Tag: Christian

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Sermon Notes – August 25, 2024 – “This is Where Truth Resides”

“This is Where Truth Resides”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 24 – 25, 2024

Gospel:  John 6:60-6

60 After hearing it, many of His followers said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’

62 What if you should see the Son of man ascend to where He was before?

61 Jesus was aware that His followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this disturb you?

63 ‘It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

64 ‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray him.

65 He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to Me except by the gift of the Father.’

66 After this, many of His disciples went away and accompanied Him no more.

67 Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’

68 Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life,

69 and we believe; we have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.’

I have dealt with many people, and I like doing so.  I can always tell which people used to be Catholic.  Do you know how I can do that?  Am I gifted?  No.  I can because they tell me.  They say, “I used to be Catholic.”  Oh really?   I’m still Catholic.  What happened to you?  Did you find a better way to Heaven?  When they tell you they are no longer Catholic, they are unhappy.  I have never met a priest who left the priesthood and was happy.  Never.  And I’ve been around for a long time.  Usually, after priests leave, they realize they made a big mistake, but it’s really tough to come back.  Bishop Curlin was really good at bringing priests back, but nowadays that ain’t happening.   

Why would anyone leave?  We have the words of spirit and life.  We have the truth.  You know the truth when you hear it because it touches your soul.  We all want to hear, “Hey Father. Pizza and bacon are really good for your heart.”  I would love to hear that, but I’m not going to, am I?  Probably not.  “Hey, Father.  Cucumbers are good for your health.”   Then I am going to die because that’s not going down this throat!   I barely do fish, and that’s a penance.  But we all want to hear that it’s okay to eat and do what we want.  “Oh, I have a kidney condition that alcohol is good for.”  Really?  Do you mean stupid?  “Smoking is good for you.”  I’ll let you know about that too.  We all want to hear those words because it gives us an excuse to do what we want which may not be what Christ wants.  We have the truth of everlasting life.  Jesus gives us that truth.  Because of our fallen nature, the sins we’ve committed after our baptism, and the sins of others committed against us, it is hard to follow that truth.   Sometimes, it is hard to see the love of God.  When our good Lord took my mother, my father, and both of my brothers from this world, I was not exactly pleased with Him, okay?  But bad things happen, so we have to trust. 

From whom do you hear, “I absolve you of all your sins.”  “Behold the lamb of God.”  You won’t hear that anywhere but here.  This is where truth resides.  The fullness of truth helps us carry our crosses and deal with all the things that try to take us away from Him, the sorrow that we all experience, the temptations, our faults and failures, the crosses that have been given to us, and the crosses we take on for others to help them.  Only here do we have peace and consolation.  We can go somewhere else, but no one finds that peace except here.  I have 71 years of experience and 40 years of that as a priest – If anyone can enlighten me, I’m always open to verifiable knowledge, but I have yet to see it or read about it.  Only here in the fullness of Christ will we find peace.  When G.K. Chesterton became Catholic, he said, “I want my sins forgiven, not explained away.”  He also said, “If you believe Protestantism, you’ll believe anything.”  Growing up, all Christians had a basic set of morals.  Now, “to whom shall we go? He has the message of eternal life.”  We are men and not angels, so we all struggle with our crosses.  We come here for our Lord’s help, healing, and strength.   

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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Bringing Order to Your Life

When you clean and organize a room, you have to ask one very important question first: what is this room for? Once you can answer that, everything begins falling into place.

In order to direct and order your own life, you must ask that same question. What is your life for? What is the primary purpose of the one life you’ve been given?

Fr. Mike proposes that, when you can answer that question, everything in your life will begin falling into place for you. And he might even take a crack at answering that question for you.

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

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Sermon Notes – August 18, 2024 – “If You Believe Scripture, You Have to be Catholic”

“If You Believe Scripture, You Have to be Catholic”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 17 – 18, 2024

Gospel:  John 6:51-58

6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

6:52 The Jews, therefore, strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.

6:54 Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

6:55 For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

6:56 He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him.

6:57 As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.

6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.


Do you know what the most common vocation in the Catholic Church is?  Ministers.  You wouldn’t think so.  If you are a minister at a Protestant church, you are making a 6-figure salary plus benefits.  Are you going to toss all that away?   The reason ministers come is because they read Scripture in the original language.   “Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).   The original text means just that, “to chew, masticate and consume into your stomach.”   That’s exactly what the original text says.   Another meaning of the word “eat” is “to take within your very self.”  They realized from the Gospel of John that they had to become Catholic.  Read any part of scripture, and you have to become Catholic.  Read the Gospel of Matthew, and you have to become Catholic.  Read any parts of Scripture, and you have to become Catholic.  If you believe what Scripture says, you have to become Catholic.  Holy Communion in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in which we receive His Most Precious Blood gives us eternal life.  This is the only way we can take our good Lord into ourselves, and it is how we can have life and have it to the fullest. 

This morning, I was talking to a couple in marriage preparation class, and I remembered this story from many years ago when Atrium was Stanly Memorial Hospital.  I used to see this young lady in the left wing at Bethany Woods.  She was a profoundly disabled woman.  Her room was caged off, and she had all her playthings.  They took such wonderful care of her.  When I visited people there, I would look in on her.  One day, I was making some calls over at Stanly Memorial, and I saw her in a room where the staff was working on her.  I got a chance to talk to her mother while the doctors were busy with her.  She told me her story.  They are from Mt. Gilead, the land that time forgot and where the Feds stash their witnesses.  That’s true.  She told me when she became pregnant, the doctors told her that the child would be profoundly disabled, and they advised her to have an abortion.  She said, “No.”  She gave birth and brought the child home. She, her friends, and her neighbors took care of that child.  Children with profound physical disabilities usually have internal problems too.  I looked for her after that, but I never saw her, and I assumed she had passed.  When I drive through Mt. Gilead, I think of that mother and daughter.  And in my mind, they have a special place in Heaven.  “Why, Father? Did they know Jesus?”  Maybe, although I’m not sure about that.  But this I am sure of . . . they took care of Jesus.

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.”