Tag: Hospice

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Sermon Notes – October 26, 2025 – Our Gifts Belong to God

“Our Gifts Belong to God”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 25 – 26, 2025

Gospel: Luke 18: 9-14

When I talk to other priests, they can make me feel a little inferior.  These men are extremely gifted.  Some are exorcists.  I can’t tell you who they are because if I did, I’d have to kill you.  Nothing personal; it’s just business.  One priest is a Dr. of Canon Law and another who has a Ph.D. is a professor of Homiletics.  Some know multiple languages and others have been missionaries.  I don’t have the intellectual achievements or accomplished the great things they’ve done in their lives.  I have only one real gift – I’m a good hospitalist.  I don’t get sick in hospitals.  However, a lot of my brother priests are not very comfortable in hospitals. 

Why does God give us gifts?  Does He have to?  No.  He gives us gifts because He loves us.  The gifts He gives us may seem small, but they are all large.  They are sufficient for helping us achieve our salvation and to help others achieve theirs.  I’ve worked in a trauma center and in military hospitals overseas.  No problem; I have a strong stomach.  Doctors would let me watch medical procedures.  Watching the doctors at work was really cool, although it does help to have a strong stomach.  There are smells you would not believe, and neither Lysol nor Vicks Vapor rub helps to dissipate them.   God gave me the ability to endure the smells so that I can do the work of a hospital chaplain. 

There was a gentleman in Hospice who asked to speak with me.  I had talked to him once before, but he was back at the hospital, and his cancer was very much advanced.  He told me that it was his fault because he was supposed to come back to have his colon checked and he never did.  The cancer had spread from his colon to his brain and had become external.  External cancer is a real treat for the senses.  I had been visiting with this patient for about 10 minutes when a nurse came into the room and sprayed a whole can of Lysol.   I appreciated the thought, but the Lysol didn’t touch the smell.  But I sat there and listened to this man because it was important to him.  Was it important to me?  Yes, because it was what I was supposed to do.  I was using my talent.  I could stand the smell of that dying man.  A lot of priests could not do that.   God gave me that talent, and I thank Him for it.  I am not very good at many things, and I’m terrible at a lot of them.   I’m not a good administrator, ask anybody.  I thank God for the good people of this parish who are great at all the things that I am not because it makes me look barely competent.  The gifts God gave me are for the good of others.  They are not for me. 

I baptized a man in Hospice.  His wife told me that her husband, who was nearing the end, had never been baptized.  Really?  I asked him if he wanted to be baptized, and he said “yes.”  His wife belonged to a church that had to vote on the people to be baptized.  So, I said if their church voted in favor of his being baptized, that I would baptize him there at the VA.  When I returned the following week, I asked the wife how the vote went at her church. The wife said the church voted for her husband to be baptized.  Okay. So, I baptized him right there.  “Oh, but he wasn’t Catholic!”  We’ll let God sort it out since he will be with Him.  My goodness!  Stop pole vaulting over mouse droppings.  This guy was just about ready to meet his Maker, and he wanted to put on his baptismal garments, so I was going to help him.  God gave me the gift of being there for this patient at that time. 

I am very grateful for God’s gifts, and I remind myself that those gifts are to be used for His people.  They are not for me or my ego.  I am humble because I wish I could do more, but I can’t.  I’ve done very little for the sake of our God.  I miss my work at the hospital, and I miss the patients, but I can’t do it anymore.  I’m too tired.  Like any old man, my mind writes checks my body can’t cash. 

The gifts I have belong to God.  He gave them to me so that I could help His people on their way to salvation.  The same is true for all the gifts that God has given you.  At the end of the day, thank Him for the gifts He has given you, whatever they may be, and realize that we are just conduits of His love.

Father’s Reflections: A few years ago, I had an appointment with my doctor.  It was during Covid, so to check in, I had to sit in my car and send a text to the staff to let them know I was there.  The staff would then send a form to my phone to complete.  On the form was this question: “In case of emergency, who should we notify?”  My appointment was with a dermatologist.  Really?   How bad can this be?  So, I wrote: “In case of emergency, contact “Dr. House.” 

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.”

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Sermon Notes – October 26, 2025 – Our Gifts Belong to God

“Our Gifts Belong to God”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 25 – 26, 2025

Gospel: Luke 18: 9-14

When I talk to other priests, they can make me feel a little inferior. These men are extremely gifted.  Some are exorcists.  I can’t tell you who they are because if I did, I’d have to kill you.  Nothing personal; it’s just business.  One priest is a Dr. of Canon Law, and another who has a Ph.D. is a professor of Homiletics.  Some know multiple languages, and others have been missionaries.  I don’t have the intellectual achievements or accomplished the great things they’ve done in their lives.  I have only one real gift – I’m a good hospitalist.  I don’t get sick in hospitals.  However, a lot of my brother priests are not very comfortable in hospitals. 

Why does God give us gifts?  Does He have to?  No.  He gives us gifts because He loves us.  The gifts He gives us may seem small, but they are all large.  They are sufficient for helping us achieve our salvation and to help others achieve theirs.  I’ve worked in a trauma center and in military hospitals overseas.  No problem; I have a strong stomach.  Doctors would let me watch medical procedures.  Watching the doctors at work was really cool, although it does help to have a strong stomach.  There are smells you would not believe, and neither Lysol nor Vicks Vapor rub helps to dissipate them.   God gave me the ability to endure the smells so that I can do the work of a hospital chaplain. 

There was a gentleman in Hospice who asked to speak with me.  I had talked to him once before, but he was back at the hospital, and his cancer was very much advanced.  He told me that it was his fault because he was supposed to come back to have his colon checked and he never did.  The cancer had spread from his colon to his brain and had become external.  External cancer is a real treat for the senses.  I had been visiting with this patient for about 10 minutes when a nurse came into the room and sprayed a whole can of Lysol.   I appreciated the thought, but the Lysol didn’t touch the smell.  But I sat there and listened to this man because it was important to him.  Was it important to me?  Yes, because it was what I was supposed to do.  I was using my talent.  I could stand the smell of that dying man.  A lot of priests could not do that.   God gave me that talent, and I thank Him for it.  I am not very good at many things, and I’m terrible at a lot of them.   I’m not a good administrator, ask anybody.  I thank God for the good people of this parish who are great at all the things that I am not because it makes me look barely competent.  The gifts God gave me are for the good of others.  They are not for me. 

I baptized a man in Hospice.  His wife told me that her husband, who was nearing the end, had never been baptized.  Really?  I asked him if he wanted to be baptized, and he said “yes.”  His wife belonged to a church that had to vote on the people to be baptized.  So, I said if their church voted in favor of his being baptized, that I would baptize him there at the VA.  When I returned the following week, I asked the wife how the vote went at her church. The wife said the church voted for her husband to be baptized.  Okay. So, I baptized him right there.  “Oh, but he wasn’t Catholic!”  We’ll let God sort it out since he will be with Him.  My goodness!  Stop pole vaulting over mouse droppings.  This guy was just about ready to meet his Maker, and he wanted to put on his baptismal garments, so I was going to help him.  God gave me the gift of being there for this patient at that time. 

I am very grateful for God’s gifts, and I remind myself that those gifts are to be used for His people.  They are not for me or my ego.  I am humble because I wish I could do more, but I can’t.  I’ve done very little for the sake of our God.  I miss my work at the hospital, and I miss the patients, but I can’t do it anymore.  I’m too tired.  Like any old man, my mind writes checks my body can’t cash. 

The gifts I have belong to God.  He gave them to me so that I could help His people on their way to salvation.  The same is true for all the gifts that God has given you.  At the end of the day, thank Him for the gifts He has given you, whatever they may be, and realize that we are just conduits of His love.

Father’s Reflections:  A few years ago, I had an appointment with my doctor.  It was during Covid, so to check in, I had to sit in my car and send a text to the staff to let them know I was there.  The staff would then send a form to my phone to complete.  On the form was this question: “In case of emergency, who should we notify?”  My appointment was with a dermatologist.  Really?   How bad can this be?  So, I wrote: “In case of emergency, contact “Dr. House.” 

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.”

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Sermon Notes – That 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 Thing

“That 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 Thing”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 22 – 23, 2021


Gospel:  John 20:19-23

Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost which is when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles.  It’s also the birthday of the Church.  Now, let me ask you a question.  When did you first receive the Holy Spirit?  At Baptism.  Remember, when I baptize you, it is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  When is the next time you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?  At Confession.  After that?  Holy Communion.  Now, you may be thinking, “You also receive the Holy Spirit at Confirmation.”  Yeah, you do.  You receive Jesus, and you receive God the Father. That 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 thing.  You receive the fullness of the Spirit.  In each Sacrament, you receive the whole God.

The Sacraments are given for different purposes depending on your particular mission in the Body of Christ.  At Baptism, you were given the gift of God Himself.  In each Sacrament, you get the gift of the whole God…not just a slice of Him.  You get the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  In Baptism, Christ asked for, and you, through your parents, gave Him your human nature.  The human nature He took from Mary in the body He was born with, taught with, healed with, suffered with, and redeemed us with is now in Heaven.  So, how does He continue His mission to teach, heal, and sanctify the world?  It goes on through us by living a good Catholic life.  In whatever part of the Body of Christ He has assigned us, we work for His glory and the salvation of souls.  So, if you are in hell, you are a self- made man. 

Christ takes our human nature at Baptism, so, we are part of His new body which is the Church.   Each of us has a place in the body of Christ to do the work of bringing Him to the world.  Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, He helps us accomplish that mission.  There are seven gifts (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) and 12 fruits (charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long-suffering, humility, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity).  The whole purpose of giving us the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments is to bring God’s love to the world and to make that love manifest in whatever part of the Body we are in.  The graces of the Holy Spirit strengthen us so that we can carry out that mission.   

Part of my job as a priest is working at the veterans’ hospital in Hospice.  Hospice is a part of the hospital where people who are very sick and in the last six months of their lives are cared for by specially trained doctors and nurses.  They have all sorts of terrible diseases.  We had one patient who had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy which is a rare disease that the patient contracted while working as a doctor in Vietnam.  His brain turned into jelly, and there is no treatment.  It’s so sad.  The hospice staff try to make their patients as comfortable and pain-free as possible.  A few years ago, there was a nice area with a kitchen and dining room where hospice patients could come out of their rooms and eat together.  Other veterans from across the hospital would come down and have lunch with them.  It was so much fun to laugh and talk with them.  I would pick up trays and do whatever I could for them.  You know what a sign of God’s love looks like?  There was a hospice patient at the luncheon who couldn’t feed himself…he was that sick.  Another man who, after this incident died about two weeks later, was also at the luncheon.  But, instead of eating his own lunch, he spent that time feeding the patient who couldn’t feed himself.  One would think that if you’re dying, it would be all about you.  But, this is what God’s love looks like.  This was an act of the Holy Spirit.  The staff would have fed that patient, but he did it.  He didn’t have to do it, but he wanted to.  He made sure that man ate before he did.  That is a sign of the Holy Spirit in action and God’s love is in the world. 

Another thing they have done in Hospice, and hopefully will do again once COVID is over, is that when veterans are actively dying and don’t have family members there, volunteers come and sit with them all night and all day so that they don’t have to die alone. Usually, the veterans are very old and don’t have anybody.  But, a veteran should never die alone. In the military, you never leave a fallen comrade.  I’ve always thought that this is a sign of Christ, along with their guardian angel, being with them as they leave this life. You see the love of Christ in those volunteers.  They don’t need to teach us…their actions teach us everything.  It’s all through the promptings of the Holy Spirit who moves and works within us – not always the way want; otherwise, I’d be a monsignor! 

I’ll tell you a story about the nursing staff.  Don’t let this get back to them.  World War II veterans are very old, and when they are nearing the time of their passing, all of the memories of what they had to do during the war come back.  Mine will come back too when it’s my time.  It’s just part of what we went through.  It comes back for a lot of the men who saw combat.  Many times, it was their wives who helped them keep it all together, and if their wives are no longer with them, it’s a real hardship for them.  I remember this one man who was in his nineties and about to leave us asked the nurse if she would hold his hand until he fell asleep.  The memories had come back, and his wife had done that for him.  That’s not in any nurse’s job description.  But, she sacrificed her own time to sit with that man while he faced his nightmares.  I’ve sat with veterans as they were passing from this life…that’s what we do.  We offer spontaneous acts of love.  I’ve seen you do it.  Your acts of generosity are acts of the Holy Spirit.  You are showing Christ’s love.  If you ask anyone why they do it, they would probably say that they don’t know, but it felt like the right thing to do.  Do they get paid for it?  No.  It was just the right thing to do.  These are the actions of the Holy Spirit using our human natures to show Christ’s love to the world.  But, so that we can repeat these acts of love, we must be refreshed in the Holy Spirit by frequently participating in the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion. 

What is so beautiful about these acts of love is that you do it without thinking.  It’s just a normal response.  You don’t stop and think about what you should or shouldn’t do…you just do it.  That’s the action of the Holy Spirit letting the Spirit work in you to bring the love of Christ to the world.  And, believe it or not, someone will see and be taught God’s word simply through your acts of love                                                                                                      

How will you apply this message to your life? Refresh yourself in the Holy Spirit by frequently participating in the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion

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 page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.