Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – May 18, 2025 – “It’s Not About Us”

“It’s Not About Us”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 17 – 18, 2025


Gospel:  John 13:31-35

Every time our Lord asked the Apostles a question, they got the answer wrong.  And when He gives us tasks, He must be specific, because ever since He created man, we have always tried to improve on God’s Word.  “Well, God said this, but He really meant that.”  Huh-huh.  “I think we should do it this way.  It’s much, much better.”  However, every time we have changed things, we have messed things up. 

Our Lord spelled out exactly what we must do to achieve eternal life.  He said, ”As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34).   We do not have to wonder what love means because He left us very specific ways in which to love Him: “If you love Me keep My Commandments” (John 14:15).  And before you start complaining, He also said, “My Commandments are not burdensome” (John 5:3).   He was very specific about how to love and not in the way we think we should.  I think pizza is still great for breakfast, but some doctors might disagree.  Think about it – pizza contains the four basic food groups, and chocolate cake has milk and eggs – all good stuff.  But our Lord left us with very specific ways in which to love.  He not only told us, but He showed us the depth of His love on the Cross.  We may complain that the Commandments are burdensome, but that’s only because of our love of self.  It may have been Saint Ambrose who said, “There is no work involved in love, and if there is, the work itself is love.”  If there is true love for a spouse, child, or friend, there is no cost in the gift.  We do what our good Lord asks us to do because it is a work of love.

I told you the story about how, at the beginning of my hospital work, I had to leave a patient’s room because of the stench.  I made the mistake of telling my father about it.  My father, who was a medic before he became an officer and spy, said, “Son, I understand that.  Do whatever it is you need to do – throw up, pass an organ or two, but then go back into the room.  You are not what is most important.”  That is self-love dying.  We do for others because they were made in the image and likeness of God. 

When I was a soldier, if a fellow soldier didn’t have any smokes, my smokes were theirs.  We took care of our own, and we didn’t count the costs.  We used to go on 12-mile nature walks every quarter, carrying a 60-pound pack containing everything Uncle Sam had issued us.  Those packs were weighed only at the beginning of the walk and not at the end.  As we were on our way, enjoying the beauty of nature, listening to the birds sing, we rejoiced that we actually got paid for the agony.  If a soldier was having a hard day and began to fall behind, I would see other soldiers go up behind that soldier, grab some of the stuff from the soldier’s pack, and add it to their own packs.  They didn’t ask, they just did it, and at the end of the walk, they returned all the stuff they had carried to the soldier.  There was no need to say thank you.  It was just what we did, and it was the right thing to do.  It was Christ-like.  Now, I didn’t see many of them in chapel very often, and Lord knows I tried to change that.  But they knew the love of Christ.

 Loving one another can be hard.  It really can.  Sometimes people are not nice or don’t treat us the way we think they should, and that’s alright.  We are called to love them as Christ did.  We don’t have to like them, but we have to love them.

Father’s Reflections:

On most mornings, I’m usually here in the church saying my prayers and doing my meditation.  This morning, the fruit of my meditation was that pie is still fruit, and although we have service dogs, we don’t have service cats.  There is some meaning behind that.

I have been a priest for a long time, and I saw something in this church that I’ve never seen before.  There was a wedding being performed by a deacon here in our church.  If you are Catholic, you can get married or have a funeral in any church, even at St. Peter’s in Rome.  Please don’t – I really don’t want to do all the paperwork required.  The people today were from Concord, and they were very wonderful people and delightful to work with, which is a shock for weddings; they can be the worst.  Anyhow, I’m sitting in the Sacristy with the door closed, and someone hung paper over the window of the door.  I guess it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.  That was the first time I’ve ever seen that happen.  Okay, Lord, I’m ready to go now!

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 – May 11, 2025 – “Read the Instructions”

“Read the Instructions”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 10 – 11, 2025


Gospel:  John 10: 27-30

Today is a wonderful day.  The Sacrament of First Communion will be administered.  Last night, I imposed the Sacrament of Confirmation on students.  I want to thank the Faith Formation staff and especially the parents for their wonderful work in helping prepare for this day.   This is a great gift because this gift is not just a gift with a lowercase “g.”  It is a Gift with a capital “G.”  This Gift is God, Himself, coming into your souls.  It is the medicine of God.

Do you know why doctors give us medicine?  If we are sick, it will make us healthy.  Another reason for medicine is to keep us healthy.  It is the same reason God gives us Himself in the Sacraments, to make us healthy and to keep us healthy.  When we sin, the Sacrament of Penance makes us healthy.  The other Sacraments help keep us healthy, which include Holy Communion that the young people will receive today, and the Sacrament of Confirmation, which keeps us strong for service to others. 

Now, there may be restrictions that come with the medicine our physicians prescribe.  The instructions on the bottle may say, “Do not take with grapefruit juice.”  I love that one, and I wonder how that was determined.  Did some poor shmuck take his medicine with grapefruit juice and go whoops!   Other medications should be taken with food, and if you don’t, you quickly realize you made a big mistake.  There may also be certain times to take medicine.  So, there can be all sorts of restrictions so that the medicine can do its job.   But we are always complaining about it: “Oh, poor me.  I cannot eat this or that.”  Oh, be quiet.  At least you are old enough to enjoy the privilege.  We must cooperate with the medicine we’ve been prescribed.  It’s the same with God and the Sacraments.  They are gifts from God, but we must cooperate by receiving the Sacraments in a State of Grace, which is attained by receiving the Sacrament of Penance.  These gifts will not overpower us.  They will not take us away from the temptation to sin.  We must not make appointments to visit it or take it to lunch.  You must work with the gift that God has given you. 

Do you know what the biggest occasion of sin is?   I don’t want to hear about cell phones, computers, or anything else.  Computers have an off switch, and cell phones need to be charged.  The biggest occasion for sin sits right on top of our shoulders.  We are not responsible for our thoughts, but we are responsible for what we do with them.  God’s medicine is not going to overpower our thoughts.  Even though you may not feel His medicine working, it is.  The pills I take are working, even though I don’t feel them working.  I know my blood pressure pills are working because when I take my blood pressure, it’s fine.  The pills are working.  Do I feel it?  No.  If I stop taking the pills, will I feel it?  No.  But the damage will continue, and I will feel it one day when I take the big dirt nap a lot sooner than I should.  

So, we must cooperate with God’s gifts.  Just because you don’t feel them working, doesn’t mean they aren’t.  They are.  But we have to cooperate by doing what we need to do.  These are God’s gifts to you.  Use them by trying to live a holy life, coming to every weekend Mass, and going to Confession.  I go to Confession too, and I’ve known these priests since they were ordained.   I tell them everything, and they are still standing.  But if we don’t cooperate with God, the Sacraments will not work.  It is not easy.  However, Saint Ambrose said, “The work of love is not hard; if there is any work involved, the work itself is love.”  

God’s medicine is the gift of the Sacraments.  He gives us the gift of His very Self so that we can carry our crosses, and if we fall, we can get back up and carry them again.  God offers us His grace for our healing and to strengthen us so that we can carry all our crosses out of love for Him. 

Father’s Reflections . . . . So, we have a new pope.  Passed over again!  People have asked me, “Father, how was your trip?”  My trips are always interesting.  I used to fly in my clerical clothes, my black suit and collar.  On one of my flights, there were six priests on board.   Once the plane was in flight, nobody talked, nobody moved, and nobody wanted anything.  They all sat as quiet as a tomb.  The crew brought me several Cokes and a shopping bag full of treats.  Yeah baby!  I like that.  So, I was getting on the plane Sunday night at 10, and although I was flying in lay clothes, my seatmate looked up and said, “Hi Father. How are you?”  Crap: I can forget about martinis! 

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 – April 27, 2025 – We Are as Sick as Our Secrets

Sermon Notes
           
   “We Are as Sick as Our Secrets”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 26 – 27, 2025


Gospel:  John 20: 19-31

One thing you learn as a priest after the 2nd week is that nothing will surprise you, especially confessions.  People will try to blow the good stuff past the new guy.  They come into the confessional booth and say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  I have lied, gossiped, committed adultery, and failed to say my prayers.”  We call that the classic “Oreo confession.”  Sometimes they will say it really fast, hoping I won’t hear it. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I have lied, gossiped, committedadultery, andfailed to pray.”  Hold on.  Let’s go back to that one you tried to blow by.  That’s kind of important because I cannot forgive what I do not know.  Our Lord said, “Whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 16:19).  So, which sins do we forgive – the sins you are trying to hide or the sins for which you are trying to make amends?  For instance, during premarital counseling, if a couple tells me they are living together, I tell them that unless they are living together as brother and sister, one of them must move out.  If they say they can’t or they won’t, I tell them I cannot perform their wedding, and they get really upset!  Hey – this is a rule of the Church.  You are living in a state of objective mortal sin, and I cannot condone that.  I would be cosigning fertilizer.  It’s the same thing with Baptism – they don’t like it either.  You wouldn’t believe the harsh things that people say to me, and that’s not just the staff – it’s people in general. 

Guilt, pride, shame, fear, and remorse.  If you can put a name on it, someone else has done it before you.  As priests, we take a moral theology course to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance.  We learn about consanguinity and affinity, which outline who you can marry on your family tree.  You cannot marry your first cousin, and you have to have permission to marry your second cousin.  It’s a southern thing.   They must have known I was going south. 

I have to know your sins.  You do not prescribe aspirin for a brain tumor.  In 12-step programs, a saying is, “You are only as sick as your secrets.”  Having secrets can derail the recovery of addicts who need to admit publicly the nature of their wrongs.   I performed the funeral service for a veteran.  I asked the funeral director what happened to this person, and he said she died from kidney failure.  She was only 31 years old.   Now, I’m not Dr. House, but I’m not stupid either.  She did not die of kidney failure.  Whenever I do a funeral, I am required to put a note in the medical record.   So, I looked at the diagnosis, which they now call the “problem list.”   That was one heck of a problem – she’s dead.   While I was in her medical record, I looked at the doctor’s notes.  She had a deep, dark secret that was never addressed, from which she never received help, and she eventually committed suicide.  We are as sick as our secrets.   Just like your physician, I have no idea what medicine is needed if you don’t tell me where it hurts.           

I listen and occasionally I ask questions, but that is very rare.  Most people tell me way too much.  If I have a question after 40 years of hearing confessions, I’ll let you know.  Okay?  There may be mitigating and aggravating factors.  The habit of sinning is a mitigating factor, and pride is an aggravating factor.  There are all sorts of things I consider in applying medicine for the soul.  But I have to hear the sin.  God is offering His forgiveness.   When we sin, we take back our love of God.  “I will not serve.”  Yet, when we say, “I don’t want to tell him everything, that is only partially giving our love back to God.  Would you want a half-apology if someone hurt you?   We need to totally give ourselves back to God for the forgiveness of our sins.  Not just a little bit.  “Can I go right to God for forgiveness of my sins?”  Yes, if you are in danger of death, yes.  If you have appendicitis, can you go right to God for healing?  That’s probably not the best idea.  You could say a prayer on your way to Atrium Hospital, but I would definitely get to the hospital first.  God has ways and means by which to dispense His love to us.  What holds us back is guilt, pride, shame, fear, and remorse.  When I go into a hospital room, some people get very modest.  I have been doing hospital work for over 40 years, so I have seen more body parts than you will ever have.  However, sometimes patients are a bit more casual than I care for: “I’m too sexy for the sheet.”  No, you’re not. 

God gave His healing power to the Apostles, and to the bishops and priests after them, the power to forgive sin and to anoint the soul with the Most Precious Blood to restore it to life.  But to heal, I must know what hurts to apply the appropriate remedy.  “But it’s embarrassing.”  No, that’s the guilt, shame, and fear of the Four Horsemen following you and causing you to stay away from the Sacrament of Penance.  It’s all a lie.  How liberating it is to finally get out from underneath all that sin, no matter what it is.  Sin affects the body, soul, and psyche, the three parts of man.  So go to our good Lord’s clergy, his priests and bishops, and get out from underneath all that garbage.  Go to Confession and get it all out of your system.  Your sins will be forgiven, and the appropriate remedy to heal your soul will be given.  You will feel a heck of a lot better, and I promise I won’t collapse during confession. 

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 – April 20, 2025 – “He is Alive”

“He is Alive”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 19 – 20, 2025

Gospel:  John 20: 1-9

1 It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb 2 and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,’ she said, ‘and we don’t know where they have put Him.’ 3 So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. 4 They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. 6 Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground 7 and also the cloth that had been over His head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. 9 Till this moment they had still not understood the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.

This summer I will have another birthday… hopefully.   My brother stopped his seven years ago, and my twin brother has too.  I have been debating whether to get a tattoo – maybe one with barbed wire and a skull.  But at my age, perhaps a tattoo with my home address and phone number would be a better idea.  I have been around.  I may not look my age, and I certainly don’t act it.  “Father, you’ve seen a lot and done a lot.”  Yes.  I can’t tell you much about it, but I have.  If I did, I would have to kill you.  It’s nothing personal, just business.  “Father, what is the most interesting thing you have seen that you can tell us about without having to commit mass murder?”   Well, I’ve seen people rise from the dead.  “Really?  Father, you better cut back on the meds.”  No, I really have seen people come back from the dead and be restored to life.  Not in the way Jesus rose (Matthew 28:5-6), and not in the way Lazarus (John 11:1-44), Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:21-43), and the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17) rose.  No, not in that way.  “Father, how did they rise from the dead?”  Good question.  Their souls were dead because of repeated venial sin or mortal sin.  They were dead.  They had no divine life in them.  But they were restored to life through the grace that comes from our Lord’s Passion, death, and resurrection, which opened the Gates of Heaven, bestowed upon Mother Holy Church the means to effect resurrection, and gave the grace to wash away all sin from the soul, and return it to life.  No matter how bad it is, all sin can be washed away. 

The most powerful instrument ever known is the blood of Christ.  Go back to the Passion on Good Friday, and we see the power of our Lord’s blood being poured out for us, drip by drip.  I have seen many come back from the dead.  Their lives are returned to them through Holy Communion.  Does a resurrection happen?  It sure does, every day.  You would be surprised where it happens.  People will say, “Father, may I talk to you?”  Sure!   This is usually what I do – I see the older, sicker patients in the hospital.  I say to them, “Would you like to receive the Anointing of the Sick?”   If they say, ‘yes,’ I say, “By the way, when was the last time you went to Confession?”  I don’t ask if they want to go.  I use an authoritarian tone and ask them when the last time was.  It pushes them over the hump of fear they are hiding behind so that life can be restored to their souls, and they can spend eternity in Heaven with Christ.   

This is the good news of the Resurrection: that Christ has died, and He is alive.  He gives that life to the soul so that we can live for Him in this world and go to Him in the next.  Eventually, we will get our bodies back, hopefully in better shape than they are now.    When you have the divine life, what else do you have?  Joy.  Christ wishes to live in all of us.  He made our souls for only one thing, and that is not sin.  He made our souls a fitting resting place for Himself. 

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 – April 13, 2025 – The Sound and Smell of Love

“The Sound and Smell of Love”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 12 – 13, 2025


Gospel:  Luke 23:1-49

Holy Mother Church instructs her priests to proclaim a short sermon after reading the Passion.  So, this will be short, but very good. 

In the Passion, we see the frailty of human nature.  Some say, “If we only had power, we could make everything right.”   Pontius Pilate had absolute power as the Roman governor.  He had a Roman legion of 12,000 soldiers at his command.  So when the crowd began to rebel, on Pilate’s order, the soldiers could have killed everyone without any repercussions for him.  They could have taken care of business, and nothing would have happened.  But Pilate caved even though he had absolute power.  Five days later, the Jews were calling for his crucifixion. 

People say, “I love God.”  Then why don’t you go to church?   What about your sin?  “Well, when I sin, I only hurt myself.”   Really?  Sin hurts a lot of people.  I would like everyone to search for “Jesus Christ Superstar” on YouTube.  It’s an old Broadway play, and in one part, there is the scourging of Jesus.  Listen to the flogging of Jesus.  How brutal it was.  Listen to Pilate counting the 39 strokes.  They couldn’t give him 40 because that would have been illegal. 

If you read and listen to the Passion and meditate on it, you hear the story of love freely given, even though we didn’t deserve it.  In “Jesus Christ Superstar,” there is a part on the soundtrack when our Lord is on the Cross, and if you listen carefully, you hear the drip, drip, drip of blood.  Police officers, EMTs, and medical folks will tell you that blood has a smell.  It has a copper smell that makes some people sick.  But when we listen, and if we think about it, we can say that love has a smell.  It is God’s love.  I was thinking about that earlier this morning – the house I grew up in smelled like apple pie.  Love has a smell, and it also has a sound.  Listen to the track of “Jesus Christ Superstar” and listen to the drops of blood.  It is love being poured out one drop at a time for us.

When you hear the Passion proclaimed, you hear the effects of our sin.  All sin – mortal, venial, and material – is an alienation of God.  Yet when you read the culmination of the Passion, you cannot deny one statement of fact – that God loves us.  Look upon the Crucifix and know that God loves you.  In the next-to-last words our Lord said in this life before He was resurrected and went to the Father to open the Gates of Heaven, was a prayer for us.  “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!”

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 – April 6, 2025 – “God is in the Business of Salvation – Not Condemnation”

                           “God is in the Business of Salvation – Not Condemnation”

                                     Father Peter Fitzgibbons

                                       April 5 – 6, 2025

Gospel:  John 8:1-11

In today’s Gospel reading, it is the only time in all of Scripture that our Lord wrote anything.  What did He write?  That’s a good question, but Scripture does not record what was written.  Bishop Sheen talked about it in one of his books.  The woman was caught in the act of adultery, and the law demanded justice.  Jesus said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).  In his book, Bishop Sheen suggested that what our Lord wrote on the ground could have been the sins of those men standing around Him.   He knew their sins.  Oops!  And off they went.  Bye-bye!  Some of their sins could have warranted capital punishment just like the woman’s.  

Jesus does not condemn us for our sins.  He is not in the condemnation business; He is in the salvation business.  During the Particular Judgment and the Final Judgment, if our Lord can cry in Heaven, He does.  He created us out of love.  Why?  To live with Him forever.  However, through our sins, we choose not to love Him and are cast off.   Our Lord does not revoke our free Will, so we have a choice to either love Him or not to love Him.   If we love Him, we will stay with Him forever.  But if we do not love our Lord, we will be separated from Him forever.   He wants us all to be saved and not condemned.  

We do not know the situations people are in, but we try to have some level of understanding.   Now the actions themselves may be grossly sinful.  That’s true, but we may not know the reason.  Is there an impediment?  Are there mitigating factors?   We studied those things in Canon Law, and they are considered during Confession.   People play all sorts of spiritual word games.  “Well, this is not a mortal sin because I did this and that.”   I have Spiritual Canon lawyers trying to play with me.  “God knows I love him.”   Really?  You don’t show it for someone who is truly in love with God.   You know the difference between a mortal and venial sin, right?  Well, God doesn’t.   A material sin happens when you hit your thumb with a hammer and let out some verbiage that is probably not appropriate in polite society.  Material sins are instant reactions.  The only difference between mortal and venial sins for someone who truly loves God is the difference between punching and slapping your wife.  There is no difference. 

We judge the actions but pray for the sinner.   The actions can be wrong and very much so, but Jesus told us to love them and to judge their actions.  We will know them by their fruits.  They are not beyond His mercy.  I told you about the man who brought me coffee on Sunday mornings while I was at St. Gabriel’s.  He was a member of the German Schutzstaffel (Protective Echelon) and a bodyguard for Adolf Hitler.   These were the bad boys in the German military.  They were the worst of the worst.  But this man died in the arms of Holy Mother Church.  We are to forgive one another just as God has forgiven us. What is forgiveness?  Forgiveness is an act of the Will.  It is not an act of emotion.  Love is an act of the Will.  It also is not an emotion.   Liking someone is an act of emotion, but love is not.  When you say, “I forgive you because Christ told me to,” that doesn’t mean you are going to invite them to Christmas dinner or send them a birthday card.  That is not required.  Remember all our emotions, faculties, and senses are diminished by Original Sin, the sins we have committed after our Baptism, and the sins others have committed against us.  They can be affected by things like a stoplight turning red just as we approach it, when a blue-haired wonder won’t get out of your way, or the kind of chocolate you had that day.  Those things can immediately change our emotions.  However, our Lord told us how to deal with our emotions, our dislike for people who have hurt us, and those who have neglected us.  Although the effect can be immediate, it is usually not and can be a long process.  We might have to bear emotional suffering all our lives.   It’s like me and my family – they gave me good looks but no money.  But we pray for them just as our Lord said.   By the way, it was not a suggestion.  In the military, a suggestion by a superior has the force of an order.   

Our Lord didn’t say we have to like it.   In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you like to do it, want to do it, or care about doing it . . . you just do it.  You pray for those who persecute you and for those who harm you.  Whatever they have done against you, pray for them.  By praying for them, you may help them with their own problems and help them embrace our Lord.   It also helps you.  Remember, we pray for them not because we want to: “I really want to pray for that guy who scraped my car.”   No, you don’t.  But we pray for them because Christ told us to do so, and it will be better for them and better for us. 

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 – March 23, 2025 – “God Does Not Want Us Separated From Him”

 “God Does Not Want Us Separated From Him”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 March 22 – 23, 2025


Gospel:  Luke 13:1-9

In the past two months, I have done seven funerals…I must be good at it.  On Friday, I had a double header— a father and son.  I asked the family why we couldn’t hold both funerals together.  But they said, “No.  Our mother hated our father, who was her ex-husband, so we have to have two separate funerals.”   But maybe she would just like to come to gloat and make sure he’s dead.   Well, that wasn’t happening, so we had two separate funerals and committed both of their souls to Almighty God and His mercy.   

In the Gospel, we hear that God gives the vineyard owner’s tree another year to see if it produces fruit.  God gives us all the time we need to make our way to Heaven.  Do you know why He does that?   It’s why God made you…because He loves us.  Why does God give us time to repent?  Also, because He loves us.   God doesn’t want anyone to be separated from Him, and He is always pleading for our mercy.  He spoke from the Cross seven times, which is called the seven last words.  The sixth time He spoke from the Cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:24).   We do not know how grievous sin is. 

God gives us the time and means to achieve our salvation because He doesn’t want anyone to be separated from Him.  He loves us.  Love is His nature.  He created us out of love.   But we have free Will, and we all sin.   He keeps following us, hoping that we will reform so that we may have life and have it to the fullest in the Kingdom of Heaven.   We were created to experience happiness in Heaven, and He provides us with the time and means to get there and to achieve our salvation.   Anybody in hell is a self-made man or woman… I don’t want to be sexist or transphobic.  People go to hell because they turn their backs on God and flip Him off.  “Hey, I’m a self-made man and I can do what I want.”   People who do not want God’s help wind up in hell.  God did not want them there.  He did not create us to be in hell.  But even at the point of death, they turned their backs on God’s love.  I have a little technique that I use at the VA Hospital, and hopefully I’ll have a chance to teach it to my replacement before I retire.  When I see older men, and sometimes older women, at the VA, I wait until they are bombed from their meds to give them Last Rites just in case I don’t see them again before they pass.  There are so few of us priests nowadays, so I always do that. 

A guy came by my office on Friday, and he asked me, “Why did they hit Christ 39 times?”  Because hitting Him 40 times would have been illegal.  It was terrible, but that was to show us how evil sin is.   Meditate on that… the 39 strikes with a whip.  That’s how bad sin is.  God gives us the means for salvation, and He is always calling us even unto the point of death.  Unfortunately, I receive calls to administer Last Rites to people when they are already at the funeral home, and I have to say, “No, it’s a little late for that.   They need to be a little warmer than they are now.”   Last Rites must be given within two hours of clinical death or before signs of rigor mortis.  Additionally, the body must be intact and not scattered throughout creation.  Remember, I was an Army chaplain and a chaplain at a trauma center.  The Sacraments are for the living.   When I administer Last Rites to someone after clinical death, I always say under my breath, “Si vivis – If you are living.”  I say it in Latin and in a low tone so that the family cannot hear me. 

That’s how much God loves us.  No matter how bad we think we are or how bad the things we have done are, He does not want us separated from Him.   I’ve gotten out of my sick bed to give Last Rites to someone because that is what God wants.  One time I was going up the stairwell at a hospital, and a nurse was coming down the stairs.  She asked me, “Are you a priest?”   Yeah.  “Somebody in ICU needs Last Rites.”   Okay.  So, I went to the ICU, gave the patient Last Rites, and I never saw her again.  I do know she died.  Sometimes it just happens.  When I was still an Associate Pastor, I served as the Catholic chaplain at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, which is now part of Novant Health, Atrium Health, and Mercy Hospital.  So, I had a busy job.   One day, I was at Novant Hospital, deciding which wing to visit first.  Once I made the decision, I walked into a patient’s room, and a man in the room said, “My wife is dying. Would you give her Last Rites?”   Certainly.   As I administered the Last Rites, there is a point in the Rites that states, “At or near the point of death, say these words.”  And it was at that precise moment that the woman took her last breath.   So, I said: “Go forth, Christian soul.”  I have that part down after 40 years of practice.  It is by the grace of God that you have a priest at your deathbed, especially here in the South.  God loves us even to the point that He will accept imperfect contrition.  There are two kinds of contrition: perfect and imperfect.  Perfect contrition is one in which you are sad because you offended God, whom you should love with all your heart.   Imperfect contrition arises from a desire to avoid hell: “I don’t want to go to hell, so I’m going to do this just in case.”   Either is sufficient to avoid hell and enter heaven.   However, perfect contrition significantly reduces the time spent in Purgatory. 

Saint John Vianney, the Cure of Ars and patron saint of Catholic parish pastors told a story about walking down the road one day when a lady approached him.  She said, “Father.”  Father Vianney said, “Good morning, my child.”  The woman said, “You know my husband died.”  Yes.  “He was not a nice guy.  He hit me, he drank, he ran around on me, and he did a lot of other bad stuff.”    She gave Father Vianney a whole laundry list of bad things her husband had done.  Then she said, “Father, you can read souls.  He’s in hell, isn’t he?”   Father Vianney replied, “I don’t know.”  “What do you mean you don’t know!!”    By this time, she was getting ugly.  Father Vianney said, “There was a long time after he left the bridge until he hit the water. He had enough time to say, ‘I’m sorry.’”   Either way – whether it was perfect or imperfect contrition – would have been sufficient to save his soul from hell.   When I was an assistant at St. Gabriel’s, there was a man who served me breakfast.  He had a tattoo on his arm, and I knew what that tattoo meant.  During World War II, he served as Adolf Hitler’s personal bodyguard.   These were really bad guys – the worst in the German Army.  But he died reconciled to Christ and the Church.  That is how great God’s love is for us, and we are to lead everyone to His mercy.   

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 – March 16, 2025 – “Experience is Not the Best Teacher”

                                          “Experience is Not the Best Teacher”

                                     Father Peter Fitzgibbons

                                       March 15 – 16, 2025

Gospel:  Luke 9:28b-36

You have heard it said that experience is the best teacher.  But that’s not true.  If it were, there would be no alcoholics.  People would get drunk only once in their lives to avoid nausea, vomiting, and pounding headaches.   Does that sound like fun to anybody?  No.  Experience is not the best teacher because we tend to forget about the pain.  It is also not the best teacher for good experiences. 

In today’s Gospel, we have another epiphany, which means the manifestation of Who Christ is.  Jesus lowered the veil of His humanity that He took from the Blessed Mother to reveal His Divinity.  This epiphany was given to strengthen the Apostles for the Passion, which would occur ten days later.  Peter, James, and John, who were the three lead Apostles, Peter being the most senior, had, by that time, seen at least three dead people raised to life.  The Apostles were there when Jesus fed loaves and fishes to the 5,000.  They were there when He walked on water and cured leprosy.  According to Scripture, not all our Lord’s miracles were written down, and even though the Apostles saw all His miracles, what happened ten days after this epiphany?  When Jesus entered into His Passion, the Apostles were nowhere to be found.  

Now you may be thinking, “Lord, if I had just one of the experiences like the Apostles had, I would never doubt You again.”   Yes, you would . . . We all would.  We are fallen creatures because of Original Sin, the sins we have committed after Baptism, and the wrongs committed against us by others.  “But I want a religious experience.”  Religious experiences are given to us by God.   Sometimes, He gives them to us before we undergo a great trial to help us prepare for it.  Sometimes, He gives them to us as an atta-boy or atta-girl.   Other times, God gives us religious experiences just to say, “I love you, and I’m still with you. I haven’t forgotten about you.”  But it is as God decides and not as we decide.  You cannot go to any church and have a religious experience on demand.  Nor does it happen every time we pray.  That just doesn’t happen.  God doesn’t come when we want Him to.  I wish He did.  I would have been a monsignor a long time ago.  I’m only 71 and have been a priest for 40 years.  But I’m a patient man.  He comes to strengthen our souls, to give us comfort, and sometimes for no reason at all.  He is God, and He decides when to come to us. 

“Every time I go to church, I feel good.”  Really.  Intellectually or emotionally?  Emotionally, you probably won’t.  Intellectually, you may because you are in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and part of the Holy Sacrifice.  That’s a wonderful thing.   However, because of our fallen nature, we don’t always feel that way.   When we feel the Lord has abandoned us, even though He hasn’t, that is when we grow most in faith.  He never has and never will abandon us.  Just because we don’t feel His presence, doesn’t mean He isn’t there.  Drive up Highway 52 at     70 mph and let me know how that works out for you.  “I didn’t see the cop!”   But he saw you.  Cops are very good at hiding.  How many of you have seen your guardian angel?  Very few have.  Saint Teresa de Lisieux and Saint Francis of Assisi saw theirs.  But just because you cannot see them, doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.  Can you see your house from here?  I can.  But if you can’t, that doesn’t mean it’s not there – you just can’t see it.  The same is true for God’s love and His presence around you.   

So do not be disturbed by a lack of religious experiences.  God does not judge you on that.  God judges you on the constancy of your love and following Him whether you find it pleasant or not.  Hanging on to your faith is an act of Will.  We want to always be happy, joyous, and free, but that is not possible in this life.  That will happen only in the next life.  Keep the faith.  Do the next right thing.  And remember that our Lord is always there as a refuge no matter what suffering you are going through.

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 – February 23, 2025 – “We Have No Idea”

                                                             “We Have No Idea”

                                       Father Peter Fitzgibbons

                                       February 22 – 23, 2025

Gospel:  Luke 6:27-38


We are called to love our good Lord.  But love is more than just a feeling.  People say, “Oh, I love God.”  Good for you.  So, what do you do about it?  Our Lord said, “If you love me, keep My Commandments.”  Love demands action.  It’s through that action that you grow more in love with our Lord.  When we have God in our souls, we evangelize.  But it’s not always a happy thing.  Sometimes, it is really difficult.  As I like to say, “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.  It’s all about me.”   We must die to self to live for others.  I’m giving you a little homework.  Read the short story by O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi.”  Look it up.  Love grows when we die to self, and our Lord tells us how to do that.  If someone comes up to me and slaps me in the face, we are going to have words.  He’s not going to be happy.  But we are not supposed to do that.  If someone insults you and calls you a name, what’s your first reaction?  A hand or arm gesture?  “Do you know who I am? Do you know who you are talking to?”  They cursed Christ, and if they curse you, be thankful.  “Hey, I’m doing good.”  All those things you find distasteful . . . do those things.  Lend with no expectation of getting it back.  If a man wants you to walk a mile with him, walk two.   Those are steps that are good for your heart.  If someone wants your cloak, give them your shirt as well.  These things are hard, but that’s what love is.  It is the renunciation of self and living for others.  The obsession of self must end, and that is very hard to do.  Obviously, you love God because you are here at Mass on Saturday at 5:00.  You could have stayed home and done something else, but you are here.   You sacrificed to be here today. 

Love is proven in our lives by imitating Christ, by being compassionate, and by our long-suffering.  Regarding his illness, Saint Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for Your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking inChrist’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church” (Colossians 1:24).  Paul said, “I am bearing this for the sake of Christ and the redemption of souls.”  That is what we do when others persecute, hate, and utter every kind of slander against us.  We forgive them.  Now, if you are thinking, “I cannot forgive,” yes, you can.  You just don’t want to.  Forgiveness is an act of the will.  God never said, “Well, if you feel like it, forgive somebody.  No, no, no.  We forgive because God forgives us. 

Sometimes, it is uncomfortable to do what our Lord asks.  We have a fallen nature from original sin, from the sins we have committed since our baptism, and from the sins that others have committed against us.  We have a fallen nature, so we are not always highly motivated to do good.   We make a choice to love.  That’s when we grow in love the most.  It’s also when we are the happiest.  We have a joy that nobody can take from us because we are doing what our Lord asked.  Notice that our Lord never said, “Do this if it feels good.”  He never said that because He didn’t care how you felt.  Do the right thing, and then you will feel better.  Feelings are transitory, very much so.  Do the right thing.  Go over and above.  Love has no limits.   Christ said, “No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  And that is true. 

I always enjoyed watching the people in front of the courthouse.  I haven’t seen them lately, but they would be outside the courthouse yelling, “Jesus is Lord” and “You are going to die and go to hell.”  I found them amusing and appreciated their zeal.  The way they screamed showed they had great lung power.  Their oxygen stats must have been off the chart.  They would scream and carry on, and I would think, “Decaf folks. You need to mellow out.”  I’d really like to peek at their medication chart; they may have been short of a pill or two.  Everybody who doesn’t believe their particular brand of Christianity is going to hell.   Really?  Is God that unjust?  “You are all going to hell.”  How do you know?  Christ said, “Judge not, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). 

In my work at the VA, I have met a lot of men who served in Vietnam.  I talked to one man who said, “I had a couple of tours in Vietnam.”  I said, “Really?  Were you homesteading there or what?”   He said, “I took a 2nd and 3rd tour so my younger brother wouldn’t have to go.”  If you have ever been overseas doing the things those men did, you know that it takes a hell of a toll on your life.  That man may not be the staunchest Christian, and I may not see him at Sunday Mass, but don’t you think that what he did would cover a lot of things in his spiritual personnel record?   But instead, you are saying that this guy is condemned to hell because he doesn’t share your religion.  How can you say that?  You do not know this man.  They say, “You’re going to hell because you don’t believe my particular brand of Christianity.”  Shut up.  You don’t see the crosses we carry.  God judges us. 

Now, you may be thinking, “Father, you are slim, good-looking, and bright.”  Thanks, but neither of those things is correct.  You don’t know the crosses I’m carrying.  I’ve been a priest for over 40 years, and I’m still not a monsignor.  That really hurts!  We have no idea about the suffering other people are enduring.  When I talk to people, I ask them how they are doing.  They often say, “I’m fine.”  I love that word “fine.”  Do you know what it means?  It’s a medical term, and you wouldn’t like the meaning because it’s a bit rude.  We all struggle with our crosses.  Some are visible, and some are invisible.  We have no idea of the heavy burdens other people carry.  So, we don’t make judgments.  But what we can do is pray for them.  Why?  Because we appreciate it when people pray for us.

 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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Notas del Sermón – Tu sabrás que son cristianos por su amor – 16 de febrero 2025

“Tu sabrás que son cristianos por su amor”
Padre Peter Fitzgibbons
15-16 de febrero 2025

Evangelio: Lucas 6:17, 20-26

En el último año, la gente se ha mostrado cada vez más agitada por la política, el fútbol y otras cosas. Todos están molestos por una cosa u otra. Para ayudar a las personas con su agitación y lucha interna, les hago una serie de preguntas de diagnóstico. La serie de preguntas de diagnóstico comienza así: ¿Estás recibiendo fuego entrante? No. ¿Hay damnificaciones masivas? No. ¿Walmart está cerrando? No. ¿Dóminos ha dejado de realizar entregas? No. ¿Ha dejado de funcionar su plomería? No. ¿Ha perdido sus privilegios de respirar? No. ¿Dios ha dejado de amarte? No. Entonces estás bien, ¿vale? Crece. Estás bien. Esta no es la colina para morir. Simplemente haz lo que sigue correctamente y estarás bien. La gente me dice que necesitan asesoramiento sobre el duelo. Bueno, tengo una forma útil de conseguirlo y sólo te costará un dólar. Compra un periódico y mira en la sección de obituarios. Ahora tendrás un sentido de pertenencia. Todos mueren. Eres como el resto de nosotros que debemos lidiar con el dolor de perder a alguien.

Cuando estoy en público, esto me pasa mucho. La gente dirá: "Hola, pastor." La mayoría de la gente no lo sabe, pero la palabra “pastor” es un título de trabajo, tal como lo es “capellán.” Soy sacerdote. Me preguntan: "¿Cómo está?" y yo les digo: “Estoy bien. ¿Cómo esta usted?" Algunos dicen: "que soy cristiano," a lo que yo respondo: "Bien, me alegra oír eso." Intercambiamos algunas bromas más y ellos siguen su camino. Son respetuosos y muy amables en general. Pero siempre quiero preguntarles qué tipo de cristiano son. Realmente me gustaría saberlo. El otro día leí un artículo que decía que hay 45,000 sectas diferentes del cristianismo. Aunque creen cosas diferentes, todos piensan que van al cielo, todos menos nosotros.

Hubo un tiempo en que todos los cristianos tenían un sentido común de moralidad. Todas las denominaciones que se llamaban a sí mismas cristianas creían que el control de la natalidad era un pecado. Pero en 1938 hubo una reunión de obispos episcopales y decidieron mejorar las escrituras. Decidieron que el control de la natalidad es bueno. Lo que antes se consideraban delitos en el antiguo derecho penal ahora se ensalzan como virtudes. “Cristo hubiera querido esto.” Bueno, si Él lo hubiera querido, lo habría dicho. El Nuevo Testamento termina con el Libro del Apocalipsis. No puedes mejorarlo. Entonces, cuando la gente dice que es cristiana, no tengo idea de lo que eso significa. Realmente no lo sé.

Si eres cristiano, ¿cómo lo sabría a menos que me lo digas? Sabes que la gente es cristiana por sus actos de amor. Los Apóstoles hicieron lo que hizo Cristo. Cristo dijo: “Si me amáis, mis mandamientos guardaréis (Juan 14:15). Dejó instrucciones específicas. No dijo: “Mis instrucciones sólo tienen una vida útil de unos 2,000 años. Después de eso, quedarán bsoletos y podrás crear los tuyos propios.” No, no lo creo. Cristo fue bastante específico y no nos dio mucho espacio para maniobrar. Si somos seguidores de Cristo, haremos lo que Él hizo. ¿Por qué? Porque lo amamos más que a nosotros mismos. No tenemos que decirle a nadie que somos cristianos. Lo verán en nuestros actos de amor, en nuestros actos de compasión y en nuestros actos de gran sufrimiento. Verán el amor de Cristo obrando a través de nuestra naturaleza humana. Verán su amor y cuidarán de nosotros. Puedes llamarte como quieras, pero debes ser como sea que te llames.

Si afirmas ser un seguidor de Cristo, debes seguirlo haciendo lo que Él hizo. Tomamos nuestras cruces todos los días y lo seguimos. Tratamos de reflejar nuestras vidas en lo que Él hizo. Caeremos; todos lo hacemos, incluso yo. Pero todos nos levantamos nuevamente y nos esforzamos por seguir a Cristo. Esto es lo que hacemos si somos cristianos. Lo demostramos con nuestras acciones, con la forma en que vivimos, con la forma en que amamos, con la forma en que nos sacrificamos y con la forma en que oramos. Así es como podemos conocer a los seguidores de Cristo.

Reflexiones del Padre. . . Es bueno estar en casa. Muchos de ustedes me han preguntado cómo estuvo mi viaje. Decir que fue extraño sería quedarse corto. Hay dos palabras que usamos en el ejército que lo describirían perfectamente, pero no puedo usarlas aquí. Todo lo que puedo decir sobre mi viaje es que elegí un momento increíble para dejar de beber. Después de terminar la misa del funeral de mi tía, hablé con los sacerdotes que estaban allí por unos minutos y luego me confesé. Cuando salí de la iglesia, todos se habían ido. Lindo. Dejaron al santo varón allí en medio de la nada en el oriente. Entonces llamé a mi prima y le pregunté: "¿Dónde estás?" Ella dijo: “Estamos en la procesión fúnebre. ¿Dónde estás?" Estoy aquí en la iglesia. Ella dijo: "Bueno, síguenos." Prima, no soy de “Fall River (Rio Caído).” No tengo idea de dónde estoy. "Oh." Ella me dio direcciones y supe dónde estaba en aproximadamente una milla. Después del funeral, encontré el camino de regreso a la casa. Habían pedido todo tipo de comida. La primera caja que agarre fue una pizza de queso con papas fritas encima. Estás bromeando, ¿verdad? Soy un paciente cardíaco. Mi familia definitivamente está en la cima de una escala extraña. ¡Qué bueno estar de regreso!

¿Cómo aplicarías este mensaje a tu vida? ____________________________________________