“The Most Loving Thing”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
August 27 – 28, 2022
Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-14
1 Now it happened that on a Sabbath day He had gone to share a meal in the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched Him closely. 7 He then told the guests a parable, because He had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, 8 ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, 9 and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you will have to go and take the lowest place. 10 No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, you’re your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” Then, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. 11 For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be raised up.’ 12 Then He said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relations or rich neighbours, in case they invite you back and so repay you. 13 No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; 14 then you will be blessed, for they have no means to repay you and so you will be repaid when the upright rise again.’
What is the most loving thing we can do for those we love and those we meet? To tell them the truth. And what is the truth? Okay, that was kind of a trick question. The truth is not an “it”. It’s a “Who.” Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” When we tell people the truth, we tell them about the Lord. The fullness of His message is found in the Catholic Church because the Catholic Church is our Lord as Paul discovered in the Book of Acts. We teach people the Faith. We show them His message which will sometimes infuriate them, but it will bring us peace, and that is exactly what our soul needs. The message to that person is one that will heal their soul and fulfill it. One day they will be united with Him in the Kingdom of Heaven if they have been faithful. So, how do we pass on His message? Saint Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel always, whether convenient or inconvenient, and if necessary, use words.” You may talk about our Good Lord, and you may have a fine religious education, but the best teaching is one of action out of love and forgiveness.
An odd thing happened a while ago, and one that I may have already told you about – I’m old and I repeat my stories – I’m near the end of my priesthood, and I don’t have many stories left to tell. Anyway, I was on duty at hospice, and we had a patient come in on a stretcher. The ambulance drivers came in and asked where we wanted him. All the nurses were busy, so I told the guys that we are going to put him in room 3. There were only two of them, and it takes three people to move a patient. One guy was at the head and shoulders, the other took the sheet, I took his legs, and 1-2-3 BOOM. Because I hadn’t been gloved and touched the man’s bare skin, I went over to the sink and washed my hands. One of the ambulance drivers came up to me and said, “thank you, Father.” And just by that…a small act of kindness. Done day in and day out, we are teaching about our Good Lord.
Do not be dissuaded by loud people, people who are drinking, people who walk away, people who text that our church is wrong and that the teachings of Christ are outdated. Why? Because the devil is always very loud, and everything he tells you is a lie. I know a priest at one of the hospitals in the VA system. He is the chief chaplain, so he has to go to all these meetings. I’d rather have a colonoscopy. There was this one meeting he had with the social worker. The social worker lectured this priest on the proper use of personal pronouns. The priest said, “We cannot as Catholics acknowledge that because it denies God’s creation and His creative Will.” Male and female is all there is. Christ said that marriage is between a male and female. We cannot undo God’s creative Will. It is obvious, and it would be denying our faith. If you deny an article of faith, you deny it all. So, this priest looked at the adjectives in which people are identified. To the social worker, He said, “May I ask you a question? Why don’t you call me by my own personal pronoun? By the way, it’s “Father.” And the social worker couldn’t answer him. That tells you it’s from satan.
Do not be discouraged by teaching the truth. Persevere. By doing so, the apostles said it will save your immortal souls. Do not cower to loud voices. Their voices are like little children whistling past the cemetery. I go into cemeteries at night…I don’t care. I know who I work for. Am I afraid? No, I’m not. Are you kidding me? Bring it! They are just like little children afraid of the dark. If you scream long enough and loud enough, you will believe all the evil propaganda the world has ever had.
So, do not be disheartened. Preach the truth. The truth is a Person and the fullness we have in the Catholic Church. I was reading the newspaper recently about the movie on the life of Saint Padre Pio. Know what happened to the actor who is portraying Saint Pio? Even though this actor had a colorful past, he became Catholic. What happened to the head of the Gestapo in Rome, Italy during WWII? A priest came to visit him, and he became Catholic. So do not be discouraged. Continue to proclaim the Gospel by words and actions. Proclaim your faith. That is the most loving thing to do.
How will you apply this message to your life? ____________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”