Tag: Bishop Fulton Sheen

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Sermon Notes – October 6, 2024 – “Love is Long-Suffering”

“Love is Long-Suffering”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 5 – 6, 2024

Gospel:   Mark 10:2-16

Who did God create first – Adam or Eve?  Adam?  No.  God created adom first.  What does “adom” mean?  It means “person” in Hebrew.  After God took the rib from adom and created male and female, then adom became Adam and Eve.  Once there was one person, and now there were two.  The two become one in the Sacrament of Marriage.  That’s why you have to read Scripture in the original Hebrew.  “Father, when did you study that?”  Actually, I studied it for two semesters under a Rabbi.  God created adom first and then He separated that person into male and female.  So that in the Sacrament of Marriage the two who were separate are joined together into one. 

Now you might think, “Father, you’re not married.”  Correct, and every woman on the planet is thankful for that.  There’s a saying that “those who can’t, teach.”  Really?  Does your cardiologist have heart disease?  No.  Does your oncologist have cancer?  No.  So don’t listen to them; they don’t have it.  “How would you know, Doc?  You don’t have the disease, so buzz off!”  The love of a priest for God and the vocation of the priesthood are very similar to marriage.  Why?  Although the situations are different, it is the same basic expression of love because that love comes from Almighty God.  God chooses how we will serve Him in this life.  In the married state, man and woman become co-creators with God in the order of nature.  He chose me to become a co-creator with Him in the order of grace.   To express the love and wonder of God and expressed in self-sacrificial love always mindful of the intent of the Other.  United with the source of all love and to be holy in order to give that holiness to others.  That love lasts forever.  I cannot stop being a priest until they zip me into a body bag and send the box back up to Rhode Island to be buried with my parents until the resurrection on the Last Day.   I am a priest forever because we are married to it. 

How do we accomplish growing together in marital love?   Through the Sacraments and prayer.  Bishop Sheen said this to all couples, Catholic and non-Catholic, who were preparing for marriage, “Pray the Rosary together every day.”  I say the same to the couples I am preparing for marriage.  Why?  It accomplishes a number of things.  If you pray the Rosary, you pray scripture, which solves a lot of problems. You learn how to speak to each other.  If you can pray out loud together, you can talk to each other about anything.  Setting aside that time for prayer just for the two of you and God, the source of all love, will keep a marriage together.   Many priests who stopped saying their prayers and stopped doing their meditations eventually left the priesthood.  Their egos cut them off from the source of life.  They choose self-love instead of being filled with His selfless love.  I have yet to meet a priest who left the Priesthood and was truly happy. 

Love is always focused on the other and not on self.  That is what love is.  Yes, it is long-suffering, and you have to put up with the sins of others.  So do I.  Not everybody makes me cookies.  Oh, the sufferings I’ve seen as a priest!   But no matter the vocation, the principles are the same.  Holiness and union with God enable us to have union with others in our vocations.

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 – August 4, 2024 – “The Secret to Happiness”

“The Secret to Happiness”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 3 – 4, 2024

Gospel:  John 6:24-35


I’m going to tell you a secret that I do not want to take to the grave.  On my last day – my last hour – I don’t want to try to mumble something to someone who is fluffing a pillow over my face.  Do you know what the secret to happiness is?  Now this is free advice.  The secret to happiness is holiness.  It’s that simple.  It’s right there in scripture in the black part. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  Follow Jesus and you will have happiness, a happiness the world cannot take when Christ lives in our souls.  Now you may say, “Father, I try to be holy.”  You all do because you are all here.   But there are other things that happen that hurt us.  We have crosses, family crosses, and all sorts of things that weigh us down and make us sad.  For example, I’m 40 years a priest and still not a monsignor!  That’s a daily cross I must bear.  Nobody knows the pain I’ve gone through, okay?   Being holy doesn’t mean we won’t have difficulties, but that doesn’t take away the joy within us.  Only we can erase the joy and peace in our souls by sinning.  Christ doesn’t leave us – we toss Him out by committing mortal sin or having unrepentant venial sin.   We need to keep the life in our souls refreshed and strong so that we can meet the troubles of life and be able to carry our cross as well as help family and friends carry theirs.

We receive the Bread of Life in Holy Communion.  We see Christ, as Saint John Paul II said, in the Sacrament of Penance.  You cannot have one without the other.  People say, “I go to Communion all the time.”  But do you go to Confession?  “No.”  Well, you have to do both.  If you want to receive Holy Communion, Saint John Paul II said, “You have to go to Confession” to receive the Precious Blood of our Lord in our souls.  In the last two centuries of the Church, in the late 1890’s, Saint Pious X changed a few rules.  People received Holy Communion only on holy days, feast days, etc.  It was misplaced piety.  Saint Pious X said, “No, wrong answer.”  Also, Holy Communion was restricted until you were in your teens.   Saint Pious again said, “No, wrong answer.”  He brought the age to receive Communion down to the age of reason and encouraged receiving frequent Communion.  How can you keep your strength up if you don’t eat?  If you go 24 hours without food, you feel a little weak.  How can you keep the strength in your soul if you don’t receive Holy Communion often?  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that we should receive Communion often if we are properly disposed.  Properly disposed means we have no mortal sin on our soul and no unrepentant venial sins.   But it’s an objective state.  We can say, “I feel great.  I’m pretty healthy.”  It’s not that I don’t believe you, but I would believe it more if Dr. Lil or Dr. Talbert signed off on it.  It’s not about what we think.  I think I’m good-looking and strong with a big red “S” on my chest.  Objectively, I don’t.   

Receiving Communion frequently helps keep us strong in the face of temptation and renews the happiness in our souls.  I don’t mean in an emotional way like Mary Tyler Moore, “I’m so happy!”  That’s not normal.   No, I’m talking about a sense of peace and a sense of strength.  You will have Christ in your soul, and nothing can take that away from you.  No amount of temptation can take it from you.  No matter how many sins are committed against you can take it away from you.  One of the other benefits of being holy, besides going to Heaven, which is the greatest benefit, is that we become more attractive.  Now maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but I will.  When I see other priests, they are very jealous of this parish because we have the best-looking people in the diocese.  I frequently get a thrashing for that, but I’m willing to take it for you.  But what does holiness do?  Having Christ in our souls makes us attractive to other people.  They see the beauty and goodness within us – it is not us, it is us who allow Christ to radiate in our souls. 

Remember Mother Theresa of Calcutta, who is now a saint?   Let’s face it – she did not look good.  But everyone wanted to be around her because she had Christ in her soul.  No one knew the depth of her suffering.  Bishop Fulton Sheen had movie-star looks and was very charismatic.   You would never know that all he could eat was milk, graham crackers, and boiled chicken because his stomach was so bad.  No one knew how much he suffered.  But he had Christ in him and that’s why people wanted to be around him.  Saint John Paul II had Parkinsons. When he was shot, he received a blood transfusion, and an Air Force doctor proved that Saint John Paul had received the Parkinson’s virus from the transfusion.  During his last days, as he spent his time on the cross, he wasn’t the most attractive person there ever was.  He was bloated because of the steroids he had to take.  He drooled and shook, but everybody wanted to be around him because he had Christ in him.  The Pope was a fan of classical music.  Personally, I’m more of a classic AC/DC fan.  But I remember watching this concert where a world-famous conductor and his orchestra came to play for the Pope at the Vatican. They played one of his favorite compositions, and afterward, this world-famous conductor nervously looked at the Pope to see if he had enjoyed the concert.  He was thrilled when the Holy Father gave him a thumbs up because he was playing for Christ. 

Did Saint Theresa, Bishop Sheen, and Pope John Paul enjoy their suffering?  I presume not, but they endured it for the salvation of souls.  They showed us what is possible when Christ lives in our souls. 

Father’s Reflections . . .
When the Old Testament lesson was being read, the Israelites said, “We’ve never seen this food before.”  I swear my first thought was, may God have mercy on my soul, “It tastes like chicken.”  No.  Monkey tastes like monkey.   Quail tastes like chicken.

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 – January – 14, 2024 – “Heart Speaking to Heart”

“Heart Speaking to Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 13 – 14, 2024

Gospel: John 1:35-42

 I visit a lot of different groups.  Remember the song, “The In Crowd”?  We’re all old enough to remember that song, right?  I have two different groups that I’m “in” with . . . the shut-ins and the lock-ins.  This sermon has been approved by my lock-ins at the gated community whom I saw on Wednesday.  In the gospel, Jesus said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” – which is Greek and translated as Peter” or “Rock”  (John 1:35-42).  This was a big deal.  Go back to the Old Testament when God called Abram.  What did God do?  He said, “You will be called Abraham, and you will be the father of My holy people.”  God wasn’t like me who gives people nicknames.  This was a dramatic shift.  However, He had reasons for changing people’s names.   

 What is the secret to prayer?   In the Gospel, Samuel said, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).  That is the whole secret to prayer.  I am guilty of speaking so quickly that most times my mind has to catch up with my mouth.   I don’t often see a prayer like the one to Saint Jude for hopeless causes.  Sometimes I read in the newspaper that if you pray a certain prayer nine times for nine days, you’ll get what you want.  Over the four years of seminary, I was probably sick for a day or two.   But I never heard about celestial extortion.  Really?  “I’ve got the secret to prayer. Light a candle and put on a prayer shawl.”   Why?  Are you cold?    Do you honestly think God doesn’t know what we need?  He knows what we want and desire.  But He keeps us alive by saying “no” sometimes to our prayers even if they are perfect.   If He gave us everything we want, we might not stay close to Him.  Probably the reason I haven’t made Monsignor after 40 years is to keep me humble.  Well, that didn’t work.  We come with our prayers and rattle them off.  Of course, I say mine very quickly, and I have a whole laundry list of things to tell God.  Whew!  I’m done with my prayers.  But apparently, God isn’t listening because I asked Him about this yesterday, and it’s still not done.  He has fallen down on His job.  Maybe He forgot.  I know He’s busy but come on!  I’m a busy guy too, and I have things to do!   If He would just do what I ask, things would be so much better.  It’s good to get all these things off our souls by telling Him what we need, what we want, and what we think He should do.  He laughs.  You have to admit when we tell God what He needs to do, with His divine sense of humor, it cracks Him up.  “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.  Thanks a lot; I really appreciate it.” 

 So, what is prayer?  Bishop Sheen said prayer is heart speaking to heart.  Prayer is not a monologue.  It is not a one-way conversation.  It is two-way communication.  You can’t communicate with someone who won’t shut up.  Hey!  Zip it!  We must listen, and listening is the hardest part.   Listening takes different forms through meditation, quietness, and being interiorly open.  We need quiet inside and out.  Do you know who is perfect at listening?  Nobody; not even monks and religious sisters.  It takes a lot of practice.  We may be sitting there with our minds racing.  Look! Squirrel.  But let the other heart speak to you on the other heart’s terms.   God speaks to us in ordinary ways at His choosing, in His way, and in His own time.  When you tell God what you want, He says, “Thank you very much, Sir.  I’ll get right on that order.”  No.  You’ve got the flow chart on how it works all wrong.   It’s a conversation.  We should sit and listen, which is the hardest part.  It takes time.  When you go to Mass at other churches, they may have a prolonged silence after the readings.  You know, they didn’t go to school, and if they did, they need to get their money back.  A good and proper meditation takes 20 minutes.  We did that in seminary.  We had nowhere else to go, so why not?  We must learn how to quiet ourselves and to listen.  It’s tough because we are all so busy.  Sometimes when we listen, we really don’t like the answers.  However, He knows what is best for everyone, and He loves us more than anyone.  When you receive an answer, be sure to authenticate it because satan will tell us stuff just to make us go off the deep end.  “Well, God told me to do this.”  Uh-Huh.  A friend of mine was a chaplain at a prison in Louisiana.  One of the inmates told him that God had called him to preach.  Really?  Aren’t you the guy who sexually abused his granddaughters?  You might want to rethink that.  You always have to make sure the answer is coming from God.  He does not contradict Himself or what He revealed in Jesus Christ. 

When you come to church, be like the French farmer.  Saint John Vianney was the pastor of a church in a small town in France.  He came to the church to hear confessions.  He saw this little guy sitting there in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  Oh good!  He heard some confessions and when he came back, the guy was still sitting there.  Priests are trained to notice the unusual.  So, Saint John asked the man, “My son is everything okay?”  The man answered, “Yes, Father.”   Saint John said, “My son you’ve been here for hours. What are you doing?”  The man answered, “I am looking at God and God is looking at me.”

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.”



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Sermon Notes – December 25, 2023 – “He Did Not Leave“

“He Did Not Leave“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 24 – 25, 2023

Gospel: John 1:1-18

 I thought we would have a bit of scriptural study today.  Joseph “had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus” (Matthew 1:25).  You might think, “Joseph could have had relations with her afterward.”  But you are presuming facts not in evidence.   Just because it didn’t happen before the birth doesn’t mean it happened afterward.  You are reading into scripture to prove a point. 

What is love?  Love is our Savior in the manger.  It is also our Lord’s presence in the Tabernacle.  But the greatest act of love happened on the Cross.  These are the three greatest acts of love by God.  About Christmas Day, Bishop Sheen said, “On this day, a man no longer has to look up to Heaven to see God.  He can look down at the manger to see Him.”  The Wise Men and shepherds came so that they could look down at God.   You could today, and every day you come to church, replace their faces with a picture of yours because you come here to be in the presence of God Himself. 

Now, you keen observers in the parish may have noticed that we have new figurines for our crèche (manger scene).  The idea of a crèche was created by Saint Francis over 800 years ago.  Here’s a fun thing you can do when you see non-Catholics with a crèche.   You can say, “Oh, I see that you are Catholic.”  “I’m not Catholic!”  “Well, that’s a Catholic symbol.  Saint Francis of Assisi is the guy who came up with the idea.  You know – the guy who liked birds.”  Oops!  So, what is a crèche?  It is visible scripture. When Saint Francis came up with the idea, many people couldn’t read but they could see.  In our creche, we have beautiful, hand-carved wood figurines.  Notice that everyone has their attention on the Savior.  A short distance away, we have the three Wise Men.   They aren’t at the manger yet but will finally arrive in a few weeks to see the infant Jesus.  Have you ever noticed that a lot of people are late for church?  

Who do you find around our Lord whether it’s at the manger or the foot of the Cross?  You find the very holy – the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph.  You also find those who know that they don’t know anything.   The Wise Men were very educated and had achieved the fruits of their education.  What are the fruits of an education?  You discover that you don’t know everything.  The Wise Men had learned that.  The shepherds already knew that they knew nothing.  Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been in pastures walking around sheep dung in the middle of a Palestinian night.  I’ve been there, and it is very, very cold.  You don’t want to be out there.  It’s 40 degrees, but when the temperature drops from 80 to 40 in a couple of hours, you freeze.  So that’s who you will always find around our Lord.  And when you come here to be with our Lord, you have a choice of which to be…educated or uneducated.  But either way, we come to adore our good Lord.

Christ is coming into the world and made manifest to us all.  But Christ has never left the world.  “Father, didn’t He ascend to Heaven?”   Well, His human nature which He took from the Blessed Mother and with which He taught, healed, suffered, and rose from the dead went to Heaven.  But He has always been in the world.  He is there in the Blessed Sacrament.  His divine nature in the form of consecrated bread and wine is in the Tabernacle.  He did not leave.

At Christmas, Jesus is made manifest to the world in human form.  He was already in the world nine months before that in the womb of His mother.  Now He is made manifest to the world so that all can come see the beginning of the greatest gift of all.  This is the beginning and not the end.  That comes 33 years later which shows the fullness of His love.   I am sure that I will be meditating today on all the gifts my parents gave me.  I’ll meditate about their love, patience, and all the wonderful things they did as parents by God’s grace.  This may be why I became a priest. 

Catholics can celebrate Christmas all year long.  Every day is your Christmas.  Every day you are the shepherds and the Wise Men who came to be in the presence of our Lord.  When you are here, you take their place.  Our Lord shows the greatness of His love, not by taking a human nature upon Himself, but by suffering at the hands of His own creatures and being put to death by His own ungrateful creatures on the Cross.  Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas, Saint John, and the Blessed Mother stood at the foot of the Cross.  You take their place at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by being with Christ during the Mass.  As they were there during His original suffering which is always before the Father and made present during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you take their place.  So, when you come to Mass, when you come into the presence of our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, you are a part of that. 

God is with us and not just in the spiritual sense.  He is physically here.  But it was not enough for Him to come into the world; what He wants most is to come into our souls.   We can experience His incarnation.  Today, if you catch me in a good mood, I’ll hear your confession so that Christ can come into your soul and remove your sins.  By the way, I’m running a 3 Hail Mary Special from now until New Year’s Day. 

I hope you all have a crèche at home.  If not, we have them in the bookstore.  Put your family’s faces over the faces of the shepherds and Wise Men.  That’s what we are called to be and what we will be in Heaven.  

Father’s Reflections . . . I was thinking back on the Christmases that I’ve enjoyed.  Some of those overseas, I wouldn’t want to repeat, but that’s the roll of the dice you take.  The gift of love that was given is still unfolding.  I’m still a young man – Hah! –  and I’m still working to understand the gifts of love that were given.  They all have a deeper meaning, not only on a human level that includes your family and friends but also on a spiritual level. 

“Father, we should have a Mass at dawn.”  Really?  I want to see the guy who can get up to do the Mass at dawn after doing the Vigil Mass at 5 p.m. and then the Midnight Mass.  That ain’t me.  I’m getting too old for that.  We have priests in the diocese who are in their 80’s, and I don’t see them celebrating Masses at midnight.  My days are getting shorter on that too.  But like any real man, my mind writes checks my body can’t cash.  I still think I’m 18 with a big red “S” on my chest and able to bend steel with my bare hands.  Uh no. 

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.”

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Sermon Notes – October 9, 2022 – “His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”

“His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 8 – 9, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 17:11-19

11 Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem He was travelling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee.  12 As He entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to meet Him. They stood some way off 13 and called to Him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ 14 When He saw them He said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed.  15 Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice 16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 This led Jesus to say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?  18 It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’  19 And He said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

 
Do you know why the Good Lord gave the gift of healing to the ten lepers?  Because they asked for it and because He loved them.   He made them out of love and sustained them out of love.  When they asked for the gift of that love to cure them, He didn’t ask if they had tithed, given to the Priest Retirement Fund, or volunteered at the church.  He gave it to them freely because He loved them and He wanted to show His love.  One of the lepers was a foreigner. . .a Samaritan who the Jews hated.   But love gives without regard.  Love gives outside of itself never seeking reward.  Our Lord blesses us with so many gifts when we ask for them and even when we don’t.  Some of those gifts are very good and some are even better.  In some, you recognize the good and in others not so much. 

Do you remember Bishop Fulton Sheen?  He was that very handsome man on television with grey hair.  Bishop Sheen was very photogenic . . . the camera loved him.  He had a series on television, he was a wonderful speaker, and he was very talented.  He had two doctorates – I mean the guy was a genius!  He was really blessed.   But do you know what his diet consisted of?  He lived on boiled chicken, milk, and soggy graham crackers.  That was his diet because his stomach was so bad that was all he could keep down.  That was all he could eat, but you would never know it.  That was one of God’s gifts to him, and it was a blessing because it kept him small.  Indeed, some of our crosses are our greatest blessings.   It kept Bishop Sheen humble and relying on God.  I say that because he’s about to be canonized as a saint. 

The same thing is true with all the gifts God gives us.  There are so many gifts beyond counting.  While you are saying your nightly prayers and the Act of Contrition, it is a good spiritual habit to think of at least five or ten gifts God has given you.  And the next night, think of new ones.  Also think of the gifts that are your crosses and infirmities.  He gives us those so that we can share in His Passion and become more reliant on Him than on ourselves.  They are a great blessing because they keep us humble and small.  They may seem like a punishment for our sins. . . and they could be.   I’m not God, and I don’t know why God allows it, but He does.  It’s also a chance for us to give gifts of love to others and to God.  We can offer them for sacrifices and penance for our sins and those of others.   Through our sufferings we can reach out to others who are suffering and give them the same hope we have.  As Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.”  We join our sufferings with Him on the Cross.  Those sufferings can be His greatest gift to us.  Our sufferings can be not only physical ailments but also mental and spiritual sufferings.  We all have them.  Usually, the most gifted people have the most crosses so that God can keep them humble. 

God does not give us gifts because we have earned them.  Do your children have to earn your love?  You still love the ones who have gone off the reservation.  It happens in every family.  You don’t give your children gifts because they’ve earned them.  You give them gifts because you love them.  That’s what God does for us.  God loves us and He will never stop.  He hopes that these gifts of love will cause people to turn their hearts back to Him.  That’s what God does.  He will always give us blessings, but His blessings can have many forms.

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”