Fifth Sunday in Lent, (Passion Sunday), March 21st, 2021

 Fifth Sunday in Lent, Commonly called Passion Sunday, 

March 21st, 2021

When I was a kid I never paid attention to them.  As I grew into a teenager they still were not that important to me.  But when I grew up they suddenly became very important to me.  What am I referring to, you might ask?  The morning weather and traffic reports, of course.   As I am getting ready for work in the mornings I try to listen so that I know what to expect.  Here's the frustrating part, though, if I get busy doing something else I will totally miss the weather report or I will miss the traffic report.  I may literally be right next to the radio but if I am concentrating on something else I will "tune out" the exact thing I am wanting to hear.  I have to make a point to listen sometimes so that I will hear what I need to hear.  I need to concentrate so that I don't focus on something else.  When you think about it, isn't that how it is with God?  God is always there.  God is always around.  God is always with us.  And yet so often people will say that "God seems so far away."  I would dare say that God speaks to us on a daily basis but so often we don't hear what He is saying to us.  Why is this?  Well, we are distracted by other things around us.  Perhaps we are more interested in hearing what other people are saying.  Maybe the racket and the commotion of the world is drowning out our ability to hear what God is saying.   In the Eighth Chapter of St. John's Gospel, we hear Our Lord say:  "He that is of God heareth God's word"  (St. John 8:46)  Just like I was mentioning with the traffic report of the weather report, we have to make a point to listen to God in order to hear Him.  We have to concentrate on what He is saying or else we will get distracted and not hear what He is saying to us.  Listening is a skill.  So often we develop "selective hearing" over time.  In other words, we hear what we want to hear and listen when we want to listen.  With God, we need to make a point to listen to Him all the time because if we don't the world will drown Him out and we won't hear what He is saying to us.  Our Lenten journey is coming to an end shortly.  Let us spend the time we have remaining listening to God and hearing what He has to say.

PLEASE NOTE:  St. Margaret Church will NOT meet on Sunday, March 21st, 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!