Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – Lord, Increase Our Faith

“Lord, Increase Our Faith”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

July 11 – 12, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 13: 1-23

I hear a lot of complaints from people about all the things they cannot do during this pandemic. Well, I’m a law breaker, actually, because at Harris Teeter, I intentionally went up the wrong aisle. I fought for my country, so I’m going this way! I hear people complain about this and that…but, all of those are inconveniences at best. When we don’t get what we want when we want it, we think that’s an inconvenience. When I go to the VA Hospital, I visit patients in their rooms. So, I get all masked up and go in like Darth Vader. Everyone has to do that, because we cannot touch the patients. All of those old veterans are in solitary confinement…they cannot leave the unit; they are trapped in there. But, even in prison, inmates in solitary confinement get recreation time every so often. The patients at the VA don’t get that, because they are sick and feeble. This quarantine is so hard on them, and you can see their cognitive, spiritual, emotional, and physical capacities decline. So, these are the people who are truly suffering. I am not allowed to go in to Spring Arbor or Taylor House. Sometimes, I‘ll call and I’m told, “Oh, they’re gone.” Oh, okay. Feel sorry for these people. You have to go and get take-out food…oh, my heart bleeds for you…really! That’s a wealth problem. You have money to order take-out. Maybe, you need to expand your mind…consider it a picnic. Go to the lake or somewhere to have fun. You have to make your own fun. My goodness! Everything we have is convenient. But, that’s not true for everyone. It’s not true for those people who are trapped in nursing homes and hospitals. So, pray for them.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen

In the old Rite of Baptism, parents would bring their children to church, and the priest would ask them, “What do you ask of the Church?” The parents would say “faith.” That is the correct answer, because you are asking for a gift from God. God gives us the gift of faith in the Sacraments. In the Sacrament of Baptism, He infuses the three theological virtues into our soul: faith, hope, and charity. It’s a free gift from God based on a request by the parents. God wants everyone to come to Him, to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him in the next. He gives us this gift, and He offers to us freely the way in which to increase the virtues of faith, hope and charity…by reception of the Sacraments. The beauty of that gift is that it never goes away. God gives us many gifts, but time, nature, and our inattention can destroy them. If we have a talent for sports, it’s going to fade away if not practiced. God gives us muscles that, if not exercised, will atrophy. However, the gift of faith never will. Many people have tried to rid themselves of faith. They’ve left the church, and they’ve sinned greatly. We have all sinned greatly…let’s be honest. But the gift of faith is always there. It gets beaten up a bit, but it never goes away. It’s always there saying to us, “life is tough; it’s tougher when you’re stupid… had enough?” I run in to people who ask if I’m a Catholic priest, and I say yes. They’ll say, “I used to be Catholic.” Okay, I still am, so what happened to you? I always ask them that question, and they don’t like it. But, that’s their faith speaking to them…sort of an internal conference. ”Well, I used to be Catholic.” Sounds like you are really happy about that. Their infused faith is always prompting them to come back to the Church. One day, I was doing my visitation at the hospital. I walked up to a patient and introduced myself as the Catholic chaplain for the Medical Center. This patient said, “Whoa…whoa…whoa! I used to be Catholic. I’m not Catholic anymore.” Okay. Most people just say “Hello, Chaplain or Father.” But if you want to be a real jerk, go ahead. I almost told that veteran my first name, by the way, is “Major.” Lose the attitude, dude. What’s wrong with you! You’d think they would be grateful for a visitor stopping in and breaking up the day. But, what happened is that I touched his gift of faith. That’s Christ in me, because I’m a priest. You neglected it, you turned away, and you beat it up, but is your faith dead? No. Your faith is still alive. During the early 1900’s, Saint Therese de Lisieux had been praying right up to the end for a convict who had received the death penalty in France. Just before the guillotine fell, he screamed “The cross..the cross!”

We have all been given the nature of faith. All of us, by our sins, have neglected and beaten it up a bit. But, that’s why we are at church. You demonstrate your faith by coming here. We increase our faith by receiving the Sacraments. Living the faith doesn’t increase it; instead, it is purified. Our faith is tested by all of our temptations, sufferings, and inconveniences like COVID. Although our faith is constantly being tested, we can increase it by reception of the Sacraments. Faith is not a virtue we get by doing it…that’s a habitual virtue. A habitual virtue is gotten through practice. For example, if we pray, “Lord, please increase my patience.” Pray that, and I guarantee when you walk out that door, you will get behind every blue haired driver in Stanly County on a 2-lane road, driving 15 mph under the speed limit, and have no way to pass. I did once and …well, that doesn’t matter! So, you get better at a habitual virtue by doing it. How do you get better at baking? By doing it. Baking is not an infused virtue. You get better at baking by doing it. Faith is an infused virtue that grows through our increased reception of the Sacraments. You have faith, because you are here. You are purifying it by wondering if Father is ever going to stop preaching!! That’s faith, hope, and charity. You increase your faith through the Sacraments. As a priest told me at my first Mass, “Spend less time on your toes and more time on your knees.” Lord, increase our faith.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you increase your faith by receiving the Sacraments as often as possible?

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Sermon Notes – ReGift Your Blessings

“Re-Gift Your Blessings”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

July 18 – 19, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 13: 24-43

Last week, I was talking to you about faith. Faith is a gift asked for by our parents, given to us by the Almighty God at our Baptism, and increased by reception of the Sacraments. He gives us the gift of faith as well as the various talents we all have. Now, in this parish we are blessed with abundantly talented people…far more than other parishes in the diocese. To do what? To make us feel good? No. If they make you feel good, that’s a side effect. Your gifts are meant to be used to witness to the world and to bring people to the light of truth and the light of love…to make His presence and His love known. The talents and abilities God has given you, no matter how insignificant or small, no matter the field, whether it’s like Frankie with music, law enforcement, or Felix with drugs (he’s a pharmacist…he really is) are to be used to manifest His love. You may be thinking, “Well, Father, you have an important job.” But, this is what God assigned me to do. Whatever your field, bring that message to people by using your talents. Why? The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy come to mind. God gives us faith, because He wants us to come to His salvation. But, He also wants us to cooperate with Him and work for salvation of the world. If we have faith, it must be brought forth in works to testify about His glory and the love that God has for us. If you look in the Epistle of St. James, he says “show me your faith without works, and I will show my faith to you from works.” You may be thinking, “But Father, you’re a priest, it’s easy for you to do that.” No…sometimes, I don’t feel like doing it…I’ll tell you the truth. But, whatever talents you have… whatever vocation God has assigned to you…whatever your stage of life…whether you are a brain surgeon or street sweeper; husband or wife; mother or father, elderly or young, bring your love and let it manifest. Even the suffering and inconveniences we have can be offered up for the salvation of souls. Because of her gift of faith, Saint Theresa de Lisieux was able to do the smallest actions with great love.

There will be an accounting of how we used our gifts. Look at Matthew 25:35-36 for the final exam. What does it say? “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” Well, good news – you’re not in prison or they just haven’t caught you yet. Being in prison means you didn’t have a good lawyer or you did something incredibly stupid. But, you have the gift of freedom. So, go visit someone…not now while we’re in this hotbed of COVID…but after. If you are healthy, that is a gift from God, so there should be some gratitude on your part. How is gratitude best demonstrated? By visiting the sick. If you have extra clothing, that means you have a job and an income, so give to someone who doesn’t. This is how you will be judged…by sharing the love that He has given you. God gave us the gift of faith for a reason. He wants us to bestow that gift of faith, to manifest it, by using whatever vocation or talents we have. Use them prudently, spend a lot of time in prayer, and receive the Sacraments frequently. This is how we will be judged…by the gifts we received and how we used those gifts. This is how we show our Faith.

I broke the law the other day. As I was walking through the Geriatric Unit at the VA Hospital, I recognized a patient who had been a Navy nurse in Vietnam. She’s in solitary confinement. That’s real suffering, especially during this time when solitary confinement means total lockdown. I said, “How are you, sweetheart!” She had this beautiful smile, so I looked both ways and gave her a kiss on top of her head through my mask (a COVID kiss). She just smiled, and when I told her that this never happened, she laughed. This is how we show our faith and share His love. It’s also how we will be judged. God will say, “I gave you this great gift. I gave you the gift of Myself. I gave you the gift of My love. I asked you to share My Love with other people so that their souls might be saved. So, what have you done with this great gift I gave you?”

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you use your faith and talents to help others in need? Will you show them His love?

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Sermon Notes – Where’s Waldo?

“Where’s Waldo?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

July 25 – 26, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 13: 44-52

I always have fun while driving up to Salisbury, because I play “Where’s Waldo.” I look for all of the cops. It’s kind of fun for me to think about where the Highway Patrol might be hiding. Sometimes, they park on the crest of a hill, right over the top where you can’t see them until it’s too late and you’re flying over the hill and they’re sitting there with a radar gun pointed at you. “Hello!” There goes the blue light…cool. I appreciate that as a soldier…I really do. You know how I know where they are? Sometimes they are really good at watching or sleeping…I’m not sure which…I assume they are watching. But, I keep an eye on the brake lights of cars in front of me. If I see people on a clear highway suddenly put on their brakes, I know there’s a police officer up ahead.

It’s how we view situations that reveals the state of our souls. “Oh, that’s terrible!” What’s so terrible about it? The police are guardian angels, because when someone has trouble, they are there to help. When you get hurt, go take care of yourself…let me know how that works out for you. The police don’t want to mess with you. I am sure they have days in which they are totally bored. But, not everybody they meet is as nice as you folks.

Spiritual direction gives me an opportunity to glimpse into people’s souls. When they say cops are terrible, doctors are crazy, priests are perverts, or the church is too rich, it reveals the state of their souls. What’s wrong with you? How many times have you broken the sixth commandment? Bishop Sheen taught that our actions are a window into our souls. We all get agitated. What’s wrong with that? In today’s gospel (Matthew 13:49), we are told that our Good Lord will come and He will judge His people. People do not like the term ‘judgement.’ “Oh, that’s a harsh word.” No, it’s not…unless you have a bad conscience. It’s just a revelation of what’s in your soul. Judgement is a reward. It’s a ratification of your love and sacrifices. God says, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.” Our love will be ratified because of all the things God has asked us to do including our application of Matthew 25: 35-36, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” It’s the least we can do. But, the gifts of love are never enough. When a man gives a lady a gift, what are the classic lines? “I wish it were bigger; I wish it were better; it doesn’t portray the depth of my feelings; I wanted the very best, but this is all I could do; I wish I could have done more.” The gifts of love never seem like they are enough.

Judgement reveals what is in our hearts and is demonstrated by our actions. God does not want anyone to be sent away from Him. Even saying “I’m sorry” at the very moment of death is sufficient to spend eternity with Him. God, who creates us out of love, who sustains us out of love, does not get perverse pleasure in sending us to hell. That denies His nature, and it denies the gospel. It also denies Christ the Almighty Savior and His promise of salvation.

What is the nature of God? God is love Himself. He doesn’t want us to be cut off from Him forever. That’s why He sent His Son into the world for our salvation, so that we could share eternity with Him. He doesn’t want any of us to be lost to Him. If we are lost to Him, that’s on us. So, if the word “judgement” is hard for you to hear, please come talk to me.

On Thursday, I went to the VA Hospital. I was due to take another COVID test because of where I see patients. But, the VA stopped that program, so I can go on in? “No, we’re going to give you one anyway.” Gee, thank you! At least they give you a Kleenex to hide your tears. Get ready in 10 seconds: 1…2…3…Dude, do it! So, why should we let something like that upset our soul? In some ways it reminds me of that young man standing on the corner and screaming, “Jesus is coming, and you are getting nailed.” That’s not why He’s coming. It’s not for judgement, but to reveal what is in our hearts. If you don’t like what’s in yours, please come see me.

How will you apply this message to your life? Talk to Father Fitzgibons if you are concerned about Judgement and revealing what is in your heart.

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Sermon Notes – A Peaceful Protest Against Sin

“A Peaceful Protest Against Sin”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 22-23, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 16: 13-20

You’ve heard me tell you many times that if you are going to study scripture, you must first study it as a First Century Jew. You must go back to the first century, to the beginning, when Christ first came so that you can understand and get a greater sense of the impact of His works and His culture. Certain words will scream out at you – very important words – words that won’t need much explanation. Our Lord was setting up His plan for redemption which, in theology, is called the Economy of Salvation. We are to continue His work of redemption throughout the generations. Our Lord introduced two new words and a whole new concept. The Jews understood them and it was if they had been smacked in the face with a baseball bat. So, if you study scripture, you have to learn how to study it in the original language it was written – whether in Greek, Latin, or Aramaic. I have to tell you…it’s not a whole lot of fun and giggles. My advice is to get a good Catholic Bible.

Our Lord took the apostles aside and said, “Simon bar Jonah (Simon son of John), you are now Peter” (in Greek: Petros, meaning the rock). If you were a Jew, you immediately understood that as going back to Genesis in the Pentateuch. In Genesis 17:5, God said, “Abram, you are now Abraham and the father of holy Jews. In Deuteronomy 28:9, He introduced the Greek term, “qahal” meaning a religious assembly. He said, “I will make you a holy people.” In ancient times, holy people were called qahal, but now they were the holy people of the Church…not a small Christian community and not a body of believers, but the Church. In Matthew 16:18, our Lord uses another Greek term that had never been used before in scripture – “ecclesia” meaning church. “You are My church. I will build on you My church.” He was speaking to Peter directly. The original Greek word used for “you” was singular.

In English, our words are not very precise like other languages, and the word “you” can be singular or it can be plural. “Upon you, I will build my church.” Was he talking to all of the apostles? No, he wasn’t. You have to read it in the original Greek. If you learned French, remember the variation of the word “you” is “tu” and “vous.” “Tu” is used to address a particular person, and “Vous” to address a crowd. “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church.” He wasn’t talking to the other apostles or anybody else there. He was speaking to Peter. “Upon you, Peter, I will build My church. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” The other apostles may have been thinking, “Whoa, I’m brighter than that bozo; why is he getting all the praise!”

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” So, what does this binding and loosing authority include? It includes forgiveness of sin, governance of the Church, and discipline. However, even with this binding and loosing power, we cannot change the Commandments as almost every other Christian organization has done. No matter who the Pope is, he cannot change Divine Law. He cannot change the word of God. He can only change Disciplinary Law. That is all. We cannot marry a male to a male or a female to a female. We cannot change the Commandments. We will bestow mercy, but we cannot change the Word of God. The binding and loosening authority is meant only for the well-being of the Church and not to change Divine Will. Disciplinary laws such as fasting promote the building up of the Church. They provide guidance to the faithful, preservation from sin, and the increase of virtue.

Our Lord talked about the power of sin and God’s forgiveness. He bestowed the great gifts of His grace and His consolation. He provided the means of salvation to all who came and who wanted to hear. Although we were not born in the First Century, Our Lord wants to make sure we have the same opportunity for salvation as the people who lived during His lifetime. His words shocked the Jews when they heard them. They were awestruck by His teaching, as we all should be.

How will you apply this message to your life? Are you awestruck by the teachings of Christ?

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Sermon Notes – He Raises Us Up

“He Raises Us Up”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 29-30, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 16:21-27

When Christ ascended in to Heaven with the human nature He took from the Blessed Mother and the one He suffered, redeemed, and was glorified in, His temptations didn’t stop there. His temptations go on. But, how do the temptations go on when He’s not here? Yes, He is. As the Book of Acts tells us, Christ asked Saul, “Why do you persecute Me?” He was talking about the Church. Christ is His Church. You cannot separate Christ and His church. No, no, no. You cannot separate them. Christ is His Church. He said, “Why are you persecuting Me?” He didn’t say, “Why are you persecuting the people who go into a building and who think I’m a great guy?” No. He said, “Why are you persecuting Me?” You cannot separate Christ and His church. So, the temptations of Christ go on and on and on. When I was in college, Class of 75, the private college I was at had a brand new library. It was a beautiful place…great for naps. Actually, I studied very hard. Now, even though this was a Catholic college, they couldn’t teach religion, because if you use federal money, the government can tell you what you can and cannot do. When you have Catholic housing, the government can tell you exactly who to let in. If you take their money, they call the shots. Look at the Little Sisters of the Poor. They take care of God’s unwanted people…the old. I don’t see anyone else taking them in. The Sisters make sure the people in their care are all washed, fed and dressed before they get their breakfast. The Sisters were told they had to provide birth control for all people. Really? The case went all the way to the Supreme Court. How much hate for Christ does it take to do that? People are always trying to change Him. One of my personal favorites….it’s a minor thing, but it’s one of my personal favorites: “Father, I’m not coming back to church until priests can be married.” Really? Even my mother didn’t care about me that much. Come on! You are basing your eternal salvation on whether or not I have a spouse? Are you kidding me? I can’t keep a flower alive. Dogs don’t like me. Really? “Well, unless the doctor is this or that, I’m not going to him.” Oh, okay. Good luck with that. I’ll see you at Hartsel’s Funeral Home. “Unless Mass is in English or Spanish I’m not coming back.” I can only speak one language and I don’t speak it very well. I have Spanish Mass, and as you all know, I really try. I speak Spanish with a French accent. When I was in Korea, I tried to learn Hangul and that didn’t happen. When I was in the Middle East, I tried Arabic and that didn’t happen. I remember some Latin, but I don’t use it in conversations except with pharmacists and doctors. We always want to change the wrong things. We try to change Christ. But, Christ is calling us to be like Him. He wants to raise us up to be with Him. We spend so much time and energy trying to change the wrong things. Instead, we need to change ourselves.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you focus on changing yourself to be like Christ instead of trying to change Him?

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Sermon Notes – Schizophrenic?

“Schizophrenic?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 12-13, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 18: 21-35

During the 4th year of theology, theologians take a course on penance. It’s a very interesting class, but, if you don’t pass it, you cannot hear confessions. It’s like medical school…if you don’t pass anatomy, you don’t get to practice medicine. Go figure. The penance class gave us the opportunity to apply what we had learned in Moral Theology, or immoral theology as we liked to call it. Everything we learned in theology, we now got to apply to souls.

So, how many types of sin are there? Two? Mortal and Venial…right? There is actually a third type of sin called Material Sin. All sin is evil, but not all sin is deadly as scripture tells us. An example of Material Sin is if someone suddenly cuts you off on the highway and you make a spontaneous burst of commentary about his or her parentage. Is this a sin against charity and a bad example for other people inside the car? Yes, but, it’s not culpable. There was no thought to it. It was just a spontaneous action. The action itself was sinful, but carries no guilt. I was actually awake that day in class 40 years ago.

Sin has levels of gravity. For example, there’s a difference between taking a poke at me which I most richly deserve and taking one at a child. Wouldn’t you say there is a difference in gravity? Some sins are so bad that they carry certain remedies. There are five sins specifically reserved for the Holy Father and that only he can forgive. The good news is that you can commit only one of them…by physically attacking the Pontiff. If you try to stab the Pope, I cannot forgive that. The other four sins are reserved for the clergy, and only the Holy Father can forgive those. There are also sins that only bishops can forgive because of the gravity of the sin. One of the sins reserved for bishops is the forgiveness of the sin of abortion. In the military, bishops gave their priests the authority to forgive the sin of abortion, and Bishop Jugis has given me the same authority. I can forgive that sin in the Sacrament of Penance, because the gravity of the sin is so great. The most helpless of all human beings is a child in the womb. But, it’s a grave sin not only for the person who had the abortion performed, but for those who performed it and for those who enabled it to be performed. It’s also a grave sin for those who voted for it, for those who gave money to politicians to keep it legal, and for those who cooperated with it. Why? Because you are helping to make abortion available. If you drive someone to go rob a bank – guess what, you are guilty of robbing a bank. “But, I didn’t go in the bank!” “I didn’t know!” You are still guilty. If you drive someone so that they can shoot and kill another person, you are guilty of murder. You’re going to need a good lawyer. When you get to prison, I hope you enjoy the bologna sandwiches and fried fish. By enabling people to commit the sin, you are culpable for the sin.

You cannot believe something in private and something else in public. You cannot say, “Personally, I’m against it, but I don’t want to force my beliefs on anybody.” We call those people schizophrenic, and there’s a lot of them out there. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel, when we say “yes” it must mean “yes” and when we say “no” it must mean “no.” Otherwise, it’s schizophrenic and goes against the Gospel.

The penalty of abortion is excommunication. Excommunication, according to Cannon Law, means you are cut off from the Sacraments of the Church, and if you die, you will lose your mortal soul. All of these penalties sound drastic and severe. People who don’t know theology say, “Oh! Excommunication is so punitive!” They have no idea what they are talking about. The Church has no punitive penalties. All of these penalties have evolved in Cannon Law and are medicinal remedies. They are meant to warn people that they are in danger of losing their mortal souls. These penalties are like having a 2×4 up the side of the head…it’s a wakeup call.

Sin is bad, but God’s love is greater. During confessions, some people will say “Father I plead guilty to every sin in the book.” Well, I don’t think so, because there are actually two books on Moral Theology. So, did you commit bestiality? “No!” Well, there goes one chapter. Were you a paratrooper? “No!” There goes another chapter. We are certainly narrowing down the chapters. Did you marry your cousin? “No! Oops! There goes another chapter. Were you a Marine? “No!” Well, there goes another chapter. So, just what have you done then?

God’s love is so great that even a defrocked priest can forgive sin when there is danger of death…regardless of the sin. Even Mr. McCarrick, formerly Cardinal McCarrick, can forgive sin when there is a danger of death. How great is God’s love for us that He will use imperfect and sinful people such as myself to forgive sin. His infinite mercy is boundless. Now, to acquire mercy, what must you first do? You have to plead guilty. If we go to court – I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve seen one on T.V… – and we tell the judge we need mercy, the judge will say “for what?” So, you plead guilty and then throw yourself on the mercy of the court just like the good thief who was on the Cross alongside Jesus. The good thief admitted his guilt and asked the Lord to remember him in His kingdom. Our Lord responded, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

The most beautiful thing about our Lord has to do with His nature. God has no memory. What is memory dependent upon? The passage of time. But, if you read scripture, how does our Lord define Himself? “I am.” Not “I will be” or “I was,” but “I am.” God’s eternal love is boundless. He forgives and He forgets, no matter how grievous our sins.

How will you apply this message to your life? Are you enabling people to commit sin? When you say “yes”, do you mean “yes” and when you say “no” do you mean “no”? Or, do you say one thing in private and something else in public?

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Sermon Notes – No Justice…No Peace?

“No Justice…No Peace?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 19-20, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 20: 28-32

We often see around the church, especially during this political season, all these signs about “No Justice…No Peace.” If we don’t get justice, we’ll have no peace. But, that’s not true. It’s not true theologically. In the real world, you really don’t want justice….what you want is mercy. For example, if the cops give you a blue light special and write you an “I love Stanly County” donation/ticket, you might be a bit upset. “Oh! No, no, please…my mother’s sick!” You don’t want justice. But, justice is that you were speeding, so you got a citation, and you paid the fine. That’s justice. We don’t want justice, because when we get justice, we aren’t very happy at all. We want mercy which is the fullest expression of God’s love. The greatest experience of God’s love is when He forgives and forgets all of our sins. Those of us who may not have committed dreadful sins as others have…at least not yet…we have a gift for which we should be thanking God.

Spiritually, we have no idea how heinous and egregious our sins are. That’s why I visit the sick, because receiving Last Rites is so important. That’s also why it is essential to call a priest near the hour of someone’s death…preferably before that, while they’re still conscious…so they can talk. Sometimes, I get a call from the family…”Oh, they died two hours ago.” But, it’s too late…they’ve passed now. Those who get to receive Last Rites experience God’s mercy, and having had moments of terror all the way up to the moment of death, they can now be at peace. The Four Horsemen of death, war, plague and famine are gone. They got to experience God’s mercy at the time of their passing. They heard God’s words of love preached over them, and they had the chance to say, “I love you Lord and I’m sorry for everything I’ve done wrong.” And, that is sufficient because of God’s grace, even for those who have lived very colorful lives, and some of them have been quite colorful. But, now they have peace. I refer you to the poem by Francis Thompson, “The Hound of Heaven”…look it up. If you’ve never had an experience with the Four Horsemen, I pray that you never do. Pray for those who still see them.

Our Lord said from the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” This so-called demand for justice blinds us. Look at the workmen in the Gospel. These men were working, but were not grateful even though, by working, they had the ability to feed their wives and children. Almost everyone back then was married and had lots of children. These men had a chance to feed their families. Were they grateful to the man who hired them? “Hey…thank you for helping me feed my family!” Nope. But, those men standing around and who had not been hired were most grateful. They had been terrified all day thinking that they would have no money, no food…nothing…for their families and that their children would cry and their wives would complain. Instead, they experienced God’s great mercy. Until then, they had experienced the terror, fear, bewilderment, and darkness that occurs when the Four Horsemen come.

So, these men have been standing there all day…idle; they don’t have their own business, and they have no other source of income. They are day laborers, and they got hired. The Gospel related that none of them thanked the man for hiring them. Justice…it blinds us. It also causes a lack of compassion and self-centeredness. The men hired at the end of the day now have a chance to feed their families. They got a full day’s pay, so they were able to go home and feed their wives and children and provide them clothes. The other workmen did not care. They were not grateful for the opportunity to earn a day’s wage and feed their own families. These schmucks had no compassion for the suffering of the people dependent on those men. They also had no compassion for their interior agony. Again, our Lord’s words from the Cross were “My God, my God, why have You abandoned Me.” The Four Horsemen were with the men that day. They had been terrified they would have to go home to their wives and children with empty hands. The other guys couldn’t have cared less. And, they weren’t going to pony up some money for them. No, they just wanted more. “But, that’s justice!” No. You haven’t learned anything about this, have you. God reveals Himself through His mercy. The greatest experience of God’s love is the experience of His mercy, and that mercy is always spelled out for us. God’s mercy is where His love resides. There are two ways to experience the greatness of God’s love – by receiving His mercy and by never losing His love by sinning.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you stop insisting on justice and instead ask for His mercy? Will you pray for those who are dealing with the Four Horsemen?

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Sermon Notes – His Transforming Power

“The Transforming Power of God”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 26 – 27, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 20: 1-16A

During this era of the COVID epidemic, we want to rely on evidence-based science. Solutions are evidence that has been proven. Unlike Army medicine, I just want to make sure it works on somebody else before I try it. In the first Gulf War, we were given a dose of something right off the shelf. “Well, this should work; we aren’t sure, but good luck!” Thank you very much. Everybody got sick. Death would have felt like an improvement. When you work for Uncle, you have to take all this stuff that they think “might” work. When we were young and didn’t like the medicine we needed, our parents would take it so that we would.

We can see the transforming power of God. A couple of examples are the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Sisters of Charity. Look at what they do; the poverty they work in; and the people they deal with. It would take you a little while to adjust to that life and some never do. One of the sisters asked, “Do you get many American vocations?” “No, they cannot handle the work; they are too sissy.” I had to correct one of the Sisters, a doctor, when I was in Gitmo. The Sisters wouldn’t drink any water from the time they left in the morning until lunch time. Gitmo is rather warm and humid all the time. This Sister was sick, and I told her that she knew better and that she needed to take a break. The amount of work they do is daunting. They take care of the aged, and every morning, the Sisters made sure everyone was washed and fed before they had their own breakfast. It’s not an easy life, but they manage and they’re happy. They are very well balanced. Women say they want to be part of it. Really? Where does that come from?

When I was a young priest I was assigned to St. Patrick’s and then St. Gabriel. On Sunday mornings, a woman would come in and cook breakfast for the priests. Some of the gentlemen waited on us; one was my doctor, Dr. Kozack. These men never ate…they just waited on us. No coffee cup was ever empty. There was this one guy who waited on me for over two years like he was my personal steward or something. His name was Dick Froch. Dick was an interesting character. One day I saw something on his arm. After breakfast, while we were walking over to the church for Mass, I said, “Hey Dick, were you in the German army during the war?” He said “Yes, I was.” What branch? Then, he knew that I knew. I had seen the tattoo on his arm. As a young man, Dick had been a member of the SS division that guarded Adolph Hitler. After that, they were sent to work on the Eastern Front and then the Western Front. They were really bad, bad boys. They had done a lot of bad things. Dick was lucky, because the Americans had a habit of shooting the SS when they caught them. Why wait for a trial? But, Dick, a war criminal, had regained his faith, became a humble man, a good Catholic, and served me breakfast for over two years. The power of God’s transformation can do incredible things.

In my work at the Veterans Hospital, I see all sorts of men and women in the drug and alcohol unit. I see them come in sick, and I see a lot of them get better and leave which is both wonderful and surprising at the VA. If they do as they are told, they get better. Is it the medicine given to them at the VA? No. Medicine cannot cure drug and alcohol addiction. Doctors can make sure you dry out without killing yourself; but they can’t ensure long term sobriety. What keeps these men and women sober or clean, depending on their problem, is their relationship with God and His transforming power. They were sick and now they are better. We can see the transforming power of God all around us. Some people say, “Oh, this doesn’t work!” That’s like denying the sun rises in the East. Open your eyes to see the sunrise; open your eyes to see the transforming power of God all around you. You just don’t want to see it, because if you see something, you have to act on it. Then, you are responsible.

This one man came in and wanted to see me. He said, “Father I’m not Catholic, but I want to talk to you.” Okay, sure. “When I was in the hospital for a couple years, I talked to a priest, and he really helped me out.” And, then this man told me his story. Growing up, he was sexually, emotionally, and physically abused. When he came of age, he joined the Army and did a tour in Vietnam. What he saw there just enraged him…what the VC did to people. So, he signed up for a second tour and became Special Operations to repay the favor. When he came home, he tried alcohol therapy, but that didn’t work. He had all sorts of problems: anger, PTSD, the whole gamut. He sought help and got it. It took him years, but, because he had a spiritual transformation, he had a very happy marriage and was able to help other people who had also been abused. By the way, he was in the hospital for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. One day, his doctor told him that his time was short. I saw him in the hallway a few days before he died. He had a new wheelchair that he could control with his mouth. I told him when I came back the following week, we were putting flames on the side of his chair. We were going to pimp his ride. He was happy, even though he knew his time was short and knew how his life would end. Having ALS is not the most pleasant way to die. But, he was happy. He was at peace, and his wife was at peace. The power of God in your life is transforming. No matter what you have done or what was done to you, the transforming power of God can change you. It can, and it will, if you work at it using the means that God offers us.

We have evidence-based proof that God’s power is alive and active. It’s all around us. You’d be surprised at the people around you who have received all sorts of blessings from God. Dr. Bernard Nathanson, who has passed now, performed 40,000 abortions and later became Catholic. The head of the Gestapo in Rome – you know how they work…if not, look it up – became a Catholic while in prison. We are not a church of psychopaths – we may be eccentric – but we are not psychopaths. We have evidence-based proof of the power of God. Some people might say, “Well, it wouldn’t work with me.” But, have you ever tried?

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you allow the transforming power of God change you?

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Sermon Notes – Our Guardian Angels

“Our Guardian Angels”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 3 – 4, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 21: 33-43

This past week Holy Mother Church celebrated two interesting feasts. All of the feasts are interesting, but you don’t usually get so much instruction from the pulpit nowadays. We celebrated the Feast of the Archangels – How many archangels are there? Protestants have two, because they don’t have the Book of Tobit in the scripture – they threw that out in the 16th Century. There are three archangels. We also celebrated the Feast of the Guardian Angels. We all have a guardian angel, but Saint Theresa had the privilege of seeing hers as did Saint Francis. So, I was trying to think of a sermon about guardian angels. Now, I’m not the brightest guy in the world, but I know bright people. So, I decided to borrow a sermon on guardian angels from Saint Bernard.

Saint Bernard writes:

‘He has given His angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.’ Let the Lord be thanked for His steadfast love, for His wonderful works to the sons of men. Let the nations praise Him and say that the Lord has done great things for them. Lord, what is man that You make so much of him; that You set Your mind upon him? You set Your mind upon him; You are solicitous for him; You care for him. Indeed, You send Your only Son to him; You infuse Your Spirit; You promise him the sight of Your countenance. And, that no being in heaven may rest from the work of caring for us, You send those blessed spirits to minister to us; You assign them to watch over us; You bid them be our guardians.

‘He has given His angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.’ What reverence this saying should instill in you; what devotion it should stir up; what trust it should inspire. Reverence for their presence; devotion on account of their loving care; trust in their protection. They are present, and present to you, not merely accompanying you, but watching over you. They are present in order to protect you, in order to help you. Nevertheless, though it is He who gave them this charge, we should not be ungrateful to them, for they obey with such love and help us in such great need.

Let us then be devoted and grateful to such guardians; let us return their love and honor them as much as we can and ought. But let all our love and honor be referred to Him from whom alone both we and they derive whatever enables us to show love and honor, or become worthy of love and honor ourselves.

In Him, therefore, brethren, let us love His angels with sincere affection; they will be our co-heirs at some future time and in this present time are the guardians and trustees placed in charge of us by the Father. We are now children of God, though it does not yet appear, because being children of God though it does not yet appear, because being children still we are under guardians and trustees and in no different condition from slaves.

Though we are children and the road that lies ahead of us is so long, and not only long but dangerous, what have we to fear with such guardians? They cannot be vanquished, nor led astray, still less can they lead us astray; these beings who guard us in all of our ways. They are faithful, they are wise, they are powerful; what have we to fear? Let us but follow them and cling to them, and we shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you follow your guardian angel so that you can abide in His shadow?

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Sermon Notes – Speak the Truth

“Speak the Truth“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 17 – 18, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 22: 15-21

You know what the primary job of a priest is? I don’t blame you if you don’t know, because a lot of priests don’t know what it is. I’m serious about that. We’ve been told so many different things over the past years beginning when I was in seminary. Over the 37 years that I have been ordained, it has changed back and forth and back again. The primary job of a priest is to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to administer the Sacraments, and to preach the Gospel. He is not there to run social programs. He is not there to hold committee meetings. No committee ever solved a problem; just look at the post office…no offense. They forget what the primary role of a priest is. You need this committee and that committee. I’m busy at the hospital visiting sick people. But, if I’m too busy with committee meetings, I could always send lay people. We are busy doing the wrong things. We’ve forgotten our primary mission which is to bring God’s love, the Sacraments, and the mercy of Christ to His people. We are to preach the gospel whether it’s convenient or inconvenient.

Priests are forbidden to engage in secular business. They are also forbidden to hold public office. We went through a period when there were priests in Congress. One guy didn’t want to leave, and the bishop made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, so he left. I don’t know if that bishop was Italian or not, but he should have been. You know how many Catholics we have in Congress? One is Vice-President, and one is Speaker of the House. How are those Catholic laws working? Do you know why laws were created? Laws were created because people failed to live moral lives. So, the state had to take over and enforce moral conduct. The state came in and said “You will not do this and you will not do that.” So, laws were passed. Now, in this age of post-Christianity, true Christianity, laws are being passed that destroy moral order. Abortion and same sex marriage are good now. They’ve changed morality.

We preach the Gospel, and we tell them the truth. Tell those who preach abortion who are Catholic. Don’t even think about taking Holy Communion – not in my church and over my dead body. This is the truth. “Well, Father, it’s just Catholic truth.” If you take Philosophy 101, on the first day of class you learn that there is only one truth by definition. There are no separate truths. If you do, you have a multiple personality disorder, and there is medicine for that. You are crackers. There is only one truth. Jesus is the truth and the way. There are about 60,000 denominations. That’s 60,000 different definitions of what is true. The only truth we have is Catholicism.

Laws don’t change people. Look at the bad things happening on the streets. Just this past week, the Sheriff’s Department and Albemarle Police Department responded to a shooting. “But, Father, there are laws against that. Why would people do it?” We need a change of people’s hearts. Laws don’t change the heart nor does punishment. Just look at the felon university over by the airport. Only the truth can change hearts.

This is what the Church is called to do. By virtue of our Baptismal promises, we are called to speak the truth in order to change hearts and to change lives. Where does the courage to tell people the truth come from? It comes from the power of Jesus in your heart. Some people will get mad, and that’s okay. We pray that they will have a conversion of the heart and lead changed lives.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you speak the truth so that hearts and lives can be changed?