Category: Sermon Notes

Transripts of weekly sermons

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Sermon Notes – July 6, 2025 – “You Will Be Amazed!”

“You Will Be Amazed!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

July 5-6, 2025

Gospel: Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20

Would you like to be amazed?  If yes, do you want an easy way to do it?   Just do what Christ told you to do.  “Lord, everything worked just like You told us it would!”  Well, duh!  As they say in Italian, “Stunad” (stupid).   “Were you expecting something different?  I’m God, remember?”  Peter had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything.  So, when our Lord told him, “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch,” Peter responded with a bit of sarcasm: “Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if You say so, I will pay out the nets” (Luke 5:4-5).  It was obvious that Jesus wasn’t a fisherman; he was a carpenter.  But what happened?  Because the fishermen did what our Lord told them to do, they caught so many fish that their nets tore.  The Epistles affirm that if we do what God tells us to do, we will get what He promised, and our Lord has never reneged on any of His promises.  But keep it simple – do what He tells you to do just for today, just for this hour.  He tells us exactly where the landmines are on the way to salvation, and He gives us the map.  “Don’t step there . . . it will hurt you.” 

Christ performed many miracles.  He fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish.  So, you would think that the Apostles would have learned, but no.  They were not the sharpest knives in the drawer, nor were they the brightest bears in Jellystone Park.  Remember that old cartoon?  You would think that after our Lord resurrected four people from the dead and performed all the other miracles, the Apostles would have learned to trust Him.  “Do what I tell you, and you will get what I’ve got.”  Our Lord did not say, “My words are just suggestive. You do what you think is best.”  He did not say “Give 10 percent to the Church,” which I appreciate, but He didn’t say that either.   That is nowhere in Scripture.   If you ask, “How does He speak to us in the 21st Century?”  The same way He did in the First Century, Stunad!   Read the black part of Scripture, not the white part.  It has not changed.  Now, believe it or not, no matter how good-looking, intelligent, and talented I am, our Lord does not need my advice.  Whenever the Lord asked the Apostles a question, they gave Him the wrong answer.  We must do what He asks us to do. 

I took three vows when I was ordained: poverty, chastity, and obedience.  Thank God eating fish wasn’t one of them.  Anyway, do you know which vow is the most difficult?  Obedience.  There are two parts to obedience.  One is objective obedience: “Yes, Sir. Very good, Sir.”  You salute and carry out the mission.  There is also subjective obedience.  You give an order, and you hear, “Yes, Sir. Very good, Sir.”  But you know, in the back of their mind, they are patting the back of their head, which is a sign of mockery, and thinking, “I’m doing this because if I don’t, you’ll put me in prison.”   If they don’t obey a command, the First Sergeant will conduct some hands-on therapy.  They don’t do that anymore, but the laying on of hands can help alleviate many problems.   Subjective obedience is the renunciation of the will, in the same way as in marriages.  There is only one law in the married state, clerical state, and single state, or whatever your vocation.  It is the renunciation of self to do the will of the beloved.  For example, if you ask your children to do something, they may ask, “Why?”   When you say, “Because I said so,” they may throw a tantrum because they are not adults.  We do the same with God.  “Why do I have to go to Mass?”  Do you want God’s peace?  “Yes.”  Do you want God’s joy?  “Yes.”  Do you want the promise of eternal life?   “Yes.”  Then do what He told you and you will be amazed at what happens.

Announcement:

We will be getting a new vestment case.  For 20+ years, I have stared at the old one, and I really, really don’t like it.  Recently, I was at another church for a wedding, and when I saw theirs, I thought, “Need one. Gotta have one. Get one.”  It was so beautiful.  A donor has given most of the money for the new vestment case, but there is still room left if you would like to make a memorial donation.  The Misfits will be doing the demolition of the old cabinet, so we will save some money there.  If you would like to help with the cabinet, contact Lori Storms in the office. Her phone number is (704) 982-2910 extension 1. There are pictures of the new vestment case on the church’s Facebook page.  The case will be handmade of white oak and will take approximately seven months to complete.  It will be so beautiful!

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 29, 2025 – “Christ Came to Build His Church … Not to Write a Book”

“Christ Came to Build His Church … Not to Write a Book”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 28-29, 2025

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

Pop quiz: How many of you love Scripture?  Let’s try that again.  I’ll give you a do-over.   How many of you love Scripture?  Alright, I’m seeing hands being raised.  If you do not love Scripture, we need to have a chat, and it will be a one-way conversation.  Scripture is the revealed Word of God.  So, if you love Scripture, and you have all indicated that you do, then you must love the Church.  Do you know why?  Because the Church wrote it.  The Church knows exactly what is in Scripture, so she can both interpret and teach it.  Now, Scripture only contains what is necessary for salvation.  It is not a handbook for engineering or medicine, and dinosaurs are never mentioned.  Basically, the Gospel is Ecclesiology, or what the Church is.  By the way, the Church is not a “what,” but a “Who.”  Jesus revealed that to Paul on the road to Damascus when He said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4).  We are the Body of Christ, so when you persecute the Church, you are persecuting Him. 

When you study Scripture, you must study it in the original language because English is a terrible language in which to study it.  When I first began my work in Hospice, I went to Nancy, who was one of the nurses, and I enrolled in Nancy’s College of Medical Terminology.  I asked Nancy what I needed to know so that I could become a better hospital chaplain.  Nancy gave me some books and papers to read.  This was because during treatment meetings, the medical staff would use all these big medical terms, and I was thankful that I could ask Dr. Google what they meant.  One of the doctors said, “Father, a veteran has Cheyne-Stokes respirations. Go see him.”  That is the kind of breathing you do until you don’t.  So, it was essential that I learn the language used by the medical staff. 

Likewise, we need to learn the words of Scripture, but we must learn them in the original language.  When Jesus said, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18), Jesus renamed Simon, son of John.  In the Old Testament, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham to reflect his mission.  So, the Apostles understood what changing Simon’s name to Peter meant, and that was when they began to feel a bit of resentment.  When Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build My church,” He used the Greek word “Ecclesia,” meaning “you.”   In English, the word “you” can be singular or plural.  In French, there are two words that mean “you” – vous (plural) and tu (singular).  That doesn’t happen in the English language.  Christ said, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build My church.”  He said, “You.”   He did not say “through the power of the Apostles,” as the Episcopalians claim, nor “as a profession of faith,” but rather “you” personally.

Christ came to establish and embody His Church, which has continued throughout time.  The Catholic Church wrote the New Testament scripture, and it codified the Old Testament.  The Jews only had the first five books of the Old Testament, but after Christ established His Church, we now have a few more.  The last books of the New Testament were not written until around 90 A.D. The Church was present throughout the Roman Empire. A couple of generations of martyrs had already died for the true Faith.  The book wasn’t codified until the 4th Century.  Before that, we never had a book.  Jesus came to establish His Church and not to write a book.  It was the Catholic Church that wrote the book that became essential for salvation. 

In the Old Testament, Jews were called Katoikos, meaning “settler.”  In the Gospel, which was written in Aramaic, there is a Greek word, ” ekklesia,” commonly translated as “church.”  There is a big difference between “settler” and “church.”  Now, you older people will remember this and thank God that you are old, because many of our contemporaries never had the opportunity.  Do you remember the group, Peter, Paul, and Mary?  They sang “Puff the Magic Dragon.”  Many people thought that “Puff” was a synonym for marijuana.  Peter Yarrow, who was a member of the group and wrote the song, said, “I’m Puff’s daddy. Puff was a dragon; he was not marijuana.”  Likewise, you cannot read into Scripture; you must read what is there.  It’s like us when we get a pimple, and we consult Dr. Google.  “Oh my God!  I’ve got leprosy!”  And we run to the doctor who says, “You’ve got a pimple. Go home and wash your face. Grow up. You’ll be fine.”   Don’t read more into Scripture than what is there.  Let the Church, which wrote it, help you interpret it. 

Christ appointed Peter to build His Church.  Why?  Was Peter the brightest?  No.  That would be Luke, who was a physician.  Why Peter?  He was dumb as a rock, but he was the most able conduit of God’s grace.  God chooses us to serve, as He did Peter, not because we are the biggest and brightest in the class, but for our ability to be a conduit of His grace. 

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 22, 2025 – “A Funny Thing About Catholics . . .”

“A Funny Thing About Catholics . . .”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 21-22, 2025

Gospel:  Luke 9:11B-17

A funny and interesting thing about Catholics is that we don’t sing that well, but we are extraordinarily good-looking.  Another interesting thing about us is that we hold somewhat odd Christian beliefs.  “What do you mean?”  We believe what Scripture tells us – just the black part, not the white.  People will ask, “Where do you Catholics find that in Scripture?”   I will tell you because I did go to school and passed a lot of tests.  I have a document to prove it.  But before you ask that question, remember that Christ came down to establish a church and not to write a book.  Christ said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).  He did not come here to write a book.  The Catholic Church wrote the Bible, and it wasn’t codified until the fourth century.  By that time, the Catholic Church had spread throughout the entire Roman Empire.  So, you need to put things into perspective before asking questions. 

We believe what Jesus said, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).  We believe what Jesus said.  “Well, that just means to spiritually commune.”  No.  In Greek and English, the word “eat” means the same thing.  That’s one translation they got right.  It means to physically chew, masticate, and consume.  People thought He was preaching about cannibalism, and that’s why everyone left Him except the 12 Apostles.  “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”  He offers us all that life through the Apostles, bishops, and priests whom He ordained at the Last Supper to give us that means of life so that we may have life and have it to the fullest.  But He also cautions us.  Saint Paul wrote, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27).   They are guilty of His death.  Nobody is going to the guillotine if they do, but it is a mortal sin, and you cut yourself off from salvation.  This is the core of our Faith.  

So, the Eucharist is more than about appearances, unity, and making us all one.  Ah-Ah-Ah.  No.  You do that while sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya.  That’s not what the Body and Blood of Christ was made for.  It was made for our salvation and to give us the divine life that we lost by our sins.  That’s why the penalty is so great if we receive the Blessed Sacrament unworthily.  And that’s why we have all these “rules.”   “Well, how can He do all that?”  Let me see, He created the world out of nothing, raised people from the dead. . . would you like me to go on?   Why are you denying the power of Christ?  That’s what He said.   

Now, when I was young, I had to walk to school uphill both ways in a snowstorm in July.  One of my friends was complaining that it was going to reach 100 degrees that day.  I didn’t want to be too much of a smart aleck because she is my Italian food connection, but I said, “The highest temperature I experienced was in the 130s”.  That conversation stopped rather quickly.  “Oh, it’s hot!”  You have no idea what hot is.  Wait till later, if you don’t live right, and then you will find out what real hot is. 

When we get sick, we visit the pharmacy, and they provide us with medicine.  At one time, I guess the prevailing wisdom was that if the medicine tasted like garbage, it was better for you.  “Oh, this must be really good because it tastes so bad!”   But now pharmaceuticals have changed, and people use them like candy even though they are narcotics.  “Oh, this tastes so good!”  You cannot taste what is underneath, but just because we cannot taste the medicine does not mean it isn’t working.  I do not taste or feel the medicine I take in the morning. However, when I check my blood pressure on the machine in the Family Life Center, I know it is functioning properly.  You cannot taste God’s healing in your medicine.   But it’s there.  So, if we accept that, why can we not accept Christ saying, “This is My Body” and “This is My Blood”? 

Sometimes, when we have wonderful things in our lives, we tend to take them for granted, for example, our family and friends.   I have to look down at my family because I outlived them all.  Look at your family and those whom you love most.  Sometimes, we take them for granted.   Mass is offered every day, and we take it for granted.  Our Lord is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and we take Him for granted.  By the way, do you know what happens in the Mass?  We teach children in Faith Formation a six-syllable word: transubstantiation.   During the Mass, when the priest, acting in the persona of Christ, says, “This is My body” and “This is My blood,” the wine and blood become the body and blood of Christ.  “Well, transubstantiation is a big word, Father.”  But you know how to use an iPhone, don’t you?  Okay, I don’t, but I know people who do.  We have the great opportunity to spend time with God Incarnate.  If we are in a State of Grace, we have the wonderful opportunity every day, and twice a day on special occasions, to receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Savior given to us by the hands of the priest so that we may be fed by Christ just like the Apostles.   God gives us healing and His very Self so that we may have life and have it to the fullest. 

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 15, 2025 – “Embrace the Suck”

“Embrace the Suck”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 14 – 15, 2025

Gospel:  John 16:12-15

A number of years ago, I was having dinner with some priests, and there was one priest who was complaining a lot.  He was not a happy camper and was having a very bad year.  Finally, the smart-aleck in me came out and I said to him, “Father, come down from the cross. We need the wood.”   He did not appreciate my insight.  We all have bad days.  We let off steam by voicing our discontent with situations, and that’s okay.  It’s normal.  Saint Paul did that; he complained about the thorn in his flesh and the cross he had to carry.  He asked the Lord to take the cross from him, and the Lord said, “No.  My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2Corinthians 12:9).  Then Paul understood: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24).

Sometimes our crosses are primarily in one part of the body.  However, when your foot hurts, your whole body is sick.  If you have a headache, your whole body is sick.  Whatever part of the body is sick affects the whole body.  Some of our crosses can be long crosses that we have to carry all our lives.  For example, my parents gave me good looks but no money, and it really sucks to be poor!  Other crosses can be temporary, like going to the gas chamber.  As we say in the military, “embrace the suck.”  We can laugh about it afterward.   

So, we have an opportunity to participate in Christ’s redemptive acts by joining our suffering to His.  Just like the Blessed Mother, who, along with Saint John and Mary Clopas, watched her Son die on the Cross.  Each day, we have the sublime opportunity to participate in the redemptive power of Christ.  We can embrace our crosses and offer them up as penance for our own sin and in union with the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.   The Sacrifice on the Crucifix is always before the Father in Heaven pleading for us and for everyone.  We gain strength from His sacrifice, so that we can offer up our suffering for ourselves and for others.   The beautiful part is that we do not have to like our sufferings.  When I had Covid, I offered it up every day.  Did I find it enjoyable?  Did anyone around me find it enjoyable?  Not likely.  When I’m sick, give me a cigarette and a luger, and I will do the honorable thing.  I came over here to the church to walk and say my prayers, meditate, and say the Rosary.  I thought I was a tough guy.  I made it halfway around the church and had to sit down.  Did I enjoy the four to six weeks I was sick?  Nope.  Although it was very slimming because I lost my appetite.   But I offered it up because I knew it would do some good.  Did I like it?  Oh, hell no.   But it would help others, and that was what was important. 

Some people are given gifts so that they can help others financially or materially.  They may be gifted in a trade, and that’s wonderful.  The Misfits don’t let me handle power tools.  I won’t forget that, Bob.  That really hurt.  We all have different gifts to use in building up the Body of Christ.  Offer up all your sufferings to the Savior for the salvation of souls.  We can be coworkers with Christ in the mission of redemption.  How marvelous that gift is!  But like many great gifts, it is hidden below a bunch of garbage.  Who would think that having illnesses and suffering is a good thing?  None of us.  But it is and it can be a wondrous thing.  I remember one man who was a major in the 101st Airborne.  His mother-in-law was suffering from end-stage ovarian cancer.  Her last wish during her final days was to eat a hamburger.  That was the only thing she wanted.  Her son-in-law, who thought he was a tough guy, said, “Lord, I will take her pain for a day so that she can have a hamburger.”  The next day, she had a hamburger.  That same day, her son-in-law was in the hospital at Fort Campbell.  He took all her pain upon himself.  Sometimes the results are immediate when we take another person’s pain upon ourselves, but they are always work. 

Now, there is one important caveat in all of this.  We do not have to like our sufferings, and because we offer them up each day doesn’t mean they become more enjoyable.  But we offer them up, and we know intellectually and spiritually that our sufferings are doing good.  They are redemptive not only for us but for others.  Never lose sight of that.  “Oh God!  I’m so happy because I’m suffering!”   Uh-Huh.  We have pills for that.  Take all your sufferings and join them with the sufferings of Christ for the salvation of souls.  Some of your pain may go away.  I don’t know, but sometimes that happens.  This is how we can join Christ.  We can become part of Christ’s Sacrifice by truly joining our sacrifice with His. 

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 1, 2025 – “Offer Up Your Suffering”

“Offer Up Your Suffering”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 31 – June 1, 2025

Gospel:  John 17:20-26

Today, we celebrate the day our Lord ascended into Heaven with the human nature He took from His mother that was united with His own divine nature, two natures in one person, called the Hypostatic Union.  The human nature He suffered with, that He taught with, and that He healed with, was taken up to Heaven today.  Do you know what the last sight the Apostles had of our good Lord?   His hands and feet with the marks of the Passion . . .  His sacred wounds . . . the price of sin given out of love. 

What do the marks of His Crucifixion do for us in Heaven?  They are presented to the Father to intercede on our behalf.   Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).  He is always pleading for us before the Father. 

Our Lord left us a great example of what to do with our many crosses, our own, those we acquired during our life, and those cast upon us by the sins of other people.  For example, some people do not realize how important I am, and they won’t get out of my way on the highway.  That is so rude.  You are in front of the holy man, and you are going too darn slow, so move!   All those other crosses – our limitations and physical illnesses – are all crosses we carry.   Make an active prayer and present them to the Father for ourselves and, even better, for others.  Saint Paul said, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for Your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church” (Colossians 1:24). 

What is lacking in the sufferings of Christ is our participation in it.  We can participate by offering up our prayers, works, joys, and sufferings to the Lord.   We offer them up for ourselves, for those who are dear to us, and especially for those who are not so dear to us.  They need our prayers, too.  So, keep them in your prayers, especially in your Morning Offering.  It’s a classic prayer, and an old one, but the old prayers are good because they focus us on the exact meaning of the prayer.

Morning Offering:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

I offer You my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day

for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart

in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world,

for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians,

and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month.  Amen.

The last vision the Apostles had of our Lord in His human nature here on Earth was the marks of His love to plead for us before the Father.  We must bear our crosses, but we do not have to like them.  Bring them to the Father constantly in your prayers for all your infirmities, both interior and exterior.  Offer them up in prayer to the Father in imitation of and communion with the sacrifice of Jesus.

Father’s Reflections:  I visited a patient in Hospice who claimed to be a Catholic Buddhist.  I talked to the hospital chaplain, who said there actually was such a thing as a Catholic Buddhist.  Really?  It is either the guy with a beard or the guy with a fat belly.  It’s one or the other, not both.  The chaplain said the patient wasn’t doing well.  Well, in Hospice, nobody is doing well.  I went in to see this patient and talked to him for a bit.  I said, “I heard you aren’t going well, and I’d like to give you Last Rites.”  He said, “I’m not going to need them.”   Now, although that will make our hospitalist very happy, it will surprise him.  So, I talked to the patient some more, and I said, “You are Catholic, right?”  He said, “Yes.”  Are you sorry for your sins?  He said, “Yes.”  So, I gave him absolution and an Apostolic Pardon.  I wasn’t going to ask him any more questions, because I had gotten the deal done.  I didn’t put anything in the record.  Nobody needs to know; God does.  The other chaplain asked me how I interacted so well with people.  I said, “I had ethnic studies when I was very young.”  Really?  “Yeah, I learned how to make people an offer they couldn’t refuse.”  It’s the art of the deal.  Get the mission done. 

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 25, 2025 – “Stop Running!”

“Stop Running!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 24 – 25, 2025

Gospel:  John 14:23-29

While I was home, I met a correctional officer from the prison.  Rhode Island is a small state, but we have our fair share of felons.  This correctional officer asked me, “Father, how do you find God?”  I said, “That’s easy – Just stop running.”  People run from God, although they say they are looking for Him.  No, they aren’t.  They are running from Him.  What are you looking for, and why are you running?  It may be the fear, shame, remorse, and guilt for what they have done.  It may not only be for the fear of their sins, but also for what God will ask of them.  What is the worst thing God will ask of you?  To renounce yourself.   Christ said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).   “Do not tell Me what I should be or what you conceive Me to be.  I will let you know who I am.”   People try to get rid of God.  Ask Judy Wentzel.  She deals with antiques and sees a lot of crucifixes, rosaries, and medals in her antique shop.  People run from God, “I will not serve.”  You find God by renouncing yourself. 

People come up to me and say, “Father, where does it say this in the bible?”  Sometimes I take it as a good-natured question, but at other times it is annoying.  We have a wonderful invention now called Google.  There is also this great book called the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Look it up yourself, or are you trying to play “Stump the Chump”?   Yes, I did go to seminary, and I had to pass many tests.  During my last year of seminary before we graduated and were ordained, we participated in “Murderers Row.”  All the professors you had during your years of undergraduate studies and graduate seminary studies were sitting there, and they could ask you any question from your last eight years of school.  Yeah, that was a bit nerve-racking, especially when the professor from your first year of philosophy starts quizzing you, “What is the principle of identity?”  Oh God, no!   We learned that on the first day of class. 

Now, this will be an interesting weekend, and many people are going to save a lot of money.  Do you know why?  There will be Memorial Day mattress sales!  It is really killing me that I’m here with all those sales happening!  I saw a survey recently that showed 27% of Generation Z said they don’t know why we have this holiday.  They really should be at the Parris Island Marine Corps base.  Only 47% of Baby Boomers know why we commemorate Memorial Day.   A couple of years ago, I received a note from the Chief of Chaplains at the VA about a veteran whose wife had died and who wanted to talk to a Catholic chaplain who was also a veteran.  I’m the only guy on staff at the VA who meets those qualifications, so I made an appointment with him.  This veteran came into my office with all these books.  Now, these were post-graduate books and rather worn and ragged.  I was rather impressed because I hadn’t seen some of these books since seminary.    He had lots of questions, and when he finally ran out of steam, I said, “I heard your wife died.”  Yes.  “Did you love her?”  Yes.  “Do you miss her?”  Yes.  Then I asked, “What branch of service were you in?”  Army.  “Were you in Vietnam?  Yes.  I knew all the answers to my questions before I asked them, like any good lawyer.  “What did you do in the Army?”  I was a medic.   “Alright, Doc.  How many soldiers did you save?”  He didn’t know, and I believe that.  “Doc, how many soldiers did you lose?”  He knew every one of them by name, and each day he would see their pictures in his head.  His wife helped him keep it together.  Now, not only is he grieving the loss of his wife, but he is dealing with the trauma from his military service alone.

There was a priest in our diocese, Father Tom Scott.  His parish was in Mount Airy, and he retired for medical reasons.  He had Leukemia and Agent Orange poisoning.  He was a corpsman in Vietnam for two tours.  One was planned, but he volunteered to go back as a Marine, and he got himself really blown up.  He still had shrapnel in his hand.  Sometimes he would show me a piece that had worked its way out.   On his patten, which is the little gold plate that the priest’s host is placed on, he had the names of all the Marines he lost.  Some priests made fun of him, and they make fun of me.   I agree that, except for former military service, everything else is fair game.  You might be thinking, “Father, it has been 50 years since that war.”  Yes.  With most things, through God’s grace, the passage of time makes it easier for us.  But pulling the trigger and the stress that comes with it are a whole other matter.   I give books to the medical staff who say, “Oh, I can’t read that!  It’s too graphic.”  But it’s what we lived and what some of us are still living.  The war never left us.  If you want to learn about it and the cause of PTSD, read the book “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society” by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman.  Usually, with the passage of time and grace, you adjust.    

Eventually, as you grow older, defenses become weaker.  Your family leaves, dies, or whatever.  We had one veteran who was dying in Hospice, and he asked his nurse, “Would you hold my hand till I fall asleep?”   Although I’m not Dr. House, I know when these old timers are about to pass because they start telling me all these things they never told their wives.  When they tell me what happened, I know they will be gone in a couple of weeks.  They are cleaning house.  There are a lot of grey-haired old men and ladies, whose faces soldiers and Marines were the last ones they saw before they passed from this world to the next.  Read “Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul.”  Most people forget what this weekend is about because they were not involved in that part of life, but they all benefited.  Those soldiers and Marines remember it every day.  The benefit of their service is our freedom and not mattress sales.   

Father’s Afterthoughts:  One more story – I have bunches of them.  We were training with medical mannequins, and one of the nurse trainers approached me and asked, “Padre, can you go talk to this guy?”  What’s wrong?    “No matter what we do, the patient is going to die.”   Sometimes, if you fix one crisis, you create another one.   So, I went in to see him.  He was a full-bird colonel.  I said, “Doc,” and he said, “Chaplain.”   I stood beside him, and he said, “I’m not going to lose him.  I sent too many soldiers home in body bags.  I’m not going to lose this one.”  He had been in Vietnam as a battalion surgeon.   I said, “Okay, Doc.”   I went back to the training nurse and said, “He’s back in Vietnam, having a flashback about the soldiers he lost.  He won’t lose this one.”

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 18, 2025 – “It’s Not About Us”

“It’s Not About Us”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 17 – 18, 2025


Gospel:  John 13:31-35

Every time our Lord asked the Apostles a question, they got the answer wrong.  And when He gives us tasks, He must be specific, because ever since He created man, we have always tried to improve on God’s Word.  “Well, God said this, but He really meant that.”  Huh-huh.  “I think we should do it this way.  It’s much, much better.”  However, every time we have changed things, we have messed things up. 

Our Lord spelled out exactly what we must do to achieve eternal life.  He said, ”As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (John 13:34).   We do not have to wonder what love means because He left us very specific ways in which to love Him: “If you love Me keep My Commandments” (John 14:15).  And before you start complaining, He also said, “My Commandments are not burdensome” (John 5:3).   He was very specific about how to love and not in the way we think we should.  I think pizza is still great for breakfast, but some doctors might disagree.  Think about it – pizza contains the four basic food groups, and chocolate cake has milk and eggs – all good stuff.  But our Lord left us with very specific ways in which to love.  He not only told us, but He showed us the depth of His love on the Cross.  We may complain that the Commandments are burdensome, but that’s only because of our love of self.  It may have been Saint Ambrose who said, “There is no work involved in love, and if there is, the work itself is love.”  If there is true love for a spouse, child, or friend, there is no cost in the gift.  We do what our good Lord asks us to do because it is a work of love.

I told you the story about how, at the beginning of my hospital work, I had to leave a patient’s room because of the stench.  I made the mistake of telling my father about it.  My father, who was a medic before he became an officer and spy, said, “Son, I understand that.  Do whatever it is you need to do – throw up, pass an organ or two, but then go back into the room.  You are not what is most important.”  That is self-love dying.  We do for others because they were made in the image and likeness of God. 

When I was a soldier, if a fellow soldier didn’t have any smokes, my smokes were theirs.  We took care of our own, and we didn’t count the costs.  We used to go on 12-mile nature walks every quarter, carrying a 60-pound pack containing everything Uncle Sam had issued us.  Those packs were weighed only at the beginning of the walk and not at the end.  As we were on our way, enjoying the beauty of nature, listening to the birds sing, we rejoiced that we actually got paid for the agony.  If a soldier was having a hard day and began to fall behind, I would see other soldiers go up behind that soldier, grab some of the stuff from the soldier’s pack, and add it to their own packs.  They didn’t ask, they just did it, and at the end of the walk, they returned all the stuff they had carried to the soldier.  There was no need to say thank you.  It was just what we did, and it was the right thing to do.  It was Christ-like.  Now, I didn’t see many of them in chapel very often, and Lord knows I tried to change that.  But they knew the love of Christ.

 Loving one another can be hard.  It really can.  Sometimes people are not nice or don’t treat us the way we think they should, and that’s alright.  We are called to love them as Christ did.  We don’t have to like them, but we have to love them.

Father’s Reflections:

On most mornings, I’m usually here in the church saying my prayers and doing my meditation.  This morning, the fruit of my meditation was that pie is still fruit, and although we have service dogs, we don’t have service cats.  There is some meaning behind that.

I have been a priest for a long time, and I saw something in this church that I’ve never seen before.  There was a wedding being performed by a deacon here in our church.  If you are Catholic, you can get married or have a funeral in any church, even at St. Peter’s in Rome.  Please don’t – I really don’t want to do all the paperwork required.  The people today were from Concord, and they were very wonderful people and delightful to work with, which is a shock for weddings; they can be the worst.  Anyhow, I’m sitting in the Sacristy with the door closed, and someone hung paper over the window of the door.  I guess it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding.  That was the first time I’ve ever seen that happen.  Okay, Lord, I’m ready to go now!

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 11, 2025 – “Read the Instructions”

“Read the Instructions”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 10 – 11, 2025


Gospel:  John 10: 27-30

Today is a wonderful day.  The Sacrament of First Communion will be administered.  Last night, I imposed the Sacrament of Confirmation on students.  I want to thank the Faith Formation staff and especially the parents for their wonderful work in helping prepare for this day.   This is a great gift because this gift is not just a gift with a lowercase “g.”  It is a Gift with a capital “G.”  This Gift is God, Himself, coming into your souls.  It is the medicine of God.

Do you know why doctors give us medicine?  If we are sick, it will make us healthy.  Another reason for medicine is to keep us healthy.  It is the same reason God gives us Himself in the Sacraments, to make us healthy and to keep us healthy.  When we sin, the Sacrament of Penance makes us healthy.  The other Sacraments help keep us healthy, which include Holy Communion that the young people will receive today, and the Sacrament of Confirmation, which keeps us strong for service to others. 

Now, there may be restrictions that come with the medicine our physicians prescribe.  The instructions on the bottle may say, “Do not take with grapefruit juice.”  I love that one, and I wonder how that was determined.  Did some poor shmuck take his medicine with grapefruit juice and go whoops!   Other medications should be taken with food, and if you don’t, you quickly realize you made a big mistake.  There may also be certain times to take medicine.  So, there can be all sorts of restrictions so that the medicine can do its job.   But we are always complaining about it: “Oh, poor me.  I cannot eat this or that.”  Oh, be quiet.  At least you are old enough to enjoy the privilege.  We must cooperate with the medicine we’ve been prescribed.  It’s the same with God and the Sacraments.  They are gifts from God, but we must cooperate by receiving the Sacraments in a State of Grace, which is attained by receiving the Sacrament of Penance.  These gifts will not overpower us.  They will not take us away from the temptation to sin.  We must not make appointments to visit it or take it to lunch.  You must work with the gift that God has given you. 

Do you know what the biggest occasion of sin is?   I don’t want to hear about cell phones, computers, or anything else.  Computers have an off switch, and cell phones need to be charged.  The biggest occasion for sin sits right on top of our shoulders.  We are not responsible for our thoughts, but we are responsible for what we do with them.  God’s medicine is not going to overpower our thoughts.  Even though you may not feel His medicine working, it is.  The pills I take are working, even though I don’t feel them working.  I know my blood pressure pills are working because when I take my blood pressure, it’s fine.  The pills are working.  Do I feel it?  No.  If I stop taking the pills, will I feel it?  No.  But the damage will continue, and I will feel it one day when I take the big dirt nap a lot sooner than I should.  

So, we must cooperate with God’s gifts.  Just because you don’t feel them working, doesn’t mean they aren’t.  They are.  But we have to cooperate by doing what we need to do.  These are God’s gifts to you.  Use them by trying to live a holy life, coming to every weekend Mass, and going to Confession.  I go to Confession too, and I’ve known these priests since they were ordained.   I tell them everything, and they are still standing.  But if we don’t cooperate with God, the Sacraments will not work.  It is not easy.  However, Saint Ambrose said, “The work of love is not hard; if there is any work involved, the work itself is love.”  

God’s medicine is the gift of the Sacraments.  He gives us the gift of His very Self so that we can carry our crosses, and if we fall, we can get back up and carry them again.  God offers us His grace for our healing and to strengthen us so that we can carry all our crosses out of love for Him. 

Father’s Reflections . . . . So, we have a new pope.  Passed over again!  People have asked me, “Father, how was your trip?”  My trips are always interesting.  I used to fly in my clerical clothes, my black suit and collar.  On one of my flights, there were six priests on board.   Once the plane was in flight, nobody talked, nobody moved, and nobody wanted anything.  They all sat as quiet as a tomb.  The crew brought me several Cokes and a shopping bag full of treats.  Yeah baby!  I like that.  So, I was getting on the plane Sunday night at 10, and although I was flying in lay clothes, my seatmate looked up and said, “Hi Father. How are you?”  Crap: I can forget about martinis! 

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 27, 2025 – We Are as Sick as Our Secrets

Sermon Notes
           
   “We Are as Sick as Our Secrets”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 26 – 27, 2025


Gospel:  John 20: 19-31

One thing you learn as a priest after the 2nd week is that nothing will surprise you, especially confessions.  People will try to blow the good stuff past the new guy.  They come into the confessional booth and say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.  I have lied, gossiped, committed adultery, and failed to say my prayers.”  We call that the classic “Oreo confession.”  Sometimes they will say it really fast, hoping I won’t hear it. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I have lied, gossiped, committedadultery, andfailed to pray.”  Hold on.  Let’s go back to that one you tried to blow by.  That’s kind of important because I cannot forgive what I do not know.  Our Lord said, “Whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 16:19).  So, which sins do we forgive – the sins you are trying to hide or the sins for which you are trying to make amends?  For instance, during premarital counseling, if a couple tells me they are living together, I tell them that unless they are living together as brother and sister, one of them must move out.  If they say they can’t or they won’t, I tell them I cannot perform their wedding, and they get really upset!  Hey – this is a rule of the Church.  You are living in a state of objective mortal sin, and I cannot condone that.  I would be cosigning fertilizer.  It’s the same thing with Baptism – they don’t like it either.  You wouldn’t believe the harsh things that people say to me, and that’s not just the staff – it’s people in general. 

Guilt, pride, shame, fear, and remorse.  If you can put a name on it, someone else has done it before you.  As priests, we take a moral theology course to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance.  We learn about consanguinity and affinity, which outline who you can marry on your family tree.  You cannot marry your first cousin, and you have to have permission to marry your second cousin.  It’s a southern thing.   They must have known I was going south. 

I have to know your sins.  You do not prescribe aspirin for a brain tumor.  In 12-step programs, a saying is, “You are only as sick as your secrets.”  Having secrets can derail the recovery of addicts who need to admit publicly the nature of their wrongs.   I performed the funeral service for a veteran.  I asked the funeral director what happened to this person, and he said she died from kidney failure.  She was only 31 years old.   Now, I’m not Dr. House, but I’m not stupid either.  She did not die of kidney failure.  Whenever I do a funeral, I am required to put a note in the medical record.   So, I looked at the diagnosis, which they now call the “problem list.”   That was one heck of a problem – she’s dead.   While I was in her medical record, I looked at the doctor’s notes.  She had a deep, dark secret that was never addressed, from which she never received help, and she eventually committed suicide.  We are as sick as our secrets.   Just like your physician, I have no idea what medicine is needed if you don’t tell me where it hurts.           

I listen and occasionally I ask questions, but that is very rare.  Most people tell me way too much.  If I have a question after 40 years of hearing confessions, I’ll let you know.  Okay?  There may be mitigating and aggravating factors.  The habit of sinning is a mitigating factor, and pride is an aggravating factor.  There are all sorts of things I consider in applying medicine for the soul.  But I have to hear the sin.  God is offering His forgiveness.   When we sin, we take back our love of God.  “I will not serve.”  Yet, when we say, “I don’t want to tell him everything, that is only partially giving our love back to God.  Would you want a half-apology if someone hurt you?   We need to totally give ourselves back to God for the forgiveness of our sins.  Not just a little bit.  “Can I go right to God for forgiveness of my sins?”  Yes, if you are in danger of death, yes.  If you have appendicitis, can you go right to God for healing?  That’s probably not the best idea.  You could say a prayer on your way to Atrium Hospital, but I would definitely get to the hospital first.  God has ways and means by which to dispense His love to us.  What holds us back is guilt, pride, shame, fear, and remorse.  When I go into a hospital room, some people get very modest.  I have been doing hospital work for over 40 years, so I have seen more body parts than you will ever have.  However, sometimes patients are a bit more casual than I care for: “I’m too sexy for the sheet.”  No, you’re not. 

God gave His healing power to the Apostles, and to the bishops and priests after them, the power to forgive sin and to anoint the soul with the Most Precious Blood to restore it to life.  But to heal, I must know what hurts to apply the appropriate remedy.  “But it’s embarrassing.”  No, that’s the guilt, shame, and fear of the Four Horsemen following you and causing you to stay away from the Sacrament of Penance.  It’s all a lie.  How liberating it is to finally get out from underneath all that sin, no matter what it is.  Sin affects the body, soul, and psyche, the three parts of man.  So go to our good Lord’s clergy, his priests and bishops, and get out from underneath all that garbage.  Go to Confession and get it all out of your system.  Your sins will be forgiven, and the appropriate remedy to heal your soul will be given.  You will feel a heck of a lot better, and I promise I won’t collapse during confession. 

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 20, 2025 – “He is Alive”

“He is Alive”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 19 – 20, 2025

Gospel:  John 20: 1-9

1 It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb 2 and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,’ she said, ‘and we don’t know where they have put Him.’ 3 So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. 4 They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; 5 he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. 6 Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground 7 and also the cloth that had been over His head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. 9 Till this moment they had still not understood the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.

This summer I will have another birthday… hopefully.   My brother stopped his seven years ago, and my twin brother has too.  I have been debating whether to get a tattoo – maybe one with barbed wire and a skull.  But at my age, perhaps a tattoo with my home address and phone number would be a better idea.  I have been around.  I may not look my age, and I certainly don’t act it.  “Father, you’ve seen a lot and done a lot.”  Yes.  I can’t tell you much about it, but I have.  If I did, I would have to kill you.  It’s nothing personal, just business.  “Father, what is the most interesting thing you have seen that you can tell us about without having to commit mass murder?”   Well, I’ve seen people rise from the dead.  “Really?  Father, you better cut back on the meds.”  No, I really have seen people come back from the dead and be restored to life.  Not in the way Jesus rose (Matthew 28:5-6), and not in the way Lazarus (John 11:1-44), Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:21-43), and the widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17) rose.  No, not in that way.  “Father, how did they rise from the dead?”  Good question.  Their souls were dead because of repeated venial sin or mortal sin.  They were dead.  They had no divine life in them.  But they were restored to life through the grace that comes from our Lord’s Passion, death, and resurrection, which opened the Gates of Heaven, bestowed upon Mother Holy Church the means to effect resurrection, and gave the grace to wash away all sin from the soul, and return it to life.  No matter how bad it is, all sin can be washed away. 

The most powerful instrument ever known is the blood of Christ.  Go back to the Passion on Good Friday, and we see the power of our Lord’s blood being poured out for us, drip by drip.  I have seen many come back from the dead.  Their lives are returned to them through Holy Communion.  Does a resurrection happen?  It sure does, every day.  You would be surprised where it happens.  People will say, “Father, may I talk to you?”  Sure!   This is usually what I do – I see the older, sicker patients in the hospital.  I say to them, “Would you like to receive the Anointing of the Sick?”   If they say, ‘yes,’ I say, “By the way, when was the last time you went to Confession?”  I don’t ask if they want to go.  I use an authoritarian tone and ask them when the last time was.  It pushes them over the hump of fear they are hiding behind so that life can be restored to their souls, and they can spend eternity in Heaven with Christ.   

This is the good news of the Resurrection: that Christ has died, and He is alive.  He gives that life to the soul so that we can live for Him in this world and go to Him in the next.  Eventually, we will get our bodies back, hopefully in better shape than they are now.    When you have the divine life, what else do you have?  Joy.  Christ wishes to live in all of us.  He made our souls for only one thing, and that is not sin.  He made our souls a fitting resting place for Himself. 

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.