First Sunday after Christmas, December 30th, 2018

First Sunday after Christmas Day, December 30th, 2018

When my wife makes up her mind about something . . . .  end of discussion . . .  game over.   I don't even waste my time saying anything else because when she makes up her mind about something   . . . .  she definitely makes up her mind.  I suppose all of us are like that to a certain degree.  When we set our mind on something.  When we get focused on something.  When we decide on something.   When we get fixated on something.  We say in our mind: "I'm going to do it."  "This is how it's got to be."  "There's no other choice."   It's almost as if, yes, we have decided . . . we have made the decision already  . . . . but then we have to convince ourselves  . . .  we have to talk ourselves into the decision that we've already made in our mind.  

In the First Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, we read about the decisions which St. Joseph had made concerning his relationship with Mary.  In this First Chapter, St. Matthew tells us about the decision which St. Joseph has come to:  "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily." (St. Matthew 1:19) In other words, St. Joseph knew that something needed to be done.  He knew that action needed to be taken.  He knew that he would have to make a decision.   I am sure that he had thought about the consequences in his mind.  What would happen if we did "A."   And what would happen if we did "B"  But what about if we try to do "C"?    If we place ourselves in the position of St. Joseph . . . . and Our Blessed Mother, for that matter,  . . . .  they were both placed in a very difficult position, weren't they?  In essence, they were engaged but they were not married.  And so St. Joseph came to a decision.   But then the angel appeared to him:  "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream . .  . "  (St. Matthew 1:20)  

How many times do we, like St. Joseph, make up our mind about an important decision?  How many times do we, similar to St. Joseph, face very dire consequences which require a plan of action?  How many times do we make up our minds and nothing can change our decision?  St. Joseph had made his mind up.  St. Joseph had studied the situation and had already come to a plan of action.  But then the angel appeared to him in a dream.  God spoke to St. Joseph through the angel.  And St. Joseph listened to the angel.  His mind may have been made up already  . .. .  but at least he listened to the angel.  God may not always send an angel to speak to us like He did with St. Joseph but He will speak to us . . . . that is, if we listen.  If we are open to listening.  We have to be willing to listen, first and foremost.  Next we have to be in a position to hear what God is speaking to us.  Very often the sounds and noises of the world drown out what God is speaking to us.  It is almost as if the world is intent on grabbing our attention away from God.  We have to learn how to "tune out" the world as much as possible so that we can hear God speaking to us.  Listen to God.  Hear what God is saying to you.  Always focus on what God would have you do in any given situation.  Again, God may not send an angel to speak to you in a dream.  But He will speak to you.  If you just take the time to listen.

St. Margaret Church meets each and 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.  We use the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Come join us as we listen to God speak to us through His Word.  At Communion time, we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ to nourish us and give us strength for our journey called life.

Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 23rd, 2018

Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 23rd, 2018

If you will kindly permit me, I would like to use this time right now to show my thanksgiving . . . .  to say Thank you.    And what exactly am I thankful for, you are asking yourself.  I want to thank all of the churches and parishes for  allowing me to share some time with them.  If my calculations are correct I do believe that it has been thirty years since I entered the seminary.  In those thirty years since then I have received the opportunity to do amazing things.  I have worked in inner-city, urban parishes and I have also worked in suburban parishes.  I have worked in large parishes and I have worked in tiny parishes.  I have had the opportunity to serve parishes that did not have a priest, for example.  In traveling to parishes to serve, I felt like a modern-day circuit rider.  In these thirty some years, there were so many wonderful priests and bishops along the way who have not only guided me but they have inspired me.  So many deacons, priests, and bishops who not only taught me through their words but taught me through their example.  But it was  not only clergy who inspired me along the way.  There are so many beautiful, wonderful lay-people that have done so much to support me as well, . . .  to guide me,  . . .  to inspire me.  Without a doubt, the people of  my current parish St. Margaret of Scotland . . .  many of whom I have known and loved for about twenty years now . . . . they truly are family to me.   They have been there for me.  They have supported me.  They have stood behind me.  They give me the opportunity to be a priest.  They give me the opportunity to minister to them.  And yet they are the ones who minister to me.  As a priest I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve.  As a priest I am so grateful for the opportunity to minister.  I am truly grateful for the opportunity I have had to minister to God's people.   God has certainly blessed me beyond words.  This is why I am thankful.   So please allow me to show my thankfulness for all the blessings in my life.

To God, Our Heavenly Father, Thank you for creating me and giving me life.   To My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Thank you for dying on the Cross for me and carrying the burden of my sins on Your precious shoulders; To the Holy Ghost, Thank you for inspiring me and strengthening me on a daily basis.  To my family thank you for giving me unconditional love.  To my parish family, thank you for giving me the opportunity to minister to you and thank you for ministering to me and for inspiring me.  

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.

Third Sunday of Advent, December 16th, 2018

Third Sunday of Advent, December 16th, 2018

When St. John the Baptist was in prison.  He sent two of his disciples to inquire of Our Blessed Saviour:  "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" (St. Matthew 11:3)  Now if you read this passage it would almost sound like St. John is not sure and he wants to find out definitely.  And yet I would contend that St. John the Baptist has an ulterior motive in sending his two disciples to Our Lord.  He sent his disciples so that they could see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears.  He was already sure that the Messiah had come into the world.  He knew this through faith.  He knew this through a personal relationship with God.  He knew this through his commitment to God.  

Advent reminds us of the three ways in which Our Blessed Saviour comes to us.   The first way has already taken place.  On that first Christmas Day over two-thousand years ago Our Lord came to the world as a small, innocent Baby born in Bethlehem.  Although to our eyes He appeared as a small, innocent baby, we know through faith that this truly was the long-awaited Messiah of the world.  The second way Our Lord comes to us in in Blessed Sacrament.  Our Lord tells us in the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of St. John:  "For the bread of God is He which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world." (6:33)  Our Lord did come down from Heaven to give life to this world.  Our Lord continues in Verse 51 of this chapter:  "I am the living bread which came down from Heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."  Our Lord comes to us in the form of Bread and Wine when we receive Him at Communion time.  He feeds us.  He nourishes us.  He sustains us.  The third way in which Our Blessed Saviour will come to us is at the Second Coming.  We know He will appear to us at that Last Day.  He will appear to us in all His Majesty and All His Glory!  The Holy Season of Advent reminds us to be on the look-out.  Advent reminds us to prepare.  Advent reminds us to make our hearts ready. 

 St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning.  We gather together as a family and worship Our Heavenly Father.  We listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We listen to God speaking to each one of us.  And then we come and receive the Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time.  Please take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate that hour to God.  So often we dedicate our time to ourselves, let us dedicate one hour to God.

St. Margaret Church meets 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.

Signs from Heaven

If you are like me, you enjoy road trips.  I enjoy traveling to my destination and seeing the sights; going to new places.  Have you ever been on a long journey and you finally see a sign with your destination and you get a little excited because the sign tells you that your destination is finally in sight after a long drive?  Perhaps you've been in a store that you are not familiar with and you are looking for something.  And finally you see a sign for the object you have been searching.  And you breathe a sign of relief.  Finally!  You say to yourself.

Signs are important.  Signs point towards something greater than themselves.  In other words, in and of themselves, signs are just that:  signs.  And yet the signs point to something else.  They direct us to go the right direction.  They tell us which way to go:  left; right; or straight ahead.  Signs give information.  "Memphis, 500 miles;"  "Keep Off The Grass;"  "Turn left;"  "School Zone;" etc.  The sign itself is not really important but rather the information that the sign conveys is usually pretty important.  Again, signs point to something.  Signs give information.  Signs direct us.  But again, signs are just that:  signs.  Their importance is based solely on the fact that they give information.  Period.

The problem is that some of us are so excited by seeing the signs that we forget that the sign's purpose is simply to inform.  If I was travelling to, say, Memphis, Tennessee on a road trip and as I am driving I see a sign that says:  "Memphis, 300 Miles."   In that example, would it make much sense if I saw that sign.  . .  stopped driving and pulled over . . .  and just stood there by the sign?  I would be crazy, you'd say to yourself if you saw me doing that.  I'm driving to Memphis, yes, and the sign tells me the direction to go and how far it is but that is about it.  It's a sign.  And yet we seek signs.  We look for signs.  Even the days of old, people still sought signs.  Even the disciples sought a sign from Our Blessed Saviour.  We hear in St. Matthew's Gospel:  "And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?  and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and the end of the world?"  (St. Matthew 24:3)  Things haven't really changed that much after two-thousand years, have they?  We have always looked for signs.  We haven't always sought signs.  This is why we hear Our Lord saying:  "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring: men's hearts failing them for fear,  . . . . " (St. Luke 21:25)  Our Lord knows that we seek signs.  "And others, tempting Him, sought of Him a sign from Heaven." (St. Luke 11:16)  Even St. Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians acknowledged that people seek signs:  "For the Jews require a sign,  . . . .  " (I Corinthians 1:22)  Our Lord knows human nature better than anyone, it would seem to me.  And yet that doesn't mean He likes that we seek after signs.   "But (Jesus) answered and said unto them, an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonas" (St. Matthew 12:39)

And what exactly was this great sign from  the Prophet Jonah that Our Lord is referring to?  "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.  And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."  (Jonah 1:17)    Of course, Our Lord is referring to Himself.  He stated that just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so too would be in the "heart of the earth" for three days and three nights. (St. Matthew 12:40)  The signs we see in Holy Scripture:  the miracles . ..  the raising of the dead . . . the healing of the sick . . .  the dramatic signs from Heaven . . . . they are signs, yes, but they are merely signs!  Remember, signs point to something greater than themselves.  And in each and every case, signs point toward Our Blessed Saviour.  Signs point toward Jesus being the King of the Universe!  Signs point toward that small, innocent Baby born at Bethlehem being the long-awaited Messiah of the world.

In essence, signs often point us towards a direction.  They point us towards a goal.  This is what the holy season of Advent does.  Advent points us towards Christmas.  Advent reminds us to remember the true goal of this season:  the Coming of the Christ-Child.  When the secular world all around us tries to convince us that the real reason for the season is to spend the most money on the most expensive gifts, Advent reminds us to search for the Christ-Child.  Advent reminds us to prepare a place for Him . . . . to prepare our hearts for Him.  Advent is a sign pointing us in the right direction:  pointing towards the Messiah.  Advent reminds us to always focus on Jesus.  Advent reminds us to make Jesus the true Center of our life.

Second Sunday of Advent, December 9th, 2018

Second Sunday of Advent, December 9th, 2018

In my role as a counselor working with youth, I always tell my students to keep their eye on the goal.  In other words, by keeping your eye on the goal you keep moving forward . . . you keep moving ahead.  To me, at least, this is common sense.  A goal gives us something to focus on.  It helps us to move in the right direction.  If we don't keep moving forward toward our goal, what do we do?  We either go left or right . . . we go around in circles . . .  we go backward.  In essence, this is what Advent achieves for us:  it helps us to look forward to Christmas and the Birth of the Christ-Child.  This is why we hear the following passage from St. Luke:  "AND there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken"  (St. Luke 21:25 ff)  Some people get more caught up in the signs than they do what the signs point to.  Are we more interested in the signs or are we more interested in what the signs show us?  As Christians, our goal is Christ.  As devout, committed Christians, we are called to be more Christ-like.  As Christians, we are called to bring Christ to the world.   At this time of the year, there is a lot of emphasis on "gifts."  We give gifts to our loved ones, our friends, our neighbors . . . .  The kids go tell Santa Claus what they want to receive at Christmas time.  All of this is fine, without a doubt.  But we always have to remember that God gave us the most wonderful gift imaginable when He gave us the Gift of His Son.  When Christ was born as a small, innocent baby, He gave the world Hope.  But more than that, God gave us the gift of Salvation which is won through Christ dying on the Cross and rising from the Tomb.  This gift of Salvation is freely offered but we have to accept this gift by keeping our eye on Christ and living the way that He would have us live.   Keep your eye on Christ.  Keep Him as your goal in life.  Always move closer and closer to Him and keep Him close to you.

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.

First Sunday of Advent, December 2nd, 2018

First Sunday of Advent, December 2nd, 2018

This weekend the Church celebrates the liturgical "New Year" because we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent this weekend.  Advent, if you will, is the "count-down" towards Christmas.  Now, in the secular world, the count-down towards "Black Friday" has come and gone and that is all some people care about.  But as nice as it is both to shop and to also receive nice presents come Christmas time, the Church has provided the holy season of Advent to help keep us focused on the "Real Reason for the Season:"  the Blessed Christ Child and His coming into the world as the Messiah.

In the Thirteenth Chapter of the Letter to the Romans, we hear the following:  " OWE no man any thing, but to love one another . . . ."  Then St. Paul goes on to say that if we love one another we have fulfilled the law (Chapter 13:8)  This advice seems pretty simple and yet pretty difficult at the same time: simple to follow in the examples of people that we love and are easy to love;  difficult because of the people that are just that:  "difficult" to get along with.  And, yet, St. Paul just like Our Blessed Lord, did not make a distinction between the two: those that are easy to love and those who are difficult to love.  It's easy to love those that are good to us, that treat us well, that are fun and naturally happy.   It's easy to love those who do nice things for us and treat us nicely.  It's very easy to love people like that.  But as I say, St. Paul never made a distinction between how to treat nice people as opposed to how to treat not-so-nice people.  And I am not aware of Our Lord making a distinction, either.  In fact, in the sixth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear Our Lord speaking:  "But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." (St. Luke 6: 27-28)  And then He goes on to say:  "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?  for sinners also love those that love them.  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?  for sinners also do even the same."  (vv 31-32)  And, finally, Our Lord states plainly:  "But love ye your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest . . . " (v. 35)

We are indeed children of the Highest if we follow His commandments in our lives.  And following the commandments of God is sometimes pretty easy and straightforward.  But other times, following Our Lord can be a bit trickier like showing love to those whom we admittedly do not like very much.  But the Season of Advent is, first and foremost, a season of hope!  It is time spent waiting for the Messiah, waiting for the coming of the Messiah, waiting for the small Divine Infant Jesus, the One Who was sent to save the world.  This small innocent baby offers hope to the world, both the "good" and the "bad."  He offers love to the world, both the "good" and the "bad."  He offers forgiveness to the world, both the "good" and the "bad."  Our Lord does not make a distinction.  He offers His grace freely.  The only stipulation is that we must choose whether we accept His gift or not.  This Advent season, accept the gift that the Christ Child offers to you.  Make a place in your heart and make Him the ruler of your life.

The First Sunday of Advent Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, December 2nd, 2018 at 9:30 AM.  Mass is celebrated at the beautiful Chapel of Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Come join us as we worship Our Heavenly Father by listening to the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.