Month: July 2022

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Sermon Notes – July 23-24, 2022 – “Love You More!”

July 23 – 24, 2022

“Love You More!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 Gospel: Luke 11:1-13

1 Now it happened that He was in a certain place praying, and when He had finished, one of His disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ 2 He said to them, ‘When you pray, this is what to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; 3 give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, 4 for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.’ 5 He also said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, 6 because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;” 7 and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you.” 8 I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship’s sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.  9 ‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.  10 For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? 12 Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?  13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!’

Why must God give us good things?  Because, as Saint John tells us, God is love.  What is God’s nature?  His nature is love itself.  Love seeks to diffuse itself by spreading that love.  So, to not give us good things would be a denial of His very nature.  He gives us good things whether we deserve them or not because He loves us.  The first question in the Catechism is “Why did God make us?”  Because He loves us.  God gives us good things not because we pray the “right” way, or because we tithe to the Church, or because we do this, that, and the other thing.  That would be like a business deal. . .you give me this, and I’ll give you that.  He offers these gifts to us, both temporal and spiritual, to show His love for us and to draw us ever closer.  Or, if we have wandered away, to call us back and to remind those souls, including ours, that He wants us to be with Him.   

We are called to pray.  Most of us have prayed for things very hard and valiantly.   We’ve used the right words and claimed the things we have prayed for in the name of Jesus.  We have asked for the intercession of Saint Jude who is the patron saint of the impossible and the intercession of other saints who are patrons of particular causes.  But we have been disappointed because sometimes those answers have not come, and we have not gotten what we wanted.  That doesn’t mean that God has stopped loving us.  It means that He has other plans for us and that, in itself, is a gift of love.  We are called to have trust in the Lord.  Trust Him even though the answer to our immediate need, want, desire, plea, threat, is “No.”   He has something far better in mind for you or that person you have been praying for.  You must trust Him. 

Now I have been 38 years a priest, and I am not yet a monsignor.  Wait a moment while I tear up.  Sorry; I got a little misty-eyed there.  But I have been the pastor for the past 18 years of the greatest parish in the diocese.  I don’t tell anyone that because they might boot my butt out of here.  But I’ll take that trade all day long.  You have to remember that God loves us and sees more than we can see for ourselves.   Sometimes what we want is not good for us as anyone who has children knows.  The crosses He allows us to carry, He gives us for the sake of others.  God constantly offers us these gifts to keep us encouraged, to remind us of His love for us, and to draw us ever closer to Him. 

God gives us all these gifts because He loves us.  Sometimes that love is hard to see because of the gift wrapping.  Some of His gifts we never see.  We never see all the temporal and spiritual evils He protects us from.  Remember that when you thank Him at the end of the day.  So, pray.  And as Saint Augustine once said, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”   God will give you the most wondrous gifts along with all the other gifts including the good stuff like apple pie and the bad stuff like Covid.  But whatever the gifts may be, they all point to His love for us.  He is love itself, and He wants us to love Him back more and more in this life. . . all of us, both good and bad.  He wants to turn them back to Him too.  He takes no delight in the death of a sinner.  That’s not why He sent His Son.  He wants to draw us ever closer to Him in this life so that we may have life with Him united in perfect love in Heaven.

How will you apply this message to your life?  ______________________________________
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You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  Cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Boldest. Prayer. Ever.

The Most Daring Prayer in the Bible – Feed Your Soul: Gospel Reflections

THIS WEEK’S GOSPEL IS LUKE 11:1-13

If being a Christian feels safe, you’re doing it wrong. Jesus calls us to live differently, and the only way we can be serious Christians is by doing bold, dauntless things that make us uncomfortable.

Today, Jack poses a challenge that might be the most daring thing you’ll ever do, and it promises incredible results.

//Dynamic Catholic//

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Minute Meditation – Probe for Inner Wisdom

We are told that in the beginning there was light. Ever since, all of God’s creation—plants, animals, we humans—are drawn to light. As we emerged from our mothers’ wombs and pushed our way through a dark and confining birth canal, we experienced light for the very first time. We have come to learn how light sustains us and calls us to life. We call Jesus “Light of the World,” and he invites us to be light for one another in ways of loving, caring, and serving. Without this light, ours would be a dark, fearful, oppressive journey. 

Move from contemplation to action and probe for inner wisdom. What kind of light do others see in you? Do you have enough light to see your way? How do you fill the oil in your lamp? Who needs you today to bring a bit of sunshine into their life? As you generously share your light, give thanks and praise in knowing and treasuring all that is gift. 

— from the book Eucharistic Adoration: Reflections in the Franciscan Tradition 
by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration

//Franciscan Media//

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Minute Meditation – Your Body is a Miracle

Your body is spiritual. There are not two halves of you: soul versus body. You are one whole, made in the image of a God who is integrated and indivisible. Your relationship to your body cannot be separated from the health of your soul, for the two are intertwined to make up all that it means to be you. Your flesh and bones are sacred; they connect you to your soul’s experience of the divine. Science indicates that your body is composed partly of stardust. Faith tells us this was no accident. The presence of your body on this earth today is a miracle—a massive statistical improbability. And yet here you are, held fast in the divine generosity of this body you were given. Here you are, your flesh and bones a product of a perfect, generative, mysterious Love; a Love that holds all things together.

The contemplative tradition centers on an awareness of the reality that all things are interconnected; all things find oneness within one another, and thereby within God. With this contemplative posture in mind, think about the miracle of your body’s existence on the planet, here against all odds. Let yourself be amazed and humbled. As you come to honor your place in the universal life of God, see if you can notice and physically feel the gratitude in your body.

—from Luminous: A 30-Day Journal for Accepting Your Body, Honoring Your Soul, and Finding Your Joy,
by Shannon K. Evans

//Franciscan Media//

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Minute Meditation – Your Body Can be Trusted

Rather than being taught how to listen to and honor your body’s messages with discernment, you have most likely been taught to seek mastery over your body through controlling things such as the amount of food consumed, the intensity of exercise, and your dress size. In some circles, this is even painted in religious language and made to seem pious— as though achieving dominance over your physical self indicates some kind of spiritual gift. But this mastery mindset separates the divinely intertwined parts of yourself. If you are seeking to dominate your body, there is no way to hear and trust the messages she is trying to send you. Your body is not something separate from you for you to control.

Your brain was not created to dominate your body, but to live together in a harmonious relationship. Trusting your body will teach you something about trusting yourself. When you practice deep listening within your body, you will begin to learn how to listen deeply to your truest self, too. Everything is connected. There is no separation within the parts of God’s own self, and there need not be any separation in you, either. This is one mysterious way you embody the image of God.

—from Luminous: A 30-Day Journal for Accepting Your Body, Honoring Your Soul,
and Finding Your Joy by Shannon K. Evans

//Franciscan Media//

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Minute Meditation – Honor Your Growth

Reflecting on the ways you have grown, take note of possible connections between the growth of your soul and the growth of your body. Perhaps your body has expanded in a way that feels true to your soul, or perhaps it feels like your body and soul are telling two different stories. Acknowledge and honor whichever experience is yours. In the intuitive knowing of your soul, what divine invitation do you sense being extended to you? What work is necessary to find congruence between the growth of your body and soul? Remember that the voice of God is always affirming, compassionate, and tender. Refuse to listen to anything else.

—from Luminous: A 30-Day Journal for Accepting Your Body, Honoring Your Soul, and Finding Your Joy
by Shannon K. Evans

//Franciscan Media//

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Minute Meditation – You Are Already Enough

You would not be worth more if you looked different than you do today. You would not be a better person. You would not be smarter or more important. You are already necessary, already vital, already full of contributions to the world, already a voice the rest of us need to hear. And if someone else cannot see that, it is their problem, not yours. You are already dearly beloved by God in the very body you are in today. You are already enough.

—from Luminous: A 30-Day Journal for Accepting Your Body, Honoring Your Soul, and Finding Your Joy by Shannon K. Evans/

//Franciscan Media//

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Minute Meditation – The Sacred Nature of Growth

Our bodies tell stories that we would often rather keep quiet. Whether it’s cellulite, weight gain, stretch marks, stomach rolls, or big feet, our bodies tell the story of growth—the story of our rising and falling, our loving and losing. We are told we should be embarrassed about these signs of life; we are told to cover them up, make them disappear, or find any solution other than accepting them. But what if we decided not to? What if, instead of being ashamed that those pants no longer fit, you affirmed yourself for the growth, maturity, and substance that you’ve gained since you last wore them? Not pretending that there is a direct correlation but letting what is visible remind you to see and honor what is invisible.

Sure, maybe you went up a size since last year, but let that discovery remind you of the more important ways you have grown in that same amount of time. Maybe you took a big risk, got a job promotion, had a baby, learned about a justice issue, set an important boundary, deepened your faith, or cared for an aging parent. Look at all the important ways you have grown. Look at how much more these things matter than the inches around your waist. The truth is that your relationship with your body can never be healed through diet and exercise—not in a real, lasting sense. There will always be something to dislike or criticize—always. Healing your body-soul connection has to come from touching on the sacredness of this vessel you inhabit. That means honoring the many ways your body leads you to develop, expand, and become more than you used to be. That means refusing to punish, restrict, and demean it. That means giving it room to flourish and grow.

—from Luminous: A 30-Day Journal for Accepting Your Body, Honoring Your Soul, and Finding Your Joy
by Shannon K. Evans

//Franciscan Media//

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Minute Meditation – Aging and Renewing

Having the gift of long years on this earth means that eventually our bodies will tell the story. Facial wrinkles, sagging body parts, varicose veins, liver spots, unusual moles, renegade body hair, stretch marks, cellulite, and gray hair are a natural and expected part of aging, not a reason for shame. Every human on earth has some combination on that list, and likely a few more. How you choose to manage (or not!) those things is up to you, but the invitation here is to find a kind of neutral acceptance rather than a strong emotional reaction to such bodily phenomena. You can do this by reclaiming perspective.

The more invested you become in the larger social and ecological landscape, the less likely you are to take your own aging too seriously. In a world where tragedy strikes left and right, the very experience of aging is a sheer gift; each day is one more opportunity for God to comfort and heal the world’s pain through you. The years you have on this earth really are too short for all the goodness you wish to bring. How are you using your years? Are you planting flowers, making art, engaging in activism, raising kind children, creating a more ethical workplace, or volunteering in your community? You are so much more than the lines on your face. Right here in this aging body of yours, you are creating, birthing, and building a better world.

—from Luminous: A 30-Day Journal for Accepting Your Body, Honoring Your Soul, and Finding Your Joy
by Shannon K. Evans

//Franciscan Media//