“We Are in Combat”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 4 – 5, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16
13 ‘You are salt for the earth. But if salt loses its taste, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled under people’s feet. 14 ‘You are light for the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way your light must shine in people’s sight, so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven.
When I was overseas, every day felt like Ground Hog Day. I was the Catholic priest for the Logistical Command and the area around it. It was a large area. We were in the rear with the gear. A couple of times a w eek, I would do a daytrip up to the war front. I had to drive up there, do my thing, and drive back. So don’t complain to me about your commute to Charlotte. Anyway, I was in my office and a soldier walked in. He was rather filthy as most soldiers are. The soldier said, “I was told to report to the chaplain.” Well, you found him. Good for you! Come on in and let’s have a chat. So, he was telling me about what had happened. He was infantry, and he and his friends had to take care of business up in the north. He was upset that he had been sent back to be a convoy guard. He wanted to stay with his buddies. I told him that I would feel the same way. But they want one of the best to be one of their guards. They are driving around and trying to avoid IED’s and all sorts of other nasty stuff on the road. They want one of the best to keep an eye out for them so that they can go home too when this is all over. The soldier said, “Yeah, okay . . . sir.” I asked him how long he would be here, and he said three days. Okay . . .for the next three days, I want you to sleep, get some ice cream and pizza, see a movie, and go to the pool. And those are not suggestions. “Yes sir.” Before you leave come back to see me. Three days later, the soldier came back to see me, and he looked totally different. . .so much better. I asked him if he was ready to go back, and he said, “Yes, sir.” I told him he had done a good job and to keep his eyes open so we could all make it home. The soldiers said, “Yes, sir” and thanked me for talking to him. The change in him was phenomenal. A smart officer where he had been saw that this soldier had combat stress or fatigue and sent him back to the rear. A classic way to deal with combat stress is to take three days of rest and refresh (R & R) and go back. He would have less problems in theater, be able to keep his mind in the game, and have less problems when he returned home. The Army would take soldiers out of the field so that they could rest. No matter how hard we trained them, they had to come out of the game to rest.
We are all in combat. We are fighting the devil constantly. We all need to take time out for our ourselves and to pray. That’s the most important thing. Jesus took His disciples aside and said, “Come away and pray.” We all need time to be alone with our Lord. We pray to refresh. The priest who preached at my first Mass said, “You will spend more time on your toes like a boxer, if you spend more time on your knees.” You cannot give what you do not have.” Mother Teresa’s sisters, who I had the pleasure of working with in Guantanimo Bay, spent at least two hours a day in prayer plus Mass. That’s how you keep your Savior near. It’s how people will see Christ in you. “Well, I work on Sundays.” “If I do a good deed on Sunday, do i still have to go to Mass?” If you are on your way to Mass and get called to an emergency, you have an excuse. But you cannot use that excuse every week. And I’m sure that people don’t have a health crisis every Saturday at 5:00 and Sunday at 9:30 and 12:15. No. “Well, I watch Mass on television.” Well, I watch cooking shows on television and I’m still hungry. I watch golf shows on television and I still stink at the game.
During marriage preparation, I give couples the key to a happy marriage. “What’s that, Father?” Pray the Rosary together each night before you go to bed. I didn’t get that on my own. . .I’m not that holy or bright. I got it from Bishop Sheen. I also advise couples to practice their faith. When couples come to me with marital problems, the first question I ask is, “Do you pray together?” “Do you go to church together?” Yeah, that’s the same reaction I get. You are carrying a cross that is heavy, and you can become weary. We think we are a lot tougher than we really are.
All of us have our crosses, and we all get weary. We need to spend time in prayer. . .lots and lots of time. Your work is not your prayer. Believe it or not, I have a degree in Philosophy. I learned in Philosophy 101 that work is not a prayer. Know why? They are different words with different letters. Work is not prayer. Work is a vocation. Work can be part of your prayer life, but prayer is different. Prayer is an act of love. Work is an act of love too, but it’s different. I know a priest who once said, “My work is my prayer.” Well, say goodbye to your vocation. I cannot give what I do not have, so I need to spend a lot of time in prayer.
We look for comfort in things that are not of God. Maybe it’s in a bottle, a pill, people, places, or things. It is important to spend time in prayer. I don’t care how busy we think we are or how important. One day I’m going to be heavy into real estate in a tiny house and another priest will be here. I won’t be cold in my grave, and another priest will be here to take my place.
Husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers take the crosses of everyone upon them besides their own. It’s called transference. In Scripture, when our Lord healed what did He do? He sighed and groaned as He took their pain upon Himself. You see the pain of everyone and their sins there on the Cross. You do that with your family and friends. You do that with the crosses people place upon you. This is why prayer is so necessary. It’s why the Sacraments are so necessary. We cannot do it by ourselves. We will fall and we will destroy ourselves. You must take the time, and that time is the best investment in yourself and those you love. It’s how you keep your edge. It’s how people will see Christ’s light in you. And by taking that time out, you will keep the flame alive.
We are the salt of the earth, and we can lose our Savior very quickly. Sometimes it happens slowly and more quickly at other times. That time away in prayer is so important. Never minimize it. Never say, “I have to go to work.” If you pray and become holy, your work will go much better and faster. So, tune out all the distractions to pray and to be alone with God.
Father’s Reflections. . .
I heard from reliable sources, and I have authenticated the message, that next Sunday is the Super Bowl. I’m thrilled about it. . . actually, I don’t care. I don’t want to watch millionaires play for millions of dollars. That really doesn’t excite me. “These guys are great! They are stars!” Really? If you were not at Terri Campbell’s funeral yesterday and you didn’t talk to the family, you wouldn’t know that Terri’s brother-in-law was a hero in the true sense of the word. Now you probably wouldn’t give this guy a second look. He has white hair and is beginning to get a stoop. But he was an F-4 fighter pilot in Vietnam. That alone is quite impressive. However, he was shot down over Vietnam and spent six years in the Hanoi Hilton. There is a real hero.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
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