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Sermon Notes – February 11, 2024 – “Forget as God Forgets”
“Forget as God Forgets”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
February 10 – 11, 2024
Gospel: Mark 1:40-45
Today’s reading is from the Old Testament in the book of Leviticus, and it’s about leprosy. Anyone who had leprosy was required to shout, “Unclean, unclean!” This reminded me of the pandemic a couple of years ago when people got hyped up if someone contracted the disease, “Covid, Covid!” It is not terminal.
I’m going to give you some philosophical continuing credit. What is a primary virtue? The primary virtue is justice. Why justice? Because justice is the virtue that orders all the other virtues to their necessary and proper end which is Almighty God. So, when we are talking about the budget and how we have billions and billions of dollars to allocate, we are talking about real money. “We’ll allocate this much here and this much there.” Now think about justice. I, Stump, and many others in the parish are combat veterans. We don’t get free medical care, and I even retired from the Army. Un-uh Un-uh Un-uh. If I tried to get a benefit, I’d have to prove it was connected to my Army service. It’s easier to go before the Supreme Court than it is to get the VA to recognize a disability due to military service. So, we don’t give justice to our military service members, but we are giving away billions and billions of dollars to people who enter the United States illegally. But those of us who are citizens not so much.
One thing in the spiritual life that most of us don’t think about is that we are called to be like God in all things. That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? But that would be tough because God is perfection of all attributes and virtues. That would be kind of difficult for us to attain. But we try. There is one aspect of our lives which is very important for us to concentrate on and that is our memory. Now I don’t mean you have to remember every password on every device you own. The memory of a spiritual person needs to be both good and bad. “Okay Father, explain that.” I’m glad you asked. Your memory has to be bad like God’s memory is bad. “How is God’s memory bad?” Well, He says in the Old Testament, “I will put your sins behind you. Your sins are remembered no more” (Ezekiel 18:22). So, God forgives and forgets. We are called to forget our sins that have been forgiven and to let them go. And, to not remember the sins that others may or may not have committed against us just like God does.
We also need a perfect memory so that we can remember the love and mercy God has shown us by forgiving our sins, giving us the gift of His very Self in the Sacraments, and the promise of eternal life. We are called to show that same mercy and love to His people. A perfect memory manifests itself in the Prayers of Thanksgiving. Be grateful for what you have. My theme for Lent this year is, “Someday, tomorrow will begin without us.” The other morning, I was hearing first confessions from children at Saint Luke’s. They are so young, so I don’t make them spend a lot of time in the confessional. A lot of them said that they had hurt their parents, brothers, and sisters. I told them, “Remember, your time with them is so small. Cherish the time you have with them, because you will miss that time when they are gone. They may be difficult at times, and if you had a brother like mine, you would understand that. If you had a brother like me, you would also understand. But cherish them as God cherishes us.”
God promises to be with us as long as we don’t throw Him out of our souls through mortal sins or repeated venial sins. We have our Lord’s protection, and we get pretty upset if something happens to us that we didn’t expect, and it ruins our plans. Saint Teresa of Avila said to our Lord, “If this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder why You have so few of them!” But we will never know how much evil God has protected us from for ourselves, our families, and our loved ones. We will never know until we see Him face-to-face when all things will be made present and known. We do not know but God does. Just think of the things you have been protected from, and you haven’t died yet, have you? A lot of my classmates did not reach my age nor did my twin brother. I always thought I’d be the first to go because I’ve been to some bad places. To my own credit, it seemed like a good idea at the time. We do not know the threats God has protected us from, how much love He has given us, and the gifts He has given us as a result of our prayers. Perhaps they were not the ones we asked for but were better ones. This is how we must work on our memory. The most important part of a bad memory is forgetting oneself for the love of God. We must forget ourselves. Our Lord said, “Leave everything behind and come follow Me.” The most important thing in spiritual life is memory.
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.”
The Catechism in a Year – Day 318 – Love for the Poor
The Church’s charity for the poor is a “part of her constant tradition.” Fr. Mike unpacks how the poor are the “true treasure of the Church.” He emphasizes that when we give to the poor what they need, we satisfy the requirements of justice. He also reiterates the importance of mercy and showing mercy to others. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2443-2449.
Click on link: https://youtu.be/tL8m3nngKYM?si=6vU60w51pbx-1OFv
The Catechism in a Year – Day 301 – Peace
Peace is not simply an absence of war. Fr. Mike breaks down the Catechism’s teachings about peace as the “work of justice and the effect of charity.” We learn that to cultivate true peace, we must do more than avoid anger, hatred, and harm to our neighbor; we must actively work toward becoming agents of peace. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2302-2306.
Click on link: https://youtu.be/oo20tQVCPXY?si=0h86A2PxpHjrw9y3
The Catechism in a Year – Day 241 – The Cardinal Virtues
A virtuous person is someone who consistently chooses the good. Fr. Mike unpacks the four human or cardinal virtues that are essential in helping us become more like Jesus: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. We learn that these four virtues make possible “ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life.” Today’s Catechism readings are paragraphs 1803-1811.
CLick on link: https://youtu.be/9nW9oIFuFEo?si=EFe5nAffJUK3L1YA
Sermon Notes – July 25 – We Repeat What We Do Not Repair
“We Repeat What We Do Not Repair”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 24 – 25, 2021
Gospel: John 6:1-15
It is said that lessons must be repeated until they are learned which means, for most of us, lessons need to be constantly repeated. Sometimes, you think you’ve learned a lesson, but you learned it incorrectly. Other times, we see things and know right away this means this and that means that. We’ve taken something away from the lesson that wasn’t really there. Oops! We need to be better students and learners. Do you know which virtue “learning” is connected to? Justice. I remember one man, a seminarian and now a priest, who asked me for advice. I told him to always take his books into the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. If you are going to read about the Man, then be with the Man. Good idea…I have a few now and again.
In the story about God’s miracle involving the loaves and fishes, 5,000 men were there who could not find places to sit…that’s a lot of men. There were no women and children there…apparently, they had not been vaccinated. Now, this scripture was written in Hebrew, so 5,000 was a number beyond all counting… an infinite number. Philip told our Lord that “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little bit.” So, was Philip like Stuart Varney, a market watcher? Did he watch the market and know the cost of food? No, Philip was using a hyperbole…a number beyond comprehension. After everyone had eaten, the apostles collected 12 baskets of leftover food. The number 12 is another mystical number in Hebrew representing the 12 nations of Israel. So, it was a huge number beyond counting, demonstrating the power of Christ and what He can do. And, what did they learn from the miracle? They learned the wrong thing. They thought He was the “bread king.” “Hey, He fed us, so He’s going to give us stuff we didn’t have to work for. Cool! We will make Him king, and we’ll get all the stuff we want.” This was another temptation of Christ. Remember, the first temptation? After spending 40 days of fasting in the desert, Satan said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” After seeing the miracle with the loaves and fishes, did people want holiness and their souls filled? No, they wanted their stomachs filled. They wanted stuff. The temptation of Christ was to give people stuff even though He came for the salvation of souls. First things first.
People come every day and want stuff from the church. Their stories are really fun, but it’s not what we can give. In Acts, Peter said, “Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, I give you. Pick up your mat and walk.” At first, even the apostles didn’t get the lesson. He came down to redeem you. That was the lesson to take away. After all the miracles our good Lord did, how many were there with Him at the end? They did not learn the lesson until they were enlightened by grace. They had the knowledge, because they had heard Him. They weren’t idiots, but they didn’t know what the knowledge meant. This is when we have to go to prayer to listen and to be enlightened. You may have the knowledge, but that doesn’t guarantee you know what it means.
I was reading an article this morning about the old Latin Mass. “People did not participate in the Latin Mass.” Or, in the order of the Mass we do now, “People must participate. They have to run up and down the aisle. We have to do a better job.” I say, at best, that is blasphemy and at worst, it’s sacrilegious, because you know nothing about the Mass. If you took a picture at Calvary, how many people were running around? Do you think the Blessed Mother was crucifying Jesus? No. They stood there and shared in His suffering. They became part of His suffering through love. Whose human nature suffered on the cross? The Blessed Mother’s. Whose human nature suffered along with Him? That of Saint John the Apostle, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. This is what the faithful do, because in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, you give your human nature to me, as the priest functioning in the person of Christ, and you are just like Saint John, Mary, and Mary at the cross suffering with Christ. You cannot get more participation than that. The people who say these things never offered Mass, and they probably aren’t priests. If they are, they are stupid ones. When I offer Mass in nursing homes, I don’t get much singing and all that. Sometimes, the mentally challenged residents will yell out during Mass, “Father, I have an idea!” We’ll talk about it after Mass. Do they participate? Yes, as much as they can.
People have heard the lesson and they have the knowledge, but they have no idea what it means. In order to have knowledge, we have to be humble, and we have to become small. As Saint Therese of Lisieux said, “When I am small, I am safe.” We must surrender to judgement. Sometimes, we tell God, “I cannot do this…I don’t understand.” Well, I don’t understand a lot of things. Each day I’m mystified by something, and that’s okay. I don’t have to understand everything. I know a lot of bright people I can call up or text, not while I’m driving, and probably get some guidance. Why does God allow this? Why did God allow this to happen? It’s always good to ask, not for understanding, but for the strength to bear what we cannot endure. Sometimes, our lives and our crosses seem too much to bear. To learn the proper lessons our Lord is teaching us today is a precursor to the Eucharist. Lord, speak for your servant is listening.
How will you apply this message to your life? You may have the knowledge, but do you know what it means? Go to prayer to listen and to be enlightened.
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.
Saint of the Day – March 19th
Saint Joseph’s Story
The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts.
When the Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone, it means that God, the all-holy or “righteous” one, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her. In other words, God is not playing games, acting as if we were lovable when we are not.
By saying Joseph was “just,” the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God.
The rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage.
It is no contradiction of Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to divorce Mary when she was found to be with child. The important words of the Bible are that he planned to do this “quietly” because he was “a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame” (Matthew 1:19).
The just man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in marrying Mary, in naming Jesus, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt, in bringing them to Nazareth, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage.
Reflection
The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to appear, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary…?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b).
Saint Joseph is the Patron Saint of:
Belgium
Canada
Carpenters
China
Fathers
Happy death
Peru
Russia
Social Justice
Travelers
Universal Church
Vietnam
Workers
//Franciscan Media//
Sermon Notes – No Justice…No Peace?
“No Justice…No Peace?”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
September 19-20, 2020
Scripture: Matthew 20: 28-32
We often see around the church, especially during this political season, all these signs about “No Justice…No Peace.” If we don’t get justice, we’ll have no peace. But, that’s not true. It’s not true theologically. In the real world, you really don’t want justice….what you want is mercy. For example, if the cops give you a blue light special and write you an “I love Stanly County” donation/ticket, you might be a bit upset. “Oh! No, no, please…my mother’s sick!” You don’t want justice. But, justice is that you were speeding, so you got a citation, and you paid the fine. That’s justice. We don’t want justice, because when we get justice, we aren’t very happy at all. We want mercy which is the fullest expression of God’s love. The greatest experience of God’s love is when He forgives and forgets all of our sins. Those of us who may not have committed dreadful sins as others have…at least not yet…we have a gift for which we should be thanking God.
Spiritually, we have no idea how heinous and egregious our sins are. That’s why I visit the sick, because receiving Last Rites is so important. That’s also why it is essential to call a priest near the hour of someone’s death…preferably before that, while they’re still conscious…so they can talk. Sometimes, I get a call from the family…”Oh, they died two hours ago.” But, it’s too late…they’ve passed now. Those who get to receive Last Rites experience God’s mercy, and having had moments of terror all the way up to the moment of death, they can now be at peace. The Four Horsemen of death, war, plague and famine are gone. They got to experience God’s mercy at the time of their passing. They heard God’s words of love preached over them, and they had the chance to say, “I love you Lord and I’m sorry for everything I’ve done wrong.” And, that is sufficient because of God’s grace, even for those who have lived very colorful lives, and some of them have been quite colorful. But, now they have peace. I refer you to the poem by Francis Thompson, “The Hound of Heaven”…look it up. If you’ve never had an experience with the Four Horsemen, I pray that you never do. Pray for those who still see them.
Our Lord said from the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” This so-called demand for justice blinds us. Look at the workmen in the Gospel. These men were working, but were not grateful even though, by working, they had the ability to feed their wives and children. Almost everyone back then was married and had lots of children. These men had a chance to feed their families. Were they grateful to the man who hired them? “Hey…thank you for helping me feed my family!” Nope. But, those men standing around and who had not been hired were most grateful. They had been terrified all day thinking that they would have no money, no food…nothing…for their families and that their children would cry and their wives would complain. Instead, they experienced God’s great mercy. Until then, they had experienced the terror, fear, bewilderment, and darkness that occurs when the Four Horsemen come.
So, these men have been standing there all day…idle; they don’t have their own business, and they have no other source of income. They are day laborers, and they got hired. The Gospel related that none of them thanked the man for hiring them. Justice…it blinds us. It also causes a lack of compassion and self-centeredness. The men hired at the end of the day now have a chance to feed their families. They got a full day’s pay, so they were able to go home and feed their wives and children and provide them clothes. The other workmen did not care. They were not grateful for the opportunity to earn a day’s wage and feed their own families. These schmucks had no compassion for the suffering of the people dependent on those men. They also had no compassion for their interior agony. Again, our Lord’s words from the Cross were “My God, my God, why have You abandoned Me.” The Four Horsemen were with the men that day. They had been terrified they would have to go home to their wives and children with empty hands. The other guys couldn’t have cared less. And, they weren’t going to pony up some money for them. No, they just wanted more. “But, that’s justice!” No. You haven’t learned anything about this, have you. God reveals Himself through His mercy. The greatest experience of God’s love is the experience of His mercy, and that mercy is always spelled out for us. God’s mercy is where His love resides. There are two ways to experience the greatness of God’s love – by receiving His mercy and by never losing His love by sinning.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you stop insisting on justice and instead ask for His mercy? Will you pray for those who are dealing with the Four Horsemen?
The Bible in a Year – Day 40 – Laws of Justice
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 40: Laws of Justice
Today, Fr. Mike explains how God’s heart is revealed through his commandments, and how we are all called to a life of justice, as we read from Exodus 22, Leviticus 15, and Psalm 76.
Click on link:
The Bible in a Year – Day 67 – God’s Justice and Refuge
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 67: God’s Justice and Refuge
Fr. Mike breaks down God’s divine judgement, and the refuge he offers to those who are faithful to him. Today’s readings are Numbers 18, Deuteronomy 19-20, and Psalm 99.
Click on link: