Understanding the Mass – The Homily, Creed, & Intercessions
Understanding the Mass – Preparation of the Gifts
Understanding the Mass – Eucharistic Prayer & Communion
Understanding the Mass: The Concluding Rites
Sermon Notes – He is Waiting
“Come Home…He is Waiting”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
March 14 – 15, 2020
Scripture: John 4: 5-42
Scripture 101: Ladies, can you tell me what screams out in the gospel today? The hour was noon, and there was a woman by herself drawing water at the well. What’s wrong with that? The woman was drawing water at the well alone which was just not done in her culture. Women travelled in groups and never by themselves. Also, it would have been a balmy 120 degrees at midday. Just a wonderful time of the day. Nobody goes out at noon except for the American Army while very overdressed. It’s hot, and you have 50 extra pounds of Uncle Sam’s equipment while taking a little nature walk. It’s a bit warm. It opens the pores…really refreshing. Because of the heat, most people drew water in the morning or the evening. Another thing that stands out in the scripture is that Jesus spoke to her. Even today, men in that part of the world never touch or speak directly to women. This was a fallen woman, and Jesus called her on it. He went there, despite being hungry and tired, to search for her soul. She was His child made in His image and likeness. She had wandered away from His love with five husbands and a live-in boyfriend. She was a lost woman who nobody wanted to associate with…she was shunned. But He went out to search for her anyway and to bring her back. Did Christ condemn the woman at the well by saying, “By the way, I see you have had five husbands and live with a boyfriend…you are going to hell.” Did He say that? No. Did He throw a penalty flag? No. Did He condemn her? No. We do not condemn anybody. Everyone is open for salvation. Instead, He said, “what you are looking for is a Who not a what.”
Christ came for the salvation of all souls…not just for Jews or Gentiles, but for everyone. Each soul has a cost…the cost is what you see on the crucifix. That day at the well, Christ was hot and tired. But this is what He came to do…to seek the lost, even the greatest sinners. He came to search for all of His children who have wandered away from Him. It is interesting that He gives us the precise way in which to reach out to others even when we are tired, hungry, or we just don’t want to do it. We are called to share the love of Christ by virtue of our baptism. Some of the most fruitful times to share His love is when it is the most inconvenient or uncomfortable. All the stuff I did for Uncle Sam was me just doing my job. Also, I have a lot of street credit at Hospice and at the hospital, but I’m just doing my job. It’s Christ that gets the real street credit…I’m just the instrument. Christ heals them…not the doctors or nurses.
Sometimes, when I’m talking to people about the Faith, I lose my patience if they start playing the quiz game show and try to out-lawyer me. They try to engage me in intellectual discussions. You know, I spent four years studying theology, I think I’ve got it. When you tell them about His love and the fullness of the Church, they will, by and large, start intellectual discussions with you. “Why do you call priests Father?” Because Saint Paul said so. “Well, you Catholics make women wear doilies on their heads.” Those were the old ways, and it’s no big deal. Come on, Dude! Stop playing the quiz show with me. They will make any excuse. But, it’s a delay tactic…an attempt to obscure their own sins…look, squirrel!! “I don’t go to church because you have sinners there.” Yes, and I’m happy about that. We are trying to change them. Where else would you like sinners to be? Yes, they do terrible things…that’s why they are in church. How about you, Chuckles? I know Someone who can save you from your sins.
If Jesus only called those who are perfect, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus would be the only people here. The Church would be empty. We are men not angels. We are a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints. Our Lord came for us so that we could be transformed. We are called to do the same by seeking those who have strayed away from the Faith. Will we always get results? Yes! “But it didn’t work; they didn’t come back.” You don’t know for sure; they’re not dead yet. Even though you may not see results in the people you’ve been sharing His love with, you’ve planted a seed that may grow inside them. And, look at what it did for you. Look at how it has expanded your own heart.
When I first arrived in Iraq during the first Gulf War, I approached the Colonel who said to me, “What are you doing here?” Well, you told me to come. This is where my soldiers are, so this is where I’m supposed to be. When I go into a hospital room wearing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), I’m breathing in and out like Darth Vader with a mask and gown. “What are you doing here, Father?” Well, I’m your priest; I’m supposed to be here. Besides, they give me free parking and I write off the mileage. When people are in failing health, and they do not want to come back to the Church, I just wait and wait and wait some more. Sometimes when I’m in Hospice and the nurses have just bombed patients with drugs, I will ask them again if they would like to receive Last Rites. I thought so! I’m persistent…I keep going after them. Never give up on anyone. Never give up trying to bring them back to the love of Christ. Each soul has its own worth. Each soul is worth the sacrifice…whether it is convenient or not. It was neither convenient nor comfortable for our Lord that day at the well.
One day, while I was at the VA Hospital and making my last rounds in Hospice, one of the nurses asked me if I could see a patient who wanted to talk to a chaplain. I had met this patient once before when he was in-processing, and we had talked for a few minutes. He told me that he had cancer, and it was his fault. He had been scheduled for a colonoscopy previously that didn’t work out, and he was supposed to come back two weeks later for another one…but he never returned. When he finally came back, the cancer was terminal. Before I went into the patient’s room, the nurse told me it wasn’t pleasant. I said, “Yeah, I know.” His cancer had become external which has a particular aroma. If you’ve ever been in a patient’s room whose cancer is external, it’s a real treat for the senses. It will bring a tear to your eye. I sat there listening to him for about 20 minutes. He wanted to talk, but the cancer had metastasized to his brain. Occasionally, he would say something that I could understand. During our conversation, the nurse kept coming into the room and spraying air freshener. When I finally left his room, my clothes smelled like the cancer. Did I enjoy that? Hell no. Was it comfortable? No, but that’s what I was supposed to do. While in the military, did I enjoy all those times and places where I could have gotten myself killed? Do you think that was a lot of fun? No. They don’t print enough money for me to want to do that or make enough alcohol. But that’s what I was supposed to do. Likewise, we are supposed to seek out souls as Christ did even when it’s uncomfortable or unpleasant. We are called to share His love with them.
Christ is reaching out to others through you to share the great gift you have received …the gift of our Catholic faith…the fullness of truth. You are called to bring it to others. Maybe you won’t experience anything as egregious as I have; I hope you don’t, but you may encounter people who are very combative with their words. Why are you getting so worked up if what I’m saying isn’t true? Why are you getting your underwear in a knot? Proclaim the message anyway. Nobody wants to get involved in arguments. I know, that’s why I stay away from my family. But, Christ can save anyone, and that’s part of the message we bring, They will see in you the love of Christ.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you share the love of Christ with others even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient?
Sermon Notes – Can You Hear Him?
“He is Speaking to You…Can You Hear Him?”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
March 7-8, 2020
Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9
The gospel today took place 10 days before our Lord’s passion. Our good Lord showed the three apostles a particular vision of His nature, of His true nature, and what that would be like. It was also to strengthen them for the coming scandal of the cross. I think all of us would really like to have one of those momentous moments of seeing the miracle of the manifestation of God. We would really like that. You may think that it would really solidify your faith after that. That’s a wonderful and pious thought, but reality is different. Look at the apostles…these three in particular. Over the course of three years, they saw many miracles. They saw three people raised from the dead…Lazarus being one. After three days in a tomb, there would be a stench. Lazarus was truly dead. Think of all the miracles of our good Lord that they witnessed…not all were not recorded in scripture. Yet, when Christ’s time came, they ran away like sissy boys. Real men, and they ran away. So, a great spiritual experience does not translate into being set. That’s true in our own lives. Just look at all the people who have left the Church. “Well, if I only had a great spiritual experience I would stay.” Remember the joy of your first communion? I’m sure your parents do and that they have pictures. Remember your confirmation, your wedding, and the baptism of your children? Where are all those people now? We have our own great spiritual experiences. Our Lord still comes and gives us spiritual experiences, because He knows how frightened we are no matter how tough we might think we are. Our Lord knows that we still get lonely and afraid. The most common verse in scripture is “do not be afraid.” Our Lord would not have said that if He didn’t think we were afraid. The worse punishment for anyone is being alone or in solitary confinement in prison. We need consolation, and we need to know His divine presence. Our Lord always comes to us, but sometimes we are too busy to see Him.
I was making my rounds in the Emergency Department at the VA Hospital on Thursday. I was talking to this one man who won’t be leaving. I walked out of his room to ask the nurse a question. I always ask the staff questions. I read training magazines and farming magazines, because I want to learn. So, I asked the nurse about the lump on the side of this patient’s jaw. He said, “what lump.” The nurse went into the man’s room to check on him, and when he came back, he said that the lump hadn’t been seen earlier, because it wasn’t significant, and we didn’t catch it. Even a nurse who is so experienced didn’t see it.
We overlook our God’s timely providence. He knows when we have something extraordinary in which to rid ourselves. Some little girl spits up green soup, and right away we think it’s satan. Oh my gosh, she’s possessed! I get a lot of calls about exorcism; sometimes our imaginations run wild. We are watching way too many movies. Our Lord comes to us, but we are too busy with our cell phones and other distractions to hear Him. He is always trying to talk to us, trying to give us little messages. I am here and I hear your prayers.
A few months ago, I was walking, and I was very upset because of the death of my twin brother. So, I was letting God know that I was really torqued and using some official military language. I was by myself and nobody could hear me. This was official, government-sanctioned, military language. I was using some good Anglo-Saxon terms not used in polite company. I was really p’oed. Later, as I continued walking, I saw a penny and picked it up. It was a wheat penny, and the date on the coin was 1953…the year my brother and I were born. I was thinking how odd to find that penny in the middle of nowhere in Stanly County. How many pennies exist with the year 1953? It’s just odd.
I remember I was doing the funeral for Mr. Hudson, a World War II veteran of the Army Air Corps. We did puzzles together; he passed a few years ago. Mr. Hudson had been stationed in Japan and flew in a B-17. When bombs got stuck, it was his job to go to the bottom of the B-17 and, without a safety harness, kick the bombs that were stuck out the back door of the plane. He was an interesting man and a funny guy. I asked him one time if he ever got air sick; he said no, but he did get seasick. He came home from the war by ship. While crossing the Indian Ocean, he was fine; the Mediterranean…fine; the Atlantic…not fine. For the next seven days he didn’t eat. But, at least the ship was headed in the right direction…toward home. Anyway, he asked me to do his funeral even though he wasn’t Catholic. As I was enroute to the funeral, I stopped to get a cup of coffee at a convenience store. I happened to look down at the ground and saw a puzzle piece. I picked up the puzzle piece, and when I had finished the ceremony and walked over to the wall where his ashes were to be interred, I placed the puzzle piece on top of his ashes.
God talks to all of us. I’m not special. In fact, God probably loves you more than me, because you deserve it more. I have a lot of explaining to do about my permanent record when I see Him face-to-face. God does talk to you, and He desperately tries to get your attention, but in subtle ways. Throughout our lives, more frequently than we can imagine, God tries to tell us He is present and that He cares.
How will you apply this message to your life? He is speaking to you…will you stop to listen?
Sermon Notes – I Want Bacon!
“I Want Bacon!!”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 29 – March 1, 2020
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11
So, we are a couple of days into Lent. This is a time in which we are supposed to discipline our bodies and discipline our spirits by penance and mortification by denying ourselves certain food until Easter, praying more, breaking bad habits, and encouraging good ones. How are y’all doing with that? Still sticking to them? Not so much? That’s what I thought. We are supposed to discipline our bodies and our spirits beginning with the Sacraments we receive – Holy Communion and Penance. So, we discipline our will to make it stronger. We break bad habits and encourage good ones. By the way, bad habits are hard to break, and good habits are hard to keep. The beautiful thing is that when we fall off the wagon, as it were, we can always start over. We can start over at any time. That’s the beauty of it. It’s not a zero-sum game that you have to get perfect. You simply get back up and try again. It may be hard, even though it seemed like a good idea at the time. “Hey, it won’t be that bad…I’m not going to miss it anyway.” But, as soon as you give up something to the world, you will see all kinds of temptation. As soon as I had to give up bacon, I saw all these advertisements for CiCi’s bacon crust pizza and bacon Whoppers. Really? All year long, I don’t think twice about chocolate cake, but once I gave it up for Lent, everywhere I went there was chocolate cake. That’s just temptation.
The biggest occasion for sin is right here between our shoulders. We cannot raise ourselves to heaven by our bootstraps. You may say, “It’s too hard. I may have taken on something a little bigger than I should have.” That’s okay…just make sure you aren’t trying to pole vault over mouse turds. The wonderful thing about doing penance is that you may actually feel better. If you resolve to eat better, you’ll feel better…I’m not a doctor, but you will probably feel better. Still, after a while, spinach gets really boring. Yuck! Pizza with bacon and the crust and everything else is food pornography for me. I’m sorry, but it just is.
These mortifications we impose upon ourselves are important, but they can cause so much pain. Giving up something we love is a hard thing to do, especially when we are doing it just for ourselves. That’s hard to believe, we being the most important thing above all; you’ve heard me say, “I’m not much but I’m all I think about.” Many people don’t stick with the medicine and special diets their doctors put them on. Diabetics have a bad habit of not doing what they are supposed to do even though they may need to have body parts chopped off only to eventually die and not in a pleasant way. But, still they do not follow their doctors’ orders. Why? Because, it’s only about them.
I can find any excuse to do what I want to do. I should be able to eat a bacon sandwich, because I fought for my country! I suffered for Uncle Sam, so I deserve bacon! My heart doesn’t, but I deserve it. To make it easier and to keep ourselves motivated, we can follow Saint James’ suggestion and do penance for someone else. Our parents had that experience when they denied themselves for their children. We often will do for others what we won’t do for ourselves. When we do it for someone else, our love is better. We can do penance for our families or those we love. You didn’t get that one? It can be two different groups. It’s just the way it is. We all have family and loved ones who have fallen away from the Faith, who have done bad things, or who have a serious illness. Take their sufferings upon yourself. In doing so, we imitate Saint Paul in his sufferings…with his crosses. He said, “I make up in my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of the body of His Church.” God calls all of us to participate in suffering. Do penance for someone else as Christ did for us. Imitate Him. All those little penances, little alterations, and little gifts for our Lord are meant to actualize what is in the Sacraments. When coupled with the Sacrament of Holy Communion and Penance, we strengthen our love, we atone for our sins, and we strengthen our will. The whole purpose is so that we become better receptacles for God’s love and better messengers of His love.
Saint James also wrote that a person who brings another person back from sin saves his own soul and cancels out a multitude of his own sins. So, join your sufferings, deprivations, extra prayers, and sacrifices to the sacrifice of our Savior for the salvation of souls. Do penance for other people as Christ did for us. Love always thinks of others and is never selfish. So, when deciding whether or not to eat that piece of chocolate cake, think of the people you are giving it up for or really giving it to.
How will you apply this message to your life? If you fall, will you get back up and try again? Will you imitate Christ and do penance for others?
Sermon Notes – The Transforming Power of His Love
“The Transforming Power of His Love”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 22 – 23, 2020
Scripture : Matthew 5:38-48
Yesterday morning I drove down to Monroe. Why they pronounce it Moan-roe, I have no idea. They also say p-oh-lice. Really? Nowhere else are the police called p-oh-lice. Dude, public education has gone way down hill. But, they are kinda different in Union County. Anyway, I was in Monroe to help hear 190 first confessions. I had to leave early, because I had a wedding to perform here. I heard first confessions here this morning, and they did very well. The kids in Monroe were nervous, and I said to them that today you are experiencing for the first time, actually flushing out your book knowledge, some of the great truths of the Catholic Church and the fullness of God’s love. The Catholic Church possesses the fullness of God’s message and the fullness of His power on earth. You have come here to experience the greatness of God’s mercy by having your sins absolutely forgiven and forgotten. God forgives and forgets everything you bring here. No matter how many times you may do this or other things, if you come back to the Sacrament and say, “I’m sorry, I will try to do better,” God will forgive and forget. The beauty of God’s love is right here in Church. What a wonderful thing we have. He heals us with His most precious blood, and He infuses us with the strength of His presence, called Sanctifying Grace. We are transformed away from ourselves.
You’ve seen in the Gospel, in the Old Law, scripture that called for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That seems rather harsh to our modern ears. Really, it’s not. When this was first proclaimed in the Old Testament, it was shocking. This was so new to people. That means – I’m no lawyer, but I’ve seen one on television – that you can exact no greater penalty than the crime itself. In the Old World, if you were to jaywalk, and even though it might be your first offense, the punishment could be execution. I mean they lopped people’s heads off just for grips and grins. I mean, you can’t do that…you just can’t do that.
Justice is a primary virtue. Christ taught a new kind of justice and called us to a higher standard. He said, “if you have My love, you will go beyond that; you will show them My love, the love I give to you. If they need a shirt give them two; if they ask you to walk one mile, walk two.” By doing so, you are showing them God’s love. How do you show them His love? By having God’s love inside of you. It’s not easy to do. If someone smashes my windshield, he’s going down and hard. We have the right to protect ourselves, that’s true. Jesus was using a hyperbole, of course. He was using it as an example. If someone hurts you, don’t hurt them back and walk away. Don’t let someone punch you in the mouth. First, duck and then forgive. It’s hard to do that. By the way, you don’t have to like them. He didn’t say you have to like them. I don’t like a lot of people, but I love them for the sake of Christ. Now, to do what Christ asks, turning the other cheek, praying for them even when you really don’t want to, doing good things for them when you really don’t want to do good things for somebody because they have really ticked you off, or they have really hurt you is hard. Yet, the Lord says do good for them, pray for them, and do good things for them. “I really don’t want to.” An easy way to do it is by being transformed by God’s love and drawing closer to Him day-by-day, through the Mass, Sacraments, prayers, and mortification. Gradually your soul will lose itself and become filled with Christ. Then, when these things come dragging in, you will be able to do good works naturally, and people will see the love of Christ in you.
While I was a young priest, I was working at Mercy Hospital when it was still a Catholic hospital. There was an old priest, Father Cal Brown; he’s long dead now. Father Brown was the chaplain at Mercy Hospital. He was in his mid-80’s at the time. Father Brown was sick and a patient there. When a code was called, meaning someone is dying, all of a sudden, Father Brown got out of his sick-bed and started walking down the hallway to respond to the code. Ever seen an old man in a hospital gown? It’s not a pretty picture. Two nurses came running up to him and picked Father Brown up by each elbow. They told him, “Father, there’s already a priest here in the hospital.” That was me; I was covering the hospital that day. But he did that. It was the kind of priest Father Brown was and the kind of priest he became after all those years of saying Mass and participating in the Sacraments.
You might say, “Well, Father, he was a priest. That’s not unusual. It’s not like that with us.” Not true. It’s possible to be transformed by the power of love. Even when a mother is sick as a dog, she will crawl on her hands and knees to take care of her children and think nothing of it. It’s just instinctual. This is the transforming power of God’s love. We are transformed by trying to be one with Christ, by opening our hearts, ridding ourselves of self-love and self-concern. Remember my favorite saying, “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.” Like the sick mother caring for her children, we can do that for other people. We can do that. We can practice it. But, remember, it’s something we grow into. It’s the standard we aspire to, but never perfectly achieve in this life.
The great saints were never satisfied with themselves. They always said, “I can love more.” It’s sad when people say, “I’m a good Catholic, I go to Mass on Sunday; I haven’t committed murder.” But love has no bounds. How can you be satisfied with that? As you grow in love, you will be transformed. This will happen supernaturally. People will see the change in you. Sometimes, it will come quickly; sometimes, it will happen over a period of time. We will grow closer to Him and become transformed. We may not notice it in ourselves or in our lives, but, other people will see it and may even tell us about it. We all can do this by becoming holier. It’s a constant, ongoing process. It’s tough for everybody; it’s even tough for me, the Holy Man. However, we must do what God wants. What He asks of us is always possible if we seek and strive for holiness.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you seek and strive for holiness so that others can see Him in you?
Sermon Notes – It’s Sooo Hard!
“It’s Sooo Hard!”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 15 – 16, 2020
Scripture: Matthew 5:17-37
Throughout the gospels, anyone who came to our Lord and asked Him for something, it was always granted. He never refused. Our Lord gives us gifts when we ask and even when we don’t. Did the widow ask that her son be resurrected? No, she didn’t, but Christ raised him from the dead and gave him back to her. Also, nobody asked Him to feed the 5,000, but He did. Our Lord did this not just for the Jewish people, but also for the Ephesians, Samaritans, and Romans. He wants to give us His love. He doesn’t ask if we are worthy, if we tithe, or even if we have given our priest pizza. He doesn’t ask about any of that. His love is free. He tells us exactly how to experience His love and how to live in His love. He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” He spelled it out quite clearly, so we would have no doubt. “Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No” (Matthew 5:37). This is how we live in His love…by keeping His commandments.
I was at Walmart waiting in line behind a woman who had lots of tattoos, and there was blue stuff running down her arm. I said, “Excuse me, mam, but you sprang a leak. She told me that she had just gotten a tattoo. I asked her if she minded telling me why she got tattoos. She said, “it makes me look beautiful.” But, who said you were ugly? Remember when God asked Adam and Eve who told you that you were naked?
I hear people say we need to update and change the Commandments, because they are just too hard to keep. Who told you that? Our Lord said “My yoke is easy, and My burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). When everyone had left Christ except the apostles, He asked them if they wanted to leave Him too. The apostles told Him that the teachings were hard, but that He had the words of eternal life (John 6:67-68). The commandments of the Lord are not hard, but they go against our human nature. We want what we want when we want it. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable to keep God’s commandments, I will grant you that. For example, last night, while I was eating my spinach Stromboli, sitting across the table from me were people eating a pepperoni pizza. The fourth and fifth commandments require me to follow my doctor’s orders which tell me no pizza. Do I always like it? Nope, but that’s the way the dice roll. So, anyone who says you cannot do it is lying to you. Our fallen nature and our sins committed after baptism make it far more difficult than it has to be. It doesn’t help that we don’t use the means that God gave us through the Sacraments, prayer, and mortification. “Oh, this is tough.” You don’t know what tough is; don’t even go there. “This is so hard!” Please! Nobody is asking you for a kidney. During Lent, we cannot eat meat on Fridays. “It’s so hard!” Really? The hard part is eating fish. You should see all the ketchup I smother fish with….it’s like eating ketchup soup with fish.
We often hear people say that Church pastors need to be more pastoral. What do you mean by pastoral? I know the meaning I was taught, but what do you mean? “Well, we need to be accepting of everybody, because we understand these things better than we did 2,000 years ago.” So, in other words, we are supposed to embrace somebody’s doodoo. “Oh, it’s okay now, we understand; you don’t have to be like anybody else…you are special…God is going to give you an exception.” Well, you are special, because God died for you on the cross. You are that special, but there are no exceptions. Being pastoral does not mean cosigning somebody’s sin or watering down the commandments. The most pastoral thing to do is tell them the truth about Christ.
When I see soldiers in the emergency room hooked up to a banana bag with their head in a bucket, and headed up to ICU to detox from alcohol, do you think this could be a teachable moment? I could say, “If I had your problems, I’d drink like a fish too.” No, I wouldn’t. Or, I could say, “You know, life is tough; it’s tougher when you are stupid. Ever think about admitting you’re an alcoholic and getting some help?” I’m sure Phyllis has had people tell her they have a condition that fentanyl is good for. “Oh, do you have terminal cancer? Really?” Oh, but we have to be more pastoral. Being pastoral means not wanting people to live in sin. Being pastoral is trying to help relieve people from that sin. The most pastoral thing to do is to tell them about Christ.
Do you really think we could be more compassionate than our Savior who came down, became man, suffered, and died on the cross for our sins? Do you think we could be more caring than Him? Really? Instead of thinking it’s hard, we should thank our Lord, because at least we know what to do and the precise way in which to do it. We don’t have any questions. You told us exactly what we need to do, and we come to You for help. When I fall down, as I often do…I have a bad habit of using colorful language while I’m driving along with hand and arm gestures… but, I know exactly Who to go to for help with getting back up so that I can take up my cross and follow our Savior. When you say that the Church should be more pastoral and change the rules, God’s response is to ask for our love.
So, you think you know better than God how to take care of souls. What kind of hutzpah is that! I did not like it when my physician said bacon was no longer a part of my diet. I did not like it because I thought I was special. I was the only one in my family who could eat bacon like crazy and not have a heart problem. I always thought I was the exception. Wrong. Every alcoholic and drug addict think they know how to handle their condition; “Don’t worry, I’m the exception to the rule.” Or, the 3-pack a day smoker; “I’m not going to get lung cancer; there’s nothing wrong with me…I’m good.” No. Our Lord taught us out of love how to love. Is it hard? It often is. Know what it depends on? How much we love God and how much we love ourselves.
How will you apply this message to your life? When you fall, will you ask for His help?