“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.”
