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Sermon Notes – June 30, 2024 – “All I Needed Was a Checkbook and a Phonebook”

“All I Needed Was a Checkbook and a Phonebook”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 29 – 30, 2024

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

Early every morning, I come over to the church and do my meditation.  During one of my meditations, the thought came to me about how beautiful our church has become.  Bill Peak was the original Misfit (church volunteer), and I was talking to him about that.  When I first arrived here, the first job I gave Bill was to get the carpet out of the church bathroom.  That’s another reason priests should be married.  Who would put carpet in the bathroom?  To the best of my recollat – recollec – uh – memory . . . do I sound like the President?   But to the best of my recollection, we have made over 50 changes and upgrades just inside the church.   

So, let me ask you – what makes this church beautiful?  Could it be the wonderful new Stations of the Cross?  Perhaps it’s the beautiful altar rail that the Misfits worked on?  Maybe it’s the wooden altarpiece or the marble tables we put in.  Could it be the amazing stained-glass window above the altar?  Maybe it’s the sound system.  We’ve done so many things, but what is the most beautiful?  Does the love of God’s people make the church beautiful?  Yes.  However, that was a trick question.  I asked you “what” the most beautiful thing in our church is.  You should have answered, “Hey, Father, it’s not a “what.” It’s a “Who.”  What makes our church truly beautiful is the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  God Incarnate is present in the Tabernacle, and He is beauty itself.  

Our love for Him is a reflection of that beauty and is made manifest in all the wonderful things you have done in the church over the past 22 years.  Your love is a response to His love.  You have given out of love to reflect His beauty and the beauty of His love for us and for everyone.   We are like an Irish family . . . we always have an extra seat.  The Real Presence of our Lord is what makes a church beautiful.  This is our Faith.

That is what makes a church beautiful.  Beauty is not an “it.”  Beauty is a “Who.”  Every Mass is beautiful and wonderful, even the Mass I did in 13 minutes when I was in Iraq . . . we were a little busy at the time.  The Ordination Mass of our new bishop lasted for three hours.  That’s the wonder and beauty of our Faith in the person of Jesus Christ.  It’s the beauty of His love expressed and given to us.  It’s the beauty you have responded to by being here. 

Years ago, Bishop Jugis, our retired bishop now and a really wonderful man, came here for Confirmation.  He was walking across the parking lot, and he said, “Father, you have really made this place beautiful.”  I said, “Bishop, all I needed was two books.”  He gave me a confused look, and I said, “Yes, all I need is a checkbook and a phone book, and I can make things happen.  I know people.”  But the beauty of it all is that it’s from God by your response to His love.   Do you think I used my personal checkbook for all these things?  Nope.  It was yours.  Your gifts are a reflection of your love for Christ and His love for you.  The beauty of His love that you responded to made all these wonderful things happen.  God is beauty itself.  Every church is beautiful insofar as it has our good Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  Soon, and on the eternal scale, very soon, we will all see that beauty without the need for glasses.  We will see God Himself without the need for signs and symbols. 

One more thing about Bishop Jugis.  After coming to Confirmation here, the next morning, he had to drive three hours to the mountains.  I knew he was tired, but after Confirmation, I asked him, “Bishop, would you do me a favor?  There are a couple of people in the hospital I’d like you to visit.”   I asked him to go see Genevieve, a lady who was in her last days, and also another lady who was being released from the hospital to go home and die from cancer.  The Bishop agreed to visit them, and he could not have been more gracious.  You would never have known he had a long trip ahead of him the next morning. 

Father’s Reflections . . .

We had an unexpected expense last week.  The air conditioning in my house went out, so for a few nights, it was rather warm, and I didn’t sleep well.  However, I didn’t waste the time . . . I caught up on my continuing education units which are studies I need to do – I watched episodes of “House, MD.”  It occurred to me that I am House in a priestly sense.  I can live with that.  He is hilarious.

This week we will be celebrating July 4th.   Remember that freedom is not free.  Last month was the 80th anniversary of D-Day.  Of the first 128 men who went ashore, guess how many survived.  None.  Do you know the average age of the soldiers on D-Day?  19. 

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 – “Do the Next Right Thing” – June 23, 2024

“Do the Next Right Thing”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 22 – 23, 2024

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

I was talking to a man the other day at the hospital and giving him a little spiritual direction.  He’s a very devout man, and I’ve known him for years.  He was judging himself harshly about how well he was carrying his crosses.  He didn’t feel he was making any progress.  I said that if you notice in Scripture, our Lord never asked anyone how they felt.   He didn’t care because feelings change.  Every time He asked the Apostles what they thought, they got it wrong.  He didn’t ask the Pharisees or Sadducees because He knew they would get it wrong.  Therefore, He left us instructions in black and white.  The Blessed Mother, the greatest spiritual director of all, said to us, “Do whatever He tells you.”   These were her last words recorded in Scripture.   Can a mother be wrong?  No . . .  especially the mother of our Lord.  So, we follow the commands of Christ and do whatever He tells us.   Christ said, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”  And through the Sacraments, He gave us the means to achieve that.  The second part of this great spiritual maxim is one my battalion commander would use, “Do the routine things routinely.”  Our Lord said, “Take up your cross and follow me.”   He gives us the power to pick up our cross, to bear it every day, and to help others bear theirs.  Another wise man said, “Do the next right thing” and you will be progressing toward sanctity.  So, when in doubt, just do the next right thing. 

Great moments, such as the ecstasies that the saints experienced, may come or they may not.  Every now and again, not as often as we would like, but when our Lord decides we need it, He gives us these little pick-me-ups although I’m still not a monsignor even after 40 years in the priesthood.  Thanks a lot!  But sometimes we are so busy and wound up in ourselves that we miss them.  On those occasions, our Lord is saying, “You’re doing great!  I’m proud of you!”  Unfortunately, we sometimes miss all that.   The gifts He offers us usually come before a great struggle, so do not pray for spiritual gifts because you might find yourself in a heap of trouble.  But that’s how we achieve our salvation. 

Growth in spirituality does not consist of ecstasy after ecstasy.  That’s reserved for Heaven.  It’s about taking up our cross every day and doing what He tells us to do.   Some of our crosses may change depending upon the time of life and our situation.  We may have other crosses added, and we may, out of love, take the crosses of others onto ourselves.  A good friend of mine was a Special Ed teacher.  She was coming down with the flu and even though she felt bad, she needed to be in class.  So that night I prayed, “Lord, give me her flu so she can teach her class.”   After all, I was in the 101st Airborne Division, and I was a tough guy . . .  until the next afternoon when I went downhill.  I was so sick.  She was fine, but I was really sick for a couple of days.   Don’t be too eager about taking another person’s cross because what happened to me could happen to you.   I thought I was a tough guy.  Nope.  The Lord rewarded me for my love but punished me for my pride. 

Do not be disheartened.  It’s a temptation by the evil one to make you think you are not doing well because if you were progressing, you would be much happier, and things would work out a lot better.  That’s not true.  In some of the so-called spiritual programs, they say, “If you do this and this, you will feel much better.”  No.  That’s spiritual blackmail of our good Lord, and He really doesn’t like that.  Saint Teresa of Avila said, “If this is the way you treat all your friends, Lord, it’s no wonder You have so few.”  And that’s true.  But our crosses are there so that we are not puffed up by our pride.  “I raised myself to Heaven by my own bootstraps.”   “I’ve done this, and I’ve done that.”  Think of your crosses as a way to grace instead of something you have to put up with. 

Some days, and there’s no way around it, bearing our crosses is a royal pain.  I have complained about my crosses to the point of ad nauseam.   But my crosses are there to keep me small, to keep me safe, and to keep me reliant on God’s mercy and God’s grace.  The daily bearing of my crosses, as well as cleaning up the messes I create because of them, shows God’s grace to others.   It’s not always pleasant, but so long as we don’t give up, we are making spiritual progress toward salvation.   

I’ve been saying the Divine Office, a daily prayer priests have to say, for over 40 years.  Do I always enjoy it?  No.  Does my mind always stay centered on it?  No.  Look! Squirrel.  But I’m still doing it.  Despite our failed human nature, we keep coming back and doing the right thing.  We take up our crosses and follow Jesus.  As long as we do that every day and remain faithful to the Sacraments through which we are healed and strengthened, we are making great spiritual progress.  Don’t listen to anyone or anything else.

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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How to Say Hard Things

Navigating healthy relationships can be so difficult.

Developing good relationships—whether friendships or romantic ones—and deepening them in a fragile world can be challenging. We can be tempted to leave a relationship or dissolve a friendship when things become difficult or when we’re hurt by the other person. It can be challenging to work on deepening these relationships when others have said hurtful or difficult things—but that doesn’t mean we should throw in the towel.

Today, Fr. Mark-Mary challenges us to go beyond surface-level friendships and work on deepening our relationships—even though they can be fragile and hard to maintain.

https://www.youtube.com/@AscensionPresents