“Things I Wish I Could See – Part 2”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
November 2 – 3, 2024
Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
Let’s see how your memory is. Remember last week when I talked about vision? Okay, obviously you don’t remember but there are Sermon Notes at the back of the church. Pick one up and refresh your memory on what I said. What I said was that I wished I could see what truly is. Dr. Billingsley is great, but there is just so much he can do. I want to see our good Lord truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, in the Confessional, in the Mass, and in the Sacraments. By the way, do you know why deacons cannot perform the Sacraments? Because only those who can celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are allowed to perform the Sacraments. The Sacraments come from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Anyhow, I want to see our Lord as He truly is . . . the brilliant light that is the light of the world.
I had my picture taken in New York for an Army advertisement, and I had to put on makeup. That was the first and last time I will ever wear makeup outside of the box. I was a member of the 101st Airborne . . . so hell no! You wouldn’t believe all the lights they shine on you to put on the makeup. While I was sitting under all those lights, I felt like a rotisserie chicken. That’s the same kind of light here in the church – the light of truth – that shines on us as we sit in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament and in the Confessional. That light allows us to see ourselves. We see ourselves in three ways: how we see ourselves, how others see us, and how we truly are. It takes humility to see ourselves as we truly are. That’s why the vision to see ourselves as we truly are is so necessary for advancement in spiritual life.
We find that vision by seeking the light of Christ whether it is in front of the Blessed Sacrament or in the Confessional. In His light, we see ourselves as we truly are . . . our crosses, our failures, our talents, and our abilities. Too often we avoid His light because we see ourselves with all these problems. “God, I have all these problems. I’m not good enough for you Lord.” First of all, we cannot earn God’s love. I don’t care how good you are, you cannot earn His love because God’s love is free. Look at all that God has given us, including our crosses which are actually gifts. But when we look at our crosses, we see pain. We see all our troubles, all our failures, and all our wants and desires.
In spite of everything, we are all loved by Christ. Nothing that we have done can stop God’s love for us. Nothing. God will always love us. How we love God is another matter, but that is up to us. But God will always love us. We are children of God. When I was in Hospice the other day, I was talking to this man while the EMT’s were with him. I asked him if he would tell me his religious denomination so that we could take proper care of him. He said, “I’m not Catholic; I’m Baptist.” I said, “May I tell you a secret?” He whispered, “Yeah, go ahead.” I said, “You are a child of God, and no one gets better than that.”
As you sit here in church, you are sitting in the presence of God, Himself, in the Blessed Sacrament. You are also sitting in His presence during Confession. It is then that we see ourselves as we truly are – loved by God.
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.”