“All I Needed Was a Checkbook and a Phonebook”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
June 29 – 30, 2024
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43
Early every morning, I come over to the church and do my meditation. During one of my meditations, the thought came to me about how beautiful our church has become. Bill Peak was the original Misfit (church volunteer), and I was talking to him about that. When I first arrived here, the first job I gave Bill was to get the carpet out of the church bathroom. That’s another reason priests should be married. Who would put carpet in the bathroom? To the best of my recollat – recollec – uh – memory . . . do I sound like the President? But to the best of my recollection, we have made over 50 changes and upgrades just inside the church.
So, let me ask you – what makes this church beautiful? Could it be the wonderful new Stations of the Cross? Perhaps it’s the beautiful altar rail that the Misfits worked on? Maybe it’s the wooden altarpiece or the marble tables we put in. Could it be the amazing stained-glass window above the altar? Maybe it’s the sound system. We’ve done so many things, but what is the most beautiful? Does the love of God’s people make the church beautiful? Yes. However, that was a trick question. I asked you “what” the most beautiful thing in our church is. You should have answered, “Hey, Father, it’s not a “what.” It’s a “Who.” What makes our church truly beautiful is the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Most Blessed Sacrament. God Incarnate is present in the Tabernacle, and He is beauty itself.
Our love for Him is a reflection of that beauty and is made manifest in all the wonderful things you have done in the church over the past 22 years. Your love is a response to His love. You have given out of love to reflect His beauty and the beauty of His love for us and for everyone. We are like an Irish family . . . we always have an extra seat. The Real Presence of our Lord is what makes a church beautiful. This is our Faith.
That is what makes a church beautiful. Beauty is not an “it.” Beauty is a “Who.” Every Mass is beautiful and wonderful, even the Mass I did in 13 minutes when I was in Iraq . . . we were a little busy at the time. The Ordination Mass of our new bishop lasted for three hours. That’s the wonder and beauty of our Faith in the person of Jesus Christ. It’s the beauty of His love expressed and given to us. It’s the beauty you have responded to by being here.
Years ago, Bishop Jugis, our retired bishop now and a really wonderful man, came here for Confirmation. He was walking across the parking lot, and he said, “Father, you have really made this place beautiful.” I said, “Bishop, all I needed was two books.” He gave me a confused look, and I said, “Yes, all I need is a checkbook and a phone book, and I can make things happen. I know people.” But the beauty of it all is that it’s from God by your response to His love. Do you think I used my personal checkbook for all these things? Nope. It was yours. Your gifts are a reflection of your love for Christ and His love for you. The beauty of His love that you responded to made all these wonderful things happen. God is beauty itself. Every church is beautiful insofar as it has our good Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Soon, and on the eternal scale, very soon, we will all see that beauty without the need for glasses. We will see God Himself without the need for signs and symbols.
One more thing about Bishop Jugis. After coming to Confirmation here, the next morning, he had to drive three hours to the mountains. I knew he was tired, but after Confirmation, I asked him, “Bishop, would you do me a favor? There are a couple of people in the hospital I’d like you to visit.” I asked him to go see Genevieve, a lady who was in her last days, and also another lady who was being released from the hospital to go home and die from cancer. The Bishop agreed to visit them, and he could not have been more gracious. You would never have known he had a long trip ahead of him the next morning.
Father’s Reflections . . .
We had an unexpected expense last week. The air conditioning in my house went out, so for a few nights, it was rather warm, and I didn’t sleep well. However, I didn’t waste the time . . . I caught up on my continuing education units which are studies I need to do – I watched episodes of “House, MD.” It occurred to me that I am House in a priestly sense. I can live with that. He is hilarious.
This week we will be celebrating July 4th. Remember that freedom is not free. Last month was the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Of the first 128 men who went ashore, guess how many survived. None. Do you know the average age of the soldiers on D-Day? 19.
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
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