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Sermon Notes – August 11, 2024 – “It’s Not About Us”

“It’s Not About Us”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 10 – 11, 2024


Gospel:  John 6:41-51


In the church, we have stained-glass windows and the Stations of the Cross which represent the bible in pictures.   The Rosetta window above the altar displays the 15 mysteries of the Rosary which is also Scripture.  Way, way back before the Protestant’s so-called Reformation, we had these things.  Why?  One reason is because a lot of people couldn’t read.  It wasn’t their fault; they were just trying to survive.  Also, people didn’t have enough money for books because they had to be written on parchment or sheepskin.  It was very tedious work for monks to do.  When people came to church, they could see Scripture with their eyes, and as the priests were preaching, they would point out the various mysteries of the faith. 

The whole point of Scripture is to bring attention to Christ especially Christ incarnate in the Tabernacle.  This brings up something funny; in the so-called Reformation, their attention was solely on Scripture.  So, what did Protestants do?  They got rid of visible Scripture in their churches.  The stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross were all gone.  I thought you loved Scripture.  So why did you get rid of the visible Scripture?  No one has answered that question for me yet. 

Everything we do is directed at the Tabernacle. We have proved that our Lord is in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  We have seen the evidence.  When we take our Lord away and denigrate the Blessed Sacrament, people leave in droves.  We come to Mass for a Who not a “what.”  I read a ritual book that stated, “The liturgy is the work of the people.”  No, that makes it a high school play.  The liturgy, which is the Mass, is Christ.  It’s a Who not a “what.”  You got that wrong and you flunked Theology 101.  That phrase never shows up anywhere in Church history.  I may have been sick a day or two while in seminary, but we were never taught that.  And I guarantee you that Saint Thomas Aquinas never wrote that.  Nor did Saint Louis de Montfort or Saint John Vianney.  People said, “We have to focus on the liturgy.”  So, they moved the Tabernacle to another location in the church to a place where you would be lucky to find it with a native guide.  When I got here, I started putting things back where they belonged, and people said, “Vatican 2 said this, and we have to do that.”  I said, “Okay, fine.”  I don’t want to get in trouble with anybody.  I get into enough trouble with local law, so I don’t need the Church law after me too.  Oh, did I say that out loud?  Show me where the Church decreed that.  I had a professor who was at Vatican 2.   Abbot Walter was a counselor at Vatican 2, and he claims they never said that.  Does anybody want to give out Communion?  Come on up.  No!  Does anybody want to perform surgery?  Come on up; we’ll give you a knife.  Have a good time.   No!   Everything is placed with reverence for the Eucharist.  Nobody is supposed to go beyond the altar rail except for the priest and those who have business at the altar.  And as soon as they finish, they leave.  The Tabernacle is supposed to be in a pronounced location.  When Bishop Jugis came in, God bless his soul, he had everything put back where it belonged. 

Every couple of centuries or so the Church has to do some housecleaning.  If some is good, more is better.  That’s true for hundred-dollar bills and pizza.  Everything else, not so much.  “We need more statues.”  No.  Statues are nice, but it gets so cluttered you can’t find our good Lord.  So, the Church has to do a little housecleaning and say, “That’s all very nice, very sweet, but it has to go away” so we can focus on our Lord.  All the Gospels in the past couple of weeks have been focused on the good Lord.  “I am the Bread of Life.”  The focus is always on Him and not on you, not on me, and not on the worshipping community.  By the way, I have no idea what “worshipping community” means.  Granted, I’m not the brightest bulb in the circuit.  Just as an aside, I was poking around on the internet to see what my classmates are up to, and I discovered that one of my classmates at my old diocese is now a monsignor.  Suck up!  He was Roman anyway.  When you are Roman, it’s like having graduated from West Point in the Army.   “You are all equal.”  No, you’re not.

The only thing we should focus on is our good Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  “I am the Bread of Life.”  It’s not about what you sing or who brings the gifts to the altar.  It’s all about Who is in the Tabernacle.  That is our faith.  Everything points to our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament and our focus should be only on Him.

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 – August 4, 2024 – “The Secret to Happiness”

“The Secret to Happiness”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 3 – 4, 2024

Gospel:  John 6:24-35


I’m going to tell you a secret that I do not want to take to the grave.  On my last day – my last hour – I don’t want to try to mumble something to someone who is fluffing a pillow over my face.  Do you know what the secret to happiness is?  Now this is free advice.  The secret to happiness is holiness.  It’s that simple.  It’s right there in scripture in the black part. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  Follow Jesus and you will have happiness, a happiness the world cannot take when Christ lives in our souls.  Now you may say, “Father, I try to be holy.”  You all do because you are all here.   But there are other things that happen that hurt us.  We have crosses, family crosses, and all sorts of things that weigh us down and make us sad.  For example, I’m 40 years a priest and still not a monsignor!  That’s a daily cross I must bear.  Nobody knows the pain I’ve gone through, okay?   Being holy doesn’t mean we won’t have difficulties, but that doesn’t take away the joy within us.  Only we can erase the joy and peace in our souls by sinning.  Christ doesn’t leave us – we toss Him out by committing mortal sin or having unrepentant venial sin.   We need to keep the life in our souls refreshed and strong so that we can meet the troubles of life and be able to carry our cross as well as help family and friends carry theirs.

We receive the Bread of Life in Holy Communion.  We see Christ, as Saint John Paul II said, in the Sacrament of Penance.  You cannot have one without the other.  People say, “I go to Communion all the time.”  But do you go to Confession?  “No.”  Well, you have to do both.  If you want to receive Holy Communion, Saint John Paul II said, “You have to go to Confession” to receive the Precious Blood of our Lord in our souls.  In the last two centuries of the Church, in the late 1890’s, Saint Pious X changed a few rules.  People received Holy Communion only on holy days, feast days, etc.  It was misplaced piety.  Saint Pious X said, “No, wrong answer.”  Also, Holy Communion was restricted until you were in your teens.   Saint Pious again said, “No, wrong answer.”  He brought the age to receive Communion down to the age of reason and encouraged receiving frequent Communion.  How can you keep your strength up if you don’t eat?  If you go 24 hours without food, you feel a little weak.  How can you keep the strength in your soul if you don’t receive Holy Communion often?  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that we should receive Communion often if we are properly disposed.  Properly disposed means we have no mortal sin on our soul and no unrepentant venial sins.   But it’s an objective state.  We can say, “I feel great.  I’m pretty healthy.”  It’s not that I don’t believe you, but I would believe it more if Dr. Lil or Dr. Talbert signed off on it.  It’s not about what we think.  I think I’m good-looking and strong with a big red “S” on my chest.  Objectively, I don’t.   

Receiving Communion frequently helps keep us strong in the face of temptation and renews the happiness in our souls.  I don’t mean in an emotional way like Mary Tyler Moore, “I’m so happy!”  That’s not normal.   No, I’m talking about a sense of peace and a sense of strength.  You will have Christ in your soul, and nothing can take that away from you.  No amount of temptation can take it from you.  No matter how many sins are committed against you can take it away from you.  One of the other benefits of being holy, besides going to Heaven, which is the greatest benefit, is that we become more attractive.  Now maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but I will.  When I see other priests, they are very jealous of this parish because we have the best-looking people in the diocese.  I frequently get a thrashing for that, but I’m willing to take it for you.  But what does holiness do?  Having Christ in our souls makes us attractive to other people.  They see the beauty and goodness within us – it is not us, it is us who allow Christ to radiate in our souls. 

Remember Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who is now a saint?   Let’s face it – she did not look good.  But everyone wanted to be around her because she had Christ in her soul.  No one knew the depth of her suffering.  Bishop Fulton Sheen had movie-star looks and was very charismatic.   You would never know that all he could eat was milk, graham crackers, and boiled chicken because his stomach was so bad.  No one knew how much he suffered.  But he had Christ in him and that’s why people wanted to be around him.  Saint John Paul II had Parkinsons. When he was shot, he received a blood transfusion, and an Air Force doctor proved that Saint John Paul had received the Parkinson’s virus from the transfusion.  During his last days, as he spent his time on the cross, he wasn’t the most attractive person there ever was.  He was bloated because of the steroids he had to take.  He drooled and shook, but everybody wanted to be around him because he had Christ in him.  The Pope was a fan of classical music.  Personally, I’m more of a classic AC/DC fan.  But I remember watching this concert where a world-famous conductor and his orchestra came to play for the Pope at the Vatican. They played one of his favorite compositions, and afterward, this world-famous conductor nervously looked at the Pope to see if he had enjoyed the concert.  He was thrilled when the Holy Father gave him a thumbs up because he was playing for Christ. 

Did Saint Theresa, Bishop Sheen, and Pope John Paul enjoy their suffering?  I presume not, but they endured it for the salvation of souls.  They showed us what is possible when Christ lives in our souls. 

Father’s Reflections . . .
When the Old Testament lesson was being read, the Israelites said, “We’ve never seen this food before.”  I swear my first thought was, may God have mercy on my soul, “It tastes like chicken.”  No.  Monkey tastes like monkey.   Quail tastes like chicken.

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.”