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Sermon Notes – February 25, 2024 – “A Glimpse of Heaven”
“A Glimpse of Heaven”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 24 – 25, 2024
Gospel: Mark 9:2-10
2) After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, 3) and His clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4) Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5) Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6) He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. 7) Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.” 8) Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. 9) As they were coming down from the mountain, He charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10) So, they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.
We learn what Heaven is like by the transfigurations in the Gospel. I could preach for hours on that subject. Would you like me to preach for hours? Before you respond, the pious answer is “Yes, Father.” But I know what you are really thinking: “Come on old man. I’m starving here!” So, what is Heaven like? Heaven is being in the presence of Jesus. It’s not a place. It’s a Who. It is the presence of God. Moses and Elijah were in the presence of God. They talked about what would happen in the future, so they had knowledge of the future. Remember that in Heaven everything is in the present. God is always in the present because He is not subject to His own creation of time, the past, or the future. Everything is present to God at once. All time is present.
How did the Apostles know they were talking to Moses and Elijah? There was no Facebook back then. There were no cameras or photographs. So, like Moses and Elijah, their minds had been enlightened by a gift from God. They knew Moses and Elijah. They knew they were talking to Jesus. So, what does that tell us about death? It tells us there is forgiveness after death. What did God say to Moses after he struck the rock three times? “Because you did not believe in me. . . therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them” (Num. 20:6-13). Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, but where was he that day? He was in the Promised Land. So, there is forgiveness after death.
Purgatory is the full expression of God’s love and mercy. The Apostles wanted this joy to continue; however, Heaven is later and not here on Earth no matter what any bishop or Church deacon tells you. “If we have just one more collection or one more ministry, we’ll have Heaven on Earth, and everybody will be happy.” No. We will never have Heaven on Earth. That’s akin to a government official saying, “If we pass these great budgets and everything else, we’ll be all set, and everybody will be happy.” Ahh, no. You won’t have Heaven on Earth. Heaven comes later. If we are holy, we will have as much happiness as possible in this life. However, full happiness does not come until we are with our Savior forever.
Holiness has its own crosses. Bishop Sheen had a television show. He was a handsome man, eloquent, learned, and gave a great presentation. Do you know what his daily diet consisted of? Boiled chicken, graham crackers, and milk. His stomach was that bad, but nobody knew. Saint Theresa of Calcutta experienced “interior darkness,” but she was joyous. Never mind all the crosses Saint John Paul II had as the Holy Father, but he was also shot. Doctors say that the blood transfusions he received caused his Parkinson’s disease. However, he suffered joyously for the salvation of souls. One story about the Holy Father . . . he was a huge lover of classical music. So, they had a world-renowned orchestra come in with some of the best maestros in the world. After they finished playing one of his favorite pieces, the maestro turned around to look at the Holy Father and hoped that he liked it. “Please like it!” His Holiness was shaking and drooling because of his Parkinsons, but he gave the maestro a thumbs-up.
Ten days before the Passion, God gave Peter, James, and John the great gift of consolation to prepare them for the scandal of the Cross. God has given us consolation many, many times to help us endure our sufferings. Consolations are a glimpse of Heaven. Some consolations He gives us before we have great trials and some after. And some just because God likes to give them to us because He loves us. During that time when we are experiencing great trials and suffering, we don’t experience the consolation of Christ. That’s hogwash. “Oh! I’m struggling! My goodness!” Grow up! Just because we don’t feel the consolation of God and His presence, doesn’t mean He isn’t with us. You cannot prove a positive with a negative.
This is our opportunity to respond to His great gifts with acts of faith, hope, and love knowing that He is always with us. Our guardian angel is always with us. Mine is tired. Just because we don’t feel consolation doesn’t mean anything. This, indeed, might be a chance for us to console God. How many of us have sinned so grievously against Him and don’t care? We do not enjoy the times between consolations. I would love to have them all the time. But that’s not reality, and it’s the danger of a lot of spiritual programs. “Pray this way while holding your mouth just right and standing on one foot, and you will receive consolation every time you pray.” But that’s not true at all. Look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. God is never, ever away from us. Between consolations, we make our act of faith that God is with us; our act of hope that He will bring us safely through our trials; and our act of love by turning our trials into acts of love for others.
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.”
Sermon Notes – January 21, 2024 – “Your Worst Can Be Your Best”
“Your Worst Can Be Your Best”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
January 20 – 21, 2024
Gospel: Mark 1:14-20
In the Gospel, Holy Mother Church tells us how our Lord called the Apostles. If you look at the resumes of all twelve of the Apostles, they are a bit thin. Their CVs describing their education were even thinner. I think our Lord could have done a little better, right? They were a bunch of fishermen and none of them had a Ph.D. The apostles He chose were not the brightest people in the world, and they had a hard time understanding what our Lord was telling them. But He did not call them because of their titles or the letters they had before or after their names. He called them for what they could become and how He would use them to bring His love to the world. They saw all of the miracles our Lord performed; some were recorded but a lot were not. They saw all of this, but none of them except John showed up at the crucifixion. So, what happened? Eleven of the twelve Apostles cooperated with our good Lord, and they were transformed so that they could bring His love to the world and make known His salvation. They were transformed so that they could let all people know about the wonderful love of God and the way of redemption. He transformed them. He gave them words that could not be disputed. He gave them courage although it is true that they all ran away when the Romans came for Jesus. But He gave them the courage to endure their martyrdom. The Lord gave them these gifts because they allowed and cooperated with His transforming love.
It’s the same for all of us. God calls each of us by name and asks us to be His disciples. It’s not just “Hey, you” in the plural sense of the word. He calls you, and you, and you, and you to become fishers of men and to bring His love to the world by being lovers of Him. Your love for Him opens your soul, and that transformative love affects others. Remember, you are called by our Lord to be evangelists. The gift we have been given by our faith is meant to be given to others. “Will you bring My love to the world? Will you open your heart to Me? Will you allow Me to transform you so that you can be My witness and show people My love in the deepest and darkest corners of the earth?” Let people know about His love and especially about His forgiveness of your sins which is the greatest demonstration of His mercy. God said, “Do not worry about what you will say. You will be given wisdom.”
Sometimes He uses our talents and abilities. You might be thinking, “I don’t have a talent nor do I have the education that Father Fitzgibbons has.” I don’t even have the education I’m supposed to have. Don’t even go there. I am not the best and brightest in the diocese. I haven’t been made Monsignor even after 40 years in the priesthood. I must be doing something wrong. Regardless of your accomplishments in this life, the simple love of God can touch another person. By being holy, the power of God within us transforms others. It’s not a conscious act like the folks down at the courthouse who yell, “Jesus saves!” You don’t have to do that. Just try to live a good, holy life. Do the routine spiritual things routinely. People will notice and wonder what it is about you that they like. You have a sense of peace and holiness. You are a living tabernacle because you have Jesus in your soul.
I have a master’s degree in divinity, but Saint Theresa of Calcutta did not. She didn’t have a master’s or Ph.D. in theology. She didn’t have any of that. But look at what she did. Look at the courage of that 5’ nothing woman. She got right up in the faces of both the President and Vice President of the United States and wagged her finger at them. Oh yeah! You’re in deep trouble. You had to do something really bad when some little old nun wags her finger at you and goes, “Uh-uh-uh-uh.” She should have had a ruler . . . thunk!” There are many other examples, and that could be any one of us. Even if you think, “I don’t have that many gifts. I’m not that talented.” Yes, you are. “Well, I have a lot of faults.” Even they can be your best example. Look at every 12-Step Program. What does it say in their “Big Book”? “You will neither regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. Your past can be the best thing to help others recover.” Where did they get that? They got it from Bill Wilson and Robert Smith, co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Sister Ignatia Gavin played a vital role in the founding of AA, and Father Edward Dowling was a great spiritual advisor to Bill Wilson. Your worst can be your best. We all have that one talent. I don’t have many talents. It was funny when Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey and I were doing the funeral for Mike Snyder, the dichotomy was amazing. Abbot Placid is like Pa Kettle on Valium and then there is me who is like Richard Pryor on speed. It’s like the Alpha and Omega. But Abbot Placid can reach people I can’t, and I reach those he can’t.
Whatever part of the Body you are in, all of us are equal and have the same goal . . . to bring others to Christ. The one talent we have in common is our ability to love and to respond to love. If we respond to God’s love, He will transform us, and we will become temples of the Holy Spirit. We will be living and moving tabernacles of God’s presence going out to the world. And how can that not have an effect on the world?
Father’s Reflections . . .
I can have fun anywhere. On Friday, I was making my rounds in the Emergency Department at the VA hospital. I went into a room and was talking to a patient. I asked him where he was from, and he said Chicago. Really. What happened to you? He said, “I was hit by a car.” I asked him if it was a mob hit. Just asking. He started laughing and said, “Please don’t make me laugh. It hurts!” You know a guy, right? “Yeah, I know a guy.” I love my job!
You may have seen the baby bottles at the back of the church. We are collecting money for the Pregnancy Resource Center. They take money, checks, Venmo, and cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or whatever you’ve got. Put it in the collection basket, and we’ll work it out.
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.”
Sermon Notes – February 19, 2023 – “Did I Say I Hate Fish?”
“Did I Say I Hate Fish?”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 18 – 19, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48
On Wednesday, we begin the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation. It’s a “good to do” and not a “must do.” Ashes will be given only at 8:30 am and 6:30 pm. There will be no “drive-thru” ashes or “ashes to go” given. Also, you cannot drive into the parking lot, beep the horn, and expect to receive ashes. There are some places that actually do that. It’s a Sacramental just like Holy Water and not mandatory. We’d love for you to come to Mass to begin the season of Lent. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday there is a “black fast” for those younger than 59 (I’m 69) which means you cannot eat between meals, and you can have only one full meal for the day considering your medical circumstances of course. Nobody can eat meat on Ash Wednesday and on Holy Fridays during Lent. You don’t have to eat fish although I do. Did I tell you I that I hate fish? On Fridays, we will have Lenten dinners which will be followed by Stations of the Cross.
Lent is a season of penance, and we are supposed to do works of penance or self-punishment to atone for our sins and the sins of others. The season of Lent is not a “self-help” season. “Oh, I resolve to eat better.” You are supposed to eat well. It falls under the Fifth Commandment, so it is not a penance. You are doing your body a favor. We are supposed to do something that disciplines the will, restrains our pride, and rids ourselves of the obsession of self so that we can love better. There must be a sacrifice. For me, that would be eating fish because I hate fish! Get the theme here? I hate fish! There has to be some kind of degradation. When we sin, we tell God, “No. I’m not going to do that. No! No! No!” So, we step away from God. When we do penance, we are taking a step back toward God. Some of us may be over-achievers, like those of us who were at Fort Bragg, and have taken multiple steps away from God. Come see me. If you say, “I’m going to spend extra time in prayer.” Extra prayers take time away from our other activities. And so we begin that walk back towards God.
Now, you don’t have to say, “I’m going to give up a kidney.” The penance doesn’t have to be huge. What’s important is how much love you give it with. It’s not the size of the gift but the love with which it is given. Doing a little bit of penance with great love is very effective. What are we doing when we do penance? We are decreasing our love and fascination with ourselves, even as wonderful as I think I am, and increasing our love for God. When we love ourselves – and I especially love me – it’s hard to love others. We need to decrease self-love so that we can increase our love of God. We must love God first and then we will be able to love others. We cannot give what we do not have. Saint John the Baptist said, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” That’s exactly how we grow in the love of God. It’s awfully difficult sometimes. When I drive past a Hardee’s, I just tear up because there’s just something about the smell of bacon. Last night I had a small discomfort, but for me every discomfort is HUGE because it’s me. If you buy your lunch at work, don’t. Deprive yourself of a small meal and give that money to the poor.
This season of penance is the perfect time for us to make a good Confession. According to Church law, we are supposed to confess once a year. It’s also a good time to reach out to others who may have fallen by the wayside and bring them back to the Sacraments and to the Church to rejoin in God’s love. How do you call someone back to the Church? I’ll give you a story. This week I was doing my rounds in the Emergency Department at the VA hospital. I’m just there for the scare. When I walk by someone who is on an EKG, the machine goes crazy. Nervous? Anyway, I saw two veterans, and one of the guys was very talkative. He was coming off drugs, and he wanted to get clean. So, I talked to him for a long time. The other guy was coming off booze, but he didn’t want much to do with me. The next couple of days are not going to be pleasant at all for them. As I was talking to the nurses, I learned that the guy who was coming off the sauce has a behavioral problem. I said, “Well, he’ll get that fixed here.” The ER nurses at the VA could top any WWE steel cage match. Don’t mess with them. They don’t wear a camera; however, whatever they break the doctors can fix. So don’t worry about that.
Anyway, I was talking to the one guy, and he was upset and ashamed. One of the phrases we use in the military, not those phrases, but a good one that we use is, “We don’t shoot our wounded.” You are sick and we will take care of you until you are not. That’s exactly what we tell sinners. We don’t shoot our wounded here. The Church wants to reclaim people for Christ and keep them close to the Cross. The guy was upset so I said to him, “Here is my card. If you need someone to talk to, give me a call. A lot of counselors have not been where we’ve been.” When counselors are working with someone who has PTSD, they’ll say, “Oh, I know it must have been hard over there.” They don’t have a freaking clue because they weren’t there. But if a counselor has been there, the veterans will talk to them.
In the ten years I’ve been handing out my cards, nobody has ever called me. I’m not upset, but it’s important for me to do that. It gives people something to hang on to and to give them hope that somebody cares. We can tell people how great God has been to us and that we do not shoot our wounded although the Catholic Church tends to shoot theirs. But we will take care of you until you no longer need us. That’s what we tell people especially those who have fallen away from God because they feel guilty. Some of the guilt they feel is expressed as anger. “I don’t need this!” Then why are you so angry?
It is important for all of us to go out and search for stray and lost sheep. What are the signs of sin? Guilt, shame, fear, and remorse. The one that keeps people away is fear. Tell them that we don’t shoot our wounded. The sad part about the two veterans I met in the ER that day is that I don’t know if either of them will get clean or sober. Because they feel better for a few days, a lot of people check themselves out against medical advice and try the drugs or booze again. That’s why we must stay close and remember our frailties. As Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “When I am small, I am safe.” Instead, we think, “I’m the smartest bear in Jellystone Park. I can do this all by myself. I’m good.” However, our Lord said to be perfect. Good is not good enough.
Lent is a wonderful time for us to help ourselves to love even more. When we love more, we will be happier. Remember the apostles who had the you-know-what beat out of them in prison? They left prison and rejoiced for they were found worthy to suffer for the name. So, when we give up these small things in our lives, we should be happier. I still hate fish. . .did I tell you that? But I’m happy because I eat it for Christ and the love of others. As Saint Paul says, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for Your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church” (Colossians 1:24).
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.” Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
Meditation of the Day – What Made the Apostles and Martyrs Endure Agony?
