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The Rosary in a Year – Day 12 – Deliver Us From Evil
We conclude our meditations on the Our Father with Fr. Mark-Mary delving into the parable of the Good Shepherd, the Fall in Genesis, and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, helping build our mental library as we pray the Rosary. As we pray these lines of the Our Father, we’ll have an opportunity to rejoice in the goodness of God. Today’s focus is “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” and we will be praying one Our Father, three Hail Marys, and one Glory Be.
Sermon Notes – October 15, 2023 – “Evil Must be Converted or Destroyed”
“Evil Must be Converted or Destroyed”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
October 14 – 15, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14
I’ve been here with you for many years, so you know that I know a guy. Actually, I know a couple of guys, and those guys know a couple of other guys. So, I have sources of information that you may or may not have. As the song goes, I have friends in low places. I know people on the dark side. Over the years, I have queried my sources on several topics, and they have been most helpful. There is one query in particular that all my sources gave me the same answer. So, I have it on good authority that Mother Teresa was never a member of Hells Angels. You can take that to the bank. I heard she liked to ride, so why was Mother Teresa never a member of Hells Angels? Because she didn’t want to be. Why not? She had the greatest of all things in her heart which is Jesus Christ. Over the years, through many trials, tribulations, and great suffering, she survived with joy because she always kept Christ in her heart. No matter how great her difficulties were, she found peace in the person of Jesus. The world will only find peace when they have Jesus in their hearts.
Just this week, I received a phone call from the diocese. They told me that I have to migrate my emails to another location. Yeah, what are the odds of that happening. I’ll give you a clue as to where they can migrate them. Many years ago, the diocese called my former secretary and said, “Father’s email account is full. He’d better delete some of them or we are going to close the account.” My secretary said, “Father has been in Iraq for the last eight months.” I tend to ignore these requests. Let me put it this way; we built Catholic hospitals, Catholic orphanages, and Catholic universities. We Christianized the world by bringing God’s love to it and all without computers or the internet. When I was in seminary, I used an old-fashioned manual typewriter. People actually wrote books using those things.
There are evil people in the world. A small percentage are evil because they are mentally ill. Some of them are over at FU (Felon University; i.e., the prison). Most people are evil because they have satan in their hearts. They are not evil because they don’t have fresh plumbing or a smartphone. Do you realize that we have saints who didn’t have flush plumbing? “Oh, people are bad because they don’t have stuff. If they just had flush plumbing, a smartphone, or more bandwidth, they would be okay.” It has been proven over the years that giving people stuff does not work. My parents grew up poor, and they weren’t sociopaths. My uncle did go to prison, but he was a correctional officer and got to go home at night. It’s not the lack of stuff that makes people evil. It’s what is lacking in the heart. I’ve been with men all over the world, and we didn’t have stuff other than what we could carry. None of us were sociopaths. They would die for me, and I would die for them. Sociopaths may not have had stuff, but they certainly didn’t have Christ in their hearts and so they are evil.
There is no negotiating with evil. It would be like negotiating with cancer. “Hey, Cancer, we’ll let you have the gall bladder, but you cannot go anywhere else.” “Okay, you can have the appendix, but don’t touch any of the survivors.” No! You have to eradicate cancer by putting pharmacies into people to kill every cancer cell in the body to make sure it doesn’t come back. Would you be happy if your doctor told you that they got most of the cancer? Would you be happy with that? No, you wouldn’t. Cancer is evil in the body. Sin is evil in the soul. You cannot make friends with evil, and you cannot negotiate with it. It must be converted or destroyed.
In the synod on synodality, they are promoting openness while people are being butchered and babies are being decapitated in the Holy Land. They have no conception of reality. “Well, we all believe in the same god.” No, we don’t. “But we are all Christians, so we believe in the same god.” No, no, no! I’m throwing the BS flag on that one too. All religions are not equal. So, you cannot say that we are all Christian. My Christian God doesn’t think that killing babies in the womb is a really good idea. Decapitating babies or making excuses for those who do is pure evil and satanic. My Christian God also doesn’t think that washing our hands of mom and dad when they get a little too old to care for is a good idea. “Sorry, Mom and Dad. We need the bed. Bye-bye!” No! Our God does not do that. But the Nazis did. Life unworthy of life was a Nazi designation for segments of the population which, according to the Nazi regime, had no right to live. Know what happened after the war? We tracked every one of them down and we hung them. A little neck stretching exercise courtesy of the U.S. Army.
We don’t negotiate with evil. It is either converted or it must be destroyed. You cannot negotiate with evil. Jesus said, “Let your Yes mean Yes and your No mean No. Anything else is from the Evil One.” (Matthew 5:37). He didn’t say to negotiate. The danger for us is that they use all these fancy words that actually mean nothing. I have a degree in philosophy. I hear all these fancy words, and it’s academic bravo sierra. We would use all those big words to fill up a term paper, so it looked like we’d actually done some work. It’s a game. Congress said, “We’ve come to an agreement.” Nah. The only way to have peace in the world is to have Jesus constantly in our souls. Evil is in the world because satan, and not Jesus, is in our hearts.
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.”
The Catechism in a Year – Day 58 – Man’s Spiritual Battle
Fr. Mike explores the hard battle which each and every one of us must face, the battle with sin. Together, we examine the mystery of us being both free and under the power of the Devil. Fr. Mike emphasizes that if we are unaware of our wounded nature, it can lead to grave errors in our own lives. If we have an attitude that, “since I’m made good, then everything I’m drawn to must be good,” we can fall into temptation and evil. We conclude on a hopeful note; however, that even after we sinned, God did not abandon us to the “domain of death,” and with God’s grace, evil will never have the last word. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 407-412.
Click on link to play video: https://youtu.be/5O48kn2gosM
The Catechism in a Year – Day 54 – The Fall of Man
The Catechism introduces us to the Fall, beginning with the reality of sin and the mystery of evil. Fr. Mike highlights the fact that sin is not “a developmental flaw, a psychological weakness, a mistake, or the necessary consequence of an inadequate social structure,” but it is man saying, “not your will, but mine be done” to God. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 385-390.
Click on the link to play video: https://youtu.be/QTLB7I8HpTQ
The Catechism in a Year – Day 44 – The Scandal of Evil
If God is a good Father and creates a good world, why does evil exist? The Catechism addresses this profound and often painful question. Fr. Mike helps us understand how to reconcile sin, evil, and suffering with God’s loving Providence. He assures us that while God does not remove evil, he does redeem it, offering himself as the solution. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 309-314.
Click on the link to play video: https://youtu.be/Ha3Hsi15CQs
The Catechism in a Year – Day 39 – The Father Almighty
Together, with Fr. Mike, we explore the nature of God as Almighty. Fr. Mike discusses three important points to keep in mind about the reality of God’s power. The first is that God’s power is universal. God rules over everything; it is an infinite power. He is loving, he adopts us as his sons and daughters and shows us his mercy. Fr. Mike concludes with a reflection on God’s mysterious power in relation to the reality of the problem of evil and suffering in our world. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 268-278.
Click on the link to play video: https://youtu.be/n6MMrpNdEd4
Sermon Notes – July 11, 2021 – There is Hope
“There is Hope”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 10 – 11, 2021
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13
I came here 18 years ago. God bless you for doing that penance on Earth. You are gaining in purgatory here on Earth. I remember an article in the local paper about a gentleman from Misenheimer. Unfortunately, he received a cancer diagnosis. This was in the paper, so it’s public knowledge. This man decided not to go with conventional treatment, but with alternative medicine like living in a yurt in Misenheimer. And, as they say in medicine, he did not have an optimal outcome and died shortly thereafter. I don’t know what he was clinging to, but he had some hope and the knowledge that he wouldn’t have to go through the rigors of chemo, radiation, and surgery. If the diagnosis was dire, maybe this was one thing that unconventional medicine could do for him. At one time, shark cartilage was all the rage for people with cancer. It didn’t help the patient or the shark one bit. But, it gave cancer patients a glimmer of hope…there was something there, and they grasped at it. When we are afraid and hurt so much, we want something to heal us.
There is so much evil, anger, and strife in the world. We blame our co-dependent behavior on mental illness. But, we don’t have to be like that. None of us have to be like we were. . .wicked. A lot of Protestant sects are dying out. They try to make each other more relevant by legitimizing mental illness which is a diagnosis for gender dysphoria. They are co-signing these behaviors. Our good Lord told us that “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Follow Him, and you will find peace in your soul. Our Lord offers hope. This hope is not theoretical or intuitive, but a certainty. The hope He offers us is a promise. We have a program that our Lord has given us, and we know exactly what we must do. If we do what He asks us to do, these things will happen.
God’s promise has been demonstrated over history. For example, if you take your medicine, you will see positive results. If I take a tiny, little pill in the morning, my blood pressure is fine all day. This is a demonstrable result. If I don’t take that pill for a long time, bad things will happen to me. Our Lord gives us hope to enable us to carry our crosses day-by-day. Some crosses are predominate and have always been with us, while others change over time with old age and infirmities. Whatever crosses we bear, whether it is gender dysphoria or addiction, the good Lord gives us the grace to triumph over them. This is not a wish, and it’s not a hope as the world sees hope. It is a certainty that if you do what Christ says, you will get what He promises.
Your crosses are many, and I know they are heavy. Our faith gives us not only a hope, but a way of making that hope a reality, bringing peace to our soul, making sense of the sufferings we endure, and giving us the strength to bear whatever cross our good Lord has asked us to bear for love of Him, for our salvation, and the salvation of others. This is the faith. This is the Church and the deposit of faith that gives us hope. There is no other way. If you look at history, everyone who has tried something different has failed. In the words of G.K. Chesterton, “It’s not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.”
You have hope, and you are demonstrating that hope by your presence here today. You come for God’s grace through the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass so that you can carry your daily crosses and be good followers of Christ. When you demonstrate your hope, you are teaching others, because they see it in you. It’s a day-to-day thing. Give that hope to someone else.
As a young man, I read the biographies of the saints and how their lives were transformed. I don’t read fiction. . .I’m a little old for fairytales. I like to read about what people did so that I can learn from them. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founded the Jesuit Order. Now, I was trained by the Dominicans, so this is a stretch for me to say this. What did he do? Saint Ignatius was a professional soldier…a hit man. He was a hired gun. Give him a lot of money and, although he wasn’t Italian, he would put the whack on people especially because of their religion. And, look at what happened to him. He had a great conversion. The head of the gestapo in Rome, Italy, was Herbert Kappler. He put the whack on people. . . a lot. After the war, a priest visited him, and he became Catholic. Dr. Bernard Nathanson performed over 10,000 abortions. He also converted to Catholicism after a priest visited him.
My correspondence is different from most. I received a letter in the mail the other day from the local, state-run, residential community known as the Albemarle Correction Facility, a medium security prison that I visit. This one man, who didn’t know me, reached out to me. The envelope was addressed to “Priest Peter Fitzgibbons.” Close enough…at least he’s getting there. He told me that he had grown up Catholic, but had fallen off the wagon a bit. . .or a lot. He’s a “state employee” now and eats state-issued fish. Ugh! If you’re out in the parking lot when they are cooking fish, and the wind is just right, you know it. I’m a hospital chaplain, so smells don’t usually bother me, but that one does. Anyhow, this inmate wants to come back to the Church. He’s had enough. There are a couple of other inmates that I’ve brought in to the Faith. They also were at a point where they’d had enough and reached out to me in hope. You know who touched them in prison? It wasn’t me…I’m only there once a month. Other inmates who’d had enough and came back to Jesus. They saw hope realized in other people.
Our testimony to the world is the faith that we have been given, the faith that we have been called to hand down, and the faith that we teach by example. We are living testimonies of the power of Christ by carrying our cross every day. We may fall down, but we have the strength to get back up and carry on. This is the hope and reality we can pass on by our actions. It is how we teach and how we give hope to others. We can give other people hope with their struggles just as you found hope with the crosses you carry. But, we can’t if we are angry and bitter. What’s wrong with you? Jesus was a man of peace. Our good Lord loves them and wants to transform them. You are not your sins. You are not your crosses. You are children of God. God has given us the truth, the means, and the infallible teaching of how to achieve the daily transformation we need in order to get to heaven. Sometimes, these transformations are amazingly quick, and at other times they are sustaining. “Well, Father you have been a priest for a long time.” Yes. “I see you haven’t changed much.” But, can you imagine what I’d be like without my prayers every day, my confessions, and daily Mass? Can you imagine what I’d be like? I’d rather not…You cannot unsee some things. Our transformation is always happening in us and won’t be complete until we die.
How will you apply this message to your life? Renew your hope in Him so that you can teach others by your example.
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” (located at the end of page). There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.
Sermon Notes – When You Wrestle With Pigs in The Mud, You’re Gonna Get Dirty
“When You Wrestle With Pigs in the Mud, You’re Gonna Get Dirty“
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
March 20-21, 2021
Gospel: John 11: 1-45
I’ve hear a lot these days that we live in a “cancel culture.” Do you know what that is? It’s when people say mean things about you and try to erase your very existence. However, I disagree that we are living in a cancel culture. I was in a cancel culture. I was in the U.S. Army for 24 years and served in three wars. They tried to put an expiration date on my birth certificate, and they were pretty darn good at it too. That’s cancel culture. We are not living in a cancel culture. What we have here is an evil culture. People are trying to do evil under the appearance of good. They are claiming what was evil is now good. These sins are included in the four sins in scripture that cry out to Heaven for vengeance. Members of the cancel culture scream at you just as they screamed at our Lord and crucified Him. There’s nothing new under the sun as scripture says. And there’s not. The good news for us is that we don’t have to be that way. But, if you wrestle with pigs in the mud, the pigs doesn’t mind, but you’re going to get dirty.
Let me ask you a question. Do you know what the secret to happiness is? Want me to tell you? Our Lord has told us to be holy. He said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you.” This is a peace that the world cannot take away. So, if we seek and strive for holiness and to be one with our good Lord each day, we will have a happiness that no one can take away. That doesn’t mean you won’t have your share of sorrows and troubles. We all have our illnesses, and we all have our struggles. Our loved ones have been taken from this world to Heaven. That happens to us all. It doesn’t mean Christ stopped loving us. It means we are sharing in some of His Passion for the sake of the Body of His church, for our own redemption, and for the souls of others. We know deep down that as long as we do not turn away from our Lord through mortal sin or unrepented venial sin, He will always be there. Even though we cannot feel it, He is always present with us. Our peace and joy will come later after our trial on Earth is done. Our suffering is redemptive.
Saint John Paul II was suffering from end-stage Parkinson’s. He loved classical music, so they brought in a world famous orchestra and conductor to play for him. I don’t know his name…it’s not ZZ Top, so it’s beyond me. Because of the steroids he was on for the Parkinson’s, he was bloated, shaking and drooling. He could barely move. The last piece the orchestra played was his favorite, and the orchestra played it so beautifully, it would have made angels weep. When the orchestra finished playing, the conductor turned around and looked nervously at the Pope. The conductor was a little scared, because they were playing for the pope. The Holy Father could barely move, but he looked at the conductor and gave him a thumbs up. Even in his suffering, you knew he was a man of God. He had a happiness about him no matter what happened. He had the weight of the whole Church on his shoulders. He had a fatal illness that is terribly debilitating. But, he still had peace. And, that’s what we can have, because we have Christ. However, because we have Christ, we have an obligation to help others.
So, how do we fight this so-called cancel culture? We must try to be even more holy and to pray for people. Some of them are like those in I see in the gated community, a state sponsored residence with its own security system. Those incarcerated never had a chance. They were abused in childhood, so the chances were less than average that they would have a good life. They had a lot of things working against them. Granted, they chose to do evil, but they had a lot more crosses than we do. That’s not an excuse, but it’s a mitigating factor. How do we help those people who are evil and who try to say what we believe is evil and must change? Even the Catholic Church says sometimes what we believe must change. That’s not true. They are lying. They aren’t wrong…they are lying. Educated people who know better are lying. How do we change that? Have a little chat with them? Even though I’m almost 68, I’m still a soldier, and part of me would love to say, “Let’s go outside and discuss this.” No. Our Lord said to love them, sacrifice for them, and pray for them. They were taught from a young age that sin was good. We see the outcomes of sin and evil. We don’t have to be like them. But, instead of fighting with them, we need to love them.
Those who advocate evil are just like little children who don’t get their way, and they throw a tantrum. That’s me some days. Ever had a child…or a husband…throw a temper tantrum? What happens? Like our guardian angels, and like any good parent, we slowly take them in our arms, close to our heart. They are all worn out from their temper tantrum and break down in tears. So, we hold them close to our heart, giving them comfort and love. That’s what we are to do with this cancel culture. We can hold out our arms to them, no matter what they say to us, and no matter what they try to do to us. We can pray for them, sacrifice for them, and slowly bring them in to our heart.
This culture is not cancel…I know what cancel is. Cancel is evil. We are living in an evil age. Actually, every age is evil. But, we don’t have to be like that. Remember, when you grow close to Jesus, you have both a gift and a command to go out and bring others in and to change the culture. What’s very sad about people who are caught up in the cancel culture is that they don’t see how blind they are. They are like someone who has had too much to drink. The cops stop them, and they say, “I only had two beers!” Really? That math is wrong. They can’t stand up, never mind drive. “I’m okay!” They don’t see it…they are blind. It’s just like alcohol blinds the alcoholic and dope blinds the dope addict. And, the only cure for that is divine love.
During my time working in hospitals, I’ve learned that the only proper way to treat a disease is to find out what the disease is. So, we shouldn’t say it’s a cancel culture when it’s an evil one. People who are not eradicating evil are promoting it. There’s a big difference. Saint Mother Teresa tried to eradicate evil, and look at the love she spread. So this is what we do. We don’t have to be like them; instead, we need to love them, to pray for them, and to sacrifice for them.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you, like Saint Mother Teresa, try to eradicate evil by spreading God’s love?
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” (located at the end of page). There is also a search box if looking for a specific topic.
The Bible in a Year – Day 134 – Devastating Effects of Sin
Fr. Mike talks about the horrible things that can happen when we turn away from God and stop asking him “what’s the next step?” In today’s readings we see David humbled and humiliated, Absalom revealing how devastating sin is, and the evil that comes from war. Today’s readings are 2 Samuel 16, 1 Chronicles 21, and Psalm 15.
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