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.