Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – March 6, 2022 – Where is the Love?

 “Where is the Love?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 March 5-6, 2022

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

One of the great temptations that snares a lot of people because it sounds really good, besides bacon, is to do things for other people out of compassion.  There is a lot of false compassion out there.  “If you love me, you will do this for me.”  “Oh, doctor, I hurt really bad.  May I have some OxyContin?”  That’s false compassion.  Saint Luke recounts our Lord’s first three temptations.  There are others, but these are the first three.  With the first temptation of Christ, which happens to us in one form or another, the devil used false compassion.  “People are bad because they lack stuff.  They lack food.  They lack education.  They lack computers.  They don’t have Facebook.  They are poor, and they need stuff.  If they had stuff, they wouldn’t be bad.”  None of that is true.  How many rich people have had abortions?  In my own life, my mother’s family was very poor, and none of them went to prison.  I take that back – my uncle went to prison, but he worked there.  He was a Correctional Officer.  The State of Massachusetts had him on work release for thirty years and finally told him he was too old and gave him his pension.  He was from the Joe Cutrone School of Correctional Officers.  He was a nice guy, and the murderers liked him.  Give them some cigarettes, and they were happy.  My cousin Philip was murdered, and they sent his murderer to the prison my uncle retired from.  The inmate state employees there knew who he was.  “We’ll take care of it as a favor.”  They were going to take care of some business for him.  My uncle told them, “No, no.  Don’t do that.”  That’s false compassion.  Now, I go out to our local FU (Felon University), and there are doctors there, people with medical degrees, and lawyers.  There are people there with advanced degrees and people with no degrees.  There are rich people and poor people.  People choose evil.  If they don’t have a choice, they are put into a state hospital.  They choose evil because they choose satan over Christ.  It’s not a lack of anything.  It’s a choice.  Fat people go to prison.  And believe it or not, inmates get fat in prison. So, it’s not a lack of anything.  People are using false compassion when they say, “Let’s give all this charity to poor people, and they won’t be bad.”   We have spent nine trillion dollars on various charities, but we don’t tell them about Jesus.  Instead, we tell them how to work on a computer.  I don’t have much computer knowledge, so I’m lucky that I know people.  

The next temptation was all about power.  Do you know who the most powerful person in the Church was?   Saint Theresa of Calcutta.  She wasn’t zealous for power, nor did she flaunt it.  But look at the power of this little nun.  She weighed about 120 pounds soaking wet with lead weights in her pocket.  Which of our cardinals ever went up to the sitting president and vice president wagging their finger about abortion? Which one?   Which one could have an audience with the Pope anytime she wanted?   Which one spoke at the United Nations?  Which one taught us how to love by living that love?  Saint Theresa was the most powerful person in the Church.  It’s not about getting into office, being ordained, having big titles after your name, or anything like that.  I have titles after my name and some before my name.   Whoopee!  They mean nothing.  They don’t even get me out of tickets anymore with these atheist cops down here. 

There is power in love.  It’s not political power, and it’s not power in the Church.  “Oh, I have a position in the Church.  I’m so and so!”   Shut-up!   Where is your love? When you are sitting with a sick person about to die, where is your love?  “I’m in charge of programming.”  You come with me, and we’ll see how that love in action does.  I’ll have you throwing up in about an hour.  That’s love in action.  Come and take care of the sick.  Sometimes, they’ll make it just inside the door before they catch a whiff of the smell. Ugh!  What?  Love is action.  It’s not a position.  

We don’t need to change any laws.  We have more laws than we know what to do with.  We can’t even incarcerate people because there’s no room for them.  People want to change the Mass.  They want to change the Sacraments.  If you can do it better than Jesus, let me know.  Now, husbands and wives . . . has your spouse ever told you they love you?  I would hope so.  Does that ever get old?  Does it need to be changed?  Does it need to be updated?  Does it need to be made more relevant?  Do you need a praise band going on there?  Do you want some dancing down the hallway?   We don’t need to change the Mass or the Sacraments.  The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a divine act of love, and it doesn’t get old.  What gets old is our pride when we think we can make it better.  During the Sacrifice of the Mass, what is Jesus saying?  He is saying, “I love you. This is how much I love you.”  That never gets old.  It only gets old if you don’t have room in your heart to say to Jesus, “I love you too.”

How will you apply this message to your life? 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to  http://AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”   Sermon notes can also be found on the church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”

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Sermon Notes – February 27, 2022 – “Unchain Your Heart”

 “Unchain Your Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 February 26-27, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 6:39-45

This week, we have Ash Wednesday for which we have rules of fasting and abstinence.  You can look them up online for a reminder.  People call this the Penitential Season.  “Ugh!  I have to give up something.  It’s 40 days of punishment!”  It’s more than 40 days because we don’t count Sundays, and it ends on Holy Thursday.  That is 40-50 days of no cake, no coffee, no pie, no soda, and no booze.  Be happy about it.  I prefer to think of it not as a Penitential Season in the sense that it’s about deprivation, but as an exercise of spiritual freedom.  We free ourselves from bondage to things so that we may be able to love.  We are trapped in pleasures not worthy of us.  Chocolate cake will satisfy us for just so long.   Believe it or not, I have not had a piece of bacon in two years.  Medical quacks!  Anyway.  We are enslaved to things rather than free to love.  When you break those chains, you achieve freedom.  If you are not chained to Facebook, games, or whatever else you have, you are free to love and free to experience God’s love.   Satan stirs up all these things in our heart.   But Jesus said, “My ways are easy.”  His ways are not difficult…He said that.  Denying our fantasies is not difficult.  If we say that they are, we are accusing Jesus of lying.  We make it difficult by listening to Satan and instead, we wind up pole vaulting over mouse droppings where everything is so hard and so dramatic.  Hey!  Come down off the cross, we need the wood! 

I’ll tell you this story.  I was at a Christmas dinner years ago with the bishops and the abbot, a priest, was there.  He was telling us about how he offered Mass to the people in Venice, and it was so cold, he could see his breath.  I said, “Well, Father, I offered Mass in Iraq in 136 degree weather and during a sand storm.  But to me, that was just another day at the office.  Would I do it again?  Yes, because I love my soldiers.  Was it pleasant?  Not really, but it was a work of love free from attachment.  You will find that you have greater happiness.  You will find a greater love to allow more love into your soul rather than a love of things.  Rather than having things taking up space in our souls, God is there.  He is the one for whom our souls were made.  As Saint Augustine said, “Our heart is restless until it rests in You.”  Our souls were made for God alone.  Everything else does not satisfy.  People are so unhappy because they keep trying to fill that void with people, places, and things that are not God.  

During this season and our works of love, I urge you to come to Confession, and make it a frequent habit.  I urge you to offer more prayer.  And don’t say, “Oh, I’m going to say two Rosaries every day.”  Just try a decade at a time, okay?  Start out small with baby steps.  You aren’t monks.  You aren’t cloistered.  You aren’t consecrated and can sit there for an hour.   In seminary, we sat there for hours praying for vocations in the world.  Just pray.  Hey, that computer has an off switch.  It won’t hurt you a bit.  Honest.  I promise it won’t hurt you a bit.  Those people on Facebook will not miss you.  TikTok videos will go on without you.   Someday, we will get our celestial discharge, and they will still go on without us. 

This season is a time for us to grow.  It is not a time for brutality or self-flagellation.  It’s a time for freedom to free ourselves from bondage to things; to improve our vision so that we can see what is really important to us; and to grow in the joy of our spiritual lives.  This is not transitory joy that’s good for only a few seconds, then gone, and we are left to deal with the consequences.  Rather, this is a joy that nobody can take from us.  This is what we do.  Seek His love.  Don’t ask anyone, “What are you giving up for Lent?”  First of all, it’s none of your business.   And yes, it is my business as your priest. 

People ask, “What are you going to do for this Lent?”  Well, I’m going to try to be holier.  I’m going to try to free myself of the bondage to things.  We all have our fun and things that we like to do.  They are innocent in and of themselves.  They are not sinful.  But, putting them down and turning to prayer might be a much better alternative.

How will you apply this message to your life? 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to http://AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”   Sermon notes can also be found on the church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”

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Saint of the Day – February 28 – Pope Saint Hilary

Pope Saint Hilary (5th c.) was Bishop of Rome from 461 to 468. Not much is known of his early life other than that he was from Sardinia. He rose to prominence in the Church when he became archdeacon under Pope St. Leo the Great, working closely with him as a trusted aid. St. Leo sent Hilary as one of the papal legates to the Council of Ephesus in 449. There St. Hilary fought bravely against the monophysite heresy, for which his life was threatened. He was forced into hiding and fled back to Rome for safety. He was so highly esteemed that after Pope Leo’s death he was elected to the papacy. As pope, St. Hilary fought for the rights of the papacy in spiritual matters against the Roman Emperor, and increased organization and discipline between the bishops and the Holy See. He also did much work in building, remodeling, and decorating Roman churches and other public places. Pope St. Hilary’s feast day is February 28.

//Catholic Company//

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Sermon Notes – February 20, 2022 – “Without Judgement, There is No Mercy”

“Without Judgement, There is No Mercy”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 February 19 – 20, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 6:27-38

I was tidying up some stuff as I’m prone to do from time to time, and I found some military/Army papers.  Oh, this could be important, but not likely since it’s going on nine years since I retired.   I don’t think they miss me, and I don’t miss them either.  They tried to kill me.  It wasn’t personal…just business.  So, I looked at the document and it was orders for REFRAD or Release From Active Duty.  I read through the document, and it was a stroll down memory lane.  For my education, “high school or the equivalent” was listed.  Well, that’s pretty close.  I told you I was the village idiot, and the military knew.  Except that I could not have been an officer without a college education, and I could not have been a chaplain without a master’s degree.  Welcome to the Army.  Anyway, I thought it was hilarious.  I’m not the brightest bulb in the circuit, but I did study and pass tests because I have initials after my name.  

Some days I went to class, and I remember a discussion about sin.  By the way, the Church is still against sin.  A lot of people use as an excuse for having no morality that we cannot be judgmental.  I have heard people in Confession say, “Bless me Father for I have sinned.”   Okay.  “I have judgmentalism.”   So, I have a degree in Philosophy.  I have a degree in Divinity.  I have a minor in Military Science and one in Western Civilization.  But I have no idea what you are talking about.  I have absolutely no clue.  There is no such thing.  If you look in the two books on Moral Theology, it’s not there.  There is the sin of rash judgement but not judgmentalism.  We are called to judge.  In my house I have to judge a lot.  I open the refrigerator and if I see bushy green stuff, I have to make a judgement.  Is that stuff supposed to be green?  It’s always a question in my mind.  So, we make judgements all the time because we are supposed to.  Physicians and healthcare workers make judgements.  Our Lord said you will know them by their fruits.  You are supposed to judge actions.  Actions are objectively evil or good.  Very few actions by a moral agent are neutral.  We are all moral agents.  So, all of our actions are good or evil.  They can be objectively wrong.  This one bozo passed a State Trooper going 55 mph in a 35 mph zone.  Hey dude, you are about to meet a new friend!  He was wrong, and he was stupid.  But we are not to judge beyond God’s mercy. 

We are all called to make judgements.  Sometimes in my former line of work, before I was here with you folks, I had to make instantaneous judgements.  Otherwise, I would have lost my breathing privileges.  In some fields, it’s the same.  We are called to make judgements.  We cannot judge anyone beyond God’s mercy.  We don’t know the crosses they carry.  We judge and treat them according to their actions.  That’s the moral law. 

I’m trying to get away from here for a little while because my cousin has cancer.  We are hoping for a miracle although it doesn’t look promising.  But, what the heck.  Never asked, never granted.  My cousin is a very gifted woman.  She’s an artist.  She can sing.  She’s a nurse.  She’s a beautiful woman.  All women are beautiful, and my cousin is exceptionally so.  My family has good looks and no money.  Damn.  Her father – my godfather – had his problems.  He was a gambling addict and an alcoholic.  He was a great engineer and absolutely brilliant.   Some of that is genetic.  Although 30+ missions as a waist gunner in a B-17 over Nazi Germany during WW II probably didn’t help much.  My cousin grew up in a home like that.  Her father tried.  I can tell you that he struggled with his crosses because when he was near death, he asked me to hear his confession.  That was faith.  People who judged him would say that he was a worthless drunk and everything else.  No.  God did not forget him, and he did not forget God.  It’s just that his crosses were so heavy that he fell a lot.  Other so-called Christian religions believe they know who is in Heaven and who isn’t.  That’s not true.  We don’t know.  We just work like heck and hope we get there. 

We have to practice judgementalism on ourselves.  We judge ourselves guilty of sin.  Why don’t people go to confession?  Some say, “Well, I don’t really have any sins.”  Then you shouldn’t come to Communion.  Huh?  Communion is not a door prize for just showing up.  Who do you receive in Holy Communion?  You receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Who is Jesus Christ?  He is our Savior.  Okay.  Two for two.  What does He save us from?  Sin.   So, if you have no sin, you do not need Jesus.  Let me know if you do.   We judge ourselves guilty in order to receive Him.  We cannot judge who is in Heaven.  Remember, the good thief stole Heaven at the last minute.   A man who thought he was smarter than the average bear was playing games with Bishop Sheen.  He wanted to know if Jonah was really swallowed by the whale.   Bishop Sheen said “I don’t know.  When I get to Heaven, I’ll ask him.”  The man said, “What if he’s not in Heaven?”  Bishop Sheen said, “Then you ask him.”  Do you know what the three biggest surprises in Heaven will be?  Who is in Heaven.  Who is not in Heaven.   And, that we are there.

How will you apply this message to your life? 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to http://AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”   Sermon notes can also be found on the church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”

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Sermon Notes – February 6, 2022 – “You Talking to Me?”

Sermon Notes

 “You Talking to Me?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 February 5 – 6, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 5:1-11

You may recognize this passage in the Gospel of Luke as one of the greatest examples of sarcasm in scripture.  “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”   When Christ tells them to cast out into deeper water for a catch, Peter was probably thinking that this is a holy man and we might get some good karma if we do it.  Even so, Peter was dripping with sarcasm when he said, “Yes, Master at Your command” and put out the nets.   But think about it.  Here is a carpenter telling a professional fisherman how to fish.  Really?  Are you kidding me?  That’s like me telling Bob how to fix things.  He doesn’t even let me use power tools.  That would be like me telling Phyllis how to practice medicine. 

You could tell who was a fisherman by their complexions and hands, etc.  Jesus was a carpenter.  He didn’t speak with the same accent because he was from Nazareth.  It’s like being in the South; you know who is a Yankee and who isn’t.  Remember the show “Cheers”?  I could tell what part of Boston they were from just by the accent.  People from different parts of Boston have their own accents.  I know because I lived in Boston.  So, Christ wasn’t from Galilee, and He didn’t look like a fisherman.  His face wasn’t sunburned and He had the hands of a carpenter.  But, Peter being the nice guy that he was said “Alright, I’ll do it Lord.”  I’m sure he wasn’t having happy thoughts about this Jesus character.  But Peter did as the Lord said and put out into deeper water.  After catching so much fish that his boat almost sank, Peter came back and fell at the Lord’s knees and said, ““Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”  In Hebrew, the word “Lord” is meant to refer only to the Almighty.  You don’t get that from scripture unless you are taught it.  You read it and move on.  But it is a word used only when referring to God.  We see the amazing change in Peter when he recognized Jesus as Lord.

The takeaway from today’s gospel is that if you do what our Lord asks you to do, you’ll get what He promises far and beyond all our needs, hopes, and expectations.  Even if it may seem stupid to us, look at the benefits it produces.  Peter and the other fisherman had to work for it.  They were hauling in nets full of fish.  That’s not easy…it’s pure bull work.  First, you have to work for it, but you also have to be obedient.  We also have to be obedient and work for His promises of rewards beyond all measure.  Not that we will receive a bunch of fish … I hate fish.   That’s why God made Ketchup and Ranch dressing.  I may not like it, but I have to eat it.  Twice a week, I do great penance by eating fish.   What’s the greatest reward beyond all Earthly expectations?  If we do what our Lord asks us to do, what do we get?  We get Him forever. 

Too often because of our pride and our hubris, we think we’ve had a visit from the good idea fairy.  The good idea fairy says, “Oh, no, no.  We have good ideas. This is great!”   This is not just a modern distraction, it goes back to when Saint Paul went to Athens.  He tried something totally different and he got two converts.  After that, he decided to preach only about Christ crucified.  And then what happened?  He began to evangelize the Gentiles.  He did what His good Lord asked him to do.  And that’s what we should do.  This is how we attract people to Him.  For them to see us get up with our cross to follow Him and do what He asks.  We give to those who we don’t think deserve it.  We give to those people who hate us.  We pray for those who persecute us.  We do what He tells us to do and we get what He promised although maybe not as immediately as the apostles.

I have proven that 90% of being successful is just showing up.  Ask any of my brother priests and they will tell you in all honesty, even the Bishop will in a candid moment, that I’m not the sharpest knife in the priestly drawer.  I’m not that bright.  I’m not that learned.  I’m not that talented.  But I show up.  One day I was in the field and one of the gunship pilots came up to me.  He’s not a Catholic and I really doubt that he’s a church-going guy.  I was going around saying hello to everybody, checking on all my soldiers, and touring my parish when this pilot came up to me and said, “Chaplain, when we go to war, will you come with us?”   I said, “Yes. Where you, go I go.”   All those days in the field in the rain, snow, and cold…gosh, I miss those days!  Someday I knew I was going laugh about all of it but not that day. 

When I was a very young priest, I was Catholic chaplain for Charlotte Memorial, Presbyterian,  and Novant.  Scott Lindsey was the chaplain at Presbyterian and his secretary told him that they had an emergency call needing a priest.  She asked Scott if she should find out the name of the pastor.  Scott said, “No. Call Father Fitzgibbons. He always comes.”   It’s just showing up.  That’s the best tool for evangelization…trying to live a holy life.  Do what Christ asks us to do, and we will get the reward He promises us.  Too often we settle for smaller rewards.  The reward He promises and the one we should all be working for is Himself.  You are because you are here.  This is just a reminder because we are easily distracted – look, squirrel!!.  

Do what He tells you to do.  You are just like the disciples when He sent them out two-by-two to go prepare the wedding room.  They came back and said, “Lord, even the demons suffer for your name.  He said, “Yeah, I told you they would.”

How will you apply this message to your life? 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to http://AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”   Sermon notes can also be found on the church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”

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Sermon Notes – January 30 –  “Some are Educated beyond Their Abilities”

“Some are Educated beyond Their Abilities”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 January 29 – 30, 2022

Gospel: Luke 4:21-30

Jesus knew talented people who did not believe in Him and who wanted to kill Him.  But He couldn’t be killed outside of Jerusalem.  He had to die there. 

A lot of people are educated beyond their abilities.  When do you know that you are educated and have knowledge or are wise?  Is it the letters after your name?  I have letters after my name.  That doesn’t mean I’m bright.  What it means is that I can pass tests.   When you are truly educated, you will also know humility.  That’s because the more you learn, the more you realize that you don’t know everything. 

Those who are truly educated are the ones you find around Christ.  Think about the nativity scene.  Who do you find around Jesus?  You find three kinds of people.  The pure and the innocent – the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph; the very wise – the Wise Men; and the ignorant – the shepherds.   The Wise Men knew they didn’t know everything, but they were humble and listened and were willing to be told to follow the Divine.  The shepherds were ignorant and knew that they did not know anything.  People did not know Jesus, and they did not want to. 

Humility is the fruit of true knowledge.  We know our Lord in humility.  We know that He is love itself.  And when we know Him and love Him, we will keep His commandments.

How will you apply this message to your life? 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to http://AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”   Sermon notes can also be found on the church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle” 

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Sermon Notes: January 1-2, 2021 – “Even Superman Gets Sick”

 “Even Superman Gets Sick”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 January 1 – 2, 2021

Gospel:  Matthew 2:1-12

As you may already know, the word “epiphany” means a manifestation or revelation.  There have been other epiphanies which are a revelation of who God is.  By our own reason, we can come to the knowledge of God through natural law and reason, but that only gets us so far.  God has to reveal Himself as He did in Genesis so that we can come to love Him.  We cannot gain knowledge of Him without His help. He made prudent use of the Wise Men to reveal Who His son was. 

Remember who Jesus is…the second person in the Blessed Trinity.  He was one “Who” but He was also two “What’s.”  He was one person which is the “Who,” and two “What’s” which are His two natures, human and divine.  We only have a human nature.  That’s all we have; it doesn’t get any better than that.  Jesus had both a human and divine nature.  His human nature He took from the Blessed Mother and is the one He suffered with and that was assumed and lost in His divine nature.  This is shown in the Mass.  I put one drop of water in the chalice of wine, not more and not less.  If I don’t put just one drop of water into the chalice, the Mass is invalid because that is a symbol of Christ’s humanity being assumed and lost in His divinity.  Our eventual goal is to know who He is…King of the Universe.  The Jews worshiped God and offered incense in the Temple.  We use frankincense which symbolizes God.  Read the Old Testament.  Read Revelation in the New Testament.  Incense is the prayers of God’s holy people.  That’s why we use it in church.  It is scriptural prayer. He was presented with myrrh because He was God.  Myrrh was used in burials and represented His coming into the world to die so that we may have an opportunity to get to Heaven.  So, this is a Christological feast. 

Our good Lord reveals Himself so that you can know His Son.  The Wise Men revealed our response to His great love.  They came from a far distance.  We don’t know how far they came or from where.  It could have been from Aquadale, but it was a long distance.  Travel back then was very dangerous.  When the Wise Men came, they left everything to find Jesus.  They risked everything to find Him.  They came to worship and knelt in His presence.  The Wise Men were in the presence of the King, and they knelt in a posture of prayer.  This is our response, whether convenient or inconvenient, to come see God’s great presence.  The Wise Men were no more blessed than we are.   We have God made present.  Yes, the Wise Men saw God in the guise of a child.  We see God in the Blessed Sacrament in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  But we see the same God.  How do I love Thee, God? 

Father’s Afterthoughts:
I am still very, very tired, and the nurses tell me this could last for a while.  One of the symptoms of my illness has been insomnia.  I have been blessed to have so many wonderful people in my parish and also family and friends.  They have all been concerned and called to ask how I’m doing.  And I may not have handled that very well.  I had a beautiful chance for long-suffering patience, and I think I blew it most of the time.  Well, think about it.  A couple of people would call and ask how I’m doing and then want to chat.  Shut up!  My cousin called and asked, “How are you doing?”  I told her I was resting at which point she wanted to chat.  Shut-up!  I’m sick!  I do this for a living, trust me.  You don’t stay long; it’s not a discussion.  Eventually, one of my cousins by-passed me and asked Lori how I was doing.  One of my chaplain friends at the hospital who I’ve known for 33 years and served with overseas was asked by the nurses if he had called me.  He told them he texted me every few days.  He’s sick.  He’s a soldier – just leave him alone.  They occasionally walk by the house and if there’s no smell, they know he’s okay.  So, if I have been short with anyone and been in anything but perfect character, I do apologize and ask for your forgiveness.  Illness is not an excuse, nor does it develop character.  It reveals it.  So, please forgive me.

How will you apply this message to 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.”   Sermon notes can also be found on the church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”

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Sermon Notes – December 24, 2021 – The Wonder and Awe of Christmas

“The Wonder and Awe of Christmas”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 24, 2021

Gospel:   Luke 1:67-79.

I think of some of the Christmases I have had, and I’ve had some pretty interesting ones, like the one when I would got into a vehicle with no seat belts and a loaded weapon with a round in the chamber.  Because I have been sick, this Christmas hasn’t been a fairly pleasant one, but all in all, not bad. 

We all think about Christmas and how beautiful it is.  The elves have done so much work to make it so.  My brother priests send me pictures of their churches.  I do not send them a picture of ours, because I don’t want to hurt their tiny little feelings.  Sissy boys!  When I was a child, Christmas time was so beautiful.  We helped serve at the Mass and were seated by the Red Cassocks.  It was a step up from the regular action and was the closest I ever got to being Monsignor.  Do you ever wish you had the time to reflect on the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of a child?  To see again the wonder of God?  What happened to that wonder?  No matter the age in your reflections, you would have missed so much.  That was just the beginning.  Part of God’s revelation is that He draws you closer to Him to become part of His sacrifice, to receive His life thru the Sacraments, and to receive more knowledge and deeper love. 

Your wedding day is not the same as your 50th anniversary.  The 50th anniversary is supposed to be better.  Different yes, but deeper.  Change is not always bad.  Change can be very good.  Heraclitus, a 5th Century Greek philosopher said, “you cannot step into the same river twice.”  And that’s true.  You never do because there have been changes.  We are called to change and to grow in love so that the Christmases we are called to now are felt deeper and are even more wonderful.  There’s a way to do it but I’m all preached out and running out of energy.  [Father Fitz is recovering from COVID-19.]  But to have a deeper wonder and awe of a child.  Scripture says, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  (Matthew 18:3).   We are supposed to be true to that wonder and awe in the simplicity of love, to the resignation of ourselves to the Savior, and to be lost in that great gift of love…to be grateful and to experience it. 

Each day we have the opportunity to grow in that love, and one day it will come to its fulfillment in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Do not sell yourself short by wanting to go back to your childhood.  Don’t.  You will miss so much.   If there have been intervening problems during the years from then and until now, that can all be fixed and done away with.  God can restore the beauty and majesty of life.  He has come to give the gift of Himself as promised by the Profits.  The gift is His death and resurrection.  Once we receive the fullness of it, we will finally enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

How will you apply this message to your life? 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com/, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  They can also be found on Facebook by searching for “Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”

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Sermon Notes – November 21, 2021 – A White Fence Must be Maintained

A White Fence Must be Maintained

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

November 20 – 21, 2021

Gospel:   John 18:33-37 

I think it is time for a Catechetical lesson.  From time to time, we need to review best practices because even a white fence must be maintained otherwise it turns black.  During the Mass last night, there were two accidents that upset me greatly.  Two people dropped the Host.   In the United States, there are two ways to receive Holy Communion if you are in a State of Grace.  One way is on the hand.  If you choose to receive on the hand, one hand is held beneath the other.  You take the Host from your free hand and put it into your mouth.  Now, it is my right to refuse to give you Communion.  I’ve seen all sorts of things… like stamps from the bar where someone was the night before.  Yeah, I had a life too before I became a priest.  Also, I served with paratroopers at Fort Bragg.  But giving you Communion on the hand would be sacrilegious.  The normative way of receiving Holy Communion in the Universal Church is on the tongue.  You may kneel at the altar rail if you choose, or you may stick out your tongue and say “Amen” after I say, “Body of Christ.”  I don’t take your sticking out your tongue at me personally.  But please don’t pretend you’re an iguana.  I will give it to you.  Extend your tongue and leave it there.  And don’t lick my hand, okay?  I expect that from Tilley and Marley and all the other puppies who love me.  I’ve been doing this a very long time – for 38 years – so I’ve got it.  I’m a professional.  Please don’t try to help me.  Also, don’t open your mouth, stick out your tongue, and smile at me.  Please remember “Who” you are receiving.  Jesus is a “Who.”   He is not a “what.”  That’s blasphemy.  You are receiving God Himself.  Oh, and my arm is only so long, so when you come up to receive Communion, don’t stand back at the pew.  What am I supposed to do, launch it at you?  Get up here!  I tested negative twice last Friday, so I’m safe, alright?  Just come up and after I say, “Body of Christ” and you say “Amen,” put the Host in your mouth.  I must see you put it in your mouth.  If you walk away and I don’t see you put it in your mouth, I will hurt your feelings. . . dramatically.  In my best military manner, I will hurt your feelings because I have vowed to protect the Blessed Sacrament with my life.  So, do not try to walk away without putting it in your mouth.  Remember the sacredness of what is happening during the Mass and with Holy Communion. 

Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King.   We acknowledge Christ as King.  What does that mean?  We come here and sing songs from the hymnals?  No.  He’s the king of what?  Why is He a king?  Who is the king in your heart and soul?   It’s the ones you love.  They have priority.  Everything you do in this life is for the sake of the ones you love. . .your spouse, your children, and your grandchildren.  Everything is focused on them within Christ.  That’s how you learn to love.  Because we love Him, we do the things that help us love Him more.  He is the sole source of our life and our joy.  You say that Christ is coming back to judge us.  Uh-Oh.  It’s like a teenage party and Mom is coming.  Quick!  Time to clean the house.  Too late now!  By the way, it’s never too late to say “I’m sorry” to God.  If we love God, we look forward to that moment. 

We were never meant to die.  That’s why it takes bodies so long to die.  We have a man in Hospice at the VA hospital who has ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.  He’s a textbook case.  The nurses and doctors are amazed at how slowly he is dying, and it’s so painful to watch.  Our bodies were never meant to die.  That’s why we fear it.  But we are all going to see Jesus one way or another.  When we go to our Lord, we prove our love by the works of love we’ve done.  What are works of love?  Saint Augustine said that the work itself is love. We keep His Commandments.  “Oh, Father.  That’s so old-fashioned and very judgmental.”  Well, Jesus is judgmental.  Remember, there is a final exam during which He judges us.  What are the works of love?   Well, what does it say in Scripture?  “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”  So, the Commandments are not just punishing acts.  “We are over the Commandments.  We are full of love and joy!’  No, no, no.  Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”   By the way, there are more than ten.  If you read the Book, just the black part, don’t read the white, you will be more content.  This is how we prove that we love Jesus.  He is the source and summit of our love.  We try to keep His Commandments.  Are we perfect?  No.  But that doesn’t mean we stop trying.  This is how we prove the primary love in our heart and Who we love above all.  “We need just laws.”  No, we have more laws than we know what to do with.  We need just people.  We need holy people.  We don’t need more laws.  We need holier people.  Have you noticed that the SWAT team has never raided Belmont Abbey?   And I don’t see Mother Angelica’s sisters being raided by the Feds.  Just saying.  Want to save money on police?  Want to take money out of prisons?  Become holier.  That’s how God will judge us.  The throne in our soul was created for our Lord to reside.  At the time of our passing, God will look to see if His Son is there.  He will look into our souls to see if love and peace reside there. 

How will you apply this message to your life? 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  They can also be found on Facebook by searching for “Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”

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Sermon Notes – November 7, 2021 – “The Circle of Love Continues”

 “The Cycle of Love Continues”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 November 6 – 7, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 12:38-44

The month of November can be classified as a study in Ecclesiology or Who the Church is.  You can read about bishops referring to the Church as a “what.”  But it’s a “Who.”  “Father, why do you say that?  How can you contradict a bishop?”  I like contradicting bishops. . . it’s a hobby.  When Paul was going around beating people up, Jesus said “Saul, why do you persecute Me?”  He didn’t say, “Why are you persecuting My institution.”  No.  He said, “Why do you persecute Me.”  The Church is a “Who.” It’s the body of Christ.  There are aspects of a “what” but it’s a “Who.”  

What brought the Church in to being?  I’ll give you the answer by asking my second question. What brought you in to being?  It wasn’t a “what” – it was a “Who.”  God’s love.  The first question in the Catechism is “Why did God make you?”  Because He loved you.  You were created out of love.  You have always been in the mind of God for all eternity.  We existed in the mind of God before we existed in the bodies of our mothers.  God created us out of love and sustains us out of love.  He calls us into His presence out of love.  He calls us into His church out of love. This is His gift of love so that we can become one with the Body of Christ. . . His Bride.  So, the Church is not a “what.”  It’s a “Who.”  It is the Bride of Christ. 

Some people try to change the Church.  If it’s an institution you can change it, but if it’s a “Who,” you can’t.  The Church is a “Who.”  That “Who” was formed out of love, sustained and created out of love, and exists only because of love.  It’s a love of all people in the world and not just those here in Albemarle even though we love it here . . . it’s the best parish in the diocese.  Don’t tell them that – they will get really upset.  I almost get into fights with other priests when they tell me how great their parish is.  Really?  The whole Church is united by baptism.  As Bishop Waters said, there are no hyphenated Catholics. We are united in love, and we come to express our love and our prayers for those who have gone before us.  As we pass from this world, those left behind will pray for us, and the cycle of love will continue.  

Our love of others gave us what we have.  We didn’t build or pay for this church.  The Church of the Annunciation in New York gave the money to build it.   So, Yankees built this church.  We are enjoying their gifts of love and the gifts of love by those in this parish who have gone on before us.  The saints who have gone on before us pray for us.  They give us that gift of love.  They intercede for us to the Father so that we can attain what they have.  Love is not fulfilled unless it is complete.  No mother is happy unless she has her family around her.  The saints want their spiritual family, the whole body of the Church, to be with them in Heaven.  They always pray for us.  We as the Church Militant, the Church working for our salvation, pick up our crosses each day and follow the good Lord. We pray for those who can’t. . .those who have gone before us and who are cleaning their baptismal robes so that they may come and dwell in the place of the Perfect. This is mentioned at every Mass.  When we pass away, the Church will pray for us, maybe not by name, but they will always pray for us.  You were given the gift of love not by your prayers but by this prayer.  Because the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is what?  You got me on that one.  It’s not a “what.”   It’s a “Who.”   

In some churches, they announce that “the liturgy will be celebrated…”  That’s a Greek word meaning a public act. Big deal.  They think they are really hip.  The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is Christ offering Himself to the Father. And Christ, in that offering, is made present on the altar.  He asks not for our participation.  This is where the catechetics of the Mass have gotten really weird over the years.  The terms we use when referring to the Mass are often blasphemous.  “We go to church.”  Yeah.  You walk in and walk back out.  Big deal.  “I attend church.” Well, I attend a play.  “I actively participate.”  You know, I have a degree in Philosophy, believe it or not, and I have paperwork to prove it.  But I have no idea what that phrase means.  It was made up in the last forty years, and it means absolutely nothing.  So, when I say Mass in hospitals and nursing homes for people who are barely conscious and heavily medicated, they aren’t actively participating?  During my 13-minute Mass in the field, when the natives were restless, we didn’t sing, but we prayed a lot.  Are you kidding me?  They were trying to kill Blanch and John’s little boy.  You do not actively participate.  You do not go to Mass.  You do not attend Mass.  Take what I’m about to tell you and commit it to memory.  You are called, when you come here, to become part of Christ’s sacrifice. Whether we sing or not and whether we take up a collection or not has nothing to do with it.  You are called to become part of the sacrifice of Christ.  The Romans participated in the crucifixion, but they didn’t actually suffer with Christ, did they?   You take the place of the Blessed Mother whose human nature Christ took and suffered with on the Cross and redeemed us with.  You take the place of Saint John the Apostle, the Beloved, who suffered with Christ out of love.  You take the place of Mary Cleophas.  You are suffering with Christ.  You unite your sufferings and human nature with the suffering of Christ.  In the offertory, the priest, acting in the person of Christ, takes your human natures and makes them one with Christ in that animation of love on the altar that is always present to the Following.  You become part of Christ’s sacrifice.  That is why this place is so special.  Not only is there the Real Presence of our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, but you are also standing at the foot of the Cross.  And very shortly you will become part of Christ’s sacrifice. At Mass, you will receive the grace of offering yourself.  You may offer that grace to one of your departed brethren.  The grace of receiving Holy Communion is another one.  Even if you are not able to receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, you can offer that sense of deprivation to someone else. 

This month, we pray for those who have gone before us.  The Church always prays for the departed. . . always.  The Protestants, with their so-called reformation say, “We don’t pray for the dead.”  Yeah, well we do.  It’s a part of the Church.  The Catacombs are filled with inscribed prayers in Latin.   What do they say?  “Pray for me.”  Since the earliest days of the Church, for over 2,000 years, we have prayed for them.  This is what we do.  When our loved ones are all in Heaven, with mine it may take a little work, but when they are all in Heaven, then our prayers go to someone else who needs them.  Remember that old Italian saying: “I remember your name.”  The saints all know who to pray for because when they get to Heaven, they are enlightened by the transfiguration.  They know who helped them, and they will mention you by name to the ear of Christ.

Father’s Afterthoughts:

Veterans Day is this week.  There are a lot of people who served, but just because they served doesn’t make them heroes.  In my day, people served because they didn’t want to go to jail or to go to Canada and learn to speak French.  I wouldn’t want to share a foxhole with them.  They might get me killed.  But there are a lot of unknown heroes.  I hear a lot of stories from veterans at the VA Hospital, and I’m going to tell you about two heroes.  One of the vets asked me if I served in Vietnam, and I told him “No.”   This vet told me that his older brother volunteered for Vietnam so he wouldn’t have to go.  His brother was a hero.  Another veteran, who is 99 years old and in Hospice, has all his faculties. . . he just can’t see very well.  This veteran was in the Armored Division during World War II and had a job nobody wanted. . . Radio Telephone Operator or RTO.   They were the ones the enemy was told to take out first.  Your lifespan as an RTO wasn’t that great.  To make matters worse, you carried a big antenna which let everybody know exactly where you were.  Thank you!  The good side of being the RTO is that he got to ride in a half-track and didn’t have to walk all the way to Berlin.  His unit liberated Dachau; the first concentration camp established in Germany.  Those are the veterans you should pray for and honor.

How will you apply this message to your life? 


You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  They can also be found on Facebook by searching for “Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”