Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 4th, 2026

 

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 4th, 2026

The beginning of today's Epistle states:  "I thank my God always on your behalf . . . "  (I Corinthians 1:4 ff)  St. Paul is making the point that he thanks God for the witness of faith found in the Church at Corinth.   It is amazing how many times in a day that we say "Thank you."  Have you ever tried to count the number of times that you said these two simple little words in the course of a day?  Probably not but I bet you say it a lot.  If you go to the store and you buy something, the odds are probably good that you say "Thank you" to the cashier after making your purchase.  If someone holds the door for you on the way out, again, the odds are probably good that you once again say "Thank you" to the person showing the courtesy of holding the door for you.  If the waiter takes your order . . .  if the server brings you your drink  . . . . if someone says "God bless you" after you sneeze . . .  I would be willing to bet that you probably said "Thank you" at  each one of these scenarios I just described.  (And if you do NOT say "Thank You" in the examples I just mentioned I would suggest that you begin!  But I digress!)

But how often do we say "Thank you" to God?  As demonstrated above, the odds are that we thank an awful lot of people in the course of a day, week, or month.  But how often have we thanked God during the last 24 hours . . . or week . . .  or month?  Have we thanked Him at all?  We are awfully quick to speak to God when we need something from Him but is that the only time we ever take the time to speak to Him?  When we need a favour?   If we had a friend that only spoke to us when that friend needed something from us, over time, I doubt if we would think very highly of that so-called friend.  And yet that is what we do to God at certain times during our life.  We get busy with the "busy-ness" of everyday living and we do not take time out for God:  to spend time with Him  . . .  . to talk with Him ... . to thank Him.  And then when we get in trouble over one thing or another, then we run to Him and ask Him to help us.  The bottom line is this:  God wants us to run to Him when we are in need.  He wants to help us.  And yet I am willing to bet that He would also like to hear from us for no other reason than to simply say "Hi" or to say "Thank you for the blessings you have given me this day."   Make a point to thank God for what He has given you.

Please join us as we gather together at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 10:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, September 27th, 2026

 

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, September 27th, 2026

In the Epistle to the Ephesians, beginning in the fourth chapter, we hear the following:  " . . . .  one Lord, one faith, one baptism . . . . "  Now, in my opinion, it seems so often in the society in which we live that we focus on what makes us different.  We are African-Americans; Hispanic-Americans; Asian-Americans; etc.  I also notice a lot of articles or new-stories focusing on the differences between men and women.  Men do things a certain way and women do things a completely different way.  Men think a certain way.  Women think a certain way.  And even in religion, we are constantly reminded on the differences between the various churches, the various denominations, the various liturgical styles, and so on.  If you look around, it's plain enough to find out about what separates us, what makes us different from one another.  But St. Paul is focusing on what unifies us as Christians:  " . . .  one Lord, one faith, one baptism. . . . . "   In this sense, St. Paul is focusing on what unifies us and not on what makes us different.  This unity is what defines us.  And this unity comes to us through being the children of Our Heavenly Father:  "One God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Chapter 4: 6)   Obviously, we are all different in one way or another:  I like certain types of food and you prefer other types of food.  I like to go to bed early and get up early.  Someone else is a "night-owl" and likes to sleep in.  I like certain singers and certain types of music, and so on.  The list goes on and on in regard to what makes us different.  But by focusing on what we each have in common:  " .. . .  one Lord, one faith, one baptism . . . ."  Focusing on what unifies us helps us to focus on the source of our unity:  Our Heavenly Father.   And when we focus all of our attention on Him, the things that separate us become less important.  They become secondary.

Please join us as we gather together at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 10:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 20th, 2026

 

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 20th, 2026

St. Luke tells us about the time in which Our Blessed Lord and many of His disciples went through a city called Nain.  And it was here, St. Luke tells us, that as Our Lord passed by there was a funeral procession taking place.  And this funeral was being held for the only son of a widowed woman.  Now read this specific verse from St. Luke:  "And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her,and said unter her, Weep not." (St. Luke 7:13)   Our Lord had compassion on this poor widow who had just lost her only son.  You know, Our Lord has compassion on all of us.  That is the precise reason He came to earth as a human being.  He had compassion on fallen humanity.  This is why when you read the Gospels you will see time and time and time again where Our Lord had compassion on those suffering some sort of affliction.  Whether they were bilind . . .  or deaf . . . or lame . . . or a whole host of other ailments Our Lord had compassion on those He saw in pain.  In regards to the poor widow from Nain whom the Lord had great compassion on, what did He do for her?  He brought the woman's son back to life.  He raised the woman's dead to new life right then and there.  God has compassion on all of us.  And we should follow the example of Our Blessed Lord; we should show mercy.  We should show compassion to those around us as well.  "And shew mercy and compassion every many to his brother."  (Zechariah 7:9)

Please join us as we gather together at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 10:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 13th, 2026

 

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 13th, 2026

In the Epistle for today's Mass, we are listening to a section of St. Paul's sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Galatians.  In this section, St. Paul is trying to warn the young church at Galatia not to be swayed by false teachers, some of which were preaching and teaching and vying for followers.  St. Paul writes:  "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Galatians, Chapter 6:14).  As is usually the case, when we read statements in Holy Scripture, normally it is said/written for a reason.  St. Paul's words cited above are no different.  The reason why St. Paul said what he said was because there were certain false teachers only wanting to compel their followers to follow Jewish laws and customs.  In this case, they wanted the men to be circumcised in order to be "more Christian."  These false teachers were more interested in satisfying themselves than they were in serving Our Blessed Lord.  See verses 12 and 13 of this chapter:  " . . .  they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the Cross of Christ.  For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh."

St. Paul's point in this:  there is only one thing ultimately that has made a difference in the world . . . . a lasting difference, a permanent difference, if you will . . . and that is the fact that Our Lord was willing to give up His own life for you and for me. He paid the price for OUR sins.  And this is the only thing that will ultimately save us:  His Death on the Cross.  It is this one saving event in the history of the world that has made a permanent, lasting effect for all people: Christ died on the Cross to save you and me from our sins.  Nothing else we can do will save us from our sins, including circumcision, is the point that St. Paul is making.  St. Paul was not condemning the practice of circumcision.  In fact, just the opposite, he says further on this chapter:   ".  . .  .peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." (verse 16)  He is just making the point that signs and symbols and good works and good thoughts . . . .  all of these are fine but none of these will save us.  Only the Cross of Christ has the saving effect for all eternity.  Only Our Lord's Sacrifice on the Cross is the permanent solution to our sinful ways and lifestyle.  He died on the Cross to atone for OUR sins . . .not His! . . .  OUR sins and then He rose again on the third day so that we will have the opportunity to share eternal life with Our Heavenly Father.  We need to keep this thought in our minds each and every day.

So many times we place all of our hopes in things, or actions or events and we are positive that these things will make everything better for us . . . . "Oh, if I can only make it to the weekend, everything will be fine.  Let me make it through this week"  "If I could only get this upgraded computer, everything will go much better, and I could do more things, and it would run faster . . . ."  "If I could only get all of my chores done at the house, then I could  .. . . ."  You see, as human beings, we pin all of our hopes and obtaining certain things or reaching certain goals . . . . whether they be obtaining new jobs, or new homes, or the latest gadgets . . .  and we are sure that everything will be just fine if we only get this certain item.  And this seems to appease us only briefly until we get fixated on getting the next "must-have" item or the next earth-shattering event in our life.  But ultimately, none of these things matter in the course of eternity.  There is only one thing and one thing only that matters for us:  the fact that Christ was willing to die on the Cross to atone for your sins and mine.  That is the single solitary event in the history of the world whose effects are ever-lasting.  Everything else is just temporary.

Please join us as we gather together at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 10:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 6th, 2026

 

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 6th, 2026

As Our Lord travelled to Jerusalem, He encountered ten men whom St. Luke tells us that happened to be lepers.  St. Luke tells us that these men were standing some distance from Our Lord.  And these lepers raised their voices to gain the attention of Jesus.  Our Lord did hear their cry and He did heal them.  Well, to make a long story short . . . .  and getting to the point of the story . . . . only one out of the ten men came back to give thanks and show his gratefulness for being healed.  Our Lord asked the question:  "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?" (St. Luke 17:17)   I wonder if Our Blessed Lord ever asks that question of us?  Do we thank God when we sit down to enjoy a meal?  Do we thank God when we start a new day?  Do we remember to thank God when we receive a blessing from Him?  So often we run to God when we need something, but we are quick to forget Him when things are running fine.  The ten lepers were quick to call out to Jesus when they needed Him but nine out of the ten left and never turned back to say "thanks."  Let us not be like the nine who did not thank Our Lord.  Let us always remember to thank God on a daily basis.  Let us show thanksgiving to Our Blessed Saviour for all the blessings He shows us.

Please join us as we gather together at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 10:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, August 30th, 2026

 

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, August 30th, 2026

For years now I have made a point to listen to the radio each morning as I get ready to start my day.  And I do this for multiple reasons, quite frankly.   I want to hear what's going on in the news.  I want to hear the baseball scores.  Additionally, I want to hear what the weather is going to be.  And I also want to hear the traffic report so I will know if I need to avoid any accidents or back-ups.  I have basically done this most of my adult life, it would seem.  Anyhow, here locally, this week it was reported that the man who does the traffic reports which I listened to for years died suddenly last weekend.  It's funny how something like this can affect you when you hear the news of a person passing away.  The man who did the traffic reports was Matt Bair and he gave the reports for years on the station that I listen to on a daily basis.  I had never met him in person.  He did not know me.  I had never communicated with him in any way, form or fashion.  And yet this man whom I had never met was a part of my life (albeit through the radio) for many years.  We never know how we affect others, do we?  We may think that we are simply "insignificant cogs in the wheel" but we matter and what we do in life matters.  Our actions and what we do affects not only us but those around us either directly or indirectly.  I had never met Matt Bair in person, but I looked forward to hearing him on the radio each day.   Each one of us has the potential of either being a positive or negative influence in another person's life.  We affect others by the actions which we take or do not take, as the case may be.  Certainly, as Christians we are called to be a positive influence on others.  We are called to be God's ambassadors in the world.  We are called to be His instrument in the world in which we live.  Be the person God wants you to be.  Live for others as you live for Him. 

Please join us as we gather together at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 10:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!  

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, August 23rd, 2026

 

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, August 23rd, 2026

In the Seventh Chapter of St. Mark's Gospel, we read the encounter between Our Lord and someone who could neither hear nor speak.  "And they bring unto Him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech."  (St. Mark 7:31)  St. Mark tells us that Our Lord healed the man so that he could hear and speak.  Our prayer should be that we are cured from our deafness.  What?  Deaf?  "I'm not deaf," you might be saying to yourself.  Keep in mind that I am referring to a spiritual "deafness."  I am referring to being "hard of hearing" when to comes to listening to God   When I was in the seminary, I lived in a church not far from the elevated train.  And every few minutes or so the trains would pass by.  And as you can imagine, the trains were very loud.  Factor into this the other "sounds" coming from the neighborhood:  car alarms going off constantly . . . . traffic going by . . . . sirens wailing.  At first, with all this noise it was hard to concentrate.  But over time I became accustomed to the racket and the noise and it didn't bother me.  I would dare say, spiritually speaking, we get used to the "noises of the world."  These "noises" drown out our listening to God.  These "noises" keep us from listening to what God is telling us.  These "noises" keep us from paying attention to what we need to focus on.  The problem is that we get used to these "distractions."  We get used to these "noises."  We get used to these "hindrances" which keep us from God.  Thus, in a spiritual sense we become "deaf" or at least "hard of hearing" when it comes to hearing what God is trying to tell us.  Let us pray that our spiritual hearing will be healed so that we can listen fully to what God is saying to us.

Please join us as we gather together at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 10:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!