“Follow the Money“
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
January 16 – 17, 2021
Gospel: John 1:35-42
I received an email from the Diocese about parish revenues being down during the pandemic. Gosh they are sharp…they don’t miss a thing! They suggested ways in which to raise money that amounts to religious extortion. Do we need more money? No, we need more compassion. What did our good Lord say in the Old Testament? He said, “Comfort my people.” He didn’t say extort them. A priest once told me, “If you are a good priest, you will never need a second offering.” I refuse to do one. I don’t want their money…I want their sins.
During this time when everyone is struggling and doing their best, people are being terrified by what’s on the news. They are scaring the bejesus out of old people. “Oh, my God! You have COVID! That’s 5,000 cases!!” What’s the death toll? Not much…it’s COVID not Ebola. We just had a 98 year old WW II veteran, a POW, survive COVID. Again, it’s not Ebola. “Oh, but we’ve got all this COVID and disruption.” You are making it a disruption by stirring things up for your own advantage. Follow the money. You are scaring old people. How much toilet paper do you still have? I almost went to Harris Teeter the other day when we had snow flurries to see how many people were stocking up on milk and bread. We are to comfort our people. I want your sins. I want to give you Jesus.
I just finished a book on Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta. She formed the Missionaries of Charity who care for the poorest of the poor, the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for, and the shunned. I had the honor of working with the Sisters while in Cuba. The Sisters made great gifts of love to the people in their care, and they did it without reservation or disgust. The inspiration that lead to Saint Mother Teresa’s forming the Missionaries of Charity came from Jesus and the six words He spoke from the Cross. “I thirst.” I thirst for souls. He did not say, “I thirst for your bank account.” He said, “I thirst” for souls. It was Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls that inspired Saint Mother Teresa throughout her life to bring souls to Jesus. That is our mission too – to bring souls to Jesus.
That call from the crucifix still makes its way down to us and will until the end of time. In our charity, we can give people the knowledge of why we do it. Anyone can give away food. The Federal Government gives out food. I received food from the Feds…first in a can and then in a bag. Meals Requiring Ex-Lax or MRE’s. Be sure to drink lots of water or you’re going to have a real problem Houston. You may have to call Roto-Rooter. I didn’t see God in that. I saw what seemed like abuse, but I didn’t see God. Have you ever had lima beans out of a can from World War II? Not a good taste. I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody. The Knights of Columbus take food over to the shelter. We do this because the love of Christ compels us. In the old Catholic hospitals, there used to be a Crucifix in every patient’s room. In the old days, every classroom also had a crucifix. These days we don’t want to offend anyone by reminding them about Jesus. When I took my physical before entering seminary, I went to Dr. Skyler who had a Crucifix in every examination room. I was very impressed. He said, “If people don’t like it, let them find another doctor.”
By virtue of our baptism, it is our mission to evangelize. We are to bring the Faith to the world and people to Christ. The words of Christ from the Crucifix will continue until the end of time. He thirsts for souls. We are to be like the angels and bring people to Christ.
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How will you apply this message to your life? Will you help satiate Christ’s thirst for love and for souls?
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You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ , clicking on “Blog”, then “Categories” and finally “Sermon Notes.”