Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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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?

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Sermon Notes – Compassion

“Showing Compassion is Not Always Compassionate“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 24 – 25, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 22: 34-40

Our first parents walked with God and talked with God. They were given one rule: don’t eat the apple. If you love Me, don’t eat the apple. What did they do? They ate the apple! So here we are. Our Lord says, if you love me, keep My Commandments. Realizing our failed human condition, He tells us exactly how we are to love Him. He has given us the law. The purpose of the law is to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. The law and the commandments spell out how to do it. We think love is an emotion, and we confuse love with liking. There’s a big difference. We are called to love as Christ loved. We are to keep the Commandments for those are acts of love. The commands of the Church are even more specific, because everyone tries to be a Canon lawyer. God made a rock so big He can’t move it. Ask the Sheriff. When they turn on the blue lights, everyone becomes a lawyer. “What do you mean…I have my rights!” No. The law is quite specific. This is how you love. In 2,000 years of Church history, there is not a situation that the Church hasn’t covered. If you have committed a sin that I haven’t heard, I’ll pay you for the privilege to hear it. You are not that original…I work with paratroopers. Trust me…you are not that original.

Our Lord teaches us how to love, and He gives us specifics about how to love. Sometimes, it is not the most pleasant thing for us to do. People often come to me and ask about what the Church teaches. First, the Church is not an “it”. The Church is a “Who” …it is the body of Christ. It is not a “What.” In the Book of Acts, He asked Saul, “Why are you persecuting Me?” Go back to the Gospels. Jesus said, “He who hears you hears Me.” So, the Church is not an “it” or an institution. The Church is Christ’s teachings handed down through the ages. When people ask me about a Church teaching, I give it to them and offer to give them the citation. “But I want to do this.” I know you want to do that. But, no. “But, it’s the more loving thing to do.” No, it’s not. You know more about love than Christ? Sometimes, it’s very hard. We want what we want when we want it, because our minds are affected by sin. Our original sin does that to us. Christ spells out the most loving thing to do. The most loving thing to do is not cosigning someone’s codependent behavior. “Oh, we should give free needles to drug addicts.” No, we should put them in rehab. “We should buy booze for alcoholics.” No, they kill people – about 50,000 highway deaths a year at least. “We should perform gay marriage.” No. Same sex attraction is a mental illness that affects two percent of the population. Their abuse of alcohol, drugs and suicidal behavior is off the charts. It’s triple or quadruple the number of so-called “ordinary” people. Doing the compassionate thing is not always compassionate. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. I see people in the Emergency Room, and they tell the doctor, “Oh, Doc, my back hurts…I need a script…I need some OxyContin.” No. Take some aspirin. Have a good day. You’re not hurt. “Oh, he’s hurting…he’s crying.” No. He needs to suck it up.

Jesus tells us the most specific and most loving thing to do. He not only tells us in precise detail, He also lived it. If we love God, we should do as He did. Imitate the saints and love God as they did. Find a patron saint, by baptism, by confession, or by a particular situation. For cancer situations, Saint Peregrine Laziosi is a good one to turn to. Find out what the saints did and imitate them. Do what they did and you will get what they got.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you stop cosigning the codependent behavior of others? Will you imitate the saints by loving God as they did?

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Sermon Notes – Follow the Directions

“Follow the Directions“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 31 – November 1, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 5: 1-12A

When I was planning this sermon, I had a flashback to when I was in school. I remembered Jeannie Garrigan; I hope she is still with us. She wrote the Beatitudes on the blackboard in her beautiful Palmer penmanship. She had such beautiful cursive writing. We had to write the Beatitudes and memorize them. As you know, I was not given the gift of beautiful Palmer penmanship. Very often, Lori comes into my office and asks, “What the heck is this?”

On this day, our Holy Church holds up for our veneration, admiration, and emulation all those who achieved their faith’s goal of salvation. How did they do it? Our Lord told them, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.” They used the means Our good Lord gave them to follow Him and to achieve their salvation. Those same means are there for us. You may say, “But Father, these are different times.” In many ways, these are far easier times. I have a picture on my phone of my Uncle Herbert who died at age four with water on the brain. Today, medical treatment is available with no problem; in by 10 am out by 2 pm. In the 1920’s, they didn’t have that. Our lives are far easier in many ways. We have a lot more electronic stuff…stay off the computer, will you? My gosh!

The same means for salvation that the saints had are there for us. Use the Sacraments, prayer, mortification, and the offering up of suffering…these are all parts of prayer. When you pray at home at night say, “Dear precious God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” and mark yourself with the sign of the Cross. When you do, it carries an actual grace. But, do it slowly and with purpose, not like you’re at home plate. Use the Sacramental that provides an actual grace such as Holy Water.

What is the most neglected part of prayer? “Thank you.” All of the saints prayed. We honor, emulate, and venerate all the saints – not just the ones who have been canonized, but all of those who intercede for us. Why? Because, their love is not bound by temporal and physical restrictions. They pray for all the faithful in the Church suffering on Earth, the Church Militant.

One day we hope to enjoy the blessings of the Church Triumph in Heaven. Tomorrow, we pray for the Church’s suffering souls in Purgatory. So, perhaps tonight, or after receiving communion, say thank you for all those unknown intercessions made for you and to all those benefactors who have prayed for you. Why? Because, by virtue of their Baptism, they love you.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you pray for the suffering souls in Purgatory? Will you imitate the saints by loving God as they did?

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Sermon Notes – Help Those in Need

“Help Those Who Cannot Help Themselves“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

November 7-8, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 25: 1-13

The definition of death is that point when the soul leaves the body. We give the Sacraments only to the living. I have anointed people who have clinically died…I’m not a doctor, but I’ve seen a lot. I can anoint unless rigor mortis has set in which happens within two hours of death, but if your head is over here and your body is over there, death occurs a little sooner. After death, a soul goes immediately to God in what the Catechism tells us is the Particular Judgement. When people die, they all see God; some people stay for a cup of coffee, and others get to stay longer. If a soul is found to be in a perfect State of Grace, it goes immediately to Heaven. But, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news for some is that they don’t go to Heaven. They are separated from God forever, because they chose not to respond to His love. So, anybody in hell is a self-made man or women. They chose to be there. Even at the point of death, instead of saying “I’m sorry,” which would have given them the hope of salvation in Purgatory, they chose to separate themselves from God. “Oh, God sends people to hell.” No, He doesn’t. We send ourselves. There is good news for those who aren’t found to be in a perfect State of Grace, but are free from mortal sin. They have stains left from penances they haven’t done or sins they have not repented of. These souls will go to Purgatory where, like in the parable, they will clean their Baptismal Robes.

Some of you may have heard of the fires of purgatory. Do you know what they are? They aren’t real fires, because you won’t have a body. It is the fire of an absolute longing that cannot be filled and the pain of separation. In Purgatory, our hearts are purified and our Baptismal Robes cleaned so that we can enter the place of the perfect. At our Particular Judgement, we will see God as He is, and our hearts will be filled and rejoice. We will see the fullness of God and fall in love with His light. Our souls will becomes so full and so happy, but, then God says, “Not now.” We’ve seen perfection, yet we have to wait. You see, unless you are perfect, you cannot abide in the place of the perfect. So, you go away for a while.

The souls in Purgatory are being cleansed of venial sin. They are what the Church calls the Church Suffering, because they are going through deprivation. Is it actual physical pain? Well, since they don’t have a body, it can’t be physical pain. It will be like waiting for that apple pie your mother makes; “Not yet…in a little while.” My mother’s definition of “a little while” is a lot different from mine…I’ll tell you that right now! But, you have to wait for the pie. That intense longing, that deprivation of the fullness of life and joy is a great part of the suffering. When you are deprived of the presence and closeness of your beloved even though you are so close is excruciating. At hospitals and nursing homes, they sometimes have a drive-by so that the families of patients can see them, but they cannot touch them; they can talk to them from about ten feet away. Now, you have a sense of purgatory.

The souls in Purgatory see the hope of their salvation with the eyes of their soul, yet, they cannot do anything to help themselves. They are the Church Suffering, because they are, well, suffering. We, as part of the Church, can do something for them. We can offer them our prayers, our sacrifices, our anxieties, and the grace we

receive in the Sacraments. The greatest prayer of all is offered for the departed…the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass…the prayer of Christ. You cannot pray better than that. This is our faith, and this is what gives us hope. If you go to the Catacombs in Rome, and this is something non-Catholics may not know because they may not know the history of the Church, you will find in the Catacombs a Latin inscription that means “pray for me.” In the earliest days of the Church we prayed for the dead. We’ve done it from the beginning.

The saints in heaven help us and we, by virtue of our Baptism, are called to pray for the souls in Purgatory. By doing so, we can help them quickly clean their Baptismal Robes. “You get that spot over there and I’ll get the spot over here.” That way their Baptismal Robes are cleaned, and they can enter Heaven as quickly as possible.

We can gain for them a plenary indulgence, and when it has been completed, whoof…off they go…they’re in Heaven. Information about earning a plenary indulgence is on the Church’s Facebook page or you could just Google it. Throughout the month of November, you can get one a day, but you have to come to Confession…that’s part of it. I recommend you get one for yourself first … just in case. We don’t know the day or the hour, so get yours first and then help someone else. Like on an airplane when the oxygen masks drop down, you put one on first and then help others. So, get a plenary indulgence for yourself first, and then get one or as many as you want for someone else. This is how we show our love. This is how we fulfill the mission we assume by virtue of our Baptism

Think of all the anxiety we experience, whether it’s from the election, the pandemic, or new stop signs. Any anxiety whatsoever can be offered up to help someone else gain their salvation. This is how we can imitate Christ. Through our suffering, prayers, sacrifice, and mortification, we can show our unselfish, Christ-like love. This is what we do during the month of November and at every Mass throughout the world, every day. We offer up our prayers for the intentions upon the altar and for all those we hold dear in our hearts. We pray for the members of the Church who need our prayers the most and who cannot help themselves.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you earn at least two indulgences this month…one for yourself and one for someone else?

Father’s Afterthoughts...I want to be the last guy in Purgatory, because I know I will still have my salvation. I want to be the guy who turns out the lights…I’m good with that, because I know I’m going to Heaven. I’m sure I won’t enjoy the process, but I will know that my salvation is assured.

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Sermon Notes – You’ve Got Talent

“You’ve Got Talent!“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

November 14-15, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 25: 31-46

Our parish is blessed with many talented people. Talents are a gift from God to accomplish our vocation. What is our vocation? Achieving salvation and building up the Body of Christ. No matter how many talents you think you have or how few you think you have, each one is vitally important; otherwise, God wouldn’t have given them to you. Your talents perform a vital function in the Body of Chris.

A lot of talents are time sensitive – you only have them for a little while before Mother Nature encroaches and they fade away. For example, you do not see many professional athletes in their 50’s…that just does not happen. You don’t see brain surgeons in their 90’s, now do you. Believe it or not, I had a very easy job as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. However, when I turned 60, the Army said, “Hey, you’re too old…get out. This isn’t a geriatric unit.” That was very disconcerting, because not being married, I had nobody to tell me what to do for the first time in 24 years. You mean I can grow my hair? It was very unsettling. So, what might you see in people who are in their 50’s and 90’s? You may see that they are wonderfully and deeply in love with God. That is our common vocation. He has endowed us all with the ability to be in love with Him and united with Him in this world and in the next.

All the other talents and abilities that He has given us come to their proper end. So, there is no need to be jealous of the talents of others. I used to always kid my evil departed twin brother who had two doctorate degrees, wrote textbooks, worked as an EMT, and was a scuba diver. He had a file cabinet filled with all these courses he had taken…not that I hold any resentment…No! He took all my spare body parts with him. No, I’m not resentful at all. You see, my brother’s vocation was different than mine. His vocation depended on what God wanted my brother to do compared to what he wanted me to do. It’s the same for everybody. Don’t compare your physical and intellectual abilities with others. All of our talents and abilities are to be used for the glory of God. The only thing I knew how to do was to show up for PT (physical training) formation for 24 years. I’m not the most talented man in the world, but He did give me the ability to love Him. Love is the one talent God is going to judge us on. He will ask: “How have you shown My love to the world? How have you responded to My love?” Bishop Sheen told the story of a street cleaner. This guy was the best street cleaner around. Somebody asked him, “Why do you clean the crevices? Nobody sees them…why do you bother?” The man answered, “Because God sees them.” Whether in the penthouse or outhouse, on Park Avenue or a park bench, we all have unique abilities. The talent we have in common is the ability to grow in God’s love and to be possessed by Him.

As with any talent or ability, it must be used or it atrophies. If Frankie doesn’t practice her music, it will fade away. Muscle mass will atrophy unless you keep exercising. We must do this no matter our status or vocation in life. Our talents require practice, concentration, and study. So, too, does love. You need to practice through prayer, mortification, spiritual readings, and the Sacraments. Very simple things to do, but very hard to put in to practice, because we don’t like to practice.

The biggest obstacle in growing spiritually are the excuses we make. “I don’t feel good about it.” “I don’t get anything out of the Mass.” “I don’t like the music.” “It’s too hot in here.” “It’s too cold in here.” Really? Everybody has an excuse; “I don’t like the Mass.” “I don’t like it in English” “I don’t like it in Spanish.” “I don’t like it in Latin.” Well, come to the 12:15 Mass. I’ve got two or three different languages going on there, so you needn’t worry. Sometimes, I would love to say, “I’m getting too old for this.” The Mass is not to you. The Mass is the offering of Christ on the Cross, always before the Father, pleading on our behalf until the end of time. So, the Mass is not to you; it is for you. It is not presented so that you can sit there in judgement; instead, it shows the constant prayer of Christ for you, and He asks you to become a part of it. When I offer the bread and wine of the Body and Blood of Christ, your human nature is represented. You are being offered with Christ on the altar to the Father just as the human nature of Mary is being offered on the cross. Spiritually, Mary and John the Apostle are at the foot of the Cross, and you are fulfilling their hopes by being there. The Mass is the Holy Sacrifice of our Lord and a representation of what lies in Heaven to the end of time. Mass is not an action to you; it’s the prayer of Christ for you. So, how can you say you don’t get anything out of it, or that you don’t like it; or that you don’t like the language in which it is spoken?

Some people say about their prayer life, “Oh, I don’t get anything from prayer.” All we are doing when we pray is trying to grow in God’s love. Love is always reaching out to the loved one and not to self. That’s why so few grow in the spiritual life. They think that they have to like something before they do it. Read Mother Theresa’s autobiography. She and the sisters cared for lepers. Did they like it? No, but was a gift to God. Loving God is a talent we all share. I will never be a good golfer. I will never be a brain surgeon…thank God, right? I will never be a great hockey player, although I have the teeth for it…I had my teeth knocked out while playing hockey. I’m not a Misfit; they took power tools away from me. I will never be a lot of things, but, I was given the talent to love God. And, that talent does not go away with time. It may lay dormant from misuse and abuse, but it never goes away. In order for that talent to grow, you do what you can through mortification, spiritual readings, and the Sacraments. You can love God as equally as any canonized Saint of Church. You are capable of that same depth of love. The means are all before you. How will you apply this message to your life? Will you use prayer, mortification, spiritual readings, and the Sacraments to grow in your love for God?

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Sermon Notes – You Are God’s Q-Tip

“You Are God’s Q-Tip“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

November 21-22, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 25: 31-46

Okay, I hope you are taking notes, because what I’m about to talk about is on the final exam. In the Gospel, you see what is called the Corporal Works of Mercy. They are very important, and we need to study them, even memorize them. Protestants don’t like this part of the Gospel, because nowhere on the final exam does it ask, “Do you claim Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?” Excuse me, Reverend, you are studying the wrong thing. Our Lord never asked that question. It’s not on the final exam. If you flunk it, don’t blame God. He gave you the questions ahead of time, but you neglected to do the work. So don’t blame Him if you fail.

I had a thought this week while I was at the VA where all sorts of interesting fun can be had. Every time I go there, the day is filled with interesting experiences and downright sarcasm…and that’s just from the staff. Around 10:20, I began a rather deep acquaintance with a Q-Tip…the COVID test, and a good time was had by all. I was actually laughing during the test while trying to hold the Q-tip in for 10 seconds; 1…2…3…. Ten seconds in our time is different than it is in medical or VA time. ..3…4… The test doesn’t hurt, but I really wanted to sneeze. I knew the staff who were there, and they were laughing. Go ahead and laugh! …5…6… There are worse ways to get a sample, and I’ll leave it at that. …7…8… Q-Tips have a 1001 uses, and medical communities have found 1002. You know, when you think about it, if that Q-Tip had any intelligence, you think it would want to go up my nose? …9…10! Granted, I have a very cute and adorable nose. I mean, I look at it in the morning and think, “Oh God, how great am I. Perfect!” On the outside, it’s not too bad; but on the inside – yuck! If the Q-tip had any intelligence, it would not want to go to a lot of the places that doctors put it…places you don’t want to know about. But, that Q-Tip is a means that God uses to bring His healing and His will to people. The test is not that bad, so don’t whine to me about it…you won’t get any sympathy. I’ll tell you exactly what it is. It’s a means to an end. God uses that Q-tip as an instrument of His healing just as He uses us. We are supposed to be God’s hands and His feet to bring His love to the world in whatever vocation He has assigned us in the Body of Christ. Our parents gave us, and then we gave ourselves, to God to be instruments of His love in the world. Many times, He places us in situations that we don’t really care for, but it’s still His work. God puts us there, whether we like it or not, to do His will as instruments of His love. “I don’t like it!” Yeah, that’s alright. You don’t have to like it; just do it. It’s fine. Teachers don’t always like what God asks them to do, but they do it anyway, even though they may never see the end result or know God’s plan.Years ago,

I was offering Mass at the female prison over in Troy, another little gated community I loved visiting. I called it Female Felon Friday. I asked some ladies if they would mind going there to teach Catechism. The inmates had requested it, but I couldn’t get there very often…only about once a month. “Oh, I don’t like going in there.” Who does? Unless you work there and get a paycheck, nobody likes going in there…that’s why they call it a prison. There are people in there that we want to stay there. You would be there only for an hour and a half, and then they would let you out. You don’t have to eat the food there. Actually, the women eat better than the men. It’s only one star, but is better than the food in the men’s prison. A lot of times, we may find ourselves in situations where we may be uncomfortable. We may not be happy, and it may not please our senses, but we are supposed to bring Christ to that situation as instruments of His love. When we find ourselves doing work we don’t like, it probably means we are doing His.

While in the military, I was overseas in a combat support hospital where I was doing my visitations. I had an area of concern about three times the size of Stanly County. While I was inside the field hospital, I heard on the radio that we had a Black Hawk go down with four crew members onboard…the pilot, crew chief, and two door gunners. The Black Hawk tried to remove a sand dune, and it didn’t work out. So, I told my assistant, Bubba, I always called my assistants Bubba or Bubbette…depending on their gender, so I told Bubba that we were going to stay there. The only thing in the military you always have too much of is the enemy. You never have enough of the good stuff. There’s always too much of the enemy and never enough of what you need. So, I told Bubba, you’re going to be a stretcher bearer. When the ambulances arrived, we went out there and brought the injured soldiers in to the hospital. Mass trauma from an air crash accident is messy and not like what you see on television. Unlike the television series “Mash,” this is smell-o-vision. They say you can’t remember smells; but, I can remember the smells of that place. One guy walked by who had just evacuated a man’s stomach, and asked, “Hey, Doc, do you see any blood in there?” Welcome to the world of medicine…it’s not like television. After working in this place with all the smells, the blood, the sweat, the screams, the crying, and everything else, Bubba came up to me, a 19 year old soldier, and said, “Sir…sir.” Yeah? “What do you want me to do, sir?” Turn your head. Better safe than sorry. I told Bubba to go outside, get some fresh air, and to come back inside in case we needed him. A lot of people get sick their first time out of the box. Did Bubba like being there? Heck no! He was ready to rid himself of his breakfast and lunch. Did his organs really want to be where they were? Oh, no. They were trying to leave his body as fast as they could and in no particular order. This was something Bubba had never seen before. But, he did the job I asked him to do. He was God’s missionary, and, although Bubba was really, really, sick, he did God’s work. We are called to do the same. So, when God asks you to do something that may be difficult or unpleasant, realize that He has chosen you to be His missionary in that situation to do His will and to show His love.

How will you apply this message to your life? When the work is difficult or unpleasant, remember you may be doing God’s work, and that you are called to do His will and to show His love.