Daily Reflection – Love is Simple
Daily Reflection – Jesus’ Love is Total and Wild
Sermon Notes – August 21, 2022 – “It Depends”
“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”
Minute Meditation – Great Love, Great Truth
God does not love us because we are good; God loves us because God is good. Nothing humans can do will inhibit, direct, decrease, or increase God’s eagerness to love. That is the one absolute of biblical faith, as Pope Francis says, and all else is relative to it. All other claims to some theoretical “absolute truth,” even by the Church, are all in the head, and that is not where we need truth. For us, the word has become flesh. So we need to first find truth in relationships and in ourselves, and not in theories. Only great love can handle great truth.
—from the book Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi by Richard Rohr, OFM
60 Second Wisdom – What Hidden Treasures are Hidden Inside You?
“There is something of infinite value hidden inside you. Do you know that? Do you believe that? And if you did, if you did really believe that something of infinite value was hidden inside you, how would you live your life differently?
There are dreams hidden inside you. What are your dreams? Do you know? Have you stopped dreaming? Is there a dream from somewhere in your past that is calling out to you, wanting to be rediscovered? Are you open to new dreams?
There are talents hidden inside you. What are your talents? Do you know? Have you ever really taken an inventory of all your talents? There are talents inside of you that have never been explored yet. Are you ready to explore them? Do you have the courage to explore them?
There is love and goodness hidden inside you. Your capacity to love is astounding. Your capacity for goodness is extraordinary.
There are amazing treasures hidden inside you. It’s time to share them with the world.”
Minute Meditation – Change is Good News
The Good News of Jesus Christ is precisely that things have changed and that they are going to change even more. He came to a world that was stuck, to a people that could not find a way out of their sinfulness, to announce that there was another way. Better yet, he came not simply to announce this path and carry us there as passive recipients of grace, but empowered his followers to bring about the kingdom of which he spoke. The kingdom of God is at hand. It is not simply a far distant reality, but something that is inbreaking here and now, something that can be felt and brought about by those who live in communion with him. In the way we love one another, work for justice, and offer sacrifice—doing as Jesus did—we can actually make a difference in our world because it is in these moments that Christ dwells in us and the Holy Spirit is sent forth from us. What is it that we always pray? “Send down your Spirit and renew the face of the earth!” If we want to follow after Jesus, we must let go of our cynicism and bleak outlook on the world, and instead believe with all our hearts that Christ is in control of this mission. We must look beyond what is not yet redeemed and open our eyes to the overflowing torrent that is God’s love in our world, transforming and renewing the face of the earth. We must realize it is through us, those whom Jesus has called as his disciples, that this work is being accomplished.
— from the book Let Go: Seven Stumbling Blocks to Christian Discipleship by Casey Cole, OFM, page 34
//Franciscan Media//
Minute Meditation – Reaching Out to the Other
He began that day to breathe out more than to breathe in, to turn outward rather than inward, to do rather than think about doing. He had finally found the courage to leap across that deep chasm that separated him from the other, from loving what he feared would demand more of him than he could give. In keeping his eyes on the leper, in thinking only of this person before him, he forgot himself, he forgot the chasm beneath him, and he ran straight across the void into the arms of love and happiness. And all his life he struggled to preserve that original insight into love and to act it out daily. Love was looking into the eyes of the other; and forgetting the dark void between you and forgetting that no one can walk in a void, you start boldly across, your arms outstretched to give of yourself and to receive of the other.
—from the book Francis: The Journey and the Dream
by Murray Bodo, OFM, page
Daily Reflection – Love is Transformative
Minute Meditation – God’s Saving Love
Like the apostles who were sent forth from the Upper Room out into the world, each week, each one of us is sent forth from our parish church to the world to be witnesses to Jesus’ love. Pope Francis writes “every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love.”
—from the book Meeting God in the Upper Room: Three Moments to Change Your Life
by Monsignor Peter J. Vaghi
//Franciscan Media//
Sermon Notes – July 31, 2022 – “Make Room!”
“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”