Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – July 7, 2024 – “True Knowledge Leads to Humility”

“True Knowledge Leads to Humility”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

July 6 – 7, 2024

Gospel:  Mark 6:1-6

Why do we receive an education?  So that we can use our talents to provide for ourselves and our loved ones, for the good of Society, for the good of the Church, and for our own salvation.   One of the greatest fruits of education has a significant impact on spiritual life.   We learn that we don’t know everything and become humble.  The Apostles always had a problem with education.  They said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will believe.”   Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).   The Apostles didn’t understand that, so they had to continue their education. 

Knowledge is a virtue and can produce many fruits.  The people of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, said they knew Him.  Obviously, they didn’t because if they had, they would have worshipped Him.  True knowledge, used properly, brings about humility.   The more I learn, the more I realize that I don’t know everything.  Sometimes, people read a book and then say, “Father, I know all about this stuff.”  Uh-Huh.  Sometimes people try to tell me what the Church believes.  “Father, I went to a weekend course on Theology.”   Oh, good.  I studied Theology for four years; come talk to me when you’re serious.  It’s pride that says, “I have knowledge; therefore, I know everything.”   True knowledge is the exact opposite.  One of the fruits of education can be seen in the creche at Bethlehem.  You see three kinds of people around Jesus:  the holy – Saint Joseph and the Blessed Mother; the shepherds who knew they knew nothing; and the Wisemen who were educated enough to know they knew nothing. 

People often ask me questions about the Faith, and that’s good.   It may inspire them to read further.   Faith seeking understanding is Theology.   Now, I’m not a learned guy.  I know a few things about a few things.  I know some things about the military and work as a hospital chaplain.  But other than that, not so much.  However, I can refer you to people who are experts in exorcism, Canon Law, and Martial Law.  I’m not an expert in those fields and have only a passing knowledge of them.   Remember our minds are fallen because of Original Sin and sins committed after Baptism.   There is a great book that I read in seminary.  It’s the “Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma” by Father Ludwig Ott.  It’s a very thick book with a very small print.  It helps to have young eyes.  I’ve read and reread that book.  So, when you come to Confession, you know I’m prepared.  But the fruit of that learning is not so that I can bedazzle you with my knowledge.  The fruit of knowledge leads to a holy life so that every day we conform our lives closer and closer to Almighty God. 

We come here to learn how to use our knowledge in works of faith, hope, and charity.  “But Father, I don’t understand everything.”  Perfect.  You’re in the right place.  Will you ever understand everything?  No.  Only when you are in Heaven will your mind be enlightened.  In the meantime, we learn as much as we can and that knowledge, hopefully, will lead us to greater humility.  Saint Thomas a Kempis, in his writing about the temptations of Christ, wrote “It is better to have but little knowledge with humility and understanding, than great learning which might make you proud.” Humility with the knowledge we have is love lived out. 

Last week, I told you a story about our Most Reverend Bishop, who retired after serving for 20 years as bishop.  Although I did not know it, he was very sick.  None of us knew he had only one kidney until after he retired.  Having only one kidney was debilitating for him.  Even as tired as he was after Confirmation here at the church, when I asked him to visit someone in the hospital, he agreed.  I knew it would thrill Genevieve for the bishop of the church to visit her.  As it turned out, besides Genevieve, there was another woman in the hospital who was being sent home to die.  The bishop spent time with them, and he was so compassionate.  He had the knowledge, and he put it into practice.  That is humility.  I’ll say this about myself: I try to do it too.  When I work at the hospital, I’ll help nurses and patients and deal with some things that people would consider yucky.  But it’s not about me; it’s about that person who is sick.  That’s humility, and it’s what I try to practice all the time, but I have an ego as big as the Grand Canyon, so it’s tough.   I have letters before and after my name.  “I fought for my country.”  So did the cook.  Shut up!   If we don’t have humility, all that knowledge we’re supposed to have is wasted. 

Father’s Reflections . . . I will tell you this story so that you know I am almost human . . . almost.  The other day I had a severe temptation.  If you guessed it was for fish, you’d be wrong.  I’m getting older and I’m seeing all these doctors.  It would be great if I could look at my medical file.  I work at the Veterans Hospital, and I can access medical files as part of my work, but I can’t look at my own file.  So, I was thinking that maybe I could ask one of my homeboys to look at it although that would be unethical.  I just want to find out if a wise doctor put in my expiration date just so I can prepare.  But I’m over it.  See, I get temptations just like everyone else. 

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – June 30, 2024 – “All I Needed Was a Checkbook and a Phonebook”

“All I Needed Was a Checkbook and a Phonebook”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 29 – 30, 2024

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

Early every morning, I come over to the church and do my meditation.  During one of my meditations, the thought came to me about how beautiful our church has become.  Bill Peak was the original Misfit (church volunteer), and I was talking to him about that.  When I first arrived here, the first job I gave Bill was to get the carpet out of the church bathroom.  That’s another reason priests should be married.  Who would put carpet in the bathroom?  To the best of my recollat – recollec – uh – memory . . . do I sound like the President?   But to the best of my recollection, we have made over 50 changes and upgrades just inside the church.   

So, let me ask you – what makes this church beautiful?  Could it be the wonderful new Stations of the Cross?  Perhaps it’s the beautiful altar rail that the Misfits worked on?  Maybe it’s the wooden altarpiece or the marble tables we put in.  Could it be the amazing stained-glass window above the altar?  Maybe it’s the sound system.  We’ve done so many things, but what is the most beautiful?  Does the love of God’s people make the church beautiful?  Yes.  However, that was a trick question.  I asked you “what” the most beautiful thing in our church is.  You should have answered, “Hey, Father, it’s not a “what.” It’s a “Who.”  What makes our church truly beautiful is the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  God Incarnate is present in the Tabernacle, and He is beauty itself.  

Our love for Him is a reflection of that beauty and is made manifest in all the wonderful things you have done in the church over the past 22 years.  Your love is a response to His love.  You have given out of love to reflect His beauty and the beauty of His love for us and for everyone.   We are like an Irish family . . . we always have an extra seat.  The Real Presence of our Lord is what makes a church beautiful.  This is our Faith.

That is what makes a church beautiful.  Beauty is not an “it.”  Beauty is a “Who.”  Every Mass is beautiful and wonderful, even the Mass I did in 13 minutes when I was in Iraq . . . we were a little busy at the time.  The Ordination Mass of our new bishop lasted for three hours.  That’s the wonder and beauty of our Faith in the person of Jesus Christ.  It’s the beauty of His love expressed and given to us.  It’s the beauty you have responded to by being here. 

Years ago, Bishop Jugis, our retired bishop now and a really wonderful man, came here for Confirmation.  He was walking across the parking lot, and he said, “Father, you have really made this place beautiful.”  I said, “Bishop, all I needed was two books.”  He gave me a confused look, and I said, “Yes, all I need is a checkbook and a phone book, and I can make things happen.  I know people.”  But the beauty of it all is that it’s from God by your response to His love.   Do you think I used my personal checkbook for all these things?  Nope.  It was yours.  Your gifts are a reflection of your love for Christ and His love for you.  The beauty of His love that you responded to made all these wonderful things happen.  God is beauty itself.  Every church is beautiful insofar as it has our good Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  Soon, and on the eternal scale, very soon, we will all see that beauty without the need for glasses.  We will see God Himself without the need for signs and symbols. 

One more thing about Bishop Jugis.  After coming to Confirmation here, the next morning, he had to drive three hours to the mountains.  I knew he was tired, but after Confirmation, I asked him, “Bishop, would you do me a favor?  There are a couple of people in the hospital I’d like you to visit.”   I asked him to go see Genevieve, a lady who was in her last days, and also another lady who was being released from the hospital to go home and die from cancer.  The Bishop agreed to visit them, and he could not have been more gracious.  You would never have known he had a long trip ahead of him the next morning. 

Father’s Reflections . . .

We had an unexpected expense last week.  The air conditioning in my house went out, so for a few nights, it was rather warm, and I didn’t sleep well.  However, I didn’t waste the time . . . I caught up on my continuing education units which are studies I need to do – I watched episodes of “House, MD.”  It occurred to me that I am House in a priestly sense.  I can live with that.  He is hilarious.

This week we will be celebrating July 4th.   Remember that freedom is not free.  Last month was the 80th anniversary of D-Day.  Of the first 128 men who went ashore, guess how many survived.  None.  Do you know the average age of the soldiers on D-Day?  19. 

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – “Do the Next Right Thing” – June 23, 2024

“Do the Next Right Thing”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 22 – 23, 2024

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

I was talking to a man the other day at the hospital and giving him a little spiritual direction.  He’s a very devout man, and I’ve known him for years.  He was judging himself harshly about how well he was carrying his crosses.  He didn’t feel he was making any progress.  I said that if you notice in Scripture, our Lord never asked anyone how they felt.   He didn’t care because feelings change.  Every time He asked the Apostles what they thought, they got it wrong.  He didn’t ask the Pharisees or Sadducees because He knew they would get it wrong.  Therefore, He left us instructions in black and white.  The Blessed Mother, the greatest spiritual director of all, said to us, “Do whatever He tells you.”   These were her last words recorded in Scripture.   Can a mother be wrong?  No . . .  especially the mother of our Lord.  So, we follow the commands of Christ and do whatever He tells us.   Christ said, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”  And through the Sacraments, He gave us the means to achieve that.  The second part of this great spiritual maxim is one my battalion commander would use, “Do the routine things routinely.”  Our Lord said, “Take up your cross and follow me.”   He gives us the power to pick up our cross, to bear it every day, and to help others bear theirs.  Another wise man said, “Do the next right thing” and you will be progressing toward sanctity.  So, when in doubt, just do the next right thing. 

Great moments, such as the ecstasies that the saints experienced, may come or they may not.  Every now and again, not as often as we would like, but when our Lord decides we need it, He gives us these little pick-me-ups although I’m still not a monsignor even after 40 years in the priesthood.  Thanks a lot!  But sometimes we are so busy and wound up in ourselves that we miss them.  On those occasions, our Lord is saying, “You’re doing great!  I’m proud of you!”  Unfortunately, we sometimes miss all that.   The gifts He offers us usually come before a great struggle, so do not pray for spiritual gifts because you might find yourself in a heap of trouble.  But that’s how we achieve our salvation. 

Growth in spirituality does not consist of ecstasy after ecstasy.  That’s reserved for Heaven.  It’s about taking up our cross every day and doing what He tells us to do.   Some of our crosses may change depending upon the time of life and our situation.  We may have other crosses added, and we may, out of love, take the crosses of others onto ourselves.  A good friend of mine was a Special Ed teacher.  She was coming down with the flu and even though she felt bad, she needed to be in class.  So that night I prayed, “Lord, give me her flu so she can teach her class.”   After all, I was in the 101st Airborne Division, and I was a tough guy . . .  until the next afternoon when I went downhill.  I was so sick.  She was fine, but I was really sick for a couple of days.   Don’t be too eager about taking another person’s cross because what happened to me could happen to you.   I thought I was a tough guy.  Nope.  The Lord rewarded me for my love but punished me for my pride. 

Do not be disheartened.  It’s a temptation by the evil one to make you think you are not doing well because if you were progressing, you would be much happier, and things would work out a lot better.  That’s not true.  In some of the so-called spiritual programs, they say, “If you do this and this, you will feel much better.”  No.  That’s spiritual blackmail of our good Lord, and He really doesn’t like that.  Saint Teresa of Avila said, “If this is the way you treat all your friends, Lord, it’s no wonder You have so few.”  And that’s true.  But our crosses are there so that we are not puffed up by our pride.  “I raised myself to Heaven by my own bootstraps.”   “I’ve done this, and I’ve done that.”  Think of your crosses as a way to grace instead of something you have to put up with. 

Some days, and there’s no way around it, bearing our crosses is a royal pain.  I have complained about my crosses to the point of ad nauseam.   But my crosses are there to keep me small, to keep me safe, and to keep me reliant on God’s mercy and God’s grace.  The daily bearing of my crosses, as well as cleaning up the messes I create because of them, shows God’s grace to others.   It’s not always pleasant, but so long as we don’t give up, we are making spiritual progress toward salvation.   

I’ve been saying the Divine Office, a daily prayer priests have to say, for over 40 years.  Do I always enjoy it?  No.  Does my mind always stay centered on it?  No.  Look! Squirrel.  But I’m still doing it.  Despite our failed human nature, we keep coming back and doing the right thing.  We take up our crosses and follow Jesus.  As long as we do that every day and remain faithful to the Sacraments through which we are healed and strengthened, we are making great spiritual progress.  Don’t listen to anyone or anything else.

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – June 16, 2024 – “Get Your Donkey to Mass”

“Get Your Donkey to Mass”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 15 – 16, 2024

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

I remember my theology teacher, Father Connolly who has gone on to his eternal rest.  Saint Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”   Father Connolly put it this way, “We have a hole in the soul that can only be filled by God because He made us for Himself.”  We all have that hole in our soul; a place where only God can dwell to make us whole and complete. 

While I was up North and visiting my cousins, I got the low-down on the family . . . who is in the hospital and who isn’t . . . it was like a hospital counseling session.  Some are doing well, and some are not so well.  But that’s life on life’s terms.  How is Cousin Larry doing?  “Well, if you don’t count the six stents, the level 3 chronic kidney disease, and the lack of circulation in his feet, he’s doing great!   What I would really love for them all to do is go to Mass.  They were all given the gift of Catholic faith at Baptism.  Get your donkey to Mass.  It would help them bear their crosses and not die early. 

We all have family and friends we dearly love who have gone off the reservation, and our hearts break for them.  We want them to know the hope, the joy, and the peace we have in the Faith and the consolation we receive from our good Lord.  Remember that God loves them more than we do.  God wants them in Heaven more than we do.  God created them out of love, sustains them out of love, and gives them His gifts to turn their heads toward Him so that they can realize that they are running away from the source of all grace and goodness.  Never give up on your prayers for them.  God will never give up on them.  We may get tired, frustrated, and resentful, but God never does.  He is there waiting for them because nothing will ever kill that desire for God in their soul. 

Many people try to fill that hole in their soul with all sorts of people, places, and things.  It never works.  No matter how hard they try, the hole is never filled.   They try to kill the call of God.  “Well, this other church is good. They do this, and they do that.”  Well, if it was that good, you wouldn’t be talking to me in that tone of voice.  Feeling a little guilty, are we?  I wonder why.  That’s anger and guilt.  I’m not a professional counselor, but even I can figure that out.   I can always tell when I meet an ex-Catholic.  Do you know how?  They say, “I used to be Catholic.”  Are you happy?  They aren’t.  They know what they had and lost.  Their soul is not filled with Who it was meant to be filled with.  Instead, they keep trying to explain how much better things are now.  Really?  It is not.  So, keep praying for your relatives and friends as I keep praying for mine who have left God and the Faith.   Remember, God is always after them 24/7 and 365 up until the moment they die.  He constantly follows them and thumps them on the back of the head.  Hey Stunade!  Quit running.  Stop hurting yourself and let Him love you.   

During my military travels, I used to see this poster that said, “A coward is a man who lets men better and braver than himself protect him and his family.”  And that is true.  There is more courage than that on the battlefield.  A couple of weeks after I arrived here, I received a phone call from Hospice.  “Would you go visit someone in the county?”  Sure, I’d be happy to visit them.  I was new to the area and had no idea where anything was.  I’ve been here 22 years, and I still have no idea.   Anyhow, I found my way out to where the county ends and God begins.  It was an older couple, and the wife was dying of kidney cancer.  I talked to the husband, who was a WWII veteran and an Army Ranger.  He had been captured by the Japanese and tortured.  After I gave his wife Last Rites, I remember the last words he said to his wife, “Honey, I kept my promise.  I did not put you in a nursing home.” 

When 9-11 happened, people in Statesville were saying, “Let’s go get them!”  Are you going to give me your sons and daughters and risk their coming home in a body bag?   I knew I would be recalled, and in a couple of weeks, I was gone.  We see physical courage every day in our police and fire departments.  But the more important type of courage is moral courage.  I know a bunch of brave men who go home and are good husbands and fathers.  That is the mark of a true man.  Despite their many crosses, they are good husbands and fathers.  They protect their families and pass on the Faith.  That comes from striving for holiness. 

Father’s Reflections . . .

The other day, I texted Father Hoar and thanked him for covering for me last weekend.  I said I hoped y’all didn’t love him too much.  I had visions of my bags being packed and waiting for me on the porch and the locks on the door changed.  Paranoia is sometimes a good thing.

People have asked about my vacation.  Let me put it this way:  I had three combat tours in the Army and a tour in Gitmo.  During the seven days I spent driving around Rhode Island, I had more near-death experiences than I had in the 24 years I spent in military service.  I had breakfast in the diner every day; it was like “Cheers” with pancakes.  While eating breakfast, I looked around at all the people there, and it reminded me of an old Country & Western song:  “I have friends in low places.”

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – June 2, 2024 – “We Walk the Talk”

“We Walk the Talk”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 1 – 2, 2024

Gospel: Mark 2:23-3:6

Now, we Catholics are funny people, strange people, according to some. Do you know why some people think we are weird, exotic, and other less attractive adjectives?  Besides the yard sales, bingo, and all of that, we believe what Scripture says.  We are a bible-believing and bible-practicing Church.  “But, Father, a lot of churches are bible-believing.”  Really?  “Well, you don’t know what Scripture says.”  We existed before Scripture was ever written down.   The first scripture was written three years after the fact, and the last one – the Book of Revelation – was written 60 years later.   Catholics put the New Testament together in the 4th Century.  So, we should know what it means.  We see the words and do what the words say.  I’ll give you a few examples: 

 1)    In his epistle, Saint James says, “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (Jas. 5:14–15).  Saint James is referring to the Last Rites, which I have given a couple of times this week.

2)    In the Gospel of Luke, there is veneration and devotion to our Blessed Mother.  In her Magnificat, the Blessed Mother said, “From now onwards, all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).   That is a command in the black part of Scripture if you care to look it up.  So why are we the only church that does that other than Orthodox?  “All generations will call me blessed.”  That is called a task; it’s not a choice.

 3)    Our Lord breathed on His apostles, and He said to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained” (John 20:22).  That’s what we do in Confession.  Nobody else does that.  We are celebrating the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which is also known as the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.   Transubstantiation changes the bread into the Body of Christ and the wine into the Blood of Christ for the salvation of souls.  “Oh, transubstantiation is such a big word!”  Yes, and first graders learn it; you’ll be fine.  This happens when, during the Mass, the priest, acting in the person of Christ, says, “This is My Body,” “This is the chalice of My Blood.”  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).  After that, everyone but the 12 Apostles left Him.  Wordsmiths say, “Well, He meant that metaphorically.”   First, the word “metaphorically” never appears anywhere in Scripture.  Second, the original word means “eat, chew, or masticate.  That’s why His disciples thought He was talking about cannibalism.   

How many of you will go home tonight after Mass, and instead of making dinner, willread a cookbook?   Would that fill you up?  “Oh, my gosh, I am so full.  I cannot read another bite!”  Really?  When you have a headache, do you go to the medicine cabinet, read the label on the aspirin bottle, and put it back on the shelf?  “Oh, I feel much better now.”  No.  Medicine does you no good if it’s still in the bottle on the shelf.  Jesus said, “Eat My flesh and drink My blood. Otherwise, you have no life in you.”  You must take the celestial medicine our Lord has offered us and take it internally for it to have a healing effect.  We read the words He says and follow them.  We’re kind of funny that way.

4)    We believe that God made male and female.  “A man will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two of them will become one body” in marriage for life (Genesis 2:24).  That’s what it says in the black part of Scripture, so that’s what we do. 

5)    If someone is not Catholic or is not in a state of grace, they cannot take Holy Communion.  “But that’s cruel.”  Jesus said it.  In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said, “Whoever eats and drinks the body and blood of Christ unworthily is guilty of His death” (1 Corinthians 11:27).  That’s also in the black part of Scripture. 

This is what we believe.  “Oh, you have too many rules.”  Not really.  They are guidelines for our own well-being and salvation.  Some are precautionary so you don’t step off a cliff thinking you can fly.  Besides, all these so-called RULES are what God said.  This is our Faith, and it is what we have believed from the beginning.  We are a bible-believing and bible-practicing Church.   We do as Scripture tells us to do, and by doing so, we have life. 

 If you visit the Catacombs in Rome and go into some of the tombs of the saints, there are pictures of grapes and wheat . . . ancient symbols of the Eucharist and the Real Presence.  Those pictures aren’t just artwork, they reflect the saints’ belief in the Real Presence.  This is why we are silent in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and during the Mass.  We are in the presence of the actual Body and Blood of Christ.  God Himself is here. 

Father’s Reflections . . . Lonnie, a patient at the VA Hospital, was a glider soldier on D-Day.  I said to Lonnie, “Soon, it will be the anniversary of your walking tour across France and Germany.”  Another soldier told me he got to Normandy on June 6th, D+2.  He said the water was still red from all the blood, and he had to step over bodies on the beach to get to where he needed to be.

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – May 19, 2024 – “The Language of Love”

“The Language of Love”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 18 – 19, 2024

Gospel: John 20:19-23

Last week we celebrated the Ascension of our Lord and 10 days after that we have Pentecost.  At the Ascension, Jesus took the body and human nature He received from the Blessed Mother to Heaven.  The human nature He suffered with, taught, healed, died, and rose with was taken up to Heaven.   So, He needed a new body because the one He took from Mary was in Heaven.  He uses the human nature we received at our Baptism to teach, to heal, and to console down through the ages to make His love known to all the world.  Whatever your vocation, He uses your human nature as a part of His new Body.  Sometimes people call the Church an “it.”  No.  The Church is a “Who.”  Scripture says that.  In the book of Acts, when Saul was persecuting Christians, Jesus asked him, “Why are you persecuting me?”   He did not say, “Why are you persecuting an organization, club, community gathering, or Christian group.”  He said, “Why are you persecuting Me?”  It is His Body that people persecute. 

Now, we are our Lord’s human nature.  We are His arms and legs depending on what part of the mystical body we occupy because of our vocations and the Sacraments.  Throughout the ages, He has used our human nature to bring His love to everyone.   He takes our human natures and uses them as His own to proclaim His message, to teach, and to heal.  We are the Body of Christ in Stanly County.  People heard the Apostles speaking in every tongue.  Now, if you come to the 12:15 Spanish Mass, you can listen to me speak in every tongue.  It’s very charismatic.  You will hear me speaking Spanglish with a French accent.  I can order in a Mexican restaurant and the people I’m with are usually very impressed, “Oh wow!  You speak Spanish.”  But the wait staff just shake their heads.  I’m not great with languages.  I barely made it through Canon Law because you needed to know Latin.  Latin was pretty easy for me since I always had a dictionary. 

At Pentecost, our Lord sends the Holy Spirit Who gives the gift of tongue to proclaim His love.  How do we proclaim His love?  Do we have to learn every language on the planet?  What is the universal language?  How do we reach all these people?  That’s easy.  God gives us the ability to do that.  “Oh wow.  You speak in other tongues?”  Yes, and no.  That’s part of the lawyer in me.   I speak, or try to speak, one language.  “What’s that?”  I’ll give you an example.  When I was the pastor in Statesville,  I received a call from a Hospice nurse who said, “Father, so and so has died. Would you go speak to the family?”  I said, “Sure!”  I went, and I got there before the Hospice nurse and funeral director.  So, I talked to the family and said a prayer over the body.   When the funeral director and the nurse arrived, I helped them take the body to the car.  Then the nurse and I stripped the room and put everything back in its place.  The one thing you don’t want is for the family to come into the room and see the bed linens where their loved one had been.  So, we stripped the room and put it back to how it was originally before their loved one got sick.  The nurse took some of the medication and flushed them.  However, some of the drugs were unopened and OTC (over the counter).  Technically, the nurse was supposed to take them back to Hospice, but she said, “Father, do you know anybody who could use them?”  She wasn’t supposed to do that.  I told some priests that story and they said, “Well, we’d never do that!”  Yeah, I know.  Chumps.  But because I helped that nurse, I got to help other people with the medicine.   That’s the universal language and how you reach people by acts of love.  When I helped that nurse, it was spontaneous and not a part of my job, but I did it because it had to be done.  Show that love.  It can be understood in any language.  Here’s another example:  Years ago, I was going through the hospice unit making my rounds.  Two paramedics came in with a stretcher and a new patient.  The nurses were busy as they always are.  One of the paramedics said, “Where do you want him?”  Not “Hello” but “Where do you want him?”   I said, “Room 3.”  I went with them, and one took the side sheet, another one had the head, and I had the legs.  1 – 2 – 3,  and we got the patient onto his bed.   And because I did not have gloves on and had touched the patient’s skin, I went to the sink and washed my hands.  One of the paramedics approached me and said, “Thank you, Father.”  When we do what is right, other people see it.  You don’t do it because you will be noticed or thanked; you do it because it shows God’s love.   

The third and last point I’ll make is that the Holy Spirit comes to unite all human natures into one body.  Not different bodies but one body to reverse what sin has done.  What does sin do?  Sin divides.  Remember the Tower of Babel?  They all spoke different languages and could not communicate with one another.  It separated humanity.   The Holy Spirit calls us to unite in one faith.  In the military, Protestant chaplains were in awe of Catholic chaplains because they looked at our congregation which was similar to what I see here, and they saw people from almost every continent in the world.  There were some whose English was not that good.  It worked out great for me because there were these Korean ladies who would make vegetable Yaki Mandu.  Oh yeah!   It was killer.  I didn’t realize it was fried, but it was wonderful.  When I was sent to Gitmo for my Spanish lessons – it didn’t work out well, but I went – and other chaplains were amazed at how much the people there loved me.  First, they didn’t know me; give them credit for that.  But they loved me because I was their priest.  “Do they understand what you are saying?”  Some did because they were very educated.  The chairman of my “parish council” was a brain surgeon who trained in Russia.  I asked our doctors if the Cuban doctors were any good and if I should let them touch me.  “Oh, they are very good.  They trained in Russia.”  

We are all one.  In the last 30 – 40 years, there has been a tendency to separate the Church to make it more relevant and meaningful.  You cannot make Christ more meaningful, okay?  You cannot make the Mass more meaningful; that’s blasphemy.  We have a bad habit of hyphenating people.  “I am Spanish-Catholic.”  “I am Irish-Catholic.”  Really.  Did you come from the Old Sod (Ireland)?  “No.“  Do you like ‘Danny Boy’?   “Oh yeah.”  Well, first of all, you haven’t been in church for 50 years so shut up.  And second, I hate that song!!  People wanted to play it at funerals and the bishop said, “No!”  We are not of different faiths only country of origin.  There is no different faith for Vietnamese-Catholics.  They are Catholic.  “I am Canadian-Catholic.”  It’s colder there; I’ll give you that, but you are still Catholic.  Are we Albemarlian-Catholics?  Are we Stanly County-Catholics?  Are we Oakboro-Catholics?  No!  We are all Catholic.  They seek to break up the Faith.  We have to have a different Mass for each language.  That’s why Latin was good because it united everybody which is why we should go back to it.  We are all one faith; there is no such thing as hyphenated-Catholics.  That’s a sin and it’s blasphemy.  The Holy Spirit came to do the exact opposite . . . to unite us all.   It’s like soldiers – there are no hyphenated soldiers – we are all soldiers.  I remember one chaplain who got up and said, “We need more black chaplains.”  I said, “Excuse me.  When did the Army go color-coded with chaplains?”   He couldn’t answer.  He was a colonel but not my colonel so I couldn’t have cared less.  Little bigot. 

We are not color-coded or area-coded.  We are all Catholic by the grace of the Holy Spirit Who unifies the Church and by that unification, Christ continues His teaching and ministry.  We have one Faith, one Church, and one Lord.  To say otherwise is denying the gift of the Holy Spirit.  What evidence do we have of the Holy Spirit?  By babbling, “I have the gift of the Spirit”?  No.  The fruits of the Spirit are works of love.

How will you apply this message to your life?  _______________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – May 5, 2024 – “We Have the Tools to Become Saints”

“We Have the Tools to Become Saints”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 4 – 5, 2024

Gospel: John 15:9-17

In your prayer life, I encourage you to thank God for keeping you safe.  Also, ask your Guardian Angel to cover you with his or her wings so that you may have a safe night free of temptation and illness and can sleep soundly.  Do the same when you get up in the morning.  Ask your Guardian Angel to protect you with their wings as you go through your day to protect you from the dangers of satan, both temporal and spiritual.  Also, remember to say “thank you” at night and in the morning for their watchfulness over you. 

This past week we had the feast of Saint Catherine of Sienna.  She did a lot for the Church in her short life.  She was only 33 when she died, medicine being what it was five centuries ago.  In her short 33 years, she lived an extraordinary life.  I used to love reading about the lives of saints, which is why I never read fiction . . . it was boring.  The amazing thing about Saint Catherine is that she had no initials before or after her name like Most Reverend Bishop, STD (Doctor of Sacred Theology and not a disease), DD (Doctor of Divinity), or JCD (Doctor of Canon Law).  Whoopee!  That does not impress me.  I have initials after my name, and I also have a nice title – Very Reverend – which went south when the bishop retired.  Does that make me a brighter person?  Not necessarily.  All it proves is that I can pass tests. 

However, knowing how to take tests doesn’t mean you are holy.  Look at Saint Therese of Lisieux.  She didn’t graduate from college, nor did she take the Lay Ministry Program offered by our diocese.  But a century later, the Church made her a Doctor of the Church for her holiness.  Saints Therese and Catherine, like so many other saints, reached out and grasped the means to lead a holy life and change the world or their piece of it.   They cooperated with God’s grace each in their own vocation.  Their ability to become holy was the same as ours is today through the Sacraments offered by Holy Mother Church.  They had the same means to become holy as we do.  We all have different abilities and vocations.  Bob will not allow me to handle power tools.  He made that decision so that I wouldn’t hurt myself.  The staff will not allow me to work on phones and on computers.  Also, I know better than to try to work in the kitchen.  That’s not going to happen in my lifetime either.  We all have talents and abilities in every different sphere.  However, we share one common ability, no matter our education, which is holiness.  You are here so that you can take advantage of it and convert the world as the saints did.  I am at least twice the age of Saint Catherine of Sienne when she passed, and I am almost three times the age of Saint Therese de Lisieux when she passed.   Holiness is not a comparative thing, but when I think back on my life, I don’t know if I have done anything that compares to them.  I may have some explaining to do in a little while.  So, in my meditation, I reflect on how to aspire to greater acts of holiness and penance so that I may become like them. 

The ability to be holy does not atrophy.  If we get hurt and are laid up in bed for a while, we get to take physical therapy.  That’s a lot of fun!  I was at the hospital and these pretty young ladies came in.  They seemed so sweet, but the next thing I heard from the patient’s room was “OOOOOOH!”   I have a massage therapist who helps me with my bad back.  When the pain gets to be too much, I let out an “AAAAAH,” and she’ll say, “I’m helping you, Father.”  I feel it!  I really do!  Our muscles atrophy when we don’t use them, but the ability to be holy does not.  The ability to be holy is always there to be reawakened, enlivened, and fulfilled.  The ability to be transformed and to transform the world around us is always there.  We never lose it.  We just have to cooperate with the means to be holy that God gave us.  Holiness is not given to us because we are nice people.  I would like to think I’m the greatest guy I know, and I usually do.  But holiness and my talents have not been given to me because I’m me.  They’ve been given to me to use for you.  So however close I get to Almighty God, that closeness is not a reward for being who or what I am.  It is a gift for you to help build up the Body of Christ.  We have the same ability to be holy just as the great saints did.  We don’t need initials before or after our names.  We don’t have to participate in any special programs or ministries.  I think about the parish I grew up in.  It was crammed with WWII veterans.  Think about what those men and women did.  It was a small French-speaking parish, but they built a church, a school, and a convent.  They also produced five priests from my generation.  Two of those priests have passed.  I remember those men and women very well because it was a small parish.  None of them held spiritual degrees, but they had Christ in their hearts.

Some of us were early bloomers like Saint Catherine, and some of us were late bloomers.  We won’t know what we have and have not accomplished until we are standing before the Throne of God.  The same gifts that were made available to the saints when they cooperated with God’s grace are available to us.  They show the amazing transformation that can happen when we cooperate with God’s grace.   You can find a saint who was in any condition you may have but who was transformed.  The Church investigates potential saints quite vigorously.  They comb through everything written or said by candidates that could be made suspect.  It’s like a spiritual colonoscopy.  So, when people are raised at what is called the Dignity of the Altar and declared a saint, you know their lives have been investigated thoroughly.  The same grace Saint Catherine or any of the saints had is available to us anytime.  God can, does, has, and will give us that same transforming power to change our piece of the world by bringing God’s love, grace, and peace to those who need it.

Father’s Reflections . . .
I’ve been thinking about the four law enforcement officers who were killed in Charlotte two weeks ago.  Despite everyone having fresh plumbing, computers, and cell phones, there’s a lot of evil in the world, so it’s not a lack of stuff that makes people bad.  They’re sick.  Those four brave men won their eternal salvation.  Please keep their families in your prayers. 

How will you apply this message to your life?  _______________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – April 28, 2024 – “Are You Blowing Off God?”

“Are You Blowing Off God?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 27 – 28, 2024


Gospel: John 15:1-8

I appreciate the warm welcome back from my vacation.  Many of you have asked how my vacation was.  It was exhausting.  Now you may be thinking, “But Father, you were on vacation. You had a chance to rest.”   When does a mother and father have a chance to rest?  Just asking.  I’m going back to the area I grew up as a priest, and I have my own little parish there.  Everyone wants to talk to me.  My vacation started this way:  I got up in the morning and when I went into the kitchen for coffee, I stepped in a bunch of cat poop.  Okay, this is going to be fun!  After that it just got weird.  I encountered a lot of episodes of WTMI (way too much information) during which I just sat there and said, “Uh-huh, Uh-huh, okay, yeah.”   I went to see my aunt, who is also my godmother, and my two cousins Sheryl and Lisa.  At one point, all three women were talking to me at once.  Now, I can’t tell my 95-year-old godmother to “shut up” but my cousins I can, and I did.   Shut up!   “What do you mean?”  Did I stutter?   I love you but together you two drive me nuts!  This is why I live alone and why living in a monastery appeals to me.  

Every day I went to the diner which is like the TV show “Cheers” with grease on a plate.   I have my own little parish there too.  I saw this one man who I’ve known for years.  When I first met him, he told me he had been in Vietnam.  He came home after basic training and AIT (job training) and got married.  Ten days later he was on a plane to Saigon.  When he got back home, he became an Elvis impersonator.  Gotta love a guy like that!  When I talked to his wife, I said, “He wasn’t the same young man you sent away, was he?”   She began to cry and said, “No.”  I complimented her, and I still do because she was the one who brought him home from the war.  It’s a type of on-the-job training.  My mother and aunts had to do it for my father and uncles without a textbook or instruction manual to guide them.  They didn’t talk about it although a few of them mentioned it to me before they died.  They had to bring their husbands home, so they taught their children not to sneak up on their dads.   Do not surprise Dad.  So, I’ve watched this man’s health deteriorate over the years.  I’m not “House” but there have been obvious signs.  He has had a lot of maladies due to his time in Vietnam.  During the first part of my vacation, he told me that his doctors had placed him in palliative care.  Well, some people live forever on palliative care, so I wasn’t concerned about that.  Near the end of my vacation, he told me that his doctors had given him the bad news that he had six months to a year to live, and he started to cry a bit.   The agent orange had caught up with him.   On the last day I was home, I told him I would see him in September, and he said, “No, you won’t.”   

This is a funny story about another guy.  Remember I told you that I know a guy?   Well, this is the guy.  I mean the Feds even bugged his phone, so he is the guy.  He’s not in the business anymore, however, he’s open to referrals.  So, I do know a guy.  About 30 years ago, his friend helped him get out of the business and become the wonderful guy he is today.  But his friend is dying and is in a trauma unit at a hospital in Rhode Island.  He wanted to see him but felt bad about intruding on the family.   So, he called his friend’s daughter and asked, “May I come to see your father?  I don’t want to interrupt the family if it’s a bad time.”  She said, “Yes, of course.  He wants to see you.”   So, he went.  Even though his friend had tubes protruding from every possible place you could have them, he motioned to him that it was okay.  He talked to his friend and made peace with him.   He left the hospital, and an hour later his friend was dead. 

Coming home I was privileged to sit next to a guy who had three hot toddies starting at 10:30 in the morning.  Everyone is trying to be a paratrooper.  I said, “Really?  That’s the amateur hour.”   Then, to top it all off, I called the church office to see how things were going and learned that the visiting priest had been vomiting all Sunday night and Monday morning.  So Servpro came to the house and disinfected everything.  Never a dull moment.   On Friday afternoon, I drove from Charlotte back to Albemarle to take care of the mail and then drove to St. Luke’s in Mint Hill to hear confessions and drove back.  Otherwise, I’m really relaxed.

While I was hearing confessions at St. Luke’s, someone said, “I don’t go to Mass the way I should.”  Well, you can.  Nothing is stopping you.  The doors here are open.  In many ways, it comes down to poor teaching about what the Mass is.  The Mass is not a function.  It is the event that redeemed creation and opened Heaven up for us.  It gives us the means to get there by the sacrifice of Christ which is always before the Father and made present for us.  In some parishes, the Mass is treated like a performance.  They have these big screens that come down from the ceiling, and somebody is at the front of the church cheerleading.   I didn’t read that in Scripture about Calvary.  Did they have a cheerleader?   Maybe I’m wrong.  I may have been sick for a day or two while in seminary.   Some parishes have a practice before the Mass or they have a Mass that goes on and on – like the guy last week – and on.  You get no more salvation with a Mass that goes for an hour and a half than one that lasts for 13 minutes, which I have done several times because of extenuating circumstances. 

Why is missing Sunday Mass so bad?  The greatest sign of God’s love is made present on the altar on Sundays and every day, but Sunday is a holy day of obligation.  Our good Lord asks those who say they believe in Him to come and be a part of the greatest act of divine love the world has ever seen.  But people don’t show up.   This is a little vulgar, but it’s true – they give God the middle finger.  “I’m too busy.”  “I don’t like it.”  “I was there last week, and it’s just a rerun.”  “I went to Mass a lot in grade school.”  Really?   I drank a lot of water back then, and I still drink water.  So, they give God the middle finger and go about their business.  That’s all ego.  The true way to spirituality, as evidenced by people who get sober, clean, or slimmer or whatever 12-Step program they are in, is by humility or ego deflation.  Once humility is achieved, along with the other steps supporting it, you never have to drink or abuse drugs again.  Humility is one of God’s gifts and is the first step in spirituality.   Does God chuckle at my not eating bacon?  Maybe but doubtful.  But He wants to see what I do with the sacrifices made on my behalf.  He made such a great sacrifice Himself by sending His only Son to suffer and die.  What is my response to that love?  By complaining and crying that I can’t eat bacon or that I have to eat fish?  That’s a big one.  Did I tell you I hate fish?  Ego deflation is the key to spiritual life. 

“What a beautiful Mass, Father.”  Don’t judge the Mass . . . all Masses are beautiful.  The beauty comes in the person who is suffering in the Mass and that is Christ.  What is the Mass?  It is Christ and that is where the beauty comes from.  The only way to improve the Mass is not from the outside but from inside us.  That’s how we come to appreciate the Mass and not by judging it by our standards like ‘America’s Got Talent’ or thinking that our trip to Walmart is more important.  The key to the Mass is humility and realizing what we are and what the Mass is.  The humble say, “Speak Lord your servant is listening” and not “Listen Lord your servant is speaking.”

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – April 14, 2024 – “There is Only One Truth”

“There is Only One Truth”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 13 – 14, 2024

Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

35 Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised Him at the breaking of bread. 36 They were still talking about all this when He himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you!’ 37 In a state of alarm and fright, they thought they were seeing a ghost. 38 But He said, ‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts stirring in your hearts? 39 See by My hands and My feet that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ 40 And as He said this He showed them His hands and his feet. 41 Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, as they were dumbfounded; so He said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ 42 And they offered Him a piece of grilled fish, 43 which He took and ate before their eyes. 44 Then He told them, ‘This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, was destined to be fulfilled.’ 45 He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and He said to them, ‘So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that, in His name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses to this.

I looked this up: there are over 12,000 Protestant denominations. Protestants say they believe in Scripture; however, they must be reading different books than Catholics. God wants us to find our truth. Philosophically, there can be only one truth. There is one God and one truth. There is no different faith for Yankees than there is for people in Aquadale. There is not a different faith for people with different skin tones. We have only one faith and one truth. The Catholic Church teaches the truth.

I get these questions all the time. I see a group of Baptist guys on Mondays at Parkway House. They are good old boys, and I always go up and talk to them. Some of them will start quoting Scripture and ask if I am familiar with it. I feel like saying, “Dude, see this collar? I went to school and, believe it or not, I earned a master’s degree. I really did study, and I have a diploma to prove it.” So yeah, I think I know Scripture. I have people coming up to me all the time trying to prove me wrong. The Catholic Church wrote the Bible, so I know what it says and what it means. “Well, I don’t think it means that.” Do you argue with your doctor too? There is one truth. The Church teaches the truth, and we call that tradition. Truth is also contained outside of Scripture. In John’s gospel, he admitted that Scripture does not contain everything (John 21:25). So, we have the whole truth that the Church has taught from the beginning.

We have all sorts of people who have been “gifted” by the spirit, and they claim, “truth to power.” Uh-Huh. When someone uses that phrase, I always say, “I’ll get someone to check your meds because it sounds like you are on a real ego trip.” In the Catholic Church, those people have fallen by the wayside. They’ve all gone bye-bye. They say, “We have a new and better way. Christ told us so.” How’s that working out for you? Probably not really well. If we stick to what Christ said, we get what He promised: peace and joy in our souls, all the happiness that is possible in this life, and eternal life in the next. We have an inkling of what Heaven is like.

A lot of people say, “I don’t care what happens to my body; the body isn’t important.” Yes, it is. Our Lord said, “See by My hands and My feet that it is I Myself. Touch Me and see for yourselves.” At the end of time, we will have our bodies back . . . our souls will be reunited with our bodies. Nothing imperfect can be in the presence of God. There is only a temporary separation of our soul and body, so at the end of the world, we will receive our bodies back to serve our Lord and love Him. We will be reunited with our bodies and rejoice in Heaven. Hopefully, I won’t be eating fish! Please, Lord!! Although I am sure He will make me like it. This is our future. We will have our bodies back and not the weak and frail ones we have now, but bodies made perfect. We will be able to recognize each other in Heaven because the Apostles recognized our good Lord. If we do as we are told, that is our future. If not, let me know how that works out for you.

How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”