Tag: Gifts

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Minute Meditation – Becoming the Good News Made Flesh

We’ve become a very mobile culture, often moving several times in the course of a career. It can be daunting to leave one place for another, to make new friends and build new routines and traditions. But it offers tremendous opportunities to share our gifts in ever-widening circles. As the Christmas season draws to a close, we reflect not so much on the birth of Jesus as on the impact that birth had on all those who heard of it—the shepherds, the magi, the villagers, and us. We get so busy at this time of year with all the activity that sometimes we forget that this baby whose birth we celebrate was in fact the divine in our midst. The Feast of Epiphany makes clear that by taking on our human reality, God shows us how to move beyond our ordinary routines into lives that can make a difference in our world. The coming of the Magi to visit the holy family was a sign that Christ had come not only for the people of Bethlehem and Jerusalem but for all people in all times and places. It is a reminder that we’re called to be ever more inclusive, to be open to questions from all those who seek the love and the mercy and the peace of God. 

—from the book The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections from Pope Francis 
by Diane M. Houdek

//Franciscan Media//

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Sermon Notes – October 9, 2022 – “His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”

“His Gifts Can Have Many Forms”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 October 8 – 9, 2022

Gospel:  Luke 17:11-19

11 Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem He was travelling in the borderlands of Samaria and Galilee.  12 As He entered one of the villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to meet Him. They stood some way off 13 and called to Him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ 14 When He saw them He said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ Now as they were going away they were cleansed.  15 Finding himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his voice 16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 This led Jesus to say, ‘Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?  18 It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.’  19 And He said to the man, ‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’

 
Do you know why the Good Lord gave the gift of healing to the ten lepers?  Because they asked for it and because He loved them.   He made them out of love and sustained them out of love.  When they asked for the gift of that love to cure them, He didn’t ask if they had tithed, given to the Priest Retirement Fund, or volunteered at the church.  He gave it to them freely because He loved them and He wanted to show His love.  One of the lepers was a foreigner. . .a Samaritan who the Jews hated.   But love gives without regard.  Love gives outside of itself never seeking reward.  Our Lord blesses us with so many gifts when we ask for them and even when we don’t.  Some of those gifts are very good and some are even better.  In some, you recognize the good and in others not so much. 

Do you remember Bishop Fulton Sheen?  He was that very handsome man on television with grey hair.  Bishop Sheen was very photogenic . . . the camera loved him.  He had a series on television, he was a wonderful speaker, and he was very talented.  He had two doctorates – I mean the guy was a genius!  He was really blessed.   But do you know what his diet consisted of?  He lived on boiled chicken, milk, and soggy graham crackers.  That was his diet because his stomach was so bad that was all he could keep down.  That was all he could eat, but you would never know it.  That was one of God’s gifts to him, and it was a blessing because it kept him small.  Indeed, some of our crosses are our greatest blessings.   It kept Bishop Sheen humble and relying on God.  I say that because he’s about to be canonized as a saint. 

The same thing is true with all the gifts God gives us.  There are so many gifts beyond counting.  While you are saying your nightly prayers and the Act of Contrition, it is a good spiritual habit to think of at least five or ten gifts God has given you.  And the next night, think of new ones.  Also think of the gifts that are your crosses and infirmities.  He gives us those so that we can share in His Passion and become more reliant on Him than on ourselves.  They are a great blessing because they keep us humble and small.  They may seem like a punishment for our sins. . . and they could be.   I’m not God, and I don’t know why God allows it, but He does.  It’s also a chance for us to give gifts of love to others and to God.  We can offer them for sacrifices and penance for our sins and those of others.   Through our sufferings we can reach out to others who are suffering and give them the same hope we have.  As Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.”  We join our sufferings with Him on the Cross.  Those sufferings can be His greatest gift to us.  Our sufferings can be not only physical ailments but also mental and spiritual sufferings.  We all have them.  Usually, the most gifted people have the most crosses so that God can keep them humble. 

God does not give us gifts because we have earned them.  Do your children have to earn your love?  You still love the ones who have gone off the reservation.  It happens in every family.  You don’t give your children gifts because they’ve earned them.  You give them gifts because you love them.  That’s what God does for us.  God loves us and He will never stop.  He hopes that these gifts of love will cause people to turn their hearts back to Him.  That’s what God does.  He will always give us blessings, but His blessings can have many forms.

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” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Sermon Notes – July 31, 2022 – “Make Room!”

“Make Room!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 July 30 -31, 2022

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

13 A man in the crowd said to Him, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’  14 He said to him, ‘My friend, who appointed Me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’  15 Then He said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possessions, even when someone has more than he needs.’ 16 Then He told them a parable, ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, 17 thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.”  18 Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, 19 and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.”  20 But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?”  21 So it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God.’

In the last verses of the 12th chapter of Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the saint earnestly desires higher gifts.  He wrote:

“First, I seek the higher gifts and I will show you a more excellent way.  If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 

And that’s true.  Saint Paul continues with the theme of love in the 13th chapter.  Love is the one thing we should desire above all else.   God is love itself.  He wants to make us wealthy in His love, and He teaches us how to grow in that love.  The one thing we can be truly rich in is to always possess Him and to be possessed by Him. 

The more you experience the love of God, the more you want.  With God you can never get enough.  We are inspired and motivated to make more room for Him in our souls through our works, prayer, and self-sacrifice to possess Him and be possessed by Him.  Doing so will enlarge and beautify our souls for a proper dwelling place for Him.  And when we have that possession, we have an ever-increasing wealth.  Then all the other things we have will assume their proper role. 

But it’s never enough.  It’s like being in an Irish family. . .there’s always room for one more.  There is always room for more love. 

Did you know that you can go to Mass more than once a week?  You can receive Holy Communion up to three times a day. . .did you know that?  You can go to Confession once a day. . .twice, if you’ve done something really bad.  If you want to drive over to the Catholic church in Concord so you don’t have to see me, that’s okay – I get it, as long as you go.  There is no limit on God’s desire to be a part of your soul.  And when we are possessed by Him what happens?  We are transformed, and all the things we have find their proper place. 

Sometimes, every now and again, we realize how truly rich we are.  “Well, Father, I’m not really rich. Have you seen my bank statement?”   I’m not talking about that.  “Father, I don’t live in a nice house.”  I’m not talking about that.  “Father, I don’t have a nice car.”  I’m not talking about that either.  Look at all the sufferings you have.  Look at how rich you are.   Even with the worse things in your life, you are chosen.  You have much to offer God for the sanctification of souls.  You are truly rich, because it is in that pain and suffering we have all endured or are enduring that we share in the suffering of Christ for the redemption of the world.

How will you apply this message to your life?  _______________________________________


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

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Sermon Notes – July 23-24, 2022 – “Love You More!”

July 23 – 24, 2022

“Love You More!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 Gospel: Luke 11:1-13

1 Now it happened that He was in a certain place praying, and when He had finished, one of His disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ 2 He said to them, ‘When you pray, this is what to say: Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; 3 give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, 4 for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.’ 5 He also said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, 6 because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him;” 7 and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up to give it to you.” 8 I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship’s sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants.  9 ‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.  10 For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? 12 Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion?  13 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!’

Why must God give us good things?  Because, as Saint John tells us, God is love.  What is God’s nature?  His nature is love itself.  Love seeks to diffuse itself by spreading that love.  So, to not give us good things would be a denial of His very nature.  He gives us good things whether we deserve them or not because He loves us.  The first question in the Catechism is “Why did God make us?”  Because He loves us.  God gives us good things not because we pray the “right” way, or because we tithe to the Church, or because we do this, that, and the other thing.  That would be like a business deal. . .you give me this, and I’ll give you that.  He offers these gifts to us, both temporal and spiritual, to show His love for us and to draw us ever closer.  Or, if we have wandered away, to call us back and to remind those souls, including ours, that He wants us to be with Him.   

We are called to pray.  Most of us have prayed for things very hard and valiantly.   We’ve used the right words and claimed the things we have prayed for in the name of Jesus.  We have asked for the intercession of Saint Jude who is the patron saint of the impossible and the intercession of other saints who are patrons of particular causes.  But we have been disappointed because sometimes those answers have not come, and we have not gotten what we wanted.  That doesn’t mean that God has stopped loving us.  It means that He has other plans for us and that, in itself, is a gift of love.  We are called to have trust in the Lord.  Trust Him even though the answer to our immediate need, want, desire, plea, threat, is “No.”   He has something far better in mind for you or that person you have been praying for.  You must trust Him. 

Now I have been 38 years a priest, and I am not yet a monsignor.  Wait a moment while I tear up.  Sorry; I got a little misty-eyed there.  But I have been the pastor for the past 18 years of the greatest parish in the diocese.  I don’t tell anyone that because they might boot my butt out of here.  But I’ll take that trade all day long.  You have to remember that God loves us and sees more than we can see for ourselves.   Sometimes what we want is not good for us as anyone who has children knows.  The crosses He allows us to carry, He gives us for the sake of others.  God constantly offers us these gifts to keep us encouraged, to remind us of His love for us, and to draw us ever closer to Him. 

God gives us all these gifts because He loves us.  Sometimes that love is hard to see because of the gift wrapping.  Some of His gifts we never see.  We never see all the temporal and spiritual evils He protects us from.  Remember that when you thank Him at the end of the day.  So, pray.  And as Saint Augustine once said, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”   God will give you the most wondrous gifts along with all the other gifts including the good stuff like apple pie and the bad stuff like Covid.  But whatever the gifts may be, they all point to His love for us.  He is love itself, and He wants us to love Him back more and more in this life. . . all of us, both good and bad.  He wants to turn them back to Him too.  He takes no delight in the death of a sinner.  That’s not why He sent His Son.  He wants to draw us ever closer to Him in this life so that we may have life with Him united in perfect love in Heaven.

How will you apply this message to your life?  ______________________________________
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You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.”  Cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”

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Sermon Notes – September 5, 2021 – I’m Sorry . . . So Sorry!

I’m Sorry. . . So Sorry!

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 4 – 5, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 7: 31-37

In the Gospel, our Lord healed the deaf man.  Why?  Read the story. . .He was asked.  A lot of us do not ask for miracles.  Why does Jesus do miracles?  Well, for a couple of reasons.  First, it is very revelatory.  It reveals a number of things about God.  But, let’s put that aside for a moment.  Did the deaf man ask for a miracle?  No, he couldn’t. His friends did through intercessory prayer, and that’s very important.  Also, did our Lord say to the man and his friends, “I’d really like to help, but have you given to the DSA?” “Have you given very good stuff to the yard sale?”  “How are your Sunday collections going?”  “Are you helping out at the church?”  “Have you brought Father food?”  Good food…no cucumbers!  No.  He didn’t interrogate them.  Our Lord restored the man’s hearing and his speech because He loved him.  Our Lord never refused a miracle to anyone who asked or to anyone who didn’t ask.  He knew that the woman would touch His garment, and He used that as an example. 

Miracles are expressions of who and what our Lord is.  He gives us favors and miracles because He loves us.  They are gifts of His love.  They are meant to draw our hearts to Him and to sustain us in being.  Scripture tells us that our Lord lets the rain fall on the just and unjust.  It revealed to the people of Israel who our Lord was.  Our Lord is God.  He can heal our infirmities.  Do I have my physical limitations?  Oh, heck yeah!  My mind writes checks that my body cannot cash.  I’m 68, and I still think I’m 18.  Saint Paul said that if you ask for prayers of healing, sometimes it will happen and sometimes it won’t.  But, the Lord told Saint Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  God does miracles all the time over at Atrium Health.  When people undergo bypass surgery, the healing is very slow.  First, they get the surgery, then they wake up, and then they go to therapy.  Everything moves at a slow pace, but they are our Lord’s miracles.

Miracles reveal God’s nature.  Do you know what God’s nature is?  God’s nature is love itself.  Jesus was love incarnate.  He came to give the gift of His love which is Himself. There are a number of miracles recorded in the Gospel, and there are more that are not as Saint John tells us at the end of his gospel.  The Lord gives us these gifts to show His love and His awareness of our needs.  What does God want in return?  Our love. That is what gifts of love are.  They are given freely.  Our Lord gives us these gifts of love to help turn our hearts toward Him and away from ourselves. 

Keep praying for His gifts.  Sometimes He says “No.”  However, when He says “no,” He gives us the grace to handle His answer and to bear whatever difficulties it brings.  I will tell you that it doesn’t seem that way.  I’m still not a Monsignor after 38 years, and I’m not happy about it.  But I’m humble, and I can handle it.  Our good Lord gives us the gift of Himself which is the greatest miracle of all.  His miracles are not just for physical ailments.  The greatest miracle is not the gift that someone gives you, it’s the gift of themselves. The physical aspects of the gift are signs of an invisible reality.  As Catholics, we see the greatest gift of all here in church. . .the gift of Christ Himself in Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Penance.  He gives it freely because He wants our love. He loves us so much that He allows Himself to be handled by an evil and sinful man such as myself.  God gives us these gifts not because we deserve them.  You cannot earn love. He gives these gifts because He loves us.  He created us out of love.  He gives us these gifts of love to draw us away from ourselves and back to Him.  So, keep praying for miracles. 

Father’s Afterthoughts:

I have been blessed with family and friends who point out my faults.  Do I have my faults?  “No, Father.”  Yes, I do, but thank you for that.  God gives me the grace to carry my crosses.  One of the great graces that God gives us for carrying our crosses and our faults is humility.   He gives us the humility to go back to someone and say you screwed up and ask for forgiveness.  Even I make mistakes on occasion, and when I do, I ask for forgiveness.  That’s how we show God’s love.  You’d be surprised when you say to someone, “I’m sorry.”  It is like the old Brenda Lee song, “I’m Sorry…So Sorry.”  Say “I’m sorry” to someone, and they may say, “Whatever.”  There’s a big difference between saying “I’m sorry” and “forgive me.”  Have you ever heard a song with “forgive me” in the lyrics?  Saying “forgive me” shows God’s power working in you.   

How will you apply this message to your life?  Are you praying for His gifts?

Email [email protected] if you would like sermon notes emailed to you.  Also, you can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.