Love is an Action
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 22 – 23, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 13:24-43
One of the things I like reading in my hometown newspaper is the obituaries. Up north, where I grew up, we call it the “Irish sports page.” Hey, you gotta have fun! I like reading about what people have done in their lives. Some people have done amazing things. At the end of the obituaries, the religious services for the deceased are announced. I find some of them incomprehensible. “A celebration of life will be held at a restaurant” or wherever. Really? You should have had that a week ago when the person was warmer and could have appreciated it. He’s dead! Unfortunately, the same is done for Catholics: “A celebration of life will be held to celebrate their life.” What the newspapers are printing is heresy and blasphemous. It denies what the Mass is. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not a celebration of someone’s life. The Mass is not an “it.” It’s a “Who.” It is Christ offering Himself to the Father on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sins. And we all need that. Even my sainted mother, who suffered purgatory on Earth because she raised me, needed a savior. We had a Mass of Christian Burial for her, and I performed it.
Christ prays for us in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass because, unfortunately, we must leave this world through death. We all contemplate the end of life. I seem to be hurrying toward it a little quicker than I expected. In fact, I’ve been scoping out the best rooms in Hospice. We were never meant to die, and that’s why we fear death. Original sin and the sins we have committed since Baptism have that effect. In the Gospel, Christ said that after death comes judgment. People don’t like that word. Know why they don’t like it? Because they’ve done something wrong. Do you get nervous when you’re driving up Highway 52 to Salisbury and see a State Trooper or the Sheriff? People tend to hit their breaks. But if you’re not speeding, you have nothing to worry about. I just give the officers a blessing and move on. I’m grateful they are there like angels watching over us in case somebody gets hurt.
Sometimes obituaries will say that the deceased person has “gone to see Jesus.” And that’s true. When we leave this world, God, Himself, will look at us and ask, “Did you love Me?” “Did you keep My Commandments?” That is the standard because that is what He said. For some, it is not a pleasant meeting. They only stay for a cup of coffee and then go elsewhere. Others get to stay in Heaven forever. How long we stay depends on how we have lived. According to the Gospel of Matthew, we will be judged according to how we loved and responded to His love.
There is a course we take in seminary called Eschatology, a study of the last days. Within that course is a sub-course about the Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. Traditionally, we preach about the Four Last Things during Lent. When we leave this world, all of us will see Jesus. How that meeting goes is entirely up to us. The key thing to note is that God tells us exactly what to do. “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.” And He gives us the final exam questions further along in the Gospel of Matthew. So, you already know what He will ask when you stand before Him. “Did you love Me?” “Yes, Lord. You know I love You.” He’s not going to accept the same excuse that you give police officers: “Oh, I didn’t see the speed limit sign, Officer.” No! He knows what we’ve done because love is an action.
When I work with people who are passing, I ask them if they have made their peace with God. God always wants to save us even at the point of our death. Heaven was stolen once by the Good Thief on the Cross, and it can be stolen again. Many in my hospital work have been able to steal Heaven at the last minute. I have baptized several people while they were on their deathbeds, and one wasn’t even Catholic, but he wanted to be baptized. They realize that they want peace. I never mention the “D” word. The Hospice staff don’t understand how I do that. I just never bring it up. I let them bring it up because they have to accept it. You don’t take away someone’s crutch without giving them another one. If they are Catholic, I ask them if they would like to be anointed with the Last Rites “just in case.” I tell those who have made their peace with God, that at some point our good Lord will come for them. And they will see Him coming with a smile on His face and arms wide open to embrace them. So, open your arms and run to Him and know that there will never again be a risk of losing Him by sin.
The good news and bad news for us is the same . . . We are going to die. If I go to hospice care, I’m having bacon at every meal. What’s the worst that can happen, right? We are all going to die. But the good news for those who love God is that it is not bad news. We will be with the One who has loved us all our lives beyond all our imaginations and Who will forgive anything if we say we are sorry. That’s the good news. We will have joy and peace forever. We will be far more able to help those we love to come to the same place we are. Never be discouraged. The fear of death is normal. We were not supposed to die. But the more we love God, the more that fear recedes from us.
Father’s Afterthoughts . . .
I want to thank everyone for my birthday party last week. I must be losing my situational awareness with age because I had no idea. Even though the party took four months of planning, it was a complete surprise. Now, at the Spanish Mass today, I’m going to yell at them. They know that I don’t understand a lot of Spanish, and so they talked about plans for the party right in front of me! But I want to thank you for your kindness. It was overwhelming, humbling, and a bit embarrassing.
Mary Connor, a shut-in from our parish, passed away on Saturday. She had all the Sacraments of the Church, and now she is at rest. When I saw her on Thursday, I asked her how she was feeling, to which she replied, “I feel like bleep!” I almost said, “Well, you look it.” But I didn’t. So, please pray for her soul.
How will you apply this message to your life? _______________________________________
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