Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – September 5, 2021 – I’m Sorry . . . So Sorry!

I’m Sorry. . . So Sorry!

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 4 – 5, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 7: 31-37

In the Gospel, our Lord healed the deaf man.  Why?  Read the story. . .He was asked.  A lot of us do not ask for miracles.  Why does Jesus do miracles?  Well, for a couple of reasons.  First, it is very revelatory.  It reveals a number of things about God.  But, let’s put that aside for a moment.  Did the deaf man ask for a miracle?  No, he couldn’t. His friends did through intercessory prayer, and that’s very important.  Also, did our Lord say to the man and his friends, “I’d really like to help, but have you given to the DSA?” “Have you given very good stuff to the yard sale?”  “How are your Sunday collections going?”  “Are you helping out at the church?”  “Have you brought Father food?”  Good food…no cucumbers!  No.  He didn’t interrogate them.  Our Lord restored the man’s hearing and his speech because He loved him.  Our Lord never refused a miracle to anyone who asked or to anyone who didn’t ask.  He knew that the woman would touch His garment, and He used that as an example. 

Miracles are expressions of who and what our Lord is.  He gives us favors and miracles because He loves us.  They are gifts of His love.  They are meant to draw our hearts to Him and to sustain us in being.  Scripture tells us that our Lord lets the rain fall on the just and unjust.  It revealed to the people of Israel who our Lord was.  Our Lord is God.  He can heal our infirmities.  Do I have my physical limitations?  Oh, heck yeah!  My mind writes checks that my body cannot cash.  I’m 68, and I still think I’m 18.  Saint Paul said that if you ask for prayers of healing, sometimes it will happen and sometimes it won’t.  But, the Lord told Saint Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  God does miracles all the time over at Atrium Health.  When people undergo bypass surgery, the healing is very slow.  First, they get the surgery, then they wake up, and then they go to therapy.  Everything moves at a slow pace, but they are our Lord’s miracles.

Miracles reveal God’s nature.  Do you know what God’s nature is?  God’s nature is love itself.  Jesus was love incarnate.  He came to give the gift of His love which is Himself. There are a number of miracles recorded in the Gospel, and there are more that are not as Saint John tells us at the end of his gospel.  The Lord gives us these gifts to show His love and His awareness of our needs.  What does God want in return?  Our love. That is what gifts of love are.  They are given freely.  Our Lord gives us these gifts of love to help turn our hearts toward Him and away from ourselves. 

Keep praying for His gifts.  Sometimes He says “No.”  However, when He says “no,” He gives us the grace to handle His answer and to bear whatever difficulties it brings.  I will tell you that it doesn’t seem that way.  I’m still not a Monsignor after 38 years, and I’m not happy about it.  But I’m humble, and I can handle it.  Our good Lord gives us the gift of Himself which is the greatest miracle of all.  His miracles are not just for physical ailments.  The greatest miracle is not the gift that someone gives you, it’s the gift of themselves. The physical aspects of the gift are signs of an invisible reality.  As Catholics, we see the greatest gift of all here in church. . .the gift of Christ Himself in Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Penance.  He gives it freely because He wants our love. He loves us so much that He allows Himself to be handled by an evil and sinful man such as myself.  God gives us these gifts not because we deserve them.  You cannot earn love. He gives these gifts because He loves us.  He created us out of love.  He gives us these gifts of love to draw us away from ourselves and back to Him.  So, keep praying for miracles. 

Father’s Afterthoughts:

I have been blessed with family and friends who point out my faults.  Do I have my faults?  “No, Father.”  Yes, I do, but thank you for that.  God gives me the grace to carry my crosses.  One of the great graces that God gives us for carrying our crosses and our faults is humility.   He gives us the humility to go back to someone and say you screwed up and ask for forgiveness.  Even I make mistakes on occasion, and when I do, I ask for forgiveness.  That’s how we show God’s love.  You’d be surprised when you say to someone, “I’m sorry.”  It is like the old Brenda Lee song, “I’m Sorry…So Sorry.”  Say “I’m sorry” to someone, and they may say, “Whatever.”  There’s a big difference between saying “I’m sorry” and “forgive me.”  Have you ever heard a song with “forgive me” in the lyrics?  Saying “forgive me” shows God’s power working in you.   

How will you apply this message to your life?  Are you praying for His gifts?

Email BeckyHraczo@gmail.com if you would like sermon notes emailed to you.  Also, you can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.

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Sermon Notes – August 15 – You Visit My Mother . . . I Remember Your Name

“You Visit My Mother. . . I Remember Your Name”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 August 14 – 15, 2021

Gospel:  Luke 11:27-28

Where I’m from up north, I lived in a diverse community with very strong ethnic ties and associations.   There was this gentleman who approached a priest and said, “Hey Father, you visit my mother – I remember your name.”  Okay…I’d love to.  What son, as hated as this gentleman allegedly was, doesn’t want to honor his mother.  There’s no shame in honoring one’s mother.  That’s true for us even with all our sins.  What about our good Lord?  He was the only child in history who actually created His mother.  Throughout the centuries, for thousands of years, the Church has always called for devotion to the Blessed Mother – not for worship or adoration – that belongs only to God Himself – but for devotion.  It’s not just a pious tradition for old women sitting in their living-rooms knitting, it’s for the whole Church.  Over the past 50 years or so, Devotion to the Blessed Mother has really fallen to the wayside which is sad, because people really don’t know their faith or scripture.  Non-Catholics say, “I study scripture and I pray scripturally.”  Well, if you studied scripture and prayed scripturally, you would be Catholic.  When you honor the Blessed Mother, you are praying scripturally. 

You’ve heard the proclamation of the Holy Gospel of Saint Luke.  Where did Luke get his gospel?  He wasn’t one of the apostles.  At the Annunciation, Mary was alone when the angel came to her.  Luke wasn’t there.  He wasn’t at Elizabeth’s house when Mary visited her.  So, where did he get all of this information?  Did Luke channel his inner Miss Cleo the psychic?  The first part of the Gospel of Luke is known as the Gospel of Mary, because she told him everything that’s in it.  So, Mary’s words are scriptural.  All of those people who have gotten biblical, theological, or philosophy degrees and who are not Catholic, should sue their professors for theological and intellectual malpractice.  You wasted your money.  Because if you made it this far in the scriptures, then you must be Catholic, and you must honor the Blessed Mother. 

What did Mary say further into the Magnificat?  “All generations will call me blessed.”  So, it’s a scriptural command to honor the mother of Jesus.  It has been 70 years since the so-called Second Vatican Council and some decided that devotion to the Blessed Mother was not scriptural.  Really?  Devotion is decreasing and along with it purity and belief in the Real Presence.  In order to understand Jesus, you have to understand Mary.  In theological studies, Mariology (the study of Mary) is a subset of Christology (the study of Christ).   It was from the Blessed Mother that He took His human nature.  If you look throughout scripture, I’m not going to give you a whole class on Mariology today – it’s a semester-long study – but just look at the highlights.  Protestants say they don’t have to rely on the saints.  Really?  Where is that in scripture?  Who interceded for us before the first miracle recorded in scripture?  The Blessed Mother at the wedding in Cana.   During the Passion, our Lord looked at His mother and said, “Woman, behold your son.”   He then looked at John and said, “Behold your mother.”  Protestants also say, “In order to be saved, you must be washed in the blood.”   Who was standing beneath the cross getting spattered with His blood?  The Blessed Mother.  The blood did not stop. . .the Romans were very good at what they did. When they took her Son down from the cross, He was placed in her lap.  She was covered in His blood.  Was she not bathed in the blood?  Walk in the blood?  After the Resurrection, Mary was in the Upper Room with the apostles when the Holy Spirit came.  This was the second time that the Holy Spirit came to her.  Remember the Annunciation?  The angel said, “Hail full of grace.”  Nobody else in scripture has been called that.  The power of the Holy Spirit came and overshadowed her.  “Oh, you have to be born again in the Holy Spirit.”  Well, Mary did it twice. 

This is why we have devotion to the Blessed Mother.  Just like our own mothers who have died, and hopefully in Heaven, intercede for us to the Holy Father.  How much more so can the mother of Christ intercede for us.  The original woman, the old Eve, took us all out of paradise to the new Eve who leads us to paradise.  Our Blessed Mother is the new Eve. 

Not too long ago, I received a call to go visit woman who was in her last days.  So, I went into the house and gave her the Last Rites.  She said, “Father, I have a Rosary.”  Oh, that’s great!  It was beautiful set of beads.  I said to her, “Hold them in your hands, and as often as you can say the Rosary so that when the time comes when you are to leave this world, our Blessed Mother will come take you by the hand and lead you to her Son.” 

How will you apply this message to your life?  Remain devoted to the Blessed Mother and ask for her intercession with her Son.

 You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – August 8 – The Apostles Had a V-8 Moment

“The Apostles Had a V-8 Moment”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 August 7 – 8, 2021

Gospel: John 6: 41-51

On Friday, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Transfiguration.  Ten days before His Passion, our good Lord took three of the twelve apostles – Peter, James, and John – up to the mountain to give them the final revelation of who He was …the final miracle before His Passion.  He did this to strengthen them for the trial that was to come.  On the mountain, Jesus lowered the veil of His humanity to show them His divinity.  Remember, Jesus was one Who and two What’s . . . one person and two natures.  The human nature that He took from the Blessed Mother was assumed into His divine nature.  On the altar, when I put one drop of water into the chalice with the wine, it symbolizes two natures in one person.  The wine is consecrated and turned into the Most Precious Blood on the altar.  We have a foretaste of what Heaven will be like. 

Now, the apostles saw Moses and Elijah, but how did they know it was them? There were no pictures.  There were no selfies back in the days of the Old Testament.  There were no statues.  So, how did they know?  Their minds were enlightened in the presence of God.  Moses and Elijah talked to our Lord like one man to another just as we will when we are in Heaven.  They talked about what would happen in future events.  How?  Because Heaven is the eternal now.  God said, “I who I am.”  He is the eternal now . . . no past and no future . . . the eternal present.  It’s a foretaste of His gift.  Our Lord gave the apostles this great gift to strengthen them for the terrible scandal of the cross.  And, what happened?  Even though they had seen three years of miracles and the revelation of who Jesus was, they all took off.  They had not comprehended the lessons.   Afterward, they realized that this is what He is.  They had a spiritual V-8 moment.

Our good Lord, as He did for the apostles, He does for us.  Before our great trials, we have a sense of God’s presence when He manifests Himself to us.  He also does that every now and then to remind us of His love.  Oftentimes, like the apostles, we miss it.  We are too busy, too wound up, and too distracted, so we miss it.  I read a book about 40 years ago by Father Adrian Van Kaam.  In the book, he said, “God speaks to us with ordinary signs like the wind and the stars, and we often miss it.  We are looking for something else.”  With these terribly ordinary signs that we miss, God is telling us that He loves us and is with us. 

During this big crisis we have right now, it may be comforting to think that in ages past it was much better.  Ahh…No.  You know why we think the past was better?  Because we didn’t live in it.  That’s why we think it was much better back then.  But it wasn’t   You weren’t there.  Name for me any time period since the beginning of the world that was much better.  You can’t, because there isn’t one.  Everybody has their crosses in this world.  We are much better off today except for our being so self-absorbed especially during this time.  Now that the Corona virus has mutated into the Delta variant and the Lambda variant, people are panicking.  “Oh my God! We are all going to die!”  Well, I hate to bust your spiritual bubble, but we are all going to die.  “Oh!  This is terrible!”   The Corona virus has a 99% survival rate.  Okay?  It’s much better than anything else we could possibly get.  When I work in the hospital, doctors often tell patients, “We can’t fix you.”  And, they panic.  You know, when you panic, you make wrong decisions.  Fear paralyzes you.  “But, the virus is out there!”  So, what are you going to do about it?  You will take the ordinary precautions and move on with life.  Do not be trapped by fear.  That’s a tool of the devil.  When you listen to his suggestions, it causes you to make bad judgements.   God is always present and giving you signs of His love.  That’s why I never stop the Mass when something happens. . .they are signs that God is with us.  Would I like to be sick?  No, I’d rather not.  I’m not a very good sick person.  I’m not a very good person, in general, but I’m really not a very good sick person.  Besides my personality disorder of being a pain, you know why?  Because I’m a soldier.  I can soldier my way out of this.  Ask Stump or Doc or anyone else who has served in the military.  When I had to undergo anesthesia for a couple of procedures, I thought, “I’m good. I can drive.”  I couldn’t walk, but I thought I could drive.  I’ll be fine!  Like a soldier, I do my job…a sign that God is with me. 

If you stare at something with intent, you will miss the obvious, because you are looking at something else. Keep in mind that every now and then, you will see something extraordinary. Remember that our Lord is constantly with us.  He is always present and desperately trying to get our attention.  Whether it’s through a sign by our Guardian Angel or the Blessed Mother, our Lord shows us that He is present and never far away and may even be right next to you.  God talks to us through people, places, and things.  I’m great at loving myself.  Sometimes, I wonder if God loves me as much as I love me.  I’m pretty sure He loves me more.  My vocation tells me that He does.  We can show human kindness to others through Corporal Works of Mercy.  We can act as Christ would have us act.  Perhaps, we can be nice while driving and let someone in.  Maybe, we can let someone go ahead of us in the checkout line at Wally-World or Harris Teeter . . . just ordinary, everyday things.  Showing extra courtesy is so extraordinary these days..  We can show courtesy not by just doing things, but by not doing things.  If someone cuts you off in traffic or is going ten miles below the speed limit or doing what I call “the slinky” . . . their speed goes from 40 to 58 to 25 to 52.  Yo, dude, you’ve got cruise control on that car.  Use it!   If it’s an older driver, you don’t know what’s going on with them.  They may be crackers, so you need to practice patience.  Say the Rosary.  Also, if they are really old people – if you can’t see them over the back seat – they are probably on their way to Florida.  They are like a Q-Tip driving a car.  All you can see is this puff of white hair over the seat.  But they may have just buried their husband.  They may have just buried their wife.  Wouldn’t we love for someone to show us extra courtesy?  We have our troubles too.  So, if we are willing, God can use our human nature, like He used the one He took from Mary, to show His love to the world and make it visible.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you show human kindness to others through the Corporal Works of Mercy? 

 You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – July 25 – We Repeat What We Do Not Repair

 “We Repeat What We Do Not Repair”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 July 24 – 25, 2021

Gospel:  John 6:1-15

It is said that lessons must be repeated until they are learned which means, for most of us, lessons need to be constantly repeated.  Sometimes, you think you’ve learned a lesson, but you learned it incorrectly.  Other times, we see things and know right away this means this and that means that.  We’ve taken something away from the lesson that wasn’t really there. Oops!  We need to be better students and learners.  Do you know which virtue “learning” is connected to?  Justice.  I remember one man, a seminarian and now a priest, who asked me for advice.  I told him to always take his books into the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament.  If you are going to read about the Man, then be with the Man.  Good idea…I have a few now and again. 

In the story about God’s miracle involving the loaves and fishes, 5,000 men were there who could not find places to sit…that’s a lot of men.  There were no women and children there…apparently, they had not been vaccinated.  Now, this scripture was written in Hebrew, so 5,000 was a number beyond all counting… an infinite number.  Philip told our Lord that “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little bit.”  So, was Philip like Stuart Varney, a market watcher?  Did he watch the market and know the cost of food?  No, Philip was using a hyperbole…a number beyond comprehension.  After everyone had eaten, the apostles collected 12 baskets of leftover food.  The number 12 is another mystical number in Hebrew representing the 12 nations of Israel.  So, it was a huge number beyond counting, demonstrating the power of Christ and what He can do.  And, what did they learn from the miracle?  They learned the wrong thing.  They thought He was the “bread king.”  “Hey, He fed us, so He’s going to give us stuff we didn’t have to work for. Cool!  We will make Him king, and we’ll get all the stuff we want.”  This was another temptation of Christ.  Remember, the first temptation?  After spending 40 days of fasting in the desert, Satan said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”   After seeing the miracle with the loaves and fishes, did people want holiness and their souls filled?  No, they wanted their stomachs filled. They wanted stuff.  The temptation of Christ was to give people stuff even though He came for the salvation of souls.  First things first.

People come every day and want stuff from the church.  Their stories are really fun, but it’s not what we can give.  In Acts, Peter said, “Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, I give you.  Pick up your mat and walk.”   At first, even the apostles didn’t get the lesson.  He came down to redeem you.  That was the lesson to take away.  After all the miracles our good Lord did, how many were there with Him at the end?  They did not learn the lesson until they were enlightened by grace.  They had the knowledge, because they had heard Him.  They weren’t idiots, but they didn’t know what the knowledge meant.  This is when we have to go to prayer to listen and to be enlightened.  You may have the knowledge, but that doesn’t guarantee you know what it means. 

I was reading an article this morning about the old Latin Mass.  “People did not participate in the Latin Mass.”  Or, in the order of the Mass we do now, “People must participate.  They have to run up and down the aisle.  We have to do a better job.”  I say, at best, that is blasphemy and at worst, it’s sacrilegious, because you know nothing about the Mass.  If you took a picture at Calvary, how many people were running around?  Do you think the Blessed Mother was crucifying Jesus?  No.  They stood there and shared in His suffering.  They became part of His suffering through love.  Whose human nature suffered on the cross? The Blessed Mother’s.  Whose human nature suffered along with Him?  That of Saint John the Apostle, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.   This is what the faithful do, because in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you give your human nature to me, as the priest functioning in the person of Christ, and you are just like Saint John, Mary, and Mary at the cross suffering with Christ.  You cannot get more participation than that.  The people who say these things never offered Mass, and they probably aren’t priests.  If they are, they are stupid ones.  When I offer Mass in nursing homes, I don’t get much singing and all that.  Sometimes, the mentally challenged residents will yell out during Mass, “Father, I have an idea!”  We’ll talk about it after Mass.  Do they participate?  Yes, as much as they can. 

People have heard the lesson and they have the knowledge, but they have no idea what it means.  In order to have knowledge, we have to be humble, and we have to become small.  As Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “When I am small, I am safe.”  We must surrender to judgement.  Sometimes, we tell God, “I cannot do this…I don’t understand.”  Well, I don’t understand a lot of things.  Each day I’m mystified by something, and that’s okay.  I don’t have to understand everything.  I know a lot of bright people I can call up or text, not while I’m driving, and probably get some guidance.  Why does God allow this?  Why did God allow this to happen?  It’s always good to ask, not for understanding, but for the strength to bear what we cannot endure.  Sometimes, our lives and our crosses seem too much to bear.  To learn the proper lessons our Lord is teaching us today is a precursor to the Eucharist.  Lord, speak for your servant is listening.

How will you apply this message to your life? You may have the knowledge, but do you know what it means?   Go to prayer to listen and to be enlightened. 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – July 11, 2021 – There is Hope

“There is Hope”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 July 10 – 11, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 6:7-13

I came here 18 years ago.  God bless you for doing that penance on Earth.  You are gaining in purgatory here on Earth.  I remember an article in the local paper about a gentleman from Misenheimer.  Unfortunately, he received a cancer diagnosis.  This was in the paper, so it’s public knowledge.  This man decided not to go with conventional treatment, but with alternative medicine like living in a yurt in Misenheimer.  And, as they say in medicine, he did not have an optimal outcome and died shortly thereafter.  I don’t know what he was clinging to, but he had some hope and the knowledge that he wouldn’t have to go through the rigors of chemo, radiation, and surgery.  If the diagnosis was dire, maybe this was one thing that unconventional medicine could do for him.  At one time, shark cartilage was all the rage for people with cancer.  It didn’t help the patient or the shark one bit.  But, it gave cancer patients a glimmer of hope…there was something there, and they grasped at it.  When we are afraid and hurt so much, we want something to heal us. 

There is so much evil, anger, and strife in the world.  We blame our co-dependent behavior on mental illness.  But, we don’t have to be like that.  None of us have to be like we were. . .wicked.  A lot of Protestant sects are dying out.  They try to make each other more relevant by legitimizing mental illness which is a diagnosis for gender dysphoria.  They are co-signing these behaviors.  Our good Lord told us that “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  Follow Him, and you will find peace in your soul.  Our Lord offers hope.  This hope is not theoretical or intuitive, but a certainty.  The hope He offers us is a promise.  We have a program that our Lord has given us, and we know exactly what we must do.  If we do what He asks us to do, these things will happen.

God’s promise has been demonstrated over history.  For example, if you take your medicine, you will see positive results.  If I take a tiny, little pill in the morning, my blood pressure is fine all day.  This is a demonstrable result.  If I don’t take that pill for a long time, bad things will happen to me.  Our Lord gives us hope to enable us to carry our crosses day-by-day.  Some crosses are predominate and have always been with us, while others change over time with old age and infirmities.   Whatever crosses we bear, whether it is gender dysphoria or addiction, the good Lord gives us the grace to triumph over them. This is not a wish, and it’s not a hope as the world sees hope.  It is a certainty that if you do what Christ says, you will get what He promises. 

Your crosses are many, and I know they are heavy.  Our faith gives us not only a hope, but a way of making that hope a reality, bringing peace to our soul, making sense of the sufferings we endure, and giving us the strength to bear whatever cross our good Lord has asked us to bear for love of Him, for our salvation, and the salvation of others.  This is the faith.  This is the Church and the deposit of faith that gives us hope.  There is no other way.  If you look at history, everyone who has tried something different has failed.   In the words of G.K. Chesterton, “It’s not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.” 

You have hope, and you are demonstrating that hope by your presence here today.  You come for God’s grace through the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass so that you can carry your daily crosses and be good followers of Christ.  When you demonstrate your hope, you are teaching others, because they see it in you.   It’s a day-to-day thing.  Give that hope to someone else. 

As a young man, I read the biographies of the saints and how their lives were transformed.  I don’t read fiction. . .I’m a little old for fairytales.  I like to read about what people did so that I can learn from them.  Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founded the Jesuit Order.  Now, I was trained by the Dominicans, so this is a stretch for me to say this.  What did he do?  Saint Ignatius was a professional soldier…a hit man.  He was a hired gun.  Give him a lot of money and, although he wasn’t Italian, he would put the whack on people especially because of their religion.  And, look at what happened to him. He had a great conversion. The head of the gestapo in Rome, Italy, was Herbert Kappler.  He put the whack on people. . . a lot.  After the war, a priest visited him, and he became Catholic.  Dr. Bernard Nathanson performed over 10,000 abortions.  He also converted to Catholicism after a priest visited him. 

My correspondence is different from most.  I received a letter in the mail the other day from the local, state-run, residential community known as the Albemarle Correction Facility, a medium security prison that I visit.  This one man, who didn’t know me, reached out to me.  The envelope was addressed to “Priest Peter Fitzgibbons.”  Close enough…at least he’s getting there.  He told me that he had grown up Catholic, but had fallen off the wagon a bit. . .or a lot.  He’s a “state employee” now and eats state-issued fish.  Ugh!  If you’re out in the parking lot when they are cooking fish, and the wind is just right, you know it.  I’m a hospital chaplain, so smells don’t usually bother me, but that one does.  Anyhow, this inmate wants to come back to the Church.  He’s had enough.  There are a couple of other inmates that I’ve brought in to the Faith.  They also were at a point where they’d had enough and reached out to me in hope.  You know who touched them in prison?  It wasn’t me…I’m only there once a month.  Other inmates who’d had enough and came back to Jesus.  They saw hope realized in other people. 

Our testimony to the world is the faith that we have been given, the faith that we have been called to hand down, and the faith that we teach by example.  We are living testimonies of the power of Christ by carrying our cross every day.  We may fall down, but we have the strength to get back up and carry on.  This is the hope and reality we can pass on by our actions.  It is how we teach and how we give hope to others.  We can give other people hope with their struggles just as you found hope with the crosses you carry.  But, we can’t if we are angry and bitter.  What’s wrong with you?  Jesus was a man of peace.  Our good Lord loves them and wants to transform them.  You are not your sins.  You are not your crosses.  You are children of God.  God has given us the truth, the means, and the infallible teaching of how to achieve the daily transformation we need in order to get to heaven.  Sometimes, these transformations are amazingly quick, and at other times they are sustaining.  “Well, Father you have been a priest for a long time.”  Yes.  “I see you haven’t changed much.”  But, can you imagine what I’d be like without my prayers every day, my confessions, and daily Mass?  Can you imagine what I’d be like?  I’d rather not…You cannot unsee some things.  Our transformation is always happening in us and won’t be complete until we die. 

How will you apply this message to your life?  Renew your hope in Him so that you can teach others by your example. 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – June 27: Never – Ever – Give Up

“Never – Ever – Give Up”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 June 26 – 27, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 5:21-43

What is the greatest gift our Lord has given us? The gift of Himself.  He offers us the perfect gift of love.  Why?  Because He loves us and wants to draw us closer to Him.  He really wants to give us that gift, sometimes more than we really want it.  But, since you are all here, I imagine you all want His gift.  Unfortunately, we have people in our lives who don’t seem to want it.  They go off the reservation. They turn their backs on everything their parents did for them and sacrificed for them.  It breaks your heart.  But, you pray and sacrifice for them anyway, don’t you? 

We are supposed to pray constantly.  Saint Peter said that the devil is always prowling about seeking the ruin of souls.  What do we pray for?  A lot of times when we pray, we pray too small.  We pray for those who do not like us.  We do not pray that they will have a heart attack or suffer any other kind of injury.  Instead, you pray that their souls may be converted or that you may have the strength to not choke the living you-know-what out of them when they are around.  We pray for a lot of good things. The ultimate good thing is eternal salvation.  This is the eternal good we should pray for…both for ourselves and others.

What’s the definition of insanity?  Doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.  We are human and not angels, so it is frustrating when we don’t see the results of our prayers right away.  We like things immediately.  Even the coffee maker isn’t fast enough for us.  Remember the televisions that we had to wait on to warm up?  Can you imagine that now?  When we do not see the results of our prayers right away, we think they are not working.  We give God a hard time, because we want what we pray for today.  However, God’s ways are not our ways.  He tells us to never be discouraged by prayer.  Maybe God said “No.”  If so, it is probably good that He did, because instead of giving us what we ask for, He gives us a greater good. 

Always say a prayer for yourself and your own salvation and another prayer for the salvation of others, especially your family.  It may take years and years to see any results from your prayers, and you may get more grey hair and worry lines.  You may get fed up and write them off, and that may be necessary if they have other problems.  But still pray for their salvation.  God never gives up.  You never know what He has in store, so do not get discouraged when praying for family and friends.  One of the side effects of prayer is that it changes us.  We develop a deeper trust and resignation to the will of God.  In today’s Gospel, people said “the child is dead” so do not bother. They gave up.   But, Jesus said, “If I gave you these small things which are not the best, why would I not give you the big things if you ask for it?” 

You never know what God will do, and I’ll give you several examples.  One is Saint Monica and her son, Saint Augustine.  Saint Monica never gave up on Saint Augustine, and he did a lot of crazy things.  He couldn’t write about it very well, and his confessions were boring as heck.  He’d put you right to sleep.  Still, he did a lot.  Then, you have my own family. My oldest brother and evil twin brother moved away from the faith, but they both received last rites and entrance into Heaven. Who knew?  Through prayer…my mother’s prayers, my father’s prayers, and my prayers, I was able to do their funeral Mass.  Another example is one that I remember quite clearly.   I was at Presbyterian Hospital in the Oncology Unit, and I had three patients on my list to see…two on the left and one on the right.  I thought, I’ll go see the patient on the right first.  So, I went into the room and introduced myself as the Catholic chaplain for the hospital.  The patient’s husband said, “Father, my wife is dying.  Will you give her the Last Rites?”  So, I gave her the Last Rites.  I anointed her and right where the ritual states “at or near the moment of death,” the woman took her last breath and died.  I looked at the nurse who shrugged her shoulders.  So, I said, “Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God, the almighty Father, who created you.”  When I came out of the elevator that day, something had told me to take a right turn instead of a left.  I had not seen these people before that day or after.  Another time when I was at Atrium, I was walking up the stairs, more steps for my heart, and a nurse asked me if I was a priest.  I said “Yeah.”  Go figure, huh?  Actually, I’m the pastor at a Baptist church, and I’m just trying to confuse everybody.  Anyway, the nurse said she was going to call me about a patient in ICU who was dying of cancer.  I never saw the patient before and I never saw her after.  Saint John Vianney, the Cure of Ars, had the gift of reading souls.  One day while he was taking a walk, he saw a woman who approached him.  She said, “Curate, you have the gift of seeing souls.”  Sometimes.  “Remember my husband?  He is dead.”  Saint John said, ”Yes.  I’ll offer him a prayer.” The woman said, “He fell off a bridge and drowned. He was an evil man. He’s in hell isn’t he?”  Saint John said, “I don’t know.”  The woman was irate and said, “You don’t know? What do you mean you don’t know!  He hit me, he spent money, and he drank!”  Finally, after she had finished unloading all her vile on him, Saint John said, “There was a lot of time from when he left the bridge and until he hit the water.” 

Imperfect contrition is the fear of God’s punishment and is sufficient to get you into purgatory and eventually into Heaven.  Even saying “I’m sorry” is enough.  So, we do not know what will happen.   We will find that out only if we get to heaven. Remember, we have control over that.  Everyone in hell is a self-made man or woman.  I’m not sexist.  So, keep up your prayers for all of those who need His love. That’s the way to love. 

Now, I am not much.  I’m not that bright, but I can read a calendar, so I know my sell-by date is rapidly approaching. I pray for a happy death and that God will allow me in heaven with all my sins and faults.  I pray that I will see the rest of my family.  So, never, ever, ever stop praying.  We never know how it will end.  Remember, God wants your family, friends, and enemies in Heaven more than even you do.

How will you apply this message to your life?  No matter what, keep praying for yourself and your salvation and the salvation of your family, friends, and enemies.

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – June 20 – Look Busy!

“Look Busy!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 June 12 – 13, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 4:26-34

The only thing we should have pride in is the mercy of our good Lord.  From His pierced heart, flows the river of Sacramental love so that we may have life and have it to the fullest in this life and in the next.  It is our means of salvation.  What we should be proud of, and the only thing, is our Savior’s love.  It’s not a sin or a debauchery. 

Now, let me tell you what you must do to get to heaven. You have to do one thing, and it’s extraordinary.  You know what it is?  You may be thinking, “Oh, God!  Father, please, I’m having enough problems with the ordinary stuff!  What the heck are the extraordinary things?”  Well, although it’s extraordinary, it’s not hard.  God doesn’t ask us to do hard things.  The extraordinary thing we have to do is do ordinary things ordinarily; in other words, do routine things routinely.  Do the same things day after day after day. 

Jesus said, “If you love Me and wish to be My follower, take up your cross every day and follow Me.”  So, we take up our cross and follow Him.  Now, our goal is progress…not perfection.  This includes saying our prayers, not choking the you-know-what out of someone who desperately needs it, and practicing spiritual and corporal works of mercy.  When I say “practicing,” I mean practicing just like doctors practice medicine.  It’s not perfect, but they keep trying.  Another way to carry our cross is by going to Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days, and maybe even on other days of the week.  The doors are open, and on weekdays, we don’t take up a collection.  So, you’re welcome to come in and get extra credit.  You also can carry your cross by going to Confession once a year…every three months is better.  Who wants to walk around with all that doodoo staining your soul that affects the body, mind, and spirit.  You’ll have a much better attitude.  We have much better vision and self-awareness when our souls are bathed in the most precious blood of Christ.  These are the ordinary things we can do ordinarily…the routine things we can do routinely, and that’s the extraordinary part. 

Because we do ordinary things, some may be tempted, and it’s a grave temptation, to stop, because they think that they are not progressing, they think they aren’t good at it, or they believe it’s not benefitting them.  All of that is a lie by the devil.  “I don’t think my medicine is helping me get well, so I’m going to stop taking it.”  That’s not going to lead to a good outcome.  Likewise, if we stop doing ordinary spiritual works of mercy, that also won’t lead to a good outcome.  The extraordinary part is when we keep doing it and doing it…whether we enjoy it or not.  We embrace the suck.  I don’t enjoy eating fish. But, I have to eat it, because it was prescribed by my doctor. That’s doing an ordinary thing ordinarily.  If I don’t follow my doctor’s advice, it’s a sin against the Fourth Commandment and a sin against the Fifth Commandment, because I would be endangering my life unnecessarily.     

Is doing ordinary things ordinarily a lot of fun?  No.  “Father, you’re a professional.”   Yes.  “Do you always enjoy your prayers?”  No.  If you catch me in the morning around 7:30, I’ll be over here saying my prayers.  You will notice, if you see me day after day, that I’m not walking on air.  I’m not levitating.  I’m not in mystical ecstasy every time I say the Rosary.  I’m not always happy.  Do my prayers always thrill me?  Oh, heck no!  Do I want to listen to one more whiner who comes in to complain?  “Oh, Father, it’s too hot in church!” Oh, shut up.  Do I want to listen to that?  No.  But, remember, everything we do should be focused on Him, our Beloved.  The things we do are acts of love to our dear Lord and are not done to please ourselves.  When you are tempted to stop doing ordinary things ordinarily, the focus is on you.   I’m not much but I’m all I think about…that’s one of my favorite sayings.  Whatever we do, whatever our gifts of love for our Lord are, big or small, they are acts of love and devotion to our Savior. 

Now, as you know, in the Oval Office at the White House, there’s a phone that goes from the United States to the Soviet Union in case there is a nuclear war so that people don’t end up in a mushroom cloud.   In the Vatican, there is also such a phone.  Remember the bat phone?  It’s kind of like that.  This phone doesn’t go from the Vatican to the United States or to Russia.  It goes from the Vatican to Heaven.  It’s not used, but occasionally the housekeepers come along and dust it like any other piece of furniture.  This phone had never rang, but, one day it did.  Whoa!  I doubt it was a wrong number.  Everyone was too scared to touch it.  No one but the pope could answer the phone, so, they found the Holy Father, brought him in, and he picked up the phone.  The pope said, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.”  The pope smiled and put the phone down.  By that time, everyone in the Vatican had gathered around.  “Holiness, who was it? Speak to us!”  The pope said, “It was God.”  “What did He say?”  The pope responded, “He’s coming back soon.”  “Holiness, what should we do?”  The pope answered, “Look busy!” 

How will you apply this message to your life?  Are you doing routine things routinely?  Are you coming to weekend Mass and going to Confession at least once a year?  Are you practicing corporal and spiritual works of mercy?   

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – That 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 Thing

“That 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 Thing”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 22 – 23, 2021


Gospel:  John 20:19-23

Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost which is when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles.  It’s also the birthday of the Church.  Now, let me ask you a question.  When did you first receive the Holy Spirit?  At Baptism.  Remember, when I baptize you, it is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  When is the next time you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?  At Confession.  After that?  Holy Communion.  Now, you may be thinking, “You also receive the Holy Spirit at Confirmation.”  Yeah, you do.  You receive Jesus, and you receive God the Father. That 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 thing.  You receive the fullness of the Spirit.  In each Sacrament, you receive the whole God.

The Sacraments are given for different purposes depending on your particular mission in the Body of Christ.  At Baptism, you were given the gift of God Himself.  In each Sacrament, you get the gift of the whole God…not just a slice of Him.  You get the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  In Baptism, Christ asked for, and you, through your parents, gave Him your human nature.  The human nature He took from Mary in the body He was born with, taught with, healed with, suffered with, and redeemed us with is now in Heaven.  So, how does He continue His mission to teach, heal, and sanctify the world?  It goes on through us by living a good Catholic life.  In whatever part of the Body of Christ He has assigned us, we work for His glory and the salvation of souls.  So, if you are in hell, you are a self- made man. 

Christ takes our human nature at Baptism, so, we are part of His new body which is the Church.   Each of us has a place in the body of Christ to do the work of bringing Him to the world.  Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, He helps us accomplish that mission.  There are seven gifts (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) and 12 fruits (charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long-suffering, humility, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity).  The whole purpose of giving us the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments is to bring God’s love to the world and to make that love manifest in whatever part of the Body we are in.  The graces of the Holy Spirit strengthen us so that we can carry out that mission.   

Part of my job as a priest is working at the veterans’ hospital in Hospice.  Hospice is a part of the hospital where people who are very sick and in the last six months of their lives are cared for by specially trained doctors and nurses.  They have all sorts of terrible diseases.  We had one patient who had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy which is a rare disease that the patient contracted while working as a doctor in Vietnam.  His brain turned into jelly, and there is no treatment.  It’s so sad.  The hospice staff try to make their patients as comfortable and pain-free as possible.  A few years ago, there was a nice area with a kitchen and dining room where hospice patients could come out of their rooms and eat together.  Other veterans from across the hospital would come down and have lunch with them.  It was so much fun to laugh and talk with them.  I would pick up trays and do whatever I could for them.  You know what a sign of God’s love looks like?  There was a hospice patient at the luncheon who couldn’t feed himself…he was that sick.  Another man who, after this incident died about two weeks later, was also at the luncheon.  But, instead of eating his own lunch, he spent that time feeding the patient who couldn’t feed himself.  One would think that if you’re dying, it would be all about you.  But, this is what God’s love looks like.  This was an act of the Holy Spirit.  The staff would have fed that patient, but he did it.  He didn’t have to do it, but he wanted to.  He made sure that man ate before he did.  That is a sign of the Holy Spirit in action and God’s love is in the world. 

Another thing they have done in Hospice, and hopefully will do again once COVID is over, is that when veterans are actively dying and don’t have family members there, volunteers come and sit with them all night and all day so that they don’t have to die alone. Usually, the veterans are very old and don’t have anybody.  But, a veteran should never die alone. In the military, you never leave a fallen comrade.  I’ve always thought that this is a sign of Christ, along with their guardian angel, being with them as they leave this life. You see the love of Christ in those volunteers.  They don’t need to teach us…their actions teach us everything.  It’s all through the promptings of the Holy Spirit who moves and works within us – not always the way want; otherwise, I’d be a monsignor! 

I’ll tell you a story about the nursing staff.  Don’t let this get back to them.  World War II veterans are very old, and when they are nearing the time of their passing, all of the memories of what they had to do during the war come back.  Mine will come back too when it’s my time.  It’s just part of what we went through.  It comes back for a lot of the men who saw combat.  Many times, it was their wives who helped them keep it all together, and if their wives are no longer with them, it’s a real hardship for them.  I remember this one man who was in his nineties and about to leave us asked the nurse if she would hold his hand until he fell asleep.  The memories had come back, and his wife had done that for him.  That’s not in any nurse’s job description.  But, she sacrificed her own time to sit with that man while he faced his nightmares.  I’ve sat with veterans as they were passing from this life…that’s what we do.  We offer spontaneous acts of love.  I’ve seen you do it.  Your acts of generosity are acts of the Holy Spirit.  You are showing Christ’s love.  If you ask anyone why they do it, they would probably say that they don’t know, but it felt like the right thing to do.  Do they get paid for it?  No.  It was just the right thing to do.  These are the actions of the Holy Spirit using our human natures to show Christ’s love to the world.  But, so that we can repeat these acts of love, we must be refreshed in the Holy Spirit by frequently participating in the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion. 

What is so beautiful about these acts of love is that you do it without thinking.  It’s just a normal response.  You don’t stop and think about what you should or shouldn’t do…you just do it.  That’s the action of the Holy Spirit letting the Spirit work in you to bring the love of Christ to the world.  And, believe it or not, someone will see and be taught God’s word simply through your acts of love                                                                                                      

How will you apply this message to your life? Refresh yourself in the Holy Spirit by frequently participating in the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – Rules? There Are Rules?

“Rules? There Are Rules?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 8 – 9, 2021

Gospel:  John 15:9-17

Now, when I was in seminary we had to study…a lot.  “So, Father, you learned a lot of rules.”  Maybe.  We had a semester in Moral Theology.  Then there was the Canon Law course which we took twice, because there are two different versions…the one we were living under at the time and the one that would be in effect five years down the road.  The funny thing about that is the first part was the one we had to study and were tested on, but it was only written in Latin.  It could not be translated into English, because there wasn’t a precise translation, and Canon Law is very precise.  So, you sit there in class with a Latin dictionary.  Great!  One year of Latin in high school just didn’t quite cut it.  So, yeah, there are a lot of rules, if you want to look at it that way.  If you look at them without love, then they are RULES.  But, if you at them with love, they are the way God gives us His healing power and keeps us from harm.  So, they aren’t really RULES. 

You know what else has RULES?  Flight school.  Anybody can take a plane up, and everybody can land it…but, landing the plane safely is the tricky part.  You know who else has RULES?  Doctors.  Medicine has lots of RULES.  You can’t do this and you can’t do that…well, you could, but a good outcome would be doubtful.  What’s the first rule in. Medicine?  Do no harm.  Great idea!  That philosophy almost applies to military doctors.  Doctors study all these RULES so they can bring God’s healing gift to you.  Otherwise, there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be here today.  What are the RULES for?  Through the actions of our health providers, the RULES are there so that God’s healing gifts may be granted to heal us, to console us, and to comfort our families.   It’s the same with God’s Commandments.  If you follow them, you get what He promised.  The RULES of medicine are acts of love.  The emptying of oneself, because you don’t know everything, allows God’s healing power to flow from you to the other person. 

The same thing is true with the Church.  The RULES are set in the Gospel as Commandments.  What are they?  They are works of love.  “If you love me, keep My Commandments.” So, the Commandments are works of love.  They are not RULES.  What makes people look at the Church and say, “There are a lot of RULES” is ego.  We call that “king baby.”  “I want what I want when I want it.”  Now, I am blessed to have a wonderful cardiologist.  He’s a very, very gifted man and a wonderful healer, except he lacks something in his education.  Maybe, he was sick that day in medical school.  Apparently, he doesn’t know that bacon is heart healthy, and I can’t quite convince him that it is.  I want what I want when I want it.  Those are people’s RULES. 

God loves us unconditionally, because God is love itself.  He created us out of love, and He saved us out of love. God continues to loves us even when we tick him off by sinning.  We have to accept His love and give that love back.  But, we put conditions on receiving Him as if we are the ones making the RULES.  Is anybody here perfect?  Bea, don’t put your hand up.  So, no one.  That’s why we need a Savior, and that’s why we are here.  This is a hospital for sinners – not hotel for saints.  We do not set conditions on His love; instead, we seek it.   He wants to give Himself to us, but not if we aren’t prepared to receive Him.  These are the RULES so that the gift of His love will not be insulted, mocked, or held up for ridicule.  We take His love and make a mockery of it. 

Even though God’s love is unconditional, we cannot do whatever we want just because God will love us anyway.  “I can do this because God loves me unconditionally.”  “I’m going to do that because God will love me anyway.”   No…you cannot.  In the Gospel, our Lord said, “Whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple” (Matthew 10:38) and everybody left Him.   When He declared that marriage is between one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4-7), everybody left Him.  When our Lord told His disciples, “…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53), everybody left Him.  Christ said, “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love” (John 15:10). These are the RULES.  We have RULES to guide us so that we understand what acts of love are and what they are not. 

We all make mistakes, and we are judged on them.  “My conscious is my guide.”   Well, it shouldn’t be.  The judgement of the Church should be your guide, because it is infallible in matters of faith and morals.  My own judgement is not too good.  Remember bacon?  There are rules about Holy Communion.  Non-Catholics and non-practicing Catholics cannot receive.  Saint Paul wrote that whoever receives the Eucharist unworthily “will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:27-30).  They are not guilty of being impolite – they are guilty of His death.  Instead of loving Christ, those who receive unworthily are taking His gift and throwing it in His face.  “I don’t care what You want, this is what I want.”   Be sure to read the black part of Scripture, and leave the white part alone.  These are not RULES.  There are no RULES in the Church…only acts of love.  If we find His Commandments and the Church’s rules to be odious and burdensome, that’s our ego from the first sin.  Remember, it was not committed by Adam and Eve, but by Lucifer who said, “I will not serve.”   

The next time you hear someone say, “Catholics have a lot of RULES,” just say, ‘”You know, if you read the Gospels, Jesus had a lot of RULES.  But, those RULES tell us how to die to ourselves so that He can live within us.”  Yes, we have RULES, but they are acts of love.  If we have a problem with the RULES, then we have a problem with our love of God. 

How will you apply this message to your life? Are you making a mockery of His love by following your own set of rules instead of His Commandments?    

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to: https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – May 2, 2021 – His Sacred Heart

“His Sacred Heart“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 1 – 2, 2021

Gospel:  John 15:1-8

I was talking to one of my fellow chaplains with whom I share an office at the VA.  We call it the cell.  So, I said to my cell-mate, “Hey Gary, you’re a bright guy, even though you went into the Air Force, you’re a bright guy.”  He was too old for Girl Scouts, but he does have a master’s degree in Divinity.  “Where are the green pastures that our Lord, the Good Shepherd, leads us to give us repose?”  Gary said “Heaven.”  That’s true.  Then, I said, “Would you say that, before we get there, He leads us to heaven on Earth…to a place in His Sacred Heart?”  That is Heaven.  Our Savior’s heart beats with love for us, and our two hearts will beat as one in Heaven.  The Good Shepherd calls us, not just to follow Him, but to be part of His Sacred Heart and to take our rest there.  It is in our Lord’s Sacred Heart that we will find peace and rest for our souls. 

Our Lord said in Matthew 11:30:  “…my yoke is sweet and my burden light.”  The sweet yoke is our crosses that are just for us and not for anyone else.  In that lovely green garden and pasture where He gives us repose, He also gives us strength, courage, and consolation as we carry our cross.  We carry our cross with the Good Shepherd, if we let Him, so that we are able to carry it for our redemption and the redemption of others.  And sometimes, but not nearly often enough, we will find joy in it.  We will find joy in carrying our cross. 

The Good Shepherd would like to lead us to His Sacred Heart.  Saint Augustine said, “Our heart is restless until it rests in thee.”  We will find peace for our souls which is what our souls need, but we try to fill it with every person, place, or thing.  In His Sacred Heart, we will find rest.  We will find strength, and we will find contentment.  We walk with our Lord by the way of the Cross.  First He leads us to His Sacred Heart, and then He walks with us all the way through to our passion and death.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you let Him help you carry your cross for your redemption and the redemption of others?

Father’s Afterthoughts: 

I had a meeting with the Bishop the other day.  Sadly, I’m still not a monsignor.  I had to drive 50+ miles to hear that bad news.  Anyway, I felt safer in Iraq while driving to Charlotte on Hwy 485.  Those people are crazy!   I was never so glad to see Walmart in Locust and Mecklenburg County in my rear view mirror.  One thing we discussed at the meeting is that, in the next couple of months, the Bishop will probably reinstitute the Sunday Mass obligation.  When he does, the Mass will be a bit longer than those I’ve been giving. 

I really don’t like the word “obligation.”  Are you are obligated to remember your mother’s birthday or remember her on Mother’s Day?  If you have to be told that, you need to be taken outside with a few of the guys for a chat.  We come here out of love.  If we say, “Oh, I’m too tired” or “I’m too whatever,” we lose the opportunity to grow in love. 

Also, keep in your prayers, Father Michael Kottar.  He’s 57 years old and a great priest.  Father Kottar has been diagnosed with bovine spongiform encephalopathy or Mad Cow Disease.  There is no treatment, so please keep him in your prayers. 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.