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Sermon Notes – October 16, 2022 – God is Not a ‘Snowflake’

“God is Not a ‘Snowflake’”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 15 – 16, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 18:1-8

1 Then He told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.  2 ‘There was a judge in a certain town,’ He said, ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone.  3 In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!”  4 For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person,  5 I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and slap me in the face.” ‘  6 And the Lord said, ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to His elect if they keep calling to Him day and night even though He still delays to help them?  8 I promise you, He will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on earth?’

I’m going to save you some time and money.  There’s no need to go to a conference or buy a book to learn how to pray.  So, what is the secret to prayer?  The secret to prayer is praying.   You have to do it.  That’s it.  That’s the whole thing.  What is prayer?  It is “cor ad cor loquitor” or heart speaking to heart.  That’s what your prayer is.  I’ve been in some interesting places, and I have prayed that He get me the heck out of wherever I was.  Your prayers don’t have to be Shakespearean, but they have to be from the heart.   Sometimes during prayer, our minds drift off. . .”Oh!  Look, squirrel.”  Just bring your mind back.  Prayer is an act of love.  Prayer is an act of faith because you believe that Someone who loves you will hear you.   Prayer is an act of hope because you believe that Someone who loves you will give you what you ask.  So, you are exercising three theological virtues when you pray. 

I remember talking to this one lady who was praying in one specific way.  She was going to claim it, she was going to pray in the right name, and she was going to do this and that.  I said, “Really?”  Do you think that all the parents waiting outside the children’s hospitals in Charlotte and Concord didn’t pray correctly, and therefore God killed their kids?  Do you think, “Oh, you didn’t mention the correct name.  Your kid is going to die because you screwed up.”  Do you really think so?  Love is over time.  God is not a cosmic gum-ball machine in which you can flip in a quarter and “Boom” get whatever you want anytime you ask.   That’s called “name it and claim it, love it and grab it.”  Now, we may not have gotten what we wanted, but lots of times we get something far better.  That’s what our Lord does.  So never feel defeated or disconsolate by prayer.  If you are thinking, “It’s all the same and I’m talking to a wall,” that’s a temptation from satan.  God always hears our prayers.  God always answers our prayers in His own time and in His own way. 

Prayers do not change God. . .prayer changes us.  It makes us more receptive to the Will of God.  Maybe we are asking for something too small.  Sometimes though, we have to take “no” for an answer.  Now, I have been ordained for 38 ½ years, and I’m still not a Monsignor.  I think I’m going to stop asking and move on to more important things other than my personal prestige.  But prayer changes us and draws us closer to God.  By the way, if you happen to get very upset with God and use some very earthly, Anglo-Saxon words in your prayers, it’s okay.  God is not a “snowflake.”  He does not take offense; rather, He adores your passion.  You can only get mad at people you love because you expect better.  As Saint Teresa of Avila said, “Lord, if this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few.”  The secret to prayer is what?  Doing it.

How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________

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Sermon Notes – October 9, 2022 – “His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”

“His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 8 – 9, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 17:11-19

11 Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem He was travelling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee.  12 As He entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to meet Him. They stood some way off 13 and called to Him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ 14 When He saw them He said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed.  15 Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice 16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 This led Jesus to say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?  18 It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’  19 And He said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

 
Do you know why the Good Lord gave the gift of healing to the ten lepers?  Because they asked for it and because He loved them.   He made them out of love and sustained them out of love.  When they asked for the gift of that love to cure them, He didn’t ask if they had tithed, given to the Priest Retirement Fund, or volunteered at the church.  He gave it to them freely because He loved them and He wanted to show His love.  One of the lepers was a foreigner. . .a Samaritan who the Jews hated.   But love gives without regard.  Love gives outside of itself never seeking reward.  Our Lord blesses us with so many gifts when we ask for them and even when we don’t.  Some of those gifts are very good and some are even better.  In some, you recognize the good and in others not so much. 

Do you remember Bishop Fulton Sheen?  He was that very handsome man on television with grey hair.  Bishop Sheen was very photogenic . . . the camera loved him.  He had a series on television, he was a wonderful speaker, and he was very talented.  He had two doctorates – I mean the guy was a genius!  He was really blessed.   But do you know what his diet consisted of?  He lived on boiled chicken, milk, and soggy graham crackers.  That was his diet because his stomach was so bad that was all he could keep down.  That was all he could eat, but you would never know it.  That was one of God’s gifts to him, and it was a blessing because it kept him small.  Indeed, some of our crosses are our greatest blessings.   It kept Bishop Sheen humble and relying on God.  I say that because he’s about to be canonized as a saint. 

The same thing is true with all the gifts God gives us.  There are so many gifts beyond counting.  While you are saying your nightly prayers and the Act of Contrition, it is a good spiritual habit to think of at least five or ten gifts God has given you.  And the next night, think of new ones.  Also think of the gifts that are your crosses and infirmities.  He gives us those so that we can share in His Passion and become more reliant on Him than on ourselves.  They are a great blessing because they keep us humble and small.  They may seem like a punishment for our sins. . . and they could be.   I’m not God, and I don’t know why God allows it, but He does.  It’s also a chance for us to give gifts of love to others and to God.  We can offer them for sacrifices and penance for our sins and those of others.   Through our sufferings we can reach out to others who are suffering and give them the same hope we have.  As Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.”  We join our sufferings with Him on the Cross.  Those sufferings can be His greatest gift to us.  Our sufferings can be not only physical ailments but also mental and spiritual sufferings.  We all have them.  Usually, the most gifted people have the most crosses so that God can keep them humble. 

God does not give us gifts because we have earned them.  Do your children have to earn your love?  You still love the ones who have gone off the reservation.  It happens in every family.  You don’t give your children gifts because they’ve earned them.  You give them gifts because you love them.  That’s what God does for us.  God loves us and He will never stop.  He hopes that these gifts of love will cause people to turn their hearts back to Him.  That’s what God does.  He will always give us blessings, but His blessings can have many forms.

How will you apply this message to your life? _______________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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How the Eucharist Changed My Life

Why do less than 30% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence? It seems like many have forgotten that Jesus gave his flesh for the life of the world.

Today, Fr. Mike reminds us of the gift of the Eucharist and shares the way it transformed his own life. It is the heart of our faith, our spiritual nourishment, the bread that we live for, and the teaching worth dying for.

Meet Fr. Mike Schmitz:

Fr. Mike Schmitz serves as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and as chaplain for the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He is a presenter in Ascension’s Chosen, Altaration, and The 99 programs, and has a channel on Ascension Presents. He is also the host of the Ascension podcast The Bible in a Year.

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Feeling Far from God?

What to Do About Feeling Far from God (Desolation) (feat. Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P.)

Click on the link to play video:

https://youtu.be/wV2CYZSnxq4

We think feeling far from God (desolation) is bad, and feeling close to God (consolation) is good, but St. Francis de Sales has a different take.

Even if desolation doesn’t go away, and consolation doesn’t last forever, God allows these periods to draw us closer to Him. How?

Periods of desolation can be opportunities to turn away from sin.

St. Francis recommends:

  1. Eradicate any and all habitual mortal sin
  2. Address lingering attachments to sin
  3. Eliminate distractions
  4. Let go and trust that God loves you, even if you don’t feel it

What about consolation?

  1. Give thanks to God
  2. Acknowledge that this isn’t something you accomplished
  3. Consider confiding in a trusted friend or spiritual director to keep you grounded
  4. Remember that consolation is not the goal of the spiritual life

In the end, St. Francis reminds us that you are not the sum total of your emotional experiences, you are the sum total of the Father’s love for you.

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Sermon Notes:  October 1 – 2, 2022 – “Would You Rather Have a Colonoscopy?”

“Would You Rather Have a Colonoscopy?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 1 – 2, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 17:5-10

5 The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’  6 The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.  7 ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal at once”?  8 Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper ready; fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink. You yourself can eat and drink afterwards”?  9 Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told?  10 So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are useless servants: we have done no more than our duty.” ‘

As a priest I hear a lot of things, and some are more interesting than others.  I’ve heard this many times when I ask people why they don’t go to church: “When I was young, I went to church all the time.  I prayed all the time.  I even ate fish on Fridays.”   Eating fish on Fridays was not mandatory.  You couldn’t eat meat on Fridays, but fish was not mandatory.  “Well, I’ve paid my dues, and now I don’t have to go.”   And I say, “Really?  You know, when I was young, I took a lot of showers and brushed my teeth a lot.  Does that mean I don’t have to do it now?”   That’s the attitude of some people.  They will give you a laundry list of all the things they’ve done for the church and how great they are.  But there is no love there.  It’s like you’ve done this huge favor for our Lord by responding to the invitation to Mass and showing up.   But where is the “thank you” for the many gifts, God has given us?   Where is the gratitude for all the bad things God has prevented from happening to us?  I shouldn’t be here.  I should be dead.  My business locations were interesting, so I should not be here.  

The way we talk about religious acts, “I’ve got to go to Mass.”  It’s like saying, “I’ve got to get a colonoscopy.”   Participating in the Mass is a great act of love for our Savior.  Are you really in love with our Lord or are you here so you won’t have to worry about eternal hell fire?  Love does not keep track of what it does for the Beloved.   Love only regrets it could not have done more.

Father’s Reflections. . .

Some of you have asked how my vacation was and if I had fun.  My vacation caused me to have some deep thoughts.  I wondered whether I’m getting old or if I’m just getting good at what I do because I didn’t need bail money while I was gone.  But my vacations are always…interesting.  I’ll give you one story besides the one about the woman who threw up in the aircraft on the flight back – we had a flight and a show, so what the heck – we got it all.   It really wasn’t a bad flight.  If you have ever flown on a military aircraft there is what’s called a “map of the earth,” and it’s a lot of fun.  It’s like riding in an airplane on a roll-a-coaster.  You learn to keep whatever you’ve eaten down…or not.  Anyway, one morning I was eating breakfast at the diner like usual and I was talking a lady I know, Cindy, who is a paranormal or ghosthunter.  She told me about a very old cemetery across the street which dated back to the Revolutionary War.  But she was scared to go there.  She was once at this cemetery in the daytime, and she heard a voice say, “Get out!”  She felt a presence, so she picked up her dog and ran out of the cemetery.  I said, “Really!  I’ve been all over that cemetery and haven’t encountered anything.”  She asked me if I was afraid.  I said, “Do you know Who I work for?  Are you talking to me?  I know a Guy.”  She asked me if my sister-in-law and I would go there with her so she could show us the spot.  So, we went to the cemetery and she took us to a spot and said, “Right here.  This         is where it happened.”  So I walked behind the gravestone and found another one that was flat and black.  I looked down and it was the grave of a young guy who was a member of a biker club.  I said, “It might be him.  He probably left the planet a little unhappy.  It could be him, but who knows.”  This is some of the fun that I have.  What do you do for fun while on vacation?  Something you probably wouldn’t do, but that is just me.

How will you apply this message to your life? _______________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”