Tag: Crosses

Posted on

Sermon Notes – September 10, 2023 – “Hey Homey, You’re in a Minefield!”

“Hey Homey, You’re in a Minefield!”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 September 9 – 10, 2023

Gospel:  Matthew 18: 15-20

Because we are all baptized, we are called to carry our crosses each day on the road to Calvary.  All of us will pass from this life and see God.  Some of us will stay only for a cup of coffee while others will get to stay longer.  If we are faithful, we will have a graduation ceremony in Heaven.   There are a lot of other people also on their way to Calvary.  We are called to encourage one another on the way to salvation.  It is important that we are not too sensitive when someone says, “Father, you are a real pain in the patootie.”   I already know that, and I’ll try to be better.  Sometimes, we are blind to our own faults, and we may start wandering off the path Christ has set for us.  We are called to warn others, “Hey homey, get over here.  You are wandering off the path and into a minefield.  Don’t go there.  Bad move!”   Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.”   So, we help one another by our prayers, sufferings, and works to help them carry their crosses.  And conversely, they help us carry ours. 

Instead of the terms “admonition” and “correction,” I prefer the term “encouragement.”  You don’t know anything about the crosses people are carrying and whether their crosses are their own fault, the fault of their parents, or the fault of their siblings.   We have no idea of the life they have led.  So rather than admonishing or correcting someone, I prefer encouraging them because it goes a lot further.  Sometimes a correction or threat is just an attention-getter.  But once you have their attention, encourage them.  In religious life, we call that fraternal correction.  However, it is usually infernal correction.  Our Lord said, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?”   We tend to think of ourselves as superior because, well, we are us.   I like to use fraternal encouragement.  Most people know they’ve made mistakes, so you don’t need to remind them.   They need encouragement to try to do the right thing to get back on, and stay on, the path Christ has set for us.  It’s hard to take up our daily crosses.  So, we need to encourage one another.   That’s why God gives Himself to us in the Sacraments.

I remember once running a Physical Training (PT) test.  The Army has since then changed the rules, but before when someone was failing – and you don’t want anyone to fail – when nobody was looking, you would pick them up and run with them.  Their feet would barely touch the ground.  And if an official was around, we would set them down and say, “Now run.”   We were running this one PT test, and I had my assistant run back to encourage the stragglers because nobody wants to take the test again.  This one soldier said, “I can’t do it, Sir!  I can’t do it!  I’m going to be sick!”  Shut up!  You can do it.  She made it, and she made it within the timeline.  And true to her word, she was ill.  Oops!  Later, she came back to me she said, “Thank you for helping me.” 

We are called to encourage one another with our crosses on our way to salvation.  A couple of things about our crosses and encouraging others with theirs is that we all have them, and we are no more holy than anyone else.  Even if someone is at fault, and even if it approaches the level of Civil Law, you cannot make it public because doing so would be scandalous and sinful.   Bishops are very good at scandal.  They really are.  You have to give people a way back and a way to regain their good name.  It is very hard for some people in the Church to do that even though, according to Civil Law, you can have your record expunged.  We have to allow people a way back because we are men, not angels. 

A priest once told me he had been suspended.  Now, I’m not a Canon lawyer, but I’ve seen one on television.  I asked this priest if he had received a letter.  He had not.  I told him that once he received a letter, it would tell him what he had done and what he needed to do to come back.  This is a medicinal remedy and not a punishment.  We are not in the punishment business; we are in the helping people obtain salvation business.   Remember, the amount of mercy we show is the amount of mercy we will receive.

Father’s Reflections . . . Monday is the anniversary of 9/11, and it reminds me of a quote by George Orwell: “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”  And having worked with some of them, yes, we did.

I had an interesting phone call the other day.  Usually, the calls I get go like this: “Father, yada yada yada, blah blah blah.”   And my response is, “Oh not again!  Please, just leave me alone!”  But this call was really nice and interesting.  The person said, “Father, I’m not a member of your parish, but I have Covid, and it’s terrible.  Would you please pray for me?”  Thank you!  I love messages like that.   It was a really nice phone call which is better than the ones I usually get. And yes, I did pray for the caller.   

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.”

Posted on

Minute Meditation – Those Little Crosses We Carry

When God allows sorrow and affliction to come into our lives, God always has a timetable different from ours. God asks us to bear our cross for a certain period of time and nothing we try to do seems to lift that cross from our shoulders entirely until we are transformed and God is ready to elevate us to a new level of love. What I am mainly talking about here are those little neuroses and disabilities and anxieties that come into our lives and which we try desperately to understand and rid ourselves of, sometimes for years on end. And then one day they are no longer there and we find ourselves ready to meet life, more humble and trusting in the goodness and providence of God. 

— from the book Song of the Sparrow: New Poems and Meditations by Murray Bodo, OFM

//Franciscan Media//

Posted on

Sermon Notes – “When a One Man Band Gets Hit in the Butt by a Beer Truck, the Music Stops“

“When a One Man Band Gets Hit in the Butt by a Beer Truck, the Music Stops“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

Holy Thursday – April 1, 2021

Gospel:  John 13:1-15

Without the institution of the priesthood, the gift our Lord gave the apostles would have ended when He took the human nature He received from the Blessed Mother to Heaven on Pentecost.  When a one man band gets hit in the butt by a beer truck, the music stops.  He took the human nature of the apostles and made them into Christs.  This was part of their ordination at the Last Supper….to continue the gifts of His love and the fruits of His sacrifice and to feed His people with His most Precious Body and Blood as they were fed.  The hands that fed the apostles of Christ so too are the hands that feed you when the priest gives you Holy Communion.  The priest acts in persona Christi, in the person of Christ, to feed you the exact same body and the exact same blood.  Outward appearances vary, but it is the same Christ who feeds you.  It is the same Christ who enters your soul through participation in the Sacraments.  It was so great an honor for the apostles, that He reminded them when He washed their feet. Washing feet was a dirty, disgusting job that was left to slaves to do.  But, Jesus showed them His humility and told them that they must do the same.  “You have been given a great gift.  I have chosen you; you have not chosen Me. I have chosen you for the possibility of cooperating with the grace of great teachers, healers, and evangelists of the world.  But, to do so, you must be like Me who humbled Himself by taking the form of a slave.  You, too, must be willing to do the work of a slave.”

This gift I have been given as a priest, which has been passed on from generation to generation, is not for me.  It’s not a reward for my parents for raising a nice little boy.  It’s not a reward for me for passing all my courses in seminary.  I really did.  My degree was not honorary, contrary to popular belief.  I really earned it.  This gift is not a reward because I could pass tests.  It was given for you so that you may have Christ in you and the fruits of His death given to you.  It was given so that you could receive the fruits of the Mass by being fed His body and blood.  It was given so that your souls could be washed in His blood in the Sacrament of Penance.  It was given so that you could be united in the Sacrament of Marriage, strengthened in Confirmation, and healed on the way to salvation by receiving Last Rights.  In the past week, I have administered five.  It’s been an interesting week.  But, this gift is for you.  The gift of priests is a gift to the Church.  To bring salvation and the gift of the Real Presence of our Lord, body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament. This is our faith.  I am vowed as a priest to protect it with my very life.  Priests never talk about that vow.  They talk about the promises they made, but they never talk about their vow to protect the Most Blessed Sacrament. 

God loves you so much and wants to be with you to help you bear the crosses of this life so that you may have eternal life.  That’s His great love.  That’s why He gave these gifts to the Church.  That’s why He instituted the priesthood – not for me so that I could have a fancy title before my name, but to administer His Sacraments, to teach, sanctify and lead people to Him.  These gifts were given for you so that you may have life and have it to the fullest.  And, one day after courageously bearing your crosses, and not only courageously bearing them, but getting back up after you’ve fallen, you will enjoy the fullness of His love.  Pray for that last Sacrament to be given. 

As Saint Simeon said, “Now let Your servant go in peace; Your word has been fulfilled.”



Posted on

Minute Meditation – Actions Speak Louder Than Words

“Today, at this moment, as I perform the same act as Jesus by washing the feet of you twelve, we are all engaged in the act of brotherhood, and we are all saying: ‘We are diverse, we are different, we have different cultures and religions, but we are brothers and sisters and we want to live in peace.’ This is the act that I carry out with you. Each of us has a history on our shoulders, each of you has a history on your shoulders: so many crosses, so much pain, but also an open heart that wants brotherhood. —Pope Francis

Perhaps no action by Pope Francis has generated as much astonishment in the press (and perhaps in the Church!) as his washing the feet of prisoners—men, women, Christian, Muslim. A ritual that has at times become an honor for the elite once again returns to what Jesus intended: “As I have done, so you must do.” In his preaching on Holy Thursday, Pope Francis draws attention to the difference between the acts of Judas and Jesus at the Last Supper. The Holy Thursday liturgy is marked by the ritual gesture of the washing of the feet. We think of it as the institution of the Eucharist, and it is that as well. But the central action of service reminds us that our communion is more than a meal, more than nourishment for our bodies and souls. It’s the act of taking on the mission, the ministry, the very body of Christ. And it is a challenge to us to remain in communion not only with one another, but with all people of the world. Our unity is far from perfect, but today’s liturgy reminds us that if we are not always working toward that unity, then, like Judas, we are finding excuses to betray Christ’s ideals. 

Today we enter into the holiest days of our Church year. We celebrate the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the act that changed the very nature of human reality. Take some time to explore the way other religions similarly call their people to do loving acts of service for others. The more we know about those whose faith differs from ours, the more we will discover the common bonds that unite us. 

— from the book The Hope of Lent: Daily Reflections from Pope Francis,

by Diane M. Houdek

//Franciscan Media//

Posted on

Sermon Notes – You Cannot Judge Someone’s Insides by Their Outside

“You Cannot Judge Someone’s Insides by Their Outside“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 6 – 7, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 1: 29-39

A number of years ago, I was vacationing at my now dead brother’s house.  My sister-in-law is very nice, and she let me stay there.  Why she married my brother is a mystery to me.  In my bedroom was a fireplace. This is a four bedroom house with two fireplaces, and I had one of them.  I was looking around at all of their pictures…I love looking at people’s pictures.  I saw a picture of my sister-in-law’s brother.  He was a good looking officer dressed in his Army Class-A uniform.  I asked my sister-in-law if he had ever served in Vietnam, and she said yes.  Did he ever tell you anything about the ribbons on his uniform?  She said no.  Well, I wouldn’t expect him to, but I’ll tell you this, because I think you need to know.  You might want to ask him about this top ribbon.  The highest award always goes on top. That is the Distinguished Flying Cross which is usually a downgraded Medal of Honor. You should know about that.  A few years later, he and I were sitting in the ICU while my brother was on his journey to Heaven.  He told me about some of his travels while he was in Vietnam.  I can’t tell you about them, because they are all classified, but, he did some pretty impressive things.  Now, he looks like a retired old man.  You just never know what people have done…about the good they have done.

When my brother was laid out in the box, he had all of these badges on his uniform.  He was a fire captain and assigned to fire and rescue.  I didn’t understand what the badges meant, so I asked a friend of his, Mike Scallion.  Mike said, “He never told you?”  No.  “Well, these are for the people he saved… he saved a lot of lives.”  But, my brother never told us.  People would come up and ask him to loan them money.  He’d say, “Sure!”  To my brother, it was a gift.  He never loaned money. You never know the good things people have done.  I still hear stories about my brother when I go home.

Conversely, you never know about the crosses people were given to carry by our good Lord.  There are the crosses we bear from birth that God gives us all.  Some change throughout our lives and come with age.  There are the crosses we have because of our sins which we have acquired on our own.  There are also the crosses that other people have given us.  Perhaps we didn’t have perfect parents.  I see a lot of those crosses in the Gated Community I visit.  People with those crosses have a harder shot at life than most of us.  You never know the crosses people are called to carry.  But, they have made their choices, and their crosses are mostly because they avoid God and choose to do evil.  The habit and attraction of sin carries its own cross.  Finally, there are the crosses we bear for our family, friends, and others. 

Now, when you leave here, you will probably encounter people who will irk the living you-know-what out of you.  Somehow, they find a way to stumble across our path.  They may cut us off in traffic. They may take our buggy in Harris teeter or Walmart.  They’ll do something, and you may want to go charismatic on them.  We might do that to people too, believe it or not, some of you might irk other people…I don’t know.   My First-Sergeant had a very effective counselling technique.  He was charismatic and laid hands on people.  We used to call it “wall-to-wall counselling,” and it usually solved the problem in one short session.  If it’s not strangers that irk us, it’s our family.  Those are the ones who can irk us the most.  My cousin calls me and always wants to Face-Time.  The last time he called me, I was hearing confessions when all of a sudden the theme from the “Godfather” starts playing – that’s my ring tone.  My phone showed that it was Jim, and he wanted to FaceTime.  Hey Cuz – I don’t do Face-Time. Learn it.  God allows people in our lives for a number of reasons, not just to irk us, but to teach us patience.

You obviously want to be holy, because you are here.  But, being here is only a part of becoming holy.  You have to go out and practice what you receive here.  All of those rosaries do no good if we don’t use them.  All the great Catholic books in the world and all the crucifixes do no good if we don’t put them into practice.  It’s nice when people say, “Father, that was a great sermon.”  Thanks. Take a copy of the sermon notes; I’ll even autograph it for you.  But it does no good unless you put the message into practice.  So, God sends people into our lives to remind us to pray for others and to help them carry their crosses. He puts these people in our lives to help us learn patience along with suffering.  We don’t know what crosses people are carrying.  We all would like for people to be considerate and compassionate toward us, but how can we be considerate and compassionate toward them?  By praying for them and helping them carry their crosses, whatever those crosses are.  They may be helping to carry someone else’s cross…you never know.  You cannot judge someone’s insides by their outside.

I ask patients how they are doing. Some will say, “Fine!”  But, you are in Hospice care.  Do you know what fine means?  I think we need to talk.  I wouldn’t be putting in menu orders for tomorrow if I were you.  We don’t know what’s going on inside of people. But, if they are like us, and yes, they are all like us, some better…some worse, but generally, we are all the same.  We can help them carry their crosses.  If they are irksome and obnoxious to us, it may be because you have called upon them when they were struggling or having a bad day, or maybe they had just gotten some bad news.  There are all sorts of reasons, culpable and inculpable, but we are called to pray for them all.  By doing so, you are helping them carry their cross.  Even if we do something nice for them, and they don’t thank us…boy, that ticks you off, doesn’t it?   You do something nice for someone, and they don’t thank you?  Oh, baby!  I need a thank you note for that dinner or that Christmas gift!  But, be thankful to have been found worthy to suffer for Him.  Say, “Thank you, Jesus for allowing me to suffer for the sake of your name.” 

Father’s Afterthoughts…

Alcohol is very good for COVID, but only if used externally

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.  From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.”

Posted on

Sermon Notes – Embrace Your Crosses

“Embrace Your Crosses”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 12-13, 2019

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

You have heard me say to pray with thanksgiving…to be grateful for all your blessings and all of the good things God has done. But, we should also be thankful for our crosses. Of all the blessing we have, it is our crosses we don’t thank Him for. Nobody likes their crosses, and sometimes we become angry with God because of them. Our crosses are not bad things; in fact, they are good. Our Lord gives us crosses to give us chances to be humble, a kind of spiritual leash, and they can be our greatest blessings when we unite our sufferings with His. So, embrace your crosses and carry them with love because as Saint Therese said when we are small, we are safe.

Our parish is abundantly blessed. We are blessed with many attributes and talents. Yet, it is our humility that keeps us close to God. As an example, my mother thought my father was an engineer, and when he got calls from the government, she thought he was going to the local reserve center. He never told us this, but he was actually a spy. My father never lost his humility. In contrast, I know two priests, both colonels, who lost their humbleness and eventually left the priesthood.

When I think about the kind of priest I want to be when I’m old, I think of Monsignor Smith. Even though Monsignor was in the hospital and dying, he had a sign placed on his door that said “If I am asleep, please wake me, I would like to visit with you.” He was asleep when I went to visit him. His breathing was labored, so I did not have the heart to wake him. Father Campbell is another priest I would like to emulate when I’m old. Father Campbell was in the hospital and very sick. When he heard a code announced, he immediately got out of bed and started walking down the hall in nothing but his hospital gown to respond to the code. Two nurses saw Father Campbell and grabbed him under both elbows and carted him back to his room. Both Monsignor Smith and Father Campbell remained humble servants to the very end of their lives.

Crosses are a notice from God to get our spiritual affairs in order so that we can prepare for heaven. Our invitation to the Great Banquet is coming soon and we need to be ready. Our baptismal robes are cleansed by the crosses we carry as well as by praying scripturally. I say the Morning Offering first thing every morning. This prayer can be prayed for ourselves and for others.

When we are given the gift of old age, our crosses can grow abundantly, but it may not be the best time to take out a magazine subscription. Yet, our crosses can open the hearts and souls of others when we share the wisdom, knowledge, and grace gained from carrying those crosses. I like working at the VA Hospital. Because I’m a combat veteran, other combat veterans tend to be more willing to tell me things they haven’t shared with anyone else including their doctors. Sometimes a bit of street cred helps us reach people that those without it cannot.

Occasions pop-up all the time to help people with their crosses. Am I always crazy about helping others carry their crosses? No. People will call me and ask if I’m busy. Sometimes I am busy, but nobody except my guardian angel knows the look on my face when I say “I’m not busy” and then take the time to listen and talk with them. It is a sign from God when people ask for my highly valuable time to listen for a minute and to help them carry their crosses. And, on those occasions when we encounter rude and obnoxious people, God is asking us to help them with their crosses for just a little while. When we take on the struggles of others, we become like Simon of Cyrene who helped Christ carry His cross.

Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote books and had a very popular television show. You may think he had a great life and few crosses. Not true. He had a thorn in the flesh. He had stomach problems and could eat only crackers, milk, and boiled chicken.

Once when Saint Teresa of Avila fell off her horse and into a river, she complained to God about the trials in her life. When God told her that is how He treats His friends, Teresa yelled at the Lord, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!”

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you embrace your crosses and carry them with love? Will you help others carry their crosses?

Father’s Reflections…

Sin and death are not God’s invention. The fault for that can be laid at the feet of our original parents…Adam and Eve.