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Sermon Notes – June 2, 2024 – “We Walk the Talk”

“We Walk the Talk”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 1 – 2, 2024

Gospel: Mark 2:23-3:6

Now, we Catholics are funny people, strange people, according to some. Do you know why some people think we are weird, exotic, and other less attractive adjectives?  Besides the yard sales, bingo, and all of that, we believe what Scripture says.  We are a bible-believing and bible-practicing Church.  “But, Father, a lot of churches are bible-believing.”  Really?  “Well, you don’t know what Scripture says.”  We existed before Scripture was ever written down.   The first scripture was written three years after the fact, and the last one – the Book of Revelation – was written 60 years later.   Catholics put the New Testament together in the 4th Century.  So, we should know what it means.  We see the words and do what the words say.  I’ll give you a few examples: 

 1)    In his epistle, Saint James says, “Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (Jas. 5:14–15).  Saint James is referring to the Last Rites, which I have given a couple of times this week.

2)    In the Gospel of Luke, there is veneration and devotion to our Blessed Mother.  In her Magnificat, the Blessed Mother said, “From now onwards, all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).   That is a command in the black part of Scripture if you care to look it up.  So why are we the only church that does that other than Orthodox?  “All generations will call me blessed.”  That is called a task; it’s not a choice.

 3)    Our Lord breathed on His apostles, and He said to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained” (John 20:22).  That’s what we do in Confession.  Nobody else does that.  We are celebrating the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which is also known as the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.   Transubstantiation changes the bread into the Body of Christ and the wine into the Blood of Christ for the salvation of souls.  “Oh, transubstantiation is such a big word!”  Yes, and first graders learn it; you’ll be fine.  This happens when, during the Mass, the priest, acting in the person of Christ, says, “This is My Body,” “This is the chalice of My Blood.”  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).  After that, everyone but the 12 Apostles left Him.  Wordsmiths say, “Well, He meant that metaphorically.”   First, the word “metaphorically” never appears anywhere in Scripture.  Second, the original word means “eat, chew, or masticate.  That’s why His disciples thought He was talking about cannibalism.   

How many of you will go home tonight after Mass, and instead of making dinner, willread a cookbook?   Would that fill you up?  “Oh, my gosh, I am so full.  I cannot read another bite!”  Really?  When you have a headache, do you go to the medicine cabinet, read the label on the aspirin bottle, and put it back on the shelf?  “Oh, I feel much better now.”  No.  Medicine does you no good if it’s still in the bottle on the shelf.  Jesus said, “Eat My flesh and drink My blood. Otherwise, you have no life in you.”  You must take the celestial medicine our Lord has offered us and take it internally for it to have a healing effect.  We read the words He says and follow them.  We’re kind of funny that way.

4)    We believe that God made male and female.  “A man will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two of them will become one body” in marriage for life (Genesis 2:24).  That’s what it says in the black part of Scripture, so that’s what we do. 

5)    If someone is not Catholic or is not in a state of grace, they cannot take Holy Communion.  “But that’s cruel.”  Jesus said it.  In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said, “Whoever eats and drinks the body and blood of Christ unworthily is guilty of His death” (1 Corinthians 11:27).  That’s also in the black part of Scripture. 

This is what we believe.  “Oh, you have too many rules.”  Not really.  They are guidelines for our own well-being and salvation.  Some are precautionary so you don’t step off a cliff thinking you can fly.  Besides, all these so-called RULES are what God said.  This is our Faith, and it is what we have believed from the beginning.  We are a bible-believing and bible-practicing Church.   We do as Scripture tells us to do, and by doing so, we have life. 

 If you visit the Catacombs in Rome and go into some of the tombs of the saints, there are pictures of grapes and wheat . . . ancient symbols of the Eucharist and the Real Presence.  Those pictures aren’t just artwork, they reflect the saints’ belief in the Real Presence.  This is why we are silent in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and during the Mass.  We are in the presence of the actual Body and Blood of Christ.  God Himself is here. 

Father’s Reflections . . . Lonnie, a patient at the VA Hospital, was a glider soldier on D-Day.  I said to Lonnie, “Soon, it will be the anniversary of your walking tour across France and Germany.”  Another soldier told me he got to Normandy on June 6th, D+2.  He said the water was still red from all the blood, and he had to step over bodies on the beach to get to where he needed to be.

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 – May 26, 2024 – “All Gave Some, Some Gave All”

“All Gave Some, Some Gave All”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 25 – 26, 2024

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

16 Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. 17 When they saw Him they fell down before Him, though some hesitated. 18 Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’

Technically, the Easter season ends today.  Now, the Trinity is a hard topic to talk about, so I wanted to do some research.  I have the perfect book on the subject, but I couldn’t find it.  I searched for five or six days, and I just couldn’t find it.  The book I was searching for is “The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma” by Father Ludwig Ott.  In that book, there is a chapter on the Trinity.   So, I thought that maybe Lori took it to brush up on some things, but I forgot to ask her to bring it back to the church.  It dawned on me too late that I could have borrowed Liz’s copy of the book.  So, I’ll preach on it next year. 

I do have some thoughts about Memorial Day weekend.  During this weekend of sales, I am sure you can get some great deals on mattresses and cars.  There might even be a good deal at My Pillow; I don’t know . . . You’ll have to check their website.   But this weekend, we commemorate those who have fallen in service to our country.  We pray for their souls and the families they left behind.  Have you ever seen the movie, “Taking Chance”?  It’s about a Marine who was killed in action (KIA) overseas and the process of bringing him home for burial.   My friends said, “Oh, you should see it!  We cried!”  I said, “That’s my 9-to-5 job. That was part of my day job when I worked for Uncle Sam.”  Oh.  

Usually, when a priest dies, his coffin is carried to the grave by his brother priests.  While I was still serving, I hung around some very bad places; it was the nature of the business I was in.  I had an agreement with my commanders that if I got whacked while serving in their unit, I would be carried to my grave by my fellow soldiers.  I would have, and have, done it for them, and they would do it for me.  I still wish it to be that way, but I retired, so that won’t happen.

We all know someone who was killed.  I knew a very special soldier who was one of Darby’s Rangers.  President Reagan called them the “Boys of Pointe du Hoc.”  On June 6, 1944, these elite soldiers scaled the cliffs at Normandy to silence the guns during an invasion in World War II.  These soldiers were the toughest of the tough.  This one man who served in that unit was not the man I knew but another.  He was the radioman or the RTO.  Now, of all the jobs in the Army, that’s the one you don’t want because you’re the one who gets killed first.  The enemy knows that the radio guy is the one who calls in the bad stuff on them, and that’s the first one they go for.  Nancy’s brother was a radioman in Vietnam, and he was killed.  Bill Peak was a radioman, but he was lucky.  But that man climbed the cliffs at Normandy.  His unit went all the way to Germany and opened the gates of Buchenwald.  He survived the war.  Nonetheless, 20 years later, on June 6, 1964, that soldier took out his service weapon and committed suicide.  Sometimes, it takes soldiers a long time to die of their wounds.  General Pershing said, “The tombstones silently speak more than words could ever say. 

Father’s Reflections . . . I have seen two of my doctors this week and got good reports from both.  One of the doctors I’ve been seeing for a couple of decades asked me, “When are you going to retire?”  I said, “I think my retirement letter will probably be my obituary.”   

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.”