Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – The Transforming Power of His Love

“The Transforming Power of His Love”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 22 – 23, 2020

Scripture : Matthew 5:38-48

Yesterday morning I drove down to Monroe. Why they pronounce it Moan-roe, I have no idea. They also say p-oh-lice. Really? Nowhere else are the police called p-oh-lice. Dude, public education has gone way down hill. But, they are kinda different in Union County. Anyway, I was in Monroe to help hear 190 first confessions. I had to leave early, because I had a wedding to perform here. I heard first confessions here this morning, and they did very well. The kids in Monroe were nervous, and I said to them that today you are experiencing for the first time, actually flushing out your book knowledge, some of the great truths of the Catholic Church and the fullness of God’s love. The Catholic Church possesses the fullness of God’s message and the fullness of His power on earth. You have come here to experience the greatness of God’s mercy by having your sins absolutely forgiven and forgotten. God forgives and forgets everything you bring here. No matter how many times you may do this or other things, if you come back to the Sacrament and say, “I’m sorry, I will try to do better,” God will forgive and forget. The beauty of God’s love is right here in Church. What a wonderful thing we have. He heals us with His most precious blood, and He infuses us with the strength of His presence, called Sanctifying Grace. We are transformed away from ourselves.

You’ve seen in the Gospel, in the Old Law, scripture that called for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That seems rather harsh to our modern ears. Really, it’s not. When this was first proclaimed in the Old Testament, it was shocking. This was so new to people. That means – I’m no lawyer, but I’ve seen one on television – that you can exact no greater penalty than the crime itself. In the Old World, if you were to jaywalk, and even though it might be your first offense, the punishment could be execution. I mean they lopped people’s heads off just for grips and grins. I mean, you can’t do that…you just can’t do that.

Justice is a primary virtue. Christ taught a new kind of justice and called us to a higher standard. He said, “if you have My love, you will go beyond that; you will show them My love, the love I give to you. If they need a shirt give them two; if they ask you to walk one mile, walk two.” By doing so, you are showing them God’s love. How do you show them His love? By having God’s love inside of you. It’s not easy to do. If someone smashes my windshield, he’s going down and hard. We have the right to protect ourselves, that’s true. Jesus was using a hyperbole, of course. He was using it as an example. If someone hurts you, don’t hurt them back and walk away. Don’t let someone punch you in the mouth. First, duck and then forgive. It’s hard to do that. By the way, you don’t have to like them. He didn’t say you have to like them. I don’t like a lot of people, but I love them for the sake of Christ. Now, to do what Christ asks, turning the other cheek, praying for them even when you really don’t want to, doing good things for them when you really don’t want to do good things for somebody because they have really ticked you off, or they have really hurt you is hard. Yet, the Lord says do good for them, pray for them, and do good things for them. “I really don’t want to.” An easy way to do it is by being transformed by God’s love and drawing closer to Him day-by-day, through the Mass, Sacraments, prayers, and mortification. Gradually your soul will lose itself and become filled with Christ. Then, when these things come dragging in, you will be able to do good works naturally, and people will see the love of Christ in you.

While I was a young priest, I was working at Mercy Hospital when it was still a Catholic hospital. There was an old priest, Father Cal Brown; he’s long dead now. Father Brown was the chaplain at Mercy Hospital. He was in his mid-80’s at the time. Father Brown was sick and a patient there. When a code was called, meaning someone is dying, all of a sudden, Father Brown got out of his sick-bed and started walking down the hallway to respond to the code. Ever seen an old man in a hospital gown? It’s not a pretty picture. Two nurses came running up to him and picked Father Brown up by each elbow. They told him, “Father, there’s already a priest here in the hospital.” That was me; I was covering the hospital that day. But he did that. It was the kind of priest Father Brown was and the kind of priest he became after all those years of saying Mass and participating in the Sacraments.

You might say, “Well, Father, he was a priest. That’s not unusual. It’s not like that with us.” Not true. It’s possible to be transformed by the power of love. Even when a mother is sick as a dog, she will crawl on her hands and knees to take care of her children and think nothing of it. It’s just instinctual. This is the transforming power of God’s love. We are transformed by trying to be one with Christ, by opening our hearts, ridding ourselves of self-love and self-concern. Remember my favorite saying, “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.” Like the sick mother caring for her children, we can do that for other people. We can do that. We can practice it. But, remember, it’s something we grow into. It’s the standard we aspire to, but never perfectly achieve in this life.

The great saints were never satisfied with themselves. They always said, “I can love more.” It’s sad when people say, “I’m a good Catholic, I go to Mass on Sunday; I haven’t committed murder.” But love has no bounds. How can you be satisfied with that? As you grow in love, you will be transformed. This will happen supernaturally. People will see the change in you. Sometimes, it will come quickly; sometimes, it will happen over a period of time. We will grow closer to Him and become transformed. We may not notice it in ourselves or in our lives, but, other people will see it and may even tell us about it. We all can do this by becoming holier. It’s a constant, ongoing process. It’s tough for everybody; it’s even tough for me, the Holy Man. However, we must do what God wants. What He asks of us is always possible if we seek and strive for holiness.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you seek and strive for holiness so that others can see Him in you?

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Sermon Notes – It’s Sooo Hard!

“It’s Sooo Hard!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 15 – 16, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-37

Throughout the gospels, anyone who came to our Lord and asked Him for something, it was always granted. He never refused. Our Lord gives us gifts when we ask and even when we don’t. Did the widow ask that her son be resurrected? No, she didn’t, but Christ raised him from the dead and gave him back to her. Also, nobody asked Him to feed the 5,000, but He did. Our Lord did this not just for the Jewish people, but also for the Ephesians, Samaritans, and Romans. He wants to give us His love. He doesn’t ask if we are worthy, if we tithe, or even if we have given our priest pizza. He doesn’t ask about any of that. His love is free. He tells us exactly how to experience His love and how to live in His love. He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” He spelled it out quite clearly, so we would have no doubt. “Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No” (Matthew 5:37). This is how we live in His love…by keeping His commandments.

I was at Walmart waiting in line behind a woman who had lots of tattoos, and there was blue stuff running down her arm. I said, “Excuse me, mam, but you sprang a leak. She told me that she had just gotten a tattoo. I asked her if she minded telling me why she got tattoos. She said, “it makes me look beautiful.” But, who said you were ugly? Remember when God asked Adam and Eve who told you that you were naked?

I hear people say we need to update and change the Commandments, because they are just too hard to keep. Who told you that? Our Lord said “My yoke is easy, and My burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). When everyone had left Christ except the apostles, He asked them if they wanted to leave Him too. The apostles told Him that the teachings were hard, but that He had the words of eternal life (John 6:67-68). The commandments of the Lord are not hard, but they go against our human nature. We want what we want when we want it. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable to keep God’s commandments, I will grant you that. For example, last night, while I was eating my spinach Stromboli, sitting across the table from me were people eating a pepperoni pizza. The fourth and fifth commandments require me to follow my doctor’s orders which tell me no pizza. Do I always like it? Nope, but that’s the way the dice roll. So, anyone who says you cannot do it is lying to you. Our fallen nature and our sins committed after baptism make it far more difficult than it has to be. It doesn’t help that we don’t use the means that God gave us through the Sacraments, prayer, and mortification. “Oh, this is tough.” You don’t know what tough is; don’t even go there. “This is so hard!” Please! Nobody is asking you for a kidney. During Lent, we cannot eat meat on Fridays. “It’s so hard!” Really? The hard part is eating fish. You should see all the ketchup I smother fish with….it’s like eating ketchup soup with fish.

We often hear people say that Church pastors need to be more pastoral. What do you mean by pastoral? I know the meaning I was taught, but what do you mean? “Well, we need to be accepting of everybody, because we understand these things better than we did 2,000 years ago.” So, in other words, we are supposed to embrace somebody’s doodoo. “Oh, it’s okay now, we understand; you don’t have to be like anybody else…you are special…God is going to give you an exception.” Well, you are special, because God died for you on the cross. You are that special, but there are no exceptions. Being pastoral does not mean cosigning somebody’s sin or watering down the commandments. The most pastoral thing to do is tell them the truth about Christ.

When I see soldiers in the emergency room hooked up to a banana bag with their head in a bucket, and headed up to ICU to detox from alcohol, do you think this could be a teachable moment? I could say, “If I had your problems, I’d drink like a fish too.” No, I wouldn’t. Or, I could say, “You know, life is tough; it’s tougher when you are stupid. Ever think about admitting you’re an alcoholic and getting some help?” I’m sure Phyllis has had people tell her they have a condition that fentanyl is good for. “Oh, do you have terminal cancer? Really?” Oh, but we have to be more pastoral. Being pastoral means not wanting people to live in sin. Being pastoral is trying to help relieve people from that sin. The most pastoral thing to do is to tell them about Christ.

Do you really think we could be more compassionate than our Savior who came down, became man, suffered, and died on the cross for our sins? Do you think we could be more caring than Him? Really? Instead of thinking it’s hard, we should thank our Lord, because at least we know what to do and the precise way in which to do it. We don’t have any questions. You told us exactly what we need to do, and we come to You for help. When I fall down, as I often do…I have a bad habit of using colorful language while I’m driving along with hand and arm gestures… but, I know exactly Who to go to for help with getting back up so that I can take up my cross and follow our Savior. When you say that the Church should be more pastoral and change the rules, God’s response is to ask for our love.

So, you think you know better than God how to take care of souls. What kind of hutzpah is that! I did not like it when my physician said bacon was no longer a part of my diet. I did not like it because I thought I was special. I was the only one in my family who could eat bacon like crazy and not have a heart problem. I always thought I was the exception. Wrong. Every alcoholic and drug addict think they know how to handle their condition; “Don’t worry, I’m the exception to the rule.” Or, the 3-pack a day smoker; “I’m not going to get lung cancer; there’s nothing wrong with me…I’m good.” No. Our Lord taught us out of love how to love. Is it hard? It often is. Know what it depends on? How much we love God and how much we love ourselves.

How will you apply this message to your life? When you fall, will you ask for His help?

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Sermon Notes – Let Your Light Shine

“Let Your Light Shine”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 8 – 9, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16

One time, while I was overseas, I was visiting a field hospital and going through the wards. I was about to leave when I heard on the radio that an aircraft had crashed, and mass casualties were coming. So, I told my assistant, Bubba, an 18 year-old soldier, that we were going to stay. Very quickly, Murphy’s Rules of War kicked in which state: You always have more than enough of the enemy, more than enough problems, but never enough of you. So, I gave Bubba a down and dirty course on how to be a litter carrier. When the casualties arrived from the heli-pad, Bubba brought them in and got them all settled. The sights, sounds, and smells were different from what most people are used to. Bubba came up to me and asked, “Sir, sir, what to do you want me to do, sir?” I said, “Turn your head, go outside, get some air, and come back.” This wasn’t my first rodeo. He said, “Thank you, sir!” That young man went above and beyond the call of duty; he did everything I asked him to do and more. He was a soldier, and even though he wasn’t a happy camper and did not want to be there, he did his job. He showed those people what a soldier does, and he was courageous. Unfortunately, we had to send him home. His wife had been a royal pain in the butt for years, and I don’t think the marriage lasted. I have always wondered what happened to Bubba after that. But, he impressed me that day.

Bubba was only doing what I asked him to do. Likewise, we are only doing what Christ has told us to do. We are called to be souls for Christ and to let our light shine before men. We are to be disciples by living a holy life and doing corporal works of mercy. People need to see the light which is the light of Christ in our hearts. They will see the light of Christ shining in our actions. This is how we can evangelize. What gives you the strength, the motivation, and the zeal to carry your crosses? It is Christ. It’s not about us; it is the light of Christ that is supposed to show. We spend time in prayer with our family; at Mass, at mortification…I won’t have that extra piece of pie. This is how we keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts. People will see the light of Christ in us even though we aren’t aware of it. As Saint Francis said, “Preach the gospel always; use words if necessary.”

People sometimes will say, “Father, we want to help you with your work.” Well, would you like to visit a prison? “No.” Why not? “I’m uncomfortable in prisons.” Great! So is everybody else. Now you will have a sense of belonging. Just don’t eat the fish….just saying. We will know them by their actions, especially in those situations we find the most unpleasant, even repugnant. It is Christ who asks for our love, among the screams, smell of blood, and leaking body fluids. It is Christ who is asking…begging…for our help and our love. This is how we sow seeds in the world. This is how we evangelize.

In theory, I’m supposed to have an evangelization committee on my parish council. If I had a parish council, I’d think about having an evangelization committee. But, I don’t. You are my evangelization committee. I’m only temporary, and when God takes me out, life will go on. You are Christ’s evangelizers. He wants to send YOU, not a committee.

What does a committee do? Well, first of all, they need money, and they take yours. They kill some trees and give you a piece of paper that nobody reads telling you what you should do and then they all go home. Job well done; boom! But, it doesn’t accomplish anything. All diocese committees are worthless…they are absolutely worthless. I don’t see them going to the prison with me; I don’t see them going to hospitals or nursing homes; Lori doesn’t see them coming in to help her; the Misfits don’t see them coming to help them. Yet, they’ll tell us what to do. Thanks a lot…I’ve already got plenty to do. Okay?

I’ll tell you one more story before we get on with Mass about how I saw the love of Christ. I was visiting a woman who had bone cancer. It was terrible, and she had been in pain from the beginning. Although her son was a war hero, and had medals and stuff on the wall, he wouldn’t go into his mother’s room. He just sat there. Hey hero, get your butt in here and take care of her. Instead, his second wife went in and gave suppositories and did whatever was needed for someone so drastically ill. She had not gone to medical or nursing school. She learned everything on the job. You know what she did afterward? She went into the bathroom and threw up. I happened to be there at the time. Was Christ in the room taking care of that sick woman? You bet. We are sorry for what that courageous woman went through, and we are called to imitate her.

You keep the light of Christ burning brightly by your prayers, devotions, rosaries, Mass participation, penances, and confessions. Know that when you go into that sick room, you are doing it for Christ and not for yourself. When I was a seminarian, I was working with a priest who was teaching me how to be a hospital chaplain. We walked into a patient’s room and the smell was so obnoxious that I walked out into the stairwell and gagged. I told my father about that first experience. It was a really bad move. The word “sympathy” was not part of my father’s dictionary. He said, “Son, when something like that happens, you go out, gag, throw up, and go back in and take care of that person. You are not the most important thing in the world.” I have passed that advice onto other chaplains. Nowhere in scripture does Jesus ask us how we feel. He asked the apostles what they thought all the time. Christ tells us what to do. How do you feel about that? I don’t care how you feel; I care about what you do. You are the light of the world. Let people see your actions; and see the love that He inscribes upon us.

If someone says, “Hey, you said a nasty word.” You can say, “Yeah, I’m not perfect, but I go to confession and ask for forgiveness for my sins.” And, if you hurt someone, ask them for their forgiveness. But, please, unless you are Brenda Lee, don’t say, “I’m sorry…so sorry.” Instead, say, “I have sinned against you, and I ask for your forgiveness.” You would be surprised at the looks you will get. “Well, nobody has ever asked for my forgiveness.” As a result, they will see the light of Christ shining through you, and that could be one of the greatest ways to evangelize…to share the experience of the forgiveness of Christ as He has done for you in the Sacrament of penance. You can show the love of Christ to others.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you let your light shine so that others can see Christ in you?

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Sermon Notes – The Angels May Come Before Sunrise

“Sometimes, the Angels Come for Us Before the Sun Rises“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 25 – 26, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 4:12-23

During my formative years, I was blessed with good parents, priests, and sisters who passed on the gift of Faith. The patrimony of the Church…the heritage…the gift they had been given, they passed on to me. Part of that heritage is the great treasury of prayers of the Church…centuries and centuries worth. While we were getting those lessons in school, they knew what they were doing; we were getting Godly prayers. We had to memorize them like most things, but that’s how I learned the classic prayers of the Church, and they all have beautiful points.

We must repent of our sins in order to be followers of Christ, because He is the Savior. If we have no sins, we don’t need a Savior, and we don’t need Christ. So, we repent of our sins, and we acknowledge them. There is a beautiful prayer that I was taught by my parents and by the priests that is a classic – the Act of Contrition prayer. I was taught to say it every night before I went to bed, just in case the angels came before the sun rose:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You,

and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven,

and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend You, my God,

Who are all good and deserving of all my love.

I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace,

to confess my sins, to do penance,

and to amend my life. Amen.

We say the Act of Contrition prayer every Sunday during Faith Formation so that our students will learn it along with other common prayers. But, learning prayers is not just rote memorization. There are so many beautiful things about the Act of Contrition prayer…it contains so much. In that prayer, is a small summary of what I studied in theology for a semester…it’s sort of like the Reader’s Digest version of theology. It is a primer for the Sacrament of Penance and teaches us how to receive God’s grace and become one with Him, and, how we show repentance and sorrow for our sins. It’s in the first part of the prayer: “I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins….because they offend You, my God, Who are all good and deserving of all my love.” I am sorry, because I have offended God who is the source of all love. That is perfect contrition.

The next line in the Act of Contrition prayer refers to imperfect contrition: “because I dread the loss of heaven, and the pains of hell.” We are sorry because we may be cut off from God forever – we are afraid of going to hell. Hell is the separation from God forever.

There are two conditions that must be present for absolution from sin:

  • First, we must have contrition (sorrow) for our sins. “I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to confess my sins….” We have to admit what we’ve done. We must say where we need God’s help and admit that we are sinners. For example, you cannot go before a judge, any judge, and just throw yourself on the mercy of the court. You have to say what you have done. You cannot just say, “I’m sorry, Mom.” What the heck did you do now! You have to say what you are sorry for. When you go to the doctor and say, “Doctor, I’m not feeling well, so give me some narcotics.” Uh, no, that’s not happening. You have to tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it…so I can apply a remedy to your problem. I’m not giving you anti-cancer meds if you have a headache; I’m not giving you morphine if you have a hangnail. I have to know what’s wrong. Likewise, we have to admit that which we need forgiveness. Another example is when you get caught by the cops speeding… women get away with this all the time by turning on the tear machine…except for highway patrolmen, they don’t care..they write a lot of tickets. But, you are sorry, because you got caught. That is imperfect contrition. However, it is sufficient for the Sacrament…it’s good enough.

We have to avoid what we call in theology the “near occasion of sin.” Unfortunately, we cannot avoid them all. The biggest cage for sin is in the brain. It’s tough to avoid sin, because the devil is working all around us. We can try to avoid people, places and things that can lead us to sin, but if you stay in the barbershop long enough, you’re going to get a haircut.

People come to confession, “Bless me Father for I have sinned; it has been however long since my last confession.” I’ve been hearing confessions for 36 years, so, sometimes, you just know what to ask. Are you living with your girlfriend/boyfriend? “Yeah.” Well, I can’t give you absolution. “Why not?” Unless you are living like brother and sister, which I doubt…call me jaded, you are living in a state of mortal sin. It would be a sacrilege on your part and a sacrilege on mine if I gave you absolution. “Father, I have a problem watching bad movies on T.V.” Well, football or the Golf channel are options. I like watching it, but sometimes I have to turn down the volume because it just goes too fast for me.

  • The other condition needed for absolution is making amends. We have to make amends, an amendment of life, for our sins. Christ makes that amendment for us to God. We cannot fix it ourselves…Christ fixes that for us. However, we have to fix what we’ve done here in what we call the temporal order. For instance, if you steal my portion of Mexican food…”Father, I stole your pizza.” I forgive you, but you have to give the pizza back. You cannot just run off with my pizza. By the way, I would have given it to you if you had only asked. If you break a window while playing football, you have to replace the window unless the homeowner says it’s okay and they will fix it. You have to repair what you damage. You cannot just say, “Father I stole a $100.” Okay, but you have to give it back. “Really?” Yeah, you do. You cannot profit from your sin. If you stole my Stromboli, and you say, “I’m sorry,” well, you still have to give back my Stromboli. If I scrape your car, I have to make it right…as much as I can. We need to repay, give back, and try to right the wrong.

One thing about prayer…if we rush through our prayers, get distracted, or our mind wanders, just bring it back. My French ancestors in Canada, who we called “Kanooks”, said the rosary like greased lightning. I mean, when they said the rosary, there was smoke coming from the beads. For us, prayers may be coming from our mouth, but our mind is somewhere around the block. That’s alright, just bring it all back. We are men not angels.

We have such treasures as a part of our Catholic Faith, especially in its prayers. In the Act of Contrition prayer, we are saying that we have committed sin and we are sorry. We love God, and will try to avoid the irritations of sin, and try to right all the things we’ve done wrong. That is a great expression of your love for God and a great expression of your need for God. So, I would ask you to say the Act of Contrition prayer tonight before you go to bed. What a wonderful way to end the day; because, sometimes, the angels will come for us before the sun rises.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you say the Act of Contrition prayer before bed? Will you repay, give back, and try to right any wrongs you’ve committed?

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Sermon Notes – Peace is Found in a “Who”

“Peace is Found in ‘Who’ and Not ‘What’”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 18 – 19, 2020

Scripture : John 1:29-34

We all want peace in the world. Saint John the Baptist made an epiphany by pointing the way to peace: “Behold the Lamb of God…the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world.” That’s the way to peace. Always point the way to the Lord; not to some individual priest, but to the One in the Tabernacle. Priests come and go. Someday, I will take a dirt nap, okay? I might drive up onto a telephone guide wire and flip my car like what happened over on Montgomery Avenue the other day. I could get sick, and they’ll bring another guy in here. Also, contrary to popular belief, peace is not gotten by taking away someone’s stuff and giving it to somebody else. That has never worked in the history of the world. “Oh, if they only had more stuff they wouldn’t be bad.” Yeah, they would be…police lock up rich people too. It is not about stuff. It is sin that causes division in the soul and the self. Sin causes violence. Remember, in scripture, the three marks of the demonic or sin in the soul are: nudity/sex, self-mutilation, and violence. When a soul is in torment what does it do? It takes the torment out on everybody else. People say that criminals are misunderstood. No. It’s violence, an evil. “I’ll fight you all”…that’s evil in the soul.

God wants us to have peace, that’s why He sent His Son. Peace is a “Who” not a “what”. You’ve heard the line, “No justice, no peace.” Nah, justice is a virtue. Justice is a step toward the primary virtue which is possession by the All Mighty God. Peace means possessing and being possessed by Christ and having no sin in our soul. I just talked to a guy, a “Methhead,” in the ER over at the VA. He lied to me, and I expect that, so I don’t take it personally. In 12-step programs, reestablishing a relationship with the Creator is one of the first steps in releasing people from their addictions. Through sobriety, you can have peace in your soul. Where do they get this? They get it from the Church which points out the way to Christ. People say, “Father, there are a lot of unholy people in the Church.” That’s why they’re here…trying to work on it, okay? You are trying too, because you are here. We are all here trying to work on holiness. I say my prayers in my sweet little voice, because, I am a great sinner and need prayer. We all strive and struggle.to follow Him. As I said last week, if you have no sin, you don’t need to be here. People say, “Father, some priests aren’t perfect.” Well, nobody in the Church is perfect. But, Father, “people are always going to be that way.” I have never read anything about Mother Teresa going in and starting a bar fight. Have you? She could probably clear the place out…I’ll give her that. She was a tough little woman. But she never started a bar fight. Amazing! Mother Teresa possessed and was possessed with Christ in her soul. Jesus was her peace. Saint John didn’t go downtown to the Hells Angels’ clubhouse and beat up on clubhouse members, did he? No! Look at the saints; they did violence on themselves.

There’s no problem with what we believe, but in how we live. I work in a hospital a few days a week and have seen doctors with pot bellies. You would think they’d know that being overweight is not good for them, right? A couple of times, I have seen the doctors and nurses getting their lunch out of a vending machine….popcorn, candy, soda pop. Now, near as I can tell, there are no vegetables and salads in those vending machines! They know better. They have forgotten more things than I ever learned on their first day of school. It’s not that they don’t know it, but knowing and doing are two entirely separate things. It’s tough to live it. It might take me out of my comfort zone whatever that is; or I might have to give up a bad habit. We all struggle with the knowledge, but our Good Lord gives us the means to live it. He said, “Come and follow Me.” Do you know what “follow me” means in the New Testament? It’s not like little ducks and geese following their mother across the road. “Follow Me” means imitate Christ; imitate Me in My sufferings; join Me in My sufferings; imitate Me in My sacrifices; imitate Me in My teaching, imitate Me in My prayer, follow Me, do what I say. Do what I did, and you’ll get what I got. Follow Me to the cross. He teaches us exactly what we must do to be like Him and to have His peace. He gave us the means to peace in the Sacraments. No, there’s nothing wrong with the Faith, it’s just how we live it.

People say, “You are Catholic.” Yes, I am. They say, “Well you don’t do this, and you don’t do that.” I say, ”You know, you’re right…I’m working on it though, but thank you for reminding me.” Am I perfect? Not even my mother thought I was perfect. I have a lot of people reminding me of my imperfections. And that’s alright, they only see the visible ones, I have a lot more they don’t see. But, I know the Person who can help me change, and I can point you to that Person. That Person takes away my sins, absolutely, and He feeds me with the most precious body and blood. At every Mass, the Church uses these words when the priest lifts up the host and says, “Behold the Lamb of God; behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to suffer of the Lamb.” Everybody is called to that suffering. Everyone.

Down here, a lot of people read John 3:16. Okay, how about John 6:53? Didn’t read that far down in the book, did ya? You have to read the whole book…not just part of the book…take the whole book. Christ said, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” That means real meat and real drink. Don’t forget that part! This is the way to feast, and our Good Lord couldn’t be any clearer. I mean, when you are hungry, do you eat or just read a cookbook?

Our problem is that we aren’t perfect. We fall down a whole lot, but we get up again. Part of our baptismal promise is that we will always go back and follow Him. We know how to achieve peace, our Good Lord told us, and we’ve been doing it for the last 2,000 years. Peace is found in a “Who” and not a “what.” All we have to do is follow in His footsteps.

How will you apply this message to your life? When you fall, will you get back up and follow Him? If you need more peace, do you seek it in Him? Do you follow in His footsteps?

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Sermon Notes – Be Christ’s Gift to Others

“Be Christ’s Gift to Others”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 24 – 25, 2019

Isn’t the church beautiful. I appreciate all the work by the Sacristy elves and angels who came and decorated the church so beautifully.

I hope you have a manger at home; it’s a visible representation of scripture. We have the nativity story all here…compressed. Scripture tells us the wise men entered Joseph and Mary’s house. They did not enter the stable and were never at the manger. They arrived at Joseph and Mary’s house a couple of years after the birth of Christ, so the wise men were never at the nativity. We combine the birth of Christ and their visit because of the short Christmas season.Christ came down so that we could go up. Since the birth of Christ, we have not had to look up to heaven. We see Jesus, Our Lord in the nativity, and we see Him in the Blessed Sacrament. We have a bit of heaven here on earth. And you have His love in you when you receive Holy Communion. Every day is Christmas for Catholics.

Christmas is wonderful. It’s a precious time. It reminds us of our past Christmases. I remember when I got my first transistor radio; I was 12 years old….AM was big back then. My brother actually gave it to me., and it captured the joys of my childhood. But, we are not supposed to experience Christmas as a child again…it should be better. Yes, it’s different as we grow in God’s love. If Christmas has lost its magic for you, you may not be looking for it. It can be found again…trust me. Christ wants to give it to us more than we may want to receive it…but to have that wondrous gift!

I can only preach from my experience, because that is what I know. I have eaten Christmas dinner out of a bag and out of a can. Tasty!. I have spent more Christmases in hospitals than anywhere else. Thankfully, not as a patient…not yet anyway. They were all wonderful…but different.

As adults, we get to experience the joy and wonder of children opening their gifts of love even though they may like the wrapping paper more than the gift itself. When you give them gifts, you are teaching children about love. This is the beginning of their experience of God’s love and the ways in which He expresses it. I’m glad to see Luke here; he’s burning the midnight oil. He may need a cup of Expresso to stay awake. Gradually as children grow and by their parents’ example and the teaching by those around them, they begin to know the source of all those expressions of love which is love itself. So great a gift is God’s love. And, over time, it gets better and better. Through their family, friends and the Church, children learn the five W’s: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Christmas is like the Mass; it’s not a “What”, it’s a “Who,” and when we get close to the Who, we understand the Why.

  • Who – our Lord, Jesus Christ
  • When – the Romans kept very accurate records and were very good at it. So, we know when Jesus was born; we didn’t just make it up to tick off non-Catholics
  • Where – Bethlehem in Judea
  • What – His incarnation; God became man, and love became visible. The gospel tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Now, we never have to look up to heaven.

The Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, and the shepherds looked down at Heaven. Saint Joseph was the first person to hold Heaven in his hands. Here in the Catholic Church, we can look at Heaven on earth, Jesus Christ, in the most Blessed Sacrament. At Holy Communion, you receive a bit of Heaven into your soul. Everyday is Christmas for us Catholics. A Savior is born, and we have Heaven given to us by God. How wonderful. Recently, I was listening to Christmas carols on the radio…that’s all that is on now. And, some of them just drive me up a wall, like “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”…no, I just want to shoot that!

Funny story…The last time I was overseas, Michael Jackson was singing Christmas carols over the audio in our Mess Hall. Finally, I went to the Mess Sergeant and asked him if he knew who was singing and what he was charged with. The sergeant said “I’ll take care of it, Sir.” Good thought! We never heard that again.

The other two W’s, the Who and Why, are an ongoing mystery and never change. We grow to appreciate them more. The first three W’s we have memorized, but the Who and Why goes deeper. As we grow and extend our love in God, we lose the wonder and awe that we experienced as children at Christmas. If you are married, your love for your spouse is different than it was on your honeymoon…it’s a deeper love. Likewise, we are supposed to mature in our love for God….to grow in His love. Sometimes, as adults, we would like to go back to our childhood and experience the Christmases we had growing up. That wouldn’t be bad…my nurse is here, so close your ears…I’d get mince meat pie, turkey, and dressing. It’s not recommended for me now, but it was so good! We look at that happiness in the rear-view mirror. But, just because we grow up doesn’t mean that happiness has to end. It can get better; it can mature and go deeper into the mystery of God’s love. Understanding who He is, which is love incarnate, and why He came is the beauty of Christmas, and it unfolds all the time in every Mass, every day.

Life goes on for all of us – you probably didn’t expect to be in Albemarle, NC on Christmas Day in 2019 – No, none of us really expected to be here unless you’re in the Federal Witness Protection Program – it came as a surprise to all of us. A lot of things have changed in our lives. Last year, I had more hair and more weight. I also had a twin brother. Does that make this Christmas worse than last year? No. It’s just different, and different can be better. Through that difference, God teaches us things.

I have spent more Christmases in hospitals than anywhere else, and I will probably be there tomorrow. Nobody wants to be there…the staff do not want to be there on Christmas Day, and the patients certainly don’t want to be there. Who the heck wants that! Sometimes, we look for what’s in it for us at Christmas….where is my happiness. But the gift of Christmas is what? Those of you who are parents know. It’s seeing the joy on our children’s faces when they open their gifts of love. You love the squeals of happiness. That’s what we are called to be… that part of our mature faith at Christmas so that we become Christ’s gift to others. Sometimes it’s hard to see that. I have spent Christmas in many different places and situations, some of which I cannot tell you about. So, wasn’t that terrible? From a selfish point-of-view, many times you think, yes it was terrible…I want to be with my family…poor baby! Military vehicles have no heat or air conditioning; they are hot in the summer and cold in winter. And if you like that, it’s great. When I was in Korea riding around in one of those vehicles, freezing my you-know-what off, guarded by a bunch of stinky paratroopers which was only fitting because I was stinky too, it didn’t seem like a lot of fun on Christmas. Yet, it was. I once said to a bunch of men who were missing their families, you are your gift to others. This will be a time when you make others envious, because you were here in this moment. As our love and faith matures, we know that He loves us and wants us to be there for others; to be Christ for others. Instead of Christ coming for me which He has done every day of my life, He now wants me to become Christ’s gift for others….to bring them joy and comfort.

Because of our love for others, we go deeper into the mystery of Who and Why. Your love is transformed, and you see the love of Christ in the face of others, in the face of children, and in the face of those who bring joy. The fruit we receive from growing in God’s love and understanding the Who and why doesn’t end at a certain time. Anywhere, anytime during the season, during the year, be Christ for others.

This Christmas has been different from my previous 65 and, if my nurses are correct, I can look forward to another 30. Will they be different? Yes. I may be in a nursing home for old priests, but they could be better. Someone will be at my bedside helping me with Mass, and the other priests may say ‘Father, we love you, but please no more stories about the military.” Or perhaps a nurse will come by with a shot of Vitamin A and say “night-night, Father.” But, that will be my best Christmas. My best Christmases are in front of me…I hope. But, it’s up to me. It’s up to all of you what you want your Christmases to be. Our Lord affords us an open heart and offers Himself to us to experience His love…the Who…to come to know the Who which is love incarnate and why He came. This could be the best Christmas of your life so far. My happiest Christmas will be the one before I see Him.

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Sermon Notes – Honor Your Mother

“Honor Your Mother”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 31 – January 1, 2020

I should preach a little tonight, but preaching just a little on the Feast of Our Blessed Mother is tough. I have to keep a watch on the time, because how can someone not speak for a long time praising your mother. How can anybody not do that. She is the source of your life. My earthly mother who should have killed me long before I reached this stage with pastry….sucking down another one is a distant memory, and it makes me tear up. She is the source of my vocation. Bishop Sheen said that the lack of devotion to the Blessed Mother was seen in a lack of vocations. The lack of devotion to the Blessed Mother also results in impurity, bad marriages, and fewer priests. The whole thing is falling apart.

There is also a lack of respect for the Eucharist. People say, “we are focused on the Eucharist, Father.” Really? Then how come in many churches, you need a road map and a native guide with GPS to find it? “Oh, we have a special place for it.” Where? A broom closet? “It’s over here in the old chapel of veneration.” The bathroom is bigger than the chapel…are you kidding me? It’s contrary to scripture. Devotion to the Blessed Mother is scriptural too. Read about St. Louis de Montfort. Who was the one who got the first intercession? Who is the mother of the Lord?

She was at the foot of the cross. She held the body of her son who was bleeding like a sieve…the Romans knew their business. She was covered with the blood of Christ; the first one, so how can you not love the Blessed Mother. She always pointed to her son, saying “do whatever He tells you.” Those are the last words spoken by our spiritual mother in this world. In the words of Saint Bernard, “never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Is there a better intercession than Our Lady?

Perhaps, before you go to bed tonight, think about all the wonderful gifts she has given you in answer to your prayers, both spoken and unspoken, and those you never requested, but were given just because she loves you.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you become more devoted to the Blessed Mother?

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Sermon Notes – The 2nd Baptism

“The 2nd Baptism”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 11 – 12, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 3:13-17

I’ve had a number of people ask me when the Christmas season ends. Well, when I was young, it was when my mother could no longer stand the pine needles on the carpet…and everything went away…including the tinsel, one piece at a time. Technically, this weekend is the end of the Christmas season. However, we will use all of the poinsettias, gifts of love by people in the Church, for as long as we can. Then we will put them into an adoption program. Some are ready to be adopted now…they are right outside the door.

Today’s gospel takes me back to my seminary days. In seminary, they have transitional deacons, one I thought I knew well. This particular deacon chose to proclaim the gospel in front of the Archbishop and televised to people in Boston. These are called Snow White and the seven dwarfs. So, the deacon gets up and says, “Jesus was baptized in the John by the Jordan.” Okay! Deacons did not proclaim the gospel anymore after that. That deacon actually became a priest and a good one. I bet he got it when he went back to the seminary.

In today’s scripture, like any parent, our good Lord shows us what to do to gain salvation. He came to identify with the sinful man and to associate Himself with us by being baptized. When people came to John before they were baptized, they had not confessed their sins. Jesus did not confess any sins…He had none, because He is God. This is why John said, “I need to be baptized by You, not You by me. But, Christ insisted and said, “No, you must do this.” Everything that happens in our lives, our Lord has experienced before, and He identifies with us. Our sicknesses and our illnesses He identifies with and experienced. He took all the pain and sufferings to the cross. When He cured people; what did He do? He sighed and He groaned, as He took upon Himself all of the sickness from all time. Everything we have experienced, Jesus experienced it before. Does Jesus know our sufferings? Yes…a bad back from carrying His cross; anxiety and mental illness from the crown of thorns gripping into His skull; bad eyesight from the blood and sweat streaming down and stinging His eyes; and death on the cross. He experienced everything.

Jesus came to save sinners. We accept baptism to begin our walk with Him. After His baptism, Christ began His public ministry. We, too, must begin our public ministry by virtue of our baptism in Jesus. We come to Him to begin our walk with Him in faith and baptism. Did He need baptism? No. But, like a good parent He showed us how to do it. When I was a young child, I was sick and had to take some yucky medicine. Of course, I didn’t want to take it. My father said, “Nothing to it. Come on, this is great!” He took the medicine first and said, “See, it’s not bad.” So I said, “Well if it’s not that bad, I’ll do it.” Did my father need the medicine? No. He wasn’t sick, I was, but he took the medicine to show me it wasn’t that bad. It’s the same with teaching kids to eat vegetables like cucumbers. Before we can be baptized, we have to admit that we have sin. For children, that is original sin and afterward the sins committed in their lives. After baptism, we may think, “Hey, I got an ‘A’ , I’m baptized, I’m good! Well, it’s a good start. We have to express a need for God. But, if you have no sins, there is no need for baptism, and you don’t need communion, because, Who do you receive in Holy Communion? You receive the Savior…the Redeemer. What does He save and redeem us from? Our sins. But, really, if you don’t have any sins, you don’t need to be here; please leave but after the collection.

A couple of points…the first and only time that God and the Holy Spirit, a manifestation of the Trinity, was ever in the form of a dove was at the baptism of Christ. Remember, when He came down the road from Pentecost, it was in the form of wind. In our Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I invoke the Holy Spirit over the elements and put my hands out flat over them. In the Eastern Rite of the Church, they take the chalice veil and wave it back and forth. The dove was used also in the New Testament in Leviticus during the presentation of our Lord at the Temple when Mary offered a pair of turtle doves, an offering by the poor, for His redemption. Doves are a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

At our Lord’s baptism, He proclaimed that He had another baptism to undergo and how He wished it was already over, because He couldn’t wait to bestow the gifts of love upon His children. He wanted to achieve the goal for which He came; the goal of love which was to open the gates of Heaven; and giving us the means of salvation. It wasn’t that He was looking forward to His Passion and death in the human sense; instead, He wanted to share the fruits of His gifts with us. We are baptized in one baptism and on earth in our conversion. We, too, are looking forward to our 2nd baptism when we are with our Lord and baptized by His blood. One day, when we face our final cross, our baptism will be complete. Most of us will share His passion; the pure anguish He suffered…maybe not the exact physical ailments ….thank God for medicine – but the pure anguish that He endured. Remember, He said, “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” Did He really think God had abandoned Him? For Jesus, it was a metaphor. Yet, it expresses how we feel when we are very sick and feel neglected. When we are passing from this world, it feels like God has abandoned us. But, we will be strengthened by receiving the fruits of Jesus’ 2nd baptism in the Sacraments. As much as we share in Christ’s suffering, we also share in His glory.

How will you apply this message to your life? Are you ready to share in His Passion?

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Sermon Notes – The Sword will Pierce Your Heart

“The Sword will Pierce Your Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 1- 2, 2020

Scripture: Luke 2: 22-40

The law required that Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple for purification and presentation. If you read scripture, every first-born male had to be consecrated to the Lord. You might say, “Well, if there was a first-born male, there must have been a second-born male.” But, that’s just not true. Putting on my lawyer’s hat, I would say that you are assuming facts not in evidence. If you had one son as your first child, he would be what? Your first-born son. Having a first-born son doesn’t mean there is a second. So, scripture is not implying that Mary had other children, only that Jesus was the first-born.

The traditional offering was two lambs if the parents were rich or two turtle doves if they were poor. Mary and Joseph brought two turtle doves…but, they also brought a lamb. They were rich. Now, you may be thinking, “Father, you probably need to up your meds; it doesn’t say that in scripture.” But, Joseph and Mary brought the Lamb of God, Jesus, to the temple. This is the promise of a sacrifice, and 33 years later He would fulfill that sacrifice on the cross.

Isaac asked his father, Abraham, “Where is the Lamb?” Abraham answered, “The Lamb has come to Jerusalem.” John the Baptist pointed Him out to all of Israel over 30 years later, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”.

Simeon, was a just man, and he had an epiphany, a teaching moment, and an ongoing revelation of who Christ is. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, Simeon revealed the mission of Christ to Mary and Joseph… He was to be a light to the nations. Simeon prophesied that “this Child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2: 34-35). The last prayer that priests say before retiring is the same prayer Simeon said after seeing Christ in the temple:

“Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which You have prepared in the sight of every people: a light to reveal You to the nations and the glory of Your people Israel.”

The sign of the cross was contradictory. It was a stumbling block for the Jews and a folly to the Gentiles, because they did not want a suffering Savior…it’s a contradiction. Remember, one of the last temptations of the cross was when they said: “Come down from the cross and we will believe You.” We don’t want a suffering Savior, because that means we have to suffer with Him.

Jesus said, if you want to reign with Me you must suffer with Me. Ugh. I’d rather just reign…I don’t want to suffer… I’d rather just reign. No. One step follows the other. We turn to Mary and view her role. As Christ was fulfilling His role, so was Mary. Christ looked down at Mary from the cross and said, “Woman behold your Son” and looking at John, He said, “Behold your mother.“ It was not enough that she was the mother of God. She was to be mother of all the living…the new Eve…the spiritual mother of us all as well as the Mother of the Church and intercessor for the Church. As Simeon prophesied, the sword will pierce your heart so that the souls of many may be laid bare. Now, to fully understand that, we need to read the original Greek. In Greek, there are three words for sword: a dueling sword, a surgical scalpel, and a two-handed battle sword like that used by Schwarzenegger..….not for sissy boys. A sword that big will not only pierce your heart, it will destroy it so that the flaws of the soul are laid bare.

Mary suffered when she couldn’t find her Son. After searching for Jesus for three days and finding Him in the temple, He said to Mary and Joseph, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Mary had another lesson in heartbreak during the Wedding at Cana in Galilee. When they ran out of wine, she said, “Son, they have no more wine.” Our Lord said, “Woman, who is thee to Me.” Or to say it in my northern heritage, “You talking to Me??” That’s exactly what He said to the Blessed Mother. “Who is thee to Me.” It was an insult that broke her heart, but it was her role in salvation, and her love had to expand beyond it.

The fulfillment of her role, as prophesied, was at Calvary. Mary’s heart was completely destroyed while watching her Son being crucified. She was beneath the cross and bathed in the blood of Christ as He was pulled down from the cross and placed in her arms. Her ongoing formation was completed at the cross. She became the intercessor for all of us…our Blessed Mother. Whether we ask her to or not, she is always watching over us.

Our good Lord offers that same sword to us so that we can experience the sufferings of Mary and imitate her compassion. Those crosses we see and experience, help open our hearts to love others. By the crosses we carry and the sins we endure, our hearts are laid open.

All of us experience death. Part of it is from getting old and part of it is from living in this world. We have all lost someone we love very much, whether it’s a spouse, a brother, or a parent, and our hearts are broken….our hearts are destroyed, and sometimes we wallow in self-pity. I saw this in soldiers all the time. “Oh, I need grief counseling…someone in my life died.” Just read the death certificates for Charlotte; they have lots of people who die every day. It’s all about me. We can become very isolated, and that’s okay, but then again we can use our grief to help others; to see the sufferings of others. Suffering opens our hearts to help others so that we become compassionate and can offer them consolation. We can suffer together; that’s what compassion means…to suffer together. Whatever crosses we have can help us to see how we can help others, to understand their crosses, and at least to pray with and for them.

One of the good parts of my work at the veterans’ hospital is that the patients will talk to me, because I have been where they’ve been…to the same level of hell where everything tastes like chicken. No, it doesn’t! Monkey tastes like monkey. Patients will say, “People are trying to kill me.” No, I’m not. I’m a nice guy! Really! Well, not really, but okay. But, we learn to suffer, and we learn to pray for them especially in hospitals and nursing homes where people are sick. They don’t want to be sick. Some are brought in by the police; others are suffering from old age. Pray for the ones who take care of them because it is no picnic. We have some people trying to take of others and they get cussed out…you wouldn’t believe some of the words that these old women know!

I will tell you a funny story, at least it was funny to me anyway. I got a call from a mental health nurse, it wasn’t about me, but about a patient there who I’ve known for nine years and says he hears voices. I said okay, but I’m not a pharmacist…up his dosage…besides, I just talked to him yesterday about the voices. “Well, he says he needs to talk to someone.” So, I went up and knocked on his door. “Tommy, you alright?” He was sleeping with his pants down around his ankles, and I thought about the sadness…nobody wants that cross. I walked out of his room and told the staff to let him sleep.

Although I joke about it, because that’s what we do, visiting with the sick and suffering is humbling. What suffering I have seen in hospitals and nursing homes. One elderly man I visited in the nursing home just sat there holding a stuffed rabbit. This man spent the better part of his military career knocking heads with the North Koreans. How hard it is for us to carry some of our crosses.

I was in an Alzheimer’s unit and this one lady was from Massachusetts where I was born…a World War II bride. She was standing at the wall and saying all these nasty words that I won’t repeat here. Finally, I said, “Mom, stop!”

We don’t always get nice people in the hospital, and sometimes we have to call our special friends in blue with badges, guns, and night-sticks to teach people how to play well with each other. But they teach us about crosses. So, every time I leave the hospital, I try to say the rosary for all those who are in pain and suffering and especially for those who are taking care of them, because they take those sufferings upon themselves.

When you go over to Bethany Woods, sometimes the aroma is a bit different and sometimes it’s a bit weird. One time, there was a nurse assistant trying to block a woman from leaving. I mean, this woman wanted to get out that door. It was close to let’s get ready to rumble time. That woman didn’t want to be like that; she didn’t want to be locked in there. Nobody wants that.

The sufferings we endure, our crosses, can open our hearts and lead to our helping others or praying for them. It probably won’t change one wit what’s going on. “Oh, but I’m powerless.” No you’re not. We have a lot of power…we have the power of Christ. Just like the Blessed Mother does in heaven, we can intercede on other people’s behalf. The sufferings you bear for the sake of others may be fruitful for them, and you, in return, may receive abundant blessings and grace.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you open your heart and have compassion for those who are suffering? Will you suffer with them?

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Sermon Notes – Feel the Love of God

“Feel the Love of God”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 4 – 5, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 2: 1-12

I would ask for your prayers for the family of Cathy Henry, the Produce Queen. Cathy was diagnosed a year ago with brain cancer. The other day, I spoke with her husband who told me that the cancer had spread, and she was home in the care of Hospice. We learned on Sunday that Cathy died on Friday. I also ask for your prayers for the repose of the souls of two priests…Father George Closter, 79, pastor in Murphy, and Father Matthew Leonard, pastor in Swannanoa. Father Leonard did not show up for a wedding last Saturday, so they broke into the house and found him dead.

Wise men still seek Him. Well, they do, and they don’t. Chief priests and scribes were the most educated men in Israel at the time. They knew when and where the Messiah was to be born…Bethlehem in Judea. Did they go? No, they did not act on their knowledge. That proves that just because you have knowledge, it doesn’t make you holy. Otherwise, every bishop and priest would be a saint. Sadly, that’s not true. To be holy, we must be willing to take direction like the Wise Men who followed the star. They did what they were told and found the Savior. Faith is an action. It’s not how much you know; instead, it is how obedient you are. By the way, the Wise Men went to Joseph and Mary’s house…they were never at the nativity.

Scripture tells us ways in which to pray. One of the gifts the Wise Men brought was frankincense. Frankincense, in the Old Testament, was used in the temple at the altar. It was used to worship Almighty God. If you look in the Book of Revelation, you will see that it was used in Heaven too. The prayers of God’s people rose up with the incense toward the throne. So, the Wise Men brought incense to adore our Savior. This why it is used, and should be used, in Catholic worship because it is scriptural. You may not care for it, and you may not use it at home, but we use it in church because it is scriptural prayer. Our Good Lord didn’t say, “Hey, get that stuff out of here…it stinks.” He didn’t say it in Heaven either. I use it sparingly, because the ventilation in the church is not the greatest, and I’m not trying to turn it into a gas chamber. If you really want incense, go to the Eastern Rite of the Church. There it really is like having Mass in a gas chamber. I mean, they really love to use incense. I love it too, but I’m not going to make you cry and do all sorts of nasty things as if you really were in a gas chamber.

The Wise Men showed us something else about prayer. What did they do when they came before the Divine Presence? They prostrated themselves. They put their faces on the floor. They recognized the real presence of God on Earth. How did members of the ancient church pray? Did they run around screaming, babbling, and raising they hands up high? No. They prayed the “Our Father” flat on their faces, because these are the words our Savior told us to pray in absolute wonder and awe; that’s scripture. Holding hands during the ”Our Father” is so 1970’s…there is no scriptural basis for it. When I was in seminary, Father Burke told us to hold hands while we said the “Our Father.” One of the seminarians turned to me, and I told him, “I will break it!” He didn’t do that anymore. What…were we in a war together? You taking my pulse? Leave me alone. My goodness!

Besides frankincense, the Wise Men also brought gifts of gold because Christ was King, and myrrh which is a burial spice indicated what His mission was to be. The gift of frankincense was nice, and I’m sure Mary was thrilled with the gold….oh yeah, Cha Ching! But, the gift of myrrh ….a burial spice placed inside burial wraps…not so much. That particular gift must have upset both Mary and Joseph. Mary was on a mission, but she was not read into the plan. Neither she nor Joseph knew that Jesus was to die. God did not brief them. He only tells us as much as we need to know, and they didn’t need to know. Can you imagine Mary’s reaction when three complete strangers, wealthy strangers, but three strangers nevertheless, showed up with myrrh…a burial spice? If three people from Acquadale came to your house and brought you these gifts…that would be pretty different wouldn’t it?

Our Lord came into the world and went to the cross. That is why He came…to open the Gates of Heaven so we that may all have eternal life. By His death and resurrection, we have the means for salvation through the Sacraments which help us carry our crosses. He came for the sole mission to manifest His love. The greatness of His love is not the incarnation; rather, the greatness of His love came 30 some years later…after His death. Salvation is open to everyone. He offers the fruits of His love to all who will take it. God wants us all to get to heaven, and He gives us the means through the Sacraments to get there. He offers through His Holy Mother Church the infallible means through its teachings to do so. He has given us the absolute perfect map of the mine fields on this Earth that tells us where all the land mines are buried. Sometimes we are blind, and we want what we want. And when we don’t read the map, we go BOOM. He gives us the means to carry our crosses through the Sacraments, so that when we fall, we can get up and try again. This is for everyone, everywhere. We are all God’s children…His chosen people. You are God’s favorite, you – you – and so are you. Every one of you are worthy of the Crucifix.

Take a look at this face; I’m paler than Casper the ghost. But, at the 9:30 Mass, we had Chinese, Vietnamese, Mhong, Spanish, Germans, Phillipinos, and Yankees. We get people from everywhere. There are no hyphenated-Catholics; we are all God’s people. Regardless of where we were born, our skin color, our language, or anything else, salvation is open to all of God’s people. While at Hospice, I go into patients’ rooms and ask if I may say Prayers for the Dying…I do that a lot. If they say, “Well, Father, we aren’t Catholic,” I say, “Well, neither is God.” The nurses, if they are free, stay in the room while I say the prayers. Are those nurses Catholic? No. Are all those patients Catholic? No, but they are all God’s children, and only He knows their crosses. His mercy and love extend to all. He calls us to respond by opening our hearts so that He can give us His love. All He asks of us in return is to respond to His call to love Him.

Nobody is looking forward to taking the dirt nap or the way to it. We will do anything to avoid it, even undergo a colonoscopy or take noxious potions to survive. Thank God for our doctors. Death is not natural to us, because we were never made to die. We were supposed to live forever, but our original parents ate us out of house and home, and you know what happened after that.

On Friday, I was at the Gated Community, otherwise known as the Felon Academy or the Felon University of Salvation. One of the pagan felons became a Catholic felon. We can never say that someone is beyond the mercy of God, because nobody is. Nobody is beyond salvation. Know who taught him the faith? Another felon convicted of two murders. Part of the process is that he had to go to Confession and, believe it or not, I didn’t die from being stoned to death with popcorn. I’ve been doing this for 35 years, and if you can tell me something I haven’t heard before, I’ll pay you for the privilege of hearing it. Really? Is that the best you’ve got? Afterward, the Catholic felon was filled with joy when I gave him absolution …your sins are forgotten, and this happens every time you go to Confession. These are the fruits of God’s love that come to you by His death and resurrection. Feel the love of God!

Father’s Reflections…

While in the military, I served overseas in the Middle East and held Mass at various outposts. Pakistanis would ask me if they could participate. I told them, “Of course.” But, they were too afraid. You see, in a lot of Arabic communities, Mass is outlawed and often raided.You’ve heard me say this for 15 years…I can only give what I’ve got. The mind will only hear what the seat will endure.

How will you apply this message to your life? Need to feel the love of God? Go to Confession.