“Choose Life”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
June 15-16, 2019
Scripture: John 16: 12-15
The other day, a young man who is working on his masters’ degree stopped by my office to ask me some questions about the Catholic faith. This happens from time to time, but this guy asked me an interesting question. He wanted to know what the Catholic Church has to offer Stanly County. I told him that the beauty of the Catholic faith is that we have the fullness and splendor of truth and the means for salvation. We are blessed. You can look it up in the Catachism. In 2000 years, that has never changed. Small changes have occurred such as the Kleenex hats that women wore at one time, but the teachings of Christ remain.
Unfortunately, many people don’t like the truth, but that doesn’t change it. When Christ told the rich young man he should give his belongings to the poor in order to gain eternal life, the man walked away because he couldn’t handle the truth (Matthew 19:16-22). Did Christ change His mind and call the man back? No. When He told the crowd in Capernaum that they must eat His body and drink His blood so that they could live forever, many of His disciples abandoned Him (John 6:54-66). Did Christ change His mind then? No. Because, the truth is the truth. So, when given the choice, choose life!
God is love, and His nature is love. He offers us salvation and precise ways in which to achieve it. We should be grateful, because we didn’t have to earn it…Christ paid that price for us on the cross. It’s a gift from Him. Do we deserve it? No, but, He gave it to us because He loves us. When we make mistakes, we are called to get up and try again. God loves even the most grievous among us. I visit prison inmates regularly…God loves them too. Some of those felons won’t be leaving prison until they die. Recently, I was talking to two young ladies and I told them that the only person who can drive Christ from your heart is you through sin. It can be hard to keep His commandments. I know, because I think a lot about me, and sometimes what I want is not what He wants for me. But, if we follow His commandments, we can live in His Love. You have probably heard the phrase “What would Jesus do?” The answer is do whatever He tells you.
There is nothing wrong with the Catholic faith. The problem lies in how we practice it. Faith, hope, and charity were infused into us at our baptism and are replenished through the sacraments. But, faith, unless applied, is useless. How do we apply our faith? By being generous to others who are less fortunate. Our generosity is the body of Christ in action.
We are not a small group. There is us and about one billion other Catholics. So, we are not alone, and we pray for one another. We are part of the body of Christ….a community of one. In contrast, Protestant religions are very divided and often consist of a small group of people in a building. In Statesville, there used to be two First Baptist churches…one white and one black. But, our faith is not determined by the color of our skin or our nationalities. We are all Catholic…not Spanish Catholic, French Catholic, or Irish Catholic.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you put your faith in to action by being generous to others who are less fortunate?