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Sermon Notes – January 18, 2026 – “Treat People as if They Were Christ”

“Treat People as if They Were Christ”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

Gospel: John 1:29:34

While I was hearing confessions the other day, I had the thought that confessions are like a celestial car wash for the soul.  You go in one side with a soul that is full of all sorts of grime and dirt from sin.  After a couple of minutes, through the grace of God, you are washed with the Precious Blood of Christ and leave with a soul that is like brand new.  How cool is that?  In a couple of minutes, your soul is restored.  And it’s free!  “I never realized I felt this bad!”  You also never realize how dusty your house is until you see dust bunnies and wonder how they got there.  It’s the same with the sin in our souls. 

Venial sins accumulate in our souls and dull our awareness.  John came to testify to the Lord, and after that, he left the scene.  According to Scripture, he was convicted and martyred.  We are also called to testify to our Good Lord.  When I was in Statesville, I was still in the Reserves, so I had to keep in shape.  On nice nights, I liked to run downtown near Mitchell College.  The architecture there is beautiful.  On my runs, I would see this guy in the middle of the town square screaming at people about the Bible.   The police knew him and were not too concerned.  I wondered about his medical prescriptions, but I admired his zeal, I really did.  However, I don’t know if that was the best way to testify to Christ. 

We testify to Christ through our actions.  We bear witness to Christ not only by the good we do that people see – a lot of the good we do, people don’t see – but God sees it.  Remember that.   Malcolm Muggeridge, an agnostic/atheist, heard about Mother Teresa and went to Calcutta to observe her work with lepers.  Mother Teresa and her sisters cared for the sickest people in the most disgusting conditions.  It was not like the nice, clean hospice we have at Atrium Health, and there were no air fresheners.  When people have leprosy, there is quite an odor.   Malcolm witnessed the great love and care that Mother Teresa and her sisters gave them, and he was amazed.  Sometimes he would see a glow around Mother and the sisters while they worked with the lepers.  In the spiritual life, we call that glow, ‘Shakina.’  You know what happened to Malcolm?  He became Catholic.   

We can witness with the testimony of our lives and all the good we do without being asked.  We also testify to our good Lord by how we bear evil and with people who hate us and who may have done bad things to us.  How?  Well, I no longer carry a tape measure to see if they will fit into the trunk of my car.  Those days are over.  The price of cement is too high.   But they could be right because even on my best days, I may not be so charming.  So, how do we deal with people who have offended us or who don’t like us?  By treating them as if they were Christ.   Maybe we have given them a reason, or maybe there is no reason, and they are just having a bad day.  Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter.  Our Lord told us to pray for them.  The beautiful thing is that we don’t have to like it.  I think of the police in Minneapolis, or anywhere, and the people screaming at them and calling them all sorts of bad names.  But the officers do not react.  We also do not have to react.  We should react by feeling sorry for them.   It is easier, and people appreciate it more, if we have visible signs of our own handicaps.  But when we don’t, when our suffering is interior, and when we are really suffering, that spiritual crown of thorns drops down over our heads.  My mother taught me a valuable lesson after I was already a priest.  She said, “Peter, would you do something for this guy?  He was nice to me.”  Warwick is a small place, so everybody knows everybody, and I knew this guy, but I didn’t like him.  I would rather have broken his kneecaps, but since he was good to my mother, I was good to him.  Besides, why was I carrying around that grudge?  I doubt he thinks about me one bit. 

Everyone has bad days, and if one thing doesn’t go just right, the cork can pop, and everything flows out of our mouths.  It could be something as simple as the wheel on our shopping cart at the supermarket locking up.  We don’t know, but we have to bear that evil.  How?  And how do we bear our own sufferings, visible and invisible?  How we bear them and how we deal with others is a testimony to Christ because He gives us the power.  Do we bear it perfectly?  Oh, heck no.  If some idiot cuts me off in traffic, I might make a rude hand gesture even though I shouldn’t.  Don’t do that.  But we don’t give up.  We may be down, but we get back up and get back into the fight.  There is no Three Knock Down Rule.  We keep going back in.  This is how we testify to our love of Christ. 

Bear evil as Christ did.  People see that.  They may be having a really bad day, or they may be the village idiot in need of a job.  I don’t know.  But we endure evil as Christ did.  We bear in our bodies the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body, that is, the Church.  We bear witness to Christ by what we do for Christ and what evils we bear for Him.  Offer up your works, joys, and sufferings each day to our Savior in the Morning Offering.  If people ask us why we do those things, what should our answer be?  Because I love Christ, and He loves me.

Morning Offering

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day

for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,

for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins,

the reunion of all Christians,

and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.  Amen.

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 – January 11, 2026 – He Understands Our Fear

“He Understands Our Fear”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 10 – 11, 2026

Gospel: Matthew 3:13:17

Every good sermon should have three main points:  1) by the Baptism of our Lord, more is fleshed out that was only hinted at in the Old Testament, including the nature of God and God in three Persons.  It became more objective, allowing us to see it, and continued through the New Testament.  2) The baptism of our Lord was done with water, which corresponds to the three baptisms of Aaron, the high priest.  Aaron entered the meeting tent, and Moses washed him with water, anointed him with oil, and then anointed him with blood on his right ear, the thumb on his right hand, and the big toe on his right foot.  Jesus would also have three baptisms.  He was baptized with water, baptized with the Holy Spirit, and baptized with blood on the Cross.  We will have those three, too, and our Lord, in His humility, showed us how to do it.  Did He need to redeem us this way?  No.  But He showed us we could do it because He did.  3)  Finally, His Baptism is a sign of His great love for us and His humility.  He was baptized by His own creature, His cousin. 

Jesus began His public ministry after His Baptism.  In that one act, He showed us great humility and demonstrated extraordinary leadership.  He showed us the precise way to follow Him and to enter and enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven.  Good leaders show their followers the correct way to accomplish things.  When I was in the military, we would do physical training (PT) in the morning.  I would usually do it with the headquarters company, so a lot of officers were there.  If the First Sergeant dropped somebody for pushups because they were having an attack of stupidity, we all went down for pushups to set a good example for that soldier.  

Our Lord also showed us how to bear illness.  “Father, Jesus was never sick.”  I realize that, but when He cured the sick, what did He do?  He sighed and groaned.  He took upon Himself all the pains and fears of every sick person in the world then, and those who ever would be at that one moment.  He took all the pains of our sins and physical ailments because of sin to the Cross.  When I was much younger, my brothers and I were sick with strep throat.  In those days, doctors still made house calls.  Doctor Figman took a cotton swab and inserted it down my throat.  It felt like he inserted it all the way into my stomach.  BLEAH!!  Doctor Figman gave us medicine, but I hated it, so my father took it and said, “Oh, it’s nothing! See, it’s fine!”  Okay, Dad.  My father didn’t need the medicine, but he showed my brothers and me how to take it.  That is what Christ does.  He shows us how to take His medicine so that we can get to Heaven.  We must do exactly what He did so that we can receive His promises.  He also understands our fear, as He showed us in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He worked through His fear to show us that we can too.

We see the humility of Christ every day.  You see His humility here now at the altar, where God makes Himself subject to His creatures.  Through a very imperfect creature – me, He comes down to the altar in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and becomes the Most Precious Body and Blood made present for His faithful to receive as an intercession to the Heavenly Father.  This is the great love brought by His humility. 

Our Lord’s baptism was the beginning of His public ministry.  He showed His humility from the beginning and throughout His ministry by His obedience to the Father’s commands, His obedience to Mary and Joseph, and His obedience to His creatures.  Why?  Because He loves us.  Follow His ways.  Do what He did, and you will get what He got.  We will see Him one day in His Kingdom in Heaven.

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 – January 4, 2026 – “A Spiritual Autopsy”

“A Spiritual Autopsy”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 3 – 4, 2026

Gospel: John 1: 1-18

When does the Christmas season end?   It ends with the celebration of the Baptism of our Lord.  So, the Christmas season is not over until next Sunday, January 11th.   Now, here we have the crèche, or nativity scene, which was given to us by Saint Francis.  This particular nativity is an expensive one, thanks to your generosity.  The nativity is more than a decoration; it is a marvelous representation of Scripture and a handbook of Theology.  Inside the nativity, the figures represent: Mariology – the study of Mary, the Mother of Jesus; Soteriology – the study of redemption; Christology – the study of Christ; Ecclesiology – the study of the Church; and Eucharistic theology.  

Let’s do a spiritual autopsy.  If you look at the people in the nativity, who do you see?  You see the very holy, Mary and Joseph.  You also see the very learned and the very unlearned.  Both the learned and the unlearned know the same thing.  They know that they do not know everything.   The shepherds knew they didn’t know everything.  You would not find a Mensa card in their wallets.  The Wise Men were learned, but their education taught them that they didn’t know everything.   The Wise Men, who were not Jewish, followed the star and came to see the source of all knowledge – Christ.  This is the Church.  We are all one in Christ.  Paul said there is no Jew or Gentile.  In the nativity, Christ unites everyone.  He is the Savior for all people, everywhere.   

When did Christ first use the word ‘Church’ in Scripture? He used it when He made Peter the pope.  “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church” (Matthew 16:18).   The Greek word for ‘rock’ is ‘Cephas.’   In the old days, Jewish people called themselves ‘qahal,’ a Greek word meaning ‘assembly.’  However, our Good Lord used the word ‘ecclesia,’ which is also Greek.   Christ didn’t say He was going to write a book.  No, He said, “I will build My church,” My new Body.  Before Paul joined the Church, he was not among those who had read the book.  Christ appeared before him and said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4).  The Church is His Body.  Who makes up His Church?  It’s all there in the nativity.

Now, when I look around the church, I see another manger scene of those who make up the Church.   I see people of all family origins.  We have doctors, firemen, cops, and we have lazy people like me.  We have all sorts of people here.  We have people of all nationalities.  We even have Yankees here.  God forbid.  I need to ask the ushers to check IDs at the door more thoroughly.  We have people who are well-off and people who are not.  We have retirees and young people.  We have all sorts of people.  We are the Church and the Body of Christ.   Christ does not divide.  Yes, it can be a problem not having Mass in every language.  Gosh, I miss the Latin Mass.  It was a lot easier for me.  I cannot learn everyone’s language.  If you think I can, you are wrong.  

Catholicism is not a hyphenated faith.  There is not a different Redeemer depending on your ancestry or the melanin in your skin.   Christ’s offering and teaching are the same for everyone.  Sin divided us, but Christ unites us in Him.   There are no hyphenated Catholics, and saying otherwise is blasphemy.  Hyphenating Catholics using their family of origin divides the Body of Christ.  Four generations on my father’s side are from Ireland, and two generations on my mother’s side are from Canada, but I am not an Irish-French-Canadian Catholic.  I’m just Catholic.  We are all one in Christ.  One Lord.  One faith.  To make up anything else, to hyphenate the faith according to ancestry, would be to deny who Christ is.  There is not a different Lord for each family of origin.  The message doesn’t change.  He came to be the Savior for all, with one message: Himself. 

One of the greatest soldiers I served with was a Sergeant First Class.  I called him “Homie.”  His wife, however, was a pain in the keister, so we had to send him home.  Homie was a flight medic, and we crossed paths on several occasions during our careers.  We were having a Cuban cigar, which was legal to buy where we were.  I wanted to get smoking a Cuban cigar off my bucket list, but it was the most God-awful thing I have ever had.  If I hadn’t been around a real man, I would have thrown up.   But I had to smoke it because Homie gave it to me.  While we were smoking our cigars, Homie said, “Sir, can I ask you a question?”  Anything, Homie.  He said, “Do you marry people of different races?”  I said, “No.”  Homie gave me a strange look, so I said, “I do not marry anyone who isn’t a member of the human race.  If the marriage is between a man and a woman, I’m good.  But that’s where I draw the line because it is how God created us.”   

I will tell you one more story before we move on.  I spent a month in the field in Louisiana, and a week later, I was on a plane headed to Guantanamo in Cuba, where I spent three months.  I just love government-paid vacations; they are always fun.  So, how many words in Spanish do you think I could speak in 1994?  Zero.  How many words in Spanish do you think I can speak in 2026?  Zero.  Anyway, we were lodged in a camp with Cuban refugees.  We stayed in the best available accommodations, but it was not Motel 6.  We had regular Army Military Police who were locked and loaded.  The Protestant chaplains were in awe of Catholic chaplains, as they should be, right?   They were all surprised at how much the people loved us.  “You come here, and they all love you.  You aren’t Cuban, and you don’t even speak the language!”   I said, “We are their priests, and we bring them Christ.”  In the Army, it was the same thing.  Chaplains couldn’t understand why people loved their priests.  If you looked at our congregations, we had people from all over the world.  We are all God’s children, and we are one in Christ.  

So, when you see the nativity, you can reflect on Who the Church is.  It is not a ‘what’.  Remember that.  The Church is a ‘Who.’  It is the Body of Christ.  We are all part of the Church with one Lord and not a hyphenated Lord.  Our Lord didn’t make a different deal with the Polish than He did with the Americans.  The same deal goes for everybody.  It is the manifestation of God’s love. 

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 28, 2025 – They Always Said “Yes”

They Always Said “Yes”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 27 – 28, 2025

Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23

Today is the Feast of the Holy Family.  What made the Holy Family holy?  They were holy because they had Christ in their family.  How did they bring Christ into their family?  They were obedient to God’s Word.  Keeping the Lord’s Commandments are works of love.  What was Mary’s response when the angel said to her, “Oh, by the way, you are to conceive a child without a husband.  Are you good with that?”  That would have been a death sentence in Israel at the time.   But Mary loved God so much that her response was, “Okay, that sounds like a great idea, God.  I’d love to.”   Neither Mary nor Joseph was read into what was going to happen in the fullness of God’s Revelation.   They did not know.  God just asked them, “Will you do this?” and they always said, “Yes.”  Joseph’s faith was strong, and he did a lot of work.   “Hey Joseph.  Mary is pregnant, but you are going to marry her anyway.”  “Okay.”  He was also told to take Mary to Bethlehem in the middle of the night using the shoe leather express.  Now, nobody walks around Palestine in the middle of the night.  First of all, it’s freezing, and it’s also very dangerous.  When our military was there, the only time we ventured outside at night was with heavily armed soldiers with nasty attitudes. 

When the Holy Family returned from Bethlehem, Joseph was told to take her all the way to Egypt, again by the shoe leather express.  When they returned from Egypt, Joseph had to take Mary and the Baby to Jerusalem for Christ’s presentation in the temple, still again by the shoe leather express.  When Christ was 12 years old, they had to make that same trip.  Joseph did a lot of walking.   Did he have an explanation for why?  No.  Did he understand any of it?  No.  The angel did not deem it necessary to enlighten him because Joseph lacked the necessary divine security clearance.  He did it because God asked him to.  Love dwelt in that family because they were obedient to God.  The Blessed Mother and Joseph proved their love for God by their obedience.  What did Christ say?  “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”  By the way, there are more than ten Commandments.  If He asks, always say “Yes.” 

When priests are ordained, they take three vows:  poverty, chastity, and obedience.  The hardest vow for priests to keep is obedience.  “Who the heck does that clown with the funny hat think he is?”  Some of us are educated far beyond our abilities.   Obedience has two parts: objective and subjective.  Objective obedience is external.  Subjective obedience is internal assent to a superior’s will and is the most challenging form of obedience.   The marvelous thing about Mary and Joseph’s obedience is that it was both exterior and interior.  While in the military, when I gave a soldier an order, most of the time they would say, “Yes, Sir. I’d be happy to,” and then they would carry out the order.   However, sometimes soldiers really didn’t want to do what I had ordered, although that was irrelevant because I could literally put someone in prison for disobedience.   Those soldiers followed my orders even though they didn’t want to, but in the back of their minds, they were probably thinking, “You are such an idiot!”   

Subjective or internal disobedience resulted in Original Sin by our first parents: “I will not serve. I will not do what God says.”  Obedience is always a struggle.  You say that you love God, but sometimes your internal assent may be like, “Oh, I gotta go to Mass.”  “It’s a Holy Day, so I have to go to Mass.”  “I have a hard time receiving Jesus.”   If you find it difficult to become a part of God’s sacrifice and receive Holy Communion, you really need to think through those objections.  Does that even make sense to you?  No.  But because of our fallen nature, we want to rebel: “I don’t like being told what to do!”  When God knocks on the door to our hearts, if Christ lives within us, we will open it and invite Him inside to sit and eat with us.  If our hearts are hardened when God knocks, we will say, “No thanks. I’ve got this.”  Even at the end of people’s lives, I have had some refuse the Sacrament of Last Rites.   Usually, I wait until they are in a sweet state of reasonableness, which occurs about ten minutes after the drug cart has come by and they are bombed out of their ever-loving minds.  It’s a spiritual tool that I have used many times. 

Interior obedience is the most challenging struggle each of us faces because of Original Sin and the sins committed after Baptism.  But it is our obedience to God’s commands that enables us to become like the Holy Family.   Obeying His commands is how we increase in His love, to ensure the maximum happiness we can be afforded in this life, and to have life eternally.  You think obedience is hard?  Think about the Baby in the Manger, the 2nd Person in the Blessed Trinity, whose Father sent Him into the world.  Jesus obeyed two of His creations, and you think you have trouble being obedient.  Imitate the Christ Child, Who was obedient to His parents, Divinity being obedient to His creatures who were obedient to God.  What a wonderful example of internal assent.   

If you wish to be holy, you have to be obedient. Obedience to God is not always fun.  Each day, I have to say the Divine Office, which takes about 20 minutes, and on really slow days, about 25 minutes.  “Oh, it’s so hard to do!”  Really?  “Father, come down from the Cross; we need the wood.”  It’s only hard for those who don’t want to love.  There is no sacrifice in love.  If there is, the sacrifice itself is love.  To become like the Holy Family, we must follow their example by saying “Yes” to God.  Jesus Christ said ‘Yes’ to God, and as a result, we have Him in the world as our Savior and Redeemer.  He gave us two perfect examples to follow: Mary and Joseph.

Father’s Reflection: Someday, tomorrow will start without 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 – December 21, 2025 – “Christmas is a Holy Day, Not a Holiday”

“Christmas is a Holy Day, Not a Holiday”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 20 – 21, 2025

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24

This is a very beautiful season, and we take a lot of joy in it.  Our church is a beautiful setting for our Lord’s coming, just like our hearts are after we go to Confession.   In a few days, we will celebrate the solemnity of Christmas when God was made visible to us in the form of human flesh.  It is such a joy.  But there is usually something that distracts from the beauty of Christmas and why Jesus came.  It’s always something besides His coming for our sins, because we don’t want to talk about sin.  People can take anything sublime and use it blasphemously.   They think they are smarter than the average bear, and they try to transform Christmas into a ‘deeper meaning’ for society.  Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph.  It meant something different in first-century Jewish culture than it does in our culture today.  “She was an unwed mother.”  Please.  They will say anything to detract from the reason Jesus came and why we should be joyful.  Some say that Mary and Joseph were poor, and that is why they had to stay where they did.  Really?  Scripture does not support that, nor does common sense.  Joseph was a talented man.  He was a carpenter.  Look at how much carpenters make these days.  They make some serious ching.   Carpenters in Joseph’s time did too, but wood was not as readily available as it is today.  So, they could not afford to make many mistakes.  But Joseph was a craftsman.   

A priest in Boston, Father Stephen Josoma, who I think was my classmate from seminary, decided that his church’s nativity scene would not have a baby in a manger.  Instead, his church displayed the following sign:    “ICE was here.”   Jesus was deported?  This priest was trying to do the trendy thing, but it is blasphemous, and it is not true.  Jesus was born in Palestine.  Who governed Palestine?  Rome.  Jesus was a Roman citizen, so He could not be deported.   Just like they cannot deport any of us from Acquadale or Oakboro.  We are North Carolinians.  That church in Boston changed the nativity for blasphemous purposes.  If given the opportunity, I would say to that priest, “Father, we were in the same classes, and you were far brighter than I was.  I must have missed that particular class on the nativity.”        

Caesar decreed that everyone return to their ancestral birthplace to enroll in the census.  Mary and Joseph had to stay where they did because they were late getting to the party.  Apparently, they did not get into the high-speed lane and arrived late.  It was nothing personal.  Nobody knew Saint Joseph, that Mary would be the mother of God, or that He was riding around inside her stomach.  They knew none of that.  If you have tickets to a Panthers game and you get there ten minutes before game time, will you be getting a parking space near the stadium’s front door?  Common sense tells us that you won’t.  “Oh, sure. We have one just for you. It’s in Gastonia.”  That’s just common sense. 

On Christmas Day, the remedy for sin will arrive, Heaven will be opened, and we will be given the means to dwell there with our dear Lord.  God’s promise of salvation made after the fall of our first parents is now made present.   Love becomes incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ.   The 2nd Person of the Trinity assumed our humanity and became visible.   He would die on the Cross 33 short years later so that the Gates of Heaven were opened for us, giving us the means for salvation through the Sacraments.  That is the great joy of Christmas.  The centuries of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, which seemed much delayed, prepared us to receive that promise.  In the same way, before you can go to any graduate school, you have to take the basic courses.  You have to be prepared.  All of God’s promises come true; we just have to wait for them and be prepared. 

Who is Jesus?  Jesus is our Savior Who came to save us from our sins.  He comes to take our worst to give us His best, which is Himself.  This is our joy at Christmas.  He offers peace on Earth.  That peace comes with peace in our souls for each and every one of us.  During this time in the Gospel, the world was at peace.  Do you know why?  The Romans ruled it.  If you stepped out of line, you got whacked.  The Romans had very little tolerance for stupid.  That is why the world was in a state of objective peace and not subject to interior peace. 

Christ comes to be our peace . . . peace in our soul.  He comes to take away our sins and, by taking away our sins, to infuse His divine presence in us.  This is the joy of Christmas.  We don’t have to wait for it.  Yes, we have to wait a few more days to commemorate His coming.  But each day Christ is made present, sacrificed on the altar, and we are given all the great gifts of His love in the Sacraments.  You cannot receive a greater gift than divine love and the gift of Christ Himself.  That is the joy of Christmas.  To say anything else debases the holiday.  It is a holy day, not a holiday.  God has come to us so that we can go to Him at the end of our days.  You know what is beautiful on Christmas Day?  Instead of looking up to Heaven to pray, you can look down at the manger. 

Father’s Reflections . . .

I had an interesting day yesterday.  I was hearing confessions, and I kept yawning.  One of the penitents asked, “Father, are you okay?”  I said, “Yeah, I’m just an old man. I sit down, and I fall asleep.”  Sometimes, hearing confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn. Then there was a lady who was waiting for someone in the church parking lot.  She rang my doorbell and said that she had been bitten by a snake.  Okay, I was looking forward to drinking my coffee, but I guess this comes first.  I called the paramedics, and they told me to turn her on her side if she threw up.  Gosh, I really look forward to that, although it’s not exactly how I planned to spend my Saturday morning.  I really miss hospital work!   So, I sat at the kitchen table and waited for the paramedics to arrive, while she waited outside for them.  I took my hometown newspaper out to her and said, “Hey, if you get bored, read this.”  I wanted to keep her amused so that she didn’t wander out into the road.  After that, I went to Harris Teeter.  I bought some things and got into the checkout line.  The store was playing “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives.  The song was being played in a loop, over and over again.  The checkout clerk was a young man, and I asked him, “One of your favorites?”  He said, “It’s torture.”   It was like at Gitmo when music was played to get the enemy to talk.  That young man should get combat pay. 

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 25, 2025 – I got God for Christmas

“I got God for Christmas”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 25, 2025

Gospel: John 1:1-18

Last week, I had to call 911 for a lady who thought she had been bitten by a snake. That was a lot of fun. But it was not the first time – I have called 911 several times for other people. I hope you never have to call 911, because when you do, you are upset, anxious, excited, and all wrapped up in the situation. When you call 911, the operators are very good, and they get all of your information. After you hang up the phone, you wait, and you wait, and you wait. Soon, you begin to wonder why they aren’t there already. As the crow flies, the EMTs are only two miles away. Less than three miles away, there are five fire stations: three regular and two volunteer. Also, less than a mile away, there are two cop shops: sheriff and police. After you call, you begin tapping your fingers and wondering when they will arrive. After what seems like an eternity, you hear sirens in the distance. So, you know they are on their way. They are coming, and they are coming, and they are coming, very slowly, but they are coming. “This is an emergency! Someone is hurt. I need help!” However, the police and rescue squads are constrained by the speeds at which they can drive in the city. That’s the theory, but I have seen sheriff deputies and EMTs whizz by the church. When I see an ambulance scream by on the way to the hospital, I know someone is in really bad shape. When the police, fire department, EMTs, or rescue personnel finally arrive, the healing can begin. They take charge and assure you that they will do everything they can to improve the situation. They work their magic, and your anxiety level lessens.

The same is true about our salvation and redemption. When our first parents hurt themselves and us badly by Original Sin, we needed help. But amazingly, we did not call 911 or GOD. God did that Himself because the offense was so grave that we alone couldn’t make amends. It was a divine offense. In the garden, we walked with God and talked to God. Then we gave God the shaft because we wanted to do what we wanted. But God loves us so much that He didn’t want us to wander away from Him. He said, “I will send you a savior” to remedy the divine offense. This divine offense could be fixed by only one Person – His divine Son, the 2nd Person in the Blessed Trinity. He came to be our Savior. On this day, we commemorate His appearance in the world made visible in the form of human flesh that He took from the Blessed Mother.

When you look at the manger scene, which was originally created by Saint Francis of Assisi, you can foretell the future. Our Lord came to be our Savior and to be sacrificed as atonement for our sins. The wood of the manger became the wood of the Cross 33 years later. The hay He laid on was food for the animals and became our food in the Holy Eucharist. There’s enough just on that for two sermons, but we don’t have the time. He came as our Savior, and that’s what we rejoice in. Today, as we celebrate His coming, our healing has begun. The straying from God is over. God has come to heal the damage in our souls due to sin, to remove the cancer, and to help us live so that we can go to where we were created to be, which is Heaven. He came to heal us and to reconcile us to God. That is the beauty of this day and the great joy we should have.

Who do you see around the Christ Child? You see Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. The wise men wouldn’t come until much later. But wouldn’t you love to have been there at the beginning of the First Century? Well, you don’t have to be envious. Know why? Because you have Him right there in the Tabernacle, although not under the appearance of human flesh, but of the Host. You have Him right here at Mass. What is our Savior’s greatest gift to us? His greatest gift to us is Himself. He offers Himself to us in the Sacraments, which is the greatest gift at Christmas. If you ask, “What did you get for Christmas?” My answer is, “I got God.”

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 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