Fifth Sunday after Trinity, July 5th, 2026

 

Fifth Sunday after Trinity, July 5th, 2026

In the Fifth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel we hear the story of when Our Blessed Saviour first met St. Peter.  This, of course, when he was still the fisherman known as Simon.   Now, Our Lord requested help from St. Peter because the crowd was so great that He wanted as many people to hear Him as possible.  Thus, the favor which He sought from St. Peter was to let Him preach from his small ship in order that He would not be hemmed in by the multitude and more people could hear Him.  Now, when Our Lord was done teaching He intended to pay back the kindness to St. Peter for letting Him use the ship.  You see, St. Peter had toiled all night long and had not caught any fish.  St. Peter tried every which way to catch some fish and he just could not catch any that night.  But when Our Lord told St. Peter to cast out their nets, they pulled back a catch that was beyond belief.  St. Peter could not believe his eyes.  St. Peter had witnessed with his own eyes an astonishing miracle which was so amazing to him.  St. Peter had worked so hard all night to catch nothing but Our Lord made it look so easy.  Our Lord rewards us with far more than we ever deserve:  He gives us life; He blesses us; He provides for us; He gives us redemption through His death on the Cross; He gives us the opportunity to have everlasting life with Him in Heaven.  All we have to do is give our heart to Him and follow Him.  Our Lord promised St. Peter great things.  Our Lord said that St. Peter would go on to catch men for God.  St. Peter was willing to follow Jesus.  St. Peter was willing to give his heart to Our Blessed Lord.  Did St. Peter still make mistakes after that?  Certainly.  Did St. Peter stick his foot in his mouth at times?  Of course.  St. Peter even denied Our Blessed Saviour when the hour looked darkest.  And yet Jesus still loved St. Peter.  He still forgave St. Peter.  He still kept hope in St. Peter.  Our Blessed Saviour does not expect us to be perfect.  He knows that we will fall.  Our Lord knows us better than we know ourselves.  And yet He still loves us.  He still forgives us.  Knowing everything He knows about  us, He still freely chose to die on the Cross  . . .  for you . . .  for me.    St. Peter had toiled all night long, St. Luke tells us, and caught nothing.  But with Our Lord's help, they caught so many fish the nets began to break.  How often in life do we "toil all night long" like St. Peter?  How often do our efforts fail us?  God will bless your efforts.  God will give you everlasting life.  God has already given His Son for you.  Christ died on the Cross for you.  Our Blessed Saviour defeated death for you.  What will you do 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!

Fourth Sunday after Trinity, June 28th, 2026

 

Fourth Sunday after Trinity, June 28th, 2026

Being a Christian is not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination.  Come to think of it, being a human being is not an easy thing either.  Having to make decisions that affect your own life.  Having to make decisions that affect others . . . . for example, if you are a parent or the owner of a company.  Having to do things that you would prefer not to do but have to be done . . .  cutting the grass comes to mind or paying bills.  Having to juggle various roles all at the same time . . .   going to work . . . taking care of your home . . .  being a parent . . .  being a child . . . . paying bills . . . doing chores . . .  etc. The point being is that life is busy . . . at least it is for me . . . and life is full of difficulties and challenges . . .  again, at least it is for me.  But as I look around on social media and in the news and listening to people's conversations, it seems that people must have a whole lot of free time that they don't know what to do with.  It used to be that if you held a different belief than me, I might not have agreed with you but it amounted to nothing more than that:  a difference of opinion.  Period.  End of story.  I might not like your choice or I might not like your belief but on the other hand you might not be too fond of something about me either.  But we just left it at that.  And, more importantly, we left it alone.  You had your belief.  I had my belief. Period.  Today, people get into all kinds of arguments and criticisms of one another if they do not agree and support the other person one hundred and twenty percent.

In St. Luke's Gospel, Our Lord said:  " BE ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful."  (St. Luke 6:36)  But then He goes on to say in the following verse:  "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."   (v.37)  It is that last part that we should be most concerned with . . . ". .  . forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."   I have long said that we tend to be so focused on the wrong-doing in others lives, if for no other reason, it takes the focus off of our wrong doing.  If I focus on someone else and where they are wrong in their life, it means that I have less time to focus on what is wrong in my own life.    A few verses later, Our Lord states in Verse 41:  "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"  Why am I so concerned about the speck that I see in my brother's eye when I am totally oblivious to the plank in my own eye?!?  The bottom line is this:  Don't be too quick to criticize someone else because your backyard probably needs a little sprucing up as well.  You don't have to be in complete agreement with someone in order to be civil and loving to that person.  Our Lord stated that we need to "love one another"  He did not say that we need to "agree with one another."  And finally,  show a little mercy and compassion to those around you.  Do not be so quick to condemn someone who does not agree with you.  That person may not agree with you either on other subjects.  The bottom line is that each one of us needs to be concerned if we agree with God.   I should be LESS concerned about making MY own voice heard  . . . and be MORE concerned about making GOD'S voice heard in my life and the way in which I treat others around me.

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!

Third Sunday after Trinity, June 21st, 2026

 

Third Sunday after Trinity, June 21st, 2026

You sometimes hear questions from people as to why evil goes on in the world.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  In a certain sense, this is a fair enough question.  Theologians along with great thinkers throughout history have been asking this same question basically since the world began.  Why do bad things happen at all?  And then many people start placing the blame on God at least indirectly when they ask:  why did God "allow" this to happen?  

If we turn to the First Epistle of St. Peter, we hear the following:  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: . .   " (I St. Peter 5:5 ff)  Let's be clear.  The devil is indeed prowling throughout the world causing as much mischief as he can.  The devil does certainly plant seeds in our minds, hearts and souls with evil intent.  He misleads us and he lies to us. He plants foundations of confusion in our minds so that we will not see the truth but see things how he wants us to see them.  But we need to take St. Peter's advice and be "vigilant" and be "sober" . . . . in other words, pay attention! . . . be on guard! . . . . the devil wants to devour us . . . the world wants to devour us . . . . .  . evil wants to devour us!  All the more reason to stay close to God.  Get to know God on a personal level.  Make Him your best friend.  Make Him your personal adviser.  Let God be your instructor in life.  You see, so many people today let Satan instruct them and they don't even realize it.  What happens when there is a void?  Typically, something comes in to fill up that void.  This is what happens when we do not have God in our life.  We have a void when we do not have God in our life and that void is filled with all kinds of things:  evil thoughts and misinformation and hatred and jealousy  .  . .  . . Fill your hearts with God and there will be no room for hatred!  Fill your mind with things of God and there will be no opportunity for the devil to fill it with thoughts of mischief.  Fill your soul with Christ and you will never go wrong.   Let God fill your mind and your heart and the devil will never have the opportunity to take control!

********

Second Sunday after Trinity, June 14th, 2026

In the Fourteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear about Our Blessed Saviour going to eat at "the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day." (Chapter 14 verse 1).  While he was there, St. Luke tells us that Our Blessed Lord told many stories, parables and answered questions for all the guests gathered there.  Further on in this same chapter though Our Lord tells the story of a man that made a great supper and invited many people to the feast.  But as Our Lord tells the story we soon find out that many of the people that got invited to the supper came up with all kinds of excuses for not coming.  One, for example, says that he has bought property and has to go see it.  Another one states that he has bought farm animals and has to go take care of them.  Another one states that he just got married and has to take care of his wife.  Well, you get the idea.  Our Lord, as He tells the story, is pointing out that everyone that got invited to the supper is making excuses for not coming.

How many excuses do we make when it comes to having a personal relationship with God?  How many excuses do we come up with when it comes to not spending time with God?  Quite frankly, all the people in the story had legitimate reasons for not going to the supper.  All of their "excuses" were valid and yet how many "valid" excuses do we try to use to justify the fact that we do not go daily to God in prayer?  How many of us say how busy we are with work  . . . .  and chores around the house . . .  . and running errands?  Do we use our busy schedule as an excuse to justify not spending time with God?  All of us lead busy lives.  But if we are too busy to spend time with God . . . .  we are TOO busy.  The story that Our Blessed Saviour tells about the man who made a supper and invited folks represents, of course, God.  God invites each of us to have a personal relationship with Him.  The only question is whether or not we accept His invitation.  Let us prioritize our lives in such a way that we "make time" for God . . . . not make excuses for avoiding Him.  Let us go to Our Heavenly Father on a daily basis . . .  not only when we "need" Him for something.  Let each of us accept His invitation.

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!

 

Second Sunday after Trinity, June 14th, 2026

In the Fourteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear about Our Blessed Saviour going to eat at "the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day." (Chapter 14 verse 1).  While he was there, St. Luke tells us that Our Blessed Lord told many stories, parables and answered questions for all the guests gathered there.  Further on in this same chapter though Our Lord tells the story of a man that made a great supper and invited many people to the feast.  But as Our Lord tells the story we soon find out that many of the people that got invited to the supper came up with all kinds of excuses for not coming.  One, for example, says that he has bought property and has to go see it.  Another one states that he has bought farm animals and has to go take care of them.  Another one states that he just got married and has to take care of his wife.  Well, you get the idea.  Our Lord, as He tells the story, is pointing out that everyone that got invited to the supper is making excuses for not coming.

How many excuses do we make when it comes to having a personal relationship with God?  How many excuses do we come up with when it comes to not spending time with God?  Quite frankly, all the people in the story had legitimate reasons for not going to the supper.  All of their "excuses" were valid and yet how many "valid" excuses do we try to use to justify the fact that we do not go daily to God in prayer?  How many of us say how busy we are with work  . . . .  and chores around the house . . .  . and running errands?  Do we use our busy schedule as an excuse to justify not spending time with God?  All of us lead busy lives.  But if we are too busy to spend time with God . . . .  we are TOO busy.  The story that Our Blessed Saviour tells about the man who made a supper and invited folks represents, of course, God.  God invites each of us to have a personal relationship with Him.  The only question is whether or not we accept His invitation.  Let us prioritize our lives in such a way that we "make time" for God . . . . not make excuses for avoiding Him.  Let us go to Our Heavenly Father on a daily basis . . .  not only when we "need" Him for something.  Let each of us accept His invitation.

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 9:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

First Sunday after Trinity, June 7th, 2026

 

First Sunday after Trinity, June 7th, 2026

In the Sixteenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, Our Blessed Lord relates the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man.  In this story, Our Saviour contrasts the difference between how these two men lived their lives:  the rich man wore fine clothing and ate  delicious foods while Lazarus was a poor beggar who lived a miserable existence.  We are further told that when both men died, Lazarus went to Heaven and the rich man went to hell.  In fact, the rich man suffered so much in hell that he cried out to Abraham to send Lazarus to him to give him even the slightest bit of relief to his torment and we then hear the following:  "But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things . . . ." (St. Luke 16:25)

This Gospel passage points out the problem faced by so many in our society today.  So many of us are fixated on the good things in life.  We have everything we want:  the latest gadgets; the newest car; a house in the fanciest neighborhood; the latest fashions; etc.  Now, there is nothing wrong with any of these things just mentioned, but when they take our attention away from God, that is where the problem arises.  We are called as Christians to keep our attention fixed on God.  It is God Who provides all the blessings in life but if these "blessings" divert the attention away from Him, what use are they in the long run?  Fashionable clothes go out of style . . . the latest electronics become obsolete . . .   cars break down . . .  but the one thing they never goes bad is the love of God.  "Put your money where your mouth is."  We've all heard this phrase.  In essence, it means that you better back up your words or else they are "just words" and no more.  Well, God did back up His words.  He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that He loved us by sending His Only Begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  Our Blessed Saviour died on the Cross for us.   Why do we keep our attention focused on earthly items that will fade away into nothing?  We have been given a gift beyond measure:  the gift of salvation.  It is offered freely.   Keep your eyes focused on God.  Keep your attention on your Heavenly Father.

 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 9:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Trinity Sunday, May 31st, 2026

 

Trinity Sunday, May 31st, 2026

In the Third Chapter of St. John's Gospel, we hear a conversation between Our Blessed Saviour and Nicodemus.  Now, Nicodemus is asking Our Saviour how someone can be "born again" if they are old.  Our Lord answers:  "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (St. John 3:1 ff)  Our Lord makes a clear distinction here between what is flesh and what is spirit.  Now, of course, the context of this particular conversation recorded in St. John's Gospel refers to being born again.   Nicodemus was asking for clarification on how someone can be "born a second time."  This is why Our Lord made a distinction between what is "spiritual" and what is "physical."  Sometimes, we as Christians also make this distinction between what is spiritual and what is physical and take advantage of the "difference."  In other words, I have seen people clearly do anything and everything under the sun Monday through Saturday and then they are good as pie on Sunday when they show up for church.  Folks go out and do all kinds of things during the week:  they booze it up; and they cheat other folks; they gossip; they sleep around; and they do this, that and the other and anything else they can  think of.  But then come Sunday morning, many of these very same folks wake up; they get all gussied up and look all pretty and they head to church.  And they look so pretty and holy in church, you wouldn't know that this was the same person that you just saw at the nightclub the night before.  Now, I am not going to point fingers at anyone else because we are all sinners . . . . . including me . . .  . and we have all done things we should not do . .. . . including me.  But the problem with the picture that I described above is this:  as Christians, we cannot divide our time into "Christian-time" (i.e., on Sundays and when we are in church) and "Non-Christian time." (i.e., all the OTHER days of the week).  Some people, as described above , try to do just that:  they convince themselves that as long as they are not in church, they can do anything, and everything, and act anyway they want to act.  They can act "flesh-ly,"   They can act "in the flesh."  But when they get into church, they have to act "spiritual" and "holy" and "pious."  As convenient as this might be for most of us, it just does not work that way.  As Christians, we are to be the same person seven days a week; not just on Sundays.  Now, of course, as mentioned above we are humans and we will make mistakes from time to time but the point is still the same:  we are to think about God; honour God; try to be Christ-like; always do as Christ will have us do SEVEN DAYS A WEEK and NOT only on Sunday!!!!!  

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 9:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Pentecost, commonly called Whitsunday, May 24th, 2026

 

Pentecost, commonly called Whitsunday, May 24th, 2026

In today's Gospel from St. John, we hear the following:  " . . . . If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (St. John 14:15 ff)  Today we celebrate the feast of Whitsunday, or Pentecost.    "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:1 ff)   Without a doubt, as we hear described here in the Second Chapter of the Acts of the Apostle, the whole house was filled, and the sound was like a great rushing, mighty wind.  But, again, it states that the "house was filled."  " . . . .  and it filled the house . . . ."  But they were filled also with the Holy Ghost because we hear in Verse 4:  "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost . .  ." (Acts 2:4)

God has the ability to fill us up as well . . . but we have to allow Him.  God has the power to fill us with His Presence . . .  but we first have to be open.  God can come into our lives and empower us . . . but we have to be willing.   You see, God can do all things.  Obviously, we know this is true because He created the universe and everything in it.  But God will not come into our hearts without being invited first.  Just like the Apostles and the Blessed Mother, we need to be open to God coming into our hearts and our souls and our lives . . . . "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost" . . .   We, too, just like them can be filled with the Holy Ghost but two things have to happen first:  1) We need to invite God into our hearts and be open to Him;  2) We need to empty our hearts to make room for the Holy Ghost to come in.  You see, if we need to move something into the closet, such as jackets or sweaters or clothes, for example, we first have to make room in the closet for the new items we are moving there.  In other words, if the closet is already packed full of other things, you can not very well move anything else in there.  Make room in the closet so that you will have room for the new items.  In a similar way, how can the Holy Ghost find a place in our heart if our heart is already packed full with love of things of this life; love of things of this world; love of self; etc.  Clear your heart first of these things and then there will be ample room for the Holy Ghost to have a place in your heart.

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 9:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

The Sunday after Ascension Day, May 17th, 2026

 

The Sunday after Ascension Day, May 17th, 2026

In the Fourth Chapter of the First Epistle of St. Peter, we hear the following:  "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another . . ."  (v. 10)  We can not give anything to others which we ourselves do not possess.     For example, If someone comes up to me and asks me very sincerely:  "I would really like to learn how to speak Polish fluently.  Would you please teach me how to speak Polish?"  Of course, I would have to refuse this request for the simple reason that I have never been taught how to speak Polish myself.  I can not give that which I do not possess.  I may not be fluent in Polish.  I may not have a fancy mansion.   I do not own millions in my bank account.   There's lots of things which I do not possess.  Therefore I can not give those things which I do not have.  And yet St. Peter makes a valid point.  St. Peter speaks truthfully to each and every one of us.  Every single one of us has a gift.  Each and every one of us possesses a special gift . ..  a talent . . . a skill which is unique to us alone.   God has given to each one of us blessings throughout our lifetime.  Do we recognize those blessings that God has given to us or do we take those blessings for granted?  And even if we recognize the blessings bestowed upon us, are we selfish and keep them to ourselves?  Or do we share our blessings with others around us?   As I like to say, God leads by example.  He never asks us to do anything which He Himself is not willing to do.  Our God is a giving God.  He is a generous God.  He gave to the world His Only Begotten Son.   And the Son of God became the Lamb of God Who took upon Himself our sins.  He carried our sins to the Hill at Calvary to hang there.  He took our place on that Cross and paid the price for us.  No matter who we are.  No matter how rich or how poor we are in the eyes of the world.  No matter what our station in life is.  Each and every one of us can never say that God has not blessed us.  The blessings are all around us.  It would seem that as human beings we have the habit on focusing on our troubles instead of focusing on our blessings.  Sometimes we focus so much on the burdens of life that we completely forget about the blessings.  But if we make a point to look for them, we will find the blessings which the Good Lord has provided for us.  And once we do, we should do our best to go out and share our blessings with those around us. 

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 9:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Fifth Sunday after Easter (Rogation Sunday), May 10th, 2026

 

Fifth Sunday after Easter (Rogation Sunday), May 10th, 2026

It is interesting to reflect on the Epistle of St. James on Mother's Day.  In the First Chapter we hear the following:  "BE ye doers of the word, and not hearers only" (St. James 1:22)  If anything, mothers are "doers," are they not?  They take care of their children, take care of their homes.  They pack lunches and do laundry and act as chauffeur driving to practices and sporting events, etc.  They also deal with all the last-minute emergencies that spring up at literally the last minute.  Moms just don't sit around and talk about "mom stuff," they do the "mom stuff."  In a similar fashion, St. James is saying the same, exact thing about those of us who are trying to be good Christians.  He is telling us that we need to do what we hear when it comes to things of God.  It is one thing for us to listen to what God says but it is completely different to do what God says.    It's one thing for me to read my personal copy of the Good Book and read what it has to say and then not do what it says.   "BE ye doers of the word, and not hearers only" Put what you learn into action.  Listen to what God is saying to you and then do what He tells you the best way that you can.  Get involved in your local church.  Volunteer at a food bank.  Help your elderly neighbor.  "BE ye doers of the word, and not hearers only"

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 9:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Fourth Sunday after Easter, May 3rd, 2026

 

Fourth Sunday after Easter, May 3rd, 2026

When I was growing up my mother used to make a point that we have two ears but only one mouth.  The implication meaning that we should make a point to listen twice as much than we speak.   It seems to me that this advice is especially profound today in the age of "Social Media."   We hear from St. James in the First Chapter of his epistle:  ". . .  let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."  (St. James 1:19)   Again, in the day and age in which we live we have instant access to voice our opinion.  If you don't like something, post an opinion on Facebook.  If you are put out by some business write a review on social media or send an email via the corporate website.  Sometimes we are correct in being offended but most times I would dare say we are just feeling offended.  Nothing more and nothing less.  I recently went to a fast-food restaurant and it seemed to take a long time to get my food.  As I was waiting there for my food I took note of all the other patrons waiting for their food as well.  I tried to divert my attention away from the food but it seems like I would keep returning to the "game" of counting the folks ahead of me waiting for their food.   Now one piece of the puzzle that I need to tell you is that there were only two employees working at the time.  So these two employees were trying to work the front counter . ..  take care of the drive-through . .. prepare the food . . . serve the food . . .  . I am just making the point that I could have sat there and gotten madder and madder that it took so long to get my food . . .  or I could have considered the circumstances of the situation and tried to understand why it was taking so long.  I decided to take the latter course.  It wasn't the employees fault.  They were working as hard as they could under the circumstances.  But again getting back to the subject at hand, I could have complained . . .  I could have told my friends: "Oh, I had a horrible experience at that place, never eat there.'  I could have written a scathing review on social media or Facebook telling the whole world not to eat there.  But would telling the whole world of my seeming inconvenience have told the whole story of that experience?  No.  Very often it is best to slow down and take things slowly.  In this day and age in which we live. We want everything done "five minutes ago."  We're in a rush for everything and we want to tell the whole world how we feel about everything.   It would also seem from looking at social media and watching the news that as a society we are in a rush to be offended also today.  

We need to get in the habit of listening more and talking less.  This is certainly true in the spiritual sense.  How often do we take time to pray . .  . . . when we make the time to pray, that is . . .  and 99 percent of the prayer seems to be based solely on TELLING God what to do.  We tell God what we want.  We tell God what needs to be done.  We tell God how we want things  . . .  when we want them . . . and how He should do them.  Wouldn't it be better if we got in the habit of listening to God when we speak to Him instead of telling Him how to do His job?  It seems to me that God loves us very much.  Why else would He have sent His Son into the world to save us if this was not the case.  It seems also that the Good Lord knows us.  He knows our faults.  He knows our habits.  He knows our sins.  And despite this knowledge, He still waits for us to come to Him.  He still waits for us to approach Him.  We should make a point to try and listen to Him.  Maybe then we will hear Him and hear what He is trying to say to us.

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 9:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

Third Sunday after Easter, April 26th, 2026

 

Third Sunday after Easter, April 26th, 2026

Have you ever had the opportunity to see someone after a long time without seeing them?  A long-lost friend?  A relative?  A fellow classmate?  And what took place?  Were you happy to see them?  Overjoyed?  Did you meet for supper?  Did you invite them over for dinner?  If so, did you clean up the house?  Prepare the meal?  Make sure everything was "just right."  In today's Gospel reading coming from St. John, Our Lord says to His disciples:  "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me" (St. John 16:16)  How will we feel when we see the Lord face to face?  Will there be immense joy?  Will there be anxiety?  Will there be nervousness?  Sometimes when we have some sort of an engagement down the road, we get nervous or we get anxious.   If we have a meeting planned with a supervisor or a manager where we work, for example.  Or if we have a job interview lined up. Or if we an upcoming medical procedure planned.  But if we spend time with Our Lord right here and right now.  In other words, if we get in the habit of spending time with God in prayer each and every day.  If we get in the habit of reading the Scriptures each and every day.  If we get in the habit of doing our best to please God and do things the way He would want us to do.  It seems to me we won't be nearly as anxious or nervous when we will see Our Blessed Saviour face to face.  How will you feel when you see Our Lord?

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 9:30 am.  Please join us this day and hear the Word of God and give praise and honor to Our Risen Saviour!

First Sunday after Easter, April 12th, 2026

 

First Sunday after Easter, April 12th, 2026

In the First Epistle of St. John, we hear the following:  "For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." (I St. John 5:8)  Here, St. John is pointing out the obvious that the Spirit, the water, and the blood are in agreement and confirm one another.  Obviously, St. John is making reference to the Holy Ghost, Baptism, and the Precious Blood of Christ.  All are in agreement and all confirm the holiness and righteousness of God.  When we look at our lives, shouldn't all the different aspects of our life should be in agreement as well?  When you think about it, there are different aspects of your life:  you work; you go shopping; you go to church; you work home projects; you relax; you pray; etc. You could say that you wear many "hats" in your life.  And the point is this that whether we are in church or at work or at home or at the store,  . . . .  all the different aspects of our life should be in agreement one with another.  I am sure that we have met people that act one way at church and another way outside of church.  More than likely, we would call this person a hypocrite.  That type of person would probably dress up and get all pretty and then go to church.  This person would act a certain way at church and act a completely different way when they are not at church.  But we need to remember that it is what we have on the "inside" and not on the "outside" that makes us a Christian.  What makes us a committed Christian is found on the "inside:"  our heart; our soul; our mind.  And as long as we are committed on the "inside," we will be the "same person" no matter where we find ourselves:  at work; at church; at home; etc.

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, April 5th, 2026

 

Easter Sunday, April 5th, 2026

Our Blessed Lord is Risen from the grave!  He is Risen Indeed!  As people of faith, we know that Our Blessed Lord rose on the third day on that original Easter Sunday morn.  The stone was rolled away and Our Lord rose from the dead.  Death could not hold Him.  Death could not defeat Him.  We know that Our Blessed Saviour died on the Cross so that we could be forgiven our sins.  He rose from the grave on that glorious Easter morn so that we could have eternal life with Him in Heaven!  With all that said, we turn to the Third Chapter of the Epistle written to the Colossians:  "IF ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above" (v. 1)  And also:  "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (v. 2)   As sons and daughters of the Risen Lord why do we set our affections on earthly things?  We live in the world, yes, but as children of faith, we are not of the world!   Our kingdom is in Heaven and Christ is Our Risen King!  Let us set our sights on Heavenly things.  Let us seek those things above and not spend our precious time seeking earthly things which will ultimately just fade away.  The love of God is everlasting.  

PLEASE NOTE:  Easter Mass at St. Margaret Church will begin at 11:30 am on Easter day, April 5th, 2026.  

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

Palm Sunday, March 29th, 2026

 

The Sunday Next before Easter, commonly called Palm Sunday, March 29th, 2026

Without a doubt, in my humble opinion,  I would dare say that Judas is certainly one of the most negative figures though-out all of human history.  It is understandable given the fact that he betrayed Our Blessed Lord.  And yet when we begin to read the Gospel appointed for Palm Sunday, coming to us from St. Matthew's Gospel (Chapter 27) we read the following verse:  "Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood . . ." (St. Matthew 27:3-4)   And Judas then threw down the blood money, the thirty pieces of silver he was given, the price for betraying Our Blessed Saviour.  St. Matthew tells us that after this Judas went and "hanged himself." (v. 5)  Very often we find ourselves in the same position as Judas.  What I mean is that we find ourselves committing a wrong and then we regret it deeply.  And like Judas we wish that could undo the wrong we have done.  And, again, similar to Judas we find that undoing a wrong that we have committed is not such a simple thing.  It is obvious that Judas regretted what he had done.  Why would he have approached the elders and the chief priests to return the thirty pieces of silver if he did not have regret?  As we read previously, St Matthew himself writes that when Judas saw Our Lord was condemned he "repented himself." (v. 3)  And yet the deed was already done.  Judas' act of betrayal could not be undone . .  . no matter how much remorse he had at that point.  So, too, with us.  When we come to the realization that we have done a great wrong . . .  to others . . .  to ourselves . . .  to God Himself . . . it is too late to "undo" the act or correct the wrong we have committed.  In this regard Judas does serve to teach all of us a valuable lesson:  Let us do our best not betray God in the first place.  Do we not betray God when we wrong others out of selfishness and greed?  Judas was willing to betray Our Saviour for thirty pieces of silver.  Do we not betray God when we only think of only ourselves and ignore others around us and how they feel?  Judas was thinking of himself when he made plans to betray Our Lord, wasn't he?  And like Judas, do we sometimes regret what we have done when we come to our senses only to realize that it is too late to take back our words . .  . too late to undo our actions . . . just too late?  How about the times that we do not even care enough to regret the sins we have committed.  Rather, we seek to justify and explain away the wrongs we have done.   Our Heavenly Father realizes that we are imperfect.  He realizes that we sin when we ought to know better.  He knows that we frequently turn our backs on Him.  This is the reason why God sent His Only Begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  God knew that we could never achieve this end by ourselves.  Our Blessed Lord freely chose to carry His Cross to Calvary so that we can be forgiven.  In addition to the Cross, Our Lord carried our transgressions to that hill at Calvary.  In that sense, we should always make a point to remember that it was our sins which Our Blessed Lord carried to to Cross.  It was our sins which caused Our Saviour to be nailed to that Cross.  It was our sins which caused Our Blessed Saviour to die on that Cross.  Let us think of these things before we sin again.

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.

Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 22nd, 2026

 

Fifth Sunday in Lent, Commonly Called Passion Sunday, March 22nd, 2026

Similar to everyone else, I like to save money where I can.  I suppose one of the ways I "save" money is buying the cheap brands for products when possible.  In other words, why should I pay four or five dollars for a brand-name item when the cheap dollar-store variety works just as well?  I suppose it depends on the product, obviously.  Sometimes this strategy works great and saves you money to begin with.  Other times it may end up costing you money in the long run.  Case in point.  A clogged up sink.  I proposed saving money by buying the "cheap" generic versions of the drain cleaner.  I insisted on buying the "generic" drain cleaners because I could not fathom paying six or seven dollars for a brand-name when I could just spend a buck-fifty and be done with it.  The problem is that the generic version for a "buck-fifty" didn't work so well and I had to repeat the process another two times, still with no success and then ultimately ended up spending the six dollars for the "heavy-duty," "brand-name" drain cleaner and, voila!, drain is cleaned in a snap!  Just like that!  My efforts, though, at the beginning were in vain especially considering I spent money on products that really did not work to begin with, not to mention multiple trips to the store.  

In the Ninth Chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews, we are reminded of the sacrifice of bulls and goats made by the high priest in the Temple.  We are reminded in this chapter that if the blood of goats, and bulls and heifers helps to sanctify the "unclean," "how much more shall the blood of Christ" (v. 14) sanctify the unclean?  You see, for countless generations, the high priests would make sacrifices behind the second veil, as we are reminded in this chapter, to atone for the sins of God's people.  As we are reminded, the high priest went in alone to offer up sins for God's people once a year.  But it is the Blood of Christ which turned out to be the ultimate sacrifice.  We can try and try and try to fix things ourselves, but it is only Our Blessed Saviour Who can save us from our sins.  Perhaps you have had the experience of being in a jam and you tried and tried and tried to get things right and it just seemed to get worse and worse and worse.  And then you placed the situation in God's hands and within a short time, you noticed everything got better.   If our efforts are good . . . . Christ's are better.  If the blood of sacrificed goats and bulls is good . . . Christ's Blood is better.  Never fail to put your life in God's hands.  Do your part, yes, but always look to Christ for inspiration.  Always look to God for how to live your life better.  Always look towards the Holy Ghost for inspiration.  Give your life to God and live your life as His servant.    Living life our way may be good but living life God's way is better.

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 8th, 2026

 

Third Sunday in Lent, March 8th, 2026

I don't know about you but it seems as though it has rained almost the entire week.  And if it wasn't raining, it was overcast.  So when the sun finally did come out this week, I had to literally shield my eyes because the sun was so bright.  After all those days of not seeing the sunshine due to the rain and the overcast clouds my eyes became acclimated to being in the dark and not seeing the bright sunshine.  This is how it is living in the old world of ours, we become adjusted to living in a world filled with sin. We become adjusted to this darkness of the world in which we live.   In the Fifth Chapter of the Epistle written to the Ephesians, we are told that we should "walk as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8)  In this verse we are told that we were "sometimes darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord."  In the world in which we live it is very difficult at times to stand up for what you believe.  Very often you will be mocked and ridiculed in our society for standing up for what you believe in.  The world did that to Our Blessed Lord, didn't they?  They ridiculed Him.  They mocked Him.  They spit upon Him.  They scourged Him and ultimately put Him to death.  If they will do these things to the Son of God, why are we surprised when the world shouts us down when we don't conform to what the world believes, what the world says?  We are the "children of light."  And that light is Christ!   We belong to Him.   We should do our part to bring the light of Christ into this dark world of ours.  Be the light of Christ to the world around 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.

Second Sunday in Lent, March 1st, 2026

 

Second Sunday in Lent, March 1st, 2026

If nothing else, the Canaanite woman in Chapter Fifteen of St. Matthew's Gospel was certainly persistent.  St. Matthew tells us that this mother was in search of a cure for her daughter who was "grievously vexed with a devil."  (v. 22)  At first she tried to get the attention of the disciples but this only caused them to get irritated with the woman.  In fact, she bothered the disciples so much that they themselves went running to Our Lord asking for His help to get rid of her.  But then even when she was able to approach Our Lord, she did not get the answer that she sought right away.  But that did not stop her.  She kept beseeching Our Blessed Saviour until she finally got the favor she sought.  The Canaanite Woman showed how great her faith was that Our Lord said to her:  "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt." (v. 28)

We need to be persistent as faithful Christians.  We need to be persistent  . . .  in our prayers . . . . in our faithfulness . . . in our character and morals.  We need to be persistent with the way we live our lives as faithful Christians.  The problem with us is that we want everything done right away.  We want things done "five minutes ago."  As humans, we are inpatient.  And yet not everything is worked out right away.  So often in real life problems are not fixed and taken care of in a half-hour or hour.  And we are called to be like the Canaanite Woman and be persistent in our faithfulness.  Stay close to God and let everything else fall into place.  And especially during this Lenten season, stay close to the Cross of Christ.  Never forget that Our Dear Saviour carried His Cross to the hill at Calvary for our sake.  Never forget that He carried His Cross for you and me because He loved us.  Loved us so much that He was willing to die for us.  When problems seem to much to handle.  When life seems to much to handle, remember Our Blessed Saviour and stay close to Him.

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.

Quinquagesima, February 15th, 2026

 

Quinquagesima, or the Sunday Next before Lent, 

February 15th, 2026

In the Eighteenth Chapter of the Gospel, St. Luke tells us the story of Our Lord healing the blind man.  St. Luke tells us that Our Lord and the disciples were travelling towards Jerusalem.  And as they were going, Our Lord was explaining to them all the things which were going to happen.  And as they passed through Jericho, a certain blind man was present, and he wondered what all the fuss was about.  When he found out it was Our Lord passing by, he yelled and screamed to get Our Lord's attention.  And St. Luke tells us that the more that the crowd told him to quiet down the louder he would get because he wanted Our Lord to hear him.  This is because the blind man could not see with his physical eyes, but he could see with his eyes of faith.  He could not see with his outward vision, if you will, but he could see with his spiritual eyes.  "Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord . . ." (Psalm 25:15)  The blind man was desperate to gain his sight but in reality he could already see with his eyes of faith.  He knew that Our Lord could help him.  He knew to whom he should turn for help.  He went to Our Lord.  This is why he was yelling and screaming and making such a fuss.  He knew that Our Lord could solve his problem.  " . . . for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (II Corinthians 4:18)

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.

Sexagesima, February 8th, 2026

 

Sexagesima, or the Second Sunday before Lent, 

February 8th, 2026

In the Eighth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear Our Blessed Lord telling the parable of the sower who sowed his seed in the field.  And as Our Lord told the parable, He explained that some of the seed fell along the way-side; and some of the seed fell on rocky ground; and some of it was eaten by the birds; and so on.  What I want to focus on is that when Our Lord was in the middle of telling the parable of the sower, He paused and cried out:  "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!"  (St. Luke 8:8)  Honestly, how many of us need to be told to pay attention?  How many of us need to be told "wake up?" How many of us need to be taken to task and heed what we are hearing?  It's so easy to not pay attention to what we are doing.  I know because, quite frankly, I do it all the time.  I start doing something but then my mind wanders to something else.  I start thinking about all the things I have to do . . .  all the things I want to do.   I get sidetracked by something that grabs my attention.  I get bored.  It could be for any number of reasons.  I am sure we have all had the experience where "our mind was somewhere else."  In other words, you may be physically present but your mind is a thousand miles away.  And usually something or somebody grabs our attention and brings us back to reality.  We all need that wake up call to come back to reality . . ,.  to pay attention . . . to wake up . .   Again, Our Lord is saying to each one of us:  "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!"   Pay attention, in other words.   Our Blessed Saviour is telling each of us to pay attention to Him, to listen to what He has to say.  There is a big difference between "hearing" and "listening."  Lots of things might be going on around me . . . . noise from the television . .   from the radio . .   from people talking  . . .  . . from traffic going by . . . . but after a while we can tune all those things out if we choose to.  But in order to "listen" to something, this involves "paying attention."  Our Lord is telling us to open our ears . . . pay attention . . . listen up!  We pay attention to so many people and so many things in the world.  And we fixate on TV shows . . . and the Internet . .   and movies . . . and the news.   And we listen to so many people and things that are here today and gone tomorrow.  But Our Blessed Lord is always with us.  Our Blessed Lord is always by our side.  Our Blessed Saviour is the One Who never forsakes us.  Let us always pay attention to Him and to listen to everything He tells 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.

Septuagesima, February 1st, 2026

 

Septuagesima, or the Third Sunday before Lent, 

February 1st, 2026

On Sunday, February 1st, 2026 we celebrate Septuagesima Sunday, the beginning of what are referred to as the "Gesima Sundays," in other words, these are the "Pre-Lent" Sundays.  The Church begins to get prepared for the holy season of Lent.  In today's Epistle from the Ninth Chapter of the First Letter to the Corinthians, we hear:  "KNOW ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. . . . Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." (I Corinthians 9:24ff)  St. Paul points out that athletes get ready also.  He uses the example of athletes who train to win the competition.  They strengthen the body in order to win.  St. Paul points out that these athletes train hard to win a crown that will soon disappear, as he says, it will corrupt away.  But Christians are also in a race as well.  We are in a race to win a crown . . .  our crown, though, is eternal life with Jesus, Our Saviour.  As such, we should train even harder to win a heavenly crown that will not fade away.  Two points, here:  Number One, as St. Paul points out, everything in life takes practice and training in order to do something well.  This is certainly true when it comes to being a Christian.  We need to practice the art of being a Christian every day and we do this by: reading the Scriptures; obeying God; listening to God; and treating others as God would have us treat them.  The second point is that we always have to focus on is the fact that, as Christians, our true blessing will come in Heaven and not here on earth.  While it is true that our lives are filled with blessings:  nice cars, nice homes, nice clothes, many wonderful earthly possessions . . .  as St. Paul points out, these too shall also become corruptible and will fade away one day.   While it is nice to enjoy these things while we possess them, we are still called to keep our attention fixed on the true "prize" that we are called to win:  Eternal life with Our Blessed Saviour in Heaven.  That is where we should keep our eyes firmly fixed and not diverted by material things that we mistake for blessings.

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 Epiphany, January 18th, 2026

 

Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 18th, 2026

In the Twelfth Chapter of the Epistle written to the Romans, there are many wonderful lessons emphasized such as:  being patient when things are difficult. And praying at all times.  And, as hard as this is, that we should bless those who persecute us.  But we also hear in Verse 6:  "HAVING then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us."  (Romans 12:6)  In other words, each one of us has been given gifts, strengths, skills, abilities that are specifically our own.  Some of us have been given the gift of teaching, for example.  Some of us have the gift of preaching.  Some of us know how to cook while others have wonderful musical talents such as singing or playing a musical instrument.  In short, each one of us has been given a gift and we ought to put that gift to good use.  When we give a gift to someone there are typically certain things we like to see.  First, the person who receives the gift should show some sort of gratitude.  We should show thanks when we receive a gift.  We also like to see the gift being put to use.  Have you ever given a gift to someone and the gift is not ever used?  We should make use of gifts we receive.  But how about God?  Does He bestow gifts and is never thanked for what He has given?  Did you thank God today for giving you another day?  Did you thank Him for giving you life?  We need to thank God for all the gifts He gives to us on a daily basis.  Do we use the gifts which have been given to us?  Do we use these gifts selfishly or do we use our gifts for the glory of God?   Put your God-given gifts to good use.  Make a point to bless others with your gift just as God has blessed 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.

First Sunday after Epiphany, January 11th, 2026

 

First Sunday after Epiphany, January 11th, 2026

Have you ever noticed very often when a teacher is checking to make sure the student's answer is correct, the teacher will not only look the answer, but will also want to know how you got  the answer?  In other words, the teacher wants to check what path you took to know 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 short time.  God, we know, gives us everlasting contentment.   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.

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 Christmas, January 4th, 2026

 

Second Sunday after Christmas, January 4th, 2026

I have no doubt whatsoever but I am convinced that everyone goes through the same, exact struggle at the beginning of a new year:  specifically we are unsure of which year to write.  We know it's a brand new year but we continue to write the last year instead of the new year.   Just now, for example, when I began to type the headline of this little essay, the part where I put the date, I began to type "2025" instead of "2026."   Obviously, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why this is a problem for many of us.  We do it because we are "creatures of habit."  We do things over and over again and get in a habit of doing it that way.  Writing down a date at the beginning of a new year is a very simple and obvious example, but let's face it, there are other things that we get into habits of doing:  waking up at a certain time; driving to work a certain route; etc.  Each one of us can come up with our own list of examples but each one of us has certain things that we are accustomed to doing and it is difficult to ever try to break those habits.   

Having a relationship with God is, for most of us, just another habit.  For many of us who go to church, for example, we may go to church on a regular basis simply because we were raised that way and it has been what we have always done:  we get up on Sunday morning; get dressed; and go to church.  No more, no less.  Now, for many, for this same group just mentioned you might factor in the fact that we were taught this by our parents because they went to church every Sunday.  Now, don't get me wrong, this is actually a good reason for going to church.  It's good to get taught this habit by our parents.  All habits are learned, whether they be "good habits" or "bad habits":  e.g., smoking; eating healthy; cursing; exercising; etc.  So even if what is described above in regards to going to church every Sunday, even if it is a "habit," then it is a "good habit."  But this is not the best reason for going to church:  simply because it is a "habit."

Going to church and having a relationship with God is something much more than simply a habit.  It is a way of life.  It is a commitment.  Having a relationship with God is a dynamic, life-changing, ongoing event in our lives.  Knowing God should be the reason for our very existence.  Having a relationship with God should be our motivation for getting up each day.  Being in love with God is something that we should proclaim:  not only through our words; but also by our actions; and they way in which we regard others.  And once we realize this, once we take our relationship with God seriously, we can not help but radiate the holiness of God through our lives.  In the book of the Prophet Isaiah we hear: " . .  . because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek."  (Isaiah 61:1)  God has anointed each one of us to preach about Him.  God has anointed each one of us to have a relationship with Him.  God has anointed each one of us to grow in love with Him.  And yet not everyone does.  This is because most people don't heed the call because they are too concerned with the ways of the world.  For others, the devil has convinced them that they are not worthy to do the "things of God."  By our own merit, none of us is worthy; but with the help of God, He is our sufficiency.  He gives us strength where we are lacking.  Make God a priority in your life in this new year and throughout the year.  Make God more than just a "habit."  Make Him the very reason for your existence . . . .  because He is and He is worthy of your faithful, committed love.

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.