Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 15th, 2024

 Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 15th, 2024

In the Third Chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, we are reminded "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith"  (Ephesians 3:13 ff).  I have been preaching now for over twenty years.  The more I preach, the more I seem to emphasize that each one of should prepare a special place in our heart where only Christ can dwell.  It stands to reason that for any king,  . .  . or queen, . . .  or head of state such as a president or prime minister, . . . .  for anyone in charge, for that matter, we go to special lengths to prepare a place for them.  If someone special is coming to visit you . . . such as a beloved relative or a dear friend whom you have not seen for a long time . . .  if someone special is coming to visit your home, you go to special efforts to prepare a place for them.  You clean up your home.  You put things away.  You spruce up and dust and put things in order as best as you can.  Why do we do all of this?  We do it out of love and out of respect, of course.  We want to be good hosts and we do it because we want to show love and respect for the person visiting.  When a head of state such as a king or queen or president comes to visit your country, a special place is prepared for the visiting dignitary.  When the boss of your company or corporation comes to visit where you work, you clean up and prepare as much as possible to make sure everything looks top-notch.  It just stands to reason that when someone important visits you, you prepare a place for that person and you do your best to make sure everything is in place.  "The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation"  (Exodus 15:2)  The place that each one of us can prepare a habitation for God to dwell is in our heart.  This, quite frankly, is the place where Christ wants to rule.  "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also." (St. Luke 12:34)  Christ is our treasure ..  . . the love of Christ is our one possession that will last forever.  While all of our other "treasures" will eventually fade away .  . . . . whether they rust  away . . .  or break . .  . or fall out of style . . . . the love of Christ will never fail us.   So prepare a special place in your heart.  Prepare room in your heart for Christ.  That is the one throne He truly desires to occupy . . .  the one in your heart.

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Join us at 10:30 AM at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 8th, 2024

 Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 8th, 2024

When you stop to think about it, it's amazing how many things we "need" in life.  Our days are filled with "needs" from the time we get up until the time we finally go to bed.  I bet you never even think about all the things you "need."  When you get up in the morning,   "I need to go to the bathroom;" or "I need to get ready for work;" "I need some coffee;" "I need to get some breakfast;" "I need to leave for work;"  "I need to go to the store;" "I need to cut the grass;"  "I need to take out the trash;"  "I need to get to bed so that I can get some sleep;" etc.  Now, don't get me wrong, we may not come right out and say, "I need to do this" or "I need to do that" but the point is the same: from the time we get up in the morning until the time we fall asleep at night, our days are filled with things we need to do or desires that we need to fulfill.  And the examples I listed above are just the "little daily things" that we need to do every day.  What about the times when we say . .  . either out loud or simply to ourselves . . .  . "I need to go on vacation;" "I need to get a better car;" etc.   Again, whether we call them: needs; desires; or worries, our days are filled with things that we want to do or need to do.  And human beings just go from fulfilling one need to fulfilling the next need.  But, Our Blessed Saviour warns us against worrying about anything, whether it be the food or drink that we need or the clothing that we wear.  He says in St. Mathew, chapter six:  " . . . . for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."   Everything falls into place eventually; I have found in my own life.  But that does not mean I do not worry about things that I need or about the things that I need to get accomplished.  It's just human nature, I suppose.  

God knows what we need.  God knows what we need to get done.  As Christians, we are called to dedicate our lives to Christ as Our Lord and Saviour.  So many people dedicate their lives to what they need and what they desire.  Drink, . . .  Food,  . . . . Material Possessions,  . . . . Money,  . . . . Power.  These are the things that so many people want and desire.  These people have no time for God because they are too busy trying to fulfill their worldly lusts and desires.  Again, as human beings we have desires and needs.  For example, we desire to eat because we need to eat in order to survive.  But we can not let our desire become our primary reason for living.  There is certainly nothing wrong with eating, to continue with that example, but we can not let eating control our lives.  We can not let the desire for food be our reason for living.  So many people do just this.  They allow their desires to rule their life.  God knows what we need.  God even knows what we desire. Dedicate your life to God.  Let Him take priority in your life.  Once you do that, everything else will fall into place.  

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Join us at 10:30 AM at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.