Tag: Heart

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Sermon Notes – Violence is a Problem of the Heart

“Violence is a Problem of the Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 17-18, 2019

Scripture: Luke 12:49-53

I have heard it said that Jesus preached nonviolence. On the contrary…He preached violence against self for the sake of the Kingdom. He preached violence against evil. For example, He taught that “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:30). That seems fairly violent to me. Violence has been in our world since the time of Cain and Able. Sampson slew 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, and David killed Goliath with a single stone. However, violence can be a good thing when it stops other acts of sin. Avoiding sin helps draw us closer to God. Saints Francis and Benedict both threw themselves down a hill into a cluster of brambles to avoid sin. They went to any extreme to avoid it. When you have something in your body that doesn’t belong there, like a splinter in the finger, you go crazy and will go to all lengths to remove it.

The cause of violence is in the heart…the wrong stuff is there. Christ should be in people’s hearts; otherwise, the Devil will come in and take possession. We don’t have a problem of violence. Our problem is a lack of God which leads to evil dwelling in the soul. The state of the soul will manifest itself. If evil is present, the signs are: violence; mutilation of self, such as piercings of the lip, tongue, nose, etc.; nudity; and love of sex. Bad parents and enablers often contribute to these manifestations.

It’s not stuff, but Satan that causes violence. Stuff is just stuff. Stuff is not evil…it is morally neutral. Only evil people make stuff evil. Giving people more stuff won’t stop violence…even the filthy rich can be evil. An example is the Epstein case that’s been all over the news lately. What is the cure? Well, it’s not more laws…they don’t stop anything. The cure for violence is not a “what,” but a “Who”, and that is Our Savior.

When a Code Red is called at the Veterans’ Administration (VA) Hospital, four to five security personnel rush to the area to restore order. Are these patients morally bad? Maybe, but, they could be mentally ill. Others are violent because they are evil. Once, we had a patient who had just come out of surgery. He was acting up, because he wanted to go home. His wife told him that he was sick and needed to stay in the hospital. He promised her that he would come back the next day. The surgical staff had a different idea and told him he had to stay.

Some men think they are tough guys. No, they’re not. I didn’t see them in Afghanistan. I know tough guys. My church back home was filled with WWII soldiers…many of them paratroopers. There’s not enough drugs or alcohol to make me do what they did. But, they did what they had to do. That church established a school and a convent, and also produced five priests. Tough men can love Christ too.

Once, while I was serving at St. Gabriel’s parish in Charlotte, the men had prepared breakfast. I was waited on by a man with a German accent who had numbers tattooed on his arm. I knew that meant he had served in Hitler’s Special Forces. This man had served on both the eastern and western fronts. He was a bad man. But, he became a very good Catholic and died in the arms of Christ. So, even though it may take a while, there is hope that even the most evil can be transformed.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you keep Christ in your heart so that Satan cannot take possession? Will you avoid enabling those who have evil in their hearts?

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Sermon Notes – Only God Can Mend a Broken Heart

“Only God Can Mend a Broken Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 3-4, 2019

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

On the first Friday of each month, I visit the prison in Badin. While there, I try out that weekend’s sermon on the prisoners. I am happy to say that today’s sermon is “felon approved.”

Do you know what the seven deadly sins are? Pride, Anger, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Avarice or Greed, and Sloth (PALEGAS). Committing these sins will send us to hell. Actually, we send ourselves to hell by rejecting God. He doesn’t reject us.

We commit the sin of greed when we try to fill the holes in our souls with things that only God can fill. We tell ourselves if we only had more stuff, we would feel better. We think that something instead of someone can fix us. But, even after acquiring a bunch of stuff, we still have that hole in our heart. We are victims of our stuff. Once we strive to be more like God, the desire for things is put into perspective. We may not have as much stuff, but we will be rich beyond measure. My mother’s family was poor, but they practiced the faith, so they were rich. Be greedy only about the things of God by seeking more of them. The beauty is that they are free…the only cost is our love. There is no cost for His.

People aren’t sad because they are poor, so giving them stuff isn’t going to make them feel better. It is not true that having more stuff will make you happy. If that were true, people in prison would be ecstatic. Think about it…prisoners get three hot’s and a cot, as well as free medical and dental care. Even some wealthy people aren’t all that happy. I’ve worked in rich parishes, and I have met some of them.

We are called to enjoy the fruits of our labor. However, money is only a means to an end. We are entitled to take care of our family, charity, and the church. It is our obligation to use cha-ching (money) as a means of furthering the gospel and giving to others. Saint Theresa set the example by providing for people in dire need while also talking to them about the Savior. You may be thinking that you don’t have a lot of cha-ching, so you cannot help anyone. But, you can become rich by receiving graces from God. How? By participating in Mass, praying, going to confession, using holy water, and offering up your suffering to Him, you become rich in the Kingdom of God. Christ will make you a spiritual billionaire. The only cost is time. Then, you can share the graces you receive with others and give them hope in Christ.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you let God heal your broken heart? Will you share the fruits of your labor with those in need? Will you share His graces with others and give them hope in the Savior?

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Sermon Notes – A Change of Heart

“We Need a Change of Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 6-7, 2020

Scripture: John 3: 16-18

It is said that tough times do not make character, but reveals it. And that’s true. We are all going through the pandemic. These are tough times. But, is not going to a high school or college graduation going to scar someone for life? Well, I think sometimes deprivation is a good thing. You should be thankful for deprivation. “Father….you are stranger than normal. What do you mean?” Well, I’m glad you asked. You aren’t getting the same graduation that I got or that my brother got. We got a draft card. We got a letter from the President offering us a federal job. Then we got an opportunity to travel and meet new, exciting people and kill them. So, just think about that. Myrtle Beach is a lot nicer than Fort Bragg, Paris Island, South East Asia, or any other hole the government could send you to. The other night I was talking to a veteran who reminded me of a gentlemen I knew. It was 76 years ago that he got an all-expense paid trip to Normandy in Great Britain. He said, “You know, Father, when I got off the landing craft, the water was still red, and I had to step over the bodies to get to my unit.” We forget. The average age of the soldiers who stormed Normandy was 19. There were bomber pilots who were 20 years old. Don’t get me wrong. I feel bad for those who will miss out on their graduation ceremony, but this isn’t the worst thing that will happen to them in life. It’s time to grow up. Yeah, times are tough, but we’ve been in a lot tougher situations. Put it in to perspective. This is not the worst thing that will happen to them. If it is, they’ve had a very blessed life. Yeah, mourn a little bit, but then come down from the cross…we need the wood.

Now, all of us have probably said at one time or another “They made me mad” or “If they hadn’t done that I wouldn’t be upset and I would not have done this.“ “You made me do that.” No. We think that’s a fair explanation for our poor conduct. Right? That’s true. However, Saint Dorotheus reminds us gently that person only brought out what was already inside us. That anger. That evil. The malevolence was already present. The other person only revealed it. And, if it hadn’t been that person it would have been someone or something else like soup boiling over on the stove – or whatever – it would have come out. As Jesus said, evil comes from inside us…not from outside. Evil is not a “what”. It’s a “who.” Evil is possession of the soul by something that was never meant to be there. Nobody can say, “They made me do it.” That’s not true. We are living through a terrible time of violence, but, where does it come from? It comes from the demonic. Violence is evil and is from satan. It isn’t from poverty, a lack of goods, or anything else. Otherwise we’d all be felons.

We have to change the heart. That’s what our Lord taught. Otherwise, we are doing nothing but rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Evil exists in an evil soul. Buying a new computer or stealing one…”Oh, we’re all better now. We are just fine.” No, they are not going to be fine. You would think that in prison where I go sometimes… but they let me out, I’m only a temporary visitor to the state’s gated community…that would be the perfect place for them. Why? They have everything they need. They have free medical care up to the point of transplants. They have television, a weight room, and three hots which aren’t so hot. But, all of their needs are met. Free clothes. Everything is free. Yet…it’s not so nice in there. There is a lot of violence…but, they have everything they want…all their needs are supplied. Again, we are rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It’s a struggle of the heart…a struggle of the soul.

None of us grew up with a silver spoon in our mouths. I was telling some people last night that my mother dropped out of high school at age 16 to become a live-in maid. Her family was poor. My father helped his uncle deliver milk. He taught me a great lesson in humility. He said, “I did what the horse told me to do.” The horse knew what he was doing. Just follow the horse…the horse made the stops and knew when it was time to go home. Listen to what the horse has to say. But, it’s malevolent people…it’s violence. Remember what Jesus said to Saint Dorotheus… the first sign of evil is violence. That’s why I love watching police shows. A 160 pound guy thinks he is going to take on five heavily armed officers. Really? That’s not going to be a good outcome for you. Evil tries to ensnare you with the three temptations of Christ from the cross. The first is to try to scare you. For example, they are saying, “this is systemic racism.” In Philosophy 101, you learn on the first day that this phrase is a word salad. It has absolutely no meaning. For something to be evil, it can be objective evil but not culpable. For culpable evil, it has to be performed by a moral agent. What is a moral agent? It’s a person. How many types of persons are there? Three. Divine, angelic, and human. To be culpable evil, you must have knowledge and full consent of the will. So, systemic racism does not pass the philosophy test.

Our Lord said you will know them by their fruits. We are supposed to have a Justice and Peace committee in the Parish. There is one in the Diocese. Justice and peace. No justice, no peace. That’s not true either. What kind of justice is in Heaven? The Honor Code? The Muslin Code? Every Friday at noon, hands, heads, and whatever get chopped off. What kind of justice is that? Did our Lord preach that? That didn’t come about until around 40-50 years ago. Nowhere does Jesus Christ say to be just. He said to be holy, and all things will be given to you, and you will have a peace that nobody can take from you. He didn’t say get more stuff and you will have peace that no one can take from you. He said to be holy. I studied the writings of the Church Fathers for a couple years…I really did. I may not remember much, but I know this…they never mention justice…none of them. The writings of the scholastics like Saint Thomas Acquinas are used as a standard at seminary. Nowhere in the angelic doctrine or any other doctrine of the Church does it say justice equals peace. In none of the writings by the Doctors of the Church like Saints Therese de Lisieux and Teresa of Avila, do they ever say that justice equals peace. They didn’t say it. And, my final proof that this is all evil and satanic is based on the demographics of those in military service. Of the 22 veterans who kill themselves every day, at least four of those veterans are black. I haven’t seen anyone take a knee for them.

How will you apply this message to your life? Do you need a change of heart?