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“Heart Speaking to Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 13 – 14, 2024

Gospel: John 1:35-42

I visit a lot of different groups. Remember the song, “The In Crowd”? We’re all old enough to remember that song, right? I have two different groups that I’m “in” with . . . the shut-ins and the lock-ins. This sermon has been approved by my lock-ins at the gated community whom I saw on Wednesday. In the gospel, Jesus said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” – which is Greek and translated as Peter” or “Rock” (John 1:35-42). This was a big deal. Go back to the Old Testament when God called Abram. What did God do? He said, “You will be called Abraham, and you will be the father of My holy people.” God wasn’t like me who gives people nicknames. This was a dramatic shift. However, He had reasons for changing people’s names.

What is the secret to prayer? In the Gospel, Samuel said, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10). That is the whole secret to prayer. I am guilty of speaking so quickly that most times my mind has to catch up with my mouth. I don’t often see a prayer like the one to Saint Jude for hopeless causes. Sometimes I read in the newspaper that if you pray a certain prayer nine times for nine days, you’ll get what you want. Over the four years of seminary, I was probably sick for a day or two. But I never heard about celestial extortion. Really? “I’ve got the secret to prayer. Light a candle and put on a prayer shawl.” Why? Are you cold? Do you honestly think God doesn’t know what we need? He knows what we want and desire. But He keeps us alive by saying “no” sometimes to our prayers even if they are perfect. If He gave us everything we want, we might not stay close to Him. Probably the reason I haven’t made Monsignor after 40 years is to keep me humble. Well, that didn’t work. We come with our prayers and rattle them off. Of course, I say mine very quickly, and I have a whole laundry list of things to tell God. Whew! I’m done with my prayers. But apparently, God isn’t listening because I asked Him about this yesterday, and it’s still not done. He has fallen down on His job. Maybe He forgot. I know He’s busy but come on! I’m a busy guy too, and I have things to do! If He would just do what I ask, things would be so much better. It’s good to get all these things off our souls by telling Him what we need, what we want, and what we think He should do. He laughs. You have to admit when we tell God what He needs to do, with His divine sense of humor, it cracks Him up. “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks a lot; I really appreciate it.”

So, what is prayer? Bishop Sheen said prayer is heart speaking to heart. Prayer is not a monologue. It is not a one-way conversation. It is two-way communication. You can’t communicate with someone who won’t shut up. Hey! Zip it! We must listen, and listening is the hardest part. Listening takes different forms through meditation, quietness, and being interiorly open. We need quiet inside and out. Do you know who is perfect at listening? Nobody; not even monks and religious sisters. It takes a lot of practice. We may be sitting there with our minds racing. Look! Squirrel. But let the other heart speak to you on the other heart’s terms. God speaks to us in ordinary ways at His choosing, in His way, and in His own time. When you tell God what you want, He says, “Thank you very much, Sir. I’ll get right on that order.” No. You’ve got the flow chart on how it works all wrong. It’s a conversation. We should sit and listen, which is the hardest part. It takes time. When you go to Mass at other churches, they may have a prolonged silence after the readings. You know, they didn’t go to school, and if they did, they need to get their money back. A good and proper meditation takes 20 minutes. We did that in seminary. We had nowhere else to go, so why not? We must learn how to quiet ourselves and to listen. It’s tough because we are all so busy. Sometimes when we listen, we really don’t like the answers. However, He knows what is best for everyone, and He loves us more than anyone. When you receive an answer, be sure to authenticate it because satan will tell us stuff just to make us go off the deep end. “Well, God told me to do this.” Uh-Huh. A friend of mine was a chaplain at a prison in Louisiana. One of the inmates told him that God had called him to preach. Really? Aren’t you the guy who sexually abused his granddaughters? You might want to rethink that. You always have to make sure the answer is coming from God. He does not contradict Himself or what He revealed in Jesus Christ.

When you come to church, be like the French farmer. Saint John Vianney was the pastor of a church in a small town in France. He came to the church to hear confessions. He saw this little guy sitting there in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Oh good! He heard some confessions and when he came back, the guy was still sitting there. Priests are trained to notice the unusual. So, Saint John asked the man, “My son is everything okay?” The man answered, “Yes, Father.” Saint John said, “My son you’ve been here for hours. What are you doing?” The man answered, “I am looking at God and God is looking at me.”

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” 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.”