Author: olacatholic416

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Sermon Notes – December 10, 2023 – “Oh, the Sorrows I’ve Seen!“

“ Oh, the Sorrows I’ve Seen! “

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 9 – 10, 2023

Gospel: Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending My messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of His sandals. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Here’s a little quiz from the Gospel: What do grasshoppers taste like? Chicken? No. They taste like grasshoppers, and the best dipping sauce is honey mustard. Just putting that out there for you. I’m hearing eye-rolls out there.

In the second reading of the Divine Office, there are writings from Saint Charles Borromeo who wrote that Holy Mother Church prepares the faithful for Christmas and the coming of Christ through hymns, readings, and liturgies. And that’s true. They all focus on the great mystery of His love.

During the Christmas season, we think about our past Christmases. Some were really good, and some were maybe not so good. We wish we could have Christmases like in years past. But all of those are temporary, although very teachable moments. The fulfillment of the joy of Christmas will come later. This is just a taste. All of those that disappointed us with all that pain, sorrow, and regret will be gone and transformed by the love of Christ. Christ is love Himself.

Some people ask me what my best Christmas was. I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of nice ones. Growing up, I had a great family despite me. One not so good Christmas happened when I was overseas, and I ran out of Spaghetti’Os. Oh, the sorrows I’ve seen! “Father, how about when you came home from overseas?” Well, it was quieter; I’ll give you that. It was also nice to have fresh plumbing; I’ll give you that too. “But don’t you have a favorite Christmas?” Well, I haven’t had it yet. My favorite Christmas will be when Christ comes to take me from this world and, hopefully, I will be found worthy to be possessed by Him. That will be my favorite Christmas. All the other Christmases are a foretaste, an encouragement, and mere teaching moments. So, keep your eyes fixed on the last Christmas to come.

Father’s Reflections . . . The Christmas parade yesterday was very nice. It was a long one, lasting over an hour, and continued during the Mass. People from our parish were volunteers. They did a fantastic job, and I want to thank them for that.

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.”

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Saint of the Day – December 14 – Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Saint John of the Cross’ Story (June 24, 1542 – December 14, 1591)

John is a saint because his life was a heroic effort to live up to his name: “of the Cross.” The folly of the cross came to full realization in time. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34b) is the story of John’s life. The Paschal Mystery—through death to life—strongly marks John as reformer, mystic-poet, and theologian-priest.

Ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567 at age 25, John met Teresa of Avila and like her, vowed himself to the primitive Rule of the Carmelites. As partner with Teresa and in his own right, John engaged in the work of reform, and came to experience the price of reform: increasing opposition, misunderstanding, persecution, imprisonment. He came to know the cross acutely—to experience the dying of Jesus—as he sat month after month in his dark, damp, narrow cell with only his God.

Yet, the paradox! In this dying of imprisonment John came to life, uttering poetry. In the darkness of the dungeon, John’s spirit came into the Light. There are many mystics, many poets; John is unique as mystic-poet, expressing in his prison-cross the ecstasy of mystical union with God in the Spiritual Canticle.

But as agony leads to ecstasy, so John had his Ascent to Mt. Carmel, as he named it in his prose masterpiece. As man-Christian-Carmelite, he experienced in himself this purifying ascent; as spiritual director, he sensed it in others; as psychologist-theologian, he described and analyzed it in his prose writings. His prose works are outstanding in underscoring the cost of discipleship, the path of union with God: rigorous discipline, abandonment, purification. Uniquely and strongly John underlines the gospel paradox: The cross leads to resurrection, agony to ecstasy, darkness to light, abandonment to possession, denial to self to union with God. If you want to save your life, you must lose it. John is truly “of the Cross.” He died at 49—a life short, but full.

Reflection

In his life and writings, John of the Cross has a crucial word for us today. We tend to be rich, soft, comfortable. We shrink even from words like self-denial, mortification, purification, asceticism, discipline. We run from the cross. John’s message—like the gospel—is loud and clear: Don’t—if you really want to live!

Saint John of the Cross is the Patron Saint of:

Mystics

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The Catechism in a Year – Day 348 – The Battle of Prayer

Prayer is “grace and grit,” as Fr. Mike phrases it. In this section, one of Fr. Mike’s favorites in the Catechism, we hear that “we pray as we live because we live as we pray.” This living and praying is a battle in which we must confront our failures and accept the Holy Spirit’s grace and aid. Prayer requires humility, trust, and perseverance on our part. In this struggle, we must battle against distraction, ourselves, dryness, and temptation. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2725-2731.

Click on link: https://youtu.be/r2ct47YdVvU?si=b_pWBW93wkDrkWAW

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Saint of the Day – December 13 – Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

St Lucy was an early Christian martyr who lived in the 200s-300s. She died during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. She is one of eight female saints mentioned in the Canon of the Mass.

St Lucy suffered a brutal martyrdom with great courage. You can use this novena to seek intercession from this courageous martyr in your life!

St Lucy was probably born around the year 283. Her parents were members of the nobility and were wealthy.

Lucy’s father died when she was five years old. Her mother, who suffered from a bleeding ailment, feared that Lucy would soon have no one to care for her. Lucy’s mother quickly arranged a marriage for Lucy.

But Lucy had no desire to marry. Instead, she consecrated her virginity to God. She also hoped to have her dowry given away to the poor.

When Lucy learned about the arranged marriage, she began praying for a way to change her mother’s mind on the matter. She prayed frequently at the tomb of St Agatha, asking for assistance in this situation.

Lucy had a dream in which St Agatha appeared to her and told her that Lucy’s mother would be cured of her condition through faith.

Lucy’s mother was soon cured, and her mother agreed to allow Lucy to consecrate her virginity to God rather than marry. But the man to whom Lucy had been promised in marriage was very angry to hear that the match had been called off. He was even more angry when he learned that the dowry that had been promised to him had actually been given to the poor.

Lucy’s rejected bridegroom took revenge on her by betraying her Christian Faith to the governor, who was accustomed to persecuting Christians for their Faith.

The governor commanded Lucy to offer a sacrifice before an image of the emperor, but she refused. The governor then ordered her to be sent to a brothel as punishment. One tradition holds that the guards who attempted to bring Lucy to the brothel were unable to move her, because she had miraculously become too heavy to lift. Even a team of oxen was unable to move her.

Another tradition says that Lucy told the governor he would be punished for what he was doing. This made the governor so angry that he ordered her eyes to be gouged out.

When she was sentenced to death, the guards attempted to burn her by setting fire to wood that was stacked around her. But this did not work because the wood wouldn’t burn. Lucy was finally killed by a wound to the throat from a sword.

According to tradition, Lucy’s eyes were found to have been miraculously restored to her body when her body was being prepared for burial in her family’s mausoleum.

St Lucy is the patron saint of the blind. You can seek her intercession if you are blind or having problems with your eyesight. You can also ask her to pray for someone you know who is blind or is having problems with their eyesight.

You can also ask St Lucy for prayers if you are being persecuted for your Faith, since she suffered a lot for her Faith and eventually gave up her life in martyrdom. Or you can ask St Lucy to pray for someone you know who is being persecuted for their Faith.