Tag: 12-Step Program

Posted on

Sermon Notes – April 5, 2026 – “It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere”

“It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

April 4 – 5, 2026

Gospel: John 20:1-9

It’s wonderful to see so many people here.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen the church this full.  Holy Mother Church asks priests to mention that when it is time for Holy Communion, only practicing Catholics may receive the Blessed Sacrament.  As one great Italian theologian said, “It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.”  

Do you know why we tend to believe lies?  They tell us what we want to hear.  They may not be true, but we like to hear them.  Every cardiac patient wants to hear, “You can have bacon. It’s good for you. It’s the other white meat.”  No, but we like to hear what we want to hear.  Our human nature wants us to believe the lies of satan.  If we believe that death is the end, then we can deny our Lord and do whatever we wish.  “I can do anything I want, and God will still love me.”  Yes.  He loves you so much that He wants to bring you to Heaven.  Unfortunately, we will all die.  However, that’s not a bad thing because it is only by dying that we reign with Christ.  Death is just a transition, and the closer we draw to God, the less the fear of death will have a hold on us.  Yes, sometimes the way we have to go to Heaven is not especially pleasant.  Last week, I talked about a man I knew, Mike Way, who had cancer of the esophagus.  But thank God for modern medicine, because our suffering is much less than it has been in the past.  In his last days, Mike said, “He suffered that for me. I will suffer this for Him.” 

The happiest people are those who go to church.  Are they always overjoyed?  Oh, heck no.  I am not allowed to eat bacon.  So, tell me your problems.  But you will survive, and you will be rewarded in Heaven.   Our Lord holds out the reward, not only for me, but for every one of His children.  One day, sooner for some and later for others, He will come and take you to Himself.   Now, whether you get to stay with Him depends on how you respond to His love.   Did you return His love?   Do you know how we prove that love?  It’s not putting extra money into the collection basket – although if you did, I would appreciate it.  We prove our love for God by taking up our cross every day.  If we want what He is offering, we must do what He did by taking up our cross and following Him to Calvary.  That we will reign with Him forever is not a promise but an assurance.   

In the last few days, we have held tributes to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.  On Holy Thursday, our Lord gives us the means to achieve Heaven through the Sacraments.  On Good Friday, He shows us the nature of sin and how much He loves us.  Today we know the results.  We will rise, and we will see Him.  On the last day, we will get a glorified body, which will be united with our soul.  The soul is incomplete without the body, and incompleteness cannot last in His presence.  But He taught us the way.  “If you wish to be My disciple, take up your cross and follow Me.”  Do exactly what He did, and you will get what He offers.  All participants in 12-step programs want to get sober and clean.  I ask participants, “Do you have a sponsor, someone who can teach you the steps and help you to understand them?”  Yes.  Then I’ll ask them, “Do you want to be like them?”  Yes.  “Then do what they did.”  Do you remember what I told you about walking through a minefield?  Do not take a step unless you see a footprint in front of you.  Otherwise, things will turn out very badly and very quickly for you.   That’s what we do – we follow in Christ’s footsteps. 

Now progress, not perfection, is what we should strive for because our Lord said, “Take up your cross every day and follow Me.”  We can never reach perfection, so we struggle along with whatever crosses we have.   By the way, does anyone need more crosses?  I’m just asking.  I think we all have enough.  Sometimes it seems like God is piling on.  Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “Lord, if this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few.”  But we struggle along with our crosses, our own Calvary, and then one day we will ascend our final cross and pass from this life.  Our bodies, like Christ’s, will lie in a tomb.  However, our souls, if we have been faithful, not perfect but faithful, will be with Christ in Heaven.  We will get our perfected body back on the last day.  This is the joy and the hope that no matter how many failures we have had, no matter the mistakes we have made, Christ will forgive us, and there is a place in Heaven for us that has been reserved since the beginning of time.  Everyone can achieve it. No matter how bad you think you are or what you have done, there is a place for you in Heaven if you take the means to do so. 

There is a story about Bishop Sheen, now Venerable Bishop Sheen and soon-to-be Saint Fulton.  He went one night to a hospital, and there was this guy who did not want to make his peace with God.  Bishop Sheen told the man he had brought a friend.  He took out a pyx, which holds Holy Communion, and said, “I have our Lord here.”  But this guy did not want Him, so eventually Bishop Sheen left.  But later that night, the man was crying for the Lord of the Cross.   Theresa de Lisieux heard about a murderer named Henri Pranzini.  He had been sentenced to death by guillotine – the big axe.  Saint Theresa kept praying for him and praying for him.  Up until the end, he refused everyone.  “Go away from me!”  Later, before they laid him on the guillotine for the final chop, he screamed, “The Cross, the Cross!”  The priest approached him with the crucifix, and the man kissed it.  Was that enough to achieve eternal salvation?  I bet it was. 

So, take up your cross every day, and if you fall, get back up.  Remember, as a famous theologian once said, “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere.”   You can start your day over again whenever you decide to.  Pick up your cross and follow Christ, imperfectly as we all do, because Christ has a place for each of us in Heaven. 

Father’s Reflections:

I used to go to the female prison in Troy, and we would play “Stump the Priest” before I started Mass.   It’s sort of like “Stump the Chump.”  This one female felon, who always asked lots of questions, said, “Father, I have a question.”  You could see the other women rolling their eyes.  I asked this woman what her question was.  She said, “I read in the paper about people who die, and they all go see Jesus.”   I said, “That’s true.”  She was shocked.  I told her, “We will all die, and we will all go see Jesus in Heaven.  Some get to stay long enough for a cup of coffee, and others get to stay for eternity.”  That’s true.   

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.”

Posted on

Sermon Notes – February 8, 2026 – When We Fall, We Get Back Up

“When We Fall, We Get Back Up”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 7-8, 2026

Gospel: Matthew 5:13:16

While I was trying to meditate on the Gospel this morning, I thought about a gentleman I had the grace to tend to during his dying days. I remember that he was in Room 1 in Hospice. His name was on the door to his room, but it wasn’t his real name. He was a retired FBI agent, and his fingerprints were not his. He was deeply buried in an organization that he couldn’t talk about. I was visiting with him and his wife, and while he was dying, I heard him say to his wife, “If I had known that dying was this hard, I would have kept my suicide pill.” This guy worked in a very dark area and did all sorts of good things for us.

I remember reading about Saint Therese de Lisieux, the Little Flower. In her day, you had to be at least 12 to receive Holy Communion. It was Pope Pius X who lowered the age to seven. When Saint Therese was a little girl, she would put her head on her mother’s lap whenever her mother returned from receiving Holy Communion. Her mother asked why she did that, and Therese said, “Because you have Jesus inside you.” Isn’t it amazing that, even as a young girl, Therese knew that?

We are the light of the world. We have been given that light by our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit in the Sacraments. We are called to bring that light to the world. How do we do that? We do it by living a good life. However, we cannot think our way into good actions. If we go to school because knowledge is key, then why are some doctors fat? They are the ones telling us to lose weight. Do you know how many nurses smoke? Don’t you think they know that smoking is bad for you?

You cannot think your way into good actions. You must act your way into good thinking, and that changes everything. The military is based on that, and 12-Step Programs are too. They don’t talk about what you think or how you feel about something. They don’t care because these are things you must do. And that is when everything changes. Your whole outlook, spiritual and mental, is changed. I have had people say, “I don’t think I’m getting any better.” Yes, you are. In 12-Step programs, other people can see that you are getting better before you do. Keep doing corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Keep coming to Confession. Keep praying the Morning Offering. Offer up all the sufferings you endure – real or imagined. The worst thing I ever lived through never happened. Real or imagined, offer it up to God.

We make our prayers and visits. You may be thinking, “I don’t always feel good doing it.” So? I don’t always feel good about having my blood checked. Last time, I had to have blood drawn twice because the phlebotomist, the vampire, caught the needle on her sleeve and yanked it out. That wasn’t pleasant. She stuck the needle back in, and I was good. But that was just a little something I could offer up to our Good Lord.

We act our way into good thinking. People see that. We don’t have to consciously try to evangelize. We evangelize by the way we live. People see our actions. After a while, our acting becomes spiritual muscle memory. We are not conscious of it because it has become routine. And that’s a very good thing.

See your light. You have the power within you, which is our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father, and God the Son, given to us in the Sacraments. That’s how we have the power to do good works, both corporal and spiritual. That power also helps us get back up when we fall. We cannot be perfect, but salvation lies in always getting back up and carrying our crosses after our Savior. This is how we do it. People will see it, will wonder what we have, and they will ask about it.

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.”

Posted on

Sermon Notes – March 17, 2024 – “We Want What We Want When We Want It”

“We Want What We Want When We Want It”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 16 – 17, 2024

Gospel: John  12:20-33

Our Good Lord said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24).  He calls us to be grains of wheat.  But why must we die?  I’m glad you are interested, otherwise the sermon would be over.  It’s so that we may bring forth life.  The means to do it is really easy; it’s right in front of us.  Keep the Commandments.  By keeping the Commandments, we die to ourselves.  Dying to ourselves is the resignation of the will.  De-egotazation is the basis of every 12-Step group.  De-egotazation steps are the keys to recovering from whatever addictions people have.  However, it’s not just obeying the Commandments – there are more than 10, and those 10 have a lot of other things in them.   

There are two ways in which to obey the Commandments.  One way is objectively by obeying the law.  For example, if you are driving to Misenheimer you will go through Richfield.  Near the VFW, there is usually a highway patrol officer or deputy sheriff sitting there.   So, you reduce your speed, and once the coast is clear, you kick your speed back up to 65.  But when you get to the university, you slow back down in case a Misenheimer police officer is hiding behind the bushes.  Once you are on the other side of the university, you floor it again to Salisbury.  When you don’t want to get into trouble or get caught, that is objective obedience.   But that is only the beginning of de-egotazation. 

People say, “We are studying scripture.  What do you think this means?”  Every time our Lord asked the Apostles a question, they always got it wrong.  Peter got it right once, but Jesus said, “My heavenly Father revealed it to you” (Matthew 16:13-19).  So, we cannot say we know what ‘this’ means.  Jesus said only male and female were created and for that reason, a man and a woman shall leave their families and the two shall be as one.   During the first week in Latin class, we learned the words male and female.  It’s really easy!  Yet now, in principle, people say, “Well, I think that means this, and we can change it.”  No!  He said it.  That’s like telling Christ, “You were wrong.”  How is that for ego?  “You were wrong.”   Really? 

The second part of obedience is when you truly die to self.  Spiritual growth really takes over with interior ascent.  This is not just the objective obedience of simply following the law but the interior ascent.  “I do it because of my love of the Lord.  I resign my will to Him.”  That is the hardest part of all.  Soon, I will have been a priest for 40 years, and because I can take tests, I’ve got some letters after my name and some titles before it.  I’m a really big guy.  Sometimes the bishop will say, “I want this done.”  Are you kidding me?  Granted, his Excellency has more information than I do.  But sometimes I think, “Is he telling me how to do my job?”   That is the ego speaking.  It’s like pastors who don’t take suggestions or even listen to people.    Look at the history of this place, and you realize that previous pastors never took any advice from anybody.  That’s why we have had to fix everything in the past few years – because they built it wrong.  They wouldn’t listen. 

Subjective obedience is the most difficult because it’s when we truly die to self.  The first one, the objective part, is tough enough.  I can handle driving 65 in a 55 . . . I really can.  However, in North Carolina, law enforcement can give you a ticket for driving 56 in a 55.  I don’t think a judge would hear it, but according to the law, there is no grey area.  It’s the ego – not just the objective ego but also the subjective.  And that is the hardest part of dying to oneself.  The objective is hard enough, but the subjective is worse.   That’s where real spiritual growth exists. 

We bristle at rules.  “Oh, the Church has too many rules!”  Well, flying has a lot of rules too.  I suggest you follow them, otherwise we will be coming by with a squeegee to clean up your body parts.  There are a lot of rules in a lot of things.  Pharmacology has a lot of rules.  Trying it on your own usually doesn’t work out well.  Rules are there to keep us from doing stupid stuff.  They are there to warn us that something will hurt really bad, and we won’t be able to fix it on this Earth.  Rules are there to keep us safe and to point us in the right direction.  But we don’t like the rules because of our egos.  I want what I want when I want it!  Our daily dying to self: “Yes, Lord.  I will try to do what you ask of me not only because it’s for my own good, but it will also enable me to love You even more.” 


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” 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.”

Posted on

Sermon Notes – July 9, 2023 – “Life is Tough. It’s Tougher When You’re Stupid”

Life is Tough – It’s Tougher When You’re Stupid

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

July 8 – 9, 2023

Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30

One of my favorite spiritual maxims that I try to follow, and I pass onto you, is that life is tough; it’s tougher when you’re stupid. And I think we can all agree on that. I really should have that translated into Latin because if I were to ever become a bishop, I’d have it placed on my Coat of Arms. Life has been tough, and we have struggled ever since our first parents ate us out of house and home in the Garden of Eden. Their sin and the sins we have committed since Baptism make life a lot tougher than it has to be because we don’t ask for spiritual help. Some famous last words are, “I’ve got this.” How are you feeling? “I’m fine!” Some people are always angry and upset. “Oh! The Church did this and did that!” When and where? “Well, it says this.” I’ve never been told that, and I think I would have gotten the message. Saying that “I’m going to do this my own way” is a sign of pride. Let me know how that works out for you. Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Not you and not me. If we do as He asks, life gets better. Our Lord promises us peace and a joy that nobody can take from us, which is Him. But we have to do first things first.

In counseling there is a book used in 12-Step programs called “Drop the Rock.” The story is about a guy who is swimming out to a boat, and he starts to drown. A guy on the boat says, “You can make it, but you have to drop the rock!” The guy who is drowning says, “No. I love rock too much. I love my lifestyle. I love the pain sooo much, and I don’t want to give it up!” We don’t want to give up the high price of low living. Are you doing well? Are you happy? “No, but it’s the only thing I know!” That’s true. We are afraid of the unknown. We get used to having the pebble in our shoe, so when it’s gone, we are frightened. We are used to having the pain, and when it’s gone, we think something is wrong. That’s why when people get clean or sober, they find it frightening. They’ve never been that way before, and they have to get used to a whole new style of living.

I tell people that the greatest freedom and happiness they can have in this life is to love Christ with all your body, with all your mind, and with all your soul. Who knows – you might dry out. “Oh, I don’t know if I can survive being sober.” Okay, I’ll give you a 12-month program. Go to Confession once a month, say the rosary every day, and go to Mass on Sundays – more often is better. And, if at the end of 12 months, you are not happier, your misery will be cheerfully refunded. So far, in my 39 years of priesthood, nobody has come back to me and said, “You were wrong.” Not one. You want a challenge? Here you go.

Our Lord promises us peace and happiness. Not happiness like sunshine and rainbows – oops, we can’t use that word anymore. “Oh, we are so happy and joyous!” Are you crazy? Do you know the stuff I carry around? Do you know my crosses? My goodness! Our Lord promised us inner peace when He dwells in our souls. And all the things that happen externally cannot disturb that peace. They may upset us and make us anxious, but that peace cannot be taken away. The only way it can be removed is by our driving Christ out of our souls through sin. But if we do as He asks, we will receive what He has promised, and we can have peace in our soul.

If you read the Gospel in its original translation, it says, “My yoke is sweet. My burden light.” Do you know what “sweet” means? Each yoke is carved for a specific animal and is not interchangeable because other animals are different. The Lord prescribes a yoke for us that is specifically for us. All our crosses are individual and not comparative. “My cross is worse than yours.” “No, mine is worse than yours!” Shut Up!! No, it’s not. God knows how much we can handle with His help. Each cross is sufficient to keep us humble and reliant on our good Lord. So, your cross cannot be compared to someone else’s. I’m willing to bet that no one has ever been kept awake with the thought that they will never be made Monsignor. Nobody has ever gotten worry lines like me while wondering when the next apple pie, peach cobbler, pineapple, or Jell-O will be coming. I don’t see any worry lines on your faces. No one has been as upset as me about having to give up bacon. You ain’t seen the troubles I’ve seen! “Oh, I’ve got worse crosses than that!” Well, it’s not a comparison, but our good Lord gives us the strength to carry them.

There have been a few saints during our lifetime you would know about and who had unbelievable crosses that were revealed only after their deaths. Padre Pio, the flying monk, intercepted B-17 bombers and prevented them from bombing his monastery. He was tempted by the devil a lot, yet he was full of gentleness, comfort, and hope. Saint Teresa of Calcutta, such a sweet woman, had amazing temptations. Saint John Paul II grew up in Nazi Poland. Try growing up there and let me know how much fun it is. Yet, he was the most gentle of the Holy Fathers. Bishop Sheen, who you may remember from television, had movie star looks. He had a sense of style and looked great on camera. Know what his diet consisted of? Boiled chicken, graham crackers and milk. That’s all his stomach could take. But you never knew it. We have examples right in front of us in our parents and friends who have lived through immense tragedies and kept their faith.

Our good Lord offers to help us with all our crosses. He begs us to take that yoke upon ourselves. Don’t make life harder than necessary. We can rid ourselves of the garbage in our souls at Confession. Remember my spiritual maxim: Life is tough. It’s tougher when you’re stupid. Don’t be stupid.

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” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”