season of hope.  Advent is a time to look forward to the coming of the Divine Infant born at Bethlehem.   Unfortunately, in our secular society, we are instead focusing on the season of  "Give me, Give me, Give me" . . . . "Buy me, Buy me, Buy me."  As a result we must force ourselves to focus on the real reason for this time of year:  to anticipate the birth of the Christ Child and the significance of that event for the world.  If you set down and watch the commercials (at this time of year especially) you begin to notice a pattern that hope and joy and fulfillment is achieved with what we buy in the stores.  While it may be true that we can find joy in what we receive and contentment in receiving something that we have wanted for a long time, this joy is only temporary.  We say "temporary" because material things either break,  . . .  or wear out,  . . .  or go out of style.  Or, quite frankly, we lose interest in things that we hoped for because our interests have moved elsewhere.  With God, though, we will always find fulfillment.  With God, we will always be satisfied.  With God, we have true assurance that He will never abandon us.  Jeremiah was telling the people . . . as he is telling us:   Focus on God!  Look for the Messiah!  And also in the words of St. John the Baptist:  "Prepare ye the way of the Lord!"  (St. Mark 1:3)   This is what the season of Advent really is:  a time of preparation of our hearts for the coming of the Messiah into the world.  I know that the holiday season is a busy time of the year for all us, but this year let us do our best to leave aside the ways of the world and to prepare a place in our heart for that small Infant born at Bethlehem two-thousand years ago.

St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM to listen to the Word of God and to worship Our Heavenly Father.  Join us as we take time out of our busy schedule and dedicate that time solely to God.  St. Margaret worships in the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.


Saturday, November 18, 2017

Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, November 19th, 2017

Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, November 19th, 2017

"For our citizenship is in Heaven;"  (Philippians 3:17 ff)

Whenever we go somewhere out of town such as on a day trip or we are travelling to another state, my wife is "amazed"  . . . . my choice of word, not hers . . . . at how fast we get there.  She says I drive fast.  I don't think I drive that fast.  Well, I try not to because:  A) I'm too scared of getting pulled over and getting a ticket; and B) I can't afford the ticket.  Let's just put it this way:  when I start driving I continue driving and driving and driving.  I keep my mind focused on our destination and I don't let anything get between me and where I'm going.  Well, of course there are things that always show you down no matter what:  slow-down's  due to construction . . . or a crash . . . or a stalled vehicle.  Then there are also detours that might slow you down as well.  And you always have to make allowances for bathroom breaks and getting something to eat while you are on the road.  But to the determined driver such as myself, these are only minor inconveniences on the road towards my destination.  Remember that song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough?"  I like the version by Diana Ross best, I think.  But the lyrics in this song demonstrate the determination in a human being to get to the destination:  "Ain't no mountain high enough .   . . . . Ain't no valley low enough    .. . . . . Ain't no river wide enough . . . to keep me from getting to you."   All of us are determined in something, aren't we?  Some of us are determined to get to our destination far away.  Some of us are determined to get promoted or to get another position where we work.  Some of us are determined to obtain a certain item that we would like to possess; whether that item be a new pair of sneakers or a new appliance or a new house.  We save and we work overtime and we cut corners so that we can earn the money to get what we want.  Again, all of us can think of something where we are determined to get something and we will not let anything or anyone get in our way.

In the Third Chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Philippians, St. Paul is reminding the young church who and what they truly are:  "For our citizenship is in Heaven."  In other words, your feet may be here on earth but you need to remember that your heart should be in Heaven.   Let me say that again just so it will sink in:  we need to remember that our heart should be in Heaven and NOT here on earth.  For so many people, their heart is anywhere BUT Heaven.  Their heart is in their possessions . . . their treasures . . . their riches.  Their heart is in their career or getting promotions or getting wealthier.  Their heart is in getting high or drunk.  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  (St. Matthew 6:21)  St. Paul is reminding all of us that our true citizenship is in Heaven and we should keep our mind focused accordingly.  Too many of us forget that fact because our minds get too occupied on the latest distraction that the world throws our way.  Do you ever notice that us human beings are never content?   We never seem to be happy . . . at least for very long.  We get focused on one thing and we work and work and work until we get whatever we were working on.  And we are satisfied for about .. . . . . oh, a minute or two . . . . and then our mind gets diverted to something else that grabs our attention for the time being.  St. Paul is saying to each one of us:  "Hey!  You are a citizen of Heaven!  You are a child of the Most High!  You already have a mansion waiting for you up above!  Why are you messing around with this nonsense down here?"  Let our prayer be today that we keep focused on who we are and what we are.  Let us not get our attention diverted from the fact that our true citizenship is in Heaven and keep our minds focused on that fact.

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  Come hear the Word of God preached from the King James Version and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity, November 12, 2017

Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity, November 12, 2017

". . . . that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment
(Philippians 1:3 ff)

The Epistle to the Philippians has been called by some the "Epistle of Joy" because it is in this epistle that St. Paul makes the point that he does rejoice.  As such, he is asking the Philippians the question, "Do you rejoice?"  Being joyful is certainly a human emotion.  We are joyful just as we are sad.  We are happy just as we are angry.  Depending of course on our mood and circumstances, we can experience just about any mood.  For example, I may be anxious and joyful about going to Opening Day of the baseball season and then I find out the weather forecast calls for Storms all day.  As a result I am then disappointed and sad instead of happy and joyful.  Again, human beings have the potential to "love" all kinds of things, don't we?  We "love" food, for instance.  If you would ask me the question as to what kinds of food do you enjoy, more than likely I would respond:  "Oh, I just love fried chicken."  Or I might say that I love to eat German food.  Again, it is not limited to food as to what we "love."   If someone happens to mention a show out of the blue that you like and you jump in, "Oh, I just love that show!"  "I just love that move."  Human beings tend to "love" all kinds of things:  fads . . . . clothing . . . shoes. . . .  food . . . . Hollywood stars . . . . sports teams . . . . hobbies . . . .  We could go on and on.  We love what we are interested in.  We love what brings us joy and satisfaction.  We love the things that entertain us.  St. Paul is telling us though to remember that true love is realized in the things of God as opposed to the things in the world.  Yes, there are things in the world that do bring us joy.  There are things in the world that do satisfy us for a time.  But true love and true satisfaction only resides in our relationship with God.  As such our true joy and contentment will also be found in letting others know about our love for God.  Have you ever been to a wonderful restaurant and you were so pleased with the food, also with the service, perhaps even with the price of the meal.  And you just couldn't wait to tell somebody about your experience.  The same thing happens when you see a movie or a show that you truly enjoy.  You just can't wait to tell others about your experience:  "Hey, let me tell you about a great movie I saw last night .  . . ."   This is only natural for human beings:  to share their experience of life.  Thus, St Paul is telling us as he was telling the Philippians, Let your joy be shared among others.  Let others know why you are joyful.  Share with one another the joy that you have.  And of course our joy as Christians is our love for God Himself.   All the joys . . .  all the satisfactions that this world has to offer are only temporary.   The things we love in this world are not meant to be long-lasting:  either they will wear out . . .  or they will break . . .  or they will rust away . .  . but the love that God offers us is everlasting.   In this should we find our true love.  It is the love of God that we should find our real love in . . .  our real contentment . .  our real satisfaction.  So many of us find our satisfaction solely in the things of the world.  This is a mistake because we can not take the "things of the world" with us when we die.  The only thing that we can carry over to the next life is our love of God.  Let us use our time wisely in this world to develop a love for the things of God and not for the things of the world.

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday at 9:30 AM.  We worship God in the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Please feel free to join us as we gather together to worship Our Heavenly Father and listen to His Word.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

St. Gemma Galgani



"Who is St. Gemma Galgani?," you might be asking yourself.  I certainly understand because I was asking the same question close to thirty years ago when I was still a young seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo in Philadelphia.  When I first began my career at St. Charles I had met a seminarian, who was in one of the years below me.  I believe he was in First or Second College.  And somehow we got on the conversation of Padre Pio, whom I had a great devotion to at the time . . . and still do . . . . maybe I gave this seminarian a holy card of Padre Pio, I do not remember the exact circumstances beyond that but he asked me a very simple question, "Have you ever heard of St. Gemma Galgani?"  Well, to be honest, no, I had not heard about St. Gemma Galgani.  This seminarian went on to tell me what he knew about St. Gemma.   Certainly, the thing that piqued my interest was the fact that she had the Stigmata of Our Lord.  Back then, keep in mind, this was before the Internet was available to the masses, so to speak.    So, information was not as readily available nor certainly as easy or as quickly to obtain as it is now with the advent of search engines like Yahoo and Google.  So I found out information about St. Gemma the old-fashioned way:  I went down to the library and I looked up some information about our dear St. Gemma.   I found out that she wanted with all her heart to become a nun.  But due to health issues and other factors, she was not able to fulfill her dream of joining a religious order.  I also learned that she received the gift of the Stigmata.  In other words, she bore the Wounds of Our Lord after the Crucifixion.   And, finally, I learned that she had a love for the Cross of Our Lord, a love for His Sorrowful Passion.  Through her suffering, she grew to appreciate the suffering that Our Lord suffered on our behalf, to atone for our sins. 

Certainly, all of these things were very impressive.  St. Gemma has so much to teach to each one of us, but only if we will take the time to listen about Our Lord's Passion and His Cross.  St. Gemma can teach us, yes, but again, this will take place only if we make the point to listen and pay attention.  The lesson that St Gemma wants to teach us is  that we should run to the Cross and not run away from the Cross.  So often in life we do everything we can to avoid the crosses in our lives.  We do not want to suffer.  We do not want to bear pain.  We do not want to deal with negative things in our life.  And all of this, quite frankly, is understandable.  None of us wants to deal with pain and suffering.  And, yet, St. Gemma teaches us that in every life there is joy and yet there is also suffering.  And St. Gemma shows  us the gift of dealing with suffering and pain when it does come into our life.  Because it is through our pain, our misery, our trials and tribulations, . ..  it is through these things that we get a small glimpse into what Our Blessed Lord suffered on our behalf:  He dealt with pain, with loss, with rejection, with humiliation, with suffering. . . .  He dealt with everything that we deal with in life . . . and more!   Thus, we learn from Our Lord how to be patient with our suffering.  This is the lesson that St. Gemma learned and this is the lesson that St. Gemma teaches us . . .   if only we make a point to pay attention.  You see, suffering is a part of life.  Each one of us will deal with tragedy at one point or another.  Each one of us will have to endure pain.  Each one of us may have to endure humiliation and suffering at some point or another.  And, as stated earlier, it is our first reaction to run from these things.  And, yet, Our Lord did not run when He was faced with suffering, with rejection, with pain, with misery.  He accepted it and moved forward.  So, too, we must embrace our own personal crosses in life.  It is often through the our crosses that we not only grow stronger but also learn from them as well.

On a personal level, St. Gemma has been so good to me.  As I moved through my years of the seminary, and courses and course-work seemed to get more and more difficult, I could always feel St. Gemma praying for me and sending her heavenly assistance to me in times of need.  She pointed out Christ to me in His Passion.  She helped me to appreciate my own personal crosses as never before.  And she assisted me when I asked her to pray for me.   In St. Gemma, I felt as though I had a special friend in Jesus.  Ever since I learned about her, she has become very dear to me. 

Some people question why we should have devotion to the saints.  It is a fair question and my answer would be a simple one:  the saints help to inspire us to greatness; the saints lead us closer to God not only through their words but also through the way in which they led their lives; and, finally, the saints become our friends, our companions on this journey called life.  St. Gemma has indeed become a very dear companion to me on my Christian journey.  She has assisted me when I found myself in times of difficulty.  She led me closer to God through her inspiration.  She has helped me to find the courage and the strength to stay close to the Cross of Our Saviour and to not run away. 




Saturday, November 4, 2017

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, November 5th, 2017

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, November 5th, 2017

"Put on the whole armour of God"  (Ephesians 6:10 ff)

In this Sixth Chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians, we hear St. Paul finishing up his epistle (or his letter) to the church at Ephesus.  St. Paul is doing his best to encourage the young church to face the world and all the dangers the world offers.  Certainly, we in our own day and age need this encouragement as well.   If anything, the devil is working overtime to do what he can to try to secure his "kingdom" here on the earth.  He does that very simply by taking our attention away from God.   How can we focus on God and doing God's will when we are so busy focusing on the many diversions placed along our path:  riches . . .  money . . .  power . . . possessions (whether they be clothing, or expensive shoes, or electronics, or cars, etc.  . . . . . television . . . movies . . .  the internet . . . .  drugs . . . . alcohol . . .  The list of distractions that Satan places in our path seems to grow generation by generation.   He does everything he can to divert our attention away from God.  As a result, just as St. Paul was reminding the Ephesians, so too is he reminding us:  "Put on the whole armour of God!"

St. Paul is using the image of a soldier and as such he is describing everything the soldier either wears or possesses in order to help keep him safe.  St. Paul writes that we should put on this "armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the devices of the devil."  Satan is certainly crafty, if nothing else.  Give credit where credit is due.  The devil has made his "devices" that keep us away from God to be so appealing, to be so enticing, we can not but run to them . . . to want them . . . to desire them.  And as such it becomes that much more difficult to resist them.  All the more reason, St. Paul writes, to put on the whole armour of God:  " . . .  take the armour of God that you may be able to stand against them in the evil day . . . ."  Soldiers wear what they wear to help protect them in battle.  Soldiers use weapons in battle to secure the upper hand, so to speak.   So, too, we are in a battle.  Make no mistake about it.  St. Paul used this imagery to remind the Ephesians just as we need to be reminded:  we are in a battle . . . . a spiritual battle.  And, as such, we need to be protected just as any soldier is in battle.  We need to "put on the whole armour of God" to help protect us as well as we fight Satan and his minions here on earth.

"Stand with truth as a belt about your waist."  Jesus Christ is the Truth!  Jesus came to earth to remind us of Our Heavenly Father and how He loves us.  Everything else is fading but God's love will never fade.  Never forget the truth that you possess!  "Put on righteousness as a breastplate."  So many of us in the world today leave ourselves "wide open" to attack by forgetting who we are first and foremost.  We go into the world on a daily basis forgetting that we are "Children of the Most High" and not acting as such.  We are more interested in "fitting in" with every one else by what we wear  . . . and how we talk . . . and how we act  . . .  and what we do.   We ought to be more interested in whether or not we are living by God's standards and not the world's standards.  "Have your feet shod with the readiness to preach the gospel of peace."  We should always be ready to preach.  Preaching the Glory of God not only with our mouth but preaching by the way we live our life.   Just as any preacher or teacher needs to know what he or she is going to say, so too we need to be ready to preach by being prepared.  This preparation requires study of God's Word and a knowledge of Him and what He wants for us in our life.  "Put on the helmet of Salvation."  Always be thankful for the many gifts that God has given you:  the gift of life . . . . the gift of health . . . the gift of having a roof over your head and food on your table.  God gives us many gifts throughout our lifetime.  But the one gift that God gives us that is greater than all of the others combined in the gift of Salvation!  God offers us a gift that is so great it can never be measured.  Always remember this gift.  Always treasure it.  And never take it for granted.

As we go into the world, there are many snares and traps waiting for us.  Let us always be stand ready.  Let us always be prepared.  Let us always use the "armour" that God has seen fit to supply us with.  Let us never go into battle unprepared for what faces us.

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM to gather together as God's family so that we worship God in a traditional liturgy.  We use the King Jame Version of the Bible.  We also use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We listen to what God is saying to us and open our hearts to hear His Word.  And then we receive His Most Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.


Saturday, October 28, 2017

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 29th, 2017


Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, Sunday, October 29th, 2017

"So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:"  (St. Matthew 22:1 ff)

In the Twenty-Second Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, Our Blessed Saviour is telling the story of the king who made a marriage-feast for his son.  Now, as the story goes, Our Lord says that the invited guests "made light" of the invitation and decided not to show up for a variety of reasons:   . . . . . "one to his farm, another to his merchandise . . . ."  Now the fact that none of the invited guests showed up once the feast was ready upset the king greatly.  As a result the king instructed his servants to bring guests to the feast, no matter who they were.  Our Lord continues the story as He relates the instructions of the king to his servants:  "Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests."  Now, there are a number of things we could say about this story but I would like to point out two important considerations:

1)  The first thing I would like to point out in this story is that the servants invited as many as they could  . . . . and Our Lord continues . . . . "both bad and good."  Why would Our Lord make the statement "both bad and good?"  Remember the main reason why Our Lord is telling this story to begin with is that He is comparing it to the Kingdom of God.  So, we should always remember that God has love for both the "bad and good."  Our Lord died on the Cross for both the "bad and good."  And Our Heavenly Father invites both the "bad and good" to be with Him in Heaven.   How often though do we not show love to those whom we deem to be "bad?"  How often in our life do we not reach out to certain people because we think of ourselves as "good" and them "bad?"  Our Lord came to this earth to tell everyone  . . . . both bad and good . . . about the Kingdom of God.  He came to instruct everyone in regards to His Heavenly Father.  He did not come to just save the "good."   He came for the "bad" as well.   If Our Blessed Saviour did not differentiate between who was "good" and who was "bad,"  why should we?

2)  The second consideration we should make point to remember is that the original invited guests did not show up because they were more concerned with other things.  Our Lord states that the original invited guests "made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise . . .  "  How many of us in the world "make light" of God's invitation because we are too concerned with "things of the world."  How many of us are too distracted by things in the world to even pay attention to what God is calling us to?  The world offers so many distractions that catch our attention and divert us away from God.  We need to be always vigilant to stay focused on God and not on the things of the world.  This story should help remind us of the importance of this fact that we should stay focused on "things of above" and not on "things below."

Please join us on Sunday, October 29th, 2017 as we gather together to worship Our Blessed Saviour.  St. Margaret Church meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM to listen to the Word of God and to receive the Blessed Body and Blood of Christ at Communion time.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Please join us.

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity, October 22nd, 2017

Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 22nd, 2017

". . . that yet henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk" (Ephesians 4:17 ff)

Have you ever been to a restaurant that you have never been to before but you heard rave reviews about it?  Now these rave reviews could have been from critics on the local TV news program or it could have been a published review in the local newspaper or it could have been by word of mouth from your friends or coworkers.  And so you decide to go there simply because you have heard so many great things about the food.  And then once you go there for yourself you decide that it certainly didn't live up to the hype.  It was OK, you say to yourself, but it wasn't any different from any other restaurant.  This could be said of a TV show or a movie as well for that matter.  We read fantastic reviews and hear great things and then we go see it for ourselves and it just doesn't do anything for us.   It was OK, we tell ourselves but it just wasn't any different from the previous ten westerns we saw.  . . or the ten previous romances we saw .  . . . etc.  There are certain things that stand apart from all the rest.  Whether they be great sports teams or great restaurants . . .  . it could be great movies . . . . or great companies to work for . . . .. Even certain "days" will stand out from others.  Holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving stand out from the Monday of an ordinary work week, for example.   Your graduation day, . . . the day you were married . . . . Again, these are days that stand out from the rest.

We could go on and on but I think it's clear by now the point that I'm trying to make:  Certain things stand out . . . they are different . . . . they are not like the rest.  Christianity is like that.  Or it is supposed to be like that.  It should be different, St. Paul is writing to the Ephesians.  Now, St. Paul is focusing on the fact that once you become a Christian, you are a new person.  You are a changed person.  You are not as you were previously.  You are a new creature!   "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."  (II Corinthians 5:17)  When we have Christ in our life, we are new creatures!   It is not the "same old thing."   We view life differently.  We see people differently.  We do not see the world as we previously did.  We see the world now as Christ would have us view the world.   Now let me point out something very important before I go any further.  This is not to say that Christians consider themselves better than anyone else.  St. Paul was not saying that and neither am I.  Christ came to serve and He is calling us to do likewise.  This is certainly part of what sets us apart from the world.  While the rest of the world is focusing on what they can obtain:  power and riches that only the world can offer.  The Christian is focusing on how to do the will of God.   We are called as Christians to stand apart from the world . . .  to be different from the world . . . Christians live in the world, yes, but they are not of the world.  There is certainly a difference between the two:  "living in the world" and "being of the world."   This is why Christians are viewed as hypocrites by their critics when they see Christians acting one way in church and when they get outside of church, they are acting just like everybody else.   "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."  (Ephesians 4:24)  We are new.   God has made us new.  Through our baptism, God has washed away our sins.   He has made us a new creature.  We are new in Him!  So many people in the world are simply reflections of the world.  They want to be like everyone else by wearing the same thing . . . the same shoes . . . . the same jeans.  They want to think the same way as everyone else . . . do the same thing as everyone else.  As Christians, we want to do what Christ would do.   We want to reflect the love of God to the world  . . . . not reflect the world in our lives!  People should look at us and tell that we are different.  "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (St. Matthew 7:20)

Join us on Sunday morning as we gather together to worship Our Blessed Saviour as family.  St. Margaret Church meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  We worship at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.   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 receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ at Communion time.


Saturday, October 14, 2017

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 15th, 2017


Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 15th, 2017

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (St. Matthew 22:34 ff)

In this Twenty-Second chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, the Pharisees are listening once again to what Our Lord has to say.  Now, bear in mind that St. Matthew tells us first that the Pharisees had heard that Our Lord had put the Sadducees to silence.  Thus, the Pharisees more than likely took this as a challenge.  In other words,  "We can do much better than the Sadducees.  We will take care of this this one once and for all!"   St. Matthew continues on that one of the Pharisees was a lawyer and tempting Our Lord asked Him: "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Now, this was an easy question for Our Lord to answer because every devout Jew would have been known how to answer this question.  This is because Our Blessed Saviour is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5, which again every devout Jew would have known as the "Shema," which we could describe as the essential or most basic creed of Judaism.  And then Our Lord also quotes Leviticus 19:18 when He says:  "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."  Keep in mind that by linking the two verses together He was making the point that we show love for God by the way in which we show love to others.  In other words, Our Lord would ask "How can you say that you love God up in Heaven if you can not even show love to those around you?"  It is a fair question, honestly.  How many times do we hear about tragedies or fights or situations where people are being cruel to others.  In recent memory, we are still questioning why so many people were killed in Las Vegas.  For that matter, why are so many people shot on the streets of Chicago?  Or New York?  Or Memphis?  Or any city that we can think of.  Why is there murder and crime and rape and theft and . . .  . ??????????  Why are there so many examples throughout the world of people hating one another?  If we look back to what Our Lord stated . . . specifically when He quoted Leviticus 19:18 . . . . the answer may be "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."  The bottom line is that there is such lack of love in the world because there is a lack of love in regards to God.  Love for others will only increase when we begin to focus more on loving God and desiring to serve God.  Hatred of others . . . whether it results in murder . . . . or jealousy . . .  or theft . . . or gossiping . . . . When we show hatred towards others, it is because we have a lack of love for God.  We must always remind ourselves that we are made in the image of God.  Does this mean that God looks like us?  No, God is certainly not physical in that sense.  So when we speak about being made in the image of God, it is referring to the fact that God is love.  It is when we show love that we reflect the image of God within us.  When we hate others.  When we we are jealous of others.  When we despise others.  This means that we are not reflecting the love of God as we ought.   God calls us to show His face to the world around us.  We do this not only by what we say . .  . but also by how we act . . .  and how we show love to others around us.  Let us reflect the love of God to those around us.  Or should I say let each of us be a better reflection of God to those around us.

St. Margaret Church meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Please join us.

Monday, October 9, 2017

All Saints Day and Its' Importance to Us


“All Saints Day” is a feast traditionally celebrated on November 1st of every year in our Western Church.  Keep in mind that the development of the actual universal Solemnity of All Saints may be somewhat confusing and hard to trace.  Why do we suggest this?  Because, keep in mind that various local churches celebrated their own “local” versions of All Saints Day from the earliest centuries.  One of the earliest origins of what has come to be known as All Saints Day dates all the way back to around the year 609 when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon in Rome to the Blessed Mother and all the Martyrs of the Church.  This feast of All Saints was celebrated on May 13th, though.  But even prior to this, we can see Church Fathers such as St. John Chystostom, for example, who assigned a date to commemorate a day in honor of All Saints.  His date was not set as November 1st as we know it, though.  It was celebrated on the First Sunday after Pentecost, where it is still celebrated in Eastern Churches to this day.   It was about the time of Pope Gregory III where the celebration of All Saints was commemorated  on November 1st.  Prior to this, as mentioned earlier, various churches in various countries around the world celebrated their own All Saints day at various dates throughout the year.   The point that we need to focus on in pointing out this brief history of sorts for All Saints Day is that Christians throughout the world were interested in celebrating and commemorating those Christians who had gone before them.  Again, this is not a new feast, in other words.  It is an ancient practice dating back to the earliest centuries of the church.   Many need to bear in mind that not only Roman Catholics and Orthodox but also Anglicans as well as even Lutherans and Methodists also celebrate All Saints Day.  Which now leads us into the importance and the underlying meaning of the Feast of All Saints to the Church in general and us as individuals.

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." (Ephesians 2:19)

I have a wonderful group of friends.  Well, I think that I do.  And you probably do as well.   I know that if I am ever in trouble, I can go to them.    If I ever need a shoulder to cry on, they are there always waiting to listen.  If I have a prayer intention, no matter how large or small, they are ready and willing to pray and take my intentions to God.  If I ever need inspiration, I can just look to them and be inspired by their stories of devotion and heroism for God.  I have many wonderful friends . . . . St. Gemma . . . . and St. Jude . . . . and St. Philomena . . . . St. John Neumann  . . . .  St. Margaret of Scotland . . . .  These friends which I have just mentioned and so many more that have inspired me over the years . . . . these friends that I am referring to are the saints in Heaven and we make a special remembrance of them on November 1st . . . .  All Saints Day.

It stands to reason that if we have a problem, we will more than likely turn to a friend.  If we need someone to pray for us, we will sent out a prayer request and invite friend and stranger alike to pray for us and our intention.  If we need emotional support, we will again turn to those who care for us:  our friends, our loved ones, those who care about us.   We can turn to them because we can trust them.  There are those people in our life which care for us and expect nothing in return.  These dear souls only want the best for us.  Whether they be parents, . . .  or grandparents, . . .  aunts . . .  uncles . . . . teachers . . . . .  These individuals show love and support to us and expect nothing in return because they only want the best for us.  That is their reward.  This is called "Unconditional love."  So, too, the Saints in Heaven have our best intentions at heart because they want to see the best for us; namely, they want us to have a better relationship with Our Heavenly Father.

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worth to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (St. Luke 21:36)

Our Lord's advice to the early apostles is the same advice which He prescribes for all of us:  Pray!  Prayer is the greatest weapon that any of us can ever hope to possess.   When I was a young priest . . . . well, actually even before when I was still a deacon . . . . and then further on after I had been ordained as a priest,  I had the great fortune of knowing a wonderful bishop.   Bishop James Mote was his name.   Well, I learned a great deal being in the presence of Bishop Mote.   One of the sayings which I would hear him speak frequently was:  "Play dirty and pray!"  Many people did not have a clue as to what exactly was meant when he said this.  But those who knew Bishop Mote knew exactly what he meant.  When we pray, we have a direct line to the Almighty.  When we pray, we are in communication with Our Heavenly Father.  When we pray, we have faith that things will happen.  Things will indeed happen when we pray.  Sometimes even we will change.   Bishop Mote knew all things are possible when we pray.  He knew that miraculous things happen when we pray.  And he knew that change will take place . . . . even if it is us that changes.

"Pray without ceasing." (I Thessalonians 5:17)

The saints in Heaven provide for us something to aspire to.  When I say that, of course I mean that we can look at their example:  their faithfulness to God and constant prayers.  The saints inspire us to greatness, quite frankly, when we read their various stories.  Great men and women throughout history.  Whether they be Kings and Queens or whether they be common, ordinary people like you or I.   All the saints in Heaven have one thing in common:  their love for God ultimately was their greatest desire.  And isn't this what all of us are called to?  Our love for Our Heavenly Father should motivate us in everything that we do in life.  Our love for God should influence how we interact with others around us . . . how we treat people . . . . how we view people.  So often in life, we are simply motivated solely by selfish desires:  for food . . . for wealth . . .  for possessions . . . for riches.   The saints are motivated by their love for God and the desire to do His will.  

November 1st,  All Saints Day, provides the Church with ample opportunity to honor those who have inspired us by their lives.  The saints have provided each one of us an example of those that have gone before us and what motivated them:  namely, their love for God.  The saints in Heaven, whether they were great kings or queens . . . whether they were powerful leaders or soldiers . . . . whether they were humble, ordinary people just like you and I . . . . each one of these friends in Heaven provide us with an example of drawing closer to God.  Each one of us is invited by God to have a relationship with Him.  The saints accepted this invitation.  The saints made their lives a witness of faithfulness to God.   So, too, we should follow their example and lead a faithful life devoted to God and being God's witnesses here in this world.  

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, October 8th, 2017

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, October 8th, 2017

"For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted"  (St. Luke 14:11)

In the Fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear about the time that Our Blessed Saviour went to the home of one of the chief Pharisees.  In the very first verse of this chapter, St. Luke tells us that those there were watching Our Lord.  The fact that St. Luke points this out shows that the Pharisees were waiting and watching for Our Lord to do something or say something they could use against Him.  As He was there at the home, He cured a man with the dropsy.  Now, keep in mind "dropsy" is another name for edema, or swelling beneath the skin.  Now, seeing this man led Our Lord into a discussion about whether or not it would be permissible to heal on the Sabbath.  Our Lord tells the parable of the man who was invited to a wedding.  And when the man got there, Our Lord tells us,  the man just assumed that he was supposed to sit in the highest seat.  But Our Lord went on to say, much to the man's embarrassment and shame, that the "higher seat" was saved for someone more important and, as a result, the man had to remove himself from the seat of honor and go down to a less important place.   Our Lord's advice to those that we listening and to us as well was to not be so "full of ourselves" in regards to importance.  

In this age in which we live, each one of us should read this Fourteenth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel with great care.  For each one of us could learn from it if only we would heed Our Lord's advice.  In this age of social media, we run the risk of thinking that our opinion is the only opinion . . . . the only one that matters, that is.  We expect everyone else to not only listen to what we have to say, but we first assume that everyone else is interested in what we have to say to begin with.  Whether it be posting pictures of what we are eating or posting updates of where we are going.  In the world of social media, it does not take much effort to let the whole world know . . . . . at least the whole "cyber-world" . . . . .  know what we are doing; what we are eating; how we feel about any given subject; etc.  And God forbid, if we disagree with anything that we see.  We will sit right down and let that person know in no uncertain terms that we do not agree and how wrong the other person is.  

Now, bear in mind that I am not criticizing others around me because I post things on Facebook and Google and other such places, I post really important things like:   pictures of my dog . . . . pictures of what meal I am eating . . . . .  updating the status of where I am at currently . . . where I was . . . . where I am going to be . . .  I list my "likes" and my "dislikes" . .. . . . my favorite TV shows .  . .  movies . . . . . types of pasta that I enjoy eating . . . . . It goes on and on.   Now I realize that I am not the only one that does this because I see countless others in the Social Media world do the same exact thing.  The risk that I want to point out is that when dealing with Social Media, we are constantly dealing with "my world:"  the things I like; the things I don't like; the things I agree with; the things I don't agree with; what I'm doing; where I'm going; pictures of me; pictures of my food; pictures of my pets; pictures of . . . .  my . . .  . me . . . .  I . . . . .  In the world of social media, the emphasis is always on "me, myself, and I."  In the world of Social Media, in my humble opinion, we run the risk of getting an over-inflated ego of how important we are.  Yes, we are important but we have to keep in mind why we are important and keep things in perspective.   We are important because God thinks we are important.  Not because we ourselves think we are important.  We are important because God sent His Only-Begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  We are important because God saw fit to raise His Son from the dead so that in conquering death, we have hope.  Without Jesus, we would only have death in our future.  With Jesus, we have hope.  We are assured that Our Lord goes before us to prepare us a place . . . . to be with Him for eternity.   Yes, we are important . . . .  we are important to God.  Important enough that the Son of God carried the Cross and died on the Cross so that you and I would not have to . . . . even though it is us that deserve to be there.  Yes, I am important but not because of the pictures I post of my pet or my food or not even because of my opinions that I hold on countless topics.  I am not important based on the neighborhood where I live . . .  or where I work  . . .  . or what kind of clothes I wear or shoes I own . . . . .  . I am important because God loves me and I am important to Him.  We should always keep this important fact in mind and humble ourselves before God.

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we join together as God's family and worship Our Heavenly Father.  Join us as we come to the altar to be fed the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  And, finally, please stay after Mass for some fellowship at our coffee hour.

St. Margaret Anglican Church worships at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 1st, 2017

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 1st, 2017

" For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 3:13)

I avoid watching the news on TV as much as possible.  But it has been virtually impossible to avoid seeing and hearing about the so-called "Anthem" protests that have sprung up around the NFL and other sports as well.  It is everywhere you look . . . .  the news on TV . . . . newspaper articles . . .  . Sports Illustrated cover stories . . . . social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.   Everybody, and I do mean everybody, has an opinion about what is going on with specific players and/or teams kneeling down while the National Anthem is playing.  Now, in essence there is no need to re-hash all the details because we all know what is happening.  It does seem to me to be a good time to focus on the Third Chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians.  In this chapter, St. Paul is attempting to help the Ephesians understand . . . . or should I say, "appreciate"  . . . . . what God has done, the miracles He has performed, the graces that He has given and bestowed, the mysteries that He has revealed.  St. Paul is writing to show that the gift of salvation that was first offered to the people of Israel is now extended to us Gentiles as well.  And as such, St. Paul writes in verse 14:  "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . "  To me, St. Paul is correct.  In my opinion, this is what every Christian should focus on at this time.  It is God Who deserves our humble adoration.  It is Our Blessed Saviour to Whom we should "take a knee."  Elsewhere, we read:  "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." (Romans 14:11).   Our Heavenly Father is the One to Whom we owe everything.  He is the One that we should kneel down in adoration before.

  Philippians 2:10-11 says it perfectly:  "That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  It seems to me that there are a whole host of ways to protest things you don't agree with:   marching peacefully, .  . . . signing a petition, . . . . voting and/or running for political office yourself . . . . boycotting specific businesses or not buying certain products . . . .  etc, etc, etc.  One of the beautiful things about our nation is that we are free to make statements.  All of us have an opinion.  My opinion may not match up with your opinion but that doesn't mean my opinion is better than yours.  We are free to disagree.  We are free to stand up and let our voice be heard.  You and I have a right to peacefully protest what we do not agree with.  That much is a given.  But that being said, "taking a knee" during the National Anthem is not a proper way to protest, in my very humble opinion.  If we "take a knee," it should be for the right reason.  As a Christian, if we "take a knee," it should be done to glorify and acknowledge the glory and majesty of Our Blessed Saviour.  If we "take a knee," it should be in honor of Our Heavenly Father, Who created Heaven and earth.  If we "take a knee," it should be done in humble adoration and thanksgiving at the foot of the Cross on which the Saviour of the world laid down His life to pay our debt . . .  not His, but ours.  And, finally, if we "take a knee," we should bow down in humble adoration and pray for ourselves and pray for our country.  Pray for forgiveness in the ways we have failed, for the ways in which we have made mistakes.  But also pray in thanksgiving that God has blessed us so abundantly as a nation.  To me, these are the reasons we should "take a knee" . . . .  to honor God and to pray to Our Heavenly Father, Who has blessed us and continues to bless us despite our failings.

Mass is celebrated in the Chapel of Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the northwest side of Indianapolis.  Join us as we hear the Word of God preached from the King James Version of the Bible.  Listen to the Word of God speaking to you.   Spend time as God's family in solemn worship of God, taking time out of the busy schedule of life and devoting one hour to God.  And receive Our Blessed Lord in His Precious Body and Blood to help sustain us and nourish us for the journey called life.

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 24, 2017


Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 24, 2017

"Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (St. Matthew 6:24)

In the Sixth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Saviour giving what has come to be known as His "Sermon on the Mount."  Now, bear in mind that this sermon begins back at the beginning of Chapter Five in St. Matthew's Gospel and it finishes up at the end of Chapter Seven.  So the passage that we are dealing with is somewhere near the middle, give or take.  If you look through chapters Five through Seven in this Gospel, you will be able to see for yourself a wide arrange of subjects/topics that Our Blessed Saviour talks about.  But in the passage that we are covering today deals with a very important topic.  I say "very important" because it is one that certainly still has bearing to our generation some two-thousand years later.

In Verse 24 of this Sixth Chapter, Our Lord states:  "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

As devout Christians, we are called to place God first and foremost in our life.  I am sure that every single one of you that is reading this would agree with that statement.  God should hold the utmost place in our life.  Period.  And yet as human beings we know that we are ruled very often by, how shall I put it, "base desires of the flesh," if you will.  In other words, people want to satisfy their desires at THAT particular moment.  For example, if I am hungry my stomach will rule my actions until I fill that hunger.  If I get focused on buying a new pair of shoes, for example, I will plan out when I can go to the mall and look for that particular pair of shoes that I want to buy.  If the shoes are expensive, I may have to wait until I save up the money . . . . work overtime . . .  until I get enough to buy the shoes.   How about the alcoholic man or woman that "lives for the next drink?"  And yet so many of us . . . myself included . . . . "live" for the next gadget or doo-dad or meal or pair of sneakers, etc, etc, etc.  We can all come up with our own examples of "what we live for."

We focus our efforts, . . . we focus our time . . . . we focus our energies into obtaining things of the world.  Again, in this same "Sermon on the Mount," Our Lord states:  "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:" (St. Matthew 6:20)

Our Lord states the obvious.  How many "treasures" do we own . . . how many "treasures" have we placed so much of our time and effort into acquiring? . . . . how many of these "treasures" are now "out of style," "out of date," "broken," "last years model," "rusted away"     Whether it be clothing that has gone "out of style" or technology that has been "outdated."  So much of our time and effort and energy is spent on things of this world that does not last.

Our Lord continues in Verse Twenty-One:  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  (St. Matthew 6:21)  So many of us in the world have our "treasure" here below.  As Christians, our true "treasure" should be up above and not down below.   God calls us to a mansion up above where we will spend eternity.  We should spend our time preparing for that mansion that we are called to.   Let us spend our time focusing our attentions on "things above" and less time focusing on "things below."  Our Blessed Saviour assures us that we will always be taken care of by Our Heavenly Father.  Let us do our part, yes . . . let us work as we are called to do . . . .but let us focus on living for God and placing our trust in Him.  And let us always remember where our true treasure is . . . .up above and not below.

St. Margaret Church gathers together every Sunday morning for Mass at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  Please join us as we gather together to worship Our Heavenly Father.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the King James Version of the Bible.

Friday, September 22, 2017

Remembering God in Times of Trouble


The Old Testament Book of Job deals mainly with the eternal question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"  Practically since the beginning of time people have asked this very question:  Why do bad things happen?  I've even heard people ask "Why does God allow bad things to happen?"  Well, again, people have been asking this question for countless generations.  Thus, we are no alone.  We are in good company.

Let us look at the beginning of the Fourth Chapter of the Book of Job (Job Chapter Four, Verses 1-5) , as we read about Jobs' friends that are beginning to counsel Job:

1
"Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2If we assay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can withhold himself from speaking?
3Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands.
4Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.
5
But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled."

In the above passage, one of Jobs' friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, is basically saying to Job:  "Look, Job, you have spoken to so many of us when we were troubled.  You counseled us . . . you gave us advice . . .  you gave us strength when we needed it."  In other words, Eliphaz is praising Job for being so strong and inspiring to so many when bad things happened to them.  But then Eliphaz continues and questions Job:

 "Job, now, that the shoe is on the other foot, in other words, now that bad times have fallen on you, why are you suddenly troubled all of a sudden?  Job, how come your faith in the Almighty was so strong when things were good and now you are questioning when things seem to hit rock-bottom?"

Eliphaz is correct.  How many of us seem to be so strong when things are going great.  How many of us is our faith life just wonderful when life is dandy . . . . when there are no problems . . .  when life is without care or concern?  But then as soon as we hit a road-block, all the sudden we begin to moan and cry and complain about how life is so difficult and hard?  Has this ever happened to you?  It sure has to me.  When something bad happens . . . . whether it be the sudden loss of a job . . . . a bad medical report from the doctor . .. . it could be the loss of a loved one . . . . when we get in a jam over something stupid we have done . . . . whatever the reason, don't we start to lament, and cry and feel sorry for ourself?  Well, that is certainly what Job did.  And this is why Eliphaz said what he did.  Because Eliphaz was not only speaking to Job, he was speaking to each one of us.  Listen, I don't have any answers as to why bad things happen to good people.  I don't even know why bad things happen to begin with.  But I have lived long enough to realize that life is not just about happiness and sunshine.  Life is a whole mixture of things:  good . . . bad . . . happiness . . .  sorrow . . .  sickness . . .  prosperity . . . . joy  . . . . weariness . . .  We could go on and on but you get the picture.  Life is filled with good and bad.  We are never guaranteed a perfect life.  In a certain sense, life is what we make it.  But in order to guarantee that we have a good life, a fulfilling life, a rewarding life is to spend our life close to God.  Some people only go to God when they get in trouble.  And when things run smoothly, they forget about God.  As people of faith, we know that sometime the road will be rocky for us.  But if we stay close to God and always keep Him close to us, those rocks will seem smoother.  None of us is guaranteed an easy life.  None of us is promised a perfect life without cares or troubles.  But for the faithful Christian who stays close to Christ, we are promised an easier life when life hits us the hardest.