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“A Funny Thing About Catholics . . .”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 21-22, 2025

Gospel:  Luke 9:11B-17

A funny and interesting thing about Catholics is that we don’t sing that well, but we are extraordinarily good-looking.  Another interesting thing about us is that we hold somewhat odd Christian beliefs.  “What do you mean?”  We believe what Scripture tells us – just the black part, not the white.  People will ask, “Where do you Catholics find that in Scripture?”   I will tell you because I did go to school and passed a lot of tests.  I have a document to prove it.  But before you ask that question, remember that Christ came down to establish a church and not to write a book.  Christ said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).  He did not come here to write a book.  The Catholic Church wrote the Bible, and it wasn’t codified until the fourth century.  By that time, the Catholic Church had spread throughout the entire Roman Empire.  So, you need to put things into perspective before asking questions. 

We believe what Jesus said, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).  We believe what Jesus said.  “Well, that just means to spiritually commune.”  No.  In Greek and English, the word “eat” means the same thing.  That’s one translation they got right.  It means to physically chew, masticate, and consume.  People thought He was preaching about cannibalism, and that’s why everyone left Him except the 12 Apostles.  “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”  He offers us all that life through the Apostles, bishops, and priests whom He ordained at the Last Supper to give us that means of life so that we may have life and have it to the fullest.  But He also cautions us.  Saint Paul wrote, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27).   They are guilty of His death.  Nobody is going to the guillotine if they do, but it is a mortal sin, and you cut yourself off from salvation.  This is the core of our Faith.  

So, the Eucharist is more than about appearances, unity, and making us all one.  Ah-Ah-Ah.  No.  You do that while sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya.  That’s not what the Body and Blood of Christ was made for.  It was made for our salvation and to give us the divine life that we lost by our sins.  That’s why the penalty is so great if we receive the Blessed Sacrament unworthily.  And that’s why we have all these “rules.”   “Well, how can He do all that?”  Let me see, He created the world out of nothing, raised people from the dead. . . would you like me to go on?   Why are you denying the power of Christ?  That’s what He said.   

Now, when I was young, I had to walk to school uphill both ways in a snowstorm in July.  One of my friends was complaining that it was going to reach 100 degrees that day.  I didn’t want to be too much of a smart aleck because she is my Italian food connection, but I said, “The highest temperature I experienced was in the 130s”.  That conversation stopped rather quickly.  “Oh, it’s hot!”  You have no idea what hot is.  Wait till later, if you don’t live right, and then you will find out what real hot is. 

When we get sick, we visit the pharmacy, and they provide us with medicine.  At one time, I guess the prevailing wisdom was that if the medicine tasted like garbage, it was better for you.  “Oh, this must be really good because it tastes so bad!”   But now pharmaceuticals have changed, and people use them like candy even though they are narcotics.  “Oh, this tastes so good!”  You cannot taste what is underneath, but just because we cannot taste the medicine does not mean it isn’t working.  I do not taste or feel the medicine I take in the morning. However, when I check my blood pressure on the machine in the Family Life Center, I know it is functioning properly.  You cannot taste God’s healing in your medicine.   But it’s there.  So, if we accept that, why can we not accept Christ saying, “This is My Body” and “This is My Blood”? 

Sometimes, when we have wonderful things in our lives, we tend to take them for granted, for example, our family and friends.   I have to look down at my family because I outlived them all.  Look at your family and those whom you love most.  Sometimes, we take them for granted.   Mass is offered every day, and we take it for granted.  Our Lord is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and we take Him for granted.  By the way, do you know what happens in the Mass?  We teach children in Faith Formation a six-syllable word: transubstantiation.   During the Mass, when the priest, acting in the persona of Christ, says, “This is My body” and “This is My blood,” the wine and blood become the body and blood of Christ.  “Well, transubstantiation is a big word, Father.”  But you know how to use an iPhone, don’t you?  Okay, I don’t, but I know people who do.  We have the great opportunity to spend time with God Incarnate.  If we are in a State of Grace, we have the wonderful opportunity every day, and twice a day on special occasions, to receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Savior given to us by the hands of the priest so that we may be fed by Christ just like the Apostles.   God gives us healing and His very Self so that we may have life and have it to the fullest. 

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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