I received an email from the Diocese about parish revenues being down during the pandemic. Gosh they are sharp…they don’t miss a thing! They suggested ways in which to raise money that amounts to religious extortion. Do we need more money? No, we need more compassion. What did our good Lord say in the Old Testament? He said, “Comfort my people.” He didn’t say extort them. A priest once told me, “If you are a good priest, you will never need a second offering.” I refuse to do one. I don’t want their money…I want their sins.
During this time when everyone is struggling and doing their best, people are being terrified by what’s on the news. They are scaring the bejesus out of old people. “Oh, my God! You have COVID! That’s 5,000 cases!!” What’s the death toll? Not much…it’s COVID not Ebola. We just had a 98 year old WW II veteran, a POW, survive COVID. Again, it’s not Ebola. “Oh, but we’ve got all this COVID and disruption.” You are making it a disruption by stirring things up for your own advantage. Follow the money. You are scaring old people. How much toilet paper do you still have? I almost went to Harris Teeter the other day when we had snow flurries to see how many people were stocking up on milk and bread. We are to comfort our people. I want your sins. I want to give you Jesus.
I just finished a book on Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta. She formed the Missionaries of Charity who care for the poorest of the poor, the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for, and the shunned. I had the honor of working with the Sisters while in Cuba. The Sisters made great gifts of love to the people in their care, and they did it without reservation or disgust. The inspiration that lead to Saint Mother Teresa’s forming the Missionaries of Charity came from Jesus and the six words He spoke from the Cross. “I thirst.” I thirst for souls. He did not say, “I thirst for your bank account.” He said, “I thirst” for souls. It was Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls that inspired Saint Mother Teresa throughout her life to bring souls to Jesus. That is our mission too – to bring souls to Jesus.
That call from the crucifix still makes its way down to us and will until the end of time. In our charity, we can give people the knowledge of why we do it. Anyone can give away food. The Federal Government gives out food. I received food from the Feds…first in a can and then in a bag. Meals Requiring Ex-Lax or MRE’s. Be sure to drink lots of water or you’re going to have a real problem Houston. You may have to call Roto-Rooter. I didn’t see God in that. I saw what seemed like abuse, but I didn’t see God. Have you ever had lima beans out of a can from World War II? Not a good taste. I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody. The Knights of Columbus take food over to the shelter. We do this because the love of Christ compels us. In the old Catholic hospitals, there used to be a Crucifix in every patient’s room. In the old days, every classroom also had a crucifix. These days we don’t want to offend anyone by reminding them about Jesus. When I took my physical before entering seminary, I went to Dr. Skyler who had a Crucifix in every examination room. I was very impressed. He said, “If people don’t like it, let them find another doctor.”
By virtue of our baptism, it is our mission to evangelize. We are to bring the Faith to the world and people to Christ. The words of Christ from the Crucifix will continue until the end of time. He thirsts for souls. We are to be like the angels and bring people to Christ.
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How will you apply this message to your life? Will you help satiate Christ’s thirst for love and for souls?
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You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ , clicking on “Blog”, then “Categories” and finally “Sermon Notes.”
Scripture 101: Ladies, can you tell me what screams out in the gospel today? The hour was noon, and there was a woman by herself drawing water at the well. What’s wrong with that? The woman was drawing water at the well alone which was just not done in her culture. Women travelled in groups and never by themselves. Also, it would have been a balmy 120 degrees at midday. Just a wonderful time of the day. Nobody goes out at noon except for the American Army while very overdressed. It’s hot, and you have 50 extra pounds of Uncle Sam’s equipment while taking a little nature walk. It’s a bit warm. It opens the pores…really refreshing. Because of the heat, most people drew water in the morning or the evening. Another thing that stands out in the scripture is that Jesus spoke to her. Even today, men in that part of the world never touch or speak directly to women. This was a fallen woman, and Jesus called her on it. He went there, despite being hungry and tired, to search for her soul. She was His child made in His image and likeness. She had wandered away from His love with five husbands and a live-in boyfriend. She was a lost woman who nobody wanted to associate with…she was shunned. But He went out to search for her anyway and to bring her back. Did Christ condemn the woman at the well by saying, “By the way, I see you have had five husbands and live with a boyfriend…you are going to hell.” Did He say that? No. Did He throw a penalty flag? No. Did He condemn her? No. We do not condemn anybody. Everyone is open for salvation. Instead, He said, “what you are looking for is a Who not a what.”
Christ came for the salvation of all souls…not just for Jews or Gentiles, but for everyone. Each soul has a cost…the cost is what you see on the crucifix. That day at the well, Christ was hot and tired. But this is what He came to do…to seek the lost, even the greatest sinners. He came to search for all of His children who have wandered away from Him. It is interesting that He gives us the precise way in which to reach out to others even when we are tired, hungry, or we just don’t want to do it. We are called to share the love of Christ by virtue of our baptism. Some of the most fruitful times to share His love is when it is the most inconvenient or uncomfortable. All the stuff I did for Uncle Sam was me just doing my job. Also, I have a lot of street credit at Hospice and at the hospital, but I’m just doing my job. It’s Christ that gets the real street credit…I’m just the instrument. Christ heals them…not the doctors or nurses.
Sometimes, when I’m talking to people about the Faith, I lose my patience if they start playing the quiz game show and try to out-lawyer me. They try to engage me in intellectual discussions. You know, I spent four years studying theology, I think I’ve got it. When you tell them about His love and the fullness of the Church, they will, by and large, start intellectual discussions with you. “Why do you call priests Father?” Because Saint Paul said so. “Well, you Catholics make women wear doilies on their heads.” Those were the old ways, and it’s no big deal. Come on, Dude! Stop playing the quiz show with me. They will make any excuse. But, it’s a delay tactic…an attempt to obscure their own sins…look, squirrel!! “I don’t go to church because you have sinners there.” Yes, and I’m happy about that. We are trying to change them. Where else would you like sinners to be? Yes, they do terrible things…that’s why they are in church. How about you, Chuckles? I know Someone who can save you from your sins.
If Jesus only called those who are perfect, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus would be the only people here. The Church would be empty. We are men not angels. We are a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints. Our Lord came for us so that we could be transformed. We are called to do the same by seeking those who have strayed away from the Faith. Will we always get results? Yes! “But it didn’t work; they didn’t come back.” You don’t know for sure; they’re not dead yet. Even though you may not see results in the people you’ve been sharing His love with, you’ve planted a seed that may grow inside them. And, look at what it did for you. Look at how it has expanded your own heart.
When I first arrived in Iraq during the first Gulf War, I approached the Colonel who said to me, “What are you doing here?” Well, you told me to come. This is where my soldiers are, so this is where I’m supposed to be. When I go into a hospital room wearing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), I’m breathing in and out like Darth Vader with a mask and gown. “What are you doing here, Father?” Well, I’m your priest; I’m supposed to be here. Besides, they give me free parking and I write off the mileage. When people are in failing health, and they do not want to come back to the Church, I just wait and wait and wait some more. Sometimes when I’m in Hospice and the nurses have just bombed patients with drugs, I will ask them again if they would like to receive Last Rites. I thought so! I’m persistent…I keep going after them. Never give up on anyone. Never give up trying to bring them back to the love of Christ. Each soul has its own worth. Each soul is worth the sacrifice…whether it is convenient or not. It was neither convenient nor comfortable for our Lord that day at the well.
One day, while I was at the VA Hospital and making my last rounds in Hospice, one of the nurses asked me if I could see a patient who wanted to talk to a chaplain. I had met this patient once before when he was in-processing, and we had talked for a few minutes. He told me that he had cancer, and it was his fault. He had been scheduled for a colonoscopy previously that didn’t work out, and he was supposed to come back two weeks later for another one…but he never returned. When he finally came back, the cancer was terminal. Before I went into the patient’s room, the nurse told me it wasn’t pleasant. I said, “Yeah, I know.” His cancer had become external which has a particular aroma. If you’ve ever been in a patient’s room whose cancer is external, it’s a real treat for the senses. It will bring a tear to your eye. I sat there listening to him for about 20 minutes. He wanted to talk, but the cancer had metastasized to his brain. Occasionally, he would say something that I could understand. During our conversation, the nurse kept coming into the room and spraying air freshener. When I finally left his room, my clothes smelled like the cancer. Did I enjoy that? Hell no. Was it comfortable? No, but that’s what I was supposed to do. While in the military, did I enjoy all those times and places where I could have gotten myself killed? Do you think that was a lot of fun? No. They don’t print enough money for me to want to do that or make enough alcohol. But that’s what I was supposed to do. Likewise, we are supposed to seek out souls as Christ did even when it’s uncomfortable or unpleasant. We are called to share His love with them.
Christ is reaching out to others through you to share the great gift you have received …the gift of our Catholic faith…the fullness of truth. You are called to bring it to others. Maybe you won’t experience anything as egregious as I have; I hope you don’t, but you may encounter people who are very combative with their words. Why are you getting so worked up if what I’m saying isn’t true? Why are you getting your underwear in a knot? Proclaim the message anyway. Nobody wants to get involved in arguments. I know, that’s why I stay away from my family. But, Christ can save anyone, and that’s part of the message we bring, They will see in you the love of Christ.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you share the love of Christ with others even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient?
The gospel today took place 10 days before our Lord’s passion. Our good Lord showed the three apostles a particular vision of His nature, of His true nature, and what that would be like. It was also to strengthen them for the coming scandal of the cross. I think all of us would really like to have one of those momentous moments of seeing the miracle of the manifestation of God. We would really like that. You may think that it would really solidify your faith after that. That’s a wonderful and pious thought, but reality is different. Look at the apostles…these three in particular. Over the course of three years, they saw many miracles. They saw three people raised from the dead…Lazarus being one. After three days in a tomb, there would be a stench. Lazarus was truly dead. Think of all the miracles of our good Lord that they witnessed…not all were not recorded in scripture. Yet, when Christ’s time came, they ran away like sissy boys. Real men, and they ran away. So, a great spiritual experience does not translate into being set. That’s true in our own lives. Just look at all the people who have left the Church. “Well, if I only had a great spiritual experience I would stay.” Remember the joy of your first communion? I’m sure your parents do and that they have pictures. Remember your confirmation, your wedding, and the baptism of your children? Where are all those people now? We have our own great spiritual experiences. Our Lord still comes and gives us spiritual experiences, because He knows how frightened we are no matter how tough we might think we are. Our Lord knows that we still get lonely and afraid. The most common verse in scripture is “do not be afraid.” Our Lord would not have said that if He didn’t think we were afraid. The worse punishment for anyone is being alone or in solitary confinement in prison. We need consolation, and we need to know His divine presence. Our Lord always comes to us, but sometimes we are too busy to see Him.
I was making my rounds in the Emergency Department at the VA Hospital on Thursday. I was talking to this one man who won’t be leaving. I walked out of his room to ask the nurse a question. I always ask the staff questions. I read training magazines and farming magazines, because I want to learn. So, I asked the nurse about the lump on the side of this patient’s jaw. He said, “what lump.” The nurse went into the man’s room to check on him, and when he came back, he said that the lump hadn’t been seen earlier, because it wasn’t significant, and we didn’t catch it. Even a nurse who is so experienced didn’t see it.
We overlook our God’s timely providence. He knows when we have something extraordinary in which to rid ourselves. Some little girl spits up green soup, and right away we think it’s satan. Oh my gosh, she’s possessed! I get a lot of calls about exorcism; sometimes our imaginations run wild. We are watching way too many movies. Our Lord comes to us, but we are too busy with our cell phones and other distractions to hear Him. He is always trying to talk to us, trying to give us little messages. I am here and I hear your prayers.
A few months ago, I was walking, and I was very upset because of the death of my twin brother. So, I was letting God know that I was really torqued and using some official military language. I was by myself and nobody could hear me. This was official, government-sanctioned, military language. I was using some good Anglo-Saxon terms not used in polite company. I was really p’oed. Later, as I continued walking, I saw a penny and picked it up. It was a wheat penny, and the date on the coin was 1953…the year my brother and I were born. I was thinking how odd to find that penny in the middle of nowhere in Stanly County. How many pennies exist with the year 1953? It’s just odd.
I remember I was doing the funeral for Mr. Hudson, a World War II veteran of the Army Air Corps. We did puzzles together; he passed a few years ago. Mr. Hudson had been stationed in Japan and flew in a B-17. When bombs got stuck, it was his job to go to the bottom of the B-17 and, without a safety harness, kick the bombs that were stuck out the back door of the plane. He was an interesting man and a funny guy. I asked him one time if he ever got air sick; he said no, but he did get seasick. He came home from the war by ship. While crossing the Indian Ocean, he was fine; the Mediterranean…fine; the Atlantic…not fine. For the next seven days he didn’t eat. But, at least the ship was headed in the right direction…toward home. Anyway, he asked me to do his funeral even though he wasn’t Catholic. As I was enroute to the funeral, I stopped to get a cup of coffee at a convenience store. I happened to look down at the ground and saw a puzzle piece. I picked up the puzzle piece, and when I had finished the ceremony and walked over to the wall where his ashes were to be interred, I placed the puzzle piece on top of his ashes.
God talks to all of us. I’m not special. In fact, God probably loves you more than me, because you deserve it more. I have a lot of explaining to do about my permanent record when I see Him face-to-face. God does talk to you, and He desperately tries to get your attention, but in subtle ways. Throughout our lives, more frequently than we can imagine, God tries to tell us He is present and that He cares.
How will you apply this message to your life? He is speaking to you…will you stop to listen?
So, we are a couple of days into Lent. This is a time in which we are supposed to discipline our bodies and discipline our spirits by penance and mortification by denying ourselves certain food until Easter, praying more, breaking bad habits, and encouraging good ones. How are y’all doing with that? Still sticking to them? Not so much? That’s what I thought. We are supposed to discipline our bodies and our spirits beginning with the Sacraments we receive – Holy Communion and Penance. So, we discipline our will to make it stronger. We break bad habits and encourage good ones. By the way, bad habits are hard to break, and good habits are hard to keep. The beautiful thing is that when we fall off the wagon, as it were, we can always start over. We can start over at any time. That’s the beauty of it. It’s not a zero-sum game that you have to get perfect. You simply get back up and try again. It may be hard, even though it seemed like a good idea at the time. “Hey, it won’t be that bad…I’m not going to miss it anyway.” But, as soon as you give up something to the world, you will see all kinds of temptation. As soon as I had to give up bacon, I saw all these advertisements for CiCi’s bacon crust pizza and bacon Whoppers. Really? All year long, I don’t think twice about chocolate cake, but once I gave it up for Lent, everywhere I went there was chocolate cake. That’s just temptation.
The biggest occasion for sin is right here between our shoulders. We cannot raise ourselves to heaven by our bootstraps. You may say, “It’s too hard. I may have taken on something a little bigger than I should have.” That’s okay…just make sure you aren’t trying to pole vault over mouse turds. The wonderful thing about doing penance is that you may actually feel better. If you resolve to eat better, you’ll feel better…I’m not a doctor, but you will probably feel better. Still, after a while, spinach gets really boring. Yuck! Pizza with bacon and the crust and everything else is food pornography for me. I’m sorry, but it just is.
These mortifications we impose upon ourselves are important, but they can cause so much pain. Giving up something we love is a hard thing to do, especially when we are doing it just for ourselves. That’s hard to believe, we being the most important thing above all; you’ve heard me say, “I’m not much but I’m all I think about.” Many people don’t stick with the medicine and special diets their doctors put them on. Diabetics have a bad habit of not doing what they are supposed to do even though they may need to have body parts chopped off only to eventually die and not in a pleasant way. But, still they do not follow their doctors’ orders. Why? Because, it’s only about them.
I can find any excuse to do what I want to do. I should be able to eat a bacon sandwich, because I fought for my country! I suffered for Uncle Sam, so I deserve bacon! My heart doesn’t, but I deserve it. To make it easier and to keep ourselves motivated, we can follow Saint James’ suggestion and do penance for someone else. Our parents had that experience when they denied themselves for their children. We often will do for others what we won’t do for ourselves. When we do it for someone else, our love is better. We can do penance for our families or those we love. You didn’t get that one? It can be two different groups. It’s just the way it is. We all have family and loved ones who have fallen away from the Faith, who have done bad things, or who have a serious illness. Take their sufferings upon yourself. In doing so, we imitate Saint Paul in his sufferings…with his crosses. He said, “I make up in my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of the body of His Church.” God calls all of us to participate in suffering. Do penance for someone else as Christ did for us. Imitate Him. All those little penances, little alterations, and little gifts for our Lord are meant to actualize what is in the Sacraments. When coupled with the Sacrament of Holy Communion and Penance, we strengthen our love, we atone for our sins, and we strengthen our will. The whole purpose is so that we become better receptacles for God’s love and better messengers of His love.
Saint James also wrote that a person who brings another person back from sin saves his own soul and cancels out a multitude of his own sins. So, join your sufferings, deprivations, extra prayers, and sacrifices to the sacrifice of our Savior for the salvation of souls. Do penance for other people as Christ did for us. Love always thinks of others and is never selfish. So, when deciding whether or not to eat that piece of chocolate cake, think of the people you are giving it up for or really giving it to.
How will you apply this message to your life? If you fall, will you get back up and try again? Will you imitate Christ and do penance for others?
Yesterday morning I drove down to Monroe. Why they pronounce it Moan-roe, I have no idea. They also say p-oh-lice. Really? Nowhere else are the police called p-oh-lice. Dude, public education has gone way down hill. But, they are kinda different in Union County. Anyway, I was in Monroe to help hear 190 first confessions. I had to leave early, because I had a wedding to perform here. I heard first confessions here this morning, and they did very well. The kids in Monroe were nervous, and I said to them that today you are experiencing for the first time, actually flushing out your book knowledge, some of the great truths of the Catholic Church and the fullness of God’s love. The Catholic Church possesses the fullness of God’s message and the fullness of His power on earth. You have come here to experience the greatness of God’s mercy by having your sins absolutely forgiven and forgotten. God forgives and forgets everything you bring here. No matter how many times you may do this or other things, if you come back to the Sacrament and say, “I’m sorry, I will try to do better,” God will forgive and forget. The beauty of God’s love is right here in Church. What a wonderful thing we have. He heals us with His most precious blood, and He infuses us with the strength of His presence, called Sanctifying Grace. We are transformed away from ourselves.
You’ve seen in the Gospel, in the Old Law, scripture that called for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That seems rather harsh to our modern ears. Really, it’s not. When this was first proclaimed in the Old Testament, it was shocking. This was so new to people. That means – I’m no lawyer, but I’ve seen one on television – that you can exact no greater penalty than the crime itself. In the Old World, if you were to jaywalk, and even though it might be your first offense, the punishment could be execution. I mean they lopped people’s heads off just for grips and grins. I mean, you can’t do that…you just can’t do that.
Justice is a primary virtue. Christ taught a new kind of justice and called us to a higher standard. He said, “if you have My love, you will go beyond that; you will show them My love, the love I give to you. If they need a shirt give them two; if they ask you to walk one mile, walk two.” By doing so, you are showing them God’s love. How do you show them His love? By having God’s love inside of you. It’s not easy to do. If someone smashes my windshield, he’s going down and hard. We have the right to protect ourselves, that’s true. Jesus was using a hyperbole, of course. He was using it as an example. If someone hurts you, don’t hurt them back and walk away. Don’t let someone punch you in the mouth. First, duck and then forgive. It’s hard to do that. By the way, you don’t have to like them. He didn’t say you have to like them. I don’t like a lot of people, but I love them for the sake of Christ. Now, to do what Christ asks, turning the other cheek, praying for them even when you really don’t want to, doing good things for them when you really don’t want to do good things for somebody because they have really ticked you off, or they have really hurt you is hard. Yet, the Lord says do good for them, pray for them, and do good things for them. “I really don’t want to.” An easy way to do it is by being transformed by God’s love and drawing closer to Him day-by-day, through the Mass, Sacraments, prayers, and mortification. Gradually your soul will lose itself and become filled with Christ. Then, when these things come dragging in, you will be able to do good works naturally, and people will see the love of Christ in you.
While I was a young priest, I was working at Mercy Hospital when it was still a Catholic hospital. There was an old priest, Father Cal Brown; he’s long dead now. Father Brown was the chaplain at Mercy Hospital. He was in his mid-80’s at the time. Father Brown was sick and a patient there. When a code was called, meaning someone is dying, all of a sudden, Father Brown got out of his sick-bed and started walking down the hallway to respond to the code. Ever seen an old man in a hospital gown? It’s not a pretty picture. Two nurses came running up to him and picked Father Brown up by each elbow. They told him, “Father, there’s already a priest here in the hospital.” That was me; I was covering the hospital that day. But he did that. It was the kind of priest Father Brown was and the kind of priest he became after all those years of saying Mass and participating in the Sacraments.
You might say, “Well, Father, he was a priest. That’s not unusual. It’s not like that with us.” Not true. It’s possible to be transformed by the power of love. Even when a mother is sick as a dog, she will crawl on her hands and knees to take care of her children and think nothing of it. It’s just instinctual. This is the transforming power of God’s love. We are transformed by trying to be one with Christ, by opening our hearts, ridding ourselves of self-love and self-concern. Remember my favorite saying, “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.” Like the sick mother caring for her children, we can do that for other people. We can do that. We can practice it. But, remember, it’s something we grow into. It’s the standard we aspire to, but never perfectly achieve in this life.
The great saints were never satisfied with themselves. They always said, “I can love more.” It’s sad when people say, “I’m a good Catholic, I go to Mass on Sunday; I haven’t committed murder.” But love has no bounds. How can you be satisfied with that? As you grow in love, you will be transformed. This will happen supernaturally. People will see the change in you. Sometimes, it will come quickly; sometimes, it will happen over a period of time. We will grow closer to Him and become transformed. We may not notice it in ourselves or in our lives, but, other people will see it and may even tell us about it. We all can do this by becoming holier. It’s a constant, ongoing process. It’s tough for everybody; it’s even tough for me, the Holy Man. However, we must do what God wants. What He asks of us is always possible if we seek and strive for holiness.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you seek and strive for holiness so that others can see Him in you?
Throughout the gospels, anyone who came to our Lord and asked Him for something, it was always granted. He never refused. Our Lord gives us gifts when we ask and even when we don’t. Did the widow ask that her son be resurrected? No, she didn’t, but Christ raised him from the dead and gave him back to her. Also, nobody asked Him to feed the 5,000, but He did. Our Lord did this not just for the Jewish people, but also for the Ephesians, Samaritans, and Romans. He wants to give us His love. He doesn’t ask if we are worthy, if we tithe, or even if we have given our priest pizza. He doesn’t ask about any of that. His love is free. He tells us exactly how to experience His love and how to live in His love. He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” He spelled it out quite clearly, so we would have no doubt. “Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No” (Matthew 5:37). This is how we live in His love…by keeping His commandments.
I was at Walmart waiting in line behind a woman who had lots of tattoos, and there was blue stuff running down her arm. I said, “Excuse me, mam, but you sprang a leak. She told me that she had just gotten a tattoo. I asked her if she minded telling me why she got tattoos. She said, “it makes me look beautiful.” But, who said you were ugly? Remember when God asked Adam and Eve who told you that you were naked?
I hear people say we need to update and change the Commandments, because they are just too hard to keep. Who told you that? Our Lord said “My yoke is easy, and My burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). When everyone had left Christ except the apostles, He asked them if they wanted to leave Him too. The apostles told Him that the teachings were hard, but that He had the words of eternal life (John 6:67-68). The commandments of the Lord are not hard, but they go against our human nature. We want what we want when we want it. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable to keep God’s commandments, I will grant you that. For example, last night, while I was eating my spinach Stromboli, sitting across the table from me were people eating a pepperoni pizza. The fourth and fifth commandments require me to follow my doctor’s orders which tell me no pizza. Do I always like it? Nope, but that’s the way the dice roll. So, anyone who says you cannot do it is lying to you. Our fallen nature and our sins committed after baptism make it far more difficult than it has to be. It doesn’t help that we don’t use the means that God gave us through the Sacraments, prayer, and mortification. “Oh, this is tough.” You don’t know what tough is; don’t even go there. “This is so hard!” Please! Nobody is asking you for a kidney. During Lent, we cannot eat meat on Fridays. “It’s so hard!” Really? The hard part is eating fish. You should see all the ketchup I smother fish with….it’s like eating ketchup soup with fish.
We often hear people say that Church pastors need to be more pastoral. What do you mean by pastoral? I know the meaning I was taught, but what do you mean? “Well, we need to be accepting of everybody, because we understand these things better than we did 2,000 years ago.” So, in other words, we are supposed to embrace somebody’s doodoo. “Oh, it’s okay now, we understand; you don’t have to be like anybody else…you are special…God is going to give you an exception.” Well, you are special, because God died for you on the cross. You are that special, but there are no exceptions. Being pastoral does not mean cosigning somebody’s sin or watering down the commandments. The most pastoral thing to do is tell them the truth about Christ.
When I see soldiers in the emergency room hooked up to a banana bag with their head in a bucket, and headed up to ICU to detox from alcohol, do you think this could be a teachable moment? I could say, “If I had your problems, I’d drink like a fish too.” No, I wouldn’t. Or, I could say, “You know, life is tough; it’s tougher when you are stupid. Ever think about admitting you’re an alcoholic and getting some help?” I’m sure Phyllis has had people tell her they have a condition that fentanyl is good for. “Oh, do you have terminal cancer? Really?” Oh, but we have to be more pastoral. Being pastoral means not wanting people to live in sin. Being pastoral is trying to help relieve people from that sin. The most pastoral thing to do is to tell them about Christ.
Do you really think we could be more compassionate than our Savior who came down, became man, suffered, and died on the cross for our sins? Do you think we could be more caring than Him? Really? Instead of thinking it’s hard, we should thank our Lord, because at least we know what to do and the precise way in which to do it. We don’t have any questions. You told us exactly what we need to do, and we come to You for help. When I fall down, as I often do…I have a bad habit of using colorful language while I’m driving along with hand and arm gestures… but, I know exactly Who to go to for help with getting back up so that I can take up my cross and follow our Savior. When you say that the Church should be more pastoral and change the rules, God’s response is to ask for our love.
So, you think you know better than God how to take care of souls. What kind of hutzpah is that! I did not like it when my physician said bacon was no longer a part of my diet. I did not like it because I thought I was special. I was the only one in my family who could eat bacon like crazy and not have a heart problem. I always thought I was the exception. Wrong. Every alcoholic and drug addict think they know how to handle their condition; “Don’t worry, I’m the exception to the rule.” Or, the 3-pack a day smoker; “I’m not going to get lung cancer; there’s nothing wrong with me…I’m good.” No. Our Lord taught us out of love how to love. Is it hard? It often is. Know what it depends on? How much we love God and how much we love ourselves.
How will you apply this message to your life? When you fall, will you ask for His help?
One time, while I was overseas, I was visiting a field hospital and going through the wards. I was about to leave when I heard on the radio that an aircraft had crashed, and mass casualties were coming. So, I told my assistant, Bubba, an 18 year-old soldier, that we were going to stay. Very quickly, Murphy’s Rules of War kicked in which state: You always have more than enough of the enemy, more than enough problems, but never enough of you. So, I gave Bubba a down and dirty course on how to be a litter carrier. When the casualties arrived from the heli-pad, Bubba brought them in and got them all settled. The sights, sounds, and smells were different from what most people are used to. Bubba came up to me and asked, “Sir, sir, what to do you want me to do, sir?” I said, “Turn your head, go outside, get some air, and come back.” This wasn’t my first rodeo. He said, “Thank you, sir!” That young man went above and beyond the call of duty; he did everything I asked him to do and more. He was a soldier, and even though he wasn’t a happy camper and did not want to be there, he did his job. He showed those people what a soldier does, and he was courageous. Unfortunately, we had to send him home. His wife had been a royal pain in the butt for years, and I don’t think the marriage lasted. I have always wondered what happened to Bubba after that. But, he impressed me that day.
Bubba was only doing what I asked him to do. Likewise, we are only doing what Christ has told us to do. We are called to be souls for Christ and to let our light shine before men. We are to be disciples by living a holy life and doing corporal works of mercy. People need to see the light which is the light of Christ in our hearts. They will see the light of Christ shining in our actions. This is how we can evangelize. What gives you the strength, the motivation, and the zeal to carry your crosses? It is Christ. It’s not about us; it is the light of Christ that is supposed to show. We spend time in prayer with our family; at Mass, at mortification…I won’t have that extra piece of pie. This is how we keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts. People will see the light of Christ in us even though we aren’t aware of it. As Saint Francis said, “Preach the gospel always; use words if necessary.”
People sometimes will say, “Father, we want to help you with your work.” Well, would you like to visit a prison? “No.” Why not? “I’m uncomfortable in prisons.” Great! So is everybody else. Now you will have a sense of belonging. Just don’t eat the fish….just saying. We will know them by their actions, especially in those situations we find the most unpleasant, even repugnant. It is Christ who asks for our love, among the screams, smell of blood, and leaking body fluids. It is Christ who is asking…begging…for our help and our love. This is how we sow seeds in the world. This is how we evangelize.
In theory, I’m supposed to have an evangelization committee on my parish council. If I had a parish council, I’d think about having an evangelization committee. But, I don’t. You are my evangelization committee. I’m only temporary, and when God takes me out, life will go on. You are Christ’s evangelizers. He wants to send YOU, not a committee.
What does a committee do? Well, first of all, they need money, and they take yours. They kill some trees and give you a piece of paper that nobody reads telling you what you should do and then they all go home. Job well done; boom! But, it doesn’t accomplish anything. All diocese committees are worthless…they are absolutely worthless. I don’t see them going to the prison with me; I don’t see them going to hospitals or nursing homes; Lori doesn’t see them coming in to help her; the Misfits don’t see them coming to help them. Yet, they’ll tell us what to do. Thanks a lot…I’ve already got plenty to do. Okay?
I’ll tell you one more story before we get on with Mass about how I saw the love of Christ. I was visiting a woman who had bone cancer. It was terrible, and she had been in pain from the beginning. Although her son was a war hero, and had medals and stuff on the wall, he wouldn’t go into his mother’s room. He just sat there. Hey hero, get your butt in here and take care of her. Instead, his second wife went in and gave suppositories and did whatever was needed for someone so drastically ill. She had not gone to medical or nursing school. She learned everything on the job. You know what she did afterward? She went into the bathroom and threw up. I happened to be there at the time. Was Christ in the room taking care of that sick woman? You bet. We are sorry for what that courageous woman went through, and we are called to imitate her.
You keep the light of Christ burning brightly by your prayers, devotions, rosaries, Mass participation, penances, and confessions. Know that when you go into that sick room, you are doing it for Christ and not for yourself. When I was a seminarian, I was working with a priest who was teaching me how to be a hospital chaplain. We walked into a patient’s room and the smell was so obnoxious that I walked out into the stairwell and gagged. I told my father about that first experience. It was a really bad move. The word “sympathy” was not part of my father’s dictionary. He said, “Son, when something like that happens, you go out, gag, throw up, and go back in and take care of that person. You are not the most important thing in the world.” I have passed that advice onto other chaplains. Nowhere in scripture does Jesus ask us how we feel. He asked the apostles what they thought all the time. Christ tells us what to do. How do you feel about that? I don’t care how you feel; I care about what you do. You are the light of the world. Let people see your actions; and see the love that He inscribes upon us.
If someone says, “Hey, you said a nasty word.” You can say, “Yeah, I’m not perfect, but I go to confession and ask for forgiveness for my sins.” And, if you hurt someone, ask them for their forgiveness. But, please, unless you are Brenda Lee, don’t say, “I’m sorry…so sorry.” Instead, say, “I have sinned against you, and I ask for your forgiveness.” You would be surprised at the looks you will get. “Well, nobody has ever asked for my forgiveness.” As a result, they will see the light of Christ shining through you, and that could be one of the greatest ways to evangelize…to share the experience of the forgiveness of Christ as He has done for you in the Sacrament of penance. You can show the love of Christ to others.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you let your light shine so that others can see Christ in you?
“Sometimes, the Angels Come for Us Before the Sun Rises“
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
January 25 – 26, 2020
Scripture: Matthew 4:12-23
During my formative years, I was blessed with good parents, priests, and sisters who passed on the gift of Faith. The patrimony of the Church…the heritage…the gift they had been given, they passed on to me. Part of that heritage is the great treasury of prayers of the Church…centuries and centuries worth. While we were getting those lessons in school, they knew what they were doing; we were getting Godly prayers. We had to memorize them like most things, but that’s how I learned the classic prayers of the Church, and they all have beautiful points.
We must repent of our sins in order to be followers of Christ, because He is the Savior. If we have no sins, we don’t need a Savior, and we don’t need Christ. So, we repent of our sins, and we acknowledge them. There is a beautiful prayer that I was taught by my parents and by the priests that is a classic – the Act of Contrition prayer. I was taught to say it every night before I went to bed, just in case the angels came before the sun rose:
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You,
and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven,
and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend You, my God,
Who are all good and deserving of all my love.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace,
to confess my sins, to do penance,
and to amend my life. Amen.
We say the Act of Contrition prayer every Sunday during Faith Formation so that our students will learn it along with other common prayers. But, learning prayers is not just rote memorization. There are so many beautiful things about the Act of Contrition prayer…it contains so much. In that prayer, is a small summary of what I studied in theology for a semester…it’s sort of like the Reader’s Digest version of theology. It is a primer for the Sacrament of Penance and teaches us how to receive God’s grace and become one with Him, and, how we show repentance and sorrow for our sins. It’s in the first part of the prayer: “I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins….because they offend You, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love.” I am sorry, because I have offended God who is the source of all love. That is perfect contrition.
The next line in the Act of Contrition prayer refers to imperfect contrition: “because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell.” We are sorry because we may be cut off from God forever – we are afraid of going to hell. Hell is the separation from God forever.
There are two conditions that must be present for absolution from sin:
First, we must have contrition (sorrow) for our sins. “I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins….” We have to admit what we’ve done. We must say where we need God’s help and admit that we are sinners. For example, you cannot go before a judge, any judge, and just throw yourself on the mercy of the court. You have to say what you have done. You cannot just say, “I’m sorry, Mom.” What the heck did you do now! You have to say what you are sorry for. When you go to the doctor and say, “Doctor, I’m not feeling well, so give me some narcotics.” Uh, no, that’s not happening. You have to tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it…so I can apply a remedy to your problem. I’m not giving you anti-cancer meds if you have a headache; I’m not giving you morphine if you have a hangnail. I have to know what’s wrong. Likewise, we have to admit that which we need forgiveness. Another example is when you get caught by the cops speeding… women get away with this all the time by turning on the tear machine…except for highway patrolmen, they don’t care..they write a lot of tickets. But, you are sorry, because you got caught. That is imperfect contrition. However, it is sufficient for the Sacrament…it’s good enough.
We have to avoid what we call in theology the “near occasion of sin.” Unfortunately, we cannot avoid them all. The biggest cage for sin is in the brain. It’s tough to avoid sin, because the devil is working all around us. We can try to avoid people, places and things that can lead us to sin, but if you stay in the barbershop long enough, you’re going to get a haircut.
People come to confession, “Bless me Father for I have sinned; it has been however long since my last confession.” I’ve been hearing confessions for 36 years, so, sometimes, you just know what to ask. Are you living with your girlfriend/boyfriend? “Yeah.” Well, I can’t give you absolution. “Why not?” Unless you are living like brother and sister, which I doubt…call me jaded, you are living in a state of mortal sin. It would be a sacrilege on your part and a sacrilege on mine if I gave you absolution. “Father, I have a problem watching bad movies on T.V.” Well, football or the Golf channel are options. I like watching it, but sometimes I have to turn down the volume because it just goes too fast for me.
The other condition needed for absolution is making amends. We have to make amends, an amendment of life, for our sins. Christ makes that amendment for us to God. We cannot fix it ourselves…Christ fixes that for us. However, we have to fix what we’ve done here in what we call the temporal order. For instance, if you steal my portion of Mexican food…”Father, I stole your pizza.” I forgive you, but you have to give the pizza back. You cannot just run off with my pizza. By the way, I would have given it to you if you had only asked. If you break a window while playing football, you have to replace the window unless the homeowner says it’s okay and they will fix it. You have to repair what you damage. You cannot just say, “Father I stole a $100.” Okay, but you have to give it back. “Really?” Yeah, you do. You cannot profit from your sin. If you stole my Stromboli, and you say, “I’m sorry,” well, you still have to give back my Stromboli. If I scrape your car, I have to make it right…as much as I can. We need to repay, give back, and try to right the wrong.
One thing about prayer…if we rush through our prayers, get distracted, or our mind wanders, just bring it back. My French ancestors in Canada, who we called “Kanooks”, said the rosary like greased lightning. I mean, when they said the rosary, there was smoke coming from the beads. For us, prayers may be coming from our mouth, but our mind is somewhere around the block. That’s alright, just bring it all back. We are men not angels.
We have such treasures as a part of our Catholic Faith, especially in its prayers. In the Act of Contrition prayer, we are saying that we have committed sin and we are sorry. We love God, and will try to avoid the irritations of sin, and try to right all the things we’ve done wrong. That is a great expression of your love for God and a great expression of your need for God. So, I would ask you to say the Act of Contrition prayer tonight before you go to bed. What a wonderful way to end the day; because, sometimes, the angels will come for us before the sun rises.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you say the Act of Contrition prayer before bed? Will you repay, give back, and try to right any wrongs you’ve committed?
We all want peace in the world. Saint John the Baptist made an epiphany by pointing the way to peace: “Behold the Lamb of God…the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.” That’s the way to peace. Always point the way to the Lord; not to some individual priest, but to the One in the Tabernacle. Priests come and go. Someday, I will take a dirt nap, okay? I might drive up onto a telephone guide wire and flip my car like what happened over on Montgomery Avenue the other day. I could get sick, and they’ll bring another guy in here. Also, contrary to popular belief, peace is not gotten by taking away someone’s stuff and giving it to somebody else. That has never worked in the history of the world. “Oh, if they only had more stuff they wouldn’t be bad.” Yeah, they would be…police lock up rich people too. It is not about stuff. It is sin that causes division in the soul and the self. Sin causes violence. Remember, in scripture, the three marks of the demonic or sin in the soul are: nudity/sex, self-mutilation, and violence. When a soul is in torment what does it do? It takes the torment out on everybody else. People say that criminals are misunderstood. No. It’s violence, an evil. “I’ll fight you all”…that’s evil in the soul.
God wants us to have peace, that’s why He sent His Son. Peace is a “Who” not a “what”. You’ve heard the line, “No justice, no peace.” Nah, justice is a virtue. Justice is a step toward the primary virtue which is possession by the All Mighty God. Peace means possessing and being possessed by Christ and having no sin in our soul. I just talked to a guy, a “Methhead,” in the ER over at the VA. He lied to me, and I expect that, so I don’t take it personally. In 12-step programs, reestablishing a relationship with the Creator is one of the first steps in releasing people from their addictions. Through sobriety, you can have peace in your soul. Where do they get this? They get it from the Church which points out the way to Christ. People say, “Father, there are a lot of unholy people in the Church.” That’s why they’re here…trying to work on it, okay? You are trying too, because you are here. We are all here trying to work on holiness. I say my prayers in my sweet little voice, because, I am a great sinner and need prayer. We all strive and struggle.to follow Him. As I said last week, if you have no sin, you don’t need to be here. People say, “Father, some priests aren’t perfect.” Well, nobody in the Church is perfect. But, Father, “people are always going to be that way.” I have never read anything about Mother Teresa going in and starting a bar fight. Have you? She could probably clear the place out…I’ll give her that. She was a tough little woman. But she never started a bar fight. Amazing! Mother Teresa possessed and was possessed with Christ in her soul. Jesus was her peace. Saint John didn’t go downtown to the Hells Angels’ clubhouse and beat up on clubhouse members, did he? No! Look at the saints; they did violence on themselves.
There’s no problem with what we believe, but in how we live. I work in a hospital a few days a week and have seen doctors with pot bellies. You would think they’d know that being overweight is not good for them, right? A couple of times, I have seen the doctors and nurses getting their lunch out of a vending machine….popcorn, candy, soda pop. Now, near as I can tell, there are no vegetables and salads in those vending machines! They know better. They have forgotten more things than I ever learned on their first day of school. It’s not that they don’t know it, but knowing and doing are two entirely separate things. It’s tough to live it. It might take me out of my comfort zone whatever that is; or I might have to give up a bad habit. We all struggle with the knowledge, but our Good Lord gives us the means to live it. He said, “Come and follow Me.” Do you know what “follow me” means in the New Testament? It’s not like little ducks and geese following their mother across the road. “Follow Me” means imitate Christ; imitate Me in My sufferings; join Me in My sufferings; imitate Me in My sacrifices; imitate Me in My teaching, imitate Me in My prayer, follow Me, do what I say. Do what I did, and you’ll get what I got. Follow Me to the cross. He teaches us exactly what we must do to be like Him and to have His peace. He gave us the means to peace in the Sacraments. No, there’s nothing wrong with the Faith, it’s just how we live it.
People say, “You are Catholic.” Yes, I am. They say, “Well you don’t do this, and you don’t do that.” I say, ”You know, you’re right…I’m working on it though, but thank you for reminding me.” Am I perfect? Not even my mother thought I was perfect. I have a lot of people reminding me of my imperfections. And that’s alright, they only see the visible ones, I have a lot more they don’t see. But, I know the Person who can help me change, and I can point you to that Person. That Person takes away my sins, absolutely, and He feeds me with the most precious body and blood. At every Mass, the Church uses these words when the priest lifts up the host and says, “Behold the Lamb of God; behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to suffer of the Lamb.” Everybody is called to that suffering. Everyone.
Down here, a lot of people read John 3:16. Okay, how about John 6:53? Didn’t read that far down in the book, did ya? You have to read the whole book…not just part of the book…take the whole book. Christ said, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” That means real meat and real drink. Don’t forget that part! This is the way to feast, and our Good Lord couldn’t be any clearer. I mean, when you are hungry, do you eat or just read a cookbook?
Our problem is that we aren’t perfect. We fall down a whole lot, but we get up again. Part of our baptismal promise is that we will always go back and follow Him. We know how to achieve peace, our Good Lord told us, and we’ve been doing it for the last 2,000 years. Peace is found in a “Who” and not a “what.” All we have to do is follow in His footsteps.
How will you apply this message to your life? When you fall, will you get back up and follow Him? If you need more peace, do you seek it in Him? Do you follow in His footsteps?
Isn’t the church beautiful. I appreciate all the work by the Sacristy elves and angels who came and decorated the church so beautifully.
I hope you have a manger at home; it’s a visible representation of scripture. We have the nativity story all here…compressed. Scripture tells us the wise men entered Joseph and Mary’s house. They did not enter the stable and were never at the manger. They arrived at Joseph and Mary’s house a couple of years after the birth of Christ, so the wise men were never at the nativity. We combine the birth of Christ and their visit because of the short Christmas season.Christ came down so that we could go up. Since the birth of Christ, we have not had to look up to heaven. We see Jesus, Our Lord in the nativity, and we see Him in the Blessed Sacrament. We have a bit of heaven here on earth. And you have His love in you when you receive Holy Communion. Every day is Christmas for Catholics.
Christmas is wonderful. It’s a precious time. It reminds us of our past Christmases. I remember when I got my first transistor radio; I was 12 years old….AM was big back then. My brother actually gave it to me., and it captured the joys of my childhood. But, we are not supposed to experience Christmas as a child again…it should be better. Yes, it’s different as we grow in God’s love. If Christmas has lost its magic for you, you may not be looking for it. It can be found again…trust me. Christ wants to give it to us more than we may want to receive it…but to have that wondrous gift!
I can only preach from my experience, because that is what I know. I have eaten Christmas dinner out of a bag and out of a can. Tasty!. I have spent more Christmases in hospitals than anywhere else. Thankfully, not as a patient…not yet anyway. They were all wonderful…but different.
As adults, we get to experience the joy and wonder of children opening their gifts of love even though they may like the wrapping paper more than the gift itself. When you give them gifts, you are teaching children about love. This is the beginning of their experience of God’s love and the ways in which He expresses it. I’m glad to see Luke here; he’s burning the midnight oil. He may need a cup of Expresso to stay awake. Gradually as children grow and by their parents’ example and the teaching by those around them, they begin to know the source of all those expressions of love which is love itself. So great a gift is God’s love. And, over time, it gets better and better. Through their family, friends and the Church, children learn the five W’s: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Christmas is like the Mass; it’s not a “What”, it’s a “Who,” and when we get close to the Who, we understand the Why.
Who – our Lord, Jesus Christ
When – the Romans kept very accurate records and were very good at it. So, we know when Jesus was born; we didn’t just make it up to tick off non-Catholics
Where – Bethlehem in Judea
What – His incarnation; God became man, and love became visible. The gospel tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Now, we never have to look up to heaven.
The Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, and the shepherds looked down at Heaven. Saint Joseph was the first person to hold Heaven in his hands. Here in the Catholic Church, we can look at Heaven on earth, Jesus Christ, in the most Blessed Sacrament. At Holy Communion, you receive a bit of Heaven into your soul. Everyday is Christmas for us Catholics. A Savior is born, and we have Heaven given to us by God. How wonderful. Recently, I was listening to Christmas carols on the radio…that’s all that is on now. And, some of them just drive me up a wall, like “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”…no, I just want to shoot that!
Funny story…The last time I was overseas, Michael Jackson was singing Christmas carols over the audio in our Mess Hall. Finally, I went to the Mess Sergeant and asked him if he knew who was singing and what he was charged with. The sergeant said “I’ll take care of it, Sir.” Good thought! We never heard that again.
The other two W’s, the Who and Why, are an ongoing mystery and never change. We grow to appreciate them more. The first three W’s we have memorized, but the Who and Why goes deeper. As we grow and extend our love in God, we lose the wonder and awe that we experienced as children at Christmas. If you are married, your love for your spouse is different than it was on your honeymoon…it’s a deeper love. Likewise, we are supposed to mature in our love for God….to grow in His love. Sometimes, as adults, we would like to go back to our childhood and experience the Christmases we had growing up. That wouldn’t be bad…my nurse is here, so close your ears…I’d get mince meat pie, turkey, and dressing. It’s not recommended for me now, but it was so good! We look at that happiness in the rear-view mirror. But, just because we grow up doesn’t mean that happiness has to end. It can get better; it can mature and go deeper into the mystery of God’s love. Understanding who He is, which is love incarnate, and why He came is the beauty of Christmas, and it unfolds all the time in every Mass, every day.
Life goes on for all of us – you probably didn’t expect to be in Albemarle, NC on Christmas Day in 2019 – No, none of us really expected to be here unless you’re in the Federal Witness Protection Program – it came as a surprise to all of us. A lot of things have changed in our lives. Last year, I had more hair and more weight. I also had a twin brother. Does that make this Christmas worse than last year? No. It’s just different, and different can be better. Through that difference, God teaches us things.
I have spent more Christmases in hospitals than anywhere else, and I will probably be there tomorrow. Nobody wants to be there…the staff do not want to be there on Christmas Day, and the patients certainly don’t want to be there. Who the heck wants that! Sometimes, we look for what’s in it for us at Christmas….where is my happiness. But the gift of Christmas is what? Those of you who are parents know. It’s seeing the joy on our children’s faces when they open their gifts of love. You love the squeals of happiness. That’s what we are called to be… that part of our mature faith at Christmas so that we become Christ’s gift to others. Sometimes it’s hard to see that. I have spent Christmas in many different places and situations, some of which I cannot tell you about. So, wasn’t that terrible? From a selfish point-of-view, many times you think, yes it was terrible…I want to be with my family…poor baby! Military vehicles have no heat or air conditioning; they are hot in the summer and cold in winter. And if you like that, it’s great. When I was in Korea riding around in one of those vehicles, freezing my you-know-what off, guarded by a bunch of stinky paratroopers which was only fitting because I was stinky too, it didn’t seem like a lot of fun on Christmas. Yet, it was. I once said to a bunch of men who were missing their families, you are your gift to others. This will be a time when you make others envious, because you were here in this moment. As our love and faith matures, we know that He loves us and wants us to be there for others; to be Christ for others. Instead of Christ coming for me which He has done every day of my life, He now wants me to become Christ’s gift for others….to bring them joy and comfort.
Because of our love for others, we go deeper into the mystery of Who and Why. Your love is transformed, and you see the love of Christ in the face of others, in the face of children, and in the face of those who bring joy. The fruit we receive from growing in God’s love and understanding the Who and why doesn’t end at a certain time. Anywhere, anytime during the season, during the year, be Christ for others.
This Christmas has been different from my previous 65 and, if my nurses are correct, I can look forward to another 30. Will they be different? Yes. I may be in a nursing home for old priests, but they could be better. Someone will be at my bedside helping me with Mass, and the other priests may say ‘Father, we love you, but please no more stories about the military.” Or perhaps a nurse will come by with a shot of Vitamin A and say “night-night, Father.” But, that will be my best Christmas. My best Christmases are in front of me…I hope. But, it’s up to me. It’s up to all of you what you want your Christmases to be. Our Lord affords us an open heart and offers Himself to us to experience His love…the Who…to come to know the Who which is love incarnate and why He came. This could be the best Christmas of your life so far. My happiest Christmas will be the one before I see Him.
