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How do you celebrate Easter? Fr. Mark-Mary provides listeners with a challenge, reminiscing on the moment he realized just how important Easter is, and how much hope the truth that Christ is Risen can give us. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Resurrection and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
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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.”
This past week ends the octave of Easter. People say, “We wish you Easter joy.” Thank you! Can you define Easter joy? Is it the day for biting the ears off Easter bunnies? You barbarians! I love chocolate bunny ears. I’ll be a real man and say it. . . I love chocolate bunny ears! Anyone who wants to make fun of that, I’m a real man and can take it. However, I don’t do the hard-boiled egg thing. Is Easter joy about having lamb with mint jelly? You know what I had for Easter dinner? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You know why? I was out of SpaghettiOs. Welcome to bachelor living!
So, what is Easter joy? Easter joy exists on two levels. . .intellectually and internally. We can have it on an intellectual level by knowing that our dear Lord suffered and died for our sins and then rose again. In doing so, He opened the doors of Heaven for us so that we might have eternal life. We all now have a chance to get to Heaven, and He showed us the way. He also gave us the means to get there. What are the means in which we can get to Heaven? Through the Sacramental Life of the Church. The source of our internal joy is the gift of the Sacraments and by taking advantage of the gifts He gave us by His sacrifice, death, and resurrection. From His wounded side, the one that Saint Thomas touched, flows the Blood and Water to the Sacramental Life of the Church.
The Sacraments are the life of the Church. Our Lord ordained the apostles on Holy Thursday and later gave them the power to forgive sins. We still hold to that tradition in the Church. I’m ordained a priest, and I said my first Mass with my bishop. After that, in the sacristy, I received a document called “faculties” which gives me permission to absolve people from their sins. Only a priest and a bishop can act in the person of Christ. They celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and therefore, have the power to administer the Sacraments of the Church which are the fruits of our Lord’s Passion and death. . .the Holy Sacrifice. Only a priest or bishop can do that. Remember what is said during the Mass? “This is My body. This is My blood.” I don’t say “This is Christ’s body. This is Christ’s blood.” During the Sacrament of Penance, I act in the person of Christ. I don’t say “Christ absolves you.” I say, “I absolve you” . . .not the “Church absolves you” or “We absolve you” but “I absolve you” while acting in the person of Christ. The words are very important so that we can have that joy inside of us, and so that we may have the joy of Easter and the fruits of it.
Through our Good Lord’s Passion, death, and resurrection, we are strengthened so that we can follow Him. It is through our own Calvary’s and our own resurrections that we can be with Him forever. Pop quiz: When do you receive the Holy Spirit? At Baptism. “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.” When is the second time you receive the Holy Spirit? Penance. Penance comes before Holy Communion. One happens before the other. During Holy Communion, you receive the Savior. What does He save you from? Our sins. If you aren’t sick, there’s no need to see a doctor, and you’re just wasting the doctor’s time.
In the Sacraments, you see the full Divinity. . .all of It. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You may be thinking, “In Confirmation, you also receive the Holy Spirit.” I like it when I get asked that question. Yeah, that’s true but we don’t subdivide God with a little slice here and little slice there. When you receive the Sacraments, you receive all of God, not just parts of Him. This is how we internalize and experience the joy of Easter, especially the joy of the forgiveness of our sins. And the joy of receiving our Good Lord like the apostles did from His own hands. That’s why I am the only one who gives Holy Communion. I am the priest acting in the person of Christ, so I give you Communion by my own hand. It’s not that I think that much of myself – I really do – but it is Christ who feeds you. I am a symbol of Christ, acting in the person of Christ, so it is He who feeds you the Body of Christ. It is the fruits of our Good Lord’s suffering, death, and resurrection.
That’s how we experience Easter joy. It’s not from all the beautiful Easter flowers – we got a great deal on them by the way. It’s not from how beautiful the church looks – and it does. True Easter joy comes from experiencing God’s love. Love that was forsaken by sin and rejected by sin. But that’s not the end of the story. Most people are happy when they see their loved ones. In my family, we were happy when they left . . .but, that’s just us. Aren’t you happy when you have your loved ones with you after being separated from them before their visit? So too is our Lord. We have Easter joy by God coming down and infusing His very self into our souls for our salvation. That is true Easter joy.
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.” Sermon notes can also be found on the Church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”