Ninth Sunday after Trinity, August 17th, 2025

 

Ninth Sunday after Trinity, August 17th, 2025

I would imagine the most famous parable which Our Lord ever told was the parable of the "Prodigal Son."  But I have believed firmly that this parable is misnamed.  I do not believe that it should be called the "Prodigal Son" but rather the parable of the "Loving Father."  I understand why the focus of the parable is on the son because he is the one who wants to get his share of his father's inheritance early.  The son is the one who leaves home in other to live life as he sees fit.  The son spends all his inheritance on riotous living.   And the son comes home with his tail between his legs hungry and embarrassed with egg on his face.  But what we really should focus on is the response of the father in the story.  "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." (St. Luke 15:20)  The response of the father is really what we should focus on.  This is because it is the response of our Heavenly Father to His ungrateful children:  in other words, humanity.  Aren't we like the "prodigal son" so often in our life?  We want the good things given to us without having to work for them.  We want to run off from our responsibilities and live the "good life."  We focus on God's blessings and pray for God to give us what we ask for.  But when we get what we want we run off and leave God so that we can live life the way that we want to live.  When you think about it, we are very similar to the "prodigal son" in so many ways.  But God is very much like the "loving father" in the parable.  He loves his children and desires the best for His children.  This is why He sent His Son into the world to save us from our sins.  This is why Our Blessed Saviour died on the Cross for us.  He took our place.  We are the ones who deserve death on the cross but Our Lord loves us so much that He died for us.  He died on the Cross so that He could save us from our sins.

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. 

Eighth Sunday after Trinity, August 10th, 2025

 

Eighth Sunday after Trinity, August 10th, 2025

We hear in the Eighth Chapter of Romans:  "The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."  (v. 16)  But then it goes on to say in the next verse:  "And if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together."  (v.17)  It seems to me that an important lesson is often forgotten in our modern society by a whole lot of folks that with privilege comes responsibility.  We want all the benefits, but we do not want to have the responsibility.  In other words, if we look at the life of Our Blessed Saviour, we will see that He suffered.  He felt pain.  He cried.  He had sorrow.  We experience all of those things as well in life.  And when we do we feel sorry for ourselves, don't we?  We get all caught up in our feelings and we focus and fixate on our sorrows.  But verse 18 of this chapter gives us hope:  "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  Yes, we will experience suffering in this life.  Yes, we will experience setbacks in our life.  Can a student experience the joy of getting an "A" on a final exam without first spending countless hours studying and preparing for the exam?  A student must first prepare for the exam by studying and preparing for the test.  In life we must experience hardship and reward.  We should always remember the example of Our Blessed Saviour, Without the Cross, Our Lord would never rise again on the third day.  He had to die first.  We also must die first before we can experience the glory.  We must die to the world . . .  die to sin . . .  die to selfishness.  We must give ourselves to God . . .  dedicate our lives to God Our Heavenly Father.  We must live for Him.  In life we will experience trials and tribulations, but we will endure with the help of God.  We will suffer setbacks but God will see us through.  We are children of God.  We are Sons and Daughters of the Most High.  

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.

Seventh Sunday after Trinity, August 3rd, 2025

 

Seventh Sunday after Trinity, August 3rd, 2025

In the Eighth Chapter of St. Mark's Gospel, we read about the miraculous feeding of the four thousand.  As St. Mark tells us these four-thousand dear souls had been with Our Lord for some three days.  They were listening to what He was saying.  They were hearing the messages He was imparting from His Father. They were witnessing the Son of God before their very eyes.  No wonder they stayed in His presence for three days.  But as I have said so many times, Our Lord is not someone Who is distant and far-off.  Our Lord is someone Who is nearby and takes notice of us.  We find proof of this fact when we read the words of Our Lord:  "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me three days."  (St. Mark 8)  Our Lord certainly does have compassion on us.  All we have to do is read through the accounts of His life found in the Gospels to see proof.  Our Lord had compassion on the mother whose son had died.  Our Lord had compassion on the lepers who cried out to Him for healing.  Our Lord had compassion on the lame and the blind He came into contact with.  And here in St. Mark Our Lord has compassion on the four thousand.  The question is do we have compassion?  Do we have compassion on those around us?  Do we have compassion on those who have done wrong to us?  Do we show compassion to those in need of forgiveness?  Do we take the time to show compassion to those who need to see the love of God?  Do we allow ourselves to be the instrument of God by showing compassion to those around us?  God showed compassion to His children when He sent His Son into the world to save us from our sins.  Our Lord showed compassion when He healed the sick.   Our Lord showed compassion from the Cross forgiving those who put Him there saying, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."  Do we show compassion?  

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.