“The Transforming Power of His Love”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 22 – 23, 2020
Scripture : Matthew 5:38-48
Yesterday morning I drove down to Monroe. Why they pronounce it Moan-roe, I have no idea. They also say p-oh-lice. Really? Nowhere else are the police called p-oh-lice. Dude, public education has gone way down hill. But, they are kinda different in Union County. Anyway, I was in Monroe to help hear 190 first confessions. I had to leave early, because I had a wedding to perform here. I heard first confessions here this morning, and they did very well. The kids in Monroe were nervous, and I said to them that today you are experiencing for the first time, actually flushing out your book knowledge, some of the great truths of the Catholic Church and the fullness of God’s love. The Catholic Church possesses the fullness of God’s message and the fullness of His power on earth. You have come here to experience the greatness of God’s mercy by having your sins absolutely forgiven and forgotten. God forgives and forgets everything you bring here. No matter how many times you may do this or other things, if you come back to the Sacrament and say, “I’m sorry, I will try to do better,” God will forgive and forget. The beauty of God’s love is right here in Church. What a wonderful thing we have. He heals us with His most precious blood, and He infuses us with the strength of His presence, called Sanctifying Grace. We are transformed away from ourselves.
You’ve seen in the Gospel, in the Old Law, scripture that called for an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That seems rather harsh to our modern ears. Really, it’s not. When this was first proclaimed in the Old Testament, it was shocking. This was so new to people. That means – I’m no lawyer, but I’ve seen one on television – that you can exact no greater penalty than the crime itself. In the Old World, if you were to jaywalk, and even though it might be your first offense, the punishment could be execution. I mean they lopped people’s heads off just for grips and grins. I mean, you can’t do that…you just can’t do that.
Justice is a primary virtue. Christ taught a new kind of justice and called us to a higher standard. He said, “if you have My love, you will go beyond that; you will show them My love, the love I give to you. If they need a shirt give them two; if they ask you to walk one mile, walk two.” By doing so, you are showing them God’s love. How do you show them His love? By having God’s love inside of you. It’s not easy to do. If someone smashes my windshield, he’s going down and hard. We have the right to protect ourselves, that’s true. Jesus was using a hyperbole, of course. He was using it as an example. If someone hurts you, don’t hurt them back and walk away. Don’t let someone punch you in the mouth. First, duck and then forgive. It’s hard to do that. By the way, you don’t have to like them. He didn’t say you have to like them. I don’t like a lot of people, but I love them for the sake of Christ. Now, to do what Christ asks, turning the other cheek, praying for them even when you really don’t want to, doing good things for them when you really don’t want to do good things for somebody because they have really ticked you off, or they have really hurt you is hard. Yet, the Lord says do good for them, pray for them, and do good things for them. “I really don’t want to.” An easy way to do it is by being transformed by God’s love and drawing closer to Him day-by-day, through the Mass, Sacraments, prayers, and mortification. Gradually your soul will lose itself and become filled with Christ. Then, when these things come dragging in, you will be able to do good works naturally, and people will see the love of Christ in you.
While I was a young priest, I was working at Mercy Hospital when it was still a Catholic hospital. There was an old priest, Father Cal Brown; he’s long dead now. Father Brown was the chaplain at Mercy Hospital. He was in his mid-80’s at the time. Father Brown was sick and a patient there. When a code was called, meaning someone is dying, all of a sudden, Father Brown got out of his sick-bed and started walking down the hallway to respond to the code. Ever seen an old man in a hospital gown? It’s not a pretty picture. Two nurses came running up to him and picked Father Brown up by each elbow. They told him, “Father, there’s already a priest here in the hospital.” That was me; I was covering the hospital that day. But he did that. It was the kind of priest Father Brown was and the kind of priest he became after all those years of saying Mass and participating in the Sacraments.
You might say, “Well, Father, he was a priest. That’s not unusual. It’s not like that with us.” Not true. It’s possible to be transformed by the power of love. Even when a mother is sick as a dog, she will crawl on her hands and knees to take care of her children and think nothing of it. It’s just instinctual. This is the transforming power of God’s love. We are transformed by trying to be one with Christ, by opening our hearts, ridding ourselves of self-love and self-concern. Remember my favorite saying, “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.” Like the sick mother caring for her children, we can do that for other people. We can do that. We can practice it. But, remember, it’s something we grow into. It’s the standard we aspire to, but never perfectly achieve in this life.
The great saints were never satisfied with themselves. They always said, “I can love more.” It’s sad when people say, “I’m a good Catholic, I go to Mass on Sunday; I haven’t committed murder.” But love has no bounds. How can you be satisfied with that? As you grow in love, you will be transformed. This will happen supernaturally. People will see the change in you. Sometimes, it will come quickly; sometimes, it will happen over a period of time. We will grow closer to Him and become transformed. We may not notice it in ourselves or in our lives, but, other people will see it and may even tell us about it. We all can do this by becoming holier. It’s a constant, ongoing process. It’s tough for everybody; it’s even tough for me, the Holy Man. However, we must do what God wants. What He asks of us is always possible if we seek and strive for holiness.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you seek and strive for holiness so that others can see Him in you?