The Most Important Thing
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 29 – 30, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 13:44-52
The last time I took a vacation up north, I was listening to the radio to catch up on the local news, and there was a news item about Taylor Swift. I have no idea who she is, but apparently, she’s a performer and a good one. One father bought tickets for his daughter to go see Taylor Swift for $2,500. Really? Haven’t people heard of a thing called “radio”? How many CDs would that buy? I’m just saying! People are paying $2,500, and that’s just for tickets, but they also have to pay for parking and food. People like to go to Carolina Panthers games, paying hundreds of dollars for the privilege, and that’s usually in the “nosebleed” section. Hmmm. How much does it cost to come to see the Second Person in the Blessed Trinity, Christ Incarnate, present here in the Tabernacle? Let’s do a cost/benefit analysis on that one, shall we? God, Himself, is here in the Tabernacle – for free – but not many people show up. You get to look at God and God gets to look at you. And it’s better for you. Now, if you have the money and want to spend it, that’s up to you. Enjoy yourself . . . that’s your right. But don’t forget Who is most important. If you lose Christ, that is a price beyond measure.
I had a baptism, a wedding, and a wedding preparation session yesterday . . . all in a foreign language – Spanglish. My Saturdays are never dull. “Don’t worry, Father – your Spanish is very good.” Spanish is my fourth language. Actually, it’s my fifth language – I speak Army proficiently. So, it’s my fifth language, although I’m not very good at my first. People think I’m bright – but I’m not. People want to come in and decorate the church and have a big rehearsal. And that’s wonderful. Priests say that they would prefer ten funerals to one wedding. Funerals are easier to manage, but they are even beginning to get out of hand with the nonnegotiable demands of families. The decorations in the church are important, although I wish the brides would wear more modest dresses. I’m a hospital chaplain. I’ve seen more body parts in 40 years than you will ever have. Believe me . . . it’s not a thrill. The most important thing that happens at a wedding is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass . . . the presentation of our Lord’s constant sacrifice before the Father in Heaven. His greatest act of love which will continue until the end of time for our salvation.
The second most beautiful thing in a wedding is a man and a woman responding to the love of God. By saying their vows, they are saying “yes” to Almighty God, and they receive a new vocation. Their love for God makes them confident enough to say “yes” to Him and to procreate according to the Law of Nature. Then they are taken up into the Holy Sacrifice and offered to the Father. That’s the most beautiful thing. Uniting themselves to God gives meaning to everything. By focusing on all the other stuff, you are missing what is truly beautiful – the Real Presence of Christ in the Tabernacle. That’s the most beautiful thing and the one on which we should focus.
There is a policy book on what to do and not to do regarding decorations in the church. I had a wedding in a Quonset hut in Korea in the Demilitarized Zone with a broken-down organ. The American soldier’s parents were there, and they looked worried. Yeah, if something happens, we’re all dead. Don’t worry about it. When I arrived in Korea, I received a briefing from the base commander who said, “Gentlemen, our orders are to die in place.” I have gone to bed with happier thoughts. No female soldiers were allowed where we were. One came by accident, and when it was discovered that the soldier was female, she was gone in less than an hour. But I remember vividly that wedding and the couple exchanging their vows in a Quonset hut built by Marines in 1953. Yet that moment was cosmic because the couple found the Pearl of Christ in their vocation . . . the vocation of God. Everything else in life would take its proper place and have more meaning. Their personal wants and desires were all sacrificed for one goal . . . building up the love between them by first building up the love of God.
This is what I tell couples during marriage preparation, and it’s what I told the couple yesterday. Pray together every day, especially the Rosary. Bishop Sheen said that. They didn’t teach that in seminary. I went to seminary during a very bad time, but I also learned from the ancient masters. Pray the Rosary every night out loud and not the way the French do. They really need to take some Valium and slow down. It’s French – not “mumble.” Let God hear it. Words have meaning.
We are given the pearl of Christ at Baptism, and it can be disguised as all sorts of things we encounter in the world. He becomes a part of us in Holy Communion and in all the Sacraments to give us purpose, to give us strength, to give us hope, and to give us consolation. This is what He offers us. Once our focus is on Him, everything else falls into line appropriately. When the people we encounter, whether it’s on the highway or in the supermarket, aren’t exactly nice, we tend to go haywire. “They don’t like me! They were so mean to me!” First, look at what Christ puts up with. And second, those people who were mean to you may be having problems. “I think everyone should be nice to me because I’m a really nice guy. Oh wait, I’m supposed to forgive the faults of others out of love for Him.” Right. By the way, this lesson will be repeated over and over again. Mother Teresa and the Sisters of Charity spend a minimum of two hours a day in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. They get their strength through the Mass and prayer.
The church is open every day. God is waiting here for us. I have plenty of room at Mass, and I am not overburdened with confessions. I wish I were. The pearl of Christ wants to come into your soul.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
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