What does it mean to be sacred—to be woven, warp and weft, of divine fabric? For one, it means that all the raw material of this world and all the human and other-than-human creatures of this world are divinely given gifts, deserving of reverence and respect for their place in the Great Economy, and therefore not simply expendable. To be sacred also means to participate fully—even if not consciously—in the ongoing dance of relationships, which are the fundamental divine reality, as good Trinitarian theology claims. To be sacred means that everything and everyone (human and non-human) can be a conduit and a container for beauty and meaning. Everything, if we just learn to see with the right eyes, is shining like the sun. And it means, in an important way, that ownership and possession are ultimately a fiction.
“When will the happy time come when the divine Mary will be established Mistress and Queen of all hearts, in order that she may subject them fully to the empire of her great and holy Jesus? When will souls breathe Mary as the body breathes air? When that time comes, wonderful things will happen in those lowly places where the Holy Ghost, finding His dear spouse, as it were, reproduced, in all souls, shall come in with abundance, and fill them to overflowing with His gifts, and particularly with the gift of wisdom, to work miracles of grace.”— St. Louis de Montfort, p.118-19
We’ve heard this Gospel proclaimed year after year. But, have you ever wondered how Peter, James, and John knew it was Moses and Elijah? There were no pictures or artists that could paint them; there was no Facebook, no Tic-Toc, and no selfies. So, how did they know? You ever ask yourself that? Remember, Moses and Elijah died a thousand or so years before the apostles showed up. So, how did they know? In the transfiguration, our good Lord gave the apostles, Peter, James, and John, a taste of what Heaven would be like…just a little taste. They saw the glorified bodies of Moses and Elijah. They knew it was Moses and Elijah. They saw them with their eyes. They saw Heaven, and the people there were talking to God. You will know people in Heaven…if you get there. If you are concerned about that, come see me, and we can work it out. But, you will know people in Heaven, and you will be able to talk to them about future events. In Heaven, everything is now, because God is the Eternal Now and not the past, present, or future. He is the Eternal Now. He is present always. So, you will know and be enlightened.
There is forgiveness after death – in purgatory. Moses was in the Promised Land; he was right outside Jerusalem. God told Moses that he would never enter the Promised Land because he had sinned. But he did. So, there is forgiveness after death. Our good Lord, in this vision, lowered the veil of His humanity to show the apostles part of His divinity. They saw Heaven on Earth. He gave them this great revelation of what Heaven is like to prepare and strengthen them for the scandal of the Passion which would happen in less than two weeks. After all of the miracles they had seen, this was their final gift. Now, all of us would like to receive consolation and great gifts from God. We pray for them. We look for them, and if we get one, we want more. What are the gifts of consolation? First of all, they don’t come as often as we’d like. They usually come before our great trials or afterward as consolations.
Heaven is only meant for after this life and not during, just as it was for the apostles. Most of us would like to say, “If I had such a dramatic experience with God, I would have no problem believing and would never doubt the faith again. I would go to confession more often. I might even go to daily Mass occasionally. I just need to be convinced.” But, scripture is contrary to those statements. Jesus had three years of public ministry. How many people did the apostles see raised from the dead? At least three. Scripture says that not all of the miracles Jesus performed were recorded. He fed 5,000 people, walked on water, cured lepers, and the apostles cast out demons. The apostles saw all sorts of miracles, because they were there. Yet, where were they ten days later?
We are like the apostles. We have these great gifts. “Oh, I will never doubt again.” Yes, you will. We all do. This is the struggle we have. We are tempted to be disconsolate. The devil will say, “Well, if you were better; if you were doing what you are supposed to do, what your Lord said to do, you would always feel good.” Blah, blah, blah. That’s a bunch of spiritual fertilizer. It’s not true.
Our Lord does not distance Himself from us. He is always with us, we just can’t see Him. I was driving up to the VA the other day. I was doing 60 mph in a 55 mph zone, so I was cool. From out of nowhere, this van comes up right behind me and passes. Then, all of a sudden, I see the blue light special. I didn’t see the trooper, but he was there. You don’t see God, but He is always there. Your Guardian Angel is always with you. Just because you don’t see Him, doesn’t mean He isn’t there. You look for Him. “I cannot find Him.” But, He is there.
You might look at someone, and tell them they look great. But, a doctor might look at that same person, and tell them they don’t look so good. The doctor has the eyes of a physician. I have the eyes of a bozo. My eye doctor says I’m not ready for a stick and a seeing eye quite yet. But, it’s how we see it.
Our Lord is always with us. He is always giving us signs of His love and His presence. Sometimes, we overlook consolations, because we are too busy to see them, or we are looking the other way. Our Lord gives us great consolations. Maybe not as many as we would like, but as many as we need. They come and they go as our Lord sees fit. Look for small consolations, because He is there. Make sure you do not give up hope, and do not give in to despair. You may worry and ask Him, “Lord, have you forgotten about us? Do you see what is happening?” Yes, I am here. You cannot see Me, but I see you, and I am with you.
How will you apply this message to your life? Are you overlooking the signs of His love and His presence?
Father’s Afterthoughts…
While I was at the VA, I saw a nurse practitioner I know. I said, “Doc, can I ask you a question? She’s a medical professional. She said, “Sure!” “Doc, does this mask make me look fat?” You have to make your own fun at the VA.
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 the page). There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.
During the Christmas season, our good Lord shows us remarkable signs of His love. He reveals His essence at Christmas in what we call the Economy of Salvation and how He brought about our salvation. It shows He is love and that love is humble. He shows us that humility is a part of love. He became what He was not. He was God and became man so that He could pass on to us the fruits of His love through the Sacraments. The creator now became subject to His creatures. In the Gospel according to St. Matthew, at the baptism of our Lord, Jesus had to tell John “You must do this,” because John didn’t want to baptize Him. Such is His great humility. This is how He will affect our salvation…with great humility and subject to His creatures. The ultimate revelation of the depth of His love was at the crucifixion. He gave Himself to us out of love.
I hear people in the church say that they want power. I say, that’s kind of a short-term goal. You have power over God. “What do you mean?” Well, you know, God is subject to you. Out of His great love, He hears your prayers and answers them. You can read in the scriptures that He did not refuse anyone a miracle. He didn’t ask, “Do you know who you are talking to right now?” He didn’t ask, “Are you tithing?” “Are you supporting the Priest Retirement Fund?” He didn’t ask if you are supporting the Diocese. He didn’t ask if you have sinned. He didn’t ask if you blah blah blah. He didn’t ask any of that. He doesn’t ask if you are worthy of His gift. When we present ourselves for Holy Communion, He gives of Himself freely. He gives the gift because He loves us. He answers all of our prayers. You may say, “Well, Father you have been a priest for a long time, and you are still not a Monsignor.” Yeah, I’ve been praying for that for quite a while. I don’t think it’s going to happen. Maybe, it’s my personality…I don’t know. But, we ask for gifts that are too small and for things that might harm us. God wants to give us the greatest gift which is the gift of Himself. He wants to give us what our hearts desire. He wants to fill our hearts with joy…a joy that nobody can take from us.
We had a case in the parish a few weeks ago. A woman from the parish had been praying for quite a while for her nephew who was dying. She called and asked me if I would go and give him Last Rites. He was Catholic, but it didn’t seem to take for a long time. So, I called his wife and then went over to their house. His wife wasn’t Catholic, so the Last Rites confused her a bit. Right after I had finished giving him the Last Rites, I noticed a change in his breathing. I told his wife that they needed some time alone, and I left. He was dead a few minutes later. God answered the prayers of that woman. I’m not always around, but I happened to be in town that day. This happens so many times. I walk in and the family asks if I will give the Last Rites and when I finish, boom, they are gone.
We ask for things in our prayers that are too small. We have power over God. “Well, Father, you have power over God. You make Christ present on the altar during Mass, in the Tabernacle, and in the Sacraments.” Yes, I do, but it is you who can say yes or no if He enters your soul. No matter how many times you come for Holy Communion, properly disposed I certainly hope, you can receive God Himself into your souls. When we come to the Sacrament of Penance, He enters our souls and washes away our sins with His precious blood. You can receive God by calling Him through your prayers and inviting Him into your soul.
You have this immense power of love over God, because He loves you. He humbles Himself at Christmas and each day at the altar. He humbled Himself to John the Baptist, and He humbles Himself to us each day in our prayers. He loves you so much that He wants to give you the best gift of all which is the gift of Himself. You have great power. You have the power to draw God down into your soul. Realize your power and use it.
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How will you apply this message to your life? Will you use the power of God’s love for you and draw Him into your soul?
