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Sermon Notes – May 5, 2024 – “We Have the Tools to Become Saints”
“We Have the Tools to Become Saints”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
May 4 – 5, 2024
Gospel: John 15:9-17
In your prayer life, I encourage you to thank God for keeping you safe. Also, ask your Guardian Angel to cover you with his or her wings so that you may have a safe night free of temptation and illness and can sleep soundly. Do the same when you get up in the morning. Ask your Guardian Angel to protect you with their wings as you go through your day to protect you from the dangers of satan, both temporal and spiritual. Also, remember to say “thank you” at night and in the morning for their watchfulness over you.
This past week we had the feast of Saint Catherine of Sienna. She did a lot for the Church in her short life. She was only 33 when she died, medicine being what it was five centuries ago. In her short 33 years, she lived an extraordinary life. I used to love reading about the lives of saints, which is why I never read fiction . . . it was boring. The amazing thing about Saint Catherine is that she had no initials before or after her name like Most Reverend Bishop, STD (Doctor of Sacred Theology and not a disease), DD (Doctor of Divinity), or JCD (Doctor of Canon Law). Whoopee! That does not impress me. I have initials after my name, and I also have a nice title – Very Reverend – which went south when the bishop retired. Does that make me a brighter person? Not necessarily. All it proves is that I can pass tests.
However, knowing how to take tests doesn’t mean you are holy. Look at Saint Therese of Lisieux. She didn’t graduate from college, nor did she take the Lay Ministry Program offered by our diocese. But a century later, the Church made her a Doctor of the Church for her holiness. Saints Therese and Catherine, like so many other saints, reached out and grasped the means to lead a holy life and change the world or their piece of it. They cooperated with God’s grace each in their own vocation. Their ability to become holy was the same as ours is today through the Sacraments offered by Holy Mother Church. They had the same means to become holy as we do. We all have different abilities and vocations. Bob will not allow me to handle power tools. He made that decision so that I wouldn’t hurt myself. The staff will not allow me to work on phones and on computers. Also, I know better than to try to work in the kitchen. That’s not going to happen in my lifetime either. We all have talents and abilities in every different sphere. However, we share one common ability, no matter our education, which is holiness. You are here so that you can take advantage of it and convert the world as the saints did. I am at least twice the age of Saint Catherine of Sienne when she passed, and I am almost three times the age of Saint Therese de Lisieux when she passed. Holiness is not a comparative thing, but when I think back on my life, I don’t know if I have done anything that compares to them. I may have some explaining to do in a little while. So, in my meditation, I reflect on how to aspire to greater acts of holiness and penance so that I may become like them.
The ability to be holy does not atrophy. If we get hurt and are laid up in bed for a while, we get to take physical therapy. That’s a lot of fun! I was at the hospital and these pretty young ladies came in. They seemed so sweet, but the next thing I heard from the patient’s room was “OOOOOOH!” I have a massage therapist who helps me with my bad back. When the pain gets to be too much, I let out an “AAAAAH,” and she’ll say, “I’m helping you, Father.” I feel it! I really do! Our muscles atrophy when we don’t use them, but the ability to be holy does not. The ability to be holy is always there to be reawakened, enlivened, and fulfilled. The ability to be transformed and to transform the world around us is always there. We never lose it. We just have to cooperate with the means to be holy that God gave us. Holiness is not given to us because we are nice people. I would like to think I’m the greatest guy I know, and I usually do. But holiness and my talents have not been given to me because I’m me. They’ve been given to me to use for you. So however close I get to Almighty God, that closeness is not a reward for being who or what I am. It is a gift for you to help build up the Body of Christ. We have the same ability to be holy just as the great saints did. We don’t need initials before or after our names. We don’t have to participate in any special programs or ministries. I think about the parish I grew up in. It was crammed with WWII veterans. Think about what those men and women did. It was a small French-speaking parish, but they built a church, a school, and a convent. They also produced five priests from my generation. Two of those priests have passed. I remember those men and women very well because it was a small parish. None of them held spiritual degrees, but they had Christ in their hearts.
Some of us were early bloomers like Saint Catherine, and some of us were late bloomers. We won’t know what we have and have not accomplished until we are standing before the Throne of God. The same gifts that were made available to the saints when they cooperated with God’s grace are available to us. They show the amazing transformation that can happen when we cooperate with God’s grace. You can find a saint who was in any condition you may have but who was transformed. The Church investigates potential saints quite vigorously. They comb through everything written or said by candidates that could be made suspect. It’s like a spiritual colonoscopy. So, when people are raised at what is called the Dignity of the Altar and declared a saint, you know their lives have been investigated thoroughly. The same grace Saint Catherine or any of the saints had is available to us anytime. God can, does, has, and will give us that same transforming power to change our piece of the world by bringing God’s love, grace, and peace to those who need it.
Father’s Reflections . . .
I’ve been thinking about the four law enforcement officers who were killed in Charlotte two weeks ago. Despite everyone having fresh plumbing, computers, and cell phones, there’s a lot of evil in the world, so it’s not a lack of stuff that makes people bad. They’re sick. Those four brave men won their eternal salvation. Please keep their families in your prayers.
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.”
How Guardian Angels Actually Work
Are angels real? Why did God make them? What do guardian angels do? Do I have one? Does it have a name? Can I name it?
All these questions and more answered today by Fr. Mike Schmitz.
Sermon Notes – February 4, 2024 – “Stop Rearranging the Deck Chairs on the Titanic!”
“Stop Rearranging the Deck Chairs on the Titanic!”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 3 – 4, 2024
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39
Today, I want to talk about “change.” When I’m making my rounds at the VA hospital, I see veterans who have a problem with the bottle. They are hooked to a banana bag which means they are being weaned off alcohol. I ask them how they’re doing, they usually say “Good.” Uh-Huh . . . you look it. Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? “Yes sir.” Okay, do you want to be happy? “Yes sir.” Well, there’s only one thing you have to change. “What’s that sir?” Everything. “Oh.” And that’s true. “Well, maybe things would be better if I moved.” No, because wherever you live, you’ll be there. Things are not going to be better unless you change.
That’s what our Lord asks of us. “Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Do you want to experience the fullness of My love and joy in this world instead?” Yeah! I’m in. “Then leave everything behind, forsake everything, and come follow Me.” Now that’s hyperbole and doesn’t mean leaving your parents on their deathbed. It means a full renunciation of the will and following Him. We might think that some of the things our Lord asks us to do are stupid. So being the bright people we think we are, we always try to renegotiate the contract. “What do you mean I can be married only once?” That’s what Christ said. “Marriage is between a male and a female. I wrote that down for you a long time ago. Apparently, you skipped school that day. You need to learn it.” “What do you mean I have to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Eucharist?” “Yes, that’s what I said.” “What do you mean I have to go to Confession?” “That’s what I said. The Apostles were given the power to forgive sins, and they can only forgive what they hear.” “What do you mean I have to suffer? Come down from the Cross, and we will believe You. We don’t want any suffering.” No, no, no. We are always trying to renegotiate the deal. Renounce yourself instead of trying to change everything. “I’ve given you the means to change through the Sacraments. I’ve given you my teachings to watch over and to reassure you that I am with you always.”
When I had my physical last week, I sensed the presence of my guardian angel. Know how that happened? When I got on the scale [groan], I could see with my peripheral vision that his foot was on the scale. Got a sense of humor that one! Nothing personal; it’s just business with him. So, we have to change, and it’s a long, prolonged process. But He offers His grace through the Sacraments, prayer, and mortification so that we can change ourselves and not be disheartened by our failures. In addition to giving us the power to change, the Sacraments also give us the power to bear the weight of the cross and to bear the damage done by our sins and the sins of others that have caused disillusionment and sadness. He gives us that power that we may have the fullness of joy.
There has been a lot of change in the Church. However, we always try to change the wrong things. If you’ve been around the Church as long as I have, you remember when the Mass was changed from Latin to English. Instead of the Mass being said in one language, we have it in five or six languages every Sunday. Well, that’s not working out. We moved the confessionals to reconciliation rooms. That also didn’t work out well. It’s like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. We’ll change things and make them better. Remember the guitar Masses? They were great, huh? It was terrible music! My goodness, I’m not Father Hippie!
We change the wrong things. Do not change the Sacraments. Instead, let the Sacraments change us. Christ calls us to change, but He doesn’t need to. When we begin the process of changing, is it always joyful? No. However, it is a progression in love. Lasting joy will only come when we are in Heaven. But He gives us joy and the power to change. He also gives us the power to pick up our cross every day and to follow Him. Change is not as frightening as you think. The devil tries to scare us: “Oh, my goodness! Change is terrible! You’re going to hate it!” That’s just him trying to frighten us. People who have addictions are afraid of change because misery is all they have known, but when they change and leave the misery behind, they praise God.
When we begin to change, we want immediate results like turning on a light switch. It’s like me when I got out of bed this morning and just stared at the coffee pot. I was tempted to put my mouth under the coffee filter and drink it that way. It would save me from having to wash a coffee cup. Change is a slow process. Doctors tell their patients that they didn’t get sick overnight, so they aren’t going to get better overnight. But don’t be afraid of the process. It always works.
Father’s Reflections . . . I worked at the VA hospital on Friday for a few hours, and it was very interesting. Two veterans received their celestial discharge which I had expected. Then we had another veteran who was there for rehab, and he also received his discharge . . . into the custody of the VA police. He was arrested on three felony charges. Bye-Bye! After that, I looked at the roster and saw a good Catholic name. So, I went to see him in the Memory Loss Unit. As I was talking to him, he said he was 98 years old. I asked him where he was from, and he said New Jersey. I was pretty sure he was Italian because his name ended with an “i”. Now I wasn’t racial profiling, but it was a good guess. I asked him, “You know a guy?” And he said, “Yeah, I know a guy.” I know a guy too!
I try to swing by the Emergency Room while I’m at the VA. Sometimes I see people there whose faces are black and blue. So, I’ll start talking to them and ask, “Didn’t the military teach you how to fight? Which branch were you in?” If they say the Navy or Air Force, I’ll say, “Well, that explains it!” Sissy boys. I swear, I have way too much fun there!
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” 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.”