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Sermon Notes – Hey You!

“Hey You!“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 23 – 24, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 1:14-20

In my meditation on the Gospel this morning, I changed my sermon a bit.  I was meditating on how the military asks for volunteers.  Jesus said, “Come, follow Me.”  The military’s way of asking for volunteers is “Hey you!”  Love to. Thanks for asking!. Officers were also subject to “hey you!”    I may have had captain or major’s rank, but sometimes I still became “hey you.”  When a job needed to be done, who did it depended on your level on the food chain.  Hey you! Oh, thank you. I’d love to.

Our Lord called the apostles by name to be His followers, to become holy, and to bring that holiness to us.  Now, if you look at their resumes, they were fishermen.  They did not get master’s degrees in Theology or Canon Law.  They did not even earn certificates for lay ministry.  They didn’t do any of that, yet they brought Christ’s love to the world.  Their bravery in the face of their own deaths is a testament to that love.  Christ call us all the same way.  He calls us by name.  Each of us were made in the likeness of God, and He died especially for each one of us. He calls each of us by name.  Not “hey you” plural, but “hey you” singular.  He wants you to follow Him.  He wants you to become holy and to bring His love to the world.  He wants every one of His children who do not know Him to know the fullness of truth found in the Catholic Faith.  First follow Him, become holy, and then bring it to the world.  You may say, “Father, I don’t have any advanced degrees.”  Mine are honorary. So, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter. 

Do you know who the most educated apostle was?  It was Matthew.  He could read and write in three languages.  The most educated of all was not even an apostle.  Know who it was?  Luke.  He was a physician, but was transformed.  Peter converted over 5,000 people, and they all heard his message in their own languages.  When you speak the language of God, of eternal love, and truth, everyone hears you.  St. John Vianney couldn’t learn Latin.  He just couldn’t get it.  Latin is not a hard language, even I managed to learn it.  But, not St. Vianney.  He was basically put in a parish in the village of Ars so that he could basically just sit there.  He was the village idiot, and look what happened.  You could say that about all Catholic priests.  However, St. Vianney could read souls.  Theresa de Lisieux, a doctor of the Church, did not finish high school.  Yet, if you read her autobiography, she cited scripture 127 times.  If you read other so-called Catholic books, they don’t cite scripture very much at all.  It’s not about knowledge, it’s about love. 

You may say, “Well, my past is not perfect.”  None of ours are.  He takes each of us and our abilities to be conduits of His love.  Sometimes your past is your greatest asset.  Who did Christ send to the nations?  The persecuted Gentiles.  Who did he send to recover alcoholics from their disease? Two other alcoholics.  Your past with Christ’s love can be your greatest asset in evangelization. 

We have approximately 110 priests in the Charlotte diocese.  A lot of them have advanced degrees. These priests are very educated, and they are very good at so much.  But, none of them can do what I can do…besides be obnoxious – that’s my strong suit.   None of them have been where I’ve been.  My work at the Veterans Hospital depends on my military background. These men and women can tell me their stories before they pass, because I’ve been where they’ve been.  The other priests can all give the Sacraments, but they cannot give what I can give…understanding veterans and helping them lay down their crosses.  That’s only because of what I’ve been through, by giving it to God, and letting Him use it.  This is what God calls you to do. 

Your past can be your greatest asset for bringing God’s love to the world. There’s no need to be ashamed of it, because it can be a great tool.  First become holy and then bring that holiness to others.  Christ calls you just like He called the apostles.  Wherever God puts you, He put you there for a reason.  He is very good at personnel management.  Whatever part of the body of Christ you are called to be in, make yourself available.  You are the only one who can do that job in that place and at that time. So, whatever your past, whatever you have done, Christ says through you, I can call others.

How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you use your past and unique abilities to bring God’s love to the world?

Spiritual Direction from Father…

I want to give you some advice, some spiritual direction, during this pandemic/epidemic and period of constant agitation.  Most people will overreact; “Oh, this is terrible! It’s the worse time we’ve ever been through!”  No, it hasn’t been.  They like to ramp up the hysterics.  Back in the 1940’s, you hated to see a boy riding a bicycle up to your house, because that is how they delivered bad news that your loved one wasn’t coming home. So, we’ve had far worse times – we just forget.  I would suggest to help you get through these rough times is 1) Pray a heck of a lot more; and 2) Do not use social media.  Let me put this way so that you can remember it:  Social is the media and social is the disease.  If there is a cure of cancer, someone will let you know.  Nothing good comes from social media with the exception of our church’s webpage. We are probably the only church that doesn’t have a “donate button.”  My staff asked, “Should we put a donation button on there?” No.  There’s a lot of good things on our website.  Stay off the news stations.  They know nothing, and they don’t tell you the full truth.  All military officers lie to you.  How do I know?  I was one. We were taught how to lie on a professional level as part of the charm course we had to go through.  In Stanly County, they say we have 100 deaths from COVID.  But, that tells you nothing.  We have a hospital, a prison, and seven nursing homes in the county.  How many people died there?  “We cannot tell you.”  Then the  figures are meaningless. How many had comorbidities?  Yes, they are dead, and I feel bad for them, I really do.  Some died long before they should have.  But just throwing numbers out there is scaring the living bejesus out of Stanly County residents and is irresponsible.  You aren’t telling them anything.  Stay away from the news stations and watch cartoons like the “Road Runner.”  I always liked the “Road Runner.”  Listen to easy listening music.  Do something.  Just turn it off.  There’s no need for that.  They aren’t going to tell you anything you really need to know that’s going to be life-changing.  It’s just going to make you more miserable.

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog.”

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Saint of the Day – January 26, 2021

(d. c. 95)

What we know from the New Testament of Timothy’s life makes it sound like that of a modern harried bishop. He had the honor of being a fellow apostle with Paul, both sharing the privilege of preaching the gospel and suffering for it.

Timothy had a Greek father and a Jewish mother named Eunice. Being the product of a “mixed” marriage, he was considered illegitimate by the Jews. It was his grandmother, Lois, who first became Christian. Timothy was a convert of Paul around the year 47 and later joined him in his apostolic work. He was with Paul at the founding of the Church in Corinth. During the 15 years he worked with Paul, he became one of his most faithful and trusted friends. He was sent on difficult missions by Paul—often in the face of great disturbance in local churches which Paul had founded.

Timothy was with Paul in Rome during the latter’s house arrest. At some period Timothy himself was in prison (Hebrews 13:23). Paul installed him as his representative at the Church of Ephesus.

Timothy was comparatively young for the work he was doing. Several references seem to indicate that he was timid. And one of Paul’s most frequently quoted lines was addressed to him: “Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23).

Titus has the distinction of being a close friend and disciple of Paul as well as a fellow missionary. He was Greek, apparently from Antioch. Even though Titus was a Gentile, Paul would not let him be forced to undergo circumcision at Jerusalem. Titus is seen as a peacemaker, administrator, great friend. Paul’s second letter to Corinth affords an insight into the depth of his friendship with Titus, and the great fellowship they had in preaching the gospel.

When Paul was having trouble with the community at Corinth, Titus was the bearer of Paul’s severe letter and was successful in smoothing things out. Paul writes he was strengthened not only by the arrival of Titus but also “by the encouragement with which he was encouraged in regard to you, as he told us of your yearning, your lament, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more…. And his heart goes out to you all the more, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, when you received him with fear and trembling” (2 Corinthians 7:7a, 15).

The Letter to Titus addresses him as the administrator of the Christian community on the island of Crete, charged with organizing it, correcting abuses, and appointing presbyter-bishops.

Reflection

In Titus we get another glimpse of life in the early Church: great zeal in the apostolate, great communion in Christ, great friendship. Yet always there is the problem of human nature and the unglamorous details of daily life: the need for charity and patience in “quarrels with others, fears within myself,” as Paul says. Through it all, the love of Christ sustained them. At the end of the Letter to Titus, Paul says that when the temporary substitute comes, “hurry to me.”

Saints Timothy and Titus are the Patron Saints of:

Stomach Disorders

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Saint of the Day – January 25th

St. Dwynwen (5th c.) was a princess from Anglesey in Wales, the beautiful and virtuous daughter of King Brychan Brycheiniog. According to legend she fell in love with a young man, yet refused to marry him due to her piety and desire for the religious life. She prayed that her desire for marriage would be removed, and that God would give happiness to all lovers. Dwynwen became consecrated to God as a nun and set up a convent on Llanddwyn Island, and her church and its ‘holy well’ became a pilgrimage shrine from the Middle Ages down to today, especially for lovers.

St. Dwynwen is the patron saint of lovers, and in Wales her feast is the equivalent of St. Valentine’s Day.  Dwynwen translated means ‘she who leads a blessed life’, and her feast day is January 25.

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Saint of the Day – January 24th

AUGUST 21, 1567 – DECEMBER 28, 1622

Francis was destined by his father to be a lawyer so that the young man could eventually take his elder’s place as a senator from the province of Savoy in France. For this reason Francis was sent to Padua to study law. After receiving his doctorate, he returned home and, in due time, told his parents he wished to enter the priesthood. His father strongly opposed Francis in this, and only after much patient persuasiveness on the part of the gentle Francis did his father finally consent. Francis was ordained and elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva, then a center for the Calvinists. Francis set out to convert them, especially in the district of Chablais. By preaching and distributing the little pamphlets he wrote to explain true Catholic doctrine, he had remarkable success.

At 35, he became bishop of Geneva. While administering his diocese he continued to preach, hear confessions, and catechize the children. His gentle character was a great asset in winning souls. He practiced his own axiom, “A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar.”

Besides his two well-known books, the Introduction to the Devout Life and A Treatise on the Love of God, he wrote many pamphlets and carried on a vast correspondence. For his writings, he has been named patron of the Catholic Press. His writings, filled with his characteristic gentle spirit, are addressed to lay people. He wants to make them understand that they too are called to be saints. As he wrote in The Introduction to the Devout Life: “It is an error, or rather a heresy, to say devotion is incompatible with the life of a soldier, a tradesman, a prince, or a married woman…. It has happened that many have lost perfection in the desert who had preserved it in the world.”

In spite of his busy and comparatively short life, he had time to collaborate with another saint, Jane Frances de Chantal, in the work of establishing the Sisters of the Visitation. These women were to practice the virtues exemplified in Mary’s visit to Elizabeth: humility, piety, and mutual charity. They at first engaged to a limited degree in works of mercy for the poor and the sick. Today, while some communities conduct schools, others live a strictly contemplative life.

Reflection

Francis de Sales took seriously the words of Christ, “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart.” As he said himself, it took him 20 years to conquer his quick temper, but no one ever suspected he had such a problem, so overflowing with good nature and kindness was his usual manner of acting. His perennial meekness and sunny disposition won for him the title of “Gentleman Saint.”

Saint Francis de Sales is the Patron Saint of:

Authors
Deafness
Journalists
Writers

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Sermon Notes – Follow the Money

“Follow the Money“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 16 – 17, 2021

Gospel:  John 1:35-42

I received an email from the Diocese about parish revenues being down during the pandemic.  Gosh they are sharp…they don’t miss a thing!  They suggested ways in which to raise money that amounts to religious extortion.  Do we need more money?  No, we need more compassion. What did our good Lord say in the Old Testament?  He said, “Comfort my people.” He didn’t say extort them.  A priest once told me, “If you are a good priest, you will never need a second offering.”  I refuse to do one. I don’t want their money…I want their sins.  

During this time when everyone is struggling and doing their best, people are being terrified by what’s on the news.  They are scaring the bejesus out of old people.  “Oh, my God! You have COVID! That’s 5,000 cases!!” What’s the death toll? Not much…it’s COVID not Ebola.  We just had a 98 year old WW II veteran, a POW, survive COVID.  Again, it’s not Ebola.  “Oh, but we’ve got all this COVID and disruption.”  You are making it a disruption by stirring things up for your own advantage.  Follow the money. You are scaring old people. How much toilet paper do you still have?  I almost went to Harris Teeter the other day when we had snow flurries to see how many people were stocking up on milk and bread.  We are to comfort our people.  I want your sins.  I want to give you Jesus.     

I just finished a book on Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta.  She formed the Missionaries of Charity who care for the poorest of the poor, the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for, and the shunned.  I had the honor of working with the Sisters while in Cuba.  The Sisters made great gifts of love to the people in their care, and they did it without reservation or disgust. The inspiration that lead to Saint Mother Teresa’s forming the Missionaries of Charity came from Jesus and the six words He spoke from the Cross.  “I thirst.”  I thirst for souls.  He did not say, “I thirst for your bank account.” He said, “I thirst” for souls.  It was Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls that inspired Saint Mother Teresa throughout her life to bring souls to Jesus.  That is our mission too – to bring souls to Jesus. 

That call from the crucifix still makes its way down to us and will until the end of time.  In our charity, we can give people the knowledge of why we do it.  Anyone can give away food. The Federal Government gives out food.  I received food from the Feds…first in a can and then in a bag.  Meals Requiring Ex-Lax or MRE’s.  Be sure to drink lots of water or you’re going to have a real problem Houston.  You may have to call Roto-Rooter.  I didn’t see God in that.  I saw what seemed like abuse, but I didn’t see God.  Have you ever had lima beans out of a can from World War II?  Not a good taste.  I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody.  The Knights of Columbus take food over to the shelter.  We do this because the love of Christ compels us.  In the old Catholic hospitals, there used to be a Crucifix in every patient’s room. In the old days, every classroom also had a crucifix.  These days we don’t want to offend anyone by reminding them about Jesus. When I took my physical before entering seminary, I went to Dr. Skyler who had a Crucifix in every examination room.  I was very impressed.  He said, “If people don’t like it, let them find another doctor.”

By virtue of our baptism, it is our mission to evangelize.  We are to bring the Faith to the world and people to Christ.  The words of Christ from the Crucifix will continue until the end of time.  He thirsts for souls.  We are to be like the angels and bring people to Christ.

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How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you help satiate Christ’s thirst for love and for souls?

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You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ , clicking on “Blog”, then “Categories” and finally “Sermon Notes.”