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The Catechism begins to explore what it means “to believe” by examining our innate desire for God and all the ways we can come to know him. Fr. Mike grounds us in a refrain he promises to repeat throughout the year—God loves you. Not in an abstract way, but in a concrete, unique way. God knows you, and he wants you to know him. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 26-35.
“You Can Become Young Again”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
December 24-25, 2022
Gospel: John 1:1-18
1 In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him. 4 What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of men; 5 and light shines in darkness, and darkness could not overpower it. 6 A man came, sent by God. His name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, he was to bear witness to the light. 9 The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him. 11 He came to his own and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name 13 who were born not from human stock or human desire or human will but from God himself. 14 The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John witnesses to him. He proclaims: ‘This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.’ 16 Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received — one gift replacing another, 17 for the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
There are so many things I could say about Christmas. I could keep you here for hours, and even though we have padded seats, the mind will only hear what the seat can endure. But there are two things I want to mention about Christmas. One is to be grateful. There are times when we are not grateful. There are things we thought would work out but didn’t. People we love are no longer here. But be thankful for the time that you had with them. I am thankful I had the family that I had. And that’s as much as my attorney will allow me to say about them. But I am grateful for them. The second thing I want to say about Christmas is that we get so much from God which shows His love for us. Always say thank you. So few do. We get busy and distracted at Christmas time with shopping, travel, the weather, and this and that. We listen to the news, and everything is in crisis. Even so, we need to take time to say the Prayer of Thanksgiving which is the last part of the Mass.
I was meditating before church, and I thought of two things that I am very, very grateful for. The first thing is one that not all pastors can say. I am grateful that I am in the greatest parish in the diocese. I have been blessed to be here for 18½ years, and I hope to stay here until they finally put me into the old priest home. I have been with the best parish and the best people in the diocese. And although I say that to the Bishop, I don’t say it to other priests because they would want my parish. Also, you’ve heard the song, “I’ll be Home for Christmas.” One of the greatest Christmas presents I ever got was in January one year. I was in an airplane, and the captain came over the intercom and said, “We have now entered American airspace. Welcome home.” But the greatest gift of all is what lies in the manger and what lies reposed in the Tabernacle. Don’t ask, “What is love?” Love is not a “what.” Love is a “Who.” Love is a person. Instead of looking up and asking where love is, today the world can look down at it. God, Himself, became what He was not. He took upon Himself a human nature. Why? Because He loves us. As we say in theology, God is love. He loved us so much that He came down to take our human nature upon Himself. Through all the years of acts of love, the greatest of them is not His incarnation but His crucifixion, death, and resurrection so that we can share in His love for all eternity. So, we don’t have to ask “what” is love. Love is a “Who.”
People often say, “I like church at Christmas because it smells nice with the incense.” I went to college in the 1970’s, and I know we have a police officer in the crowd, but we don’t have any of that wacky stuff here. It’s still illegal here in North Carolina. But when I was in college there were a lot of different odors going around. Entering the dormitories sometimes made you wonder if you were in a monastery. But how wonderful Christmas can be with the beautiful vestments and decorations. However, it’s deeper than that. We have to look at Christmas with the wonder and awe of a child. Do you know why? Because the eyes of a child are not tainted by sin. Yes, they are tainted because of original sin, but they have few sins and probably no mortal sins. But as we grow up, we become jaded by life’s circumstances. . .by what we have done and what has been done to us. And we become hardened and calloused. But that can all be taken away when we come to the manger. This is a wonderful meditation and many books have been written about it. When non-Catholics see a manger scene, they wonder if it was put there by a Catholic. The manger is a way for us to meditate on the beautiful mystery of the incarnation.
So, how can we see with the eyes of a child? I have the best ophthalmologist in the business, and he cannot fix my eyes. But God can through prayer and the Sacraments. Slowly but surely my eyes will regain the innocence that was lost by my own sin and that of others. With all the world scattered around us, no wonder we believe the worst in people. But the eyes of a child still behold the wonder of Christmas. It’s like married love. I have done wedding anniversaries for people who were 60 years married. “Til death do us part” is not a death sentence that the State gives you. It’s not a waiting game until you are free. You should be more in love after 60 years than you were on your wedding day if you follow the holy way of life. Is it different? Yes. The man probably cannot open cans and jars anymore. He cannot bend steel with his bare hands. He is no longer faster than a speeding bullet or able to leap tall buildings at a single bound. Those days are gone. But the love has changed and is deeper and more profound than on your wedding day. Sixty years of prayer, sacrifice, and the Sacraments enriches it and makes it deeper and more profound because you are growing in Christ and to each other. The same is true with faith. The process of a husband and wife becoming closer is the same process in which we grow closer to God. That love for one another is based on love of God and through God. It is the love for our Lord. Our love for the Lord at the Mass in the Tabernacle can become so much more profound that we can become young again. No, I’m not getting my hair back, and I won’t be running 5-minute miles. But we can become young again, beautiful, and handsome. That happens in the heart. We are transformed by the love of Christ. He shows us how to love Him by loving us.
Our gift of love is much deeper. It is more profound and more childlike. This is God’s Christmas gift to you. What is His gift? Remember the first part of the sermon? It’s not a “what”. It’s a “Who.” God offers us the gift of Himself which is pure love.
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”
//Contemplative Monk//
“Would You Rather Have a Colonoscopy?”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
October 1 – 2, 2022
Gospel: Luke 17:5-10
5 The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ 6 The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you. 7 ‘Which of you, with a servant ploughing or minding sheep, would say to him when he returned from the fields, “Come and have your meal at once”? 8 Would he not be more likely to say, “Get my supper ready; fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat and drink. You yourself can eat and drink afterwards”? 9 Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? 10 So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are useless servants: we have done no more than our duty.” ‘
As a priest I hear a lot of things, and some are more interesting than others. I’ve heard this many times when I ask people why they don’t go to church: “When I was young, I went to church all the time. I prayed all the time. I even ate fish on Fridays.” Eating fish on Fridays was not mandatory. You couldn’t eat meat on Fridays, but fish was not mandatory. “Well, I’ve paid my dues, and now I don’t have to go.” And I say, “Really? You know, when I was young, I took a lot of showers and brushed my teeth a lot. Does that mean I don’t have to do it now?” That’s the attitude of some people. They will give you a laundry list of all the things they’ve done for the church and how great they are. But there is no love there. It’s like you’ve done this huge favor for our Lord by responding to the invitation to Mass and showing up. But where is the “thank you” for the many gifts, God has given us? Where is the gratitude for all the bad things God has prevented from happening to us? I shouldn’t be here. I should be dead. My business locations were interesting, so I should not be here.
The way we talk about religious acts, “I’ve got to go to Mass.” It’s like saying, “I’ve got to get a colonoscopy.” Participating in the Mass is a great act of love for our Savior. Are you really in love with our Lord or are you here so you won’t have to worry about eternal hell fire? Love does not keep track of what it does for the Beloved. Love only regrets it could not have done more.
Father’s Reflections. . .
Some of you have asked how my vacation was and if I had fun. My vacation caused me to have some deep thoughts. I wondered whether I’m getting old or if I’m just getting good at what I do because I didn’t need bail money while I was gone. But my vacations are always…interesting. I’ll give you one story besides the one about the woman who threw up in the aircraft on the flight back – we had a flight and a show, so what the heck – we got it all. It really wasn’t a bad flight. If you have ever flown on a military aircraft there is what’s called a “map of the earth,” and it’s a lot of fun. It’s like riding in an airplane on a roll-a-coaster. You learn to keep whatever you’ve eaten down…or not. Anyway, one morning I was eating breakfast at the diner like usual and I was talking a lady I know, Cindy, who is a paranormal or ghosthunter. She told me about a very old cemetery across the street which dated back to the Revolutionary War. But she was scared to go there. She was once at this cemetery in the daytime, and she heard a voice say, “Get out!” She felt a presence, so she picked up her dog and ran out of the cemetery. I said, “Really! I’ve been all over that cemetery and haven’t encountered anything.” She asked me if I was afraid. I said, “Do you know Who I work for? Are you talking to me? I know a Guy.” She asked me if my sister-in-law and I would go there with her so she could show us the spot. So, we went to the cemetery and she took us to a spot and said, “Right here. This is where it happened.” So I walked behind the gravestone and found another one that was flat and black. I looked down and it was the grave of a young guy who was a member of a biker club. I said, “It might be him. He probably left the planet a little unhappy. It could be him, but who knows.” This is some of the fun that I have. What do you do for fun while on vacation? Something you probably wouldn’t do, but that is just me.
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”
“God Loves Them More Than You Do”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
September 10 – 11, 2022
Gospel: Luke 15: 1-32
The other day I was making my rounds at the VA hospital, and one of the nurses told me that there was a new addition to Hospice. I said “Okay” and I went in to the patient’s room. He didn’t look good at all and won’t make it through the weekend Although they gave him two years in the original diagnosis, his doctors helped him get six years beyond that. He got eight years when he was supposed to have two. That shows you how well medicine works. But now he was on his way to see the Savior. I was talking to his wife and his sister-in-law was also there. Very nice and sweet people. I told them that I needed to ask them some questions because I have to do a Chaplain’s Spiritual Assessment for every patient who comes in. Mostly, it’s creative writing on my part. One of the questions is “Do you have any end-of-life issues?” So how long have you had this chaplain gig? End-of-life issue means end of life. Yeah, I’ve got a real issue with that! Are you crazy? But they want something in the file, so I create a narrative of what’s happening with the patient to make the hospital happy. If they don’t see it, they get a little antsy. So, I asked his wife if he had any particular religion. She said no. Did he go to church when he was able?” No. He was a very interesting man, and I wish I had met him before he became so ill. I may have crossed paths with him in the first Gulf War. His job was explosive ordinance disposal and he disassembled mines and bombs. He wasn’t exactly the nervous type before that – maybe afterward – but not before. He was pretty good at his job because he survived it. And he was blessed because he got a disease – none of us know when we will contract one – and he lived well beyond the original diagnosis. You never know. I told him and his family that I would come back to visit on my afternoon rounds. So, I continued my rounds, visiting other patients. I ran into the nurse practitioner for Hospice, and she asked me if I had seen the new Hospice patient and given him Last Rites. I said, “No, he’s not Catholic. His wife said he is Christian.” She said, “Well, according to our records, he’s Catholic.” Okay. So, after lunch I went on my afternoon rounds, and the wife and sister-in-law were not in the room. I looked around to make sure the coast was clear and gave the man the Last Rites. And just as I was finishing, his wife and sister-in-law walked in. Whew! I snuck that one in! I accomplished the mission. . .by any means necessary. I told the nurse manager what I did, but it was never written down because we didn’t want to cause any more problems. I’m a real certified weasel, but I’m a weasel for Christ.
This is how much God loves us. I have people come up to me all the time, and rightly so, asking for prayers for family members, loved one, needs, worries, fears, and all sorts of troubles we are prone to. I’m happy to pray for them, but I try to tell them, if I remember, that no matter how much you love this person, God loves him or her much more. That’s why God created them in His image and likeness. That’s why He suffered and died for them. That’s why He is constantly running after them to beg them to embrace Him and His love. God never gives up. Read the “Hounds of Heaven,” a poem by Francis Thompson. God is always running after us, so much is His great love, that even at the moment of death if we say we are sorry for our sins just because we are afraid of dying and the eternal fires of hell and not because we are particularly sorry for them, God forgives us. That is sufficient and God will forgive us. Remember the 6th prayer from the Cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” One of the greatest experiences of God’s love is His mercy.
Saint John Vianney, known as the Curé d’Ars, is the patron saint for parish priests. God’s gift to him was that he could read souls. One day, he was walking along a road in France in an area where his parish was located. A woman approached him and said, “Curé, you know my husband died.” Father Vianney said, “Yes.” The woman said, “He fell off a bridge and drowned. He’s in hell, isn’t he?” Saint Vianney said, “I don’t know.” The woman yelled, “You can read souls! Why don’t you know? He beat me, he drank, he gambled. . .“ She had a whole laundry list of how bad her husband had been. “So, he’s in hell, isn’t he?” Saint Vianney replied, “I don’t know. There’s a long time from when he left the bridge and when he hit the water.”
Even in that short span of time, he could have said, “I’m sorry,” and that would have been sufficient. Perfect contrition is if you say “I’m sorry” because you love God. Imperfect contrition is if you said it because you don’t want to go to hell. Even so, that is sufficient to receive God’s forgiveness. So much does He love us. He sees all our trials, worries, and concerns about those who are near and dear to us. But remember, God loves them more than you do, and He will never, ever give up on them as long as they have a breath in them.
Father’s Afterthoughts. . .
My day is never dull. There is always something interesting going on here. Today, I had a wedding, and the bride came up in a carriage drawn by horses. I got to pet the horses. I love horses! I’m still six years old. Quoting Sir Winston Churchill, Doctor Eddins, a local physician, said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”
How will you apply this message to your life? ________________________________________
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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”
//Contemplative Monk//
“It Depends”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
August 20 – 21, 2022
Gospel: Luke 13:22-30
22 Through towns and villages He went teaching, making His way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone said to Him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, 24 ‘Try your hardest to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. 25 ‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself standing outside knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us,” but He will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” 26 Then you will start saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets,” 27 but He will reply, “I do not know where you come from; away from Me, all evil doers!” 28 ‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves thrown out. 29 And people from east and west, from north and south, will come and sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God. 30 ‘Look, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.’
Let me ask you a theological question. Is it hard to enter the Kingdom of God? The best answer is “it depends.” And I don’t mean old people’s garments. It depends on the condition of your soul. The condition of your soul depends on who you love more. Do you love God or do you love you? There is a saying in counseling: “I’m not much but I’m all I think about.” God will ask, “Do you love me?” It’s a requirement to get into Heaven. And it’s not the emotional, frothy “Oh I love you!” kind of love. There are people in the “Nut Hut” who do that, and they aren’t quite well. To love God is to do the works of God. What are the works of God? They are works of love. Our Lord said, “If you love me keep My Commandments.” That is His commandment. It is also the commandment of the Church as Paul found out in the Book of Acts. You cannot separate the two. Some ecclesiastical jailhouse lawyers might say, “Well, I love Christ but not the Church.” You cannot do that. It’s contrary to scripture from the very earliest time in 34 ad. Christ died in 33 ad.
So, how do we see the Commandments? Our Lord said, “If you love Me keep My Commandments. My Commandments are not burdensome.” It’s how much you love. If you love, there is no act that is burdensome. Saint Augustine said, “There is no labor involved in works of love and if so, even the labor itself is love.” Love becomes burdensome when we focus on ourselves. We want what we want when we want it. Spiritually, we call that “king baby.” “I want what I want and if I don’t get it, I won’t come to church.” Shut up. God help us.
Every time our Lord asked the apostles a question, guess what happened. They got it wrong. How can we love? It’s not hard. I saw it as a soldier all the time. If some schmuck got hurt for whatever reason, other soldiers would go over and help the injured soldier. They didn’t expect thanks for carrying the soldier’s stuff. They didn’t even ask…they just did. They helped take care of business. At Christmas time, young soldiers who got married and had three or four kids right away needed money for gifts for their kids. We had various funds that could help, but my sergeant-major said, “No. We take care of our own. We don’t go to strangers.” So, everybody donated money, and we made sure that all those children had a good Christmas. There was this one child who had leukemia and was being treated at an Air Force base. His father wanted to see him, but it was expensive to travel. So, the colonel came up with a “training mission.” They put the father on a bird and flew him out to the Air Force base. They left to do something else, flew back, sat there for a while, and eventually picked the father up. After that, they flew back home. I once met a Vietnam Veteran who extended for second year in Vietnam. I said, “Dude! Why did you extend for another year?” He said so that his younger brother who had just been drafted wouldn’t have to go. That’s what we do. That’s exactly what we do. Those are acts of love. Were they all Catholic who did that? No, and I know that for sure. I was with them for three years and knew all of the Catholics. Did they all go to church? I don’t think so. Will they get into the Kingdom of Heaven? They’ve got a shot because they loved and thought of others before themselves. They responded to God’s calling even when it wasn’t convenient. I hear this from some of the Spanish: “I will come to Mass if I don’t have something else to do that day.” Really? We have Mass on Saturday night and twice on Sunday. Really? Our Lord invited you to Supper. You want to spend eternity with Him but you can’t find the time to come to church.
It’s all in how you love. Heaven is not hard to get into, but it’s harder than you think because it requires action on your part. And that action is to die unto self, to live for others, and to love others. That’s the hard part. We have to die to selfish love to be able to live a total and Christ-like life.
Father’s Afterthoughts. . .
Something else seminary didn’t prepare me for, and one for which I’m going to kill the nurses in Hospice. They told me that we had a new admission, and he was Catholic. I said Okay. I’ll give him Last Rites. So, I went into his room. He was a Vietnam Vet with Agent Orange poisoning and was pretty far along in his journey. Usually when a veteran is far along in their journey, the nurses put on the Care Channel on television. It’s nice soothing music, nature scenes, waterfalls, and things like that. It was tough for me to give him the Last Rites. As I was saying the prayers to absolve him, you know what they had on television? “Animal House.” Really!
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.” Cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”
“Make Room!”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
July 30 -31, 2022
Gospel: Luke 12:13-21
13 A man in the crowd said to Him, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ 14 He said to him, ‘My friend, who appointed Me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ 15 Then He said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for life does not consist in possessions, even when someone has more than he needs.’ 16 Then He told them a parable, ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, 17 thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.” 18 Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, 19 and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” 20 But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?” 21 So it is when someone stores up treasure for himself instead of becoming rich in the sight of God.’
In the last verses of the 12th chapter of Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the saint earnestly desires higher gifts. He wrote:
“First, I seek the higher gifts and I will show you a more excellent way. If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
And that’s true. Saint Paul continues with the theme of love in the 13th chapter. Love is the one thing we should desire above all else. God is love itself. He wants to make us wealthy in His love, and He teaches us how to grow in that love. The one thing we can be truly rich in is to always possess Him and to be possessed by Him.
The more you experience the love of God, the more you want. With God you can never get enough. We are inspired and motivated to make more room for Him in our souls through our works, prayer, and self-sacrifice to possess Him and be possessed by Him. Doing so will enlarge and beautify our souls for a proper dwelling place for Him. And when we have that possession, we have an ever-increasing wealth. Then all the other things we have will assume their proper role.
But it’s never enough. It’s like being in an Irish family. . .there’s always room for one more. There is always room for more love.
Did you know that you can go to Mass more than once a week? You can receive Holy Communion up to three times a day. . .did you know that? You can go to Confession once a day. . .twice, if you’ve done something really bad. If you want to drive over to the Catholic church in Concord so you don’t have to see me, that’s okay – I get it, as long as you go. There is no limit on God’s desire to be a part of your soul. And when we are possessed by Him what happens? We are transformed, and all the things we have find their proper place.
Sometimes, every now and again, we realize how truly rich we are. “Well, Father, I’m not really rich. Have you seen my bank statement?” I’m not talking about that. “Father, I don’t live in a nice house.” I’m not talking about that. “Father, I don’t have a nice car.” I’m not talking about that either. Look at all the sufferings you have. Look at how rich you are. Even with the worse things in your life, you are chosen. You have much to offer God for the sanctification of souls. You are truly rich, because it is in that pain and suffering we have all endured or are enduring that we share in the suffering of Christ for the redemption of the world.
How will you apply this message to your life? _______________________________________
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You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” then “Sermon Notes.” Cell phone: click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories”