Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

Posted on

Sermon Notes – How Did They Know?

“How Did They Know?“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

Feb 27-28, 2021

Gospel:   Mark 9: 2-10


We’ve heard this Gospel proclaimed year after year.  But, have you ever wondered how Peter, James, and John knew it was Moses and Elijah?  There were no pictures or artists that could paint them; there was no Facebook, no Tic-Toc, and no selfies.  So, how did they know?  You ever ask yourself that?  Remember, Moses and Elijah died a thousand or so years before the apostles showed up.  So, how did they know?  In the transfiguration, our good Lord gave the apostles, Peter, James, and John, a taste of what Heaven would be like…just a little taste.  They saw the glorified bodies of Moses and Elijah.  They knew it was Moses and Elijah.  They saw them with their eyes. They saw Heaven, and the people there were talking to God.  You will know people in Heaven…if you get there.  If you are concerned about that, come see me, and we can work it out.  But, you will know people in Heaven, and you will be able to talk to them about future events.  In Heaven, everything is now, because God is the Eternal Now and not the past, present, or future.  He is the Eternal Now.  He is present always.  So, you will know and be enlightened. 

There is forgiveness after death – in purgatory.  Moses was in the Promised Land; he was right outside Jerusalem.  God told Moses that he would never enter the Promised Land because he had sinned.  But he did.  So, there is forgiveness after death.  Our good Lord, in this vision, lowered the veil of His humanity to show the apostles part of His divinity.  They saw Heaven on Earth.  He gave them this great revelation of what Heaven is like to prepare and strengthen them for the scandal of the Passion which would happen in less than two weeks.  After all of the miracles they had seen, this was their final gift.  Now, all of us would like to receive consolation and great gifts from God.  We pray for them.  We look for them, and if we get one, we want more.  What are the gifts of consolation?  First of all, they don’t come as often as we’d like.  They usually come before our great trials or afterward as consolations. 

Heaven is only meant for after this life and not during, just as it was for the apostles.  Most of us would like to say, “If I had such a dramatic experience with God, I would have no problem believing and would never doubt the faith again.  I would go to confession more often.  I might even go to daily Mass occasionally.  I just need to be convinced.”  But, scripture is contrary to those statements.  Jesus had three years of public ministry.  How many people did the apostles see raised from the dead?  At least three.  Scripture says that not all of the miracles Jesus performed were recorded.  He fed 5,000 people, walked on water, cured lepers, and the apostles cast out demons.  The apostles saw all sorts of miracles, because they were there.  Yet, where were they ten days later? 

We are like the apostles.  We have these great gifts.  “Oh, I will never doubt again.”  Yes, you will.  We all do.  This is the struggle we have.  We are tempted to be disconsolate.  The devil will say, “Well, if you were better; if you were doing what you are supposed to do, what your Lord said to do,  you would always feel good.”  Blah, blah, blah.  That’s a bunch of spiritual fertilizer.  It’s not true.

Our Lord does not distance Himself from us.  He is always with us, we just can’t see Him.  I was driving up to the VA the other day.  I was doing 60 mph in a 55 mph zone, so I was cool.  From out of nowhere, this van comes up right behind me and passes.  Then, all of a sudden, I see the blue light special.  I didn’t see the trooper, but he was there.  You don’t see God, but He is always there. Your Guardian Angel is always with you.  Just because you don’t see Him, doesn’t mean He isn’t there.  You look for Him.  “I cannot find Him.”  But, He is there.  

You might look at someone, and tell them they look great.  But, a doctor might look at that same person, and tell them they don’t look so good.  The doctor has the eyes of a physician.  I have the eyes of a bozo.  My eye doctor says I’m not ready for a stick and a seeing eye quite yet.  But, it’s how we see it. 

Our Lord is always with us.  He is always giving us signs of His love and His presence.  Sometimes, we overlook consolations, because we are too busy to see them, or we are looking the other way.  Our Lord gives us great consolations. Maybe not as many as we would like, but as many as we need. They come and they go as our Lord sees fit.  Look for small consolations, because He is there.  Make sure you do not give up hope, and do not give in to despair.  You may worry and ask Him, “Lord, have you forgotten about us?  Do you see what is happening?”  Yes, I am here.  You cannot see Me, but I see you, and I am with you. 

How will you apply this message to your life?  Are you overlooking the signs of His love and His presence?

Father’s Afterthoughts…

While I was at the VA, I saw a nurse practitioner I know.  I said, “Doc, can I ask you a question?  She’s a medical professional.  She said, “Sure!”  “Doc, does this mask make me look fat?”  You have to make your own fun at the VA.

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 the page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

Posted on

Sermon Notes – Maximizing the Minimum

“Maximizing the Minimum“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 20 – 21, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 1: 12-15

How can you love God more?  How can you experience more of His love?  The answer is really very simple.  By loving yourself less.  God is love Himself.  He has no need of our love and is totally self-sufficient.  But, God wants to give us His love.  Unfortunately, God, being the perfection of all virtues, including politeness and courtesy, won’t break into our souls.  We have to open our souls up to Him.  If our souls are closed off by self-centeredness, He cannot come in.  He wants to give us His immense love and to fill our souls completely with Himself. 

We can grow in the love of God by taking on little penances and pious practices.  Doing so will help, but two things are important.  They have to be small, and they have to be practical.  Too often, people say they will grow in the love of God by doing a lot of grandiose things.  But, it’s impractical, because they won’t do it.  Instead, take little steps.  The first step to take is to realize that we need to improve.  That’s actually a big step, because many people are satisfied with maximizing the minimums.  “Father, I go to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days.”  “I go to confession once a year.”  “I don’t eat meat on Fridays during Lent.”  “I obey the Ten Commandments.”  “I don’t rob banks.”  Okay.  But, there’s a lot more in the book our Lord tells us to do.  You know that, right?  We tend to maximize the minimums.  “Father, I am good.”  Well, I don’t know about that.  The Lord said not to call anybody “good.”  We are called to be perfect.  That’s in the black part of the Bible, not the white part.  Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect.  “I’m here at Mass.”  You are physically here but is your mind?  Look! Squirrel.  Distraction during prayer is normal; just come back to it. 

Giving yourself totally over to God, to overcome self-centeredness is what we always must work toward.  Our first parents disobeyed God, and we continue to do the same thing.  “I won’t let God in until I need Him.”  “I will only go to church if the Mass is in English, or Spanish, or Latin, and only if it’s at 12:00 on my day off, if I’m not too tired, or if it’s over by 5:30 because I have dinner reservations somewhere.” We use all these stipulations, and the Church has unfortunately bought into to it.  “I will only go to confession if there are reconciliation rooms.”  So, parishes have spent thousands of dollars creating reconciliation rooms.  Come on!  I hear confessions…I wish I heard a lot more. 

We must take up our cross every day and follow Him. The ego is a terrible thing and destroys people.  In any 12 Step program, you must have ego deflation at depth. Where did they get that I wonder.  From the Catholic Church?  Go figure.  How do we overcome our ego and self-centeredness?  By doing little things. “I need to pray more.”  Well, then pray more.  Say the rosary.  By the time you get to Coy’s laundry mat or to the court house, you have plenty of time to say a decade of the rosary. There are five stop lights, so you have plenty of time to say it.  You have to sit there anyway.  You can’t zip right through the traffic lights, although they made it less likely to be caught when they have moved the police station.  My point is that you have plenty of time to do little things.  “I want to lose weight and to eat better.”  Then do it, one step at a time.    

God has no limit on His love.  We are the ones who limit His love with our self-centeredness.  We determine our salvation.  God says, “I will give you the way to salvation if you let Me into your soul.”  We say, “I’ll get back to you.  Thank you very much.  Appreciate the offer.”  We want to cling to ourselves.  One of my good friends who recently passed away, a judge, used to say, “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.”  I deserve to speed, because I’m important.  I have business to attend to.  That would be me.  However, I should mention that a lot of cops are not Catholic.  We want what we want when we want it.  That’s what we all have to fight…our self-centeredness.  “You can’t tell me what to do. “I deserve this.”  That kind of thinking shuts God out.

We have to be humble.  In fact, we are commanded to be humble.  The 4th and 5th Commandments command us to obey our physicians and caregivers.   You don’t go to your physician’s office and say, “Oh, what the heck do they know.”  Doctors are very intelligent, so listen to them and do what they tell you.  That’s humility.  “I don’t want a colonoscopy.”  That’s humility, especially when I had mine. I know everyone in that department.  I work there.  I knew them all.  Having a colonoscopy is not a side of me they wanted to see, but what the heck…if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.  As Saint Therese de Lisieux said, when you are humble, you are small and safe.  As long as you continue doing small acts of penance, day after day, you are growing in God’s love and opening the door to your soul so that He can come in.  God will not force his way in.  He does not need our love.  God is self-sufficient.  But, He wants to give His love to us, because that is His nature.  We are the ones with selfish self-centeredness and close the door on love.  But, if we focus on the little things, we will grow spiritually and gradually open the door more and more to allow the love of our good Lord into our souls.

The Law of Physics says that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time.  If our souls are full of ourselves, God cannot get in.  God isn’t going to push us aside. He isn’t going to make us love Him.  We have to decide to love Him by renouncing ourselves and our attachment to things.  You will discover that once you become detached from things, you will have far more joy and pleasures than you ever could have imagined.  Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas both said that if there is any labor involved, love is no labor at all.  It’s all a joy.  Each sacrifice is a joy.  Each sacrifice makes a way for greater enjoyment and greater love.  It creates a way for a greater union with the Almighty and, therefore, a greater union with one another.  So, we are the ones who determine how much we will love.  The secret of loving God and experiencing His love is really easy.  We just have to love ourselves a heck of a lot less.

How will you apply this message to your life?  Are you maximizing the minimum?  Will you fight to overcome self-centeredness and make room for God in your heart and soul?

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 the page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

Posted on

Sermon Notes – Stump the Chump

“Stump the Chump“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 13-14, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 1: 40-45

On occasion, as I go about my day, I have people come up and say, “Father, may I ask you a question?” Sure!  Sometimes, people have very good questions.  Now, these questions generally fall into one of two categories.  The first category includes the faithful who are seeking understanding.  This happened on Tuesday when someone asked me, “Father, why do we call you father?  I never really knew why.”  The first good reason is my mother told me to, and if you don’t obey her, you know what happens.  The second reason is scriptural.  Paul said in his epistle: “I am your spiritual father.  I beget you in Christ. I baptized you and gave you spiritual life.”   Then, there is this other group of people who try to see if I’m the village idiot.  I’m not, but I qualify for the top ten.   I call this game “stump the chump.”   “Father, where does it say in scripture that we are supposed to kneel?”  Well, that’s easy enough… Matthew 27, Psalm 95, Romans 14, and Revelation just to name a few.  I mean, come on!  Really?   I’m not the brightest bulb on the circuit, but that’s an easy one.  They are trying to get me to prove that Catholicism is wrong.  That or try to convert me.  I already know I’m not going to convince them to become Catholic.  “Have you ever heard about the precious blood?”   You know…I believe I have.  I stayed awake that day at seminary.  These are all “gotcha questions. 

How do you tell people about Christ? The best way to evangelize is not by giving someone a bunch of information.  They could get that online or look in the Catechism of the Catholic Church…it’s all in there.  So, how do you tell people about Christ?  Do we tell them to read the book?   Well, the book doesn’t contain everything about Jesus Christ.  The book is a “what” not a “Who.”  But, we can pass on the “Who” to people by telling them what Jesus has done for us.  If giving people a book brought people to Christ, we could give everyone a copy of the Catechism and fill the church with converts.  But that doesn’t happen.  If that worked, we could all read a medical book and be the epitome of health.  We have to tell people what’s in the book and bring it to real life.  We have to tell them about God’s grace and what He has done in our lives. Today’s gospel shows us how to evangelize.  Jesus cured that leper from a death sentence.  He went away and could not stop telling people how Jesus had restored his life.  Like the leper, we also have to tell people what God has done for us. 

We see proof of God’s love so often that sometimes we become immune to it and ungrateful.  Each time you go to Mass, you receive the Most Precious Body and Blood just like the apostles did at the Last Supper.  You can come to church during the day and speak to our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament as one person speaks to another.  But, because we have become so accustomed to the gift of His love, we forget to be thankful.  I’m thankful for a lot of things.  I’m thankful for indoor plumbing.  I’m thankful for clean clothes.  I’m thankful that McDonalds is open 24-7.  I’m thankful about not having to go outside in a rain storm to take a shower.  That’s nice and a big change.  I’m thankful for many things even those that are unpleasant like the COVID test.  I get it every week, so I don’t want to hear any whining.  “Oh!  That’s terrible!”  Well, thank God we have that test.  “But why, Father?”  We could have the Chinese test instead.  Come on!   We are also grateful for the geniuses who have worked tirelessly night and day to develop these tests and vaccines so that we can maintain our health and delay what will eventually come. 

God has given us our life, and when we lose it by sin, He gives it back to us.  This is how we tell people about the truth and meaning of our faith.  Not in an obnoxious way, but by telling them what the Lord has done in our lives and the great gift He has given us…the gift of Himself.  Not that we deserve it, but because He loves us.  He brought me back to life through my baptism.  He feeds me the Precious Body and Blood in Holy Communion.  When my soul is dead with sin, and I may lose Heaven if those sins are not forgiven, He gives my life back to me through the Sacrament of Penance.  He forgives and He forgets.  My soul is washed in His blood. 

The Blessed Mother was the first to be washed in His blood.  She was standing beneath the cross and was spattered with it.  When they took Him down from the cross and laid Him on her lap, she was covered with His blood.  Once you are dead, your blood stops coagulating. So, Mary was covered with the blood of Christ.  “Why do you honor Mary?”  She was the first human being to be covered in the Precious Blood.  She was also the first to receive a miracle.  Remember the wedding at Cana?  That was a direct intercession of God.  “Son, they have no more wine.”  Boom.  And, there was wine.

This is how we tell people about our faith.  We don’t use obnoxious evangelization techniques when we talk to them.  We just tell them about what God has done for us.  But, we keep trying to reinvent the wheel.  If we do it differently, will things be better?  No.  We do what works.  What happened when God performed His miracles?  The recipients of those miracles told others.  And, what happened?  Look at the last line in today’s Gospel.  Jesus went to deserted places, but people kept coming to Him from all sides.

How will you apply this message to your life?  Are you grateful for His love or have you become immune to it?  Will you tell others what God has done in your life?

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 the page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

Posted on

Sermon Notes – You Cannot Judge Someone’s Insides by Their Outside

“You Cannot Judge Someone’s Insides by Their Outside“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 6 – 7, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 1: 29-39

A number of years ago, I was vacationing at my now dead brother’s house.  My sister-in-law is very nice, and she let me stay there.  Why she married my brother is a mystery to me.  In my bedroom was a fireplace. This is a four bedroom house with two fireplaces, and I had one of them.  I was looking around at all of their pictures…I love looking at people’s pictures.  I saw a picture of my sister-in-law’s brother.  He was a good looking officer dressed in his Army Class-A uniform.  I asked my sister-in-law if he had ever served in Vietnam, and she said yes.  Did he ever tell you anything about the ribbons on his uniform?  She said no.  Well, I wouldn’t expect him to, but I’ll tell you this, because I think you need to know.  You might want to ask him about this top ribbon.  The highest award always goes on top. That is the Distinguished Flying Cross which is usually a downgraded Medal of Honor. You should know about that.  A few years later, he and I were sitting in the ICU while my brother was on his journey to Heaven.  He told me about some of his travels while he was in Vietnam.  I can’t tell you about them, because they are all classified, but, he did some pretty impressive things.  Now, he looks like a retired old man.  You just never know what people have done…about the good they have done.

When my brother was laid out in the box, he had all of these badges on his uniform.  He was a fire captain and assigned to fire and rescue.  I didn’t understand what the badges meant, so I asked a friend of his, Mike Scallion.  Mike said, “He never told you?”  No.  “Well, these are for the people he saved… he saved a lot of lives.”  But, my brother never told us.  People would come up and ask him to loan them money.  He’d say, “Sure!”  To my brother, it was a gift.  He never loaned money. You never know the good things people have done.  I still hear stories about my brother when I go home.

Conversely, you never know about the crosses people were given to carry by our good Lord.  There are the crosses we bear from birth that God gives us all.  Some change throughout our lives and come with age.  There are the crosses we have because of our sins which we have acquired on our own.  There are also the crosses that other people have given us.  Perhaps we didn’t have perfect parents.  I see a lot of those crosses in the Gated Community I visit.  People with those crosses have a harder shot at life than most of us.  You never know the crosses people are called to carry.  But, they have made their choices, and their crosses are mostly because they avoid God and choose to do evil.  The habit and attraction of sin carries its own cross.  Finally, there are the crosses we bear for our family, friends, and others. 

Now, when you leave here, you will probably encounter people who will irk the living you-know-what out of you.  Somehow, they find a way to stumble across our path.  They may cut us off in traffic. They may take our buggy in Harris teeter or Walmart.  They’ll do something, and you may want to go charismatic on them.  We might do that to people too, believe it or not, some of you might irk other people…I don’t know.   My First-Sergeant had a very effective counselling technique.  He was charismatic and laid hands on people.  We used to call it “wall-to-wall counselling,” and it usually solved the problem in one short session.  If it’s not strangers that irk us, it’s our family.  Those are the ones who can irk us the most.  My cousin calls me and always wants to Face-Time.  The last time he called me, I was hearing confessions when all of a sudden the theme from the “Godfather” starts playing – that’s my ring tone.  My phone showed that it was Jim, and he wanted to FaceTime.  Hey Cuz – I don’t do Face-Time. Learn it.  God allows people in our lives for a number of reasons, not just to irk us, but to teach us patience.

You obviously want to be holy, because you are here.  But, being here is only a part of becoming holy.  You have to go out and practice what you receive here.  All of those rosaries do no good if we don’t use them.  All the great Catholic books in the world and all the crucifixes do no good if we don’t put them into practice.  It’s nice when people say, “Father, that was a great sermon.”  Thanks. Take a copy of the sermon notes; I’ll even autograph it for you.  But it does no good unless you put the message into practice.  So, God sends people into our lives to remind us to pray for others and to help them carry their crosses. He puts these people in our lives to help us learn patience along with suffering.  We don’t know what crosses people are carrying.  We all would like for people to be considerate and compassionate toward us, but how can we be considerate and compassionate toward them?  By praying for them and helping them carry their crosses, whatever those crosses are.  They may be helping to carry someone else’s cross…you never know.  You cannot judge someone’s insides by their outside.

I ask patients how they are doing. Some will say, “Fine!”  But, you are in Hospice care.  Do you know what fine means?  I think we need to talk.  I wouldn’t be putting in menu orders for tomorrow if I were you.  We don’t know what’s going on inside of people. But, if they are like us, and yes, they are all like us, some better…some worse, but generally, we are all the same.  We can help them carry their crosses.  If they are irksome and obnoxious to us, it may be because you have called upon them when they were struggling or having a bad day, or maybe they had just gotten some bad news.  There are all sorts of reasons, culpable and inculpable, but we are called to pray for them all.  By doing so, you are helping them carry their cross.  Even if we do something nice for them, and they don’t thank us…boy, that ticks you off, doesn’t it?   You do something nice for someone, and they don’t thank you?  Oh, baby!  I need a thank you note for that dinner or that Christmas gift!  But, be thankful to have been found worthy to suffer for Him.  Say, “Thank you, Jesus for allowing me to suffer for the sake of your name.” 

Father’s Afterthoughts…

Alcohol is very good for COVID, but only if used externally

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.”

Posted on

Sermon Notes: January 30 – 31, 2021: “I Want Pizza!”

“ I Want Pizza! “

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 30 – 31, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 1:21-28

How do we pass on the message of Christ?  How do we bring Christ to people?  Well, the answer is rather simple.  It really is.  You don’t need to learn anything new.  You don’t have to sign up for a course.  It doesn’t cost anything.  You just tell people the good news – not your good news, but His.  Saint Francis of Assisi said “Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.”  Preach the gospel, whether in season or out of season, convenient or inconvenient, and use words if necessary.  If it’s necessary to use words, what words do we use?  We use the words of Christ.  We talk as He talked, and use the same words He used.  So, what were the words He used?  We have them, and they provide an air of authority, because they are true.  They are the very Word of God. 

The only time Jesus was angry or rebuked someone was when He was dealing with Satan.  He didn’t run up and down aisles screaming and shouting.  He didn’t do that.  He never raised His voice.  His sermons were not very long, and He didn’t use props except for children so that He could shame the apostles.  The Sermon on the Mount is one of the greatest sermons ever given.  Jesus went up on the mountain, sat down, and delivered an eight sentence sermon about the Beatitudes to over 5,000 people.  His words carried and everyone heard Him.  He didn’t speak long, but He spoke with words that everyone heard.  On another occasion, our good Lord went out onto a lake in a boat and preached to a crowd gathered on the shore. That’s very difficult to do when you’re on the water. But, everyone heard Him. 

In Acts, Peter preached at Pentecost to the Jews gathered in Jerusalem for the feast.  Every heart heard him, even though the people there were from different countries and spoke different languages.  Peter didn’t run up and down the aisles.  That’s not preaching – that’s a performance.  Preach as Jesus did.  Paul thought he had a better idea when he went to Athens.  He decided to jazz up the message and make it really hip.  He changed the sermon to make it more meaningful.  I love that word – meaningful – almost as much as I love the word “tasteful.”  Well, everything has a taste.  For example, horse manure has taste…you won’t like it, but it has taste.  Oh, this is very tasty.  That doesn’t mean it’s good or bad.  Paul tried to develop a relationship by getting down on the same level as the Athenians.  Instead of raising them up, he went down and taught on their level and in their language.  What happened?  He got only two disciples.  When he left there, he did an after-action report and had one of those  V-8 moments.  I will only preach Christ and Him Crucified.  And, then look what happened.  He preached the way Christ preached…by actions and by words.  The words he used were Christ’s words.  We should not use our words or the words that we think Christ would say.  “But, God is telling me to do this.”  You need some medicine.  Preach like Christ did.  That’s what He told us to do.  It doesn’t have to be long, and it doesn’t have to be loud.  Christ sat and taught.  He didn’t use props. Also, people were not fed their way to Jesus.  “Give them pizza, and they will come.”  Yeah…they eat the free pizza, and then they leave.  We had a food ministry in the military called Bible study lunch.  I went to one, because I wanted the free pizza.  The soldiers ate the free pizza, and then they left.  There was nothing the chaplains could do about it.  Those were the rules, and the soldiers knew that.  They weren’t stupid.  They may have been paratroopers, but they weren’t stupid. 

Teach as Jesus taught by using His exact words.  Those words give us the authority, not for us, but so that every heart hears the words it was meant to hear.  Now, in case someone is thinking, “Well, your life is not perfect.”  Oh, heck no.  My life is not perfect at all.  The words are not my words. I’m just a conduit.  I’m just passing along what our good Lord said.  The focus must be on the message and not the messenger. I am trying to live like our good Lord said, and I’m having problems with that, so if you would pray for me, I’d really appreciate it.  People are surprised when we don’t defend ourselves by saying something like, “Oh, I’m a great Christian.” 

How do we tell people about Jesus?  Do as Jesus did.  Preach as Jesus preached.  Use words if necessary.

How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ?  Will you do as He did and preach as He preached?

Father’s Afterthoughts…

  • Last night, I had to smile while reading the Old Testament.  All I could think of was that God is Italian.  You know why?  He put out a contract for a hit on all the false prophets.  Wow!  He means business.
  • I was at the hospital on Friday. You should see the working conditions I work under…it’s not just the smells and everything else.   Anyway, I came out of a room and said something to the nurse who said, “You know, Father, you should have gone to medical school.”  I said, “Really?  How…as a student or cadaver?”  Fair question.

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.”

Posted on

Sermon Notes – Hey You!

“Hey You!“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 23 – 24, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 1:14-20

In my meditation on the Gospel this morning, I changed my sermon a bit.  I was meditating on how the military asks for volunteers.  Jesus said, “Come, follow Me.”  The military’s way of asking for volunteers is “Hey you!”  Love to. Thanks for asking!. Officers were also subject to “hey you!”    I may have had captain or major’s rank, but sometimes I still became “hey you.”  When a job needed to be done, who did it depended on your level on the food chain.  Hey you! Oh, thank you. I’d love to.

Our Lord called the apostles by name to be His followers, to become holy, and to bring that holiness to us.  Now, if you look at their resumes, they were fishermen.  They did not get master’s degrees in Theology or Canon Law.  They did not even earn certificates for lay ministry.  They didn’t do any of that, yet they brought Christ’s love to the world.  Their bravery in the face of their own deaths is a testament to that love.  Christ call us all the same way.  He calls us by name.  Each of us were made in the likeness of God, and He died especially for each one of us. He calls each of us by name.  Not “hey you” plural, but “hey you” singular.  He wants you to follow Him.  He wants you to become holy and to bring His love to the world.  He wants every one of His children who do not know Him to know the fullness of truth found in the Catholic Faith.  First follow Him, become holy, and then bring it to the world.  You may say, “Father, I don’t have any advanced degrees.”  Mine are honorary. So, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter. 

Do you know who the most educated apostle was?  It was Matthew.  He could read and write in three languages.  The most educated of all was not even an apostle.  Know who it was?  Luke.  He was a physician, but was transformed.  Peter converted over 5,000 people, and they all heard his message in their own languages.  When you speak the language of God, of eternal love, and truth, everyone hears you.  St. John Vianney couldn’t learn Latin.  He just couldn’t get it.  Latin is not a hard language, even I managed to learn it.  But, not St. Vianney.  He was basically put in a parish in the village of Ars so that he could basically just sit there.  He was the village idiot, and look what happened.  You could say that about all Catholic priests.  However, St. Vianney could read souls.  Theresa de Lisieux, a doctor of the Church, did not finish high school.  Yet, if you read her autobiography, she cited scripture 127 times.  If you read other so-called Catholic books, they don’t cite scripture very much at all.  It’s not about knowledge, it’s about love. 

You may say, “Well, my past is not perfect.”  None of ours are.  He takes each of us and our abilities to be conduits of His love.  Sometimes your past is your greatest asset.  Who did Christ send to the nations?  The persecuted Gentiles.  Who did he send to recover alcoholics from their disease? Two other alcoholics.  Your past with Christ’s love can be your greatest asset in evangelization. 

We have approximately 110 priests in the Charlotte diocese.  A lot of them have advanced degrees. These priests are very educated, and they are very good at so much.  But, none of them can do what I can do…besides be obnoxious – that’s my strong suit.   None of them have been where I’ve been.  My work at the Veterans Hospital depends on my military background. These men and women can tell me their stories before they pass, because I’ve been where they’ve been.  The other priests can all give the Sacraments, but they cannot give what I can give…understanding veterans and helping them lay down their crosses.  That’s only because of what I’ve been through, by giving it to God, and letting Him use it.  This is what God calls you to do. 

Your past can be your greatest asset for bringing God’s love to the world. There’s no need to be ashamed of it, because it can be a great tool.  First become holy and then bring that holiness to others.  Christ calls you just like He called the apostles.  Wherever God puts you, He put you there for a reason.  He is very good at personnel management.  Whatever part of the body of Christ you are called to be in, make yourself available.  You are the only one who can do that job in that place and at that time. So, whatever your past, whatever you have done, Christ says through you, I can call others.

How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you use your past and unique abilities to bring God’s love to the world?

Spiritual Direction from Father…

I want to give you some advice, some spiritual direction, during this pandemic/epidemic and period of constant agitation.  Most people will overreact; “Oh, this is terrible! It’s the worse time we’ve ever been through!”  No, it hasn’t been.  They like to ramp up the hysterics.  Back in the 1940’s, you hated to see a boy riding a bicycle up to your house, because that is how they delivered bad news that your loved one wasn’t coming home. So, we’ve had far worse times – we just forget.  I would suggest to help you get through these rough times is 1) Pray a heck of a lot more; and 2) Do not use social media.  Let me put this way so that you can remember it:  Social is the media and social is the disease.  If there is a cure of cancer, someone will let you know.  Nothing good comes from social media with the exception of our church’s webpage. We are probably the only church that doesn’t have a “donate button.”  My staff asked, “Should we put a donation button on there?” No.  There’s a lot of good things on our website.  Stay off the news stations.  They know nothing, and they don’t tell you the full truth.  All military officers lie to you.  How do I know?  I was one. We were taught how to lie on a professional level as part of the charm course we had to go through.  In Stanly County, they say we have 100 deaths from COVID.  But, that tells you nothing.  We have a hospital, a prison, and seven nursing homes in the county.  How many people died there?  “We cannot tell you.”  Then the  figures are meaningless. How many had comorbidities?  Yes, they are dead, and I feel bad for them, I really do.  Some died long before they should have.  But just throwing numbers out there is scaring the living bejesus out of Stanly County residents and is irresponsible.  You aren’t telling them anything.  Stay away from the news stations and watch cartoons like the “Road Runner.”  I always liked the “Road Runner.”  Listen to easy listening music.  Do something.  Just turn it off.  There’s no need for that.  They aren’t going to tell you anything you really need to know that’s going to be life-changing.  It’s just going to make you more miserable.

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog.”

Posted on

Sermon Notes – Follow the Money

“Follow the Money“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 16 – 17, 2021

Gospel:  John 1:35-42

I received an email from the Diocese about parish revenues being down during the pandemic.  Gosh they are sharp…they don’t miss a thing!  They suggested ways in which to raise money that amounts to religious extortion.  Do we need more money?  No, we need more compassion. What did our good Lord say in the Old Testament?  He said, “Comfort my people.” He didn’t say extort them.  A priest once told me, “If you are a good priest, you will never need a second offering.”  I refuse to do one. I don’t want their money…I want their sins.  

During this time when everyone is struggling and doing their best, people are being terrified by what’s on the news.  They are scaring the bejesus out of old people.  “Oh, my God! You have COVID! That’s 5,000 cases!!” What’s the death toll? Not much…it’s COVID not Ebola.  We just had a 98 year old WW II veteran, a POW, survive COVID.  Again, it’s not Ebola.  “Oh, but we’ve got all this COVID and disruption.”  You are making it a disruption by stirring things up for your own advantage.  Follow the money. You are scaring old people. How much toilet paper do you still have?  I almost went to Harris Teeter the other day when we had snow flurries to see how many people were stocking up on milk and bread.  We are to comfort our people.  I want your sins.  I want to give you Jesus.     

I just finished a book on Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta.  She formed the Missionaries of Charity who care for the poorest of the poor, the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for, and the shunned.  I had the honor of working with the Sisters while in Cuba.  The Sisters made great gifts of love to the people in their care, and they did it without reservation or disgust. The inspiration that lead to Saint Mother Teresa’s forming the Missionaries of Charity came from Jesus and the six words He spoke from the Cross.  “I thirst.”  I thirst for souls.  He did not say, “I thirst for your bank account.” He said, “I thirst” for souls.  It was Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls that inspired Saint Mother Teresa throughout her life to bring souls to Jesus.  That is our mission too – to bring souls to Jesus. 

That call from the crucifix still makes its way down to us and will until the end of time.  In our charity, we can give people the knowledge of why we do it.  Anyone can give away food. The Federal Government gives out food.  I received food from the Feds…first in a can and then in a bag.  Meals Requiring Ex-Lax or MRE’s.  Be sure to drink lots of water or you’re going to have a real problem Houston.  You may have to call Roto-Rooter.  I didn’t see God in that.  I saw what seemed like abuse, but I didn’t see God.  Have you ever had lima beans out of a can from World War II?  Not a good taste.  I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody.  The Knights of Columbus take food over to the shelter.  We do this because the love of Christ compels us.  In the old Catholic hospitals, there used to be a Crucifix in every patient’s room. In the old days, every classroom also had a crucifix.  These days we don’t want to offend anyone by reminding them about Jesus. When I took my physical before entering seminary, I went to Dr. Skyler who had a Crucifix in every examination room.  I was very impressed.  He said, “If people don’t like it, let them find another doctor.”

By virtue of our baptism, it is our mission to evangelize.  We are to bring the Faith to the world and people to Christ.  The words of Christ from the Crucifix will continue until the end of time.  He thirsts for souls.  We are to be like the angels and bring people to Christ.

***

How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you help satiate Christ’s thirst for love and for souls?

***

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ , clicking on “Blog”, then “Categories” and finally “Sermon Notes.”

Posted on

Sermon Notes – He is Waiting

“Come Home…He is Waiting”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 14 – 15, 2020

Scripture: John 4: 5-42

Scripture 101: Ladies, can you tell me what screams out in the gospel today? The hour was noon, and there was a woman by herself drawing water at the well. What’s wrong with that? The woman was drawing water at the well alone which was just not done in her culture. Women travelled in groups and never by themselves. Also, it would have been a balmy 120 degrees at midday. Just a wonderful time of the day. Nobody goes out at noon except for the American Army while very overdressed. It’s hot, and you have 50 extra pounds of Uncle Sam’s equipment while taking a little nature walk. It’s a bit warm. It opens the pores…really refreshing. Because of the heat, most people drew water in the morning or the evening. Another thing that stands out in the scripture is that Jesus spoke to her. Even today, men in that part of the world never touch or speak directly to women. This was a fallen woman, and Jesus called her on it. He went there, despite being hungry and tired, to search for her soul. She was His child made in His image and likeness. She had wandered away from His love with five husbands and a live-in boyfriend. She was a lost woman who nobody wanted to associate with…she was shunned. But He went out to search for her anyway and to bring her back. Did Christ condemn the woman at the well by saying, “By the way, I see you have had five husbands and live with a boyfriend…you are going to hell.” Did He say that? No. Did He throw a penalty flag? No. Did He condemn her? No. We do not condemn anybody. Everyone is open for salvation. Instead, He said, “what you are looking for is a Who not a what.”

Christ came for the salvation of all souls…not just for Jews or Gentiles, but for everyone. Each soul has a cost…the cost is what you see on the crucifix. That day at the well, Christ was hot and tired. But this is what He came to do…to seek the lost, even the greatest sinners. He came to search for all of His children who have wandered away from Him. It is interesting that He gives us the precise way in which to reach out to others even when we are tired, hungry, or we just don’t want to do it. We are called to share the love of Christ by virtue of our baptism. Some of the most fruitful times to share His love is when it is the most inconvenient or uncomfortable. All the stuff I did for Uncle Sam was me just doing my job. Also, I have a lot of street credit at Hospice and at the hospital, but I’m just doing my job. It’s Christ that gets the real street credit…I’m just the instrument. Christ heals them…not the doctors or nurses.

Sometimes, when I’m talking to people about the Faith, I lose my patience if they start playing the quiz game show and try to out-lawyer me. They try to engage me in intellectual discussions. You know, I spent four years studying theology, I think I’ve got it. When you tell them about His love and the fullness of the Church, they will, by and large, start intellectual discussions with you. “Why do you call priests Father?” Because Saint Paul said so. “Well, you Catholics make women wear doilies on their heads.” Those were the old ways, and it’s no big deal. Come on, Dude! Stop playing the quiz show with me. They will make any excuse. But, it’s a delay tactic…an attempt to obscure their own sins…look, squirrel!! “I don’t go to church because you have sinners there.” Yes, and I’m happy about that. We are trying to change them. Where else would you like sinners to be? Yes, they do terrible things…that’s why they are in church. How about you, Chuckles? I know Someone who can save you from your sins.

If Jesus only called those who are perfect, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus would be the only people here. The Church would be empty. We are men not angels. We are a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints. Our Lord came for us so that we could be transformed. We are called to do the same by seeking those who have strayed away from the Faith. Will we always get results? Yes! “But it didn’t work; they didn’t come back.” You don’t know for sure; they’re not dead yet. Even though you may not see results in the people you’ve been sharing His love with, you’ve planted a seed that may grow inside them. And, look at what it did for you. Look at how it has expanded your own heart.

When I first arrived in Iraq during the first Gulf War, I approached the Colonel who said to me, “What are you doing here?” Well, you told me to come. This is where my soldiers are, so this is where I’m supposed to be. When I go into a hospital room wearing Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), I’m breathing in and out like Darth Vader with a mask and gown. “What are you doing here, Father?” Well, I’m your priest; I’m supposed to be here. Besides, they give me free parking and I write off the mileage. When people are in failing health, and they do not want to come back to the Church, I just wait and wait and wait some more. Sometimes when I’m in Hospice and the nurses have just bombed patients with drugs, I will ask them again if they would like to receive Last Rites. I thought so! I’m persistent…I keep going after them. Never give up on anyone. Never give up trying to bring them back to the love of Christ. Each soul has its own worth. Each soul is worth the sacrifice…whether it is convenient or not. It was neither convenient nor comfortable for our Lord that day at the well.

One day, while I was at the VA Hospital and making my last rounds in Hospice, one of the nurses asked me if I could see a patient who wanted to talk to a chaplain. I had met this patient once before when he was in-processing, and we had talked for a few minutes. He told me that he had cancer, and it was his fault. He had been scheduled for a colonoscopy previously that didn’t work out, and he was supposed to come back two weeks later for another one…but he never returned. When he finally came back, the cancer was terminal. Before I went into the patient’s room, the nurse told me it wasn’t pleasant. I said, “Yeah, I know.” His cancer had become external which has a particular aroma. If you’ve ever been in a patient’s room whose cancer is external, it’s a real treat for the senses. It will bring a tear to your eye. I sat there listening to him for about 20 minutes. He wanted to talk, but the cancer had metastasized to his brain. Occasionally, he would say something that I could understand. During our conversation, the nurse kept coming into the room and spraying air freshener. When I finally left his room, my clothes smelled like the cancer. Did I enjoy that? Hell no. Was it comfortable? No, but that’s what I was supposed to do. While in the military, did I enjoy all those times and places where I could have gotten myself killed? Do you think that was a lot of fun? No. They don’t print enough money for me to want to do that or make enough alcohol. But that’s what I was supposed to do. Likewise, we are supposed to seek out souls as Christ did even when it’s uncomfortable or unpleasant. We are called to share His love with them.

Christ is reaching out to others through you to share the great gift you have received …the gift of our Catholic faith…the fullness of truth. You are called to bring it to others. Maybe you won’t experience anything as egregious as I have; I hope you don’t, but you may encounter people who are very combative with their words. Why are you getting so worked up if what I’m saying isn’t true? Why are you getting your underwear in a knot? Proclaim the message anyway. Nobody wants to get involved in arguments. I know, that’s why I stay away from my family. But, Christ can save anyone, and that’s part of the message we bring, They will see in you the love of Christ.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you share the love of Christ with others even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient?

Posted on

Sermon Notes – Can You Hear Him?

“He is Speaking to You…Can You Hear Him?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 7-8, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9

The gospel today took place 10 days before our Lord’s passion. Our good Lord showed the three apostles a particular vision of His nature, of His true nature, and what that would be like. It was also to strengthen them for the coming scandal of the cross. I think all of us would really like to have one of those momentous moments of seeing the miracle of the manifestation of God. We would really like that. You may think that it would really solidify your faith after that. That’s a wonderful and pious thought, but reality is different. Look at the apostles…these three in particular. Over the course of three years, they saw many miracles. They saw three people raised from the dead…Lazarus being one. After three days in a tomb, there would be a stench. Lazarus was truly dead. Think of all the miracles of our good Lord that they witnessed…not all were not recorded in scripture. Yet, when Christ’s time came, they ran away like sissy boys. Real men, and they ran away. So, a great spiritual experience does not translate into being set. That’s true in our own lives. Just look at all the people who have left the Church. “Well, if I only had a great spiritual experience I would stay.” Remember the joy of your first communion? I’m sure your parents do and that they have pictures. Remember your confirmation, your wedding, and the baptism of your children? Where are all those people now? We have our own great spiritual experiences. Our Lord still comes and gives us spiritual experiences, because He knows how frightened we are no matter how tough we might think we are. Our Lord knows that we still get lonely and afraid. The most common verse in scripture is “do not be afraid.” Our Lord would not have said that if He didn’t think we were afraid. The worse punishment for anyone is being alone or in solitary confinement in prison. We need consolation, and we need to know His divine presence. Our Lord always comes to us, but sometimes we are too busy to see Him.

I was making my rounds in the Emergency Department at the VA Hospital on Thursday. I was talking to this one man who won’t be leaving. I walked out of his room to ask the nurse a question. I always ask the staff questions. I read training magazines and farming magazines, because I want to learn. So, I asked the nurse about the lump on the side of this patient’s jaw. He said, “what lump.” The nurse went into the man’s room to check on him, and when he came back, he said that the lump hadn’t been seen earlier, because it wasn’t significant, and we didn’t catch it. Even a nurse who is so experienced didn’t see it.

We overlook our God’s timely providence. He knows when we have something extraordinary in which to rid ourselves. Some little girl spits up green soup, and right away we think it’s satan. Oh my gosh, she’s possessed! I get a lot of calls about exorcism; sometimes our imaginations run wild. We are watching way too many movies. Our Lord comes to us, but we are too busy with our cell phones and other distractions to hear Him. He is always trying to talk to us, trying to give us little messages. I am here and I hear your prayers.

A few months ago, I was walking, and I was very upset because of the death of my twin brother. So, I was letting God know that I was really torqued and using some official military language. I was by myself and nobody could hear me. This was official, government-sanctioned, military language. I was using some good Anglo-Saxon terms not used in polite company. I was really p’oed. Later, as I continued walking, I saw a penny and picked it up. It was a wheat penny, and the date on the coin was 1953…the year my brother and I were born. I was thinking how odd to find that penny in the middle of nowhere in Stanly County. How many pennies exist with the year 1953? It’s just odd.

I remember I was doing the funeral for Mr. Hudson, a World War II veteran of the Army Air Corps. We did puzzles together; he passed a few years ago. Mr. Hudson had been stationed in Japan and flew in a B-17. When bombs got stuck, it was his job to go to the bottom of the B-17 and, without a safety harness, kick the bombs that were stuck out the back door of the plane. He was an interesting man and a funny guy. I asked him one time if he ever got air sick; he said no, but he did get seasick. He came home from the war by ship. While crossing the Indian Ocean, he was fine; the Mediterranean…fine; the Atlantic…not fine. For the next seven days he didn’t eat. But, at least the ship was headed in the right direction…toward home. Anyway, he asked me to do his funeral even though he wasn’t Catholic. As I was enroute to the funeral, I stopped to get a cup of coffee at a convenience store. I happened to look down at the ground and saw a puzzle piece. I picked up the puzzle piece, and when I had finished the ceremony and walked over to the wall where his ashes were to be interred, I placed the puzzle piece on top of his ashes.

God talks to all of us. I’m not special. In fact, God probably loves you more than me, because you deserve it more. I have a lot of explaining to do about my permanent record when I see Him face-to-face. God does talk to you, and He desperately tries to get your attention, but in subtle ways. Throughout our lives, more frequently than we can imagine, God tries to tell us He is present and that He cares.

How will you apply this message to your life? He is speaking to you…will you stop to listen?

Posted on

Sermon Notes – I Want Bacon!

“I Want Bacon!!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 29 – March 1, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 4:1-11

So, we are a couple of days into Lent. This is a time in which we are supposed to discipline our bodies and discipline our spirits by penance and mortification by denying ourselves certain food until Easter, praying more, breaking bad habits, and encouraging good ones. How are y’all doing with that? Still sticking to them? Not so much? That’s what I thought. We are supposed to discipline our bodies and our spirits beginning with the Sacraments we receive – Holy Communion and Penance. So, we discipline our will to make it stronger. We break bad habits and encourage good ones. By the way, bad habits are hard to break, and good habits are hard to keep. The beautiful thing is that when we fall off the wagon, as it were, we can always start over. We can start over at any time. That’s the beauty of it. It’s not a zero-sum game that you have to get perfect. You simply get back up and try again. It may be hard, even though it seemed like a good idea at the time. “Hey, it won’t be that bad…I’m not going to miss it anyway.” But, as soon as you give up something to the world, you will see all kinds of temptation. As soon as I had to give up bacon, I saw all these advertisements for CiCi’s bacon crust pizza and bacon Whoppers. Really? All year long, I don’t think twice about chocolate cake, but once I gave it up for Lent, everywhere I went there was chocolate cake. That’s just temptation.

The biggest occasion for sin is right here between our shoulders. We cannot raise ourselves to heaven by our bootstraps. You may say, “It’s too hard. I may have taken on something a little bigger than I should have.” That’s okay…just make sure you aren’t trying to pole vault over mouse turds. The wonderful thing about doing penance is that you may actually feel better. If you resolve to eat better, you’ll feel better…I’m not a doctor, but you will probably feel better. Still, after a while, spinach gets really boring. Yuck! Pizza with bacon and the crust and everything else is food pornography for me. I’m sorry, but it just is.

These mortifications we impose upon ourselves are important, but they can cause so much pain. Giving up something we love is a hard thing to do, especially when we are doing it just for ourselves. That’s hard to believe, we being the most important thing above all; you’ve heard me say, “I’m not much but I’m all I think about.” Many people don’t stick with the medicine and special diets their doctors put them on. Diabetics have a bad habit of not doing what they are supposed to do even though they may need to have body parts chopped off only to eventually die and not in a pleasant way. But, still they do not follow their doctors’ orders. Why? Because, it’s only about them.

I can find any excuse to do what I want to do. I should be able to eat a bacon sandwich, because I fought for my country! I suffered for Uncle Sam, so I deserve bacon! My heart doesn’t, but I deserve it. To make it easier and to keep ourselves motivated, we can follow Saint James’ suggestion and do penance for someone else. Our parents had that experience when they denied themselves for their children. We often will do for others what we won’t do for ourselves. When we do it for someone else, our love is better. We can do penance for our families or those we love. You didn’t get that one? It can be two different groups. It’s just the way it is. We all have family and loved ones who have fallen away from the Faith, who have done bad things, or who have a serious illness. Take their sufferings upon yourself. In doing so, we imitate Saint Paul in his sufferings…with his crosses. He said, “I make up in my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of the body of His Church.” God calls all of us to participate in suffering. Do penance for someone else as Christ did for us. Imitate Him. All those little penances, little alterations, and little gifts for our Lord are meant to actualize what is in the Sacraments. When coupled with the Sacrament of Holy Communion and Penance, we strengthen our love, we atone for our sins, and we strengthen our will. The whole purpose is so that we become better receptacles for God’s love and better messengers of His love.

Saint James also wrote that a person who brings another person back from sin saves his own soul and cancels out a multitude of his own sins. So, join your sufferings, deprivations, extra prayers, and sacrifices to the sacrifice of our Savior for the salvation of souls. Do penance for other people as Christ did for us. Love always thinks of others and is never selfish. So, when deciding whether or not to eat that piece of chocolate cake, think of the people you are giving it up for or really giving it to.

How will you apply this message to your life? If you fall, will you get back up and try again? Will you imitate Christ and do penance for others?