Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – January 1, 2023 – “Take Care of My Mother, I Remember Your Name”

“Take Care of My Mother, I Remember Your Name”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 1, 2023

Gospel:  Luke 2:16-21

16 So they hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.  17 When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, 18 and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds said to them. 19 As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.  20 And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as they had been told.  21 When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

In a few moments we will recite the Nicene Creed which is one of the statements of belief in the Church.  We have many creeds including the Apostles Creed and the Athanasian Creed.   The Nicene Creed was formulated by the Council Fathers, the Bishops, under the leadership of the Pope at the Council of Nicea in the fourth century.  The Nicene Creed was a response to heresy by a priest named Arius who challenged our beliefs.  Arius thought he was brighter than the average bear and that he had knowledge that nobody else had.  So, he, in his exalted wisdom, sought to redefine who Christ is.  He denied the true nature of Christ.  This caused a bloody revolt within the empire.  The Church went through great strife., and there was martyrdom all over the world.  It was terrible.  But that is what evil does.  So, the bishops of the Church gathered in council along with the Holy Father and made a declaration about who Christ is and where He came from.   

Remember, Christ is a person.  He is a “Who.”  He is not an “it” or a “what.”   And that is affirmed in the Nicene Creed.  In philosophy, you learn that a person is a “Who.”  Inside that “who” is a “what” which is their nature.  We have a human nature…some of us just barely.  Animals have an animal nature.  Christ is a “Who” with two “what’s”.   He has a divine nature which is Himself, and He had the human nature He took from the Blessed Mother.   If you watch closely during the Mass, you see that I put one drop of water into the chalice of wine.  The amount of wine and water in the chalice cannot be equal parts.  The drop of water is not to cut the effect of the wine.   It is to symbolize the human nature assumed and lost within the divinity.  And unless I put that drop of water into the chalice of wine, the Mass is invalid because no Precious Blood has been consecrated.  The mixture of wine and water in the chalice must be very precise because it is expressing the theological and ontological real meaning of who Christ is. 

The Blessed Mother is fittingly called the mother of God so that each year God is made visible.  Why is she called the mother of God?  Because that is what scripture said.  The Council Fathers declared that Mary, the Blessed Mother, was the mother of God.  To some, this was a novel idea, but it really wasn’t because members of the Council knew scripture.  And scripture said that Mary was the mother of God.  Mary had just conceived when she went to visit Elizabeth, her kinswoman.  And when Elizabeth said, “Who am I that the mother of our Lord should come unto me,” she was saying that Mary is the mother of God.   Remember, when you read scripture, you have to read it as a First Century Jew coming from a Jewish culture.  “Oh, I studied under so-and-so.”  Do you know how to study the Old Testament?  Study it under a rabbi.  I did.  Then you discover what things really mean.  “Oh, that’s what that means.”  Bingo!  You have to consider the culture. 

First Century Jews would never use our word for “God.”  Even now, the Orthodox leave letters out and use hyphens.  They don’t use the word “God.”   When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby, John, leapt in her womb.  Again, you have to read scripture in the original language.  John didn’t “leap in the womb.”  The original word was “danced.”  It’s the same word that David used to describe what King David did before the Arc of the Covenant as the Arc was coming into Jerusalem.   John the Baptist danced before the Arc of the New Covenant.  Mary is referred to as the mother of our Lord throughout scripture.   Mariology is a subset of Christology because if you study Christ, you have to study Mary.  This is why, as Catholics, we have a great devotion to our Lady.  “Oh, but we don’t want to neglect Christ.”  I’m the wrong ethnicity, I’m French Canadian, but there’s a great Italian phrase that I love to repeat, “Hey Father, you take care of my mother, I remember your name.”

In praising the mother of God, aren’t you also praising Him who is the source and author of all virtue?   However, it was not enough for Mary to be the mother of Christ.  She also had a secondary vocation.  Read the scriptures.  When some people read them, they become like jailhouse lawyers …they read stuff and say, “Oh yeah!  It says this.”   Well, not quite.  Mary is also our mother.   At the wedding in Cana at Galilee, she said, “Son, they have no more wine.”   Any man knows that when a woman says that it’s an implied task and you better get to work and fix it.  She stated the problem and now it’s your problem.  Fix it.  Yes, Mom.  Yes, Dear.  What did Christ say?   The English translation is not a good one.  He didn’t call her “mother.”  He said, “Woman what are thee to me?”   This sounds very harsh.  Say that to your mother and let me know how it works for you.   Not well I bet.   Even saying that to Bea Morton would result in a less than optimal outcome.  There would be a lot of tears and crying on your part.   But that was the beginning of Mary’s second vocation as our Lord began His ministry which was fulfilled three years later at the foot of the Cross.   “Son, behold your mother. Woman, behold your son.”   He said “woman” and not “mother.”  She was to be the spiritual mother of all men.    Christ works through her.  Christ works through her to become present in this world.  He works through her to open the gates of Heaven and help us with our salvation.   Remember the words of Saint Bernard:

Remember, Oh gracious Sweet Virgin Mary, never has it been heard that you left unaided anyone who ran to you for protection, implored your help or sought for your intercessions.  With this inspired confidence I fly to you my mother, Oh Sweet virgin of virgins, I come to you and before you I stand sinful and sorrowful.  Oh Mother of The Word Incarnate, do not despise my petitions but listen, hear and answer them with your utmost love. Amen

Now is that a great prayer?  Darn right.  I say it every morning.  Does it always work?  Um, yes.  However, I’m not a monsignor.  The forecast looks really bleak on that front.  But my prayers are never denied.  I always receive strength, consolation, and affirmation.  It always comes because Mom knows best.  We use that phrase in our physical life how much more so is it true in our spiritual life?  We know the mother of God.  As Teresa Cuthrone might say, “Hey, I know a girl.”

When we pray the Rosary, we pray scripture.   There is nothing contrary or adverse to Christ in that.    Otherwise, she would have dropped out of scripture like Joseph.   She is our mother too and wants to take care of us.  She wants us to be with her Son.  So always ask for help.  Nobody has been sent to hell for asking for intercession.

Father’s Reflections… I had an appointment with my cardiologist on Wednesday.  He said I was fine.   Okay.  But because I’m a cautious man, I kept the receipt. 

How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________


You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Sermon Notes – December 25, 2022 – “You Can Become Young Again”

“You Can Become Young Again”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 December 24-25, 2022


Gospel:  John 1:1-18

1 In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God.  2 He was with God in the beginning.  3 Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.  4 What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of men;  5 and light shines in darkness, and darkness could not overpower it.  6 A man came, sent by God. His name was John.  7 He came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him.  8 He was not the light, he was to bear witness to the light.  9 The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world.  10 He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him.  11 He came to his own and his own people did not accept him.  12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name 13 who were born not from human stock or human desire or human will but from God himself.  14 The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.  15 John witnesses to him. He proclaims: ‘This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.’  16 Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received — one gift replacing another,  17 for the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.  18 No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

There are so many things I could say about Christmas.  I could keep you here for hours, and even though we have padded seats, the mind will only hear what the seat can endure.  But there are two things I want to mention about Christmas.  One is to be grateful.  There are times when we are not grateful.  There are things we thought would work out but didn’t.  People we love are no longer here.  But be thankful for the time that you had with them.  I am thankful I had the family that I had.  And that’s as much as my attorney will allow me to say about them.  But I am grateful for them.   The second thing I want to say about Christmas is that we get so much from God which shows His love for us.  Always say thank you.   So few do.  We get busy and distracted at Christmas time with shopping, travel, the weather, and this and that. We listen to the news, and everything is in crisis.  Even so, we need to take time to say the Prayer of Thanksgiving which is the last part of the Mass.

I was meditating before church, and I thought of two things that I am very, very grateful for.  The first thing is one that not all pastors can say.  I am grateful that I am in the greatest parish in the diocese.  I have been blessed to be here for 18½ years, and I hope to stay here until they finally put me into the old priest home.  I have been with the best parish and the best people in the diocese.  And although I say that to the Bishop, I don’t say it to other priests because they would want my parish.  Also, you’ve heard the song, “I’ll be Home for Christmas.”  One of the greatest Christmas presents I ever got was in January one year.  I was in an airplane, and the captain came over the intercom and said, “We have now entered American airspace. Welcome home.”    But the greatest gift of all is what lies in the manger and what lies reposed in the Tabernacle.  Don’t ask, “What is love?”   Love is not a “what.”  Love is a “Who.”   Love is a person.  Instead of looking up and asking where love is, today the world can look down at it.  God, Himself, became what He was not.  He took upon Himself a human nature.  Why?  Because He loves us.   As we say in theology, God is love.  He loved us so much that He came down to take our human nature upon Himself.  Through all the years of acts of love, the greatest of them is not His incarnation but His crucifixion, death, and resurrection so that we can share in His love for all eternity.  So, we don’t have to ask “what” is love.  Love is a “Who.”  

People often say, “I like church at Christmas because it smells nice with the incense.”   I went to college in the 1970’s, and I know we have a police officer in the crowd, but we don’t have any of that wacky stuff here.  It’s still illegal here in North Carolina.  But when I was in college there were a lot of different odors going around.  Entering the dormitories sometimes made you wonder if you were in a monastery.  But how wonderful Christmas can be with the beautiful vestments and decorations.  However, it’s deeper than that.  We have to look at Christmas with the wonder and awe of a child.  Do you know why?   Because the eyes of a child are not tainted by sin.   Yes, they are tainted because of original sin, but they have few sins and probably no mortal sins.  But as we grow up, we become jaded by life’s circumstances. . .by what we have done and what has been done to us.   And we become hardened and calloused.  But that can all be taken away when we come to the manger.  This is a wonderful meditation and many books have been written about it.  When non-Catholics see a manger scene, they wonder if it was put there by a Catholic.  The manger is a way for us to meditate on the beautiful mystery of the incarnation. 

So, how can we see with the eyes of a child?   I have the best ophthalmologist in the business, and he cannot fix my eyes.   But God can through prayer and the Sacraments.  Slowly but surely my eyes will regain the innocence that was lost by my own sin and that of others.   With all the world scattered around us, no wonder we believe the worst in people.  But the eyes of a child still behold the wonder of Christmas.  It’s like married love.  I have done wedding anniversaries for people who were 60 years married.   “Til death do us part” is not a death sentence that the State gives you.  It’s not a waiting game until you are free.   You should be more in love after 60 years than you were on your wedding day if you follow the holy way of life.  Is it different?  Yes.  The man probably cannot open cans and jars anymore.  He cannot bend steel with his bare hands.   He is no longer faster than a speeding bullet or able to leap tall buildings at a single bound.  Those days are gone.  But the love has changed and is deeper and more profound than on your wedding day. Sixty years of prayer, sacrifice, and the Sacraments enriches it and makes it deeper and more profound because you are growing in Christ and to each other.  The same is true with faith.  The process of a husband and wife becoming closer is the same process in which we grow closer to God.    That love for one another is based on love of God and through God.  It is the love for our Lord.  Our love for the Lord at the Mass in the Tabernacle can become so much more profound that we can become young again.  No, I’m not getting my hair back, and I won’t be running 5-minute miles.  But we can become young again, beautiful, and handsome.  That happens in the heart.  We are transformed by the love of Christ.  He shows us how to love Him by loving us.   

Our gift of love is much deeper.  It is more profound and more childlike.  This is God’s Christmas gift to you.  What is His gift?  Remember the first part of the sermon?  It’s not a “what”.  It’s a “Who.”   God offers us the gift of Himself which is pure love.

How will you apply this message to your life? _____________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Sermon Notes – December 18, 2022 – “The Silent Saint”

“The Silent Saint”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 December 17 – 18, 2022

Gospel:  Matthew 1:18-24

18 This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.  19 Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally. 20 He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit.  21 She will give birth to a Son and you must name Him Jesus, because He is the one who is to save His people from their sins.’  22 Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:  23 Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a Son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’. 24 When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

In the Christmas narratives about the birth of our Lord, one person gets short scripted, spiritually speaking.   However, it doesn’t bother him because he’s in Heaven in the presence of our good Lord forever.  He has everything, so he doesn’t take it personally although some of us would.  Who is he?  Saint Joseph the Silent who never uttered a word in scripture.   According to some traditions, Saint Joseph was without sin but that is pious tradition and not de fide.   The Church is silent on that.  But, if you look at the staff he carries, it always has a lily, and the lily is a sign of purity. 

In ancient Israel, when you were betrothed, you were considered married even before you lived together.  You have to read the Gospel in the context of the times because that is when it was written.  Even though events in the Gospel happened over 2,000 years ago, we tend to interpret the events and words as if they were a part of our culture today.  And that’s not true.   An angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, “Have no fear about taking Mary as your wife.”  It is the beginning and the continuing of our redemption because he said “yes” to Almighty God in a dream.  Did he understand it?  No – but he did it.  The obedience of Saint Joseph is a model for what our response should be.  What an example of faith.    

In other dreams, he was told to go to Egypt and to come back from Egypt.  He did a lot of walking.  He had to walk with Mary who rode on a mule or something like it all the way to Bethlehem.  It was shoe leather express all the way.  When he couldn’t find a room for her, he had to put her in a stable.  You may say, “Well, he was poor.”  Scripture doesn’t say that.  Quite to the contrary.  When the Wise Men came, they found the family in a house.  Joseph was a skilled tradesman.  In those days, carpenters were highly skilled tradesmen.  So, he was probably very secure in his finances.   Scripture doesn’t mention that – only that he was a carpenter.  They figured we would know all that.  What a great act of faith by Joseph. .to be told that Mary is with child by God and to take her as his wife.  How can that be possible?  Well, in a few days, we will also wonder how God can become man.  He can because He is God. 

Obedience has two forms.  There is the objective part where you do things out of fear.  Nobody drives 35 mph in town just because it’s the right thing to do.  We do it because the Albemarle Police Department may be close by and watching us.  I always see the Highway Patrol and sheriff deputies at the VFW sitting out of view in Richfield.  They hide really well.  I saw one sitting at the Lutheran Church just over the crest of the hill.  Perfect!   And if law enforcement catches you speeding, they will say, “Come here and make a donation to the State.”   That is objective obedience.  I’ve told you before that the toughest part of obedience is mental interior obedience.  To obey for love of the law giver who wants our service.   It was designed only for our good, and that’s the hard part because our original sin cries, “I know more than You.”    

Joseph never spoke a word in Scripture, but he said “yes” by his actions.  By his actions, he imitated the Blessed Mother’s fiat, “Be it done to me according to thy will.”  What a humble submission of will.  What a humble submission of intellect.  In a few days, we will mark the fruits of Joseph’s cooperation.  What are the fruits of his cooperation?  He was the first human being to hold God in his hands.

How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________


You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Sermon Notes – December 11, 2022 – “Name It. Say It. Claim It.”

“Name It. Say It. Claim It.”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 December 10 – 11, 2022

Gospel:  Matthew 11:2-11

2 Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, 3 ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?’ 4 Jesus answered, ‘Go back and tell John what you hear and see; 5 the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor; 6 and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of falling.’ 7 As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, ‘What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? 8 Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces.  9 Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: 10 he is the one of whom scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you.  11 ‘In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.


Today is a wonderful day.  Our Lord tells us, “I sent my messenger ahead of me.”  Who is that messenger?  That would be you and me by virtue of our baptism.  We are called to proclaim the coming of Christ.   Christ is coming soon as we know.  We celebrate Him at Christmas during this time of Emmanuel (God is with us).   How do we prepare the way for Him?  First, we prepare ourselves.  We cannot give what we do not have.  I cannot do carpentry work.  Why?  I can’t use power tools…I’m terrible at it.  I don’t have that gift.  But we all have the gift to be holy.  We clean our souls and fill them with Jesus, and we bring that to other people.  How do we tell people?   How can the deaf hear us and the blind see us?   By seeing Christ in us.  We bring the news of Christ by our actions or lack of actions and not by our words.  Nobody says, “Please forgive me.”  They say, “Yeah, I’m sorry; you know that.” 

There is a famous Irish saying, “You do not have to go to every fight you are invited to.”  You don’t have to do that.  What is deadly to our soul?  Sin.  Leprosy was a deadly disease back then…a slow killer as is the unrepentant evil in us.  Read the Catechism.  When we sin, we ask for forgiveness.  Do not apologize.  It is not a sign of weakness as television tells us.  An apology is for using the wrong fork at dinner.  I have only one set of forks in my house, so I’m good.  However, you don’t have to be like Patsy Cline, “I’m sorry, so sorry.”  Shut-up!  You hear this all the time, “I misspoke.”  No, you lied.  You didn’t misspeak.  You lied. Name it.  Say it.  Claim it.   You hear all these what I call “moral theology weasel words.”  Every sin has a name…so name it.  I did pass the Moral Theology course.  You ask for forgiveness.  “I have sinned,” be it culpably, knowingly, or by omission and just being an ignorant jerk.  “I have sinned, and I am sorry.  Please forgive me.”   This is how we preach the Gospel.  You’d be surprised at the look you get on people’s faces. 

We preach the gospel; I get to do it here because I’m a priest.  But my preaching means nothing if I don’t show it in my actions.  That’s what people see.  Many times, in the hospital, people have asked me, “Father, will you visit so-and-so?  They are dying.”  Are they Catholic?  “No.”  So, I visit the patient and say the Prayer for the Dying Soul.  Sometimes nurses will page me and ask that I pray for a patient who is dying.  The patients aren’t Catholic.  The nurses aren’t Catholic.  But because I showed up and visited them they will call me.  The rules have changed at Atrium and nursing homes, but I had a couple of moles and spies who would tell me who was sick.  Now they can’t do that, but I’m working on a new deal.  It takes time to get new sources.  People will see you by your actions.  We pave the way for the Lord by preparing ourselves first.  By preparing our souls first, we prepare the way of the Lord outside of ourselves.

Father’s Reflections:

My first blessing this morning was that I had mince meat pie and jello for breakfast.  I’m living every man’s dream.  Such is life without a wife.  Yesterday we had the funeral for Cornelius Waxmuski, and I told the family that I never knew his first name.  We called him “Waxi.”  The funeral director informed me that there was a problem at the cemetery and that they needed 10 extra minutes.  So, the vehicle procession to the cemetery was slowed down to 10 mph through the city.  Nobody beeped their horns.  It was fun.  We don’t have to wear seat belts in a hearse.  So, you get fringe benefits at a funeral.  One of the good things about being in a small parish for a long time….you get to know the town and its people.  And that is a true blessing.  I feel for those priests who have big parishes and fight fires all the time.  They go from one explosion to another in what we called in the military, “Quick Reaction Force.” 

How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Sermon Notes – November 27, 2022 – We Do Not Know the Day or Hour

“We Do Not Know the Day or Hour”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 November 26-27, 2022

Gospel:  Matthew 24:37-44

37 ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of man comes.  38 For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, 39 and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes.  40 Then of two men in the fields, one is taken, one left; 41 of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken, one left.  42 ‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your Master is coming.  43 You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. 44 Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.


In the Gospel, they talk about “eschaton” which means the last days before God comes and judges the world.  We look forward to and honor His first coming on December 25th.   And we look forward to His last coming.  Will we be alive at the eschaton?  No one knows the day or the time.   But He comes in between those two periods which we are now in.   He comes in a lot of ways.  He’s already here in the Blessed Sacrament.  He comes again and again offering Himself to us in the Sacraments. 

Whether Mass is in Latin, Spanish, or English, people say, “I get nothing from Mass.”  That’s pure blasphemy and heresy because the Sacraments are God’s gift of Himself to us.  “I get nothing from God and His gift of Sacrifice.”  Really?  Then you don’t need to be here.  Come back when you are ready.  This is how God gives Himself to us.  He offers Himself again and again especially in the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion.  God makes Himself present in our soul.  And He comes to prepare us for what?   His second coming at the end of the world.  Smart money says He will come at our own personal death.  We do not know the date or time.  For instance, my cousin outlived her prognosis.  We also do not know how.  His presence and attempted coming into our souls – we are the ones who control His arrival or not – prepare us for that time when we will meet Him face-to-face.  So, take His advice: “Keep watch, for you do not know the day or the hour.”   

Now, I’m not much, as you all well know, but I can read a calendar.  The average life span of a male is about 73 or 74 years.  In July, I will be 70.  If I move again, it will be to a house right next to Atrium.  I don’t know when the time will come but prepare to meet our Lord and be ready to greet Him when He comes.  He comes to us a lot in ordinary ways and at ordinary times.  I told you the story about finding the quarter, and that was fun.  I even found a dime last night.  Hey, my cousin is generous!   She was a VA psych nurse, so she really knows how to handle me. 

Our God tells us, even in the midst of our afflictions and crosses, if you look for the signs, He will tell us that He is with us.  You will find all these little signs but sometimes we get too busy to notice. My cousin had stopped the chemotherapy.  She was sitting on the deck in East Nowhere, Massachusetts – there is such a place as East Nowhere, and she lived there.  Out of nothing, a distinguished voice – not a soft one but a real one – said “I love you.”  Just to let her know that during her final time on the cross, she was loved.   She was prepared to go and joyfully meet her Savior.  So, our good Lord is coming, and that’s the good news.  And what does that give us?  It gives us time.  Time to put on the wedding garment as Scripture tells us. Time to take advantage of His presence and His comings so that we may be ready to go joyfully to meet Him when the time comes.  So be prepared.  We get distracted by many things…Black Friday sales and all that stuff.  But our good Lord is coming back, and that is the good news.

Father’s Reflections. . .

Please keep Theresa Cutrone in your prayers.  She fell and banged her head.  I happened to be there when the rescue squad came.  One of the medics asked Theresa what had happened, and she said, “My husband pushed me.”  The medic said that he could call the law.  And I said, “You’ll need to call Ghostbusters. . .I buried her husband two years ago.”    It’s never dull in my world. 

On a personal note, I want to thank you for your prayers for my cousin.  Kathy passed away on Friday morning.  She was diagnosed a year ago with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer which is not a fun way to go.   I also want to thank her medical team.  They bought her a lot of time she would not have had.  I appreciate them and your prayers. 

On Friday night I was driving to a restaurant to eat fish…I hate fish, but I have to eat it.     I looked up at the sky and saw a beautiful sunset.   I said, “Kathy you are in Heaven now.  Please pray for me.”  As I was getting out of the car at Blue Bay, I looked down at the ground and there was a quarter.   Wow. . .that was quick!  And then, I had an evil thought.  My cheap brother only sent me a penny when he passed.  But in his defense maybe God bumped it up to adjust for inflation. 

How will you apply this message to your life? _____________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Sermon Notes – November 20, 2022 – “You Can Create Your Own Chapter in the ‘Lives of the Saints’”

“You Can Create Your Own Chapter in the ‘Lives of the Saints’”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 November 19-20, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 23:35-43

35 The people stayed there watching. As for the leaders, they jeered at Him with the words, ‘He saved others, let Him save himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’  36 The soldiers mocked Him too, coming up to Him, offering Him vinegar, 37 and saying, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’  38 Above Him there was an inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews’.  39 One of the criminals hanging there abused Him: ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us as well.’  40 But the other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as He did, 41 but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this Man has done nothing wrong.’ 42 Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’  43 He answered him, ‘In truth I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise.’


One of my favorite things to read about is the lives of the saints because it gives me great hope.  The saints cover a wide range and multitude of vocations, lifestyles, and difficulties.  That gives me hope that someday I also might be a saint.   I was reading about one this week.  During World War II, a bomber pilot was flying a mission over Italy and was about to release his bomb when he saw a flying monk – not the flying nun – at 17,000 feet in the air.  The monk was pointing at something.  The boom window opened, and the bombs dropped but not where they were supposed to drop.  Later, when the pilot did his after-action report, he told the commanding general what happened.  The general said, “That’s nice.”  The pilot was put in the Army’s “nut hut” for a while.  He’d been on one too many flights.  But other pilots kept seeing the same thing and also missing the target for their bombs.  Finally, an Italian general, an ally, saw the flying monk.  After the war, he went to that tiny Italian town and while he was there looking around, he saw the monk that he had seen while flying at 17,000 feet.  You know who that was?  Padre Pio.  The general, who was Protestant, became Catholic.  Padre Pio was given the gift of bilocation (the ability to be present in more than one place at the same time).   Padre Pio promised his people that the allies would not bomb the town . . . and they didn’t.  Saint Martin de Porres, a Dominican brother from South America, was also given the gift of bilocation.   I had the gift of bilocation, a twin, but that usually just got us into trouble.  Before I’d go home, I would ask my twin brother, Paul, if he had ticked anybody off.  I was getting too old to smack people around.  But there have been all sorts of saints.  They had extraordinary gifts given to them.  Saint Teresa of Avila levitated while in prayer.  Saint Junípero Serra was known as the flying priest.  Saint Therese de Lisieux and Saint Francis of Assisi both saw their guardian angels.  These great gifts were given to the saints, and they are wonderful.  The temptation of the devil is for you to think, “Oh, I can’t be like them.”   Yes, you can.  We have the same means they had to achieve what they did.  They were given all these great graces – the ability to levitate, bilocate, and to fly at 17,000 feet – but they were given to them for the good of others and not as a reward or an “atta boy.”    So how did they achieve those graces that they would bring to others?  Through a life of prayer. 

One of the greatest gifts we have is our gift of suffering.  Our sufferings can be our greatest prayer.  Suffering can be transformative and be conduit of God’s gifts to others like the saints.  And as we gain the gift of old age, we have even more sufferings.  Our minds write checks that our bodies cannot cash. I was talking to a marine the other day was sick and in the hospital.  He didn’t want to ask for help because he believed that demonstrated weakness.  I told him, “No it takes courage to ask for help when you need it.”   When I had Covid, I told myself, “I’m going to say my prayers and say the Rosary while I walk.  I’m going to walk at night in the church and walk before Mass.  That didn’t work well.  It hurt, and I almost passed out several times.  But I rubbed the 101st patch and was determined to do it.  No.  It is not a sign of weakness to accept help.  Covid was my prayer.  Did I sit in my office every day?  No.  I couldn’t concentrate because I hadn’t been sleeping.  That suffering became my prayer. 

The saints suffered too.  They spent a lot of time in prayer.  They experienced a great deal of suffering which, again, can be transformative.  Look at the Good Thief on the cross.  He had a bad life and was sentenced to capital punishment.  Remember, later they broke his legs…not a fun way to go.  Yet he still went to Heaven through his sufferings.  Heaven was once stolen, and it can be stolen again.  God gave the saints great gifts – for others and not for themselves … because God’s love is in us not only to transform us but for the salvation of other souls. . .to transform them to be with Him and to cooperate with Him. 

I miss all the fun I had in the military. . . all the travel, the strange, exotic lands, all the excitement.  There’s nothing like being in 136 degrees and a sandstorm wearing a flak vest and helmet.  Those were the days!  It was very slimming.  But that experience now helps me with my work with veterans because they can talk to me.  I can help them understand.  There is no other priest in the diocese who can do that.  Although they are holy, veterans won’t talk to them unless they have the credentials.  So, your suffering is a good way to open up other souls to you and bring them to God.  No other person can talk to an alcoholic other than a recovering alcoholic, or to a drug addict by a former drug addict.  And the only one who can talk to sinners is a recovered sinner. . .one who is recovering each day by taking up their cross.

The most important thing we can do is to cooperate with God’s Will and allow God to use us through our sufferings, our talents, and our abilities to show His love so that others may come to know our Good Lord working in us.  Whatever field or time of life we may be in, this is our mission.  And it is how we create our own chapter in the lives of the saints.

How will you apply this message to your life? _____________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Sermon Notes – November 13, 2022 – “You Visit My Mother, I Remember Your Name”

“You Visit My Mother, I Remember Your Name”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 November 12 – 13, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 21:5-19

5 When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, He said, 6 ‘All these things you are staring at now — the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another; everything will be destroyed.’  7 And they put to Him this question, ‘Master,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that it is about to take place?’  8 But He said, ‘Take care not to be deceived, because many will come using My name and saying, “I am the one” and “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them.  9 And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once.’  10 Then He said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  11 There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines in various places; there will be terrifying events and great signs from Heaven.  12 ‘But before all this happens, you will be seized and persecuted; you will be handed over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and brought before kings and governors for the sake of My name 13 -and that will be your opportunity to bear witness.  14 Make up your minds not to prepare your defense, 15 because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.  16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death.  17 You will be hated universally on account of My name, 18 but not a hair of your head will be lost.  19 Your perseverance will win you your lives.

I had a baptism on Saturday, and it was interesting because for the Spanish, the Godmother holds the baby.  And this baby was not happy with the godmother.  The baby was crying and pitching a fit and finally the mother had had enough and took the baby.  It was like a light switch and the crying stopped.  Everyone needs their mother. 

When you study scripture, you realize that it does not include a lot of information.  Scripture only includes that which is essential.  It is very concise in the essential information it provides.  It leaves out a lot of great and interesting information that inquiring minds want to know.  But information that is not essential for salvation is left out.   For instance, the last time we hear anything about Saint Joseph is when they found Jesus in the Temple when they were taking Him back to Nazareth.   After that, Saint Joseph disappears from scripture, because he is not essential for the rest of the salvation story.  We didn’t hear about who cleaned up after the Last Supper.  Just like men….make a mess and leave.  When Jesus fed the 5,000, who took the leftover fish?  That is not important in the history of salvation, so it is left out of scripture. What is important are the words of Christ.  They are there for our edification, our example, and our teaching. 

We all have mothers, some of them better than others depending on your perspective.  God, in His loving wisdom, gave us our spiritual mother at the foot of the Cross.  “Son, behold your mother.  Mother, behold your son.”  He gave her to us all.  The importance of the Blessed Mother is reflected in scripture.  “Well, that’s not very ecumenical.”   If you don’t know about the Blessed Mother, you don’t know scripture.   If you have no love for the Blessed Mother, you don’t know scripture.   Where did Saint Luke get the Gospel of Luke?  He wasn’t there when the angel Gabriel showed up now was he?  No.  He had to hear it from Mary.  Those were her words.  In scripture, she is the only human being an archangel called “full of grace.”  Later on in the Gospel of Luke, in her Magnificat, Mary proclaims that “all generations shall call me blessed.”   That’s not a suggestion.  For all those who have been in the military, that is a tasking.   Call her blessed.  In scripture, who interceded for the first miracle?  

Now, people ask me for my prayers, and I do pray for them before and during Mass.  I appreciate your having trust and faith in me as a priest to do that.  But I am a very simple man.  I’m an idiot – just ask the staff.  But who better to intercede for you than the Mother of God?   When I was a young priest, I met this older Italian gentleman up north who said, “Hey, Father you visit my mother, I remember your name.”   Okay.  When you visit a museum and look at a beautiful sunset in a work of art do you think, “Oh, God will get upset because I’m enjoying the beauty of His handiwork.  I am taking away from the glory of God.”  That’s not true.  You are praising God Himself because He is made manifest in His works.  The Blessed Mother was one of His works.  We cannot create our own mother, but God did.   Mothers always watch over you.   When I came back from the Gulf War and was on my way to Korea, I took leave at home.   One day, my mother asked me if I was going out, and I said that I was going to visit some friends from college.  My mother said, “Okay.  Wear your jacket.”    Mom, I’m over 40 and I’m a combat veteran!  But I said, “Yes, Mom.”  Mothers always watch over us, but how much more so than our spiritual mother?  She always wants the best for us.  And what is the best for us?  To be with her Son.  Her last words in scripture are wonderful spiritual direction.  “Do whatever He tells you.”  You can’t get more concise than that now can you.  That is not an implied tasking.  That is an order.   Many of you have probably prayed the great prayer by Saint Bernard:  “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.”   Even though many of us have prayed that prayer, most of us probably didn’t get the answer we wanted.  I’m not a monsignor.  What are we seeking in that prayer?  We want consolation.  Somehow, mom can make everything alright.  I was called out to a house one night to give Last Rites to this woman.  I gave her the Sacrament, and she said, “Father, I have my Rosary right here.”   I said, “That’s great.  Pray it as much as you can.”  Because when the time comes for you to leave this world, Our Lady will come and take you by the hand and lead you to her Son.

How will you apply this message to your life? ______________________________________

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Sermon Notes – October 30, 2022 – “If They Can Do It, So Can We”

“If They Can Do It, So Can We”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 29 – 30, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 19:1-10

1 He entered Jericho and was going through the town 2 and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man.  3 He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see Him for the crowd; 4 so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot He looked up and spoke to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.’ 6 And he hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully.  7 They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house,’ they said.  8 But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’  9 And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’

This week we are celebrating All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  They are feasts of the Church because they fall within the science of the Church called Ecclesiology. . .a sacred science.   Ecclesiology falls under what?  Christology, because the Church is not a “what” or an “it”.  “Itt” was the member of the Adams Family who had a lot of hair.  The Church is a Who.  As scripture tells us, it is the Body of Christ.  And we do not refer to a body as an “it.”  Calling the Church an “it” is blasphemy.  Making a mockery of things that are holy or sacred is blasphemy and a sin.  There are three parts of the Church.  We are the Church Militant because we are still working on our salvation.  This week we are mindful of the other two parts of the Church:  the Church Triumphant (souls in Heaven) and the Church Suffering (souls in Purgatory).

On All Saints Day, we call to mind all of those who have used the means of faith to reach their goal of salvation.   They leave behind for us an example and a map of the mine field to follow.  “This is how I got through the mine field.  Walk where I walked, and if you don’t see a footprint, do not step there.  Follow in my footsteps, and you will be fine.”  The saints leave us with that, so we have the same means and opportunities as they had.  Time is insignificant to God.  So, when we read about the lives of the saints, we are encouraged because they suffered so much, and we can see our sufferings in theirs.   And if they can do it, we can too. 

On All Souls Day, we pray for all souls that are not in a perfect state of grace and cannot yet enter Heaven because nothing imperfect can reside with the Perfect.  “Well, that’s unfair.”  No, not really.  Would you like a little bit of listeria (a bacterial infection) in your salad?  How about a bit of botulism?  Maybe some Covid?  How about a smidgen of the norovirus (vomiting virus)?   No?  The Feast of All Souls gives us consolation.  It is a feast of God’s love because it is a feast of God’s mercy.  You have to be judged before you can receive mercy.  You cannot just walk down to the courthouse and say, “I’m throwing myself on the mercy of the court.”  The judge will say, “Great.  I appreciate that.  What have you done?” You have to be guilty of something before you can receive mercy.  Mercy is a manifestation of God’s love after death.  So, while those in Purgatory are cleaning their baptismal robes, we can help them enter Heaven sooner by our prayers and sacrifices.  Going back to the courthouse story, if you are found to be guilty, the judge will say, “Sorry, you are guilty.  You have to pay $1,000 or do 30 days of eating bologna sandwiches in jail.”   You say, “I don’t have a $1,000, so I guess I’ll take the bologna special.”   But then the judge says, “Here is $1,000 bucks, you can go.”  Thank you!  Would you be grateful that you wouldn’t have to spend 30 days in jail eating bologna sandwiches or the square fish at Felon University (FU)?   Oh yeah!  That is how the souls can be helped, because in Heaven our love is not only purified but it is expanded to all, not just our friends and family but to the entire Church.  We don’t realize it, but we have countless intercessors in Heaven.  They are always praying, 24/7 and 365, before the Father on our behalf for our temporal welfare, but most importantly, for our spiritual welfare – that where they are we shall also be.  

Perhaps, especially on All Saints Day, we can say “thank you.”  Saying “thank you” is one of the greatest things about prayer that is neglected.  Thanksgiving is one of the five points of the Mass, but is often neglected because it is the last part of the Mass.  As soon as the Communion is finished, there is a race to the door to leave.  And I ask Doc or Stump if I gave them permission to leave.  No!  What is happening in Albemarle that people are in such a hurry to leave?  I know it is legal now to walk around town with booze. . . just what this town really needed.  What’s the draw?  Where’s the “thank you”?  If someone came to your house and got dessert but left while you were getting the coffee, you would be hurt, wouldn’t you? So, stay a few more minutes to say, “thank you, God.”  Even in your prayers, stop to say, “thank you.”  When you get up in the morning, thank God for another day.  Thank Him for not letting you have a heart attack, get sick, or commit a mortal sin.   Say simple prayers just like that.  On All Saints Day, we could offer our prayers of thanks and just be aware of how many people love us. . .billions upon billions of those in Heaven are expressing their love.  In the words of Saint Therese de Lisieux, “I will spend my eternity in Heaven doing good on Earth.”

Father’s Reflections. . .
It’s Halloween, and I had this spooky thought.  I remembered about a time when I was overseas in the first Gulf War and Desert Storm which turned into Desert Shield.  The XO, the second in command of the battalion, ordered everyone in the battalion to fill out their death certificate.  We completed the form except for our date of death.  We kept that form in our wallets in case we had the whack put on us.  Thank you, sir!  I’ve gone to bed with happier thoughts.  I still have that form.  When we were being deployed to the Middle East, my assistant saw me take one of the two dog tags I wore around my neck and put it inside my boot.  He asked me, “Sir, why are you doing that?”   Well, in case one part of my body gets separated from the other part there will be something to send home to my parents.  He said, “Oh.”  Do you know what we do for a living here?  We work in a very dangerous neighborhood!

How will you apply this message to your life? ______________________________________