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Sermon Notes – April 12, 2026 – “The Oreo Confession”

“The Oreo Confession”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 11-12, 2026

Gospel: John 20:19-31

Now there is a lot I could say about today’s gospel, but I will try to keep it fairly short because the mind will hear only what the seat can endure.  After His resurrection, our Lord told the Apostles how to apply the fruit of His death to the souls of the faithful.  Take the Precious Blood that poured from the Cross and apply it to men’s souls.  It is the same Blood that was in the chalice at the Last Supper.  It is also the same Blood in the chalice at today’s Mass.  “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven” (Matt. 18:18).  The Apostles passed down to bishops and priests the power to forgive sins.   I cannot understand why non-Catholics don’t agree with the Sacrament of Penance because it’s right there in Scripture in black and white.   You cannot take one part of Scripture and say it ended with the Apostles.  If you say that Confession ended with the Apostles, then everything else in Scripture did too. 

What are the criteria for confessing some sins and not others?   First of all, I have to hear them.  It’s just like a doctor must hear what your symptoms are and examine you before s/he prescribes medication.  Every Owee does not require morphine.   I have to listen to your sins because I am a spiritual physician.  We have something in Theology that we call the “Oreo Confession.”  Have you heard of it?  It’s when someone comes to confession and says:  “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two months since my last confession.  Father, I took some pencils from work. I said bad things to people, committed adultery, and I had a bad thought.”  Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Let’s go back to that little one in the middle of the Oreo Confession.  What is necessary in the Sacrament of Penance is the confession of mortal sins.  However, confessing venial sins is sufficient grounds for the grace of the Sacrament.  But you do not have to tell me how many times you said a bad word to somebody.  So, you don’t need to walk around with a clicker recording how many times you curse.  No.  That is all unnecessary.  Our Lord, through the person of the priest or bishop, anoints your soul with the Most Precious Blood and washes away the stain of sin and infuses His very Self to heal the wounds of our sins and the sins of others.   

Also necessary for the proper reception of the Sacrament is contrition and purpose of amendment. Contrition comes in two forms: perfect and imperfect.  Perfect contrition is when you are sorry that you hurt the one you love and have harmed the relationship.  Imperfect contrition is when you are afraid of getting punished.   Ask any police officer.  They see imperfect contrition every day.  “I’m sorry!  I didn’t know I was speeding!”  Uh-huh.  You aren’t sorry that you risked people’s lives; you are sorry that your insurance rate will go up.   But imperfect contrition, to be afraid of God’s punishment, is sufficient to receive grace from the Sacrament. 

Another thing necessary for the proper reception of the Sacrament is purpose of amendment and to avoid sin in the future.  “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  I stole your watch.”  Okay, I forgive you.  Give me back my watch.  You can’t keep it.  In the case of money, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I stole $500 from my work three years ago.”  Okay.  You have to give the money back with interest.  You cannot profit from sin, and you must repair the damage you’ve done.    Regarding purpose of amendment, I tell alcoholics and drug addicts, “You know, if you hang around a barber shop long enough, eventually you’re going to get a haircut.”  If you want to avoid drinking, don’t go into bars or ABC stores.  That would be a good first step.   The biggest occasion for sin is between the ears.  Stay away from the people, places, and things that lead you to sin.   You have to stay away from sin, or it will find you. 

When I’m hearing confessions, I’m unlikely to ask questions, but I may.  If, during confession, a penitent tells me that they are living with someone, I will ask, “Are you living together as brother and sister or as husband and wife?”  If the penitent says, “as husband and wife,” then I tell them, “I cannot forgive you until you end the relationship because you intend to return to an objective state of sin.  It would be an abuse of the Sacrament, and I cannot do that.”  If the penitent is unhappy about not being absolved of their sins, I’ll say, “You are trying to manipulate our Savior.  He wants to give you His very Self, and you are laying down conditions for that gift.”   He wants to give you His very Self.  Most people would say, “Yes! Righteous!” but you are saying, “Yeah, but.”  No, that’s not going to work. 

The gift of the Precious Blood washes away sins and, through the Sacrament, infuses the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.  It heals the soul of our sins and the sins committed by others.   That’s what I said this week when I was at Felon University (prison).  A lot of those men did not have a great start.  In fact, some of them were abused as kids, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, but that is not an excuse.  I told them that when you go to the Sacrament, let the Precious Blood wash away all the hurt in your soul from the sins that others have done to you.   Frequent confession is helpful, especially for sins that were committed against us when we were young.  If you were abused, that’s why you come to the Sacrament so that Christ’s Precious Blood can anoint your soul and start healing the damage that has been done.  Perfectly?  Maybe, maybe not.  But it is progress because you are drawing ever closer to Christ.  The sin inflicted upon your soul can receive the proper medicine.  You become holy and strive for holiness.  You will be able to bear the unbearable.  That is the power of the Sacrament.      

I had bronchitis a few months ago, a lovely condition, but I don’t recommend it.  I went for an X-ray, and the technician said, “Take a deep breath and hold it.”  If I could do that, I wouldn’t be here!  Come on!  I’m coughing my brains out and hacking up a load all over the place.  So, the doctor prescribed some pills and said to take them to the end.  Usually, taking one pill from the doctor will not cure our condition unless it’s Doctor Kevorkian.  Why does the doctor ask you to take the medicine?  Because it works.  Why do I ask you to take this medicine?  Because it works.  What clinical trial am I basing that on?  It’s the one where Jesus told me it works.  So, it works.  The Sacrament of Penance is a spiritual physical where the priest acting in the person of Christ applies God’s medicine which is His Most Precious Blood and anoints your soul.  Does the Sacrament of Penance lead to a perfect way of life?  I wish that were true.  We all struggle. 

Now, two weeks from today, I will be going on vacation, and a visiting priest will be here.  So, it would be a great time to go to Confession.  Some of you don’t like coming to me because you know me, and some people get embarrassed.  I’ve been here a long time.   You will probably never see the visiting priest again in this life.  So go and dump all the poop on him.  You will feel great, and when he leaves town, he will take all the garbage with him.  Perfect. 

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 – April 5, 2026 – “It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere”

“It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 4 – 5, 2026

Gospel: John 20:1-9

It’s wonderful to see so many people here.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen the church this full.  Holy Mother Church asks priests to mention that when it is time for Holy Communion, only practicing Catholics may receive the Blessed Sacrament.  As one great Italian theologian said, “It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.”  

Do you know why we tend to believe lies?  They tell us what we want to hear.  They may not be true, but we like to hear them.  Every cardiac patient wants to hear, “You can have bacon. It’s good for you. It’s the other white meat.”  No, but we like to hear what we want to hear.  Our human nature wants us to believe the lies of satan.  If we believe that death is the end, then we can deny our Lord and do whatever we wish.  “I can do anything I want, and God will still love me.”  Yes.  He loves you so much that He wants to bring you to Heaven.  Unfortunately, we will all die.  However, that’s not a bad thing because it is only by dying that we reign with Christ.  Death is just a transition, and the closer we draw to God, the less the fear of death will have a hold on us.  Yes, sometimes the way we have to go to Heaven is not especially pleasant.  Last week, I talked about a man I knew, Mike Way, who had cancer of the esophagus.  But thank God for modern medicine, because our suffering is much less than it has been in the past.  In his last days, Mike said, “He suffered that for me. I will suffer this for Him.” 

The happiest people are those who go to church.  Are they always overjoyed?  Oh, heck no.  I am not allowed to eat bacon.  So, tell me your problems.  But you will survive, and you will be rewarded in Heaven.   Our Lord holds out the reward, not only for me, but for every one of His children.  One day, sooner for some and later for others, He will come and take you to Himself.   Now, whether you get to stay with Him depends on how you respond to His love.   Did you return His love?   Do you know how we prove that love?  It’s not putting extra money into the collection basket – although if you did, I would appreciate it.  We prove our love for God by taking up our cross every day.  If we want what He is offering, we must do what He did by taking up our cross and following Him to Calvary.  That we will reign with Him forever is not a promise but an assurance.   

In the last few days, we have held tributes to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.  On Holy Thursday, our Lord gives us the means to achieve Heaven through the Sacraments.  On Good Friday, He shows us the nature of sin and how much He loves us.  Today we know the results.  We will rise, and we will see Him.  On the last day, we will get a glorified body, which will be united with our soul.  The soul is incomplete without the body, and incompleteness cannot last in His presence.  But He taught us the way.  “If you wish to be My disciple, take up your cross and follow Me.”  Do exactly what He did, and you will get what He offers.  All participants in 12-step programs want to get sober and clean.  I ask participants, “Do you have a sponsor, someone who can teach you the steps and help you to understand them?”  Yes.  Then I’ll ask them, “Do you want to be like them?”  Yes.  “Then do what they did.”  Do you remember what I told you about walking through a minefield?  Do not take a step unless you see a footprint in front of you.  Otherwise, things will turn out very badly and very quickly for you.   That’s what we do – we follow in Christ’s footsteps. 

Now progress, not perfection, is what we should strive for because our Lord said, “Take up your cross every day and follow Me.”  We can never reach perfection, so we struggle along with whatever crosses we have.   By the way, does anyone need more crosses?  I’m just asking.  I think we all have enough.  Sometimes it seems like God is piling on.  Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “Lord, if this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few.”  But we struggle along with our crosses, our own Calvary, and then one day we will ascend our final cross and pass from this life.  Our bodies, like Christ’s, will lie in a tomb.  However, our souls, if we have been faithful, not perfect but faithful, will be with Christ in Heaven.  We will get our perfected body back on the last day.  This is the joy and the hope that no matter how many failures we have had, no matter the mistakes we have made, Christ will forgive us, and there is a place in Heaven for us that has been reserved since the beginning of time.  Everyone can achieve it. No matter how bad you think you are or what you have done, there is a place for you in Heaven if you take the means to do so. 

There is a story about Bishop Sheen, now Venerable Bishop Sheen and soon-to-be Saint Fulton.  He went one night to a hospital, and there was this guy who did not want to make his peace with God.  Bishop Sheen told the man he had brought a friend.  He took out a pyx, which holds Holy Communion, and said, “I have our Lord here.”  But this guy did not want Him, so eventually Bishop Sheen left.  But later that night, the man was crying for the Lord of the Cross.   Theresa de Lisieux heard about a murderer named Henri Pranzini.  He had been sentenced to death by guillotine – the big axe.  Saint Theresa kept praying for him and praying for him.  Up until the end, he refused everyone.  “Go away from me!”  Later, before they laid him on the guillotine for the final chop, he screamed, “The Cross, the Cross!”  The priest approached him with the crucifix, and the man kissed it.  Was that enough to achieve eternal salvation?  I bet it was. 

So, take up your cross every day, and if you fall, get back up.  Remember, as a famous theologian once said, “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.”   You can start your day over again whenever you decide to.  Pick up your cross and follow Christ, imperfectly as we all do, because Christ has a place for each of us in Heaven. 

Father’s Reflections:

I used to go to the female prison in Troy, and we would play “Stump the Priest” before I started Mass.   It’s sort of like “Stump the Chump.”  This one female felon, who always asked lots of questions, said, “Father, I have a question.”  You could see the other women rolling their eyes.  I asked this woman what her question was.  She said, “I read in the paper about people who die, and they all go see Jesus.”   I said, “That’s true.”  She was shocked.  I told her, “We will all die, and we will all go see Jesus in Heaven.  Some get to stay long enough for a cup of coffee, and others get to stay for eternity.”  That’s true.   

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 – March 22, 2026 – His Gifts Teach Us to Love

“His Gifts Teach Us to Love”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 21 – 22, 2026

Gospel: John 11:1-45

Today is called Spy Sunday.  Do you know why? You never know when there’s going to be a pop quiz with me.  It is called Spy Sunday because the Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus.  Scripture says that Jesus had to steal into Jerusalem.  The statues and crucifix in the church are covered out of shame that our Lord had to sneak into His own city of Jerusalem, the city of David, because His chosen people were trying to kill Him. 

The Gospel today is very crystalized because we can see who Christ is – true God and true Man.   The hypostatic union, as you all know, is the one human nature Christ took from the Blessed Mother and assumed into His divine nature.  That is represented at the altar, with one drop of water placed into the chalice of wine, symbolizing His incarnation.  Jesus showed that when He wept at the death of His friend, Lazarus.   Did He know that He would raise Lazarus up?  Of course, He did.  But He showed that He shares our pain during those times.  Scripture tells us how to deal with our grief when it happens.  When we feel pain at the death of someone, it is not because we don’t love Jesus enough.  It is because our love has changed.  Bishop Sheen wrote that when Martha went to our Lord and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” she didn’t say it sweetly.  No, Martha was torqued.  She probably used His full name and had her finger in His face.  Every man knows that when a woman uses your full name, you are in deep trouble.  “Jesus bar Joseph [Jesus son of Joseph], if You had been here, my brother would never have died!”  Martha probably had Jesus by the lapel of His tunic.  She was really torqued because you only get angry at people you love when they disappoint you.  When people cut you off on the highway, about a mile down the road, you are over it.  But she was very angry at Jesus and disappointed in love. 

All of us, if we live long enough, will know grief.  We will have people we love that God will take from this world to Himself.   Now I have been an orphan for about 30 years, which is rather frightening because I should not be left without adult supervision.   What is especially frightening about that is that the Army let me have command of heavily armed soldiers with bad attitudes.   I’m the last of my family, which makes Christmas shopping easier.  It’s all about the ching.  However, I’m left alone.  It will happen one day if God blesses us with a long life.   But it’s an opportunity to go to Him in prayer, even if you are angry and use bad words.  God is a big God; He’ll get over it.  Most of the swear words we use are old Anglo-Saxon words that have no celestial meaning at all.  We get torqued when we think God has disappointed us.  Our Lord hears us, and He says, “Wait, and you will have My consolation.”   If you remember, He took His sweet time getting to Bethany, a Palestinian town, to raise Lazarus.  They had to use the shoe leather express because there were no buses and no SCUSA.  But a delay in an answer does not mean ‘no.’ 

When we lose someone when they die, our love has changed but not ended.  It is a temporary separation.  Our love has changed, and it is uncomfortable, even frightening.  I had to pull the plug on my mother.  Actually, I have pulled the plug on a couple of people, all legally so.  We get angry with God in our souls.  Eventually, our love will change, but it takes time.  Clinically, and this is the job I do, it will take an average of about two years.  It could take more or less time.  Will you always miss them?  Yes, and your missing them, like your love, will grow deeper and will change.   That’s not bad, it just changes.   Change is change. 

He was always there.  He didn’t ask Martha, “Are you worthy of this? What’s in it for me, maybe another dinner?”  No.  Our Lord did it because He loved Lazarus, who had been in a hot, humid tomb in Palestine for four days.   It is safe to say there was a stench.  Nobody was having burritos after Lazarus came out of the tomb.  Ask any medic or police officer.  But from Lazarus’ perspective, do you think he might have been a bit upset?  He has to die again.  Come on!  He had it made; he would have been in Heaven!  Now he had to go through dying again.  Are you kidding?  But out of love, he did anything our Lord asked of him.  Lazarus was willing to die again because the Lord asked him to. 

Our Lord will always come to comfort us in all our afflictions.  I’ll tell you a story about some chaplain students who were shadowing me at the VA.   I took them down to hospice, and they were asking patients, “Can I pray with you?”   I really wanted to tell them to “shut up,” but instead, I told them they were there to learn.  They asked me, “What are we going to learn?”  I told them they would learn from the patients.  They said, “But I want to bring them to Jesus.”  Jesus is already there.  Do you think anybody loves that person more than Jesus?  You don’t need to bring Jesus to them; He’s already there.  So, sit down and appreciate the presence of Christ and the presence of their guardian angels.  Death comes to all of us, and it’s sad.  I don’t minimize anybody’s grief.  It’s terrible.  Something we don’t do often in grief work, the five stages of grief, is to express gratitude.  Nobody says thank you. 

I had great parents, and I’m thankful for that.  They didn’t kill me when I definitely needed it.  They also didn’t put me in a basket and send me down the river.  I had great brothers.  They didn’t leave me any money, but I still love them.  Cheap buggers.  Anyway, say thank you for the great gifts you have.  Some of you may have family members who are more challenging.  We’ve all had that.  Some of them you’d like to invite to a blanket party.   But say ‘thank you’ for them because we had the great honor and blessing of helping them carry their crosses.  Because even with all their crosses and all their problems, they taught us how to love.  They were our teachers.  We all come to church and say, “Lord, I love you.”  Really?  So, He tests our love by sending us these very interesting people, and it’s worse when it’s family.  Strangers we can handle, but when it’s a family member, we want to put our hands around their throat.   But they are gifts from God.  Those gifts teach us how to love and to love others more than ourselves.

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 – March 29, 2026 – “He Took It All for Us”

“He Took It All for Us”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 28 – 29, 2026

Gospel: Matthew 26:14-27:66

The Gospel about the Passion is so hard to read, and not just the subject matter, but also the English. Every sentence begins with a preposition and an ‘and’. Catholic school grammar taught me to never begin a sentence with ‘and.’ No. The run-on sentences make me wonder whether they were paid to write a college term paper and were trying to stretch it to 20 pages. Also, no crowd yells in perfect English, “Let Him be crucified.” What crowd in the world talks like that and in complete sentences? Jesus replied to Pilate, “You say so.” I have been a priest for over 40 years, and I’ve never heard that translation.

It’s good to study Scripture in the context of the culture. Do you know what gall is? Most of us have a gall bladder. Gall can also be defined as hutzpah, pride, and arrogance. But that’s not what this means. Gall in the ancient world was a narcotic. Jesus was offered wine laced with gall. Why? Both wine and gall suppress pain. They offered it to Jesus to help ease the pain during His crucifixion. What else does a narcotic do? It suppresses respiration and would have hastened His death. But Jesus refused it, not just once, but twice. It was another temptation on the Cross. He took upon Himself the true pain of sin for all men, for all people, for all time. He did not seek any lessening of that pain. He took it all for us.

I knew this man named Mike Way. I use the past tense because Mike has passed. I remember talking to him one night down at Carolina Beach. Mike lived a wild life, but he had come back to the Church and was very devout. He developed cancer, and the doctors couldn’t fix him. Near the end, Mike was in so much pain that it was difficult for him to sleep. He told me, “Father, I sleep in that chair.” I asked him, “Mike, do you want to up your meds? When you are in that kind of pain, the doctors can increase your meds.” He said, “No.” I asked him why not. Mike said, “I look at the Crucifix and think, He suffered that much for me, so I will suffer this much for Him.”

Father’s Reflections:
I saw a news report from back home in Rhode Island. Saint Mary’s church will be closed by the Diocese of Warwick, my old diocese. They’ve closed a lot of churches there. Saint Mary’s was the church of my father’s family. Three other churches have been closed in that same area. The bishop had said that they were doing great. Then why are you closing three churches? The lack of priests is the reason. Well, you caused it, so just own up to it. They closed my mother’s church, the church where she was married. She and two of her sisters were married at the same time in that church. I didn’t know that until my cousin told me. I’ve seen pictures of my Uncle Norman, who, with his big ears, looked like dumbo from behind. The church property is right across the street from the hospital and next to a funeral home. It’s a great location for a church. However, there’s a problem with selling the property, and one that the diocese was unaware of. My grandparents lived a block away, so I heard this story as a young man. In the 1800’s, two priests who served at that church died and were buried somewhere on the church grounds. The funny thing is that they don’t know where on the property the two priests are buried. Oops! Usually, in the death book, you record the cause of death and the place of burial. Apparently, they did not do that when these priests died. Good luck! Now the diocese must go play “Where’s Father Waldo?” because you really cannot sell the property with two dead guys buried somewhere on it. Nice.

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 – March 15, 2026 – “God’s Medicine Restores Our Spiritual Sight”

“God’s Medicine Restores Our Spiritual Sight”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 14 – 15, 2026


Gospel: John 9:1-41

This past week, I’ve been going around the diocese hearing confessions, and they’ve been a lot of fun.  I like driving and listening to music.  It’s very relaxing.  Sometimes I have to stop people during their confessions because they go on and on with all sorts of details I don’t need.  “Father, it was a dark and stormy night. Ships were ablaze on the horizon. Doors were slammed, and there were gunshots.”  I don’t need the whole great American novel.  I just need to know what you did, okay?  If I have questions, I’ll ask them.  One person launched into a political diatribe.   I don’t talk about politics.  But I will tell you, especially during this war we are engaged in, that on my last trip overseas, I was the chaplain to the theatre commander.   Technically, I didn’t have the appropriate security clearance to hear the theatre-level briefings that I did, but the commander told me to stay.  Where we were, CNN, Fox, and Sky News were broadcasting on television.  I can safely say that everything you hear on the news should be prefaced with “Once upon a time.”  What you hear on the news contains only a kernel of truth.  Commentators are not read into any of this, so rash judgments are made.  My advice to you is to follow my example, watch Animal Planet.  YouTube videos of dogs are also good.  They always crack me up, because dogs have so much to say!   So let it go.  We are not privy to what is really going on.  It will make your lives a lot easier.

About once a year, I have to go see the ophthalmologist.  It’s rather fun because they have this machine you stick your head in, and it’s like Star Wars with all these flashing lights.  Also, when you leave, you get a gift.  They give you these funky glasses that look like those you wear to watch 3D movies.  That’s because your pupils have been dilated so that the doctor can see all of the eye.   If you don’t wear those glasses, your whole outlook on life will change when you leave the office.   Instead of thinking, “Oh, what a beautiful day; the sunshine is wonderful,” you’ll come outside and get blinded by the sunlight.  So, put on the glasses.  I had a problem with that one time after an appointment with the ophthalmologist.   My appointment was early in the afternoon, and a little later, I had to drive to Charlotte.  I was driving west, and it was very unpleasant.  I made sure to drive the exact speed limit and not one mile over.  If I got pulled over by law enforcement with my pupils dilated like saucers, I would not enjoy the experience.  If I said, “I was at the eye doctor,” I doubt the officer would believe me.  Law enforcement officers can be very skeptical of people’s excuses.   But why the change?  It was the same beautiful sunlight as when I walked into the doctor’s office, but it changed when I walked out.  Why?  Because the organ receiving the sunlight had changed.  

God’s love and His call for us to be holy can be painful for a soul that has been damaged by sin or steeped in it.   The organ that receives God’s love has changed.  God hasn’t changed.  God is immutable.  I see people from time to time, and they ask me if I’m a Catholic priest.  Yes.  They’ll say, “I used to be Catholic.”  Sometimes I let that slide, but other times I’ll say, “I still am. What happened to you?”   I don’t need that crap.  The way they say it could be interpreted as an insult.   I could have retired by now with a wife and grandkids, having a good time.  I bet none of them are still working at 72.  Obviously, I didn’t get the memo. 

What has changed is the soul that would receive God’s grace, and you see the reaction.  God’s love has not changed.  What has changed is the organ, the soul.  That is why we ask God to restore us so that we can receive His gifts not as punishment but for conversion.  He helps us clear our vision by our repeated use of the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confession, wiping away all our sins.  The closer we draw to God, the better our spiritual vision becomes, and we are able to realize why people hurt us.   People do stupid stuff; I’ll give you that.  But with our improved vision, we realize that they are all children of God.   Believe it or not, God loves them as much as He loves you.  That hurts because I thought I was His favorite.  What did our Lord say to do for people who are offensive or who do bad things to us?  Pray for them.  Nobody is beyond the mercy of God, and no sin is too reprehensible. 

Saint John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.   He was walking one day when a lady approached him.  He said, “My child, how are you?”  She said, “Curé, you know that my husband fell off a bridge and died recently.  I heard that you could read souls.  My husband is in hell, right?”   Saint Vianney said he didn’t know.  The lady became a bit irate and said, “What do you mean you don’t know.  He did this, and he did that!”   After summing up the litany of her husband’s misdeeds, Saint Vianney said to the woman, “There was a long time from when he left the top of the bridge to when he hit the water.  There was enough time to say, I’m sorry.”  It was perhaps an act of imperfect contrition that would keep that man out of hell.  So, we have no idea. 

Like the sunlight, God’s love does not change.  His love is immutable.  It is the organ that receives His gifts that has changed.  It has been damaged by our sins and by the sins of others.  I will give you a great example, and you may have seen it.   Never come up behind me when I don’t know you are there; you will not get a good reaction.   That was caused by the sins of others.  We all have our sufferings, but God gives us the medicine so we can regain our spiritual sight. 

Father’s Reflections:

I told some priests how drugs can be your best friend in the spiritual life.  When I was working in Hospice, I was visiting with this one patient in Room 4.   He was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam.  He survived, became Catholic, and then became a priest.  He left the priesthood and got married.  Now he was in hospice.  I asked him if he would like to receive Last Rites.  He said, “No.”  Okay, I didn’t take it personally.  So, I left the room, got a cup of coffee, and waited until the drug cart came by.  About 10 minutes later, I went back into his room and asked, “Would you like to receive Last Rites now?”  I’ll take that as a “Yes.”  Sometimes, morphine and fentanyl can be your best friends in hospice.  It’s how you can use them to your advantage.  I don’t like taking ‘no’ for an answer; I just wait until patients pass out. 

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 – March 1, 2026 – “He Wants Your Sins”

“He Wants Your Sins”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 1, 2026

Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9

During the two seasons of Advent and Lent, Holy Mother Church asks us for penance for the coming into the world of Christ at the nativity, and also for His suffering, death, and resurrection in Lent. The Church asks her faithful to receive the Sacrament of Penance.  When you tell the priest your sins, the priest, who functions in the person of Christ, anoints your soul with His Precious Blood, which washes away all sin and infuses divine grace, healing the harm sin has caused.  It is a beautiful Sacrament.  But over the years, it has, like other things in the Church, suffered from some grave abuses.  A white fence doesn’t stay white; you have to paint it and occasionally maintain it.  It’s the same with the teaching of the Sacraments.  Over the years of my priesthood, I have seen many weird things that Rome had to correct.  This takes some time because they hope that bishops will self-correct.  But the odds of that happening are not great, so Rome must do the correcting. 

Remember when we all had to have reconciliation rooms?  When I came here many years ago, may God have mercy on your souls, there were no confessionals.  Confessions were made in the cry room, which goes against Church law.  “We must have reconciliation rooms.”   No.  Priests are not obligated to hear confessions face-to-face.  Someone appealed to Rome, and Rome said we did not need them.   Monsignor wanted to spend thousands of dollars to create them.  No.  First, reconciliation rooms are not required.  They also cost thousands of dollars.   Homie isn’t playing that game!  Rome reminded the bishops and priests, some of whom are educated beyond their ability, that confessionals are there for the protection of the priest and not for the comfort of the penitent.   It is entirely my choice how I hear confessions.  There have been so many crazy things.  Another one is that priests cannot hear confessions right before Mass because it hinders the penitent from reflecting on the Mass.  It sounds good for those not educated in Theology.  But if you had any knowledge past the first year of Theology, you would know that is all fertilizer.  “You cannot hear confessions right before Mass.”  Rome said, “Yes, you can. You can also hear confessions during Mass.”    The first thing you learn in Sacramental Theology is a Latin phrase: “Sacramenta destinabantur homini” which means the Sacraments were meant for man.   They are not elaborate rituals that satisfy everybody’s desire to be in a high school play.  The Sacraments are God giving life to man.  That is why He came . . . to give us His divine life.  

This comes up sometimes with the Spanish.  They’ll say, “Father, confess?”  Yes, but only if you speak English.  They’ll say, “Yes, yes.”  Then they start rattling off in Spanish.  Wrong!  I am only obligated to hear confessions in the language I understand.  You are blowing stuff by me.  I need English so that I can understand you.  It’s like going to your doctor and describing in Spanish all your symptoms and all the medications you take.  If your doctor doesn’t speak Spanish, what do you think the outcome of your healthcare is going to be?  Not good.  If I cannot understand what you are saying, I don’t know if there is any mortal sin there, so I cannot absolve you, and I cannot apply effective remedies.  When I was overseas, a Korean lady came to camp, and she went to Mass.  She would sit near the back of the Quonset hut with her daughter.   After Mass, her daughter approached me and said, “Father, my mother would like to go to Confession.”  Great.   Her mother spoke Hangeul.  How good do you think my Hangeul is?  I barely speak English.  I do not know Hangeul, so her daughter translated for her.  Priests have told me I cannot do that.  Yes, I can.  It’s in the law.  They must have fallen asleep during Canon Law class that day.  The translator has the same obligation of secrecy regarding the confession as I do.   

Another, and my favorite, is general absolution.  I was at dinner with some priests, and one of them was laughing about a wedding rehearsal he had been to.  Some people at the rehearsal wanted him to hear their confessions.  But he was tired, so he gave them general absolution.    Some of the priests thought that was funny and were laughing.   Well, the way I was raised, you do not make a mockery of the Sacraments because that is blasphemy.   So, I said, “Father, when I was overseas, after I began Mass, we started taking incoming fire, so I gave everybody general absolution.  I do believe that is the only time it is allowed.”   There was deathly silence at the table.   So, it’s getting crazy.   Our bishop, as the pastor and teacher of the diocese, has sent out a letter reminding the priests and the faithful about how to receive and celebrate the Sacrament.  Here is a portion of it:

On the part of Confessors [that would be me], the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not counseling, nor is it the appropriate time for spiritual direction.  A brief word of counsel may be given after penitents confess their sins.   If someone needs a longer consultation about their spiritual life, the priest should instruct the penitent to come to the parish office to arrange for an appointment with a priest.

When I was going through the Penance course, the professor said we should not keep penitents for long because it sets a bad example.  Keep your voice quiet.  Don’t yell, “You did what??” or “Oh my God!!”  Don’t do that.   Now back to the bishop’s letter. 

On the part of the faithful approaching the Sacrament, penitents should be instructed to examine their conscience well before the individual confession.  Ask briefly and confess your sins without extraneous details [I get a lot of that] or recounting all the circumstances surrounding your sins [I get a lot of that too.  I have been a chaplain for 42 years, a military chaplain for 24 of those years.  If you have a sin I haven’t heard about, I’ll pay for the privilege of hearing it.]  Confessors should gently remind individual penitents that they only need to briefly mention details that would affect the gravity of the sin or culpability to the penitent to a greater or lesser degree. 

That’s important.  I have heard this a couple of times: “Father, I have committed every sin in the book.”   There are two textbooks in the Moral Theology course: Volumes 1 and 2.  I still have them; they are interesting reading.   When someone says they have committed every sin, I ask them, “So have you married your first cousin?”  No!   There goes a chapter.  I remember we had to study the degrees of affinity in Marriage Law and memorize all the tables.  Gosh!   In my 42 years as a priest, I have never had anyone who had a problem with that one.   But I had to memorize those tables, and I still remember them.  Another question I will ask is: “Did you date any animals?”  No!  Another chapter gone.  “Did you sell the Sacraments?”  No!  Another chapter gone.  Every sin has a name, so just name it.  You’ve got to tell me where it hurts because I’m not a mind reader.   I could probably predict with a high degree of certainty what you did, but that doesn’t help anyone.  When the penitent admits their sins, it opens their soul to Christ’s grace and purity.  And yes, I do go to confession.  At my age, I cannot find priests much older than I am, so I have to go to much younger guys.  Even though you must be 25 or 26 to be ordained, I can smell the Clearasil on them.  We are robbing the cradle! Remember what the Sacrament of Penance is and what it is not.  Christ wants your sins.  He wants to give you the grace and healing God gives you in the Sacrament. 

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 – March 8, 2026 – “We are All Fallen”

“We are All Fallen”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 7 – 8, 2026

Gospel: John 4:5-42

When I was a young priest, and that was quite a while ago, I would hear priests say they didn’t like going to hospitals.  Well, I don’t like going to meetings, but I still go.   But that begs the question: who actually likes going to hospitals?   Does anyone really enjoy it?  Unless you are there to have a baby, most of the time being in the hospital is not much fun.   I have had chaplain students shadow me as I made my rounds at the VA Hospital.  Some of them wouldn’t go into smelly rooms because they hadn’t become nose-blind.   They saw a lot of stuff, especially in the trauma center.  It’s not like what you see on television, but you get used to it.  One of the students who was shadowing me left and went somewhere else after I told her that, in order to put her ministry into perspective, she needed to realize that every patient in that hospital has been taught to kill on command, and a lot of them have.  This is not Atrium or Novant.   It’s a whole different cast of characters you have here.   She did not stay very long after that.  Was it something I said?   But it was the truth, and she needed to be prepared for that. 

One question that Jesus never asked in the Gospel: “Do you feel called to it?”  Many priests don’t like going to prisons.  I’m not crazy about it either, but the guards let me out.   Even so, it’s not in the top 10 things on my bucket list.  When Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks, he said, “Because that’s where the money is.”   Why do I go to prisons?  Because that’s where the sin is.   Most priests probably wouldn’t want to do what I did for Uncle Sam for a long time, and I can understand that.  You can get killed doing the type of work I used to do.   But priests are called to go to the vilest places on earth for the salvation of souls.   “I don’t feel called to it.”  Jesus didn’t ask if you feel called to it; He said just do it.  We are all called, each in our own vocation, to seek out the vilest people and bring the light of the Gospel to them.  Many people wouldn’t do what I have done, and I wouldn’t recommend it.  However, we are supposed to seek out everyone who was created by God.  I was at a funeral the other day and was talking to the wife of the guest of honor, who was lying nearby.  She was telling me about her husband and some of the things he had done, and I said, “He was a child of God. Nobody gets better than that.”   God loves that man with an infinite love, and He loves us.   Jesus died on the cross because He loves us. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus went to the Samaritan woman, the so-called fallen woman.  By the way, we are all fallen.   If you read the longer version of the Gospel, she was living with a guy and had several husbands before that.  Jews considered Samaritans to be dogs, and they did not like them at all.   The Samaritan woman had been ostracized, which is why she was at the well at noon, during the hottest part of the day.  Nobody goes outside at noon in the Middle East, especially a woman alone.   The American Army does because we are stupid, but none of the civilians do.  We go outside and walk around with 60 pounds of gear that Uncle Sam gave us.  I can tell you that it’s very slimming.  But even though our Lord was hot, hungry, and thirsty, He went out to search for the Samaritan woman.   We are called to do the same, to seek the fallen and most vile.   We are called to bring Christ to those people because He loves each of them.   Did Jesus berate the woman?  No.   Did Jesus threaten the woman?  No.   Instead, He gave her hope.  He showed her His love.   God, Himself, went out and retrieved her soul.   Each of us, in our own vocation, shares in that work as God opens the pathways for us.  We have had patients in the VA Hospital who committed murders.  What do I say to them?  I ask them, “Are you sorry for everything you have done wrong?”  Nobody is too vile and reprehensible for us to show the love of Christ.  Nobody. 

There was a patient in room 12, and I was talking to his wife.  She said her husband wanted to be baptized.  Okay.  However, his church had to vote to approve his baptism.  So, I advised her to go to church on Sunday and ask the pastor after the service for permission for me to baptize her husband.   If the church approves the baptism, I’ll be back next Friday, and I’ll baptize him.   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.  I asked her husband if he wanted to be baptized, and he said yes.  So, I got some water and baptized him right there.   Another soul for Heaven.   It’s what we are supposed to do. 

Nobody is beyond God’s mercy.  We are all children of God, and nobody gets any better than that.   Whether comfortable or not, go and bring Christ to people, even to the most vile and reprehensible.  When I go to Felon University (the prison) over by the airport, you don’t think that’s a monastery filled with monks, do you?  But God wants them to be saved, too.   He does not want anyone to be lost.   Who is going to bring Christ’s love to them other than us?  We are the hands and feet of Christ to bring salvation, even to the most repugnant places, to those who have wandered away.   

Father’s Reflections:

Yesterday, I had a funeral at Stanly Funeral Home.  They had the choir from a Primitive Baptist church sing for them, and the choir was very good.  I always wondered if they had flush plumbing, but apparently, they don’t have musical instruments.  They sang a few hymns, without instruments, before we started, and after the funeral service, I told the choir, “I appreciate your singing for us. You have beautiful voices.  If you aren’t busy on Sunday morning around 9:30, I could use you.”   While the family loved what I said, not a single choir member smiled.   Some people have no sense of humor.  I have another funeral there on Monday. 

I get calls from people who think their houses are haunted.  So, I go out and bless the house, and they no longer have any problems with hauntings.  People ask me, “Are you afraid?”   No, I know a Guy.  Do you know Who I work for?


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 – February 22, 2026 – What Cannot Be Overcome Must be Endured

“What Cannot Be Overcome Must be Endured”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 21-22, 2026

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

Here is a bit of a rhetorical question – how many of you would like to step on a land mine?  It’s not recommended.  Do you know what the best way to avoid stepping on a land mine is?  Don’t go into a minefield.  Simple enough.   The problem is that land mines are not always labeled.  So, we must always be very careful.

It is the same thing with avoiding the temptation to sin.  Avoiding temptation is not always easy because sometimes it is not clear.  So how do we not sin?  First, don’t go where the temptation exists.   If you don’t want to drink, don’t go into a bar.  If you don’t want a haircut, don’t go into the barber shop.    Stay away from what leads to sin – people, places, and things.  But, like the minefield, we don’t exactly have signs that say, “This is a minefield. Don’t walk here.”  People, places, and things can easily lead you into sin.   That is never advertised.     Some of the things we have can be used for good.  But not always.  I’m talking about laptops, phones, Kindles, and whatever electronics you have. They are things that can be used for good, and they advance our lives.   I am blessed that I have no idea how to use any of them.  But they can all be occasions of sin.   If your computer offends you, turn it off, unplug it – you’ll save money.  Although television, computers, books, and movies are occasions of sin, do you know where the biggest occasion for sin is?   The biggest occasion of sin lies on top of our shoulders.   The devil can get into our heads.  If we stay by ourselves for too long, that is a terrible place to be.  You may be thinking, “Father, I have bad thoughts.”   I do too.  Whenever I drive by Hardees, I have lust in my heart.  But that’s just me.    We have to be very careful about what we allow inside our heads and what we allow to remain there.  One bad thought can lead to another and to another.  We cannot trust that all our thoughts will be pure and nice, so we must be careful. 

Remember, we are not responsible for our thoughts.  Thoughts come in and out for a number of reasons, many times by the evil one.  They are not sinful in themselves; we are only responsible for what we do with them.  We are not supposed to enjoy or prolong evil thoughts, take them out to lunch, chauffeur them, or diaper them.   That is when they are sinful.  We are supposed to fight against them.    Now, do we have the ability to fight against the devil?   Yeah, but we have long odds, and we will lose every single time.   We cannot fight evil thoughts directly.  Instead, we crowd them out through intense activity and through prayer.  Or you could do what Saint Francis of Assisi did.  They never tell this story about Saint Francis.  He was a little feisty.  He had a temptation of impurity, and do you know what he did?  He threw himself down a hill of thorn bushes.  That will leave a mark.   But we are supposed to go to that extent to avoid sin.  However, we don’t always have a hill of thorn bushes nearby.    If pop-ups appear on our phones and computers, we can say, “No thanks” and move on.  Sometimes things cannot be gotten rid of that easily.  So, we pray, and we struggle because what cannot be overcome must be endured.    

Bishop Sheen said that the temptations of Christ were:  1) To hunger.  Everybody hungers.  Give them all bread, and they will be holy.  No, they won’t.   There are plenty of fat, evil people.  We’ve got some correctional officers here.  Ask them how many fat people are in FU (felon university/prison).   2) It’s all about the show.  Give them a show.  Make the Mass entertaining, where everybody has a role.  Bring in the clowns.  No.  Nobody comes, and people leave.  The Mass is not a show.  It’s like when somebody dies – is that a show?  I’ve never met anyone who had a great time while watching a loved one in hospice die.  Watching the Most Beloved die in the Sacrifice of Christ is not a show, and it’s not for our entertainment.  It is a sacrifice for us to be a part of.   

Some people think we need to change the laws and create more.  You know, lawyers and police officers cannot memorize all the laws we have.  There aren’t enough cops to enforce them or prisons to hold felons.   Just having laws doesn’t change anything.  Many felons have accumulated several felony counts over the years.  Why?  Because they don’t learn even though they are given state-sponsored fish – blech.  Nothing changes.  It’s not about politics.  It’s not about laws.   It’s about the person.   But be careful about changes.  They may appear good, “Oh, it’s so great.  This is such a better way. We were so right!”  No.  Be very careful. 

How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________

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Sermon Notes – February 15, 2026 – He Cleans Up Our Mess

“He Cleans Up Our Mess”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 14-15, 2026

Gospel: Matthew 5:17:37

A friend of mine told me this story, so I don’t take credit for it, but I thought it would be a good one to share at the beginning of Lent.  One morning, my friend woke his young son and asked him, “Are you hungry?  Do you want breakfast?”  His son said, “Yay! I’m going to make my breakfast!” and he flew downstairs to the kitchen.  My friend tried to catch up with him, but his son said, “I’m going to make it myself.”  He grabbed a bowl and a box of cereal.  As with any five or seven-year-old, some of the cereal made it into the bowl, but a lot of it fell on the floor.  My friend asked his son if he wanted help with the milk.  “No, I got this.”  Famous last words.   There was milk splashed all over the place.  But his son was so happy with himself.  “I made my breakfast! I’m going to show mommy what I did,” and he took the bowl and ran back upstairs.  When his son came back downstairs, what did he find?  Nothing.  The kitchen was perfect because his dad had cleaned up the mess.    Did his dad reprimand him?  No.  It was a teachable moment, but not in the way most people think.   Dad cleaned the mess in the kitchen, and it was as if nothing ever happened, like Servpro.  He never told his son about it.  Perhaps years down the road, his son may realize what his dad did for him – that he cleaned up all the mess he had caused – and maybe one day he will do the same for his own children.  

As we begin the Season of Lent, we meditate on our failures, sins, and lack of progress in our faith.   We should think about our own lives, where our Good Lord has cleaned up our messes.  All sin causes a mess.  We can minimize it . . . some people minimize it a lot.  “Oh, my sin wasn’t that bad.”  Some people go in the opposite direction and think their sin caused the Titanic to sink.   No.  But realize the enormous debt God paid for us and how much of our messes He cleaned up.   

God wants our hearts to turn to Him and to love Him.  Think of what our God has done for us by cleaning up the damage we have done to our relationship with Him and the damage we have done to our relationship with others by our sins.   He did not repay us according to our inequities, nor did He rub our face in it.  “See what I did for you?”   He does not do that.  So, this Lent, let’s call to mind and meditate on the great act of forgiveness our Good Lord has done for us.  What is the greatest experience of God’s love?   It is the experience of His mercy and forgiveness.

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 – February 8, 2026 – When We Fall, We Get Back Up

“When We Fall, We Get Back Up”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 7-8, 2026

Gospel: Matthew 5:13:16

While I was trying to meditate on the Gospel this morning, I thought about a gentleman I had the grace to tend to during his dying days. I remember that he was in Room 1 in Hospice. His name was on the door to his room, but it wasn’t his real name. He was a retired FBI agent, and his fingerprints were not his. He was deeply buried in an organization that he couldn’t talk about. I was visiting with him and his wife, and while he was dying, I heard him say to his wife, “If I had known that dying was this hard, I would have kept my suicide pill.” This guy worked in a very dark area and did all sorts of good things for us.

I remember reading about Saint Therese de Lisieux, the Little Flower. In her day, you had to be at least 12 to receive Holy Communion. It was Pope Pius X who lowered the age to seven. When Saint Therese was a little girl, she would put her head on her mother’s lap whenever her mother returned from receiving Holy Communion. Her mother asked why she did that, and Therese said, “Because you have Jesus inside you.” Isn’t it amazing that, even as a young girl, Therese knew that?

We are the light of the world. We have been given that light by our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments. We are called to bring that light to the world. How do we do that? We do it by living a good life. However, we cannot think our way into good actions. If we go to school because knowledge is key, then why are some doctors fat? They are the ones telling us to lose weight. Do you know how many nurses smoke? Don’t you think they know that smoking is bad for you?

You cannot think your way into good actions. You must act your way into good thinking, and that changes everything. The military is based on that, and 12-Step Programs are too. They don’t talk about what you think or how you feel about something. They don’t care because these are things you must do. And that is when everything changes. Your whole outlook, spiritual and mental, is changed. I have had people say, “I don’t think I’m getting any better.” Yes, you are. In 12-Step programs, other people can see that you are getting better before you do. Keep doing corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Keep coming to Confession. Keep praying the Morning Offering. Offer up all the sufferings you endure – real or imagined. The worst thing I ever lived through never happened. Real or imagined, offer it up to God.

We make our prayers and visits. You may be thinking, “I don’t always feel good doing it.” So? I don’t always feel good about having my blood checked. Last time, I had to have blood drawn twice because the phlebotomist, the vampire, caught the needle on her sleeve and yanked it out. That wasn’t pleasant. She stuck the needle back in, and I was good. But that was just a little something I could offer up to our Good Lord.

We act our way into good thinking. People see that. We don’t have to consciously try to evangelize. We evangelize by the way we live. People see our actions. After a while, our acting becomes spiritual muscle memory. We are not conscious of it because it has become routine. And that’s a very good thing.

See your light. You have the power within you, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father, and God the Son, given to us in the Sacraments. That’s how we have the power to do good works, both corporal and spiritual. That power also helps us get back up when we fall. We cannot be perfect, but salvation lies in always getting back up and carrying our crosses after our Savior. This is how we do it. People will see it, will wonder what we have, and they will ask about it.

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.”