Tag: 12 Step Program

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Sermon Notes – November 10, 2024 – “Are You Grateful?”

“Are You Grateful?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

November 9 – 10, 2024

Gospel:  Mark 12:38-44  

I’m in bit of a conundrum because I prepared a wonderful sermon, brief but wonderful, on the Gospel just not this Gospel.  Oops!  So, would you like to hear a sermon that I come up with by the seat of my pants or would you like to hear the short one on another Gospel?  Seat of my pants?  Not happening. 

Remember the story about the ten lepers who were cured by Jesus but only one came back to thank Him?  That was a lesson on prayer for the Apostles to show them how few say, “thank you.”   The lepers asked God for a favor, and when God cured them, they went away.  Jesus was surprised that only one man came back to thank Him.  You don’t surprise God.  I don’t care how original you think you are.  You don’t surprise God.  But God did that to drive home the point to the Apostles about how important gratitude is in prayer.  We are ungrateful children sometimes, which hurts both our spiritual and mental health lives.  We sink into a funk.  “Oh God doesn’t love me.”   Well make a gratitude list.  In all 12-Step Programs, they tell people to make a list of things they are grateful for.  “How long of a list?  Five or ten things?”  Oh, about 100.  “What do you mean a hundred?”  Well, that’s easy.  Are you breathing?  Put that at the top of the list.  Is your heart beating?  That’s number two.   “But I’m not happy.”   I see that.  You are so self-centered it’s unbelievable.  Make a gratitude list. 

There are so many things to be grateful to God for.   I tell people at funerals to be grateful you had someone you loved and who loved you.  It’s not forever in this life; in the next one, yes.  Be grateful you had them for so long.  My family bailed out on me early.  I don’t blame them at all, to tell you the truth.  But my family reunions are a lot easier, cheaper, and quieter.  But I loved them, and they loved me.  “But I don’t have this, and I don’t have that.”  Well, I don’t have a Bentley, and that keeps me up at night.  I go to the Bentley dealership and just cry.  I don’t have a lot, but I have all that I want.   I have more than ever I needed and more than I ever wanted except for bacon.   That will come in Heaven.  Extra crispy please, Lord. 

Be grateful for what you have.  It is a great addition to spiritual life.  You know what else is a good addition to spiritual life?  Spending time with God.  In prayer, we go to God and tell Him what we need and thank Him for the blessings He has given us.  Okay, conversation over; time to move on.   God is perfection in courtesy which comes from the virtues of love, charity, and respect. Prayer takes time.  “What are you waiting for Father?”   I’m waiting for God to say, “You’re welcome.”   It is inconsiderate if you walk away from God after saying “Thank you,” without waiting for Him to say, “You’re welcome.”  Have you ever thought about that?  “Hey, I’m doing fine. I said, ‘thank you, didn’t I?”   Perfect!  You are growing right along.   When we say, “thank you” to people, we expect them to say, “You’re welcome.”   When you thank God in prayer, take some time to wait and listen because He will always respond and say “You’re welcome.  I love you.” 

When Jesus tells you to do something in prayer, do it.  Don’t worry about the results – just do it.  You will be surprised at the results.  He showers His gifts on the just and the unjust in life.  He gives His gifts to the unjust so that they might turn their hearts to Him.  He still loves them and even their sins cannot stop His love.  He gives His gifts to the just to keep them encouraged, to reassure them that He is watching over them, to let them know that He hasn’t forgotten about them, and so that they may have gifts to give others to show God’s love for them.  That is why God cured the lepers. 

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.”

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Sermon Notes – “We Must Give Up Everything to Receive Everything” – September 29, 2024

“We Must Give Up Everything to Receive Everything”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 28 – 29, 2024

Gospel:   Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

 38 John said to him, ‘Master, we saw someone who is not one of us driving out devils in Your name, and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’

39 But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him; no one who works a miracle in My name could soon afterwards speak evil of Me.

40 Anyone who is not against us is for us. 

41 ‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, then in truth I tell you, he will most certainly not lose his reward. 

42 ‘But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck. 

43 And if your hand should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that can never be put out. 

45 And if your foot should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 

47  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,

48 where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’p


We have a doctor in the parish who operated on me. I kept the receipt, just in case. He had trouble with the hospital because of the surgeries he would not perform. They wanted him to do gastric bypass surgery on patients, and he said, “No.”  The hospital was not pleased because there was a lot of money in it. “What do you mean by ‘No?’”  He said, “Because I would be operating on the wrong organ. There is nothing wrong with the patients’ stomachs – the malady is in their brains.”  Doctors are allowed to operate on an organ only if it is diseased or broken. That is the only time they can do surgery on patients. Here is a bit of medical trivia – your skin is the largest organ you have. Doctors cannot whack things off people just because they have body dysmorphia and do not like the way they look. That goes against the Fifth Commandment.

The problem is not the organ – it is just fine and doing everything it is supposed to. The problem is in the brain, and whacking things off people does not change the brain. You must change the brain. Our good Lord said if you do something wrong, cut off your hand, cut off your foot, or poke your eye out. But He was using hyperbole like He was when Scripture says He fed 5,000 men, not counting women and children. Can you count to 5,000? Our Lord was using hyperbole, which you will find in the preface of every 12-step program: “If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it — then you are ready to take certain steps.”  Any length. But that does not include body mutilation. It means sacrificing people, places, and things –   everything for health. The most challenging thing to sacrifice is self. That is what our Lord asks of us: to be willing to sacrifice everything for Him. Whatever we think reality is, that is not what it truly is. We must give up everything to receive everything. We cannot allow any person, place, or thing to stand in the way of possessing love and being possessed by love itself.

Father’s Reflections . . .

People have asked, “Father, how was your vacation?”  It was great until it ended. My flight was changed three times and then finally canceled. The next day, I had to get up at o’dark-thirty and drive to the airport. You know, there is no more beautiful sight in the morning darkness than seeing a bright light shining ahead of you, and that light screams, “Duncan Donuts!”  There is a God. I finally got back around noon and was on the go until last night. So, if you want a favor, today is not the day to ask for one. Although my vacation was not what I planned, it was a lot of fun. As the military says, no order of battle survives the first gunshot. I went up to see the Godmother, and she is sinking. I also saw my cousin.  Now, I do not know what I did to her, but as I was leaving her house, she said, “Oh, you must try this drink. I love it! It is so wonderful and very good for your health!”  Okay, I would love to. I got into the car and began the 45-minute drive back to my sister-in-law’s house in Rhode Island. I thought I would try the drink since my cousin had recommended it. I took a swallow, and you know, I almost spit it out, but I was too cheap and did not want to pay the cleaning fee for the car. Blech! When I got back to my sister-in-law’s house, I read the ingredients, and it was full of celery, parsley, and cucumbers. Yuck! My cousin tried to put the whack on me! Who am I, Fredo?

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.”

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Sermon Notes – April 28, 2024 – “Are You Blowing Off God?”

“Are You Blowing Off God?”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 27 – 28, 2024


Gospel: John 15:1-8

I appreciate the warm welcome back from my vacation.  Many of you have asked how my vacation was.  It was exhausting.  Now you may be thinking, “But Father, you were on vacation. You had a chance to rest.”   When does a mother and father have a chance to rest?  Just asking.  I’m going back to the area I grew up as a priest, and I have my own little parish there.  Everyone wants to talk to me.  My vacation started this way:  I got up in the morning and when I went into the kitchen for coffee, I stepped in a bunch of cat poop.  Okay, this is going to be fun!  After that it just got weird.  I encountered a lot of episodes of WTMI (way too much information) during which I just sat there and said, “Uh-huh, Uh-huh, okay, yeah.”   I went to see my aunt, who is also my godmother, and my two cousins Sheryl and Lisa.  At one point, all three women were talking to me at once.  Now, I can’t tell my 95-year-old godmother to “shut up” but my cousins I can, and I did.   Shut up!   “What do you mean?”  Did I stutter?   I love you but together you two drive me nuts!  This is why I live alone and why living in a monastery appeals to me.  

Every day I went to the diner which is like the TV show “Cheers” with grease on a plate.   I have my own little parish there too.  I saw this one man who I’ve known for years.  When I first met him, he told me he had been in Vietnam.  He came home after basic training and AIT (job training) and got married.  Ten days later he was on a plane to Saigon.  When he got back home, he became an Elvis impersonator.  Gotta love a guy like that!  When I talked to his wife, I said, “He wasn’t the same young man you sent away, was he?”   She began to cry and said, “No.”  I complimented her, and I still do because she was the one who brought him home from the war.  It’s a type of on-the-job training.  My mother and aunts had to do it for my father and uncles without a textbook or instruction manual to guide them.  They didn’t talk about it although a few of them mentioned it to me before they died.  They had to bring their husbands home, so they taught their children not to sneak up on their dads.   Do not surprise Dad.  So, I’ve watched this man’s health deteriorate over the years.  I’m not “House” but there have been obvious signs.  He has had a lot of maladies due to his time in Vietnam.  During the first part of my vacation, he told me that his doctors had placed him in palliative care.  Well, some people live forever on palliative care, so I wasn’t concerned about that.  Near the end of my vacation, he told me that his doctors had given him the bad news that he had six months to a year to live, and he started to cry a bit.   The agent orange had caught up with him.   On the last day I was home, I told him I would see him in September, and he said, “No, you won’t.”   

This is a funny story about another guy.  Remember I told you that I know a guy?   Well, this is the guy.  I mean the Feds even bugged his phone, so he is the guy.  He’s not in the business anymore, however, he’s open to referrals.  So, I do know a guy.  About 30 years ago, his friend helped him get out of the business and become the wonderful guy he is today.  But his friend is dying and is in a trauma unit at a hospital in Rhode Island.  He wanted to see him but felt bad about intruding on the family.   So, he called his friend’s daughter and asked, “May I come to see your father?  I don’t want to interrupt the family if it’s a bad time.”  She said, “Yes, of course.  He wants to see you.”   So, he went.  Even though his friend had tubes protruding from every possible place you could have them, he motioned to him that it was okay.  He talked to his friend and made peace with him.   He left the hospital, and an hour later his friend was dead. 

Coming home I was privileged to sit next to a guy who had three hot toddies starting at 10:30 in the morning.  Everyone is trying to be a paratrooper.  I said, “Really?  That’s the amateur hour.”   Then, to top it all off, I called the church office to see how things were going and learned that the visiting priest had been vomiting all Sunday night and Monday morning.  So Servpro came to the house and disinfected everything.  Never a dull moment.   On Friday afternoon, I drove from Charlotte back to Albemarle to take care of the mail and then drove to St. Luke’s in Mint Hill to hear confessions and drove back.  Otherwise, I’m really relaxed.

While I was hearing confessions at St. Luke’s, someone said, “I don’t go to Mass the way I should.”  Well, you can.  Nothing is stopping you.  The doors here are open.  In many ways, it comes down to poor teaching about what the Mass is.  The Mass is not a function.  It is the event that redeemed creation and opened Heaven up for us.  It gives us the means to get there by the sacrifice of Christ which is always before the Father and made present for us.  In some parishes, the Mass is treated like a performance.  They have these big screens that come down from the ceiling, and somebody is at the front of the church cheerleading.   I didn’t read that in Scripture about Calvary.  Did they have a cheerleader?   Maybe I’m wrong.  I may have been sick for a day or two while in seminary.   Some parishes have a practice before the Mass or they have a Mass that goes on and on – like the guy last week – and on.  You get no more salvation with a Mass that goes for an hour and a half than one that lasts for 13 minutes, which I have done several times because of extenuating circumstances. 

Why is missing Sunday Mass so bad?  The greatest sign of God’s love is made present on the altar on Sundays and every day, but Sunday is a holy day of obligation.  Our good Lord asks those who say they believe in Him to come and be a part of the greatest act of divine love the world has ever seen.  But people don’t show up.   This is a little vulgar, but it’s true – they give God the middle finger.  “I’m too busy.”  “I don’t like it.”  “I was there last week, and it’s just a rerun.”  “I went to Mass a lot in grade school.”  Really?   I drank a lot of water back then, and I still drink water.  So, they give God the middle finger and go about their business.  That’s all ego.  The true way to spirituality, as evidenced by people who get sober, clean, or slimmer or whatever 12-Step program they are in, is by humility or ego deflation.  Once humility is achieved, along with the other steps supporting it, you never have to drink or abuse drugs again.  Humility is one of God’s gifts and is the first step in spirituality.   Does God chuckle at my not eating bacon?  Maybe but doubtful.  But He wants to see what I do with the sacrifices made on my behalf.  He made such a great sacrifice Himself by sending His only Son to suffer and die.  What is my response to that love?  By complaining and crying that I can’t eat bacon or that I have to eat fish?  That’s a big one.  Did I tell you I hate fish?  Ego deflation is the key to spiritual life. 

“What a beautiful Mass, Father.”  Don’t judge the Mass . . . all Masses are beautiful.  The beauty comes in the person who is suffering in the Mass and that is Christ.  What is the Mass?  It is Christ and that is where the beauty comes from.  The only way to improve the Mass is not from the outside but from inside us.  That’s how we come to appreciate the Mass and not by judging it by our standards like ‘America’s Got Talent’ or thinking that our trip to Walmart is more important.  The key to the Mass is humility and realizing what we are and what the Mass is.  The humble say, “Speak Lord your servant is listening” and not “Listen Lord your servant is speaking.”

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.”

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Sermon Notes – September 18, 2022 – “You are Rich Beyond Measure”

“You are Rich Beyond Measure”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 September 17 – 18, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 16:10-13

Jesus said to His disciples: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?  If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?  No servant can serve two masters.  He will either hate one and love the other or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

In all 12 step programs, the same steps are used from the original 12 Step Program for how to get sober.  The fourth step is to take a fearless, moral inventory of ourselves.  That is the fourth step in every 12 Step Program, and you must do it to get sober, clean, or recover from whatever the addiction.  When people take a moral inventory, it’s usually an immoral inventory.  The next step is to tell someone, and I’ve heard a number of them recount all the bad things they’ve done.  And that’s good so they don’t have to use whatever they are addicted to kill their conscience. 

So, where did this idea originate?  They got it from the Catholic Church.  We make an examination of conscience before going to Confession.  I was taught in Catholic school to make an examination of conscience at the end of each day.  In our nightly prayers, we said the Act of Contrition.  And that’s so important to do.   Also, make a moral inventory.   Why are you are saying that you are sorry?   Because of the great gift that you have, the gift of Catholic Faith that was given to you by God.  Perhaps because of the auspices of your parents, family, others who came later, or free will, you have the gift of God.  You have the beautiful gift of the Catholic Faith that brings hope and joy to this life.  This is the reason for rejoicing.  He gives you joy, and no matter how much you have in your bank account, you are rich beyond all imagination. 

The gifts offered to you can bring happiness and peace.   It’s not found in a bottle.  It’s not
found in a big bank account.  It’s found in a Person.  If I had a big bank account, I would know where to shop.  I know where the Bentley dealer is. . .it’s over in High Point.  I know a good real estate agent and if I were rich, I could buy a house in Martha’s Vineyard for about $4.5 million.  But that doesn’t buy happiness.  Once you have a Bentley, you worry about keeping people away from your car.  If you have a house at the beach, you’ve got to take care of it and pay taxes on it.  Then there are the relatives who want to come stay with you.  It ain’t worth it!  The happiness you have is the hope in following the precise steps for how to get to Heaven.  You come here to participate and to offer yourselves in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  And if you are able, to receive the Most Precious Body of our Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Communion by the hand of Christ which is the priest. 

What did we do to deserve that?  When we fall from the weight of our crosses, due to our imprecision in following the steps of Christ, what do we have?  We have the Sacrament of Penance in which He forgives and forgets all our sins.   We have the Sacrament of Confirmation which strengthens us in carrying our cross and fulfilling our primary vocation which is to become saints.  Did you know that?  I have given the Last Rites twice in the last two days.  When we are raised up onto our final cross to endure our own Passion and death with Christ – during the last three hours or so of our lives – Christ’s consoling love, strength, and forgiveness is granted to us.  The Apostolic Pardon is a full pardon for all of your sins and a plenary indulgence that wipes it all away and gives you a totally clean slate.  I hope you get it.  There are things in my 201 file that may be a little sketchy.  But we have hope.  Plus, we have the gift of faith, and we are never alone. 

People ask me to pray for them, and I do.  But you have to realize that the whole Catholic Church is praying for you 24/7.  That’s over one billion people.  Listen to the words of the Mass.  They are always in the plural.  The whole Church is praying for you during the Sacrifice of the Mass.  Not only the entire Church on Earth, but the entire Church in Heaven, which is countless, is always praying for you.  You belong to the Body of Christ which is present throughout the world.  This is not just some little church or faith community.  You belong to the Body of Christ present throughout the world.  If you wanted to get married at the Vatican in Rome, and you have the money and the time, I could give you the paperwork to do that.  That is your church.  It belongs to you.  Italians in white robes are just caretakers of it for you. You are not alone.  By the gift of Catholic Faith, you are united with all God’s people who are praying for you. 

Such are the great treasures we have, and too often we forget to say, “thank you.”  We reduce them to something almost like play-acting in church.  This is not playacting.   We have lost the sense of wonder and awe.  This great prayer you have come to offer is one in which you come to offer yourselves in the sacrifice of Christ.  How wonderful is our Faith.  That is the greatest gift.  People ask for forgiveness of their sins, and that’s what we should do.  But we should also say, “thank you.”  Thanksgiving is one of the ends of the Mass.  So, realize how rich you are.  You are rich beyond your wildest dreams.  Embrace that richness, as clear as your bank account, and everything else will find its proper place.

How will you apply this message to your life?  _______________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”