Third Sunday after Trinity, June 28th, 2020

Third Sunday after Trinity, June 28th, 2020

In the Fifteenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Saviour speaking to a group of "publicans" and "sinners," as St. Luke reminds us.  Here, in this passage that we hear appointed for the Third Sunday after Trinity, Our Lord is relating what it is like to lose something and then find it again. We have all experienced that sense of relief and joy when we find something that we have been searching for. 

In today's passage, Our Blessed Saviour gives an example of finding the lost sheep:  "Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."  How many of us share our feelings with those around us?  With social media such as FB or Twitter or countless others, it is certainly easy enough to do.  How about those of us with cellular phones?  Texting out our feelings in just a few "clicks" is the way to go.    But have you ever noticed how quick we are to describe when we are mad about something?  When we have a bad experience, we are quick to tell everyone about it.  For example, if we had a bad experience at a restaurant, we might tell the manager; we might fill out a survey card.  If we are mad enough, we might make a point to look up the corporate offices and let them know of our experience.  We will write scathing reviews and post it on FB and Twitter and anything else.  We will tell our friends.  We will let the whole wide world know  . . . . . via every avenue we can find handy at the time . . . . how truly "horrible" the experience was.  But how many times do we have a wonderful experience and we let it go at that.  Sure, we may feel satisfied, after a good meal, for example, and we thank the server but then we leave it at that.  "Thanks . . . the food was good . . .  and your service was great.  Thanks."  And we leave it at that.  But if the same food and the same server was just the opposite:  LOUSY!  How much time and effort would we have made letting the whole world know.  I mean, let's face it, human beings spend more time concerned with "negative things" than we do "positive things."  Look at the nightly news, for example, the first twenty minutes of the local broadcasts tell us about:  murders.  . . . deaths . . . . accidents . . .  . shootings . . .  crime . . . the price of gas going up .  . . . . You get the picture.  And then after all of this, they throw in one "feel good" story.  Isn't it the same way with us?  It would seem that many of us . . .  most of us? . . . .  are more interested in "negative" stories than we are "positive" ones.   "She did what?"  "He did what to you????"  "Oh, that's horrible."  "I can't believe my ears"  "Tell me more . . . . ."    Perhaps this is because as human beings we just love the things that we shouldn't love.  This is why we want to look at the car accident as we pass by.  Or why when we are switching the channels and we see people arguing and/or fighting on "Jerry Springer."  We pause and watch because we just can not believe our eyes that two grown folks would carry on like that.  And we shake our head in disbelief but we keep watching.

Our Blessed Saviour gives us important advice today.  He reminds each of us to "rejoice" when we are happy.  And to share our joy with others.  "Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."  As Christians, we should share this joy with those around us.  As Christians, we should share the "Good News" that we are saved.  As Christians, we need to take our faith seriously enough to let others know how good God is and what He has done for us.  And speaking of telling folks what God has done for us, how many of us are guilty of only talking to the Good Lord when things are bad?  When something is wrong, do you go running to God to ask Him to help you?  When you are nervous or anxious about something, do you go to God in prayer?  How about when things are going smoothly?  Do you still run to God and let Him know?  How often do we turn to prayer in times of trouble compared to how often we go to God when we simply want to thank Him?  Now, I am sure that would make a good comparison.   This day, make an effort to rejoice for the blessings God has given you in life.  Make it a point to dwell on the good things in life as opposed to dwelling on the negative.  As human beings, we have a tendency to dwell on the negative.  But as Christians we should dwell on the goodness of God. We should dwell on the good things He has done for us during our lifetime.  And we should spend more time in prayer thanking Him instead of simply asking for something.

PLEASE NOTE:  St. Margaret Church will NOT meet on Sunday, June 28th, 2020.

St. Margaret Church is still being affected, as is the whole world, by the Coronavirus outbreak.  Specifically, our church is not allowed to meet as we would like due to CDC and State recommendations.  But despite these recommendations, our members still continue to pray to Our Heavenly Father.  Our members still continue to reach out to their neighbors and loved ones.  Our members still continue to be the face and hands and instruments of the Lord throughout these troubling times.  Additionally, Fr. Todd also continues to post his sermons and reflections online.  So, please continue to pray for St. Margaret Church and all the Christian Churches throughout the world that we may continue to stay close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.    

And please remember that you can still show support to St. Margaret Church by sharing these posts on social media . . . sharing the sermons and reflections of Fr. Todd on social media as well.  In this way, despite any sort of "lock-down," you will help St. Margaret Church continue to spread the Gospel and continue to tell the world about our love for Our Blessed Saviour!



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Second Sunday after Trinity, June 21st, 2020

Second Sunday after Trinity, June 21st, 2020

As I like to say, there is nothing necessarily wrong with anger or being angry.  We all get angry at times.  Sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly, though.  But anger in and of itself is simply an emotion and we all have emotions.  But it is typically what we do with the anger that gets us into trouble.  St. John writes in the Third Chapter of his First Epistle:  "MARVEL not, my brethren, if the world hate you"  (I St. John 3:13)  All we have to do is turn on the nightly news to see proof of this: people fighting; people marching; people looting and burning businesses.  Go ahead and log on to Social Media.  It won't be long until you will see some hateful post against somebody or some group or some idea that another person doesn't agree with.  

And God forbid if two people have differing opinions on something.   Pretty soon the insults begin and the "virtual World War Three" breaks out online.  Hatred  . . .  anger . . . . bitterness . . .  All of these seem to abound everywhere we look.   But St. John shows us the answer.  He writes:  "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (I St. John 3:16)   In other words, St. John is pointing out that the love of God was ultimately shown on the Cross when Our Blessed Saviour laid down His life for us.  He died for us to save us from our sins.  As St. John puts it, Our Blessed Lord laid down His life for us and we ought to do the same.  But how do we do this?   First and foremost, we should remember the words of St. John and place them in our hearts and in our minds.  We should remember always that God never asks us to do anything that He Himself was not willing to do.  Our Blessed Lord laid down His life so that you and I could have eternal life.  Our Blessed Lord allowed Himself to be lifted up on the Cross so that you and I could be lifted up to Heaven.  The least we could do is to show love to those whom we come into contact with.  It is so easy to "dehumanize" someone by only focusing on one aspect of that person.  For example, we look at a person and only see the color of that person's skin.  Or we look at a person and we focus solely on where that person comes from.  We may see someone and focus solely on what family that person is from.  When we are online so we focus solely on the difference of opinion we have with someone else and focus on that difference alone?  The list goes on and on.  Our Blessed Saviour, as St. John reminds us, laid down His Precious Life for all men women through all ages.  And when we look at other people we should do our best to look at them through the "eyes of Christ."  In other words, try to see people as Our Blessed Saviour would have seen them.  "That we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment."  (I St. John 3:23)

PLEASE NOTE:  St. Margaret Church will NOT meet on Sunday, June 21st, 2020.

St. Margaret Church is still being affected, as is the whole world, by the Coronavirus outbreak.  Specifically, our church is not allowed to meet as we would like due to CDC and State recommendations.  But despite these recommendations, our members still continue to pray to Our Heavenly Father.  Our members still continue to reach out to their neighbors and loved ones.  Our members still continue to be the face and hands and instruments of the Lord throughout these troubling times.  Additionally, Fr. Todd also continues to post his sermons and reflections online.  So, please continue to pray for St. Margaret Church and all the Christian Churches throughout the world that we may continue to stay close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.    

And please remember that you can still show support to St. Margaret Church by sharing these posts on social media . . . sharing the sermons and reflections of Fr. Todd on social media as well.  In this way, despite any sort of "lock-down," you will help St. Margaret Church continue to spread the Gospel and continue to tell the world about our love for Our Blessed Saviour!

indyanglican.blogger.com

Feast of Corpus Christi (Transferred), June 14th, 2020

Feast of Corpus Christi (Transferred), Sunday, June 14th, 2020

If you could choose only one meal, what would that meal consist of?  Like in those old Jimmy Cagney movies where the prisoner gets to choose one last meal.  To me, it is an interesting question to ponder because, let's face it:  I love food.  If I could choose one meal, which one would I choose?  It is a hard decision for me because I would choose so many.  Fried Chicken would probably shoot to the top of the list.  But then again, how about a nice dinner of corned beef and cabbage?  Or how about a dinner consisting of German food?  We all have our own favorites: whether it be Chinese food or Southern cooking or a big fat steak . . . . . . .  the list goes on and on.  The reason I bring up this topic of food and dinners and meals is because in the Sixth Chapter of St. John's Gospel, we hear:  "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."  (St. John 6:56)  When talking about food, I don't think very many of us would think of Jesus.  And yet Our Saviour describes Himself in this manner:  "For My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." (St. John 6:55)  You see, when we think of food, we base it on how well it tastes and how much we enjoy the food item in that regard.  But, honestly, the real reason for eating is not based solely on enjoyment value.  No, the real reason for eating is so that what we eat can nourish us, sustain us, fortify us, strengthen us.  And in this regard, all of these attributes I just described can be said of Our Blessed Lord as well:  He nourishes us . . . He sustains us . . .  He fortifies us . . . . He strengthens us.  And each and every time we go to church and every single time we receive His Precious Body and Blood at Communion time, Our Blessed Saviour is strengthening us for the journey ahead.  He is nourishing us so that we can move forward.  He is sustaining us because He is the only one that can truly sustain us.  

PLEASE NOTE:  St. Margaret Church will NOT meet on Sunday, June 14th, 2020.

St. Margaret Church is still being affected, as is the whole world, by the Coronavirus outbreak.  Specifically, our church is not allowed to meet as we would like due to CDC and State recommendations.  But despite these recommendations, our members still continue to pray to Our Heavenly Father.  Our members still continue to reach out to their neighbors and loved ones.  Our members still continue to be the face and hands and instruments of the Lord throughout these troubling times.  Additionally, Fr. Todd also continues to post his sermons and reflections online.  So, please continue to pray for St. Margaret Church and all the Christian Churches throughout the world that we may continue to stay close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.    

And please remember that you can still show support to St. Margaret Church by sharing these posts on social media . . . sharing the sermons and reflections of Fr. Todd on social media as well.  In this way, despite any sort of "lock-down," you will help St. Margaret Church continue to spread the Gospel and continue to tell the world about our love for Our Blessed Saviour!

indyanglican.blogger.com

A Reminder of Who We Are

I remember going into a flea market a while back.  I do not even remember which one it was.   But I do remember coming across an old painting in a booth.  Although I am certainly not an expert on either art or antiques, I do know that this particular painting grabbed my attention from out of nowhere for whatever reason.  In the painting it was a scene featuring beautiful hills with some sort of mansion or very large house off in the distance.   And in the hills you could see various types of animals whether they were cows, goats or something along those lines.  The painting was interesting and beautiful as I stated.  It was a painting where you could just look at it and imagine being there at that place.  But as beautiful as the actual painting was, it was the frame around the painting that grabbed your attention as much as the painting, if not more.  I can't really describe the frame for you in detail but I remember noticing that the imperfections of the frame.  In other words, there were chips and cuts throughout the frame which made you realize it was old.  But as I remember looking at the frame these imperfections did not take away from the beauty of the painting or the frame itself for that matter.  Rather, it was these cuts and marks which actually, if anything, gave character to the frame.  It was these scrapes, and cuts, and marks that actually made the painting stand out.  If the frame had been perfectly polished and no cracks or no marks whatsoever, it would not have stood out like it did.   In other words, it was the marks and scars which helped it to be unique, different.  In that sense the imperfections in the frame helped remind me that this picture had a history of its' own.

In the month of June, we make a special observation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Certainly, when you look at portrayals of Our Blessed Lord, whether it be in a painting or a statue or even a holy card so often you can see the wounds of Christ portrayed.  It reminds us when Our Lord appeared to the Disciples.   "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.  And when He had so said, He shewed unto them His hands and His side."  (St. John 20:19-20)  Our Lord was showing the disciples that it was really Him.  After Our Lord had greeted the disciples He immediately showed them His hands and His side.  In this sense He was showing them the one thing that would prove it was really Him.  But remember that St. Thomas was not there.  He was absent for whatever reason.  "But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.  The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord.  But he said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe."  (St. John 20:24-25)   This, of course, is why St. Thomas came to be known as "Doubting Thomas."  He did not believe the words of those around him.  He would only believe it with his own eyes.  Continuing on, St. John tells us:  "And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.  Then He said to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing."  It was at this point that St. Thomas answered, "My Lord and My God."  (St. John 20:26-28)   It was not seeing the actual Lord Himself that made St. Thomas believe.  He stated that He would not believe until he not only saw the wounds for himself but thrust his hand into the side.  Seeing the wounds are what gave St. Thomas confirmation to the identity of the Lord.  St. Thomas found the proof he needed by seeing these Precious Wounds for himself.

So often when we are hurting we focus on what is hurting us.  We focus on the wound.  This can be true either in a physical sense or in an emotional sense as well.  And so often we want to get rid of the wound because it is ugly or it reminds us of some bad memory.  And yet each and everyone of us possess wounds.  Each and everyone of us has marks.  Each one of us has scars.  Whether these marks be physical or emotional every single person possesses them.  But these marks do not have to simply be negative reminders of something bad in our lives.  No, they can actually be reminders of who we actually are.  In other words, scars and marks can indeed be a reminder that something bad happened to us but on the other hand they can be a good reminder that we are survivors.  They remind us, yes, where we have been but they also remind us what we endured and what we did to endure.

In the case of Our Blessed Saviour the holes where the nails fastened Our Lord to the Cross show what He endured to save us from our sins.  He did all He did on our behalf because He loved us.  The mark on His side where the spear was thrust forth also shows that Christ died for our sins.  It is this mark that shows where the Precious Blood poured forth to cleanse us from our sins.  These marks are not seen as imperfections.  Rather, they are seen as proof of the Saviour's love.  The wounds themselves are proof of Christ's resolve.  Our Blessed Saviour was determined to save us from our sins.  Something that we could never dare dream of doing.

Prayer to the Holy Wounds of Christ

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the painful Wound of Thy LEFT FOOT, from which flowed the Precious Blood that washes away our sins.In It I sink and hide all the sins I have ever committed.

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the painful Wound of Thy RIGHT FOOT, from which the Fountain of Peace flowed to us. In Its depths I sink and bury all my desires, that they may be purified and remain unspotted by any earthly stain.

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the painful Wound of Thy LEFT HAND, from which the Well of Grace flowed to us. In It I enclose all my spiritual and bodily ills, that in union with Thy sufferings they may become sweet to me, and by patience become a fragrant odor before God.

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the painful Wound of Thy RIGHT HAND, from which the Medicine of the Soul was poured forth. In It I hide all my negligences and omissions which I have committed in my virtuous exercises, that they may be atoned for by Thy zealous works.

I thank Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, for the healing Wound of Thy SWEETEST HEART, from which Living Water and Blood and the riches of all good flowed to us. I place myself in this Wound, and there unite all my imperfect love to Thy Divine Love, that thus it may be perfected.


(Our Lord Jesus Christ dictated this prayer to Saint Mechtilde as she went to kiss the Holy Cross on Good Friday)

Trinity Sunday, June 7th, 2020

Trinity Sunday, June 7th, 2020

Who do you look up to? (or is it "Whom do you look up to?")   Whether it is "who" or "whom," the world looks up to a whole host of individuals and personalities.  When I was younger, I remember looking up to my favorite cowboy heroes of the Silver Screen.   Today isn't much different, people still look up to movie stars and Hollywood celebrities.  Many people look up to sports stars or the players on their favorite teams.  Some people look up to their older brother or sister.   St. John records the conversation between Our Blessed Lord and Nicodemus concerning "being born again."  If you recall the passage, Nicodemus is surprised by Our Lord's words that a man must be born again.  Our Lord said to Nicodemus:  "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  (St. John 3:5)  These words spoken by Our Lord apparently confused poor Nicodemus because he could not fathom how a person could be born a second time.  This particular discourse ended with Our Blessed Saviour saying the following:  "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (St. John 3:14-15)  When Our Lord makes this statement He is referring to the event recorded in the Old Testament Book of Numbers:  "And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."  (Numbers 21:9)   Our Lord was recalling when Moses lifted up the brass serpent and stating that He must be lifted up as well.  Without a doubt Our Lords words ring true when He states that "the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."  (v.15)  As stated earlier, we look up to a whole host of people but the only person that truly matters is Our Blessed Saviour.  It is Jesus Who came to die for us.  It is Jesus Who came to save us from our sins.  It is Jesus Who defeated death so that you and I could have everlasting life with Him.  It is Our Blessed Saviour Who points us to Our Heavenly Father.  And if we look up to Jesus we know that we will be saved.  Look up to Jesus.  Always stay close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for it is there that you will find the love of God for the world, for you and for me.  

PLEASE NOTE:  St. Margaret Church will NOT meet on Sunday, June 7th, 2020.

St. Margaret Church is still being affected, as is the whole world, by the Coronavirus outbreak.  Specifically, our church is not allowed to meet as we would like due to CDC and State recommendations.  But despite these recommendations, our members still continue to pray to Our Heavenly Father.  Our members still continue to reach out to their neighbors and loved ones.  Our members still continue to be the face and hands and instruments of the Lord throughout these troubling times.  Additionally, Fr. Todd also continues to post his sermons and reflections online.  So, please continue to pray for St. Margaret Church and all the Christian Churches throughout the world that we may continue to stay close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.    

And please remember that you can still show support to St. Margaret Church by sharing these posts on social media . . . sharing the sermons and reflections of Fr. Todd on social media as well.  In this way, despite any sort of "lock-down," you will help St. Margaret Church continue to spread the Gospel and continue to tell the world about our love for Our Blessed Saviour!

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