“This is Where Truth Resides”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
August 24 – 25, 2024
Gospel: John 6:60-6
60 After hearing it, many of His followers said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?’
62 What if you should see the Son of man ascend to where He was before?
61 Jesus was aware that His followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this disturb you?
63 ‘It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
64 ‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray him.
65 He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to Me except by the gift of the Father.’
66 After this, many of His disciples went away and accompanied Him no more.
67 Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’
68 Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life,
69 and we believe; we have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.’
I have dealt with many people, and I like doing so. I can always tell which people used to be Catholic. Do you know how I can do that? Am I gifted? No. I can because they tell me. They say, “I used to be Catholic.” Oh really? I’m still Catholic. What happened to you? Did you find a better way to Heaven? When they tell you they are no longer Catholic, they are unhappy. I have never met a priest who left the priesthood and was happy. Never. And I’ve been around for a long time. Usually, after priests leave, they realize they made a big mistake, but it’s really tough to come back. Bishop Curlin was really good at bringing priests back, but nowadays that ain’t happening.
Why would anyone leave? We have the words of spirit and life. We have the truth. You know the truth when you hear it because it touches your soul. We all want to hear, “Hey Father. Pizza and bacon are really good for your heart.” I would love to hear that, but I’m not going to, am I? Probably not. “Hey, Father. Cucumbers are good for your health.” Then I am going to die because that’s not going down this throat! I barely do fish, and that’s a penance. But we all want to hear that it’s okay to eat and do what we want. “Oh, I have a kidney condition that alcohol is good for.” Really? Do you mean stupid? “Smoking is good for you.” I’ll let you know about that too. We all want to hear those words because it gives us an excuse to do what we want which may not be what Christ wants. We have the truth of everlasting life. Jesus gives us that truth. Because of our fallen nature, the sins we’ve committed after our baptism, and the sins of others committed against us, it is hard to follow that truth. Sometimes, it is hard to see the love of God. When our good Lord took my mother, my father, and both of my brothers from this world, I was not exactly pleased with Him, okay? But bad things happen, so we have to trust.
From whom do you hear, “I absolve you of all your sins.” “Behold the lamb of God.” You won’t hear that anywhere but here. This is where truth resides. The fullness of truth helps us carry our crosses and deal with all the things that try to take us away from Him, the sorrow that we all experience, the temptations, our faults and failures, the crosses that have been given to us, and the crosses we take on for others to help them. Only here do we have peace and consolation. We can go somewhere else, but no one finds that peace except here. I have 71 years of experience and 40 years of that as a priest – If anyone can enlighten me, I’m always open to verifiable knowledge, but I have yet to see it or read about it. Only here in the fullness of Christ will we find peace. When G.K. Chesterton became Catholic, he said, “I want my sins forgiven, not explained away.” He also said, “If you believe Protestantism, you’ll believe anything.” Growing up, all Christians had a basic set of morals. Now, “to whom shall we go? He has the message of eternal life.” We are men and not angels, so we all struggle with our crosses. We come here for our Lord’s help, healing, and strength.
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.”
