Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – Best Christmas Present Ever

“The Best Christmas Present Ever“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 19-20, 2020

Scripture: Luke 1: 26-28

In the town I grew up in, my brother’s house got a foot of snow. Darn! I really miss that! It has its own charm…that’s true, even on those cold and windy days. I remember a story that a friend of mine, Don, told me. Don, who has passed on now, was a historian in the city of Warwick. He was in his early 70’s when another friend of mine, Sara…who has also passed on, called him and asked for a ride to the hospital so that she could receive wound care. He said “Sure. I’d be happy to take you.” Both Don and Sara were great people. Sara was an exceptional woman….as all women are. She survived cancer, overcame alcoholism, and suffered from scoliosis or curvature of the spine. She had six operations along with radiation treatments and was in constant pain. She walked hunched over. Sara was on a steady diet of Vicodin and couldn’t drive herself. So, Don said he would drive her to the hospital.

They were in the car, and it was a really cold, grey November/December day. The sky was very grey, the wind was blowing, and the leaves were flying all over the place. Don was thinking, “This really bleeps!” But, Sara said, “Look Don! Look at how pretty the leaves are when they are dancing!” Although Don was miserable, he thought, “She is right…look how beautiful this is.” Don’s eyes were restored in that single moment.

Sara saw God’s love in His creation…even on what we would call a bleak New England day. He was able to see the vision of God’s love present. That vision of God’s love present and awe can be restored to us at any time. That wonder and joy can be ours…we never have to lose it…no matter our age or our condition, especially now as we approach the peace of Christmas. We can have that joy all of our days…a joy which is given by our good Lord. We can see His wonder and awe as we prepare for the celebration of the incarnation at Christmas. And, we can see the fullness of His love which was displayed on the Cross 33 short years later. We can see the wonder and awe of His love in each Mass, the Sacraments, and the feasts. It’s not that it is not there, we just don’t see it. But, it’s always there. Is it a struggle to see it sometimes? Sure it is. But it’s there, and our eyes can be opened to see God’s love. How beautiful and wonderful it is. Maybe, that’s a Christmas present you should pray for yourself and for your family this Christmas.

How will you apply this message to your life? Can you see the wonder and awe of God’s present love around you? If not, will you pray that your vision is renewed so that you can see the beauty and wonderment of His love?

Father’s Afterthoughts….I have to pass on some very important information. I cannot tell you how I learned it, because that would compromise sources and methods. But, I have been informed from a very reliable source that Santa and the reindeer are immune from COVID. So, everything is all set for Christmas.

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Sermon Notes – Make Room for Peace

“Make Room for Peace“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 24-25, 2020

Scripture: John 1:1-18

I had dinner with a bunch of priests on Tuesday night. It was a nice dinner, because 1) I didn’t get arrested; and 2) it was a free dinner. We talked about a number of things…basically a whine session…about people not coming to church and things like that. One of the priests, a great guy, said “Jesus told us to feed the sheep…not count them.” And, that’s true.

So, we have the Special Forces of the Catholic faith here with us tonight. You braved this terrible COVID epidemic to be here. You have come out to be a part of Christ’s act of love. Today, we celebrate the anniversary of our Lord’s coming to earth in human form with the human nature He took from the Blessed Mother. Today, we don’t have to look up to heaven, we can look down at Jesus in the manger or over there in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Now, heaven is on earth until the end of the world, because our Lord resides there in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Remember when I told you about the Mass not being an inanimate object like that candlestick over there? The Mass is not a stage-play. It is not a what. It is a “Who.” It is a sacrifice of Christ offered by Christ to the Father.

Scripture says there was peace when Jesus was born. Know why? Because anyone who put their head up, the Romans chopped it off. The Romans did not take kindly to disagreements, and they did not invite dialogue. Don’t like Rome? Whack! Peace was restored, and they had legions of armies to enforce it. Peace is not a what. It’s not a thing, and it’s not a prize. It is a person. Jesus is our peace. He told us in the Gospel, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you.” The Lord is with us always. What is He offering? Himself. He is our peace. Peace is not found by changing the personal pronouns referring to people. It is not found in tearing down statues or renaming schools. Peace is not found in giving away stuff. It is not an agreement where everyone gets together in Geneva and signs something. Peace is not found in calling evil, good and good, evil.

True peace comes from having Christ in our soul. The price of peace is losing our sinfulness, our selfishness, our bond to self, and our love of sin. The greater we grow away from ourselves, the greater Christ can come into our souls. Physics tells us that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. So, the more peace we want, the more sin and selfishness we must rid ourselves of. Christ offers as much of Himself as we want. He is our peace….a true peace that no one can take from us. What is the cost? The cost is the one thing none of us want – all the evil and garbage in our souls.

Sin is what drives Christ out of our hearts. I feel really bad for the police, because for the past several nights, they have been very, very busy. These days, all people want to do is fight. That’s all sin. The police don’t want to enter into fights…they want to go home to their families. People are not fighting because they don’t have an iPhone 5…or whatever number it is up to now. They are fighting because they don’t know Christ who is our peace. We will have peace on earth only when we have peace in our souls.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you make more room for Christ by ridding yourself of sinfulness and selfishness?

Father’s Afterthoughts….• In the last sentence of today’s Gospel, it says Joseph didn’t have relations with Mary before she gave birth to a son. Now, you may be thinking, “Well, that means Mary could have had other children.” As lawyers would say, “That assumes facts not in evidence.” The Gospels tell us only what we need to know. Did you ever notice that the Scripture never talks about dinosaurs? They existed, but they were not essential to the message of salvation. Scripture only tells us what we need to know. So, non-Catholics cannot say that Mary and Joseph had other children. It’s just not true.• Yesterday, I received a rather odd message from my sister-in-law. She said that my brother sold something on E-Bay. My brother has been dead for 18 months. I’m thinking, “Where do they send the check?” Fair question! Welcome to my family. And, you think yours is strange.

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Sermon Notes – We Ask for Gifts That Are Too Small

“We Ask For Gifts That Are Too Small“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 9-10, 2021

Gospel:  Matthew 1: 7-11

During the Christmas season, our good Lord shows us remarkable signs of His love.  He reveals His essence at Christmas in what we call the Economy of Salvation and how He brought about our salvation.  It shows He is love and that love is humble.  He shows us that humility is a part of love.  He became what He was not.  He was God and became man so that He could pass on to us the fruits of His love through the Sacraments.  The creator now became subject to His creatures.  In the Gospel according to St. Matthew, at the baptism of our Lord, Jesus had to tell John “You must do this,” because John didn’t want to baptize Him.  Such is His great humility.  This is how He will affect our salvation…with great humility and subject to His creatures.  The ultimate revelation of the depth of His love was at the crucifixion.  He gave Himself to us out of love.

I hear people in the church say that they want power.  I say, that’s kind of a short-term goal.  You have power over God.  “What do you mean?”  Well, you know, God is subject to you.  Out of His great love, He hears your prayers and answers them.  You can read in the scriptures that He did not refuse anyone a miracle.  He didn’t ask, “Do you know who you are talking to right now?”   He didn’t ask, “Are you tithing?”  “Are you supporting the Priest Retirement Fund?”  He didn’t ask if you are supporting the Diocese.  He didn’t ask if you have sinned.  He didn’t ask if you blah blah blah.  He didn’t ask any of that.  He doesn’t ask if you are worthy of His gift.  When we present ourselves for Holy Communion, He gives of Himself freely.  He gives the gift because He loves us.  He answers all of our prayers.  You may say, “Well, Father you have been a priest for a long time, and you are still not a Monsignor.”  Yeah, I’ve been praying for that for quite a while.  I don’t think it’s going to happen.  Maybe, it’s my personality…I don’t know.  But, we ask for gifts that are too small and for things that might harm us.  God wants to give us the greatest gift which is the gift of Himself.  He wants to give us what our hearts desire.  He wants to fill our hearts with joy…a joy that nobody can take from us. 

We had a case in the parish a few weeks ago.  A woman from the parish had been praying for quite a while for her nephew who was dying.  She called and asked me if I would go and give him Last Rites.  He was Catholic, but it didn’t seem to take for a long time.  So, I called his wife and then went over to their house.  His wife wasn’t Catholic, so the Last Rites confused her a bit.  Right after I had finished giving him the Last Rites, I noticed a change in his breathing.  I told his wife that they needed some time alone, and I left.  He was dead a few minutes later.  God answered the prayers of that woman.  I’m not always around, but I happened to be in town that day.  This happens so many times.  I walk in and the family asks if I will give the Last Rites and when I finish, boom, they are gone. 

We ask for things in our prayers that are too small. We have power over God.  “Well, Father, you have power over God.  You make Christ present on the altar during Mass, in the Tabernacle, and in the Sacraments.”  Yes, I do, but it is you who can say yes or no if He enters your soul.  No matter how many times you come for Holy Communion, properly disposed I certainly hope, you can receive God Himself into your souls.  When we come to the Sacrament of Penance, He enters our souls and washes away our sins with His precious blood.  You can receive God by calling Him through your prayers and inviting Him into your soul.

You have this immense power of love over God, because He loves you.  He humbles Himself at Christmas and each day at the altar.  He humbled Himself to John the Baptist, and He humbles Himself to us each day in our prayers.  He loves you so much that He wants to give you the best gift of all which is the gift of Himself.  You have great power.  You have the power to draw God down into your soul.  Realize your power and use it.

***

How will you apply this message to your life?  Will you use the power of God’s love for you and draw Him into your soul?

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

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Sermon Notes – Why Did He Do It?

“Why Did He Do It?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 2-3, 2021

Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12

“ Why Did He Do It? During the Christmas season, our good Lord continues to offer His love to us. His love is unending. Through all the miracles in the Old Testament, He reveals His love to prepare us for the promise of our Redeemer. On Christmas, we mark the anniversary of our Redeemer coming to us in the flesh. The Feast of the Epiphany is His manifestation to the world. Did He have to do it? Of course not. But, He did it out of love. He continues to show what that love means. Love is a universal. We love all members of our family. We may not like them all, let’s be fair, especially members of my family – but I love them all – they are all family…and spare body parts.

Our Lord wants everybody to come and share in His love. His love is not just for some, but for the entire world. All people are created in His image and likeness. God doesn’t like me best because I say Mass in Latin. God doesn’t like me best because I say Mass in English. And, God certainly doesn’t like me best because I say Mass in Spanglish. God loves everybody, and He wants everyone to have salvation.

One of the things He reveals to us is who He is, and the revelation of who He is continues. Christ was a priest, prophet, and king, so the gifts the Magi presented to Him reflected God. They gave the Savior gold because He was king. Does a king need gold? No. But, the Magi acknowledged Him as God…as a king. They gave Him frankincense which was used in worship. You can read about the altar of incense in the Old Testament. The Psalms also talk about incense. The use of incense is scriptural worship. Incense is found in the book of Revelation and is a symbol of our prayers going up to God. So, the use of incense is scriptural worship, although some use a military grade of incense….it’s a little too much and can make it look as though there is a London fog in the church. Some is good…more is not better. But, it is scriptural worship. The reason Jesus came in to the world was revealed with the gift of myrrh which is basically an embalming ointment. The fullness of His love was revealed on the Cross.

There is so much to meditate on, and it all has to do with God’s love for us. That love reaches its consummation on Cavalry. His love is revealed to us each day in the Mass. We experience it every time we receive Holy Communion. Every time you receive the Sacrament of Penance, you experience the revelation of His love. This is why our good Lord came in to the world…to show us the fullness of His love.***How will you apply this message to your life? ***

Father’s Afterthoughts….I received a message from the VA the other day. I was in my office reading over the notes they send to the staff. I have 1a priority to get the COVID vaccine which reminds me that I also had 1a priority in the draft. Lucky me! Look at where that got me. Mom & Dad, they are trying to perforate your little boy!

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by clicking on “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”