Third Sunday after Easter, April 21st, 2024

 Third Sunday after Easter, April 21st, 2024

In the Sixteenth chapter of St. John's Gospel, Our Blessed Saviour is preparing the disciples for His eventual departure from their midst.  But this is confusing for the disciples because Our Lord is telling them "A little while, and ye shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see Me." (St. John 16:16)  Obviously, He was referring to His coming Death upon the Cross, Burial, and Resurrection.  Later on He says:  " . . . and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. " (v.20)  As human beings, we have a lot of emotions, we feel happy; we feel sad; we feel joyous; we feel anxious; we feel scared; we feel peaceful; etc.   And typically, these emotions have root causes.  For example, we might feel sad because a beloved family member just passed away.  Or we might feel joyful because it is a beautiful Spring day, and we are off from work, and we are going to the baseball game.  Sometimes we feel a certain way due seemingly to no reason at all but typically our emotions are caused by some factor as described in the examples above.  For Christians, Christ is the reason for our hope.  He is the reason for our joy.  Our Blessed Saviour is the reason for our motivation in life.  We must always remember to acknowledge that God is the Lord and Master of our life.  We must always remember to put God first in everything.  We need to have a personal relationship with God and to speak with Him every day.  When we have God deep in our heart, the world can never take that away, no matter what it throws at you.  This is why Our Blessed Savior said:  "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." (v.22)  No man can take away the joy that God has given us.  The world can not take away the love that we have for Our Heavenly Father.  No amount of heartache can take away the love that God has for each one of us.  Always keep in mind the love that God has for you.  Always remember that God has chosen you as one of His own.  Never forget that Christ died on the Cross to atone for your sins so that you can be forgiven.

Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday.  St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday at 10:30 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.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time.   We are all busy.  We all lead busy lives.  Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God.  Give that hour to God and spend it with Him.

Second Sunday after Easter, April 14th, 2024

 Second Sunday after Easter, April 14th, 2024

In today's Gospel passage coming to us from St. John we hear Our Blessed Saviour refer to Himself as the Good Shepherd:  "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep"  (St. John 10:11)   Our Lord compares and contrasts the difference between someone who truly cares about the sheep to someone who is merely a "hireling."  Our Lord states that the hireling is someone who does not have true concern for the sheep whereas a good shepherd will defend the sheep with his life.  I see so many examples of "good shepherds" around me on a daily basis.  I see those who are first responders who do not fail to rush head-first into danger.  Policemen, Firemen, Paramedics, Department of Corrections, . . . . These brave men and women think of others first before they think of their own personal safety.  And, quite frankly, they never know what the day will bring.  Look at the case of the New York City policeman who recently went up to a car which was parked illegally in a bus zone and he ended up losing his life in the process.  You hear about brave firefighters who go rushing head-first into burning buildings and think not of their own safety but instead focus on saving those inside the building.  And as a Department of Corrections Chaplain, I see what Correctional works go through on a daily basis:  working long hours in stressful situations; looking after a population who does not care about anyone else, let alone themselves. How about other examples around us such as the dedicated teachers who also work long hours preparing lesson plans, teaching students, grading tests.  And they do what they do because they want to make a difference in their students' life.  The same can be said for those dedicated parents who lay down their lives on a daily basis to give their children a better life.  These dedicated mothers and fathers work day after day to provide for their children a better life.  They want their children to have a better life than they had.  And they do it because they love their children.  "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep"  In all of these examples mentioned and so many more we see people all over the world doing what they can to make the world a better place.  This is the example Our Lord teaches us that we are called to do what we can for others.   Go out and be God's instrument in the world.  Do what you can to make the world a better place in the Name of God.  Offer up your daily sacrifices and let God take care of the rest.

Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday.  St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday at 10:30 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.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time.   We are all busy.  We all lead busy lives.  Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God.  Give that hour to God and spend it with Him.

First Sunday after Easter, April 7th, 2024

 First Sunday after Easter, April 7th, 2024

We have life pretty easy compared to, let's say, cavemen.  For example, we sit around and post funny pictures of cats on Facebook while our ancestors ran around trying not to be eaten by Dinosaurs.  Alright, I'm being a wee bit extreme in my comparisons but in so many ways, life is much easier for us than it was for past ages.  Due to technology, life is simpler, that is sure.  Whether it be travel or washing clothes, we have it so much easier than those that lived in past ages due to technology.  And yet, life is so difficult for us at times.  Whether it is dealing with other people that don't particularly like us or dealing with trying to keep up with  the overwhelming bills that are due.  Whether it is trying to find a job or dealing with things that break in your house or on your car.  The daily pressures of life seem to be a burden to so many people, especially those who are dealing with sadness, illness, or daily troubles.  And yet we know as faithful, firm, committed Christians, that are answer is right in front of our eyes.   "WHATSOEVER is born of God overcometh the world" (I St. John 5:4)  God is our answer.  This is because God is our foundation in a changing world.  While on the one hand, we do not know what life will give us from day to day . . .  sometimes, it seems to change hour to hour . . . minute to minute . . . . we do know that God will never leave us.  We know that God is always there in our corner.  We know that God is ever constant.  God truly is our foundation.  While we never know from day to day what life will give us, we know that as long as we have God with us we can overcome anything that life dishes out.

St. Margaret would like to have YOU join us on Sunday.  If you are reading this and you are able to be with us on Sunday, would you consider simply taking one hour out of your busy schedule and join us as we worship Our Heavenly Father. Take an hour out of your busy schedule and dedicate it to God.  Take an hour out of your busy schedule and hear the Word of God and listen to what God is saying to you.  Take an hour out of your busy schedule and join your brothers and sisters to worship as God's family.  Would you please consider joining us on Sunday morning?  We would love to see YOU! 

Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday.  St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday at 10:30 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.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time.   We are all busy.  We all lead busy lives.  Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God.  Give that hour to God and spend it with Him.

Easter Sunday, March 31st, 2024

 Easter Sunday, March 31st, 2024

In the Twenty-Seventh chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we hear the Passion of Our Lord.  At the end of the chapter we are also told of Our Blessed Saviour being laid in the tomb.  St. Matthew tells us that Our Lord is laid in the tomb that belonged to Joseph, who himself went to Pilate to ask for the body of our Blessed Saviour.  After He was laid in the tomb the chief priests and Pharisees, we are told by St. Matthew, that they also went to Pilate to ask that a guard be placed at the tomb because they remembered Our Lord's words that He would rise on the third day.  Pilate told them to set a guard and "they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."

We also have been setting a watch . . . . we have been anticipating the arrival of Our Blessed Saviour.  We wait for Him every day.  We wait for Him to speak to us when we read Scripture.  We watch for Him when we sit in prayer.  We wait in anticipation when we have a problem or need assistance in our life and wait and watch for Our Blessed Saviour to come to our aid.  We watch for Him when we go to Mass and receive His Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  At all of these times just described we need to watch for Our Blessed Saviour.  We need to listen to what He says to us.  So often, in the "busy-ness" of life, we do not take the time to pay attention, to listen.  Also, our attention is diverted by the distractions of this life:  whether they be issues that take up our time; or television; or computer; or jobs; or other diversions. God should always take the top priority in our life.  Nothing should take our attention off of Him.  Let us set a watch for Him and welcome Him into our heart.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN TIME:  Mass will begin at 11:30 am instead of the usual time.  Please join us at 11:30 am on Easter Sunday in the Chapel

Easter Sunday Mass will be held on Sunday, April 5th, 2015 at 9:30 AM at St. Margaret Church.  Mass is held at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Please note that on Easter Sunday, we will not be in the chapel as we normally celebrate there.  Rather, we will be on the Fourth Floor of Marquette Manor.

Palm Sunday, March 24th, 2024

 Palm Sunday, March 24th, 2024

In the liturgy for Palm Sunday, there are two Gospel readings.  And despite the fact that both of these readings are from St. Matthew, these two passages could not be more strikingly different.  In the first reading which we hear on Palm Sunday we are witness to Our Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  It is here in which we hear the vast crowds voicing their excitement and acclaim at the entrance of Our Lord:  "Hosanna, Hosanna!"   As we read these verses we can visualize in our mind the wonderful acclaim that the people give Him.  But later in the liturgy the second Gospel passage is from the Twenty-Seventh Chapter and the contrast from the first passage is sharp.  It is in this second passage where we hear about Our Lord being condemned before Pilate.  And instead of cheering crowds yelling "Hosanna," we now hear the crowd screaming "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!"  As I say, the contrast could not be more striking.  And yet even in our own life sometimes we witness sharp contrasts, don't we?  Have you ever begun working on a project and perhaps for a time everything seemed to go great and then suddenly everything went wrong?  Have you ever made a major change in your life and things go great and then suddenly for whatever reason things started going wrong.  Then all of the sudden you begin questioning "what went wrong?"  You may even begin to doubt yourself.  You may doubt yourself at times.  You may doubt your ability at times.  You may doubt the loyalty of others at times.  But there is one thing we can never doubt, it is the love which God has for His children.  God loves us and God is always nearby even though we do not realize it at times.  God is there for us in the good times and the bad.  We are never promised a perfect life, are we?  We are never promised a life without pain.  In life sometimes we will experience defeat.  But even in those times we know that God is there for us and with us.  The key is that we stay close to God and to stay loyal to Him.   We should always do our best to love God Who first loved us.   

Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday.  St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday at 10:30 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.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time.   We are all busy.  We all lead busy lives.  Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God.  Give that hour to God and spend it with Him.

Fourth Sunday in Lent, Laetare Sunday, March 10th, 2024

 Fourth Sunday in Lent, or Laetare Sunday, March 10th, 2024

The Gospel for Laetare Sunday comes from the Sixth Chapter of St. John's Gospel.  As we begin this passage St. John tells us of the large crowds that have followed Our Lord due to them hearing about the many people that He has cured.  Our Lord's fame has grown far and wide due to the many miracles that He has performed.   And many of those gathered want to not only to see Him but to hear what He has to say.  Now the first thing that should strike us when we hear the story of Our Lord feeding the multitude is that Our Lord is a compassionate Lord.  He knew that these people that gathered together to hear Him and to get just a glimpse of Him would be tired . . .  would be hungry . . .  would need to be sustained and nourished.  And He called together the disciples and inquired what would need to be done.  Now, we all know what happened next.  Our Blessed Saviour multiplied the five loaves and the two fish into feeding the multitude.

What I would like to focus on is what Our Lord did after everyone was fed.  He called together the disciples and told them:  "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." (St. John 6:12)  Sometimes our lives feel like "fragments," in a sense.  We run here.  We run there.  We take care of our families.  We take care of our home. We go to our jobs.  We go shopping for what we need.  The list goes on and on.  As a result, we feel like we are running around from one place to the next, going from doing one thing into something completely different.  I know I feel this way very often.  And I talk to so many people that feel the same way.  Our lives are divided between this, that and the other.  But the important thing to remember is that God takes our "fragments" and makes them whole.  Just like Our Blessed Saviour fed and nourished the five-thousand, He feeds and nourishes us still today.  Just like He saw the vast multitude gathered around Him, He still sees us in need of His strength to carry on our daily lives.  And He is that strength.  He is the One Who nourishes us.  He is the One Who sustains us.  He is the One Who makes us whole.  He takes the fragments of our lives and makes our life complete.   There is no other person, thing, or feeling in the world that can make us complete.  There is only one person who can do this for us.  And that is God.  Give your heart to Him.  Let Him be your nourishment.  Let God be your sustaining force.  Let Our Blessed Saviour be the One you run to in order to be fed.

Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday.  St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday at 10:30 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.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time.   We are all busy.  We all lead busy lives.  Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God.  Give that hour to God and spend it with Him 

Third Sunday in Lent, March 3rd, 2024

 Third Sunday in Lent, March 3, 2024

Do you ever have trouble driving early in the morning or early evening when it starts to go from dark to light or from light to dark?   I am talking about that "in-between" point where it's not quite dark and it's not quite light.  It's almost as if you can see things, yes, but there's doubt about what you are seeing.  I guess the same thing may be true when you are out driving and it is foggy.  You think you see something off in the distance . . . . but you are not quite sure . . . is it or isn't it?   I am sure you can all think of an example of what I am talking about, a time or two where you thought you saw something but you were not quite sure because of the darkness or because of the fog.  I am thinking about this because last week or the week before it was so foggy and it was hard to see off in the distance early in the morning.  But as I was struggling to see off in the distance due to the fog, as the sun rose up, it was almost as though the fog instantly disappeared.  It literally like moving from dark to light instantly.  I remember literally struggling to see off in the distance one second and everything was clear the next.  Of course, for Christians, Our Blessed Saviour is the light of the world.  He is our light.  He gives light not only to the world but He gives light to our personal journey as well.  As we hear in the Epistle appointed for today's Mass:  "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord . . ."  (Ephesians 5:1 ff)  St. Paul explains that prior to knowing Christ, we were struggling to find our way in the dark.  Just like in the haze or the fog, we were not quite sure of what was ahead.  But Christ gives light to the darkness of the world.  And when Christ is in us, we shine forth the light of Christ to the world around us.  During this holy season of Lent, hang on to Christ.  Make Him the most important part of your life.  Dedicate your life to Christ and allow Him to brighten the darkness that this world can only offer. 

Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday.  St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday.  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.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time.   We are all busy.  We all lead busy lives.  Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God.  Give that hour to God and spend it with Him 

Second Sunday in Lent, February 25th, 2024

 Second Sunday in Lent, February 25th, 2024

In the Fifteenth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we hear the story of Our Blessed Saviour meeting the woman of Canaan who besought Our Lord seeking favour for her daughter.  Now keep in mind that this woman was not Jewish, and yet she made a point say to Our Lord: "Thou Son of David: my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil." (St Matthew 15:22)  Right from the beginning, it is evident that this woman must have recognized the greatness of Our Lord or else she would not have referred to Him as "Thou Son of David."  It seems that Our Lord initially ignores her because He says not a word at her request.  After that she then proceeds to bother the disciples for her request because St. Matthew informs us that the disciples "besought Him, saying, Send her away: for she crieth after us." (v.23)  After this, Our Lord still ignores her request by basically saying, in essence, that He was sent for the children of Israel.  And despite all of this, this woman still persisted until finally Our Lord recognized her persistence and her faith when He said:  " O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." (v.28)

Now the point that we can all learn from this is that we should be determined and to have faith.  The woman of Canaan had both.  She recognized Our Lord to be the source of help and healing for her daughter.   But she was also determined.  In faith, we need to be determined.  But we need to be determined for the right reason.  In other words, sometimes we only get "religious" when we need God for something:  We want to get hired for a new job.  We need a favour of some sort.  We need guidance to get our of a jam.   Now there is nothing wrong with going to Our Heavenly Father when we need His assistance.  What is wrong, though, is when we ONLY go to Him when we need something and forget about Him the rest of the time.  A lot of people only go to God when they get into a jam or when they need something.  They suddenly get real "religious" when they are in need but the rest of the time they act as if there is no God.  Our Lord came to offer us Salvation.  He came to die on the Cross for us.  But He also spent some thirty-three years on this earth being a human being like you and I.  He knows what it is like to walk in your shoes.  He knows what it is like to laugh and to cry.  He knows what it is like to work and to rest. He knows what it is like to walk in your shoes as a human being.  As such, we can go to Him on a daily basis and we should go to Him on a daily basis.  Do not just go to God when you are in need of something.  Go to God every day with your concerns, your joys, your sorrows, your everything.

Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday.  St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday.  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.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time.   We are all busy.  We all lead busy lives.  Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God.  Give that hour to God and spend it with Him

First Sunday in Lent, February 18th, 2024

 First Sunday in Lent, February 18th, 2024

The holy and penitential season of  Lent officially begins with Ash Wednesday and continues a forty day journey towards Easter.  On this First Sunday in Lent, we read about Our Lord's forty days in the wilderness in St. Matthew's Gospel:  "And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred." (St. Matthew 4:1ff)  Now, it certainly stands to reason that Our Lord was hungry after not eating for forty days and nights.  To be honest, I get hungry after not eating for forty minutes, let alone forty days and forty nights.  As human beings, we do become hungry if we do not eat for any extended period of time.  And if you are like me, if it has been a while since you have eaten . . .  once you do get something to eat, the food tastes so good, doesn't it?    But this is not only true physically in regards to feeding ourselves.   Human beings also hunger spiritually.   Just as we \need to nourish ourselves physically with food, we also need to nourish ourselves with spiritual things.  We know on a physical level that if we do not eat for any extended period of time, our body is affected physically.  But the same is true spiritually speaking as well.  If we go for long periods of time without receiving spiritual nourishment, we will be affected as well:  we may become distraught . . . sad .  . . angry . . . our consciences may fail us, for example, we don't acknowledge right from wrong or totally ignore right from wrong . . . etc.  Make no doubt about it, just as the body needs to be nourished with food, so too does our spirit need to be nourished.  And how do we receive spiritual nourishment?  We get spiritual nourishment by spending time in prayer .  .  . reading the Word of God . . . . attending church on a regular basis (not just when we feel like it!) . . .  availing ourselves of the Sacraments such as receiving Holy Communion, going to Mass, making our confession, etc.  Focus on Heavenly things instead of focusing on earthly things.  Try to focus more on the things above instead of only focusing on the things below.  If we focus on the "spiritual" and put emphasis on the "spiritual" during the next forty days, we will be better prepared for a good and holy Easter.  We will be better prepared spiritually to celebrate the Glorious Resurrection of Our Blessed Saviour as we celebrate Easter!  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.  Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord.  We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Quinquagesima, or the Sunday Next before Lent, February 11th, 2024

 Quinquagesima, or the Sunday next before Lent, 

February 11th, 2024

I love to look at pictures from the past.  I truly enjoy seeing the people and settings from decades in the past.  As such, I was looking at some of my family pictures from long ago.  Some of which were so long ago they were before my time.  That was a long time ago!  Anyhow, as I was looking at the pictures it dawned on me that the unfamiliar people in those pictures which I was seeing and not recognizing were still connected to me.  They were still a part of me.  Great-Great-Aunts and Great-Great-Uncles.  Great-Great-Great-Grandparents from long ago.  The faces in these pictures which I was looking at may look strange to my eyes.  They may seem unfamiliar to me.  But it dawned on me that despite the fact of me not knowing them, they are still a part of me.  They contributed to me being here.  Without them, I would not be here.  Thanks to them, when you think about it, I am here because of them.  By being here today, at this time, I am continuing on because of them. I am my own person, of course, but I carry on thanks in part to their efforts.  I have their blood, their DNA inside of me.  They are, to a certain degree, the foundation upon which my life is built.     This is how it is with God and so many people today.  They do not recognize God is in their life, let alone that He is their foundation.  They do not understand that God has been with them from the beginning.  God is a part of them in ways that they do not even realize.  Probably because they do not take the time to realize.  They do not take the time to try and understand.  We live in a day and age in which we do not need God in our own estimation because we are too busy or we think ourselves too important to need Him.  Modern day humanity is so full of themselves in regard to their self-importance that they think they do not need God.  But God is indeed our foundation whether we realize it or not.  God is still the basis for our life whether we acknowledge it or not.  God is still our reason for existence even though we spend our days ignoring Him.  Lent is a good time to turn all this around.  Spend the next forty days of Lent dedicated to the One Who loves you unconditionally.  Dedicate these upcoming days to the One Who died on the Cross for you.  Dedicate these upcoming days to love the One Who first loved us.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.  Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord.  We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Sexagesima, February 4th, 2024

 Sexagesima, or the Second Sunday before Lent, 

February 4th, 2024

On Sunday, February 4th, 2024 in the Gospel for Sexagesima (Second Sunday before Lent), we hear about seed falling on different types of ground.  The passage that we are referring to comes to us from St. Luke 8:4-14.  And Our Blessed Saviour was speaking to a many people and when He was finished His disciples wanted to know exactly what each of His examples meant.  Here, Our Lord explains directly to them that the "seed" represented the Word of God and that this same Word gets planted among different types of soil or ground:  some of the seed as it was sown got devoured by the birds; some of it fell on rocky ground; some of the seed got thrown in among the thorns; and, finally, some fell on good ground.  Trying not to get too awfully philosophical here but as I like to point out:  life is never perfect.  Sometimes it is easy-going; sometimes it is difficult; sometimes, life presents challenges to us; sometimes, life is boring; sometimes it is exciting, etc.  But no matter what challenges life presents us with, the one constant in our life should be God, first and foremost.  Even when we become Christians, we are not promised that life will be easy.  We are not promised that we will never have any problems.  We are not promised that we will never have any concerns in life.  What we are promised is that when we do have a loving, committed, personal relationship with Our Lord, we are promised that He will never leave us.  The point being is that throughout our life, going back to the parable of the sower, sometimes our life will seem as rocky ground; sometimes it will seem as filled with thorns; and sometimes it will seem like it is simply good ground for planting.  Let the Word of God be planted in you,  . .  .  .  in your heart.  Let your heart be the good ground that Our Lord was referring to.  Let the Word of God be planted so deeply in your heart that nothing can never take it away from you.  Let that Word of God grow in your heart so that you will become committed like never before to Our Blessed Saviour.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.  Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord.  We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Septuagesima, or the Third Sunday before Lent, January 28th, 2024

 Septuagesima, or the Third Sunday before Lent, 

January 28th, 2024

On Sunday, January 28th, 2024, the Church celebrates Septuagesima Sunday . . .  or the Third Sunday Before Lent . . .  The "Gesima Sundays" are the final countdown, if you will, or the three Sundays of preparation for the holy season of Lent. The Gospel for today's Mass comes to us from the Twentieth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew.  In this Chapter, St. Matthew recalls the words of Our Lord in regards to the householder who hired laborers to work in his vineyard.  And the householder went out at various points throughout the day to hire laborers to come and work in his vineyard.  And at the end of the day each of the laborers got paid the same exact wage whether they worked the whole day or just the last hour of the day.  God invites those whom He chooses to invite.  But the key is that it is up to us to accept or decline the invitation.  The very end of the passage that we heard today ends with:  " . .  .  for many be called, but few chosen ."  (St. Matthew 20:16)  I speak to so many people and it's the same thing for most people:  they are involved in a whole host of activities.  Just think about all the different "hats" that you may or may not have in your own life:  worker; homeowner; spouse; parent; neighbor; volunteer; friend; customer; etc.  The list could go on and on.  But I talk to so many people who have been chosen to work on a special committee or who have been chosen to be in charge of a special project of one sort or another.  Even at work, we get chosen by our boss or our manager to be in charge of something.  Throughout our life, all of us can think of one example or another where we have been chosen.  God has chosen His people as well.  "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord Thy God: the Lord Thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all the people that are upon the face of the earth."  (Deuteronomy 7:6)  We are chosen by God to be a "special people" unto Him.  We must never forget that.  God has chosen YOU!  It is up to us whether or not we accept the invitation.  Remember who you are:  You are "special"; You are "chosen" You are "loved."  I do not think that most of us realize the importance of this fact.  If we did, we would spend more time focused on the things above as opposed to being focused on the things here below.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.  Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord.  We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Third Sunday after Epiphany, January 21st, 2024

 Third Sunday after Epiphany, January 21st, 2024

In the Second Chapter of St. John's Gospel, we hear the familiar story of the Miracle at Cana, where Our Blessed Lord turned water into wine.  For those of us who have read the Bible our entire lives, in particular the Gospels, it is easy for us to overlook the miraculous works of Our Lord because we are so used to seeing Him perform miracles all throughout the Gospel accounts.  But if we are not paying attention we may miss something, we may overlook something important.  You see, in this recounting of what happened at the Wedding Feast of Cana, buried deep within the story, we hear some of the most important words ever spoken in the entire Bible:  "His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." (St. John 2:1ff)  Our Lady is telling those in charge of the wedding feast to do whatever her Son tells them to do.  She should know what she is talking about . . .  this is her Son.  She raised Him.  She saw Him grow to become an adult.  The reason she is so confident in what she states is because she spent time with Him every day of His life.  "Do whatever He tells you . . . ."  We, too, are called to spend time with Our Blessed Lord every single day.  If we spend quality time with Our Saviour on a daily basis, we will also have confidence just like Our Lady did when she gave the advice, "do whatever He tells you . . ."  We need to follow this advice as well and this can only be done by making a point to listen to what He is telling us and we can only accomplish this by making a point to listen to Him.  Listen to what Our Lord is saying to you . . .  pay attention to what He is saying to you . . .  heed His advice.  "Do whatever He tells you . . . ."

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.  Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord.  We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 14th, 2024

 Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 14th, 2024

I kid around that I am always the last one to know something.  And I am out of the loop especially when it comes to popular things or fashionable things, so to speak.  So it  certainly comes as no surprise that I only recently heard about this furor surrounding Stanley mugs/tumblers.  Have you heard about this?   People line up to buy these Stanley mugs and they sell out immediately.  And as a result of these mgs selling out, people are reselling them for 200, 300, 400 dollars.  It simply astounds me.  It is funny, though, because I was washing my coffee mug recently and while I am washing it, I noticed something which I never noticed before.  It turns out that my mug which I have been using for years is a Stanley mug.  The thing that is so popular throughout the world right now is something that I already possessed all along.  This got me to thinking about God or should I say people searching for God.  So often we search for God because we need Him.  So often we search for God in all kinds of places.  But the bottom line is that God was there all along.   So often God is right there alongside us and we don't even realize it.   "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit?  Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?" (Psalm 139:7)  God is everywhere.  God is with us at all times.  God is always with us.  But at the times when we do not think God is with us, the truth is that we were not focused on God.  We were too busy focused on other things.  We were too busy focused on the things of the world . . . the things that we wanted  . . . focused on things of the world.  But no matter what God remains there with us.  And we are surprised that God was there all along.  At those times we discover that God was not absent from us, we were absent from Him. 

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.  Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord.  We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

First Sunday after Epiphany, January 7th, 2024

 First Sunday after Epiphany, January 7th, 2024

Have you ever noticed when a teacher is checking to make sure the answer is correct, the teacher will not only look at your answer, but will also want to know how you arrived at the answer?  In other words, the teacher wants to check what path you took to find the answer to the question.  I remember when I was young, going to elementary school, I remember asking the teacher how to spell a particular word and the teacher would respond:  "Look it up in the dictionary."  How are you going to look up a word in a dictionary if you don't know how to spell the word, I would wonder.  Well, the answer if obvious.  A good teacher will not only provide you with an answer but will provide you with the knowledge and the know-how to obtain an answer.  A good teacher, in other words, teaches you how to find out the answer to a question instead of simply giving you the answer.  This is because often times, in life, there are different ways to find the answer that we are looking for.

In the Second chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear the story of when Our Blessed Saviour was left behind in the Temple.  And St. Luke tells us that when Our Lady and St. Joseph returned to Jerusalem to find their Son, they found the Divine Child in the Temple, "sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions." (Chapter 2:46)  After Our Lady approaches her Son and tells Him that they were worried and looking for Him, the Divine Child responds:  "How is it that ye sought me?"  (Chapter 2:49)   As pointed out above, a teacher may ask the path you took to find the answer.  Our Lord often asks us the same question.  He wants to find out what path we took to find Him.  So often in life, people look for God in so many different places.  Sometimes the path we take to find happiness takes us down a wrong path.  Sometimes we end up feeling lost and miserable.  Often, when we think we have found happiness, we end up not feeling as satisfied as we thought that we were.  As a Christian, we realize that God is our ultimate happiness.  Other things that we think will bring us happiness and joy . . .  whether it be drink, or drugs, or money, or wealth, or honor in the eyes of the world . . . these things only give us contentment for a time.  God, we know, gives us everlasting contentment.  St. Augustine teaches that in trying to find joy and fulfillment, we are really searching ultimately for God.  Because he states that all things that we think will bring us satisfaction will ultimately fail us.  Only God brings everlasting joy and contentment.  What path have you followed to find God?  Have you searched for Him in your longing to find joy and contentment in earthly possessions?  Things of the world never bring everlasting joy.  Only a true, dedicated, committed, personal relationship with God will bring us true satisfaction.  Give Him your heart.  Make Him the King and Ruler of your life.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.  Come join us every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord.  We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.