Sixth Sunday after Trinity, July 28th, 2019

Sixth Sunday after Trinity, July 28th, 2019

Most people do not want to go through the trials and tribulations of life.  We just want to enjoy the good things.  On the other hand, I would say that most folks who have lived life for a while understand that you have to go through trials and tribulations in order to enjoy good things.  If you want to re-do the middle room in your house, to use that as an example, you have to go through the hassle of moving everything around; getting the materials such as paint, etc.; do the painting; etc.  It is only in going through all the hard work do you enjoy the end result.  This is true of just about everything when you come down to it.  I can't enjoy my delicious, home-made lasagna without shopping for all the ingredients, messing up the kitchen during preparation, and then cleaning up afterwards.  Even working on being "debt-free" involves hard work and sacrifice:  not going out as much; staying home more; limit your spending; etc.  But in the end your sacrifices are well worth it by getting rid of your outrageous credit card bills.  I've only named a few examples but we can all come up with examples of our own.  Enjoying life usually comes with a price tag.  If I want to take a vacation in Florida, it will usually involve working some overtime, setting some money aside, and not spending as much on other things we would normally enjoy in the meantime.   Negative and Positive .  .  .  Sacrifice and Reward . . .   Hard Work and Satisfaction . . . . Typically, these are all two sides of the same coin when you think about it.  But as I said most folks would rather skip past the hard work and go right to the enjoyment part.  Why do you think credit card companies make so much profit?  They realize that people don't want to scrimp and save and make sacrifices in order to save for what they want.  They want it now . . . .  whether they have the money to pay for it or not.  

St. Paul writes to the Romans:  "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection"   (Romans 6:5)  St. Paul is pointing out that we are called to follow Christ in all aspects of our life.  St. Paul is pointing out that we first have to die to our old self if we are going to be re-born as a new creature.  Giving up old ideas.  Dying to old lusts and desires.  Doing away with former ways of doing things.  Again, it is very much like that middle room I described as needing a much-needed remodeling.  We need to take everything out and clean it out and then the new things get put in.  A new Christian has to be remodeled as well.  New thoughts; new perspectives on life; new priorities in place; Living for God instead of living just for yourself; etc.  And very often this dramatic change in living and approaching life takes a lot of work . .  . and patience . . . . and dedication.  And when  it doesn't work out  . . . . in the first five minutes or so . . .  we give up.  This is because we have become a generation, a society that wants everything NOW!  "I wanted that five minutes ago!"   "Give it to me NOW!"  Being a Christian takes fortitude.  Being a Christian takes dedication.  Being a Christian takes patience.  This last one is because we are going to mess up.  We are going to make mistakes.  We're human, after all, aren't we?  But the efforts are worth it.  The benefits are outstanding.   Following Christ takes hard work.  It takes effort on our behalf.  But Christ did the same thing for us.  He carried the Cross to Calvary loaded down with our sins.    The glories of Easter morning never could have been possible without the events on Good Friday.  Aren't you grateful that Christ was willing to endure the bad so that we can enjoy the good?

   St. Margaret of Scotland  Church worships every Sunday morning at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located on the Northwest side of Indianapolis at 8140 N. Township line Road.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  Come join us for traditional worship.  We use the King James Bible along with the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We gather together to join as God's family to listen to His Word and worship Him and receive Him in His Precious Body and Blood.  Please join us for Mass and then stay with us afterward for our delicious Coffee Hour.

Fifth Sunday after Trinity, July 21st, 2019

Fifth Sunday after Trinity, July 21st, 2019

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 do it 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?

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

Join us for Mass as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we hear God speaking to us in His Word.  Our Lord also offers to each one of us His Most Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  Receive the Precious Body and Blood to strengthen and nourish you for your daily journey.  And afterward, please join us for our Coffee Hour to have some delicious goodies and good fellowship.

Fourth Sunday after Trinity, July 14th, 2019

Fourth Sunday after Trinity, July 14th, 2019

I was recently in a restaurant enjoying a meal.  It was mid-afternoon, I believe, and as such there were not many people there.  In fact there were only two tables occupied at the time.  My table was one of them and the other table was occupied by a father along with a young woman and a young man.  The girl and boy (I presume they were brother and sister) were around 15, 16, 17 years old?  I am not good at guessing ages but around this age, I would imagine.  As I was sitting there waiting for my food to be brought out, I could not help but notice that the brother and sister were pre-occupied with their cell phones.  Now this is not really unusual, I am sure you will agree, in this day and age.  But this is what I  noticed as I sat there.  The boy and girl were fixated on their phones.  But the father did not have any cell phone with him.  If he did, it was put away.  Anyhow, as I mentioned the boy and the girl were constantly looking down gazing at their phones.  The father was trying to make small talk with the two of them.  In other words, he was trying to make conversation.  At first, he would talk about the menu choices.  He would ask what they wanted to eat.  After the food was ordered, the father was making more small talk with his children.  Now, I didn't really catch what the "small talk" was because I really was not trying to listen in on their conversation.  But, honestly, at this point I was more interested in observing the reactions of the father and his two children.  The father for his part was trying to speak with his children.  He was trying to interact with them.  For their part, the children were so focused on their phones they were not paying attention to their father at all.  They were not paying attention to each other, now that I think about it.  The only time the boy or the girl would look up from their phone is when they wanted something or needed something from their father.  "Dad, will you order me a Coke?"  "Dad, can I have a piece of pie?" 

Watching this interaction  . . .  or lack of interaction, depending on how you look at  . . . . it made me think of how we treat God sometimes.  Like the two young people at the table, they did not pay attention to their father because they were too busy paying attention to their phones.  They only looked up long enough when they wanted something or needed something from their father.  And then they went right back to gazing at their phone.  The father was being very patient with his children.  He tried to make small talk.  He tried to interact with them.  But the more he tried to speak with them, the more they paid attention to what was capturing their attention:  their phones. 

How often do we treat God like this?  How often do we keep busy with our lives and only go to God when we need something?  In this story I just told of my experience in the restaurant, I could not help but notice how rude the children were to their father.  They were not paying attention to him because they were too busy focusing on their phones.  But even though their phones seemed to hold the most interest for them, this did not stop them from going to their father when they needed something or wanted something.  But don't we, in essence, do the same exact thing with God?  Don't we stay busy with our lives and ignore God completely until we need Him?  We live our lives by going to work; taking care of our homes; going shopping; socializing; relaxing; etc.  We keep busy with everything which affects us.  We take care of our family.  We take care of ourselves.  We keep busy with all the things which occupy us on a daily basis.  And more often than not, our busy schedules include everything except time for God.  Time gets away from us, we tell ourselves.  We don't pray.  We don't read Scripture.  We don't spend time with God.  All because we are "too busy" and "time gets away from us."  But then when we need God, all the sudden we find the time to call on Him.  When something goes wrong, we turn to God when we need Him.  When nothing else has worked, we run to God because we need Him.  When we find ourselves at the end of the rope and have nowhere else to turn, we turn to Our Heavenly Father because we need Him.  Just like those two children in the restaurant.  They were too busy focusing on their phones to spend time interacting with their father except when they wanted something.  Only then did they look up from their phones to speak to their father. 

How many of us do the same exact thing as these young people?  We keep busy with life.  We keep busy with our interests.  We keep busy with, what I like to call the "busy-ness" of life:  working; taking care of the house; taking care of the family; running errands.  But the problem with keeping "busy" is that often it also means that we are too "busy" for God.  As devout, committed Christians we need to spend time with God.  We need to dedicate time to God.  We need to make time for God.  And if we are so busy that we find we do not have time for God, then we need to make time for God.  We need to prioritize our tasks and put things in order.   And this means that we put God first in our life and make time for Him.

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we join together as God's family and worship Our Heavenly Father.  Join us as we come to the altar to be fed the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  And, finally, please stay after Mass for some fellowship at our coffee hour.

St. Margaret Anglican Church worships at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.

Third Sunday after Trinity, July 7th, 2019

Third Sunday after Trinity, July 7th, 2019

There are some things that have "warning labels" in our society.  For example, certain products we purchase in the store might list warnings on the label or television shows might even show a warning at the beginning saying "warning this program contains violence not suitable for some viewers" or something along those lines.  I like the warning that says:  "Children, do NOT try this at home!"  In my opinion, St. Peter should have put a "warning" message on his First Epistle stating:  "Warning: Following my advice is NOT for the faint of heart; Nor is it for the weak; Neither is it for the cowardly!"   This is because the advice he gives us is probably impossible for 99.9% of the population.  For we hear the following advice in his First Epistle:  "ALL of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time"  (I St Peter 5:5)    Wow!  St. Peter is telling us to be humble.  He is also telling us to humble ourselves before God!  If there is something I have learned in my Thirty-Nine (or so) years here on earth it is this:  Human beings want things their way.  For the most part, humility does not come naturally to us human beings.  We always think of ourselves as being right.  We always want others to listen to us.   Our opinion is the correct opinion.  We want things done our way.  "I know better than you but thanks for playing anyway."  etc. etc. etc.   Sometimes we look down our nose at other people whom we consider "not as good as we are."  St. Peter urges all of us to be "clothed with humility" when it comes to dealing with other folks.  As I say, this is extremely difficult especially in the day and age in which we live.  I contend that faithful, devout, committed Christians need to stand up for what is right, yes, but need to keep love at the core of who we are.  This is what Jesus did.   He held true to who He was . . .  meaning He held true to His beliefs . . .  but He was not afraid to be in the presence of sinners.  In fact, this was one of the main objections of the Pharisees.  In St. Luke 15:1, we hear the following:  "And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. "  But Our Blessed Saviour was able to both proclaim the truth and also be show love to sinners.  Remember the story of the woman at the well?  This woman had five husbands and the one she was presently living with at the time was not even her husband.  Our Lord did not mince words with this woman.  He told her how it is and yet He shared a cup of cool water with her.  He spoke the truth to this woman but He also took the opportunity to tell her about Our Heavenly Father.  In today's age in which we live, we have become so polarized that we don't want to listen to anyone "different" from us or someone who has a "different opinion" than ours.  Again, humility has become even more difficult in the age of social media.  Our Blessed Lord humbled Himself when He became a small, innocent baby.  Our Blessed Lord humbled Himself when He worked all those years as a carpenter.  Our Blessed Lord humbled Himself when He washed the feet of His disciples.  Our Blessed Lord humbled Himself when He willingly offered Himself on the altar of the Cross to die for your sins and mine.   St Peter urges us to be humble with one another and also with God.   Let us remember that we are all sinners just like we are all loved by God.   

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  Come hear the Word of God preached from the King James Version and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Corpus Christi (Transferred), June 23rd, 2019

Solemnity of Corpus Christi (Transferred), June 23rd, 2019

Now once upon a time we were informed that there were some puppies which needed homes.  Since we didn't have a dog at the time, my wife immediately stated that we should get one.  I asked how much is this puppy going to cost us?  To which the reply came:  "Oh, don't worry about that.  It's free!  No cost for the puppy."   Famous last words.  As soon as we brought the "free" puppy home the costs began adding up:  puppy chow; puppy toys; puppy collars and leashes.  Don't forget the puppy treats.  Trust me, we can't forget those.  Oh, and the trips to the Vet to get the puppy shots.  Then as the puppy grew into a dog . . . .. really, he grew into a small horse, but that's a different issue altogether . . . .  the costs continued.  Once he got bigger we then had to have a fence installed around the backyard so that the small horse . . . . I mean, dog can run around.  Pounds and pounds of dog food.  Pounds and pounds of treats.  Trips back and forth to the vet.  Well, you get the idea.  Our "free" dog has now cost us thousands of dollars.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love our small horse . . .  I mean dog.  He brings a lot of joy and love to our home.   My point is that some things aren't what they seem.  In my opinion, there ain't no such thing as a "free puppy."  

In the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, we hear Our Blessed Lord speaking to the people.  He was telling them about the bread which came down from Heaven when their fathers ate manna in the desert.   And Our Blessed Saviour made the point that the manna which Moses gave the people was not the true bread from Heaven, "but My Father giveth you the true bread from Heaven."  (St. John 6: 32)  Of course, the people asked for the true bread sent down from Heaven and asked how they could receive it.  Our Lord replied:  "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."  (v. 35)  Now there were many there that did not believe the words Our Lord had just spoken to them.  Even St. John makes mention of this fact.  He writes that there were many Jews which could not understand what Our Lord was saying in regards to Him being the "bread which came down from Heaven." (v. 41)  "And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He saith, I came down from Heaven?" (v. 42)  To these Jews, to them this merely was Joseph and Mary's son.   This was Jesus, the lowly carpenter from Nazareth.  From all outward appearances this was just an ordinary man.   In other words, they were merely looking at Jesus with their human sight.  They were seeing Our Lord with their human eyes and hearing what He said with their human ears.  But remember so often things are not what they seem.  Our Lord Who appeared before these vast crowds came to the world with no army.  He had no rank nor was He born with any title of privilege.  He had no earthly kingdom.  To those who saw Him through their own human eyes, He was just an ordinary man, as they stated  the son of Joseph and Mary, whom they knew.  But this man was far from ordinary.  He was the Son of God sent to save us from our sins.  Not only that, He freely chooses to give of His own body and blood to nourish us, to sustain us, to feed us:  "My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."  (St. John 6:55-56)   To outward appearances it appears as though we are merely receiving a small host and drinking a little bit of wine.  But Our Lord stated:  "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst." (St. John 6:35)  Our Lord is the One Who nourishes us and feeds us.  He is the One Who gives of Himself so that we might live.  This is how much He loves us.  "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger . . . . "

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we join together as God's family and worship Our Heavenly Father.  Join us as we come to the altar to be fed the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  And, finally, please stay after Mass for some fellowship at our coffee hour.

St. Margaret Anglican Church worships at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.

Trinity Sunday, June 16th, 2019

Today the Church celebrates Trinity Sunday, the liturgical day in which we celebrate God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.  God in Three Persons.  Surely this is a concept that none of us will be able to fully understand or to fully grasp with our "tiny" human minds.  I cannot help but think about St. Augustine of Hippo.  You see, St. Augustine . . .  one of the greatest Doctors of the Church . . . .  even had difficulty with this subject.  One of his greatest books, "About the Holy Trinity," took him thirty years to write.  Imagine that.  Such a brilliant mind and even with that it took him thirty years to write his book concerning the Holy Trinity.   The story comes up that while St. Augustine was writing this volume, he took a walk along the sea shore.  And as he walked along the beach he saw a young boy running back and forth from the ocean to a small hole in the sand.  And he was carrying the water in a sea shell.  As St. Augustine watched, he saw the boy fill up the sea shell with water and then he would run over to the hole in the beach and pour the water in the hole.  After St. Augustine watched the boy repeat this action over and over again, he could not resist asking the boy exactly what he was doing.  The boy responded to St. Augustine that he was putting all the water of the ocean in to this hole on the beach.  St. Augustine stated to the boy, "That is impossible, child.  You can not put an entire ocean into that tiny hole.  The ocean is so great and immense that it will not fit into this hole."  To this, the child responded:  "It is no more impossible than what you are trying to do - trying to comprehend the concept of the Holy Trinity with your small intellect."  With that the child vanished from his sight.  It has been said that this vision which St. Augustine had an angel had appeared to him or even the Christ Child Himself had appeared to St. Augustine.  In either event, the point is the same.  How can we ponder something so great with our human intellect?  

In regards to spiritual things or matters of faith, we can certainly do our best to explain things, to understand things.  This is what theologians do.  The great Doctors of the Church . . .  such as St. Augustine . . .  they ponder the great mysteries of faith.  But for the rest of us, our faith is best understood in our heart.  Our faith is best lived in our daily lives.   For as St. Paul writes that "we walk by faith and not by sight." (II Corinthians 5:7)   As long as we are trying to "comprehend" and "understand" mysteries about God, here's another question which is certainly unsolvable:  why does God love me?   And an even greater mystery:  The same God who knows everything about me . . .  my sins . . . my faults . . .  my failures . . .  still loved me enough to send His only begotten Son into the world to save me from my sins.  Why would God do this?  Why would God love me that much to send His only begotten Son into the world to save me from my sins?  And yet I know He did.  I know through faith that Our Blessed Saviour carried His Cross to that Hill at Calvary to save me from my sins.  With my human intellect I most certainly will never be able to fully comprehend how there are Three Persons but One God.  And I will never be able to fully comprehend why God chose to send His Son into the world to save me from my sins.  But I know these things to be true in my heart through faith.  

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday at 9:30 AM at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Join us as we hear the Word of God found in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible.  Come dedicate one hour of your week to God.  Step away from the busy-ness of the world for just one hour and focus totally on God.  Come and worship Him.  Let Him feed you spiritually.   Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.

Devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

JMJ

Devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

June is the month dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is good for us to reflect on this fact because too often the world has forgotten . . . . or shall we say more accurately, it has neglected  . . .  its' devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  Indeed, it is fitting that we picture Our Lord with the Sacred Heart showing.  When we see the Sacred Heart portrayed in pictures, do we not think of the immense love which Our Blessed Saviour has for us?  In popular culture, do we not equate our "heart" with "love?"  Everyone has certainly heard the quote, for example:  "Home is where the heart is," have we not?  On St. Valentine's Day do we not exchange cards decorated with images of hearts and give heart-shaped boxes of candy and heart-shaped balloons to those whom we love?  Do not those in love say to their intended:  "I give you my heart" . . .  "You are in my heart" . . . . Do we not respond to the question, "How much do you love me?" with the response, "I love you with all my heart!"  So, in this light, it would seem completely acceptable to think about how much Our Blessed Saviour loves us and picturing His Most Sacred Heart in the process.

When Our Lord was giving His famous Sermon on the Mount, part of what He chose to speak about was the fact that those here on earth spend so much time and effort trying to obtain worldly possessions.  Our Lord stated:  "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal." (St. Matthew 6:19)  Are we any different from those to whom Our Lord was speaking to some two-thousand years ago?  Do we not lay up treasures here on earth for ourselves?  We have to have the latest styles and fads when it comes to clothing so that we do not appear "different" from everyone else.  We have to have the latest electronics.   Do not people practically run to the store when the latest version of the I-phone arrives or the latest version whatever phone brand we prefer.  Do we not see images on the nightly news of people lining up to buy the hottest video game when it is released to the public?  Do we anticipate the biggest block-buster movies from Hollywood and line up to purchase our tickets as soon as the movie is released?  Do we not fixate on whatever we desire until we get it?  And then before you know it we begin fixating on the next worldly treasure which society tells us we just have to have.  Our Blessed Lord indeed knows the heart of man when He stated:  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  (St. Matthew 6:21)   Whether it be earthly treasures . . . . fancy phones . . .  latest styles of shoes or clothing . . .  drugs or drink .  . . .  riches  . . .  money . . .  Do we not hold these things close to our heart?   Whatever we treasure on earth, we will also keep these things in our heart.

 In the Old Testament we read:  "As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man."  (Proverbs 27:19)  What this proverb means from Scripture is simply that just as we can see what we look like if we see our reflection in the water or see our reflection in a mirror, so too will the man be reflected by what he holds dear in his heart.   If this is true of us human beings, what can be said about the Most Sacred Heart of Our Blessed Savior?  Pope Leo XIII stated:  "There is in the Sacred Heart the symbol and express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ which moves us to love in return."  The infinite love of Jesus Christ!   What an image, indeed!    . . .  the express image of the infinite love of Jesus Christ . . .  

If we consider for just a moment the portraits or paintings we have seen concerning the Sacred Heart of Jesus, many of these portraits show Our Blessed Lord presenting His Heart to us  . . .  His Sacred Heart.   Do we not say that we give our heart to the one we love?  So is it so hard to believe that Our Blessed Saviour would be of similar mind when it comes to sentiment of heart?   Without a doubt, Our Blessed Lord does give us His love.  Our Blessed Lord does give us His Heart .  .  . .  His Most Sacred Heart.  "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you  . . . . " (I St. Peter 3:15)  We should always keep God in our hearts if He is indeed a treasure to us.  If we treasure something we possess, we do not hesitate to tell others of our love, do we?  Proud parents are quick to tell of their beautiful child and their child's accomplishments, for example.   Those who enjoy a particular hobby are happy to talk about their hobby with anyone who shows interest.  So, too, should we follow the advice of St. Peter and explain the hope which is in our heart.  We should explain to the world that our hearts belong to Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who first gave His Heart to us, His Most Sacred Heart!

St. Mary Margaret Alacoque stated:  "Consider often that it is only the humble of heart that can enter into the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, and converse with Him,  Love Him and be loved by Him."   Let us always do our best to stay close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  The world does what it can to lure us away from God.  The world distracts us.  The world grabs our attention.  The world tries its' best to find its' way into hearts.  And, sadly, for many in the world today, the world does just that.  Let us never stray for Our Lord's Most Sacred Heart.  It is there that His love radiates toward the entire world.