Septuagesima, February 16th, 2025

 Septuagesima, or the third Sunday before Lent, February 16th, 2025

Beginning today the Church celebrates what I refer to as the "Gesima Sundays."  The first is Septuagesima.  The second is Sexagesima.  And the third is Quinuqagesima.  These three Sundays comprise "Pre-Lent," or the three Sundays leading up to the holy season of Lent.  Lent itself is penitential season which leads up to Easter.  In other words, this time which I just described leads us and prepares us for Easter.  It is little wonder then that the Church chooses to quote the Ninth Chapter of St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians where he talks about preparing for a race or preparing for a competition.  St Paul first writes:  "KNOW ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."  (I Corinthians 9:24)  St. Paul compares all the work and the preparation which an athlete goes through in order to win a crown which ultimately will fade away.  On the other hand, St. Paul points out that we Christians are vying for a crown as well but this crown will never fade away.  The crown that the athletes are training for is an earthly crown.  The crown which Christians are training for is an everlasting crown.   St. Paul writes:  "Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." (I Corinthians 9:25)  This incorruptible crown is offered to us by Our Blessed Saviour.  He earned it on our behalf and gives it freely to us.  He did this by dying on the Cross to save us from our sins and next by being raised from the dead and offering us eternal life in His Presence.  And yet despite the fact that this crown is offered freely to us, we still must do our part.  We still must resist evil.  We still must do what God would have us do.  We still must stay close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and remain ever by His side.  So many people do not want to do these things.  So many people in our society and throughout the world want to abide by their own rules.  They are attracted by what the world has to offer.  They go after worldly riches and seek to satisfy their worldly desires.  These are the ones St. Paul is describing who are seeking a corruptible crown.  The desires, riches and wealth of this world will all eventually fade away but the love of Christ never fades away.  God loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  Let us use these upcoming weeks to remember the sacrifice which Our Blessed Saviour made on our behalf.  Let us remember that we need to train like athletes to run this race.  We need to remain focused and concentrate on finishing the race.  We cannot be sidetracked by the desires of the world.

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays 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. 

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!

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, February 9th, 2025

 Fifth Sinday after Epiphany, February 9th, 2025

In the Letter to the Colossians, St. Paul is writing on how exactly a Christian should act and their attitudes towards one another.  We hear the following from the beginning of the Epistle for today's Mass:  "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another."  (Colossians 3:12)  He goes on to speak about forgiveness and "forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven you."  If we were to look at things logically and simply the logical argument would go something along these lines:  Humans are not perfect; therefore, humans make mistakes;  End of story.  But it is not quite as simple as that.  We have to throw into the equation that human beings have emotions and therefore, on rare occasion, get their feelings hurt . . . . rightly or wrongly . . . . and this is probably where the difficult part comes into play.  As Christians, we always have to look toward the example of Our Blessed Saviour, pure and simple, as difficult as that may be because let's face it, He is a "tough act to follow" when it comes to living a perfect life.    But just because  something is difficult to do, we are still called to give the effort 100 percent effort as Christians.  You see, that is what Christ gave us . . . . He gave 100 percent.  Even when it came to forgiveness, He forgave 100 percent.   So often when we "forgive," do we really do it 100 percent?  Isn't it true that often times when we say we forgive someone, yes, we do forgive that person for the wrong they have done, but often don't we keep it in the back of our mind what they did to us and keep it in our "memory file."  We say we forgive but we don't forget.  Thus, that forgiveness is only 90 percent . .  or 80 percent  . . . or maybe 75 percent.  Christ give 100 percent from the Cross when He died for our sins.  That's how we know He gave His all because He gave all of His life in sacrifice hanging from the Cross to free you and I from our sins.  So next time you are called to forgive someone, remember Our Blessed Saviour's Sacrifice . . .  He did not just give 70 or 80 or 99 percent . . . ,. No, He gave 100 percent and that is what we are called to do . . . . give 100 percent of our love and forgiveness as Christians even though that may be very difficult at times.  Do you think it was any easier dying on the Cross?

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays 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. 

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!

Presentation of Christ in the Temple, February 2nd, 2025

 Presentation of Christ in the Temple, February 2nd, 2025

In the Second Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel we hear the story of St. Joseph and Our Lady presenting the Child Jesus in the Temple.  Simeon prophesied the greatness of this Child when he spoke these words to the Blessed Mother:  "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,)" (St. Luke 2:22ff)  To say the least, these words, along with all the words that Simeon prophesied that day, must have shocked St. Joseph and St. Mary, or at the very least caused them to wonder what all of these things meant not only for them but for their Child.  " . ..  and a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also . . . "  As we know, Our Lady's life was filled with much joy.  What joy Our Lady must have felt being in the presence of the Son of God.  How much joy knowing that she was doing the will of God.  What joy knowing that she was in the very presence of the long-awaited Messiah of the world!   When we think about it, in the entire history of mankind, who was more blessed than anyone else if it was not Our Lady?  She had the distinct honour of being chosen not only to give birth to the Saviour of the world but to spend over thirty years in His presence.  She was with Him throughout His entire life.  But despite these joys and honours, we know that she also had sadness and sorrow as well.  To see her Son hanging from the Cross and then ultimately die a cruel death, knowing He was totally innocent.  How horrible that would be for any mother, any parent, quite frankly, but how much more so for her?  And yet we know from the words of Simeon and from the example of Our Lady that there will indeed be sorrow in our life in addition to the joy.  We were never promised that our life would be perfect or that all sorrows or setbacks  . . .  minor or major . . . would be taken away once we became a Christian.  No, there will still be sorrows, and frustrations, and setbacks for the committed Christian.  But for those who are dedicated to God, we are assured that Christ will always be with us  . . .  in the good times and the bad.

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays 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. 

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!