Sermon Notes
The Ultimate Victim of Cancel Culture was Christ
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
April 8 – 9, 2023
Sermon Notes – April 9, 2023 – The Ultimate Victim of Cancel Culture was Christ
That is why they are always attacking us. By their actions, they are saying that Christ truly exists and is active in the world. The tomb could not hold Him. And the centuries could not diminish His power. He is always active and making His presence and love known. Christ is alive. He is alive in the tabernacle. That’s why people try to break into the tabernacle. Christ is alive. Why do they try to attack priests? Because priests hold Mass and the Sacraments. Christ is alive; otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. I cannot come to your homes and order you to come to Mass. “I don’t want to go.” I’ve got some guys in the car . . . would you like me to call them in? I cannot make any of you come to Mass. You come because you love Christ. There’s no coffee and doughnuts today, so you really are here because you love Him. He is alive. The world proves it. Open up any newspaper and you will find many, many articles all testifying to the truth. Because they fight against the truth, it doesn’t exist? If Christ doesn’t exist, then why do they bother? Sometimes what we see and hear can be very hurtful but smile and rejoice. They too are proclaiming that our Lord is alive and active among us. The tomb could not hold Him. Sin could not defeat Him. It could not defeat Him 2,000 years ago and it still can’t today. Do not believe the Cancel Culture. You see with your eyes that everything that happens in the Church is a testimony to the truth that Christ is alive and active. From the Cross He said, “I thirst.” What does He thirst for? He thirsts for our love.
Sermon Notes – April 2, 2023 – The Smell of Love
The Smell of Love
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
April 1 – 2, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 27:11-54
Remember I told you last week that sin has a smell? Conversely, and more importantly, virtue has a smell. My old organization and the people I hung around with were smelly. It was nothing personal, but because of the situations we found ourselves in, that’s just how paratroopers were. We were away from soap and water unless it rained, and we got a shower from Mother Nature. So, paratroopers were a little more aromatic which most people found disgusting and would rather not be around. “Oh, my goodness!” It’s like Hospice . . . you get used to it. You know what that smell was? It was courage.
Love also has a smell. What does love smell like? If you meditate on the Gospels and the Passion of our Lord, love smells like blood. It also has a sound. It’s the sound of blood dripping from the Cross. Love has a smell, and it has a sound. You seek divine love today. In the consecration, the chalice is changed and holds the Precious Blood of Christ. It’s the same Blood that dripped and sanctified the Way of the Cross. It’s the same Blood that sanctified the Blessed Mother who was the first to be washed in His Blood at the foot of the Cross. And it’s the same Blood that fills the chalice. Christ, Himself, takes the chalice into the Confessional and anoints the soul and gives us absolution. We are washed in the Blood of Christ . . . the same Blood that was poured out for us at Calgary. Blood is the virtue of Divine Love. And it has a sight, a sound, and a smell.
How will you apply this message to your life? _______________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – March 26, 2023 – Sin Stinks!
Sin Stinks!
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
Gospel: John 11:1-45
The first Sacrament course we study in seminary is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Now, for all you Catholic lawyers, the Mass is not a Sacrament, but Holy Communion is. The Mass produces the Sacraments. And only he who celebrates the Mass can give the Sacrament. That’s why only bishops and priests can give the Sacrament. Deacons, by exception – and it should be rare, can baptize and witness a wedding. So, the Mass is studied first in seminary. From the Mass, the Sacrifice of Christ produces the Waters of Life and the fruits of Christ’s redemption that come to us through the Church. Along with the Mass, we studied Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and Last Rites. They go together because each deal with the remission of sin. They are called the Sacraments of the Dead. That’s weird, isn’t it? These Sacraments are not administered to dead people. They are called Sacraments of the Dead because they are given to souls that are dead to sin and brought back to life. There are conditions to giving the Last Rites. It must be given within two hours of death when there is no putrefaction and rigor mortis . . . “stiff or stink” as we used to say. Before that, if someone is clinically dead, which happens a lot, I will go in and silently say, “If you are living then I anoint you.” The Sacraments are meant for the living.
Now, I love to read about almost anything. Do I understand it all? Oh heck no. I read medical journals. Yeah, how much do I get from that? Not much. I realized that I don’t know much, so I just love to read. I’m in awe and stunned about how much other people know and how good they are at their jobs and everything else. My brain has been full for years, so I don’t know how they do it. One thing I read recently was really encouraging. Soon there will be dogs trained to detect cancer. That’s great! I’ll go to the doctor’s office and get puppy love! It probably won’t work that way, but I hope it will. Dogs can detect anything. They are used at the airports. Dogs can sniff out money and drugs. All those things have a unique smell. Even sin has a smell. Did you know that? Ask any nurse about people who come into the emergency room. “Oh yeah. He was drinking well above his weight class.” People come in a day or two later, and they still smell like alcohol. People who have smoked marijuana smell like smoke and Fritos. People who have smoked crack smell like burnt cork. Sin has a smell. Some of the great saints could detect sin. “I smell sin. If there’s a sinner here, I’m going to find them.”
Our Lord had been dead for days so there was certainly a stench. If you really want to find out what a dead body is like after four days in Palestine, an oven, go to talk to a nurse, EMT, fireman, or police officer. Fair warning: don’t have breakfast before you do. It’s not like television. There are all sorts of bodily changes that happen, and they are not pretty. Even then, sin has a stench. It has a certain odor. We know that from our own experience. Law enforcement officers pull drunks over, and when they roll down the window the car smells like a brewery. “Oh, I’m fine officer!” Sin has a smell as do certain diseases. There is a smell to a dying soul. . . a soul that is dead because of sin.
Our Lord went out searching for dying souls so that He could bring them back to life. He waited three days before going to see Lazarus. He already knew what He was going to do, but He wanted to make His power manifest so that people couldn’t say, “Oh, Lazarus was just sleeping” or “He was in a coma.” Our Lord waited for three days so that Lazarus was really, really, truly dead, and He brought him immediately back to life. He does the same with sin. He restores us immediately to His friendship. Through His Most Precious Blood which He shed on the Cross and offers to us in Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Penance, He wipes away all the decay on our soul and restores the divine image. Restoration is immediate. The Sacrament of Penance takes a dead soul and brings it back to life by restoring God’s friendship. Sin is totally washed away, and faith, hope, and charity, three theological virtues, are infused into the soul. Like Lazarus, we come back to life. No matter how awful the sin, the Lord washes our sins away. So great is His love for us.
When I was a young priest at Saint Gabriel’s in Charlotte, a man served us breakfast every day. He had a German accent, and one day I saw a tattoo on his arm. He was a member of the SS or the Schutzstaffel. They were bad boys, and he was lucky that he wasn’t shot on sight. But he changed his life and died with the grace of God. Sin makes us feel guilt, shame, fear, and remorse. “I could never be worthy of God’s love.” That’s what He came for. “Father, I’ve done everything in the book.” I doubt that . . . I’ve known some pretty strange people. “Father, what goes on in Confession?” It’s like being stoned to death with popcorn. However, every sin is bad. The difference between a mortal sin and a venial sin is the difference between slapping your wife and punching her.
Everything can be restored immediately as if untouched when we receive the Sacrament of Penance. The Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord anoints a soul. People have all sorts of excuses they use to stay away from Church. Guilt, shame, and remorse keep them away, and that’s a direct result of sin. Either we are living tabernacles, or we are not. If we are bringing the presence of Christ to others by God dwelling in our souls, we are a living tabernacle that we bring to people or we are worse than Covid-spreaders who bring the stain of sin to them. All of us can be called back to life. The resurrection of Lazarus from the dead continues every day in the Church.
Whenever someone goes to Confession, someone who was dead comes back to life. When we go to Confession, we are saying, “God, I love you. I messed up, and I turned my back on you. But now I’m here.” And our Lord says, “Hooray! Even though you have sinned, I will restore your life and My friendship.” That’s why our Lord came so that we may regain our life by the forgiveness of our sins which is how we know His love. On a practical level, don’t ever be afraid of proclaiming God’s forgiveness. This is the only thing we can teach people. We may not have an alphabet of letters past our name like DMin, PhD, MDiv, JD, MD, etc. A lot of people do, but I wouldn’t want to be in a spiritual foxhole with them. The greatest lesson we can teach people is to tell them what God has done for us. “I know the love of God by the forgiveness of my sins and the reception of His Most Precious Body and Blood.” Tell them about the comfort you get by coming before the presence of God in the Most Blessed Sacrament. That is what we preach. Go out and preach that. No matter what addiction you have, and no matter what crosses you bear, this is the message of hope that translates all the way through to the heart. It doesn’t matter how far you have fallen. God loves you and wants you back in His arms.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – March 12, 2023 – God’s Love is Not Graded on a Curve
God’s Love is Not Graded on a Curve
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
March 11 – 12, 2023
Gospel: John 4:5-42
Jesus was traveling in Samaria when He encountered the Samaritan woman. Now, Jews did not travel to Samaria just like people here do not travel to Aquadale. Jews just didn’t go to Samaria. It was unclean. The Jews hated the Samaritans and called them “dogs” which was an egregious insult. Jesus went out in the middle of the day, and in the Middle East, nobody goes out past noon. Do you know why? It’s a little hot. Even on a winter day, it is warm. Trust me. But 1you know who does go outside past noon? The American army. Soldiers go out with 60 to 80 pounds of equipment strapped to them. It’s very slimming. The pounds just melt away. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, went outside during the hottest part of the day to seek and save what was lost. Why was the woman drawing water at the well during the heat of the day? Yes, they didn’t have fresh plumbing back then. . . I understand that. But why was she alone? American women travel by themselves all the time, and they don’t have to travel in groups. The woman at the well was alone because the other women wanted nothing to do with her. She was a fallen woman and not of good moral character. That’s why she was alone. Jesus, being God, knew that of course. But He came out to seek and save her soul. He wanted to bring her home to His heart. So, He gently tried to awaken her faith, and talked to her about the living water He would give; the water that would truly quench her thirst. At first, she did what so many do . . . she used intellectual arguments and blamed everything on someone else. When you get caught speeding and the officer pulls you over, what do you say? “They were doing it too!” And the officer says, “I’ll get them later. I’m only concerned about what you have done.”
Our Lord’s love is individual and not graded on a curve. “They are worse than I am!” But I’m talking to you! Jesus wants our souls, and He was concerned about the fallen woman’s relationship with God. People try to argue about hypotheticals, and they always have something to denounce. “The Church does this and that.” “This is bad and that is bad.” “You Jews say this.” “You Jews say that.” “You priests are perverts.” Uh, no. But thank you for the slander. I appreciate it because I know what you are doing. They always use something to deflect. They try to find excuses for their own bad behavior. Jesus told the woman the sins she had committed. Did He get mad with her? Did He scream at her? No. Jesus doesn’t get angry at us for our sins. He wants to take them away. When we sin, tears run down His face because we have turned our backs on His love. Did He yell at her, “You’re going to hell?” He never says that to anyone. But if we are in hell, we are self-made men.
Jesus had a breakthrough with the Samaritan woman. She had finally had enough of sinning. He awakened her faith while He suffered in His human nature. Even though He was hot and thirsty, He sacrificed His human nature for the salvation of a soul. That’s how much He loves us. That’s what our Good Lord does. He comes after us constantly. He never gives up. I’ve suggested this before, and I’ll suggest it again . . . read the poem, “Hound of Heaven.” No matter how bad you think it is that you’ve done, our Lord wants you back. You know the kind of people I used to work with? This is not even close. The fallen woman was not one of His people. But everyone is made in God’s image and likeness. As I said last week, innocence can be regained. He comes to all of us, if we let Him, to help us with our struggles and to draw us closer to Him . . . no matter what we’ve done . . . even if it is just to help with bearing our ordinary daily crosses. Although some people’s daily crosses are extraordinary, they are daily crosses.
I will tell you a story about a man who I miss. I never got to say goodbye to him because he died very quickly. He was admitted to the hospital and even though he wasn’t Catholic, he wanted to talk to a priest. So, I visited him, and we talked. He said, “Father, I’m not Catholic but a priest saved my life.” He told me that as a young man he was physically, sexually, and mentally abused. And like so many men of a certain age, he got a job offer from U.S. Government and the opportunity to travel. He was volunteered or voluntold, and he was sent to Vietnam for a year. While there, he saw the atrocities on innocent civilians that the North Vietnamese army committed. Because he thought it was time for some payback, he volunteered for a second tour in a Special Operations unit. And he gave the North Vietnamese a lot of payback. He did a lot of nasty things. When he came home, he had PTSD and drank like a fool. He spent a lot of time and effort in hospitals. A priest came and helped him. That’s why he wanted to talk to me. So, he got out of the hospital and got off the bottle. After many years, he was free from his crosses. He and his wife helped abused children. And that’s what he did for the rest of his life. When I met him, he was in the hospital, with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. On the last day I saw him alive, he was in the hallway in his new electric wheelchair equipped with head brace controls so that he could control them with his mouth. I said, “Cool wheels! When I come back next week, we are going to pimp this bad boy out! We’re going to paint flames on it and maybe hang some dice.” I never saw him again. He finally passed which was merciful because of the ALS. He didn’t have to ride that bus all the way to the end. This is the transforming power of God’s grace. I don’t think any of you could be as bad as that guy was. Is that man in Heaven? I’m pretty darn sure he is. God never stops working, and He never gave up on him. It took a long while, but our Lord picked him up and changed him. Our Lord comes to seek and save what is lost. Was the Samaritan woman’s case unusual? Yes . . . and no.
Father’s Reflections. . . .
I hold Mass at the local felon university (FU) or Albemarle Corrections Institute which is always interesting. Although they will disagree, I’m going to remind the prisoners that there are blessings even while in prison. 1) Your life expectancy has increased now that you aren’t doing what got you here. They got you off the drugs and alcohol you were consuming. 2) You are protected from your “friends” who may have eventually killed you or helped you die. 3) You get a well-balanced diet and a square meal, especially the fish or sewer bass. 4) You are eligible for vocational training unless you leave prison in a box. 5) You get medical and dental care. 6) You get psychological care. 7) While in prison, you have the time to reflect on the harm you have done and have the time to do penance. A lot of good things can come from being a guest of the state or a state employee living in a gated community. Just like the Good Thief from the cross, “I’m getting only what I deserve.” So, I’ll bring this up to the prisoners the next time I’m there. Luckily, I have a corrections officer with me. But there really are blessings in that place. I miss the old days when some of the prisoners worked with dogs to rehabilitate them for adoption on the outside. The prisoners grew to love these dogs and working with them was great therapy. But it was heartbreaking for the prisoners when they had to give up the dogs.
How will you apply this message to your life? ____________________________________________ You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – March 5, 2023 – Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places?
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places?
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
March 4 – 5, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9
The last part of the Gospel says that the devil went away. In another part of the Gospel, it says that the devil will wait for another occasion. And that’s true. When we resist his temptations, he goes away and waits for another opportunity. The devil did it to our Lord, and he will do it to us. However, with the Lord, we can be victorious over our sins. But the devil is cunning, powerful, and patient. He will wait for another opportunity, and it will come. The prime opportunity for the devil’s temptations is when we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. During those times, we tend to make poor decisions. Our will is already weakened by original and repeated sin. So, he just waits for us. He also waits for pride. “Hey, I’m not like those little people. I’m very, very good. I don’t do that anymore.” Really?
We have to be careful during those times when we are most vulnerable. When we are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, our will and our body are weakened. You can set that to a country music song by Johnny Lee: “Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places” which includes people, places, and things. “Oh, Father, computers and phones are great!” Yeah. They are a source of temptation for me. You should hear the words I say in my office about my computer. I have a backup phone which I also had words with this morning. I have no idea how to use it. Basically, I have a phone anchor.
Do you know where the biggest potential for sin is located? It sits on our shoulders. You can avoid certain things, but everything is inside our brains. We tend to forget what we’ve been taught in school but can remember every bad joke we’ve heard and every bad picture we’ve seen. It’s all in our brains. What goes in stays forever like all those electronic messages we send. They exist forever. You may wipe them off your phone, but they are out there.
We have to remember how weak we are. The devil plays on our pride just as he played on the pride of Adam and Eve. We feel very good about ourselves when we can drive all day without using any Italian hand gestures to people or commenting on someone’s ancestry who is driving erratically on the highway. “I didn’t flip that idiot off even though he needed it.” “I’ve done really good. I’ve avoided this and I’ve avoided that.” When I was a young soldier, I saw a World War II Army training film. The film was about broken shoelaces. It’s not the big things that will get you killed. . . it’s the small things. We do okay with major calamities but it’s the small things that trip us up. It’s our broken weakness. “Oh, I’m too old to commit that sin.” There are other sins. Trust me. There are a lot of sins out there, and you’d be surprised about the sins and depravity of old people. As Saint Peter recorded in his epistle on admonition, “Keep sober and alert, because your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (Peter 5:8).
Our will and intellect have been weakened by original sin and sins committed since our baptism. However, the innocence we have lost can be regained, and that’s what we try to do every day and especially during this Lenten season. We can regain our innocence by fasting, abstinence, almsgiving, and prayer. What does almsgiving do? It covers a multitude of sins. Saint James said, “anyone who can bring back a sinner from his erring ways will be saving his soul from death and covering over many a sin” (James 5:20). Those are the things we are called to do. That’s how we grow in virtue and regain what we have lost through sin. Will our intellect be perfect again? No, not until Heaven. But we have to be vigilant about temptation because the devil is always out there and waiting. While you are pious by being here in church, he’s outside doing pushups and chin-ups. He’s waiting for us. Right now, he may be wondering when Father is going to shut up. And I agree with that. Sometimes I go on longer than usual.
Always be vigilant. And do not ever, ever think, “Oh my God! We are so unpowerful.” when we have the greatest Power in the world ready to help us. Remember, in the face of temptation, the first thing we should do is run away from it. Don’t walk into a mine field if you don’t have to. The second thing to do is retrace your steps and get the heck out of there. And the final and most important step is to pray.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – February 26, 2023 – “Writing Checks Does Not Change Hearts”
“Writing Checks Does Not Change Hearts”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 25 – 26, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11
Remember when reading scripture, you must consider the culture. Forty days and forty nights in Hebrew means a long time. They used hyperbole. Just last week a minister took Jesus at His word literally, and he fasted for forty days and forty nights. He didn’t even come close to forty days before he died. “Jesus will save me from having no food and no water.” Not from being stupid He won’t. Jesus prepared Himself for His public ministry by going a long time without food or water. Forty days may not be accurate, but then again, He is God. So, there is that to consider.
The temptations of Christ all lead, in their own way, to what He came here to do . . . to suffer, die, and open the gates of Heaven for us if we imitate Him. If we want to be with Him, we have to imitate Him. The temptations of Christ are the same temptations we will face. He endured everything as we do because He was true man but without sin. We will have those same temptations. “People are bad because they don’t have stuff.” That’s not true. How about that murderer in South Carolina. He was a rich man and brilliant. You can’t get through law school on your looks. He had money, so what happened to him? How many millionaires wind up in prison? A lot. If you do something stupid and get caught, that’s what happens. “People need a computer.” Not so much a computer anymore because that’s old school. They need an iPhone, iPad, or whatever. But it’s not a lack of stuff that makes us sinful. It’s willfully turning our backs on Christ. Is everyone at Felon University (a prison) there because they didn’t have access to an Android cell phone? No. They are there because they chose to be evil. Being poor doesn’t cause you to be bad. Not having the latest Android phone won’t cause you to rob a bank or inhale cocaine. Those are self-inflicted wounds. You are choosing something instead of Someone. Our faith is centered around a Person and in a Person – Jesus Christ.
Almsgiving covers a multitude of sins but after the almsgiving you must have Jesus. You cannot make people better by simply writing checks. Look at the Church which has become Church, Inc. Recently, I received a nice brochure from the Office of Planned Giving. It said, “Father, talk to your people. Encourage them when they die to leave their estates to the Church and the Foundation of the Diocese in Charlotte. Are you kidding me? All this money we send them is for the magnificent buildings and tons of staff they have. “Oh, we all work for the poor.” Ah, have you been to Albemarle? We are poor. “Can you leave us some money for the DSA, priest retirement, and administrative expenses?” Really? I’d be better off working with Tony Soprano. At least there I’d get some protection if I paid Tony 10%.
The second temptation of Christ was to throw Himself down and have the angels support Him. Religion is not a show. “Give them a show and they will come.” Remember Herod? Jesus came to him and said, “Herod, what. . . no show? Nothing?” We want a show even at Mass. “We come to Mass, and it’s the same boring stuff.” How you can call Christ boring is beyond me and is kind of blasphemous. I was about to have Mass in Statesville when somebody came up to me and said, “Father, we can’t start Mass. We don’t have a reader.” It will be alright; I’ve been doing this a long time. “But we need someone.” I’ve got this. It’s not a big problem. “Father, we have no music.” That’s alright . . .they didn’t have a band at the Last Supper either. And I’m pretty sure there also wasn’t one at Calvary. You’ve got me and the elements. That’s all we need. If you go to other churches, they sing six verses of songs. I believe that’s sinful because Church Law says that music should not interfere with the progress of the Mass. I offer Mass at Felon University (the prison), hospitals, and nursing homes and there is no music, and nobody sings. Although at the hospital I get some pretty odd reactions. I was saying Mass one day and this one guy said, “Father, so-and-so said I could be a priest.” Another said, “I’m a saint.” Well, not yet but you are headed toward it. The first step to sainthood is death. When I say Mass in nursing homes, they fall asleep . . . just like you. So, I’m used to it.
We all want a show. Instead of focusing on the Blessed Sacrament, we focus on the process and who does what. Some of the guidance I’ve received is silly. “People must take their proper role at the Mass.” Well, we have people, and we have Christ. Perfect. That’s all we need. There is nothing else. We cannot give greater meaning to Christ. Whether it is holding your hands up during the Our Father (a priestly gesture and should not be done) or joining hands, it is all made up stuff. It doesn’t make anything more meaningful. You cannot put more meaning into Christ. We can only receive Him with greater love through the Sacraments, prayer, and mortification. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not a show – it’s an act of love.
We need to talk to everyone and be part of the political system.” No, you don’t. Everything can become political fodder. For example, I’m curious about why the Vatican has a representative at the United Nations, and I’d like to ask a few questions. “Excuse me. How much does that cost? Who pays for that?” If you are so concerned for the poor, knock it off. I don’t know if you have heard about it, but these days we have something called email. So, I think we can get the message out. We don’t need someone physically present in a dress to talk to people who don’t care for them. How many converts are you getting there, Bishop? Are you getting as many as Saint Theresa by tending to lepers in their disgusting condition? They don’t smell like they do on television. Ask any nurse. There’s not enough Lysol to cover that smell.
“We are called to be holy. By being holy, we can change things. We don’t change people by creating more laws. We have more laws than we know what to do with. It’s not that we have bad laws. We have laws we cannot enforce. I love reading the sheriff’s blog in the newspaper. “Felon caught with a gun.” Don’t you think they know they’re not supposed to have a gun? I don’t think they bought it legally at Walmart. Shocking! Don’t you think they know that possession with intent and a laundry list of other crimes is bad? “Oh! I didn’t know selling heroin was bad.” Public schools! We don’t change laws – we change hearts. We change hearts by Christ and not by someone with a badge and a gun.
It’s not about a show. It’s not about political power. It’s about the power of Christ. You do not change society by changing laws. We have more laws than we can possibly enforce and too many for lawyers to remember. But we can change society by first changing our hearts and then changing the hearts of others. True power in this world is not gained by holding a political office. It comes by having Christ in our souls and being holy. Then we can change things because we are changed. We bring that agent of change which is Christ to others. When our own hearts are changed, then we can influence others. We change hearts that way and not by changing laws. It can be very difficult when we try to do the right thing, and sometimes people won’t appreciate us. That’s okay. They didn’t appreciate Christ either. But you are “worthy to suffer for the name.” And just as they tempted Christ, they will tempt us. When you are tempted, say, “Hey, I must be doing okay because I’m being tempted like Christ was. Jesus came to change hearts. He did not create one piece of legislation. He did not call for conferences or senates. He called us to holiness and communion with Him. To walk with Him, to be one with Him and, especially during this season of Lent, to be one with Him on the Cross.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – February 19, 2023 – “Did I Say I Hate Fish?”
“Did I Say I Hate Fish?”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 18 – 19, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48
On Wednesday, we begin the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation. It’s a “good to do” and not a “must do.” Ashes will be given only at 8:30 am and 6:30 pm. There will be no “drive-thru” ashes or “ashes to go” given. Also, you cannot drive into the parking lot, beep the horn, and expect to receive ashes. There are some places that actually do that. It’s a Sacramental just like Holy Water and not mandatory. We’d love for you to come to Mass to begin the season of Lent. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday there is a “black fast” for those younger than 59 (I’m 69) which means you cannot eat between meals, and you can have only one full meal for the day considering your medical circumstances of course. Nobody can eat meat on Ash Wednesday and on Holy Fridays during Lent. You don’t have to eat fish although I do. Did I tell you I that I hate fish? On Fridays, we will have Lenten dinners which will be followed by Stations of the Cross.
Lent is a season of penance, and we are supposed to do works of penance or self-punishment to atone for our sins and the sins of others. The season of Lent is not a “self-help” season. “Oh, I resolve to eat better.” You are supposed to eat well. It falls under the Fifth Commandment, so it is not a penance. You are doing your body a favor. We are supposed to do something that disciplines the will, restrains our pride, and rids ourselves of the obsession of self so that we can love better. There must be a sacrifice. For me, that would be eating fish because I hate fish! Get the theme here? I hate fish! There has to be some kind of degradation. When we sin, we tell God, “No. I’m not going to do that. No! No! No!” So, we step away from God. When we do penance, we are taking a step back toward God. Some of us may be over-achievers, like those of us who were at Fort Bragg, and have taken multiple steps away from God. Come see me. If you say, “I’m going to spend extra time in prayer.” Extra prayers take time away from our other activities. And so we begin that walk back towards God.
Now, you don’t have to say, “I’m going to give up a kidney.” The penance doesn’t have to be huge. What’s important is how much love you give it with. It’s not the size of the gift but the love with which it is given. Doing a little bit of penance with great love is very effective. What are we doing when we do penance? We are decreasing our love and fascination with ourselves, even as wonderful as I think I am, and increasing our love for God. When we love ourselves – and I especially love me – it’s hard to love others. We need to decrease self-love so that we can increase our love of God. We must love God first and then we will be able to love others. We cannot give what we do not have. Saint John the Baptist said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” That’s exactly how we grow in the love of God. It’s awfully difficult sometimes. When I drive past a Hardee’s, I just tear up because there’s just something about the smell of bacon. Last night I had a small discomfort, but for me every discomfort is HUGE because it’s me. If you buy your lunch at work, don’t. Deprive yourself of a small meal and give that money to the poor.
This season of penance is the perfect time for us to make a good Confession. According to Church law, we are supposed to confess once a year. It’s also a good time to reach out to others who may have fallen by the wayside and bring them back to the Sacraments and to the Church to rejoin in God’s love. How do you call someone back to the Church? I’ll give you a story. This week I was doing my rounds in the Emergency Department at the VA hospital. I’m just there for the scare. When I walk by someone who is on an EKG, the machine goes crazy. Nervous? Anyway, I saw two veterans, and one of the guys was very talkative. He was coming off drugs, and he wanted to get clean. So, I talked to him for a long time. The other guy was coming off booze, but he didn’t want much to do with me. The next couple of days are not going to be pleasant at all for them. As I was talking to the nurses, I learned that the guy who was coming off the sauce has a behavioral problem. I said, “Well, he’ll get that fixed here.” The ER nurses at the VA could top any WWE steel cage match. Don’t mess with them. They don’t wear a camera; however, whatever they break the doctors can fix. So don’t worry about that.
Anyway, I was talking to the one guy, and he was upset and ashamed. One of the phrases we use in the military, not those phrases, but a good one that we use is, “We don’t shoot our wounded.” You are sick and we will take care of you until you are not. That’s exactly what we tell sinners. We don’t shoot our wounded here. The Church wants to reclaim people for Christ and keep them close to the Cross. The guy was upset so I said to him, “Here is my card. If you need someone to talk to, give me a call. A lot of counselors have not been where we’ve been.” When counselors are working with someone who has PTSD, they’ll say, “Oh, I know it must have been hard over there.” They don’t have a freaking clue because they weren’t there. But if a counselor has been there, the veterans will talk to them.
In the ten years I’ve been handing out my cards, nobody has ever called me. I’m not upset, but it’s important for me to do that. It gives people something to hang on to and to give them hope that somebody cares. We can tell people how great God has been to us and that we do not shoot our wounded although the Catholic Church tends to shoot theirs. But we will take care of you until you no longer need us. That’s what we tell people especially those who have fallen away from God because they feel guilty. Some of the guilt they feel is expressed as anger. “I don’t need this!” Then why are you so angry?
It is important for all of us to go out and search for stray and lost sheep. What are the signs of sin? Guilt, shame, fear, and remorse. The one that keeps people away is fear. Tell them that we don’t shoot our wounded. The sad part about the two veterans I met in the ER that day is that I don’t know if either of them will get clean or sober. Because they feel better for a few days, a lot of people check themselves out against medical advice and try the drugs or booze again. That’s why we must stay close and remember our frailties. As Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “When I am small, I am safe.” Instead, we think, “I’m the smartest bear in Jellystone Park. I can do this all by myself. I’m good.” However, our Lord said to be perfect. Good is not good enough.
Lent is a wonderful time for us to help ourselves to love even more. When we love more, we will be happier. Remember the apostles who had the you-know-what beat out of them in prison? They left prison and rejoiced for they were found worthy to suffer for the name. So, when we give up these small things in our lives, we should be happier. I still hate fish. . .did I tell you that? But I’m happy because I eat it for Christ and the love of others. As Saint Paul says, “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).
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – February 12, 2023 – “Maximizing the Minimum”
“Maximizing the Minimum”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 11 – 12, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37
I have known you all for a long time, and I am willing to bet that I could ask anyone in this congregation to stand and recite all Ten Commandments. I believe you could do that. However, memorizing them is easy but keeping them is quite another matter. The Ten Commandments are like the “I will obeys.” But they are more than just ten sentences. As our Lord tells us in the Gospels, they go a little deeper than that. If you look at the Baltimore Catechism which is the one I used growing up in Catholic school, the Commandments are more than “Thou shall not” do this and “Thou shall not” do that. Our Lord expanded on this in the Gospels. There are things you shouldn’t do but there are also things you should do. We use the Commandments as a yardstick to measure our sanctity and how close we are drawing to our Lord. And that’s a very good beginning. But it’s not the end in the walk of sanctity.
Ash Wednesday is next week. If you say, “I’m going to eat better,” well eating better is not a penance . . . except for me, but anyway. It’s actually part of the Fifth Commandment. If something is covered by a Commandment, it’s not a penance. Sometimes we think those are the standards we have to live by. A priest who I’m familiar with said, “I said the Divine Office and also the Rosary. Oh my God, I’ve done so much!” Really Father? You need a break and a raise! Come down from the cross, Father; we need the wood. Priests have been given much and therefore are responsible for more. You’ve done what you were supposed to do. “Father, I’ve been a good Catholic – I haven’t robbed a bank.” You are not supposed to! I didn’t see that anywhere in the Commandments! We tend to maximize the minimum. We say, “Hey, I’m a good person.” By the way, that statement is not found in Scripture. “I keep the Commandments.” What does scripture tell us? Saint Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 17, Verse 10 says: “I am a useless servant. I have only done what I’ve been told to do.” We are no better than the servants because we’ve done only what we’ve been told to do.
This is not to denigrate the Commandments. The Commandments are good because they are directions from our Lord. They teach us how to love. They are like the New Jersey barriers on the highway. Jesus said that they are not works of justice. People get upset and say, “Oh, the Commandments are about judgement!” No, they’re not. What’s wrong with you? What have you done? When people start yelling at the Church, I always wonder what they have done. If you’ve done something really wrong and your conscience is hurting, come see me. I can fix that. Keeping the Commandments are works of love. That’s what our Lord said: “If you love Me, keep my Commandments.” Don’t rewrite them. And don’t say they need to be updated. “Keep My Commandments through works of love. Renounce your very self and follow Me in whatever way I need you, in whatever vocation I need you, in whatever path I need you, and in whatever cross I ask you to carry. Resign yourself to My will and become with Me a co-redeemer for the salvation of souls”.
Our Lord said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” There are more than ten by the way. They not only teach us but help us to prepare our souls to go further in God’s love. Remember our Lord and the rich young man? He approached the Lord and asked, “Lord, what must I do to inherit everlasting life?” Our Lord said, “Keep My Commandments.” The young man said, “I have kept Commandments since my youth.” And our Lord looked at him with great love and said, “Sell everything you have or give it to the poor and follow Me.” The young man went away saddened because he had many possessions. The greatest possession he had and was unwilling to give was himself.
That’s what the Commandments train us to do. They ask us to renounce ourselves. So that, as Saint Paul says, “we can become co-redemptorists for the salvation of souls.” To accept from His hand, lovingly and not always happily, whatever vocation He has asked to us to do in a time or place. To accept any cross He asks us to carry for ourselves or those others have imposed upon us. To be like Him for the salvation of souls. This is what the Commandments train us to do. The works of love He asks us to do lead us to the renunciation of self. “You know better what is good for my salvation, the salvation of those I love, and the salvation of the world, so I resign myself to You.” When you resign yourself to the good Lord, a couple of things are important to know. First, you don’t have to understand everything. Who knows the mind of the Lord or His counsellor? We don’t know. And the most important part for us because of our fallen intellect and will is that we don’t have to like it. When I was sick that month with Covid, I tried to come over to the church to walk while saying my prayers. That didn’t work out so well. I may have made it around the church once or twice and decided to sit down for a while. I felt worse than I looked. When I finally went back to work at the VA, one of the nurses in hospice said, “Father, you don’t look good.” You ought to be inside! Some friends of mine wouldn’t bring the drug cart down when I needed it. Come on! I’m hurting here! Did I like the suffering I was going through? No. Did I enjoy it? No. Did anyone around me enjoy it? Heck no! I was only spreading the joy. Did I accept it for the suffering of souls? Yes. I offered it up to Christ for my sins and for the salvation of souls. I did not like it but it was necessary. It was a good lesson in the virtue of humility.
Keeping the Commandments is only the first phase of love, but they lead us to the last one which is renunciation of self. Know what the hardest thing to do in the religious life of priests? “The vow of poverty?” No, not really. That’s nothing. It is doing the will of another rather than your own. The hardest vow I took at ordination is obedience. And that’s true not only for me but for all of us. Anyone who has been in the service will tell you that we put people through arduous tasks. “I cannot do it First Sergeant!” You will with proper boot therapy. Boot or Kiwi therapy is a great motivator. We know you can do it. Our doctors are not stupid. You don’t want to do it. We are just checking your heart.
The only thing hard about the spiritual life is what sits on top of our shoulders. It’s the greatest source for temptation. Our Lord does not give us impossible tasks. He checks our hearts for how much we love Him. That’s what He asks: ”How much do you love Me?” Say to any hero or heroine, “You did great!” And they will say, “No. I’m just one of the herd. This is what I do.” They do it out of love. That is what our Lord is asking from us. Keep the Commandments. Keep these works of love. They are guides and training aids so that we may come to fuller and greater love, renounce ourselves, and accept our crosses and our ordinations. They help us become what we were meant to become . . . co-redeemers with Christ. And when God asks us to do something, if we love Him we will say, “Whatever Your will Lord. Let Your will be done rather than mine.”
Father’s Reflections . . .
A part of my past life comes back to haunt me from time to time. When you are listening to newscasters and so-called experts about international events like our latest balloon festival…I don’t believe them. The military commentators should begin with “Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away.” I went to the same charm school as the military commentators. They tell you nothing because they can’t. Everything they would tell you is classified, and classifications have at least a 50-year life span. So, everything you hear is basically fertilizer. They aren’t telling you anything that’s not public knowledge.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – February 5, 2023 – “We Are in Combat”
“We Are in Combat”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 4 – 5, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16
13 ‘You are salt for the earth. But if salt loses its taste, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled under people’s feet. 14 ‘You are light for the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way your light must shine in people’s sight, so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven.
When I was overseas, every day felt like Ground Hog Day. I was the Catholic priest for the Logistical Command and the area around it. It was a large area. We were in the rear with the gear. A couple of times a w eek, I would do a daytrip up to the war front. I had to drive up there, do my thing, and drive back. So don’t complain to me about your commute to Charlotte. Anyway, I was in my office and a soldier walked in. He was rather filthy as most soldiers are. The soldier said, “I was told to report to the chaplain.” Well, you found him. Good for you! Come on in and let’s have a chat. So, he was telling me about what had happened. He was infantry, and he and his friends had to take care of business up in the north. He was upset that he had been sent back to be a convoy guard. He wanted to stay with his buddies. I told him that I would feel the same way. But they want one of the best to be one of their guards. They are driving around and trying to avoid IED’s and all sorts of other nasty stuff on the road. They want one of the best to keep an eye out for them so that they can go home too when this is all over. The soldier said, “Yeah, okay . . . sir.” I asked him how long he would be here, and he said three days. Okay . . .for the next three days, I want you to sleep, get some ice cream and pizza, see a movie, and go to the pool. And those are not suggestions. “Yes sir.” Before you leave come back to see me. Three days later, the soldier came back to see me, and he looked totally different. . .so much better. I asked him if he was ready to go back, and he said, “Yes, sir.” I told him he had done a good job and to keep his eyes open so we could all make it home. The soldiers said, “Yes, sir” and thanked me for talking to him. The change in him was phenomenal. A smart officer where he had been saw that this soldier had combat stress or fatigue and sent him back to the rear. A classic way to deal with combat stress is to take three days of rest and refresh (R & R) and go back. He would have less problems in theater, be able to keep his mind in the game, and have less problems when he returned home. The Army would take soldiers out of the field so that they could rest. No matter how hard we trained them, they had to come out of the game to rest.
We are all in combat. We are fighting the devil constantly. We all need to take time out for our ourselves and to pray. That’s the most important thing. Jesus took His disciples aside and said, “Come away and pray.” We all need time to be alone with our Lord. We pray to refresh. The priest who preached at my first Mass said, “You will spend more time on your toes like a boxer, if you spend more time on your knees.” You cannot give what you do not have.” Mother Teresa’s sisters, who I had the pleasure of working with in Guantanimo Bay, spent at least two hours a day in prayer plus Mass. That’s how you keep your Savior near. It’s how people will see Christ in you. “Well, I work on Sundays.” “If I do a good deed on Sunday, do i still have to go to Mass?” If you are on your way to Mass and get called to an emergency, you have an excuse. But you cannot use that excuse every week. And I’m sure that people don’t have a health crisis every Saturday at 5:00 and Sunday at 9:30 and 12:15. No. “Well, I watch Mass on television.” Well, I watch cooking shows on television and I’m still hungry. I watch golf shows on television and I still stink at the game.
During marriage preparation, I give couples the key to a happy marriage. “What’s that, Father?” Pray the Rosary together each night before you go to bed. I didn’t get that on my own. . .I’m not that holy or bright. I got it from Bishop Sheen. I also advise couples to practice their faith. When couples come to me with marital problems, the first question I ask is, “Do you pray together?” “Do you go to church together?” Yeah, that’s the same reaction I get. You are carrying a cross that is heavy, and you can become weary. We think we are a lot tougher than we really are.
All of us have our crosses, and we all get weary. We need to spend time in prayer. . .lots and lots of time. Your work is not your prayer. Believe it or not, I have a degree in Philosophy. I learned in Philosophy 101 that work is not a prayer. Know why? They are different words with different letters. Work is not prayer. Work is a vocation. Work can be part of your prayer life, but prayer is different. Prayer is an act of love. Work is an act of love too, but it’s different. I know a priest who once said, “My work is my prayer.” Well, say goodbye to your vocation. I cannot give what I do not have, so I need to spend a lot of time in prayer.
We look for comfort in things that are not of God. Maybe it’s in a bottle, a pill, people, places, or things. It is important to spend time in prayer. I don’t care how busy we think we are or how important. One day I’m going to be heavy into real estate in a tiny house and another priest will be here. I won’t be cold in my grave, and another priest will be here to take my place.
Husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers take the crosses of everyone upon them besides their own. It’s called transference. In Scripture, when our Lord healed what did He do? He sighed and groaned as He took their pain upon Himself. You see the pain of everyone and their sins there on the Cross. You do that with your family and friends. You do that with the crosses people place upon you. This is why prayer is so necessary. It’s why the Sacraments are so necessary. We cannot do it by ourselves. We will fall and we will destroy ourselves. You must take the time, and that time is the best investment in yourself and those you love. It’s how you keep your edge. It’s how people will see Christ’s light in you. And by taking that time out, you will keep the flame alive.
We are the salt of the earth, and we can lose our Savior very quickly. Sometimes it happens slowly and more quickly at other times. That time away in prayer is so important. Never minimize it. Never say, “I have to go to work.” If you pray and become holy, your work will go much better and faster. So, tune out all the distractions to pray and to be alone with God.
Father’s Reflections. . .
I heard from reliable sources, and I have authenticated the message, that next Sunday is the Super Bowl. I’m thrilled about it. . . actually, I don’t care. I don’t want to watch millionaires play for millions of dollars. That really doesn’t excite me. “These guys are great! They are stars!” Really? If you were not at Terri Campbell’s funeral yesterday and you didn’t talk to the family, you wouldn’t know that Terri’s brother-in-law was a hero in the true sense of the word. Now you probably wouldn’t give this guy a second look. He has white hair and is beginning to get a stoop. But he was an F-4 fighter pilot in Vietnam. That alone is quite impressive. However, he was shot down over Vietnam and spent six years in the Hanoi Hilton. There is a real hero.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Sermon Notes – January 29, 2023 – You May Be Canceled
“You May Be Canceled”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
January 28-29, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
1 Seeing the crowds, He went onto the mountain. And when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He began to speak. This is what He taught them: 3 How blessed are the poor in spirit: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 Blessed are the gentle: they shall have the earth as inheritance. 5 Blessed are those who mourn: they shall be comforted. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness: they shall have their fill. 7 Blessed are the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be recognised as children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness: the kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 ‘Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.
I love our good Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. The interesting part for priests is that our Lord spoke eight sentences and only seven from the Cross. Multitudes heard Him from the mountain side. He didn’t have a microphone, but He sat down and talked to them in eight sentences. It’s a textbook for preaching. Our Lord gave the fruits of holiness. If you live a holy life, you will be blessed, and the Kingdom of Heaven will be yours.
Our Lord spoke about virtues, and if you have these virtues, you are blessed. There are two kinds of virtues: acquired or habitual and infused virtues. Acquired virtues you receive by doing. There are three types of infused virtues: faith, hope, and charity. They are infused because you receive them in the Sacraments. Infused virtues become operative when you cooperate with them. It’s just like some of the medicine we take. I have a pill that I take 30 minutes before I eat. But if I don’t wait 30 minutes and eat right after taking the pill, the medicine doesn’t work and does me no good. I have to cooperate with the medicine in order to benefit from its good effects. It’s the same thing with the grace in your soul. You have to cooperate by doing the right thing, staying away from sin, and doing acts of virtue. When you do acts of virtue by prayer, mortification, and corporal/spiritual works of mercy, you acquire these virtues as long as you don’t lose them by sinning. The virtues come with a blessing. . .a promise of divine favor. And that’s pretty wonderful. “Hey, this is cool. . . I’ve got a road map, and I’m going to make it.” Well, yes and no. Yes, you will make it. But one of the blessings we receive is not really one that we want. What is one of the blessings we will receive? We will be crucified with Him because this world does not accept a life of virtue. As much as the world doesn’t want to hear His message, they don’t want to hear ours.
We are in a gradual degradation of Christianity, and it’s called the “woke” culture. “How do you identify, Mr. Fitzgibbons?” Really? My father isn’t here, but you can call me “Father.” That’s how I identify. My personal pronouns are “Father,” but “Monsignor” is my personal favorite. If the “woke” culture doesn’t like you, they will try to cancel you. It’s all threats. It’s all evil. And they aren’t very good at it. They will try to intimidate you. The people I used to work with went to places where we almost had our birth certificates canceled. That’s very different from getting your feelings hurt. Do you know why the woke culture is evil? “Oh, it’s justice!” No, it’s not. . .it’s evil because of the belligerence. It’s like a drunk: “I only drink because you treat me terribly!” No, you drink because you want to; don’t give me that line. They put the blame on somebody else because they know deep down inside that they are living against moral law. That’s why they are so belligerent, evil, and mean to everyone. “You all have to conform. If everybody would just conform, they would be happy.” That’s not true. They will crucify you in the name of goodness, righteousness, and justice. It has been the same since the beginning. Look at our Lord’s cousin, John the Baptist. What happened to him? He was beheaded because he told Herod, “You cannot live with your brother’s wife.”
The world does not like truth. What is truth? Truth is not a “what.” Truth is a “Who.” Truth is Jesus. Pilot looked at our good Lord and asked, “What is truth?” He got it wrong. “Who is truth” would have been a better question. The Truth was right in front of him. The Truth resides in the Most Blessed Sacrament and in our souls when we partake of the Sacraments and as long as we don’t commit mortal sin or repeated venial sin.
We try to live a life of holiness because of God’s promised rewards. One of the rewards is to suffer with Him. He cried over Jerusalem because they did not accept Him. Remember Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)? Everybody loved her because she took care of the sick. So what? Bad people are good to the sick. The Nazis took care of their own sick during World War II. But Saint Teresa did it with Christ’s love, and she taught the Catholic message. You cannot call it “Christian Ministries” anymore, because with 50,000 branches of Christianity, they all have different moral standards. I still remember that day on television when Mother Teresa came to the United States and met with the most powerful man in the world, President Bill Clinton, his wife, and Vice-President Al Gore and his wife. What a nice, cute photo op with Mother Teresa wearing her habit. But this 4-foot-nothing woman started lecturing them about abortion and wagging her finger. Now, every man knows when that finger starts wagging, nothing good happens after that. Mother Teresa said, “If you don’t want your babies, give them to me.” You never hear that incident talked about anymore, do you? The “woke” culture canceled her. She was a cute little woman, and that’s all the world remembers.
When you try to live a life of virtue in your ordinary vocations, it will be obvious to others. And you will be persecuted just like Christ was. “They don’t like me on Facebook!” You know what? I’m not on Facebook, and I sleep very well at night. Social media is a disease. If you are so dependent on electronics to make you feel good, you need to see someone professionally. The one Person you need to make feel good is the One who resides in the Blessed Sacrament. That’s the only Person who needs to feel good. With Him, we can stand anything. So be stout-hearted. Do not be afraid of a life of virtue. It’s far easier than you think. The devil always tempts us by saying that the virtuous life is hard and no fun; both of which are lies. Remember when you are suffering by following a virtuous life, your suffering is with Christ. Be glad and rejoice. Your reward in Heaven is kept safe with Him.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________ You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”