Sermon Notes
“We Are as Sick as Our Secrets”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
April 26 – 27, 2025
Gospel: John 20: 19-31
One thing you learn as a priest after the 2nd week is that nothing will surprise you, especially confessions. People will try to blow the good stuff past the new guy. They come into the confessional booth and say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I have lied, gossiped, committed adultery, and failed to say my prayers.” We call that the classic “Oreo confession.” Sometimes they will say it really fast, hoping I won’t hear it. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I have lied, gossiped, committedadultery, andfailed to pray.” Hold on. Let’s go back to that one you tried to blow by. That’s kind of important because I cannot forgive what I do not know. Our Lord said, “Whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 16:19). So, which sins do we forgive – the sins you are trying to hide or the sins for which you are trying to make amends? For instance, during premarital counseling, if a couple tells me they are living together, I tell them that unless they are living together as brother and sister, one of them must move out. If they say they can’t or they won’t, I tell them I cannot perform their wedding, and they get really upset! Hey – this is a rule of the Church. You are living in a state of objective mortal sin, and I cannot condone that. I would be cosigning fertilizer. It’s the same thing with Baptism – they don’t like it either. You wouldn’t believe the harsh things that people say to me, and that’s not just the staff – it’s people in general.
Guilt, pride, shame, fear, and remorse. If you can put a name on it, someone else has done it before you. As priests, we take a moral theology course to prepare for the Sacrament of Penance. We learn about consanguinity and affinity, which outline who you can marry on your family tree. You cannot marry your first cousin, and you have to have permission to marry your second cousin. It’s a southern thing. They must have known I was going south.
I have to know your sins. You do not prescribe aspirin for a brain tumor. In 12-step programs, a saying is, “You are only as sick as your secrets.” Having secrets can derail the recovery of addicts who need to admit publicly the nature of their wrongs. I performed the funeral service for a veteran. I asked the funeral director what happened to this person, and he said she died from kidney failure. She was only 31 years old. Now, I’m not Dr. House, but I’m not stupid either. She did not die of kidney failure. Whenever I do a funeral, I am required to put a note in the medical record. So, I looked at the diagnosis, which they now call the “problem list.” That was one heck of a problem – she’s dead. While I was in her medical record, I looked at the doctor’s notes. She had a deep, dark secret that was never addressed, from which she never received help, and she eventually committed suicide. We are as sick as our secrets. Just like your physician, I have no idea what medicine is needed if you don’t tell me where it hurts.
I listen and occasionally I ask questions, but that is very rare. Most people tell me way too much. If I have a question after 40 years of hearing confessions, I’ll let you know. Okay? There may be mitigating and aggravating factors. The habit of sinning is a mitigating factor, and pride is an aggravating factor. There are all sorts of things I consider in applying medicine for the soul. But I have to hear the sin. God is offering His forgiveness. When we sin, we take back our love of God. “I will not serve.” Yet, when we say, “I don’t want to tell him everything, that is only partially giving our love back to God. Would you want a half-apology if someone hurt you? We need to totally give ourselves back to God for the forgiveness of our sins. Not just a little bit. “Can I go right to God for forgiveness of my sins?” Yes, if you are in danger of death, yes. If you have appendicitis, can you go right to God for healing? That’s probably not the best idea. You could say a prayer on your way to Atrium Hospital, but I would definitely get to the hospital first. God has ways and means by which to dispense His love to us. What holds us back is guilt, pride, shame, fear, and remorse. When I go into a hospital room, some people get very modest. I have been doing hospital work for over 40 years, so I have seen more body parts than you will ever have. However, sometimes patients are a bit more casual than I care for: “I’m too sexy for the sheet.” No, you’re not.
God gave His healing power to the Apostles, and to the bishops and priests after them, the power to forgive sin and to anoint the soul with the Most Precious Blood to restore it to life. But to heal, I must know what hurts to apply the appropriate remedy. “But it’s embarrassing.” No, that’s the guilt, shame, and fear of the Four Horsemen following you and causing you to stay away from the Sacrament of Penance. It’s all a lie. How liberating it is to finally get out from underneath all that sin, no matter what it is. Sin affects the body, soul, and psyche, the three parts of man. So go to our good Lord’s clergy, his priests and bishops, and get out from underneath all that garbage. Go to Confession and get it all out of your system. Your sins will be forgiven, and the appropriate remedy to heal your soul will be given. You will feel a heck of a lot better, and I promise I won’t collapse during confession.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
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