Join us for Sexagesima Sunday, January 31, 2016

Sexagesima, or the Second Sunday before Lent, 

Sunday, January 31st, 2016

In the eighth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Saviour tell the Parable of the Sower.  And in this parable, Our Lord tells the story of the sower who goes out to sow the seed:  some seed fell along the way; some seed fell on rocky soil; some seed fell on good soil; etc.  Our Lord, upon telling the parable, tells what the parable means to the disciples.  But in the parable, there are different types of people represented:  those that hear the Word; those that do not hear the Word; those who pay attention for a time and then fall away; etc.  It reminds me as well as the many types of people we encounter in our lifetime.  Some people we encounter are just that:  people we encounter.  Nothing more, nothing less.   While others become friends due to common interests or similarities.  Out of these, some friends become life-long friends, and others (through moving away; or getting another job; or going to another school; etc.) move on and we lose contact with.  

There are a variety of people in our life, and many of these people, I am convinced that God has placed them in our life to inspire us, to strengthen us, to encourage us, to be with us.  Obviously, many of these people placed in our life are related to us by blood:  our parents; our grandparents; aunts; uncles; cousins; etc.  Other people such as a spouse or  good friends, for example, God may have placed them in our lives to give us support along the way.  Each one of us can point out special people in our lives who have supported us or inspired us along the way.  I, for my part, can certainly point toward my parents; my grandparents; wonderful, inspiring priests who have blessed me with the Sacraments; I can point to wonderful friends who have been there for me.  Each one of these people, I am convinced that God has placed those special people in my life to encourage me along the way.  These people have touched my life.  They have played a part in forming the person I have become.  Certainly, as a priest, I can point towards many wonderful members of churches I have served who have been a wonderful inspiration to me.  God places special people in our life to assist us and to inspire us.  Let us always remember the fact that for others around us, we may be the one that inspires those around us.  You may be the special person that God has placed in that person's life to inspire him or her.  Let us always remember to inspire others to greatness.  Let us always remember that for the dedicated, committed Christian, we have the potential to be the "Face of Christ" in the world.  Let us never forget that God uses us as His instruments in this world to let others know about Him.

Two opportunities to join us for Mass on Sunday, January 31st, 2016:

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. We also use the King James Version of the Bible. We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . . "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and truly believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time. Come join us every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord. We celebrate Mass in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit is a traditional Anglican parish, which uses the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and truly believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.  Come join us every Sunday at 1:00 PM as we gather together as God's family to worship Our Blessed Lord.  We celebrate Mass in the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church, located at 116 W. South Street (at the corner of South and Pennsylvania Streets) in Greenfield, Indiana.

Join us for Septuagesima, January 24, 2016

Septuagesima, or the Third Sunday before Lent, 

Sunday, January 24th, 2016

"Anything worth doing is worth doing well."  That's an old saying that you will hear said every once in a while.  But, let's face it, if the value is greater to us personally . . . . whether that "value" be in money, or time, or prestige, etc. . . . . we will put more effort into doing that particular thing, whatever it is.  If you are a student, for example,  and you have a quiz worth five percent of your grade or if you have your semester final worth forty percent of your grade: which one are you going to put more effort into studying for?  Case in point.  Recently the Powerball Lottery went to over One Billion dollars for the jackpot.  Can you imagine winning ONE BILLION DOLLARS?!?!?  And if you are like me, you saw people standing in line to buy lottery tickets for the chance to win the billion dollar lottery of a lifetime.  But that's my point, people who never bought any lottery tickets; or people who rarely bought lottery tickets, suddenly found themselves standing in line  to buy a chance to win a billion dollars.  If the "reward" is greater to us, we will put more effort into something.  If the "reward" doesn't mean that much, we won't spend as much time on it.  That's just human nature, I'm afraid.  

In St. Paul's Ninth Chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes the following:  "Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."  He is referring to athletes training for sporting events who train as hard as they can to win a crown to signify that they are the best athlete.  St. Paul, of course, compares an athlete's training to a Christian's "training."  St. Paul compares and contrasts how hard an athlete trains to win a "crown" that will eventually fade away, i..e, the corruptible crown.  But, for the firm, committed, dedicated Christian, we are training  to win a crown that will never corrupt.  We are training to obtain a crown that we will never lose.  In other words, we are training to win eternal life with Our Blessed Saviour.  In comparing/contrasting the two "crowns," St. Paul is asking the question to the Corinthians:  which "crown" is more valuable?  The crown won for winning the sporting event?  Or the crown won for being a good and faithful servant of God?  The answer is obvious for St. Paul.  But is it so obvious for the rest of us?   How much effort do we put into our jobs on a daily basis?  How much effort do we put into fixing up our homes?  How much effort do we put into our hobbies?  How much effort do we put into watching our favorite television programs or sporting events?  Now, again, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with any of the things mentioned above.  But, again, we put effort into things that are important to us.  We put the most effort into things that have the most meaning to us.  And this is the point that St. Paul is making:  if God is important to us . . .  if God means something to us . ..  if God has real meaning and real value to each one of us . . . . then we should make a point to put effort into spending time with God on a daily basis:  through prayer and meditation; through daily reading of Scripture; and dedicating our lives to God through having a personal relationship with Our Blessed Saviour.  We run a race as well.  For us, our "race" is called life.  A "crown" awaits each one of us, if we choose it:  the "crown" of eternal life.  But we have to start training for it now.

Two opportunities to join us for Mass on Sunday, January 24th, 2016:

St. Margaret Church meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM. We meet at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis

Holy Spirit Church worships every Sunday at 1:00 PM.  We worship at the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church, located at 116 W. South Street (Corner of South and Pennsylvania Streets) in Greenfield, Indiana.

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Hear what God is speaking to you in Bible-based preaching.  Take one hour out of your busy schedule for the week and dedicate that hour solely to God.  Receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ at Communion time.  Give of yourself to God and realize that God is giving of Himself to you when you come to church.

Join us for Second Sunday after Epiphany, Sunday, January 17th, 2016

Second Sunday after Epiphany, Sunday, January 17th, 2016

In the very first chapter of the Gospel of St. Mark, we hear the story of St. John the Baptist.  St. Mark is quick to point out that St. John the Baptist was expected to appear before the Messiah when he writes:  "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face . .  . " (St. Mark 1:2)  Of course, this is a reference to the Old Testament passage coming from Malachi 3:1:  "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me."  "Prepare."  "Preparation."  Our life is filled with  all sorts of "getting prepared."  Preparation is something we do on a daily basis,  in ways in which we may not even think about because we do it so often.  For example, we prepare ourselves when we take a bath or shower in the morning.  We prepare ourselves to go out by getting dressed.  We prepare our meals.  In winter, we prepare our homes and our cars by "winterizing" them.  Reports have to prepared for work.    When Mass is celebrated, we have to prepare the altar by putting up the altar cards; place the altar linens on the altar; place the ribbons in the missal; the priest has to get vested; etc.  Everything in life has to be prepared, it seems.  

St. John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord.  As both St. Mark and the prophet Malachi stated, St. John was a messenger for the Lord.  He prepared the way of the Lord by announcing Our Lord's imminent arrival.  St. John prepared the way of the Lord by letting the people know about the goodness of God.  St. John prepared the way of the Lord by telling the people to repent their evil ways.  We, too, are called to prepare the way of the Lord just like St. John the Baptist.  As I say so often in my sermons, Our Blessed Saviour founded the Church to do His work here in this world.  In the past, people viewed "the Church" as being only the bishops, priests, and nuns.  And everybody else just sat back and did "their own thing."  But we know now that every member of the church:  bishop, priest, religious nun or brother, and all the lay faithful are members of the Church.  As such, whether someone is ordained or a lay-member, everyone is expected to do their part by "preparing the way of the Lord."  We all do this in our own ways.  

We are all given gifts and talents.  Each one of us have been given a unique talent.  Obvious talents that people would think of would include: being a musician, being a teacher, able to preach inspiring sermons; etc.  But we don't have to preach a powerful sermon in front of a church-full of people in order to tell people about God.  For preachers, they preach their sermons on Sunday.  But for the rest of us we have the opportunity to preach sermons every day of the week.  For most people, they preach their sermons, though, by the ways in which they lead their lives . . .  by the way that they treat people . . .  by the way in which they show compassion to others . . . by the way in which they show love.  St. Francis said:  "Preach the Gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words."  All of us are called to prepare the way of the Lord and we all must do it in our own way.  Ask God to show you, to guide you, to inspire you.  And then go and inspire others to a closer relationship with God.

Two opportunities to join us for Mass on Sunday, January 17th, 2016:

Join St. Margaret Church on Sunday, January 17th, 2016 as we celebrate the Second Sunday after Epiphany.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  Mass is celebrated at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  

Join Holy Spirit Church on Sunday, January 17th, 2016 as we celebrate the Second Sunday after Epiphany.  Mass begins at 1:00 PM.  Mass is celebrated at the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church in Greenfield, Indiana, which is located at 116 W. South Street, at the corner of South and Pennsylvania streets.  

St. Margaret and Holy Spirit Churches are both traditional Anglican parishes, which both use the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and truly believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time. 

Join us for the First Sunday after Epiphany, January 10, 2016

First Sunday after Epiphany, Sunday, January 10th, 2016

Have you ever noticed when a teacher is checking to make sure the answer is correct, the teacher will not only look at your 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 time.  God, we know, gives us everlasting contentment.  St. Augustine teaches that in trying to find joy and fulfillment, we are really searching ultimately for God.  Because he states that all things that we think will bring us satisfaction will ultimately fail us.  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.

Two opportunities to hear Mass on Sunday, January 10th, 2016:

St. Margaret Anglican Church meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM. We worship Our Blessed Lord at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Holy Spirit Church meets every Sunday at 1:00 PM.  We celebrate Mass in the beautiful First Presbyterian Church, located at 116 W. South Street near downtown Greenfield, Indiana.   

Come join us for Mass as we worship together as God's family.  Take one hour out of your busy schedule and step out of the business and rush of the rest of the week and use this quiet time to spend time with God . . .  hear His Word . .. . and receive Him in the Blessed Sacrament.

Join us for the Fourth Sunday in Advent, 2015

It just seems to make common sense that you have to have all the parts in order to make something complete. For example, if a bike is missing the wheels . . . . it is incomplete. How frustrating would it be to work on a 5,000 piece puzzle and discover some of the pieces were missing? Or if you are in the kitchen, how are you going to prepare something if you do not have all of the ingredients? I might have it in my mind to bake a cherry pie but what if I do not have any cherries for my cherry pie? Again, it only makes sense that we must have all the parts or all the ingredients on hand if we are going to make something. In essence, St. Paul is saying this to the Philippians in the fourth chapter of that epistle when he writes: " . . . . but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know unto God." (Philippians 4:6) When it comes to prayer, very often we are missing some of the elements. Many people only pray when they need something. Many of us only go to God when we are in need of a favor from Him. And it is fine to go to God when you are in need of something . .. or in trouble . . . or in need of mercy . . . . after all, God is our loving Father and He wants to be there for His children. But, that being said, we should not ONLY approach God solely when we need something. That would be the equivalent of a neighbor who won't give you the time of day but will only come to you when they need something. Or having a relative that never contacts you except when they need to borrow some money. We need to go to God in prayer not only when we need something from Him. This is what St. Paul is saying. We need to also praise Him when we pray. And we certainly need to pray in Thanksgiving when we pray. In other words, we need to thank Him for the many blessings He bestows upon us during our lifetime. "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; and make a joyful noise to Him with psalms." (Psalm 94:2) Christmas is the season of giving. Let each of us focus on giving more time to God. Let us dedicate more prayer time to God. Do not let the fast pace of the world and all the being busy in life keep us from approaching God. Let us take time each day from our busy lives in order to dedicate that time solely to God.

Two opportunities to join us for Mass on Sunday, December 20th, 2015:

St. Margaret Church meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM. We celebrate Mass at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Holy Spirit Church meets every Sunday at 1:00 PM. We celebrate Mass at the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church which is located at 116 W. South Street, at the corner of Pennsylvania and South Streets, in Greenfield, Indiana.

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Listen to what God has to say to you through the liturgy and the Bible-based preaching. Worship God in traditional worship and receive Holy Communion so that you can be nourished and strengthened.

Join us for Gaudete Sunday, December 13, 2015

Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday),

Sunday, December 13th, 2015

Have you ever been overjoyed by something and before you knew it, the joy had worn off? Or the joy that you had experienced had certainly lessened. As children, especially at Christmas time, we are overjoyed at what Santa Claus will bring us. We anxiously look forward to all the presents under the tree and try to figure out what is wrapped inside. Or it could be the case as you had gotten older and you decided that you just had to have the latest electronic doo-dad or perhaps it is some clothing item such as a new dress or a fancy pair of boots. And so you save your money and finally go and make your purchase and you are overjoyed at what you have obtained. But then after a while your joy lessens because after a while your attention is turned toward the next "item" that you have set your sights on acquiring. Let's be honest, whether as children or adults, . . . whether it is a gift given to us or something we have purchased ourselves .. . . whether it is an actual physical product or whether it is simply a good meal that we look forward to devouring . . . . the point is the same: things of this world do indeed bring us joy for a time but then the joy eventually fades. Even if you look at it from the perspective of someone who turns to drink or drugs to find their "happiness," . . . . what happens when the effect of either drink or drug wears off? That person goes back to feeling like they did before. The "high" feeling . . . the "drunk" feeling only lasts so long. Things of the world . . . whether they be electronics . . . or food . . . . or clothing . . . or positions of honour . . . . or titles at our jobs . . . or booze . . . . or drugs . . . all these things only bring temporary fulfillment. They do satisfy, yes, but only for a time. The joy we find in them is only temporary, never lasting.

For the Christian, on the other hand, the joy that is everlasting is our relationship with God. "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous, for it becometh well the just to be thankful." (Psalm 33) Our personal relationship with Our Blessed Saviour will never disappoint. Our personal relationship with Our Lord and Saviour is one that will last an eternity. While other things in this earthly life will fade away . . . or be consumed . . . or rust away . .. or go out of fashion . . . . the relationship that God offers to us is forever. God will always be faithful to His people. "Gaudete in Domino semper" ("Rejoice in the Lord always") (Philippians 4:4-5) Rejoice in the fact that God loves you! Rejoice in the fact that God sent His only Son to die for you! Rejoice in the fact that God offers you the possibility of eternal life! Give your heart to the One that offered His Heart to you! Give your life to Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and rejoice in the Lord always!

The Third Sunday of Advent is referred to as "Gaudete Sunday." And this is because "Gaudete" is the Latin word for rejoice, which comes from the first word of the introit, "Rejoice .. . . " As such, the Church is past the midway point of the season of Advent, and we use this opportunity to take a breather, so to speak. Remember, the season of Advent is supposed to be somewhat somber in nature . . . this is why the liturgical colour during this season is violet or purple as it is in Lent. But today the Church lightens its' mood just a bit and rose coloured vestments can be worn instead of violet for today.

Two opportunities to join us on Sunday, December 13th, 2015:

Please join St. Margaret of Scotland Church on Sunday, December 13th, 2015 at 9:30 AM as we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent. We celebrate Mass at the beautiful Chapel of Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road, on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Join Holy Spirit church on Sunday, December 13th, 2015 as we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, at 1:00 PM. We celebrate Mass in the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church, located at 116 W. South Street near downtown Greenfield, Indiana.

Come Join Us for the Second Sunday of Advent, 2015

Second Sunday of Advent, Sunday, December 6th, 2015

It seems as though one week can not pass for me without someone pointing to all the tragic events happening in the world and making some sort of comment about how we are close to the end of the world.  Certainly, when you think of the past tragic events such as the killings in Paris and now the killings in California; when you think about events such as plane crashes, earthquakes, floods, etc. that you hear about in the news.  When you hear about things such as mentioned above, it is certainly understandable that people would think about Our Lord's words:  "AND there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity . . . "  (St. Luke, Chapter 21)  Now, in all fairness, there have been tragic events in ALL the eras of human history.  There have been earthquakes . ..  . famines . . .  death  . . . . sickness . . . . wars . . .  etc.  throughout all of history at one point or another.  And the fact that there have always been tragedies, both global and personal, makes it obvious that we should always be prepared for the Second Coming of Our Blessed Saviour.  

Advent reminds us of that fact.  Advent provides us a time to remember and to prepare our hearts.  Advent is the season of preparation . . . . it is the season of waiting . . .  it is the season of hope.  The "spirit of Christmas" has sort of taken over Advent.  In other words, we spend the weeks before Christmas going to "Black Friday" sales and buying the latest doo-dads.  We "shop til' we drop" and focus all our energy on getting the best deals.  All the while we fight traffic, fight the crowds, fight the other shoppers, fight the sales-clerks to use coupons for our purchases.  We run from one place to the next place and try to fit in errands in between.  We wrap presents and put the tree up and decorate the tree.   Now, don't get me wrong, all of what I just mentioned is wonderful . . .  all except fighting the traffic, that is . . . . but as Christians we are always called to put everything into perspective and for us, God always takes priority.  He is the true reason for the season.  And the reason for the season of Advent is to await the coming of the Christ-Child into the world on Christmas morning.   Anything that takes our attention away from focusing on God needs to take "second place."  God should always take the top priority in our life.  

Let us spend the next three weeks placing special emphasis on our relationship with God.    Let us spend the next three weeks waiting for the Christ-Child.  Let us spend the next three weeks preparing a special place in our hearts for the Divine Child Jesus.  Let us try to focus less on the shopping and the wrapping and the Christmas parties these next few weeks.  Let us focus more on awaiting the Coming of the Saviour into the world.  Let us prepare our hearts for His arrival.  

Two opportunities to celebrate Mass on Sunday, December 6th, 2015:

At St. Margaret of Scotland, Mass is celebrated each Sunday at 9:30 AM at the beautiful chapel located at Marquette Manor, 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

At Holy Spirit Church, Mass is celebrated each and every Sunday at 1:00 PM.  We celebrate Mass at the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church, located at 116 W. South Street, at the corner of South and Pennsylvania Streets, in Greenfield, Indiana.

Come join us as we hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Worship Our Heavenly Father with us as we receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Christ at Communion time.  And after Mass is over, please stay for some delicious refreshments at our coffee hour.