Month: January 2021

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Sermon Notes – Why Did He Do It?

“Why Did He Do It?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 2-3, 2021

Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12

“ Why Did He Do It? During the Christmas season, our good Lord continues to offer His love to us. His love is unending. Through all the miracles in the Old Testament, He reveals His love to prepare us for the promise of our Redeemer. On Christmas, we mark the anniversary of our Redeemer coming to us in the flesh. The Feast of the Epiphany is His manifestation to the world. Did He have to do it? Of course not. But, He did it out of love. He continues to show what that love means. Love is a universal. We love all members of our family. We may not like them all, let’s be fair, especially members of my family – but I love them all – they are all family…and spare body parts.

Our Lord wants everybody to come and share in His love. His love is not just for some, but for the entire world. All people are created in His image and likeness. God doesn’t like me best because I say Mass in Latin. God doesn’t like me best because I say Mass in English. And, God certainly doesn’t like me best because I say Mass in Spanglish. God loves everybody, and He wants everyone to have salvation.

One of the things He reveals to us is who He is, and the revelation of who He is continues. Christ was a priest, prophet, and king, so the gifts the Magi presented to Him reflected God. They gave the Savior gold because He was king. Does a king need gold? No. But, the Magi acknowledged Him as God…as a king. They gave Him frankincense which was used in worship. You can read about the altar of incense in the Old Testament. The Psalms also talk about incense. The use of incense is scriptural worship. Incense is found in the book of Revelation and is a symbol of our prayers going up to God. So, the use of incense is scriptural worship, although some use a military grade of incense….it’s a little too much and can make it look as though there is a London fog in the church. Some is good…more is not better. But, it is scriptural worship. The reason Jesus came in to the world was revealed with the gift of myrrh which is basically an embalming ointment. The fullness of His love was revealed on the Cross.

There is so much to meditate on, and it all has to do with God’s love for us. That love reaches its consummation on Cavalry. His love is revealed to us each day in the Mass. We experience it every time we receive Holy Communion. Every time you receive the Sacrament of Penance, you experience the revelation of His love. This is why our good Lord came in to the world…to show us the fullness of His love.***How will you apply this message to your life? ***

Father’s Afterthoughts….I received a message from the VA the other day. I was in my office reading over the notes they send to the staff. I have 1a priority to get the COVID vaccine which reminds me that I also had 1a priority in the draft. Lucky me! Look at where that got me. Mom & Dad, they are trying to perforate your little boy!

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by clicking on “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Daily Message from Pope Francis – Tuesday, January 19

“God manifests Himself when mercy appears, because that is His face. Jesus becomes the servant of sinners and is proclaimed the Son; He lowers himself upon us and the Spirit descends upon Him. Love calls upon love. It also applies to us: in each act of service, in every work of mercy we perform, God manifests Himself; God sets His gaze upon the world. This applies to us.”
Pope Francis

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Daily Devotion – January 19th

“Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.” – Proverbs 19:2-3 NLT

Standing in a courtroom, a celebrity refused to acknowledge the jury’s verdict. He didn’t think he could possibly have been guilty. From his perspective, the fault was with society and the motives of his accusers. The judge and jury were biased. He demonstrated a common response to problems: blaming others for things we have done, painting ourselves as victims.

We see this pattern when children blame their parents for problems they experience later in life. Workers blame managers for company troubles. Students blame teachers for poor grades. Politicians blame opponents for society’s ills.

Among history’s examples, Roman Emperor Nero (incorrectly) blamed Christians for the fire that burned much of Rome in 64 AD. Adam blamed Eve for his sin, and Eve blamed the serpent (Genesis 3). As an ultimate expression of this pattern, many blame God for their problems and problems in the world.

The Bible encourages us to be honest with God about things we don’t understand. But we always must remember our responsibilities and the impact of our decisions and what happens when we ignore God’s Word. When we fail to remember the fundamental rule, we reap whatever we sow.

Remember, you can do things His way or go your own way. Commit your challenges to Him. Seek to be guided by His Word and led by His Spirit. Always embrace your responsibilities. Ask God to give you discernment.

Prayer

Father, give me wisdom. Help me to make the right decisions. I trust You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Extended Reading

Proverbs 19

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Minute Meditation

To live with healthy Tradition is not an individual experience—it is a communal one. Perhaps this is why Catholicism emphasizes liturgy so much. It is the one thing that pulls us into a communal space where we can ask different questions, look at reality from a different perspective, and be told different truths, beyond the small truths of the private “I.” The endless telling of “this is me” stories eventually becomes self-validating, self-imprisoning, and, frankly, boring. Personal anecdotes become too small and aimless, unless they are a part of some larger life narratives. That is the genius of family stories, mythologies, and the biblical mind.

—from The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder
by Richard Rohr, OFM

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Saint of the Day – January 19th

St. Canute IV of Denmark (1042 – 1086 A.D.), also known as Canute the Holy, was one of thirteen sons born to the king of Denmark. Canute later succeeded his brother to the throne and reigned as king from 1080 to 1086. He was a devout Catholic, a zealous propagator of the faith, and a brave warrior, in addition to being a man of prayer, penance, austerity, and charity towards the poor and weak among his people. The happiness of his people and the interests of the Church were his motivation, often putting him in opposition to the aristocracy. He fought against the barbarian nations and worked to strengthen the power of the monarchy, but some of his laws were unpopular and caused unrest among the people. Canute sought to expand Denmak’s territory and believed he had a claim to the English throne. In 1085 he gathered his fleet and planned an invasion of England to overthrow William the Conquerer, a plan which was never realized. Instead, a revolt broke out against Canute, causing him to take refuge inside St. Alban’s Priory in Odense. Canute, his brother, and seventeen of his men were pursued and killed by rebels in front of the altar. He was named a martyr for the faith, and many miracles were reported at his tomb. He was canonized in the year 1101, the first Danish saint. St. Canute is the patron saint of Denmark. His feast day is January 19.

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Daily Meditation

“Francis [de Sales] insists that true devotion must touch every area of our life. True devotion is not just a matter of spiritual practices but of bringing all our life under the lordship of Christ. Francis is known for his slogan: ‘Live, Jesus! Live, Jesus!’ What he means by this is an invitation to Jesus to ‘live and reign in our hearts forever and ever’ . . . In other words, for Francis, to live the devout life is to reach the point in our love for God and neighbor that we eagerly (‘carefully, frequently, and promptly’) desire to do His will in all the various ways in which it is communicated to us: in the duties of our state in life, in the objective teaching of God’s Word, in opportunities and occasions presented to us, in response to our interior inspirations.”— Ralph Martin, p. 107