Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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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.

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Sermon Notes – The Good Shepherd

“The Good Shepherd“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 24 – 25, 2021

Gospel:  John 10:11-18

I have been meditating on the Gospel of the Good Shepherd.  Where in the Gospel do we first hear about the Good Shepherd?   You’ll find it in Genesis when God went looking for Adam and Eve.   They had sinned and were trying to hide, but God looked for them to bring them back.  Why did they run from God?  They were “necked.”  That’s naked for all you Yankees.  They hid because they had sinned.  They ran away from God, but God went after them.  God goes after sinners, because He does not want us to succumb to the evil one.  Adam and Eve were afraid, because sin causes fear.  They were afraid of the One who loves us.  Sin makes us stay away from the One who has the power to heal sin.  “We’re going to be punished!”  But, this is a great act of love as we see on the Crucifix.  He asks us to partake of His love by receiving and asking for His forgiveness.  If we run from God after we have sinned, it is an offense against God. 

I have heard this statement from a number of priests and others:  “I have to forgive myself.”  Excuse me..WHAT??  That’s a sin right there.  The sin wasn’t against you.  You egotistical jerk!  The sin was against God and no one else. That statement is blasphemous. It’s pop psychology, and it’s blasphemous.  It’s your own fertilizer excuse…you know the word.  It’s a fertilizer excuse justifying the act.  “I have to forgive myself.”  You cannot bring healing to yourself. That would require penance and divine forgiveness.  Only God can absolve sin, and only God can heal it.  Sin in this world is made manifest by fear.  What do people do when they are afraid?  They try to hide.  They lay down conditions for coming back.  “I’m not coming back to the Church until priests can get married.”  Do you ask any of the professionals in your life if they are married?  “I’m not coming back until Mass is in English, until Confession is face-to-face, or until people can marry whoever or whatever they want.”  Really? 

Sin causes fear and anger which distorts reality.  So, people try to deny that they did anything wrong.  “I didn’t do anything!”  “It wasn’t that bad.”  “You cops are all crooked.”  “You priests are all perverts.”   They try to deny what they’ve done by lashing out.  When a dog is afraid, it may snarl at you. People try to deny their sin and will do anything but say “I’ve done wrong, and I’m sorry.”  That fear changes your perspective and it changes your attitude.

I was driving up to the VA hospital the other day, and I always try to find the State Troopers and the Sheriff’s deputies.  It keeps you aware, and it’s kind of fun to see where they might be hiding.  I appreciate the art form.  But, I can always tell where they are just by watching people in front of me slam on their brakes.  Why are you afraid?  Just do the speed limit. Come on!  But, they are afraid.  What are they afraid of?  They are only afraid if they’ve done something wrong.  But, God’s love casts out all fear…not self-love… but God’s love. 

God is love itself.  We see His love when we look at the Crucifix.  We see that love portrayed at every altar, at every confession, at every hospital visit by a priest, at every marriage ceremony, and at every baptism and confirmation.  This is God’s great love manifested.  I’ll give you some homework for tonight.  Read the poem, “Hound of Heaven” by Francis Thompson.  Francis was a drug addict and alcoholic.  He had fear, and he kept running and running afraid a great beast was going to kill him.  Finally, he ran out of energy and said, “Fine, kill me.  I don’t care anymore.”   When he stopped, he saw that the beast was actually a puppy that wanted to kiss him.  The last part of the poem is:  “Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee, Save Me, save only Me?”

God is the Good Shepherd.  But, we have to be willing to be led.  Remember what the first sin was?  It wasn’t by Adam and Eve, but by Lucifer who would not serve.  It’s the same thing when we want to be led by God.  We have to say, “I will serve.” “I will follow.”  It is sinful to say, “I will not serve.”  “I will not listen to you.”  “I know what’s best.”  We are all sinners, that’s why we are all here.  He is the Good Shepherd and brings us home if we want to be led.

How will you apply this message to your life? Are you running from God?  Are you fearful and angry?  Stop running and let God lead you.

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 – There’s No Apple Pie in Heaven (Darn It)

“There’s No Apple Pie in Heaven (Darn It!)“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 10 – 11, 2021

Gospel:  John 20:19-31

You may remember my sermon on Holy Thursday that was so wonderfully entitled “When a one man band gets hit in the butt with a beer truck, the music stops.”  Our Lord gave the apostles and their successors the ability to carry on with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the ages so that the fruits He won through His death could be passed on.  He told the apostles if you forgive their sins, they are forgiven.  That happens every generation with every priest.  Any priest who says the Mass has the power to give these gifts and to forgive sins.  We have to hear the sins by the way.  Jesus told the apostles, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”  So, how do we know?  Because people tell us.  The sins we hold bound and do not offer forgiveness for are those you are not sorry for and those you are not going to try to stop.  If you come in and say you are living with two girlfriends as husband and wife, and you are not going to stop, I cannot forgive you because you are attached to the sin.  So, you have now heard part of the penance course. 

Also in the gospel, and the main point I want to get at, is that the transfiguration took place about ten days before the Passion.  Our Lord showed us what the saints are like in Heaven.  They are recognizable, and they know the future because Heaven is the eternal now.  We are in time, but Heaven is not.  Our good Lord shows us what the saints would be like after the resurrection of the body and the General Judgement should we pass that final exam.  The questions come from Matthew Chapter 25… I’ll give you a heads-up so you can prepare for it.  He shows us what it will be like and how to get there.  He shows us that we will have a body and that it will be recognizable and that it can move through walls.  “It’s a ghost!”  No, it’s not.  It has physicality to it.  Touch my hand.  Touch my feet.  In the gospel, Jesus asks for food, and He ate it.  Now, we won’t need food in heaven, which I find quite disappointing. My mother has been gone for several decades, and I was looking forward to her apple pie.  Even her sisters say they can’t bake like my mother did.  Thanks, a lot!  So, there will be no food in heaven, but we know that we will have our body with us.

Heaven is a place.  A physical body needs a place in paradise to be in the presence of God.  Our Lord also teaches us how we can get there.  Probe the nail prints in My hands and the spear marks in My side.  Bishop Sheen said that God will judge us by the resemblance of His Son in us.  He will look at us.  He will look at the three parts of man having suffered with My Son for the admission of sin for the sake of others.  He will look at the body, soul, and spirit.  Not everybody will have physical suffering to the extent Christ had, but everyone will have emotional or spiritual sufferings.  Some suffer greatly depending upon the time, the place, and the person.  This is what our God the Father will look for – to see the marks of His Son.  This is how we become like Jesus, God’s resurrected Child. 

We will have our body reunited to our soul.  Remember, the soul and the body cooperated with Christ, therefore they both will receive the reward.  The soul and body cooperated in sin, so they both need to do the punishment.  Our Lord not only showed us what Heaven would be like, He also showed us how to get there.  As Saint John said in his epistle, “If we love Him, keep His commandments.”   A lot of people forget that one part.   If you love Him, keep His commandments.  After all, His commandments are not burdensome.

How will you apply this message to your life?  Do you love Him?  Are you keeping 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 – Leprechauns Are Not Real

“Leprechauns Are Not Real“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 3 – 4, 2021

Gospel:  John 20: 1-9

How do you know someone is alive if you don’t see them?  I’ve taken a clue from the sheriff detective…there is fresh evidence.  For instance, you may not see a family member for a day, but you know they are alive, right?  You see dirty plates right where they left them. You see your husband’s dirty socks right where he left them.  I guess he figured the Molly Maid Service would come by and pick them up. You may not see the person, but you see fresh evidence that they’ve been there and that they are alive.  They may have left a note for you.  They may have cooked dinner for you.  You know they are alive even though you may not have touched them or laid eyes on them.  Likewise, we have not touched the resurrected Christ, but we know that He is alive.  We see the evidence. 

From the very beginning, the Chief Priests bribed Roman soldiers to lie and say that disciples stole the body of Christ.  That must have been one big bribe.  The Romans knew quite well what betrayal meant.  It meant instant death. The Romans did not refer anyone to defense counsel.  If you failed in doing your duty, you were duly executed in a very brutal way.  The Roman army did not play. No bail. No defense attorney.  You were executed.  So, it had to be a pretty big bribe.  Even back then, there was fake news.  “Christ wasn’t resurrected.”  “His body was stolen.”   You don’t steal a body after a couple days in Palestine.  Trust me on this one.  Ask any police officer or nurse.  Nobody steals a body after that length of time.  That’s fake news.  Sound familiar?  As scripture says, there’s nothing new under the sun.  All through the centuries, people have claimed that Christ is dead or He was just a nice guy or He was the same as Muhammad and Buddha.  None of them claimed that He was God.  They try to relegate religion to just old wives tales.  But, as much as they tried, the Chief Priests couldn’t keep a lid on the news of Christ’s resurrection even with the use of armies and the threat of persecution.  That’s because it’s true.  If it wasn’t, why would they spend all the time, money, and energy to say it’s not?

Why do people complain about the Catholic Church and its teachings?  It’s the message of Christ.  If it’s not true, why do they bother?  If it’s not true, why do they care?  They can go live their lives and do other stuff.  They complain, because they know it is true.  Our Lord proved Himself to all those detractors.  They are gone, but we are still here.  We have evidence through the centuries that Christ is still alive.  Look at what our Catholic Church has done.  We have built universities and hospitals.  These are the things we do best.  What was the cause of all those centuries of good works?  It was the love of Christ in us.  The living love of Christ is still evident today.  You know it’s true, because you are here today.  You have faith in the resurrection, and you have faith in Jesus Christ. You are here to be touched by the love of God and to draw closer to Him.  Is there some fear in all of us?  Of course there is, just as there was for the women at the tomb.  But, you overcome your fear through your faith.  That’s why you are here today.  By your presence, you proclaim the resurrection of Christ, and that He is not dead.  He’s not a footnote in history.  He wasn’t just some really nice guy.  By your faithful attendance at Mass and participation in the Sacraments, you are making your profession and belief in the resurrection and that Christ lives.  One day you will share His life.  Most of us won’t be around for the end of the world; as far as I know.. I haven’t gotten any phone calls.  On that day, we too will go to the tomb just like Mary Magdalene and the women did on Good Friday morning.

As you look through the history of the Church, God has never been unfaithful to His followers.  Never…not once. In seminary I learned a lot of stuff, well they think I did, but I was supposed to learn a lot of stuff.  We studied Thomas Aquinas and the five proofs of God.   I will prove to you that God exists and also how faithful He is.  I guarantee that if you pray for this it will happen on your way home.  Guaranteed.  Pray for patience. “Lord, I want to grow in patience, I want to be meek, humble, and understanding,”  Pray that prayer, and I guarantee that you will find five nitwits who will irritate the living heck out of you and try your patience on the way home.  Patience is an acquired virtue that you get by practice.  Ask for patience, and our good Lord will say, “Great!  You got it.”  He will send all those nitwits to help you grow in that virtue.  That’s the quickest way to prove that God exists.  The quickest proof that God listens to your prayers and answers them.  God is alive and active. We have 2,000 years of proof.  We see His results.  Do we see them as often as we’d like?  No.  He hides in our human nature. 

We believe in the resurrection of Christ.  If it wasn’t true, why have so many people for over 2,000 years kept saying it’s not true?  You can see that God is alive.  We do not see Him directly, but He is alive.  He is working in us. He is working through you.  He took the humanity that He received from the Blessed Mother to His sacred Passion and resurrection and then to Heaven.  He uses His humanity to make His love present and known to the world.  He does that for us.  Each of us, in our own vocation, are to prove to the world that God’s love is alive.  The grave could not hold Him.  God promised that we will imitate His resurrection. So, for those who follow Him, the grave will not hold us.  We will be like Him. We will suffer probably, in one way or another, and we will rest in our graves until the day of our own resurrection.  That is not defeat…that is victory.

How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you help prove to the world that God’s love is alive?

Father’s Afterthoughts…

Now part of my Irish cultural heritage is the belief that leprechauns are real.  I think it’s because we drank a wee bit too much ale.  You never hear anyone complain about leprechauns.  But, they don’t exist.  If you see any, I can get you some help.  I know people.  You will feel much better.

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 looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – The Face of Love

Good Friday – April 2, 2021

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

“The Face of Love“

Gospel:  John 18: 1-19:42

The temptation of the devil is fear.  Pontius Pilate was afraid. Really?  A Roman governor with a Roman army that had no objections to killing people? That was their job.  There were no cameras, no Miranda rights, and no defense attorneys.  He could have swept everything up, and nobody would have said anything, anytime.  He was afraid, although he didn’t realize why he was afraid.  He asked our Lord, “What is truth?” while he was looking at truth in the face.  The truth is a person – not an “it” but a “Who.”  Remember Philosophy 101: there is only one truth – not your truth – but THE truth.  Pilate said, “Ecce homo” – “Behold the man.”  In contrast, what did John the Baptist say when he saw Christ?  “Ecce Agnus Dei” – “Behold the lamb of God.”  John was not afraid. 

During His Passion, our Lord was scourged and was in absolute agony.  The Romans were very good at their job.  They had done this for centuries and knew how to prolong suffering.  So, no one can hear, no one can look at the crucifix, and no one can read accounts about the Passion and still say, “My sin doesn’t affect anyone. It only hurts me. It’s a personal sin.”  In one sense yes, but in another sense no.  “It’s just a small sin. It’s just a white sin kinda like a white lie.”  I studied theology, and I actually have the degree. The paperwork is somewhere.  When you look at the crucifix, you see the effects of sin.  But, you also see how much Christ loves us.  This is the face of love.  He suffered all of this just for you.  Not “you” in the general sense, but “you” in the particular sense.  “I suffered this just for you; that’s how much I love you.  My act of love is always before the Father for you.” This act of love never ends. This act of love is perfect, but can be even more perfect if we respond to it.  Follow Him and one day you will enjoy happiness in Heaven.

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Sermon Notes – “When a One Man Band Gets Hit in the Butt by a Beer Truck, the Music Stops“

“When a One Man Band Gets Hit in the Butt by a Beer Truck, the Music Stops“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

Holy Thursday – April 1, 2021

Gospel:  John 13:1-15

Without the institution of the priesthood, the gift our Lord gave the apostles would have ended when He took the human nature He received from the Blessed Mother to Heaven on Pentecost.  When a one man band gets hit in the butt by a beer truck, the music stops.  He took the human nature of the apostles and made them into Christs.  This was part of their ordination at the Last Supper….to continue the gifts of His love and the fruits of His sacrifice and to feed His people with His most Precious Body and Blood as they were fed.  The hands that fed the apostles of Christ so too are the hands that feed you when the priest gives you Holy Communion.  The priest acts in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, to feed you the exact same body and the exact same blood.  Outward appearances vary, but it is the same Christ who feeds you.  It is the same Christ who enters your soul through participation in the Sacraments.  It was so great an honor for the apostles, that He reminded them when He washed their feet. Washing feet was a dirty, disgusting job that was left to slaves to do.  But, Jesus showed them His humility and told them that they must do the same.  “You have been given a great gift.  I have chosen you; you have not chosen Me. I have chosen you for the possibility of cooperating with the grace of great teachers, healers, and evangelists of the world.  But, to do so, you must be like Me who humbled Himself by taking the form of a slave.  You, too, must be willing to do the work of a slave.”

This gift I have been given as a priest, which has been passed on from generation to generation, is not for me.  It’s not a reward for my parents for raising a nice little boy.  It’s not a reward for me for passing all my courses in seminary.  I really did.  My degree was not honorary, contrary to popular belief.  I really earned it.  This gift is not a reward because I could pass tests.  It was given for you so that you may have Christ in you and the fruits of His death given to you.  It was given so that you could receive the fruits of the Mass by being fed His body and blood.  It was given so that your souls could be washed in His blood in the Sacrament of Penance.  It was given so that you could be united in the Sacrament of Marriage, strengthened in Confirmation, and healed on the way to salvation by receiving Last Rights.  In the past week, I have administered five.  It’s been an interesting week.  But, this gift is for you.  The gift of priests is a gift to the Church.  To bring salvation and the gift of the Real Presence of our Lord, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament. This is our faith.  I am vowed as a priest to protect it with my very life.  Priests never talk about that vow.  They talk about the promises they made, but they never talk about their vow to protect the Most Blessed Sacrament. 

God loves you so much and wants to be with you to help you bear the crosses of this life so that you may have eternal life.  That’s His great love.  That’s why He gave these gifts to the Church.  That’s why He instituted the priesthood – not for me so that I could have a fancy title before my name, but to administer His Sacraments, to teach, sanctify and lead people to Him.  These gifts were given for you so that you may have life and have it to the fullest.  And, one day after courageously bearing your crosses, and not only courageously bearing them, but getting back up after you’ve fallen, you will enjoy the fullness of His love.  Pray for that last Sacrament to be given. 

As Saint Simeon said, “Now let Your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled.”



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Sermon Notes – It’s Not a Spectator Sport

“It’s Not a Spectator Sport“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 13 – 14, 2021

Gospel: John 3: 14-21

Jesus said that the Son of Man will be lifted up.  He also said, “When I am lifted up from the Earth, I will draw all men to myself.”  And, He does.  However, He doesn’t draw people up to Him on the cross just for them to say, “Gee, that must hurt.”  This is not a spectator sport.  Rather, our good Lord reaches down from the cross and says, “Take My hand and come up to Me, because this is the way to salvation. Join Me on the cross.”  Paul finally learned that lesson.  He wrote, “Now, I rejoice in sufferings for Your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church.”  Our sufferings, all the crosses we carry and the crosses we carry for others are redemptive.  They are not only for ourselves, but for others.  We join Christ in the sacrifice like the good thief on the cross.  We unite ourselves to Him, so that He will raise us up. You do that when you make your Morning Offering: “I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day.”  All those crosses God allows us to carry…Ugh.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not crazy about mine. 

We also join Christ in the sacrifice during the Mass by true and active participation.   So, what is true and active participation?  It’s not those who sing the loudest, pray the loudest, or run a ministry. Whatever that is.  The term “ministry” really means nothing.  It only applies to Holy Orders, but it has been so overused, it means nothing now.  True and active participation is the giving of your human nature to the priest who acts in the person of Christ on the altar.  He takes your human nature in the offertory, immolates them, and makes them one with the sacrifice of Christ.  He immolates them on the altar as part of the sacrifice of God’s love for us.  That is true and active participation.  This is how we unite ourselves and become one with the sufferings of Christ just as the Blessed Mother, Saint John, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala did at the foot of the cross…especially the Blessed Mother…her human nature was suffering for Him.   For us, it’s only intellectual, so it doesn’t matter whether you feel it or not.  That has nothing to do with its effectiveness.  However, it’s only when you do that you are one with Christ on the cross. 

There will always be temptations from the cross.  Just as Christ was tempted many times to come down from the cross, we will be too.  What were the first three temptations?  “All religion is just a show.”  “If you have good music, a praise band or whatever, people will come.”  Our Lord says this is not a show.  This is an act of love.  “Well, you know with religion, you gotta give people food and stuff.”   “Everybody will be happy if they take your stuff and give it to somebody else.” “It’s all power.”  “It’s all Socialism.”  “True religious charity is just giving them bread…they will be fine.”  How many fat people are there in prison?  A lot.  It’s not that they lack food.  Their problem is that they practice evil.  Now, there are a lot of people outside of prison who practice evil, but they haven’t been caught yet.  It’s all about power.  “Well, if we had fairer laws, then we wouldn’t have any problems.”  That’s not true.  We have more laws than lawyers know about.  Oh, by the way, drugs are illegal.  Did you know that?  Apparently, a lot of people don’t.  Read the sheriff’s blotter report, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. 

Another temptation is to deny the divine message.  You see, we are much brighter in the 21st Century.  We know better, because we are so enlightened and so highly educated.  We can’t write in cursive, but we are really educated.  We know what God’s word truly means.  Before, they weren’t too sure, because they were all stupid.  When Christ proclaimed that marriage was between one man and one woman unless separated by death, everyone left Him except the 12 apostles.  People didn’t like that.  Also, when Peter tried to sway Christ from going to the cross, He called Peter, “Satan.”

The third type of temptation is the Eucharist. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”  “Oh, He didn’t really mean that.”  That’s what He said, and He meant it.  The words really mean that.  Everyone left Him except the 12 apostles.  The last temptation was, “Come down from the cross, and we will believe in you.”  In His heart, Christ was saying, “You don’t understand.  You’ve forgotten your education.”  “If the Church changes its laws, everyone will come back.”  Really?  We have Mass in English.  We have Mass in Spanish (Spanglish).  We have Mass on Saturdays at 5 pm.  We have Mass on Sundays at 9:30 and 12:15.  We have confessions face-to-face, although not here, because it’s not safe for the priests anymore.  So, where is everybody? 

Temptations in one form or another will assail us.  “Am I doing something wrong because I’m tempted?”  No, you are doing something right, because you are tempted.  Our Lord says, “Come up to Me. Come up. I am trying to give you eternal happiness. I am trying to give your soul peace.”  So, we have a tug of war with Christ on the cross.  He wants to pull us up, and we want to pull Him down.  Instead, we can unite ourselves in the sacrifice of Christ in the Morning Offering prayer, resignation to our exterior and interior crosses, and resignation of the will…the most difficult cross.  In the midst of temptation, the good thief on the cross accepted the suffering for his sins, and was united with Christ.  What did Christ tell him?  “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.”

How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you unite yourself in the sacrifice of Christ by saying the Morning Offering prayer?  Will you accept your interior and exterior crosses and join Christ in His suffering?

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 looking for a specific topic.

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Sermon Notes – The Law of Physics

The Law of Physics

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 6 – 7, 2021

Gospel:  John 3: 14-21

A lot of people quote scripture in their arguments, and that’s very good.  It’s what you should do.  However, when you do, you have to know and understand scripture.  You have to be accurate, because good intentions can lead to very bad things.  People say, “The death penalty is immoral, because in the Old Testament it says, “Thou shalt not kill.”  So, we cannot have capital punishment, and we cannot go to war?  Look at the laws of Israel; they had the death penalty on the books.  So, you are saying that they got it wrong from the time of Moses for a 1,000 or so years before Christ came?  They went to war all the time.  “But, God said, “Thou shalt not kill.”  He said thou shall not murder or take life unjustly.  Under the 4th and 5th Commandments, you have an obligation.  Under the 4th Commandment, you have the right to self-protection, and under the 5th Commandment you have a moral obligation to protect those who cannot protect themselves.  If you want to get the living you-know-what beat out of you, be my guest.  Be a conscientious objector…it’s your right.  However, you have no right to aggregate that right to someone else.  “Oh, I don’t believe in violence, so I’m going to watch you get the living you-know-what beat out of you.”  No, no, no.  That’s a grave sin. 

Now, I have lulled you into a false sense of security, I’m going to give you a pop quiz.  What makes this building special…besides the collection?  It’s not a “what” that makes it special; it’s a “Who.”  Who resides in this place that makes it so special?  It’s the physical presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  That’s what makes this place special.  This is His house.  He is physically present here.  This is where God resides in every Catholic Church which is the new temple.  The temple is the Presence of God and the Holy of Holies. We are blessed, because when we come here, we can speak to God face-to-face like Moses did…as one person speaks to another.  At the old temple, the Arc of the Covenant, inside the Holy of Holies, only a priest at a certain time could go in there.  Jesus said, “You have forgotten what this place is. Yes, you have the sacrifice as required by law. But, you didn’t have to bring it inside the temple.”  That defiled the temple. That’s why our good Lord went crazy and decided to do a little church renewal.  I heard someone say that Jesus preached nonviolence.  I don’t think so.  He kicked behind.  He went in to the temple and drove out a lot of people. He said, “Get out of My House.  My house is a house of prayer.”  Our souls, too, as much as the temple was, and the Church is, are meant to be God’s house of prayer.  And, until God is present in our souls, we will never be happy. 

Jesus preached violence against sin.  Remember when He said, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away….And, if your right eye offends you, pluck it out.”  Yes, that’s hyperbole.  However, we are called to use violence on our souls.  We are not called to maim ourselves like having an extra piece of chocolate cake…you don’t need it.  That would be a sin against both the 4th and.5th Commandments.  However, we are supposed to use that same level of violence to protect from defiling the temple that we carry within us which is our souls.  Oh, by the way, now you know why I ‘shush’ people who are talking in church, chewing gum, using their cell phones, and everything else. The Presence of God is here.  This is His resting place.  This is where He wants to come to us.  We are supposed to do violence to anything that would impugn or impede His presence in us and drive Him from our souls…whether a person, place, or thing…the three sources of temptation.  We are supposed to do whatever is necessary to rid of ourselves of anything that threatens His presence in our souls.  

The Law of Physics says that two objects cannot occupy the same place at the same time.  So, God cannot abide in our souls at the same time sin is there or the attraction or affection for sin. We are supposed to use violence against ourselves to preserve the beauty of our souls.  Not physical violence, although that has been done.  Saint Francis of Assisi was tempted by impurity, so he rolled himself down a hill of thorns.  So grave is the abhorrence of sin, that he went to that extreme.  So be violent against sin.  Realize the great gift of His presence that we have.  If you are having trouble with that, come see me in Confession, and I’ll get rid of that stuff for you, and you’ll be all set. 

People complain about so many things in the world.  “Oh, people don’t have a computer.”  “Oh, people don’t have this or that.”  You know, it’s been that way since the beginning of time.  What people need is God.  Mother Teresa didn’t have a computer.  She had one change of clothes.  She seemed like a pretty happy woman, didn’t she?.  She had nothing else except God in her soul.  Our souls are meant to be ready for God’s presence.  Like the temple in the Old Testament and like our beautiful church which is a testimony, by the way, of your great love.  Everything here is your love for our good Lord made present.  We must do what is necessary to make our souls a resting place for Him to come and dwell within us.  Realize the gift of Him that dwells in your soul.  The same Him who dwells in the Blessed Sacrament.  The same Him who dwells in the temple.  The same Him who dwells in Heaven.  And, when you realize that gift, and achieve the constant realization of that gift, you will do anything to preserve it.

How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you rid your soul of whatever hinders God from residing there?

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 looking for a specific topic.