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.

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.

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.

All Saints Day and Its' Importance to Us

“All Saints Day” is a feast traditionally celebrated on November 1^st 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 13^th, 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 1^st 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 1^st.  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.  

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.