We continue our examination of the Sacrament of Baptism, specifically how we celebrate the sacrament and the different elements that must always be present in Baptism. Fr. Mike emphasizes that while infant Baptism has become the “form in which this sacrament is usually celebrated,” post-baptismal formation and instruction is necessary in order for the full flowering of the graces received in the Sacrament of Baptism. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1229-1233.
Together, we begin the chapter on the sacraments of initiation, specifically the section on the sacrament of Baptism. Fr. Mike unpacks the different names that the Church employs when discussing Baptism, such as the “washing of regeneration and renewal” and “enlightenment.” He concludes with a reflection on the prefigurations of Baptism in the Old Covenant. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1210-1222.
Remember last week I talked to you about the Ascension and how the human nature our good Lord took from the Blessed Mother was assumed into His divine nature. It’s the same nature that He suffered with, healed with, died with, was resurrected with, and took to Heaven. So, if Christ’s human nature is in Heaven, how does He continue to do His work in the world? Fair question. Well, He takes our human natures and uses them. Through the Holy Spirt, He takes all our human natures and forms His new Body which is the Church. With His new Body, He continues to teach, sanctify, heal, and bring His love to the world. His new Body will continue for generations until the end of the world. In the Book of Acts, our Lord says, “Paul, why are you persecuting Me? He didn’t say, “the church” or “a Christian Group.” He said, “Why are you persecuting Me?” He said, “Me” personally because we are a part of His body.
All those who are baptized are baptized in Christ. You are part of His new body extended throughout the Ages. That’s why it’s blasphemy when someone says, “Oh, I am reconciled to God but not His Church” or they say, “I love God but not the Church.” Absolute blasphemy. You love the head but not the body. That makes no sense. You cannot love one without the other. It’s a whole Person . . . a package deal. Christ takes our human natures which are offered by us or by our parents at our Baptism. He assumes our human natures into His new Body to become whatever part of His Body that represents our vocation to bring God’s word to others, to heal, teach, and sanctify. Whatever the vocation, Holy Orders, Religious, married life, or lay life – whatever part of His Body – we are called to build it up.
Christ uses our human nature to reach out and to bring His love to the world . . . to speak the universal language At Pentecost, Peter spoke to the crowd, and everyone heard him in their own language. Everyone hears the language of Christ. Now, I am not gifted in tongues. If you have ever been to the 12:15 Mass, you know that I do not have that gift. I speak Spanish with French accent. French is my second language. Believe it or not, I took Intermediate Conversational French in college, but my aunt who is 95 years old corrects my French. I had to relearn French because my family was French Canadian and did not speak the French you learn in books which is Parisian. While I cannot speak many languages, I know a priest who speaks five of them. We are all called, and we are all able, to speak the most important language – a language nobody hears – and that’s the language of love and of Christ living in the world. Whatever vocation and whatever circumstance in which you find yourself, bring Christ in. Be the Good Samaritan. Everybody sees that love. Everybody can translate that language . . . . the universal language of Christ.
I’ve told you this story before. I don’t have that many years left as a priest, so I’ll share with you the stories I’ve got. One day I was making my rounds in hospice at the VA, and two EMT’s wheeled in a patient. They wanted to know which room the patient was going in. The nurses were busy, so I told them and went down to the room with them. To transfer a patient onto the bed, it really takes three people. One to grab the sheet, another to hold the head, and another to hold the feet. Since there were only two EMT’s, I helped transfer the patient by holding his feet. After we moved him, I went to the sink to wash my hands since I hadn’t used gloves. One of the EMT’s who had been fairly rude to me earlier came over and said, “Thank you, Father.” It was a big change from when they first came in even though I hadn’t done anything special. One time a nurse asked me if I would help clean out a trachea tube which is not a real fun thing to do if you don’t have a strong stomach. Sure. “What did you do after that, Father?” Lunch. Cleaning the trachea tube didn’t bother me, and a man’s got to eat. Anything you do to help someone, those acts of love, will be noticed. They are things we do instinctively and perhaps with no forethought at all. Something as simple as helping somebody with their shopping cart at Walmart by putting the cart back in its proper place so that it doesn’t go careening through the parking lot. People will see those little acts of love. It truly makes a difference because nowadays it’s so unusual. But we are all called to do this as members of Christ’s Body.
We are called to teach, evangelize, and to build up His Body which is His Church. You were given the gift of tongue in Baptism because you were brought into the Body of Christ. The gift of tongue is not a bunch of babbling. Get some medicine, and you’ll be fine. You don’t have to be a linguist . . . you have to be holy. The gift of tongue is the gift of love by which we bring Christ’s love to the world. God can work through even such a sinful creature as I am to bring Christ’s love and goodness to people. You are no different than me – except better looking – God’s grace enables us to speak that one beautiful language of the Holy Spirit which is Christ and love. And when people ask you how you can do that, you can tell them the reason is your Faith. By the way, the reason is a Who and not a what. So do those small acts of love; they always have an effect. You never know.
Father’s Reflections . . .
I learned from a highly placed, confidential source that things are crazy at Walmart. It is Memorial Day weekend, and you can get great deals on all sorts of stuff like cars, mattresses, linens, appliances, and furniture. It makes me so proud that I fought for our country!
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 ola.catholic.church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
The Catechism introduces the seven sacraments that Christ offers the Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The Catechism highlights the fact that the sacraments are “by the Church” because the Church is “Christ’s action at work”, and they are “for the Church” because they “manifest and communicate to men…the mystery of communion with the God who is love.” Fr. Mike focuses on the fact that while ministerial priests administer many of the sacraments, their priesthood is at the service of the baptismal priesthood, into which all of the baptized are ordained. Today’s readings are from Catechism paragraphs 1113-1121.
In Latin, the word “Sacrament” means “mystery.” So, why does God give us the Sacraments? Through the Sacraments, He gives us the fruits of His suffering, death, and resurrection for the life of our souls. The Sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Holy Orders, Last Rites, Confirmation, Holy Communion, and Confession) are given at various times. In Eastern Rite churches, Confirmation is called chrismation and is given at birth along with baptism. I prefer it that way. It’s like giving children all their shots early so they don’t get sick.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is a strengthening Sacrament and helps you fight temptations if you use it. To use it, you must practice your faith. . . . Mass on Sundays, Confession at least once a year, and prayer. Now, I am a man of no talent while my brother had many talents. I enjoy people who have talents, and I wish I had them. Frankie has a wonderful talent. She reads a foreign language called music. That is totally foreign to me. I took some music appreciation courses in college because they were easy A’s. To get as good as Frankie is, she had to practice constantly; otherwise, she would lose her talent. It’s just like your muscles; if you don’t use them, they atrophy. It’s the same for the grace God offers us for our souls. God gives you the gift of Himself to help you in this world and to keep you holy. By staying holy, you evangelize. For example, when you say to people, “I don’t do that” and they say “Why not? Everybody else does it.” And you say, “Because it’s not right. It’s not Christ-like.” That’s evangelization. That’s someone who has a Christian backbone and stands up to what’s not right. God gives you this grace which is fortified by prayer. You never lose it. If you commit a grave sin, it becomes dormant because sin drives God out of your soul. But He is always willing to come back. That’s the beauty of God’s love. He never writes any of us off. At the VA, I don’t ask patients if they want Last Rites because they are going to get it whether they want it or not. I’m not going to ask. They will have Last Rites because it’s a sign of God’s love.
God gives Himself to us so that we may have eternal life. When we receive the Sacraments for the first time like Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage, it’s so exciting. However, after the first or second time, Confession kind of feels mundane or ordinary. But it’s not ordinary. Just because it’s not like the first time doesn’t mean it’s not as good or that you aren’t doing it right. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It means you are doing it right, because one grace from the Sacraments builds upon another and strengthens your will. Grace builds upon grace.
When you cooperate with the grace from the Sacraments, you grow in God’s love. A word of caution- when we draw closer to God, it catches the devil’s attention, and he will really come after us. Now, do you always feel yourself growing closer to God? No. For example, many of us are on blood pressure medicine. You really don’t feel it working, but it’s easy to find out by using a sphygmomanometer. Thunk! Just because you don’t feel it, doesn’t mean it’s not working. That’s a temptation of the devil. What that lack of sensory excitement means is that your love for God is becoming deeper and more ingrained. You know what the happiest day of a married couple should be? The day that one leaves to see Jesus. Not because you want to see Jesus – although that’s a good idea – and not because you are rid of them – till death do us part is not a hope and prayer. It’s because that love should have kept on building over all the years and becoming deeper. It is deeper because the love you have as a 40-year-old is not the same as when you were first married in your 20’s. It is deeper. Hopefully, you’ve changed by growing in holiness. Saying the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a lot different for me than it was 38 years ago when I was a young priest. I’ve said Mass in some unusual places. I got to say Mass at the cathedral with the bishop. Woo-hoo! But each Mass was deeper than the earlier ones. So, you mustn’t give into the devil’s temptation by saying, “Oh, I’m not getting anything out of the Sacraments.” Of course, you are. You may not feel it, but you are. Otherwise, you are denying His power. In the Gospel, Christ said, “And I will put my spirit within you.…” (Ezekiel 36:27). How does His spirit come within you? It comes through the Sacraments. So, if you say you’re getting nothing from the Sacraments, you are denying the Gospel. If you say, “I get nothing out of the Mass,” that’s okay – you aren’t supposed to. You come to give of yourself. You give yourself into my hands, and I, acting in the person of Christ, emulate with you Christ’s sacrifice on the altar as an offering to the Father. You are united to His suffering, and I give you back your life in Holy Communion.
I want to thank all the teachers who helped with Faith Formation this year. It was a wonderful year. It’s hard to do because we live in a very un-Christian society. I appreciate the sacrifice; I really do. Never think that your sacrifice goes unnoticed. You will be repaid for anything you do for the love of God. But you’ll never know when. He will reward you for any small act of love you do for Him. Give of yourself totally in the Mass. Everybody has problems and they bring them here. Make an intellectual prayer: “I offer myself totally to you.” And with that offering, you become part of Christ’s sacrifice. From that offering, you give back to yourself. More than that, He gives Himself to you.
Father’s Reflections . . . Yesterday was kind of fun. People were all dressed up for Confirmation although that’s not a requirement. They really looked good. Even Tom Adams looked like he was ready for Hartsell’s Funeral Home. Last night, we had 14 Confirmations and one First Communion. It was an interesting day. I administered five of the seven Sacraments. If I had performed a marriage ceremony, it would have been six Sacraments. The remaining sacrament is Holy Orders which only a bishop can administer. Finally, I am sad to announce that Ms. Dottie is retiring after almost 50 years of teaching Faith Formation. We’ll leave the light on just in case she changes her mind. She will be missed. 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.”
The Catechism provides an overview on how Jesus grants the Church the ability to forgive sins through both Baptism and the sacrament of Reconciliation. Fr. Mike doubles down on the revelation that there is no sin that Jesus can’t forgive—and no one is disqualified. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 976-987.
When he was crucified, Jesus experienced a real human death, the separation of his soul from his body. Because of his divinity, though, Jesus’ body did not see corruption, and his body and soul were reunited in the Resurrection. The risen Christ is the meeting point of death and life. We learn that as Christians, in Baptism, we die to sin, are buried with Christ, and then in him, we rise to new life. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraph 624-630.
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore both the mystery of Christ’s Transfiguration and the mystery of his messianic entrance into Jerusalem. We examine how the Transfiguration reveals that Christ’s death was a voluntary act, and that he is truly the “splendor of the Father.” Fr. Mike emphasizes the incredible parallel between Christ’s baptism and Transfiguration. That, on the threshold of his public life, we witness Christ’s baptism, and on the threshold of the Passion, we witness the Transfiguration. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 554-560.
Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine the mysteries of Jesus’ Baptism and temptation in the wilderness. Fr. Mike unpacks how Jesus’ Baptism is yet another Epiphany or manifestation of Christ as Messiah. We also explore Christ’s acceptance of his mission as God’s suffering servant. Fr. Mike emphasizes that Jesus’ temptations in the desert mirror the temptations of Adam in the garden, but, unlike Adam, Jesus does not succumb to these temptations. He remains faithful to the Father. Through this obedience to the Divine Will, he conquers the Devil, and in our own obedience, we are participating in this victory. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 535-540.
Fr. Mike explores the mystery of Jesus’ infancy and hidden life. We first take a look at Jesus’ Baptism, circumcision, and the Epiphany. Fr. Mike discusses that Jesus’ circumcision shows us that salvation comes from the Jews. The Epiphany shows us that salvation does not stop there, it extends to all of us. Later, we examine Jesus’ hidden life. Fr. Mike emphasizes the importance of Jesus’ obedience to not just his Father in Heaven, but to his earthly father and mother as well, and how we can imitate that obedience. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 527-534.
