Category: Sermon Notes

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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? ______________________________________

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Sermon Notes – October 16, 2022 – God is Not a ‘Snowflake’

“God is Not a ‘Snowflake’”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 15 – 16, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 18:1-8

1 Then He told them a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart.  2 ‘There was a judge in a certain town,’ He said, ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for anyone.  3 In the same town there was also a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!”  4 For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Even though I have neither fear of God nor respect for any human person,  5 I must give this widow her just rights since she keeps pestering me, or she will come and slap me in the face.” ‘  6 And the Lord said, ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to His elect if they keep calling to Him day and night even though He still delays to help them?  8 I promise you, He will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on earth?’

I’m going to save you some time and money.  There’s no need to go to a conference or buy a book to learn how to pray.  So, what is the secret to prayer?  The secret to prayer is praying.   You have to do it.  That’s it.  That’s the whole thing.  What is prayer?  It is “cor ad cor loquitor” or heart speaking to heart.  That’s what your prayer is.  I’ve been in some interesting places, and I have prayed that He get me the heck out of wherever I was.  Your prayers don’t have to be Shakespearean, but they have to be from the heart.   Sometimes during prayer, our minds drift off. . .”Oh!  Look, squirrel.”  Just bring your mind back.  Prayer is an act of love.  Prayer is an act of faith because you believe that Someone who loves you will hear you.   Prayer is an act of hope because you believe that Someone who loves you will give you what you ask.  So, you are exercising three theological virtues when you pray. 

I remember talking to this one lady who was praying in one specific way.  She was going to claim it, she was going to pray in the right name, and she was going to do this and that.  I said, “Really?”  Do you think that all the parents waiting outside the children’s hospitals in Charlotte and Concord didn’t pray correctly, and therefore God killed their kids?  Do you think, “Oh, you didn’t mention the correct name.  Your kid is going to die because you screwed up.”  Do you really think so?  Love is over time.  God is not a cosmic gum-ball machine in which you can flip in a quarter and “Boom” get whatever you want anytime you ask.   That’s called “name it and claim it, love it and grab it.”  Now, we may not have gotten what we wanted, but lots of times we get something far better.  That’s what our Lord does.  So never feel defeated or disconsolate by prayer.  If you are thinking, “It’s all the same and I’m talking to a wall,” that’s a temptation from satan.  God always hears our prayers.  God always answers our prayers in His own time and in His own way. 

Prayers do not change God. . .prayer changes us.  It makes us more receptive to the Will of God.  Maybe we are asking for something too small.  Sometimes though, we have to take “no” for an answer.  Now, I have been ordained for 38 ½ years, and I’m still not a Monsignor.  I think I’m going to stop asking and move on to more important things other than my personal prestige.  But prayer changes us and draws us closer to God.  By the way, if you happen to get very upset with God and use some very earthly, Anglo-Saxon words in your prayers, it’s okay.  God is not a “snowflake.”  He does not take offense; rather, He adores your passion.  You can only get mad at people you love because you expect better.  As Saint Teresa of Avila said, “Lord, if this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few.”  The secret to prayer is what?  Doing it.

How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________

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Sermon Notes – October 9, 2022 – “His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”

“His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 8 – 9, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 17:11-19

11 Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem He was travelling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee.  12 As He entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to meet Him. They stood some way off 13 and called to Him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ 14 When He saw them He said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed.  15 Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice 16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 This led Jesus to say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?  18 It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’  19 And He said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

 
Do you know why the Good Lord gave the gift of healing to the ten lepers?  Because they asked for it and because He loved them.   He made them out of love and sustained them out of love.  When they asked for the gift of that love to cure them, He didn’t ask if they had tithed, given to the Priest Retirement Fund, or volunteered at the church.  He gave it to them freely because He loved them and He wanted to show His love.  One of the lepers was a foreigner. . .a Samaritan who the Jews hated.   But love gives without regard.  Love gives outside of itself never seeking reward.  Our Lord blesses us with so many gifts when we ask for them and even when we don’t.  Some of those gifts are very good and some are even better.  In some, you recognize the good and in others not so much. 

Do you remember Bishop Fulton Sheen?  He was that very handsome man on television with grey hair.  Bishop Sheen was very photogenic . . . the camera loved him.  He had a series on television, he was a wonderful speaker, and he was very talented.  He had two doctorates – I mean the guy was a genius!  He was really blessed.   But do you know what his diet consisted of?  He lived on boiled chicken, milk, and soggy graham crackers.  That was his diet because his stomach was so bad that was all he could keep down.  That was all he could eat, but you would never know it.  That was one of God’s gifts to him, and it was a blessing because it kept him small.  Indeed, some of our crosses are our greatest blessings.   It kept Bishop Sheen humble and relying on God.  I say that because he’s about to be canonized as a saint. 

The same thing is true with all the gifts God gives us.  There are so many gifts beyond counting.  While you are saying your nightly prayers and the Act of Contrition, it is a good spiritual habit to think of at least five or ten gifts God has given you.  And the next night, think of new ones.  Also think of the gifts that are your crosses and infirmities.  He gives us those so that we can share in His Passion and become more reliant on Him than on ourselves.  They are a great blessing because they keep us humble and small.  They may seem like a punishment for our sins. . . and they could be.   I’m not God, and I don’t know why God allows it, but He does.  It’s also a chance for us to give gifts of love to others and to God.  We can offer them for sacrifices and penance for our sins and those of others.   Through our sufferings we can reach out to others who are suffering and give them the same hope we have.  As Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.”  We join our sufferings with Him on the Cross.  Those sufferings can be His greatest gift to us.  Our sufferings can be not only physical ailments but also mental and spiritual sufferings.  We all have them.  Usually, the most gifted people have the most crosses so that God can keep them humble. 

God does not give us gifts because we have earned them.  Do your children have to earn your love?  You still love the ones who have gone off the reservation.  It happens in every family.  You don’t give your children gifts because they’ve earned them.  You give them gifts because you love them.  That’s what God does for us.  God loves us and He will never stop.  He hopes that these gifts of love will cause people to turn their hearts back to Him.  That’s what God does.  He will always give us blessings, but His blessings can have many forms.

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:  October 1 – 2, 2022 – “Would You Rather Have a Colonoscopy?”

“Would You Rather Have a Colonoscopy?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 1 – 2, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 17:5-10

5 The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’  6 The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you.  7 ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal at once”?  8 Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper ready; fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink. You yourself can eat and drink afterwards”?  9 Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told?  10 So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are useless servants: we have done no more than our duty.” ‘

As a priest I hear a lot of things, and some are more interesting than others.  I’ve heard this many times when I ask people why they don’t go to church: “When I was young, I went to church all the time.  I prayed all the time.  I even ate fish on Fridays.”   Eating fish on Fridays was not mandatory.  You couldn’t eat meat on Fridays, but fish was not mandatory.  “Well, I’ve paid my dues, and now I don’t have to go.”   And I say, “Really?  You know, when I was young, I took a lot of showers and brushed my teeth a lot.  Does that mean I don’t have to do it now?”   That’s the attitude of some people.  They will give you a laundry list of all the things they’ve done for the church and how great they are.  But there is no love there.  It’s like you’ve done this huge favor for our Lord by responding to the invitation to Mass and showing up.   But where is the “thank you” for the many gifts, God has given us?   Where is the gratitude for all the bad things God has prevented from happening to us?  I shouldn’t be here.  I should be dead.  My business locations were interesting, so I should not be here.  

The way we talk about religious acts, “I’ve got to go to Mass.”  It’s like saying, “I’ve got to get a colonoscopy.”   Participating in the Mass is a great act of love for our Savior.  Are you really in love with our Lord or are you here so you won’t have to worry about eternal hell fire?  Love does not keep track of what it does for the Beloved.   Love only regrets it could not have done more.

Father’s Reflections. . .

Some of you have asked how my vacation was and if I had fun.  My vacation caused me to have some deep thoughts.  I wondered whether I’m getting old or if I’m just getting good at what I do because I didn’t need bail money while I was gone.  But my vacations are always…interesting.  I’ll give you one story besides the one about the woman who threw up in the aircraft on the flight back – we had a flight and a show, so what the heck – we got it all.   It really wasn’t a bad flight.  If you have ever flown on a military aircraft there is what’s called a “map of the earth,” and it’s a lot of fun.  It’s like riding in an airplane on a roll-a-coaster.  You learn to keep whatever you’ve eaten down…or not.  Anyway, one morning I was eating breakfast at the diner like usual and I was talking a lady I know, Cindy, who is a paranormal or ghosthunter.  She told me about a very old cemetery across the street which dated back to the Revolutionary War.  But she was scared to go there.  She was once at this cemetery in the daytime, and she heard a voice say, “Get out!”  She felt a presence, so she picked up her dog and ran out of the cemetery.  I said, “Really!  I’ve been all over that cemetery and haven’t encountered anything.”  She asked me if I was afraid.  I said, “Do you know Who I work for?  Are you talking to me?  I know a Guy.”  She asked me if my sister-in-law and I would go there with her so she could show us the spot.  So, we went to the cemetery and she took us to a spot and said, “Right here.  This         is where it happened.”  So I walked behind the gravestone and found another one that was flat and black.  I looked down and it was the grave of a young guy who was a member of a biker club.  I said, “It might be him.  He probably left the planet a little unhappy.  It could be him, but who knows.”  This is some of the fun that I have.  What do you do for fun while on vacation?  Something you probably wouldn’t do, but that is just me.

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”