Author: olacatholic416

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Sermon Notes – December 14, 2025 – You Don’t Gotta Do Anything

“You Don’t Gotta Do Anything”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 13 – 14, 2025

Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11

Christmas is a time of longing for Christ’s appearance on Earth.  We are exiles here because we were supposed to be in the Garden of Eden, which is the presence of God Himself.  As lovely as Oakboro and Aquadale are, we were not supposed to be here, and we look forward to our Savior’s coming.  So, how many people are happy that Christmas is coming?  Not a whole lot.  Why not?  This is when I get the most baked goods.  But we tend not to look forward to the commemoration of Christmas.  If I hear one more Christmas carol like “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” or “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause,” I’m going to destroy a sound system.  Shut up!  We have family coming, who we may or may not like, but they are coming anyway.  There are many social activities to engage in.  There is all the cooking to do and the house to get ready.  My house is always ready because it doesn’t change.  It is a rather simple existence.  There are all these pressures, and the emotions are overwhelming.  So, when asked if you are looking forward to Christmas, you might be thinking, “Yes, for it to be over!”  But think about that.  Are we not looking forward to the commemoration of Christ’s coming into the world to save us, to open the gates to salvation, and to afford us the means to get there? 

The same is true for why you are in church today.  How many of you get really excited about coming to Mass?  I know that sometimes you do.  But have you ever heard Catholics say, “I gotta go to Mass.”  You don’t gotta do anything.  You don’t gotta keep the speed limit, although you may receive an autographed ticket from law enforcement.  When people say, “I gotta go to Mass,” it sounds as if they are about to undergo a root canal or a colonoscopy.  “I gotta be a part of our Lord’s sacrificial death and resurrection and receive Him into my soul.”  Perhaps you should think about that in meditation.   You gotta go, or do you want to go?  You have been invited to become a part of the sacrifice of Christ.  If we do not anticipate the joy of the Mass and the other Sacraments, we will not be thrilled when it is our time to leave this world and go to Him.   The joy of going to Mass is not always like doing the happy dance.  Nobody does that.  I, like you, get very tired.  I may be having a really bad day.  But some days you just have to say, “Lord, I’m having a hard time right now, but I’m going to Mass out of love for You.”  That’s okay because that’s when you grow the most in His grace. 

In the spiritual life, the difference between rejoicing and being happy is the difference between the intellectual and emotional.  It is an act of the will.  I’m not crazy about getting root canals, and I’ve had my fair share, but they are for my own good.  While I may not be celebrating having to undergo a root canal, I go and let gifted professionals take care of me so that I don’t have to eat Jello for the rest of my life.  Interiorly, I know it is best for me to have the root canal.  Likewise, interiorly we look forward to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Christmas, and all the feasts on the Church calendar.  Sometimes we become overwhelmed by the emotions from family, social events, and the news.  By the way, if you are overwhelmed by the news, I refer you to my last sermon: Pull the Plug.  Whatever the situation is that has you wrapped around the axle, I have three questions: Did you cause it?  Can you control it?  Can you cure it?  If the answer is ‘no’ to all three, then let it go.  Turn off the news and put on the Animal Planet.  You are wrapped around the axle for nothing. 

When I was young, I was told that a part of spiritual life is not to have excitement of emotions.  Today, there is constant emotional excitement around entertainment.   Who can have the most provocative dance?  Who can do the most outrageous thing?  Excitement of emotion is not good for the spiritual life because it creates all sorts of bad temptations.  Remember, our joy comes from the heart and from the knowledge that we are commemorating Christ’s coming into this world.  Christ opened the Gates of Heaven and afforded us the means to achieve Heaven and to live there forever, which is why God created us.  We have the means to participate and become a part of that in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  That’s where our joy comes from.  If it’s raining, you come to Mass.  If it’s cold, you come to Mass.  If you don’t feel well, you come to Mass.  If you don’t feel well, please do not come to Mass.  Sometimes the force of law is attached to our actions.   Under the pain of mortal sin, I have to say the Divine Office every day.  It’s just like you going to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days.  But under the pain of mortal sin, I must offer those prayers because the Church knows priests are weak.  We are men and not angels.  So that’s why we are given the proper motivation and even the spiritual boot in the butt to do the right thing. 

Remember that desire and joy are interior and come from the heart, not the emotions.  We look forward to Christ coming.  We look forward to His coming, being made present on the altar, and affording us the means for salvation.   It may not always be with happy feet, but with interior joy for the love of Christ.

Father’s Reflections: I was in Mint Hill on Thursday and heard confessions for two hours.  That’s a long time to hear confessions.  I was wondering if I was alone and hoping to receive assistance from other priests.  Hey, I’m dying here!  I asked people to give me the short version of their sins, which never works.  I need a tip jar if you want me to work this hard! 

Some of the old-timers are becoming ill.  I thought of Judy Hesden, who was in the ICU at the hospital.  She was looking at the monitor and asked me if a heart rate of 135 was good.  I said, “It is if you are a hummingbird.  But don’t worry, it will come down.”  Judy was there because she was a chain smoker, which I call internal cremation, one pack at a time.  She was on medication for her pain and discomfort.  Judy would get bombed on the medication and then sleep through Saturday night Mass.  See how much fun I have as your pastor?

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – December 7, 2025 – “Pull the Plug”

“Pull the Plug”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 6 – 7, 2025

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

I got a new computer, although I don’t know how to use it; go figure.  I get on two websites: the church email and the priests I follow.  That’s it.  That’s all I know how to do.  But one thing I do know about my new computer is that it has an off switch, as do my phone and television.  In case of emergency, there is a four-letter word: plug.  Pull the plug.  It saves you money, too.  “Oh, I am bothered by this!”  Pull the plug, and you will no longer be bothered.   I have spoken with many physicians I respect, and being without a phone or cable is not a terminal medical condition.  Believe it or not.  I’ve made it for 72 years without cable TV.  It’s amazing the things you can do without.  While I was deployed, I didn’t have a phone or cable.  We can reform our lives by getting rid of annoyances and focusing on God. 

We are preparing to commemorate the first coming of Christ at Christmas.  The decorations are up, Christmas cards are being mailed, and presents are being bought to show signs of our love.  The Church reminds us that Christ will come again for the Final Judgement.  However, Christ will return more often than just for the Final Judgement, because if we die before that, He will come to take us from this world.   If you think about it, Christ has never left us.  Some of you might say, “Father, you may have been sick on the day they taught this in seminary, but He ascended into Heaven.”   I actually do remember that class, and I have documentation showing that I passed.  The human nature He received from the Blessed Mother was raised up to Heaven, but He is still physically here with us.   What is that object on the altar underneath the purple veil?  The Tabernacle.  What is in the Tabernacle?   Jesus.  Now, I would give you only 50% credit if you said Jesus, because you didn’t correct me when I asked “what” is in the Tabernacle.  Jesus is not a “what.”  He is a “Who.”   Inside the Tabernacle is our dear Lord, body, blood, soul, and divinity . . . the person of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.  As He hid Himself within the veil of humanity He took from the Blessed Mother, so too He hides Himself within the veil of bread and wine, which is now a consecrated host.   He hides Himself, but He is always present with us.  He has not, and will not, leave us.

A problem many Catholics, priests, and bishops have is that they talk about Holy Communion and the Mass like they are an “it” instead of a “Who.”   They don’t realize it, but it is blasphemy when you refer to either one as an “it” because you are denigrating and almost denying Who is there.   They treat the Mass like a high school play that must be meaningful, where everyone gets a part, and everyone participates.  At no time in the history of the Church has that happened except for the past few years.   None.  The Mass is not a “what.”  The Mass is a Who.  The Mass is Christ offering Himself to the Father.  The Mass is not a place for us to enjoy, to criticize, or to try to improve, but rather to be a part of by offering ourselves to Christ.  The Holy Blessed Sacrament is Jesus Christ giving Himself for us in Holy Communion as He does in all the other Sacraments. 

By His great love, our Lord helps us prepare for His 2nd coming at the end of the world or at our death, which is the end of our world and our participation in it.   He not only tells us what we must do, but He gives us the means by which to achieve salvation.   How do we prepare?  Saint John the Baptist said, “Make straight the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3).   Reform your lives.  Take up your cross every day and follow Him.  Go to confession.  Receive Holy Communion in a State of Grace.  Bless yourself with Holy Water as you enter the church and as you leave.  Come to Mass early and say some prayers.  I learned this as a child: say the Act of Contrition before you come up for Holy Communion to make sure your soul is refreshed and purified.  Most important of all, say a prayer of thanksgiving after Mass to express your gratitude for God’s great gift of Himself to us.  What greater gift can you receive than God Himself entering your body and soul?  So, say “thank you” before you rush out.  There is nothing happening in Albemarle right now, and Walmart will still be there.   The most overlooked part of the Mass is the act of giving thanks.  But this is how we prepare ourselves so that when He comes for us, we will be ready for Him. 

God doesn’t ask for much.  But this is how we prepare ourselves not only for the commemoration of Christmas, which will happen in 17 days and a wakeup, but also for the 2nd coming of Christ, either at the end of the world or at our death when our Lord comes to take us home.  Hopefully, we will get to spend eternity with Him, and not just for a cup of coffee.   It is so simple.  I have been to parishes where someone said, “I need to make an announcement before Mass.”  No, you don’t.   “We are going to rehearse this.”  No, you’re not.   This is not a concert, and it is not a high school play where we rehearse with the audience.  This is not audience participation in that sense.  “But how are they going to prepare themselves for Mass?”  They are doing it now.  They are praying.

Father’s Reflections . . . The other day, I was having breakfast at the Breakfast Nook and spoke with a gentleman I had seen many times. We were talking, and he said that something really good had happened that he wanted to tell me about.  I said, “Well, I’m kind of sad, so what is it?”   He said that someone who had been his best friend for decades had died.  I said, “I’m sorry to hear that.  Those kinds of friends are rare.”  The man said that his friend had been a confirmed atheist.  I said, “I didn’t know they confirmed atheists, but that’s just me.”   This man said that right before his friend died, he had accepted Christ.  I said, “That’s good.  You did the best thing you could for your friend.”   


My sister-in-law sent me news that I will have a new best friend when I go to Rhode Island on vacation.  She got a new cat.   Charming.

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – November 30, 2025 – “God’s Gift to You”

“God’s Gift to You”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

November 29-30, 2025

Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44

To be honest, I gave a part of this sermon 23 years ago at an undisclosed secret location.  If I tell you where it was given, I will have to kill you because that information is still classified.  Nothing personal; it’s just business.  However, as we approach Christmas, which is in a few weeks and a wakeup, we are reminded of the great gift God has given us.  Last week, I told you that the gift He wants most is our sin.   The gift He gives us – actually the gift He offers us because we have to accept it – is the gift of Himself.  It is the gift made manifest in Bethlehem which unfolded the beauty of the Passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of His Son, and Pentecost.  That is the beauty of it.  The full beauty of Christmas is not revealed until Pentecost when we are given the gifts of His Passion through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which gives us the Sacraments.  We can take great comfort and joy in that because we have the means to eternal life.  Saint Paul said that man is made of three parts:  body, soul, and spirit.  So, I want everyone to look to your right, then look to your left, and now look behind you.  What do you see?  You see God’s gift to you this Christmas.   God hides in our human forms.  He surrounds us using these disguises to let us know that we are cared for and loved.  So, to all of you here today, God is saying, “See how much I love you. I do not leave you alone.  I surround you with the human nature of others.” 

We are surrounded by God’s love.  You are sitting in the presence of love itself in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  You are sitting in the presence of God Himself and surrounded by His children who were created in His image and likeness.  All of us are struggling along with each other on the road to salvation.  Each day we pick up our crosses and follow Him.  We are all God’s gifts to each other this Christmas.   We can be a more perfect gift to one another if we strive to achieve holiness in life which makes it easier for people to see God in us.  We don’t know how much people are hurting because they are not always open about the crosses they carry.   

I did a lot of work with the sick, and I still do.  I try to tell young chaplains, as they try to keep the contents of their stomachs down where it should be, that they are treating God Himself hiding under His human nature.  Yes, some of the patients are unpleasant; I’ll give you that.   I was talking to one of the chaplains, and he told me about a lady with Alzheimer’s who was brought in for respite care.  He went into her room and introduced himself.  Her response was to lower her shirt and reveal her chest.  Some patients think they are too sexy for their sheets.  There is never a dull moment in hospital work, and I actually got paid to have all that fun.  But God was hiding there in that patient’s human nature.   We don’t know the crosses people are carrying or the crosses they are carrying for other people.  We become greater gifts for others at Christmas by striving to be holy and allowing God to use us to show them His love. 

Every Christmas is different, and it will be different next year if we are blessed to see it.  That’s alright because different is just different.  There may be different faces, and there may be missing faces.  After my third Christmas in the theater of war, I explained to my fellow soldiers that they would remember that Christmas.  They would remember it because some of the soldiers in that Band of Brothers would not be with them for next Christmas because they did not make the military a career.  That particular Christmas was unique because they were there.  Hopefully we will be here this Christmas, and our faces will not be missing.  But if they are missing, hopefully they will be in Heaven.  Pray for me because I have a lot of things in my permanent record. 

What am I getting for Christmas from God besides the Mass and the Sacraments?  Look around you. 

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – November 23, 2025 – “Drop the Rock”

“Drop the Rock”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

November 22-23, 2025

Gospel: Luke 23:35-43

I have been told that there is a day this week called “Black Friday.”  I always wear black on Friday, so I am fashion forward.  But that’s probably not it.  Black Friday is a day when people go absolutely crazy trying to buy things on sale.  But if they can buy things at such a good price on Black Friday, my training in Philosophy tells me that those items must be overpriced on all the other days of the year.  Just saying.  People go crazy on Black Friday perhaps because it’s a reminder that there are only five weeks left until Christmas.  You have a list of gifts to give family and friends who may have told you what they want, or you may know what they need.

Gifts are expressions of our love.  Now, you all love God because you are here.  So let me ask you a theological question.  What are you giving God for Christmas?  What does God need?  What does God want?  God wants the one thing He did not create.   He wants our sins.   God did not create sin.  We did when we refused to love Him and serve Him.  But our sin is what He wants, and only we can give it to Him.  He wants all those secret sins that we take to the grave and that make our lives much more miserable than they have to be.  Who wants that?  
God wants to come and dwell in our hearts.  There is a principle in Newtonian Physics which states that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time.  Likewise, God cannot dwell in a heart that is full of sin.  He cannot do it.  He will not do it.  “Can’t God just take away my sins without me?”  Yes.  Will He do it?   No, because that would violate your free will.  To love is an act of the will.  It is not an emotion.  We choose to love.  When we choose not to love Him, God will not violate our free will, no matter how much He loves us. 

God wants us to give Him our sins in the Sacrament of Penance.  You would be surprised at what that does.  If you want to be happy, joyous, and free, and if you want to give up the cost of low living, give God what He wants most – your sins.  There is a book counselors use entitled, “Drop the Rock” by Bill Pittman.   When people are trying to swim out to the lifeboat, but they keep sinking, it’s because they are carrying a big rock.  Dude, what are you trying to be, a Navy Seal?   “But I don’t want to give my stuff up!”  Well, you either give that stuff up or you are going to be miserable and die.  Take your pick. 

It is amazing the stuff we hang on to, whether it’s the sins we have committed, or the sins others have committed against us.  But you must save your soul.  So, drop the rock!   God asks for the worst we have and for some reason, in our fallen state, we refuse.  We refuse to give God the worst we have.  But that is all He wants.  He wants our sin so that He can give us the best gift we could ever hope for – Himself.

Father’s Reflections: I want to thank everyone for their kindness while I was sick.  If I needed anything, it would show up like soup, pie, Jello, cyanide (some days were worse than others).   * I went to Chic Filet for lunch the other day, and the young lady who took my order asked me, “What’s a good name?”   I said, “Fred.”   I have always liked that name, Fred.  I’m feeling much better now!

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog,” then “Categories,” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes

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Sermon Notes – October 26, 2025 – Our Gifts Belong to God

“Our Gifts Belong to God”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 25 – 26, 2025

Gospel: Luke 18: 9-14

When I talk to other priests, they can make me feel a little inferior.  These men are extremely gifted.  Some are exorcists.  I can’t tell you who they are because if I did, I’d have to kill you.  Nothing personal; it’s just business.  One priest is a Dr. of Canon Law and another who has a Ph.D. is a professor of Homiletics.  Some know multiple languages and others have been missionaries.  I don’t have the intellectual achievements or accomplished the great things they’ve done in their lives.  I have only one real gift – I’m a good hospitalist.  I don’t get sick in hospitals.  However, a lot of my brother priests are not very comfortable in hospitals. 

Why does God give us gifts?  Does He have to?  No.  He gives us gifts because He loves us.  The gifts He gives us may seem small, but they are all large.  They are sufficient for helping us achieve our salvation and to help others achieve theirs.  I’ve worked in a trauma center and in military hospitals overseas.  No problem; I have a strong stomach.  Doctors would let me watch medical procedures.  Watching the doctors at work was really cool, although it does help to have a strong stomach.  There are smells you would not believe, and neither Lysol nor Vicks Vapor rub helps to dissipate them.   God gave me the ability to endure the smells so that I can do the work of a hospital chaplain. 

There was a gentleman in Hospice who asked to speak with me.  I had talked to him once before, but he was back at the hospital, and his cancer was very much advanced.  He told me that it was his fault because he was supposed to come back to have his colon checked and he never did.  The cancer had spread from his colon to his brain and had become external.  External cancer is a real treat for the senses.  I had been visiting with this patient for about 10 minutes when a nurse came into the room and sprayed a whole can of Lysol.   I appreciated the thought, but the Lysol didn’t touch the smell.  But I sat there and listened to this man because it was important to him.  Was it important to me?  Yes, because it was what I was supposed to do.  I was using my talent.  I could stand the smell of that dying man.  A lot of priests could not do that.   God gave me that talent, and I thank Him for it.  I am not very good at many things, and I’m terrible at a lot of them.   I’m not a good administrator, ask anybody.  I thank God for the good people of this parish who are great at all the things that I am not because it makes me look barely competent.  The gifts God gave me are for the good of others.  They are not for me. 

I baptized a man in Hospice.  His wife told me that her husband, who was nearing the end, had never been baptized.  Really?  I asked him if he wanted to be baptized, and he said “yes.”  His wife belonged to a church that had to vote on the people to be baptized.  So, I said if their church voted in favor of his being baptized, that I would baptize him there at the VA.  When I returned the following week, I asked the wife how the vote went at her church. The wife said the church voted for her husband to be baptized.  Okay. So, I baptized him right there.  “Oh, but he wasn’t Catholic!”  We’ll let God sort it out since he will be with Him.  My goodness!  Stop pole vaulting over mouse droppings.  This guy was just about ready to meet his Maker, and he wanted to put on his baptismal garments, so I was going to help him.  God gave me the gift of being there for this patient at that time. 

I am very grateful for God’s gifts, and I remind myself that those gifts are to be used for His people.  They are not for me or my ego.  I am humble because I wish I could do more, but I can’t.  I’ve done very little for the sake of our God.  I miss my work at the hospital, and I miss the patients, but I can’t do it anymore.  I’m too tired.  Like any old man, my mind writes checks my body can’t cash. 

The gifts I have belong to God.  He gave them to me so that I could help His people on their way to salvation.  The same is true for all the gifts that God has given you.  At the end of the day, thank Him for the gifts He has given you, whatever they may be, and realize that we are just conduits of His love.

Father’s Reflections: A few years ago, I had an appointment with my doctor.  It was during Covid, so to check in, I had to sit in my car and send a text to the staff to let them know I was there.  The staff would then send a form to my phone to complete.  On the form was this question: “In case of emergency, who should we notify?”  My appointment was with a dermatologist.  Really?   How bad can this be?  So, I wrote: “In case of emergency, contact “Dr. House.” 

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________


You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – October 19, 2025 – “Take the Cotton Out of Your Ears”

“Take the Cotton Out of Your Ears”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 18 – 19, 2025

Gospel: Luke 18: 1-8

1) And He spoke also a parable to them, that we ought always to pray, and not to faint, 2) Saying: There was a judge in a certain city, who feared not God, nor regarded man. 3) And there was a certain widow in that city, and she came to him, saying: Avenge me of my adversary.  4) And he would not for a long time. But afterwards he said within himself: Although I fear not God, nor regard man, 5) Yet because this widow is troublesome to me, I will avenge her, lest continually coming she weary me.  6) And the Lord said: Hear what the unjust judge saith.  7) And will not God revenge His elect who cry to Him day and night: and will He have patience in their regard? 8) I say to you, that He will quickly revenge them. But yet the Son of man, when He cometh, shall He find, think you, faith on earth?

Our Lord tells us to pray constantly.  He wants us to bother and annoy Him with our prayers.  Constantly praying for what you want is an exercise of your faith, hope, and charity, the three theological virtues.  It is what we are supposed to do, so never give up.  But you cannot hear what the Lord has to say if you are constantly talking.  If you want something from our Lord, let Him get a word in edgewise.  Take the cotton out of your ears, put it in your mouth, and listen. 

    Father’s Pearls of Wisdom      

  • Prayer is heart speaking to heart. 
  • When in doubt, do the next right thing and you will be progressing toward sanctity. 
  • Priests are men, not angels.
  • Get your donkey to Mass. 
  • Do not blame God for something that someone said or did.  It’s not fair.
  • Storm Heaven with your prayers. 
  • If you want to be beautiful or handsome, be holy.  It’s a lot cheaper, and you’ll be happier.
  • We don’t need more laws; we need more moral people. 
  • Doing only the minimum required limits love.
  • I’m a religious cook. Everything I make is a burnt offering or a sacrifice. That’s why God made Domino’s. 
  • Love is not an emotion.  It is an act of the Will
  • Forgiveness is not an emotion.  It is also an act of the Will
  • Embrace the suck. Do not look at unpleasant things as punishments but as opportunities to offer up our suffering for the salvation of souls. 
  • Christ said that doing the minimum is not enough for those who truly love Him.  So how much should we do?  That is easy . . . just look at the Crucifix.
  • Keep it simple – do what God tells you to do just for today, just for this hour. 
  • Read the black part of Scripture, not the white part. 
  • Jesus came to establish His Church and not to write a book. 
  • The Bible is not a history book.  It only contains what is necessary for salvation. 
  • Sometimes people call the Church an “it.”  No.  The Church is a “Who.” 
  • Stop complaining and come down from the Cross. We need the wood.
  • What is lacking in the sufferings of Christ is our participation in it. 
  • How do you find God?  Stop running.
  • We don’t have to like everybody, but we have to love them.
  • God’s medicine is the gift of the Sacraments. 
  • The only difference between mortal and venial sins for someone who truly loves God is the difference between punching and slapping their spouse.
  • Mortal sin kills the soul immediately. Venial sin kills it slowly with death by a thousand cuts. 
  • Anybody in hell is a self-made man or woman.
  • Hanging on to your faith is an act of Will. 
  • To get things done, all I need is a checkbook and a phone book, and I can make things happen.
  • If you want to be somebody in the Church, be a nobody like Christ.  Be humble.
  • We must die to self to live for others. 
  • Attention to basics is how we grow in spiritual life. 
  • Do the routine things routinely and they will become spiritual muscle memory.  
  • I don’t care how good you are, you cannot earn God’s love.  His Love is free. 
  • Nothing that we have done can stop God’s love for us.  Nothing. 
  • We always ask for too little while God offers us so much.
  • A lot of people have the King Baby Syndrome; “I want what I want when I want it.”
  • Show love.  It can be understood in any language. 
  • “I have no sin.” Then you don’t need to come to church. Don’t anybody start running for the doors! 
  • God calls each of us by name and asks us to be His disciples and evangelists. 
  • “Oh!  Do you mean I have to go to Mass every Sunday?”  Well, you catch all the Panthers games, don’t you?  
  • The more I learn, the more I realize that I don’t know everything. 
  • The greatest sermon is one that people can see.  We preach the love of God by our works of mercy. 
  • We all have a hole in our soul that we try to fill with all sorts of people, places, and things.  But it is a place where only God can dwell to make us whole and complete. 

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – October 26, 2025 – Our Gifts Belong to God

“Our Gifts Belong to God”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 25 – 26, 2025

Gospel: Luke 18: 9-14

When I talk to other priests, they can make me feel a little inferior. These men are extremely gifted.  Some are exorcists.  I can’t tell you who they are because if I did, I’d have to kill you.  Nothing personal; it’s just business.  One priest is a Dr. of Canon Law, and another who has a Ph.D. is a professor of Homiletics.  Some know multiple languages, and others have been missionaries.  I don’t have the intellectual achievements or accomplished the great things they’ve done in their lives.  I have only one real gift – I’m a good hospitalist.  I don’t get sick in hospitals.  However, a lot of my brother priests are not very comfortable in hospitals. 

Why does God give us gifts?  Does He have to?  No.  He gives us gifts because He loves us.  The gifts He gives us may seem small, but they are all large.  They are sufficient for helping us achieve our salvation and to help others achieve theirs.  I’ve worked in a trauma center and in military hospitals overseas.  No problem; I have a strong stomach.  Doctors would let me watch medical procedures.  Watching the doctors at work was really cool, although it does help to have a strong stomach.  There are smells you would not believe, and neither Lysol nor Vicks Vapor rub helps to dissipate them.   God gave me the ability to endure the smells so that I can do the work of a hospital chaplain. 

There was a gentleman in Hospice who asked to speak with me.  I had talked to him once before, but he was back at the hospital, and his cancer was very much advanced.  He told me that it was his fault because he was supposed to come back to have his colon checked and he never did.  The cancer had spread from his colon to his brain and had become external.  External cancer is a real treat for the senses.  I had been visiting with this patient for about 10 minutes when a nurse came into the room and sprayed a whole can of Lysol.   I appreciated the thought, but the Lysol didn’t touch the smell.  But I sat there and listened to this man because it was important to him.  Was it important to me?  Yes, because it was what I was supposed to do.  I was using my talent.  I could stand the smell of that dying man.  A lot of priests could not do that.   God gave me that talent, and I thank Him for it.  I am not very good at many things, and I’m terrible at a lot of them.   I’m not a good administrator, ask anybody.  I thank God for the good people of this parish who are great at all the things that I am not because it makes me look barely competent.  The gifts God gave me are for the good of others.  They are not for me. 

I baptized a man in Hospice.  His wife told me that her husband, who was nearing the end, had never been baptized.  Really?  I asked him if he wanted to be baptized, and he said “yes.”  His wife belonged to a church that had to vote on the people to be baptized.  So, I said if their church voted in favor of his being baptized, that I would baptize him there at the VA.  When I returned the following week, I asked the wife how the vote went at her church. The wife said the church voted for her husband to be baptized.  Okay. So, I baptized him right there.  “Oh, but he wasn’t Catholic!”  We’ll let God sort it out since he will be with Him.  My goodness!  Stop pole vaulting over mouse droppings.  This guy was just about ready to meet his Maker, and he wanted to put on his baptismal garments, so I was going to help him.  God gave me the gift of being there for this patient at that time. 

I am very grateful for God’s gifts, and I remind myself that those gifts are to be used for His people.  They are not for me or my ego.  I am humble because I wish I could do more, but I can’t.  I’ve done very little for the sake of our God.  I miss my work at the hospital, and I miss the patients, but I can’t do it anymore.  I’m too tired.  Like any old man, my mind writes checks my body can’t cash. 

The gifts I have belong to God.  He gave them to me so that I could help His people on their way to salvation.  The same is true for all the gifts that God has given you.  At the end of the day, thank Him for the gifts He has given you, whatever they may be, and realize that we are just conduits of His love.

Father’s Reflections:  A few years ago, I had an appointment with my doctor.  It was during Covid, so to check in, I had to sit in my car and send a text to the staff to let them know I was there.  The staff would then send a form to my phone to complete.  On the form was this question: “In case of emergency, who should we notify?”  My appointment was with a dermatologist.  Really?   How bad can this be?  So, I wrote: “In case of emergency, contact “Dr. House.” 

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________


You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – October 5, 2025 – “Heart Speaking to Heart”

“Heart Speaking to Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 4 – 5, 2025

Gospel: Luke 17: 5-10

Prayer is heart speaking to heart.  It is wonderful to pray for things.  We are called to pray for every good gift.  We are also called to pray for those who persecute us.  People have suggested different ways in which to pray.  “Pray in the Spirit.”  Here is a news flash – everybody prays in the Spirit.  “Praying precisely this way is the key to getting what you want.”  Are you saying that if we have been praying and haven’t gotten what we ask for, we haven’t been praying correctly?  I have been praying to become a monsignor for 41 years.  Have I gotten it wrong all these years?  I’m beginning to think it’s not going to happen because that might make me more insufferable, unbearable, and a bigger pain in the keister than I already am.  God is trying to save me from grave danger.  

What we ask for in our prayers may seem good, but we do not know God’s plans.  “If you say this prayer 13 times a day in just this way, God will give you what you want.”   No.  That is superstition.  Sometimes He grants our wishes, and sometimes He doesn’t.  I had a lady come to talk with me and she was really upset.  She said, “I claimed this gift in prayer.  I stand on the Bible, and I claimed it!”   Are you saying that because you “claim” it that it is going to happen?  What about the parents of all those kids in children’s hospitals who “claim” it and their children did not survive?  Did they pray wrong?  Did God say, “Because you prayed incorrectly and did not “claim” it, I am taking your child?”  What kind of God is that?  Do you think that happens?  No.  Prayer cannot change God’s Will.  Look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He expressed His fear through His human nature when He said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).  What we ask for in our prayers may seem good, but we do not know God’s plans.  We cannot change God’s Will by our prayers.  Instead, we have to change us.  However, that does not mean we shouldn’t pray as if everything depends on it and use our friends in high places like the Blessed Mother, our Guardian Angel, and the saints.  When I invoke their intercession, I have great confidence that my prayer will be answered even though I may dislike the answer.  Storm Heaven with your prayers.  Become spiritually obnoxious with your prayers for what you want and need.  We are called to do that. 

If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, your faith can increase immeasurably.  How do we increase our faith?  By receiving the Sacraments.  What do I mean by that?  Faith, hope, and charity are divine virtues that are infused into our souls when we receive the Sacraments.  The other virtues are called habitual virtues that you get by doing.  I hear this a lot during confessions, “Father, I pray for patience.”  Oh, you’re in trouble.  Patience is an acquired virtue – you get it by doing.  Every idiot in Stanly County will be knocking on your door just to annoy you.  “Have you heard about Jesus?”  Yes, now go away.  When you pray for patience, you will encounter a lot of people who will stretch your patience.    

Increase your faith by receiving the Sacraments and then act upon that increase in faith by doing what God asks of you.  Do not be sad when your prayers are not answered immediately or as you would like.  Pray for the grace to accept God’s Will.  Giving up our Will is the hardest thing of all to do. Taking back our Will and rejecting God’s is what got us kicked out of Paradise.  But if we resign our Will and trust in God’s, we will find our way back to Paradise. 

Father’s Reflections . . .

Two days ago, we had a gentleman who was run over and killed in a car accident.  He was homeless, and the police are searching for any of his relatives.  I would ask you to offer a Hail Mary for the mother of that man.  Now I know that mothers all have their difficulties not to mention their husbands, but I don’t believe in my heart of hearts that any woman would want their child to be homeless, wandering around the streets at night and getting killed.  I’m sure that was not her wish for her son no matter how bad of a mother she was.  So please, if she is still alive, pray for her soul. 

A friend called me the other day.  She and her husband were college classmates of mine. She’s the one who tried to poison me while I was on vacation.  But I didn’t take it personally.  She told me that what she saw on the news about our military was really stressing her out.   I said, “Let me tell you about stress.  When the sirens went off during the first Gulf war, we had 21 seconds to close our eyes, stop breathing, grab our gas mask, seal it, and clear it.  Then we could breathe again.  After that, we had a leisurely one minute and 39 seconds to put on our chemical protection suits including boots and two sets of gloves.”  That is real stress unlike the stress you get in basic training where they might hurt your feelings.  When you start taking incoming fire, you will be begging to go to Fort Bragg or Parris Island.  So don’t get upset at people who comment on what’s going on in our military, because they have no idea.  They have never had a gunshot fired at or near them.

How will you apply this message to your life?  _______________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog,” then “Categories,” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.

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Sermon Notes – October 12, 2025 – “Forgiven and Forgotten”

“Forgiven and Forgotten”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 11-12, 2025

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

Leprosy is often mentioned in Scripture.  Now, because I’m not Dr. House although I have watched every episode, I wasn’t sure what Leprosy is.  This was pre-Google, so I looked it up in this book that in those days we called an encyclopedia.  Leprosy is now called Hansens Disease.  It is very rare in this country, and we have very effective treatment for those who get it.   Leprosy will literally eat you alive, and you will rot to death.  Your nose and fingers fall off, and your face becomes disfigured.  In the Old Testament, people with Leprosy were banished because the disease is contagious.  Father Damien, now Saint Damien, was a priest from Belgium.  When he heard that a leper colony in Hawaii had no priest, Father Damien went to the bishop and asked if he could be sent there.  The bishop told him, “If you go, you cannot go back.”  That was the law.  Yet, Father Damien said, “I will go.”  So, he went to work in the leper colony.  When he heard that a supply ship would be coming and that it had a priest on board, Father Damien wanted the priest to hear his confession.  So, he got into his boat and rowed out to the ship but, according to the law, the captain of the ship could not allow him on board because he had been exposed to Leprosy.   Undeterred, Father Damien made a public confession from his boat while the priest stood at the top of the ship.  One of the last pictures of him shows his face rotting away and some of his fingers are missing.  Having Leprosy is not the best way to go.  By the way, after Father Damien’s death, all the signs of Leprosy left him. 

A lot of diseases have distinct smells.  We all smell wonderful when we come to church with our different aftershaves and perfumes.  But when I open the church on Monday mornings, a wall of different aromas hit me in the face, and I’m reminded of my time in the Army and the gas chamber.  It was a real treat for the senses.   We all have two aromas; one comes from holiness, and the other comes from the sin in our souls.  If our soul has sin, it smells.  You may be wondering, “Father, how do you know that?”   Saint John Vianney, the Curé d’Ars, could smell it.  There could be a long line of people waiting for Confession, and he would come out of the confessional, sniff around, point to someone in line, and say, “You are first.  You have mortal sin in your soul.”  He could smell the mortal sin in that soul because we all have it.  Leprosy affects the outside of the body while sin rots our souls from the inside.  Our souls die of mortal sin more immediately while unrepentant venial sin is a slow death.  But we can go to our Good Lord to be cured in the Sacrament of Penance.  We can get treatment for the infection and rot in our souls.  By the way, when we receive the Sacrament of Penance, one of the best prayers never said is “thank you.”   

I always tell people that if they want to be beautiful or handsome they should be holy, and neither time nor disease will be able to take it away from them.  Have holiness in your soul.  Saint Teresa of Calcutta and Saint John Paul II come to mind.  Saint Teresa was not exactly a candidate to be a runway model, but she was beautiful because she carried the living Christ in her soul.   At the end of his life, Saint John Paul II was drooling and shaking but everybody wanted to be near him because of the purity of his soul and the presence of Christ within him.  This is how we evangelize – not by giving away free stuff or having concerts – but by telling people what the Good Lord has done for us.  Our sins are forgiven.  The greatest experience of God’s love is the experience of His forgiveness.  Our sins are forgiven and forgotten.  The State of Washington, like other states before them, tried to pass a law that would require me to reveal whatever I heard about abused children during Confessions.  I cannot and would not do that: 1) I’m old and I don’t remember who the heck came to Confession; and 2) I don’t hear individuals; I hear souls.  I hear sick souls coming in for God’s medicine.  Do I remember all that stuff?  No.  But what I do remember is their love of God and when I give them absolution, the love of God for them.  No matter how bad you think your sins are, God will forgive and forget everything. 

I have been a priest for 42 years, thanks to the goodness of God and His infinite patience.  There is not one sin that has ever affected me except my own.  I have done some interesting things, but that is immaterial compared to the love of God.  Nobody’s sins are going to frighten me.  I tell people in church and at hospitals, “I’ve seen more body parts than you will ever have, so cover up.  I’m not impressed.”   I’ve been a priest for a long time, and I’ve been around the world.  I’ve been there and done that.  If you have a sin I haven’t heard before, I’ll pay you for the privilege of hearing it.  But do you know what impresses me while I’m hearing confessions?  It’s not the sins.  I am impressed by the love that people have to come to Confession, open their souls, and to give what they have.  The worst things people have to confess is what God wants in the Sacrament of Penance.  In exchange, He will give them the best which is Himself.  This is why I say that the most neglected part of the Sacrament of Penance is to say, “thank you.”  Do not take God’s love for granted.

Each night before I go to bed I try to say, “thank you.”  Then I think of how inadequate my gratitude is because I cannot possibly repay God for all that He has done for me.   But that is what we should do – to thank Him for His great love for us.  The greatest part of His love is manifested in His forgiveness of our sins.  By doing so, He saves us from spiritual death in the next world to come.

Father’s Reflections . . . This week I was visiting a lady who is in a nursing care facility.  I went into her room and began talking to her to get a sense of her consciousness and focus.  I said, “Your accent isn’t from around here.  Where did you grow up?”   She was confused and couldn’t quite put it all together, so I said, “That’s okay.  I don’t remember where I grew up because I never grew up.  I’m Peter Pan.”  She thought that was hilarious and laughed.  My work here is done.

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog,” then “Categories,” and then “Sermon Notes.”   Sermon Notes are also available on the church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.

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Sermon Notes – September 28, 2025 – “Did You See Me in Them?”

“Did You See Me in Them?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 27 – 28, 2025

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

Yesterday was the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, the Patron Saint of Charity.  He was known for his care of the poor, hungry, and needy.  Saint Vincent said we should not be repulsed by their appearance, their uncouthness, their smell, or their confusion.  The Savior said that “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40).  So do not let those things deter you. 

During my priestly career, I remember spending 20 minutes talking to a patient whose cancer had become external and advanced to his brain.  That was a real treat for the senses. There is nothing like the smell of external cancer.  A nurse came into the room and sprayed Lysol.  That did not help.  But I sat there and I listened.  I remember seeing a patient in the Emergency Room who had little pieces of flesh falling off him.  He had bed bugs.  I have had several patients just swear at me when I came into their rooms.  I said to one of those patients, “Is that the best you’ve got? My aunt was a nurse, so if you want to impress me with your vulgarity, you need to step up your game.”   Do not be put off by the poor, sick, and needy.  They are children of God.  He loves them.  He created them, and He sustains them.  So how can we not love them? 

Some time ago, I watched a YouTube video about Cabarrus County deputy sheriffs.  One of the deputies had pulled over a woman who was doing 61 in a 45.  Usually that will get you a nice autograph and a request to make a contribution to the county and the state.  The deputy came up to the woman’s car, and he was very polite.  I was intrigued by this deputy’s counseling style.  He was very well trained, and you could see that he had a lot of experience.  This woman was belligerent.  The deputy told the woman that she had a bit of an attitude which set her off on another tirade.  He could see that this woman was going through a hard time, so he went back to his car and came back with a warning and not a ticket.  The deputy said to the woman, “It looks as if you are going through a hard time so I’m giving you a warning today.  Slow down.”  This deputy just kept talking to her gently and eventually she opened up to him.  She was three months clean from drugs.  She had just left an abusive relationship up north, and she had to leave her child up there.  She was having a bit of a meltdown.  Finally, she asked the deputy if she could give him a hug.  After she hugged him, the woman said that she was glad he had stopped her because she had been on her way to do something really stupid. 

It is not up to us to judge whether someone is worthy of our love.  We are not called to judge them.   No, it is they who will judge us because God will ask us, “Do you love Me?  Did you see Me in them?”

Father’s Reflections: I am glad to be home from vacation.  Now, you may be wondering, “What does a priest do on vacation?”  I don’t know what other priests do, but my vacations are always bizarre.   * I had a dead man buy me dinner twice.  * I survived a cat fight between my two cousins . . . that was a lot of fun.  * I was walking around the mall saying my prayers and getting my steps in, and people kept saying to me, “Hello. How are you?”  They were very pleasant.  But this is Rhode Island, and nobody does that.  What the heck is going on here!  Then I looked down at my shirt which belonged to my brother, and on the crest of the shirt was “Scituate Police.”  Those people at the mall were just sucking up to the cops.    * I almost got poisoned.  My friend made an Italian dinner for me which included an Italian pastry called zeppole.  Afterwards, I discovered that I have a gall bladder, and that it does not love zeppole nearly as much as I do.  She tried to poison a priest so that is very bad karma for her.  * I went dumpster diving with my sister-in-law.  That was fun.  * When I got off the plane in Charlotte, a parishioner approached me and asked, “Are you Father Fitzgibbons?”  Yes, I am.  I don’t fly on the airline in my clerical garb because it scares people.  One time there were six of us on the plane, and we were all in our clerical garb.  It scared the living you-know-what out of everyone on the plane.  Nobody moved.  Nobody stood up.  Everyone sat in their seats as quiet as church mice, and they didn’t ask for anything.   As we were leaving the plane, flight attendants were giving us food, drinks, and everything else they hadn’t needed during the flight.  * When I left the Charlotte airport, traffic was great, and I thought I would get home early.  I was on Hwy 85 or the ride of death – I felt safer in Iraq.  Then I turned onto Hwy 485.  There was a concert at the pavilion and traffic was bumper to bumper. It was like driving on a slinky, inching my way home.  Well, that was fun!

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog,” then “Categories,” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes