Tag: knowledge

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Sermon Notes – May 7, 2023 – Lack of Knowledge is Not the Problem


Lack of Knowledge is Not the Problem

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 6 – 7, 2023

Gospel: John  14:1-12

Saint Thomas said, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; How can we know the way?”  Jesus told them the way . . . “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”   And throughout His ministry, He spelled out exactly what we need to do to get to Heaven.  A lack of knowledge is not our problem; otherwise I could give you some books, Liz could give you a quiz, and you’d be done and on your way to Heaven.    If a lack of knowledge was the problem, every bishop, every priest, and every cardinal would be a saint.  They all have those initials after their names.  I have initials after my name, but all that proves is that I can take tests.  Taking the knowledge and applying it is the key.  “We want to do it, but we lack the will.”   No.  It’s not a lack of will.  We want to decide for God what is best for us.  We don’t want to be told, and we don’t want to follow.  It’s also not that we lack the strength to do His Will, because God has given us the means to do His Will by prayer and the Sacraments.    He offers to share His divine life which gives us the power to do what must be done.   We return His love by renouncing ourselves and doing what He asks of us.  To be a follower of Christ, we must renounce our very selves and take up our cross.  “Who said?”   I’m just reading the black part from Scripture.  We must renounce our will and do what Christ has asked us to do.  He doesn’t ask us to make judgement calls on what is right or wrong.  He said, “Do what I ask you to do.”  And He was very plain about it.  He is very precise in His directions about what to do and what not to do. 

What is the biggest impediment to following His Will?  Two words . . .  our will.  “Unless you leave your father and mother you cannot be my disciple.”  Now, He was using hyperbole.  The Fourth Commandment is to take care of your parents when they cannot care for themselves.  “Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and follow me.”   Nope.  Not doing that.  “You can have only one wife until death takes care of her or you.”  Can’t do that either.  The biggest impediment is our will.  But we have to give up our will in order to do His.  Jesus said, “I have come to do the Will of My Father,” and He showed us an example to the point of His suffering and death.  

The most difficult vow a priest takes is obedience.  When I was home, even then I got phone calls because everything is an emergency that only I can handle.  Some day I will take the big “dirt nap” and someone else will have to fill in while someone fills me in up North.  Anyway, the call was from the Chancellor who wanted to know when I was going to schedule vicariate meetings because I’m the vicar and apparently a monsignor too.  I heard that the visiting priest gave me a promotion.  That was awfully nice of him.  I feel really good about myself now!   So, the Chancellor said that Monsignor Winslow wanted me to schedule the meetings.  The Chancellor knew I was away.  I’m on vacation; leave me alone! 
I told the Chancellor that I really couldn’t do it because I was on vacation.  Well, he wouldn’t let it go, and I really wanted to tell him some things that would not have been politically beneficial to me and disobedient.  I knew better.  I would have been out of here in a second.  I’ve got a good gig going here, so I said, “Yes, Monsignor.  I will do it.”   And that’s the hardest part.  It wasn’t the task itself; that was just a phone call and a few notes.  No problem.  It’s the renunciation of the will . . . to imitate Christ and do the Will of the Father. 

There are two parts of the will:  1) objective by following a command by those we owe obedience to and 2) subjective ascent.  Subjective ascent is the hardest of them all.  If you say, “Yes Monsignor.  Yes Monsignor” but in your mind you are thinking, “Take that, Monsignor.”   Don’t let that bad voice come out, otherwise it might not be pleasant.  That’s the hardest part of turning your will over to God.  When Adam and Eve walked with God and talked with God as the old hymn goes, they had one thing to do, and they screwed it up.  And here we are.  It is hard to restrain our will both exteriorly by objective obedience and interiorly by interior sin.  And that’s what we have to work on.  That’s why we pray and do Penance.  “But, I’m not getting anything out of prayer.”  You’re not getting anything out of prayer?  “No.”  Great, you’re not supposed to.  Prayer is a gift for the other.  “I don’t like going to hospitals.  There are sick people there.”   Yeah, I know.  But what the heck, you’re an outpatient and you get to leave.  It’s not about you.  I’d like it to be all about me.  But it’s not. 

You know the way to salvation.  Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”   We imitate Christ which is obedience to the Father by obeying the Father’s Will.  We obey His Will by keeping His Commandments.  Exteriorly, it is very difficult.  Interiorly is the most difficult and that’s what we work on daily, even hourly and minute by minute.  Renunciation of our will is the key to salvation.  It’s not the lack of knowledge.

Father’s Reflections . . .

Yes, I’m back from vacation.  It was an interesting flight.  I overheard a member of the flight crew talking about her plans to kick her boyfriend to the curb.  An in-flight show . . . I like it!   I’ll give you three stories about my vacation.  On the advice of counsel, I can only tell you three.  While on vacation, I did some metal detecting.  I froze my behind out there, but I did find a small key.  I was having fun even though I felt like a frozen popsicle when I got back to the car.  I’ve lost my New England blood.  The other two stories really made me feel my age.  My cousin’s brother gave her $60 to buy lunch for her, my aunt, and me.  We only spent $30.  I must be losing it!   The third story left me shocked and stunned.  I graduated from Providence College in 1975.  The daughter of one of my classmates prepared dinner for a group of us.  We used to call ourselves “The Table.”   I took one look at my former classmates and said, “My God!  I didn’t bring my oils, so I can’t give you all Last Rites!  You guys are old!”  

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” then “Menu” and then “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – January 30 –  “Some are Educated beyond Their Abilities”

“Some are Educated beyond Their Abilities”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

 January 29 – 30, 2022

Gospel: Luke 4:21-30

Jesus knew talented people who did not believe in Him and who wanted to kill Him.  But He couldn’t be killed outside of Jerusalem.  He had to die there. 

A lot of people are educated beyond their abilities.  When do you know that you are educated and have knowledge or are wise?  Is it the letters after your name?  I have letters after my name.  That doesn’t mean I’m bright.  What it means is that I can pass tests.   When you are truly educated, you will also know humility.  That’s because the more you learn, the more you realize that you don’t know everything. 

Those who are truly educated are the ones you find around Christ.  Think about the nativity scene.  Who do you find around Jesus?  You find three kinds of people.  The pure and the innocent – the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph; the very wise – the Wise Men; and the ignorant – the shepherds.   The Wise Men knew they didn’t know everything, but they were humble and listened and were willing to be told to follow the Divine.  The shepherds were ignorant and knew that they did not know anything.  People did not know Jesus, and they did not want to. 

Humility is the fruit of true knowledge.  We know our Lord in humility.  We know that He is love itself.  And when we know Him and love Him, we will keep His commandments.

How will you apply this message to your life? 

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to http://AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”   Sermon notes can also be found on the church Facebook page by searching for “Facebook Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle” 

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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.

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Saint of the Day – April 4th – Saint Isidore of Seville

Saint Isidore (C. 560 – APRIL 4, 636)

The 76 years of Isidore’s life were a time of conflict and growth for the Church in Spain. The Visigoths had invaded the land a century and a half earlier, and shortly before Isidore’s birth they set up their own capital. They were Arians—Christians who said Christ was not God. Thus, Spain was split in two: One people (Catholic Romans) struggled with another (Arian Goths).

Isidore reunited Spain, making it a center of culture and learning. The country served as a teacher and guide for other European countries whose culture was also threatened by barbarian invaders.

Born in Cartagena of a family that included three other sibling saints—Leander, Fulgentius and Florentina—he was educated by his elder brother, whom he succeeded as bishop of Seville.

An amazingly learned man, he was sometimes called “The Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages” because the encyclopedia he wrote was used as a textbook for nine centuries. He required seminaries to be built in every diocese, wrote a Rule for religious orders, and founded schools that taught every branch of learning. Isidore wrote numerous books, including a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a history of Goths, and a history of the world—beginning with creation! He completed the Mozarabic liturgy, which is still in use in Toledo, Spain. For all these reasons, Isidore has been suggested as patron of the Internet. Several others—including Anthony of Padua—also have been suggested.

He continued his austerities even as he approached age 80. During the last six months of his life, he increased his charities so much that his house was crowded from morning till night with the poor of the countryside.

Reflection

Our society can well use Isidore’s spirit of combining learning and holiness. Loving, understanding and knowledge can heal and bring a broken people back together. We are not barbarians like the invaders of Isidore’s Spain. But people who are swamped by riches and overwhelmed by scientific and technological advances can lose much of their understanding love for one another.

Saint Isidore of Seville is the Patron Saint of:

Internet
Computers

//Franciscan Media//

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Meditation of the Day – Every Good Thing Will Be Yours

“If you wish to explore the Holy Scripture, and you overcome your laziness and apply yourself, thirsting for the knowledge, then every good thing will be yours. You will fill your mind with the divine light. Then, when you apply that light to the doctrines of the Church, you will very easily recognize everything that is true and unadulterated, and lay it up in the hidden treasures of your soul.”— St. Cyril of Alexandria, p. 167

//The Catholic Company//