Second Sunday in Lent, February 28th, 2021

 Second Sunday in Lent, February 28th, 2021

Growing up, I have always loved "classic" TV shows.  Although so many of these shows were not "classic" when I was growing up, they were "new."  Whether they be "classic" sitcoms such as "I love Lucy" or "classic" detective shows such as "Columbo" or even "classic" westerns such as "Bonanza."  One thing I have noticed about these shows is the fact that no matter how big the problem is, no matter how major of a problem it presents, the problem can always be solved in either a half an hour or an hour, depending, of course, on how long the program lasts.  For example, Columbo can solve the most difficult murder case in an hour,  .  . . . tops.  No matter the problem, you know it will be solved completely by the end of the program.  Yet, in real life, some problems are not solved that quickly or simply.  You need real persistence to deal with some problems in real life.

If nothing else, the Canaanite woman in Chapter Fifteen of St. Matthew's Gospel was certainly persistent.  St. Matthew tells us that this mother was in search of a cure for her daughter who was "grievously vexed with a devil."  (v. 22)  At first she tried to get the attention of the disciples but this only caused them to get irritated with the woman.  In fact, she bothered the disciples so much that they themselves went running to Our Lord asking for His help to get rid of her.  But then even when she was able to approach Our Lord, she did not get the answer that she sought right away.  But that did not stop her.  She kept beseeching Our Blessed Saviour until she finally got the favor she sought.  The Canaanite Woman showed how great her faith was that Our Lord said to her:  "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." (v. 28)

We need to be persistent as faithful Christians.  We need to be persistent  . . .  in our prayers . . . . in our faithfulness . . . in our character and morals.  We need to be persistent with the way we live our lives as faithful Christians.  The problem with us is that we want everything done right away.  We want things done "five minutes ago."  As humans, we are inpatient.  And yet not everything is worked out right away.  So often in real life problems are not fixed and taken care of in a half-hour or hour.  And we are called to be like the Canaanite Woman and be persistent in our faithfulness.  Stay close to God and let everything else fall into place.  And especially during this Lenten season, stay close to the Cross of Christ.  Never forget that Our Dear Saviour carried His Cross to the hill at Calvary for our sake.  Never forget that He carried His Cross for you and me because He loved us.  Loved us so much that He was willing to die for us.  When problems seem to much to handle.  When life seems to much to handle, remember Our Blessed Saviour and stay close to Him.

PLEASE NOTE:  St. Margaret Church will NOT meet on Sunday, February 28th, 2021.

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!