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“For true hearts there is no separating ocean; or, rather, God is their ocean, in Whom they meet and are united; they love, and lose themselves in Him and in each other.”
— St. Théodore Guérin
//Catholic Company//
“Look Busy!”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
June 12 – 13, 2021
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34
The only thing we should have pride in is the mercy of our good Lord. From His pierced heart, flows the river of Sacramental love so that we may have life and have it to the fullest in this life and in the next. It is our means of salvation. What we should be proud of, and the only thing, is our Savior’s love. It’s not a sin or a debauchery.
Now, let me tell you what you must do to get to heaven. You have to do one thing, and it’s extraordinary. You know what it is? You may be thinking, “Oh, God! Father, please, I’m having enough problems with the ordinary stuff! What the heck are the extraordinary things?” Well, although it’s extraordinary, it’s not hard. God doesn’t ask us to do hard things. The extraordinary thing we have to do is do ordinary things ordinarily; in other words, do routine things routinely. Do the same things day after day after day.
Jesus said, “If you love Me and wish to be My follower, take up your cross every day and follow Me.” So, we take up our cross and follow Him. Now, our goal is progress…not perfection. This includes saying our prayers, not choking the you-know-what out of someone who desperately needs it, and practicing spiritual and corporal works of mercy. When I say “practicing,” I mean practicing just like doctors practice medicine. It’s not perfect, but they keep trying. Another way to carry our cross is by going to Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days, and maybe even on other days of the week. The doors are open, and on weekdays, we don’t take up a collection. So, you’re welcome to come in and get extra credit. You also can carry your cross by going to Confession once a year…every three months is better. Who wants to walk around with all that doodoo staining your soul that affects the body, mind, and spirit. You’ll have a much better attitude. We have much better vision and self-awareness when our souls are bathed in the most precious blood of Christ. These are the ordinary things we can do ordinarily…the routine things we can do routinely, and that’s the extraordinary part.
Because we do ordinary things, some may be tempted, and it’s a grave temptation, to stop, because they think that they are not progressing, they think they aren’t good at it, or they believe it’s not benefitting them. All of that is a lie by the devil. “I don’t think my medicine is helping me get well, so I’m going to stop taking it.” That’s not going to lead to a good outcome. Likewise, if we stop doing ordinary spiritual works of mercy, that also won’t lead to a good outcome. The extraordinary part is when we keep doing it and doing it…whether we enjoy it or not. We embrace the suck. I don’t enjoy eating fish. But, I have to eat it, because it was prescribed by my doctor. That’s doing an ordinary thing ordinarily. If I don’t follow my doctor’s advice, it’s a sin against the Fourth Commandment and a sin against the Fifth Commandment, because I would be endangering my life unnecessarily.
Is doing ordinary things ordinarily a lot of fun? No. “Father, you’re a professional.” Yes. “Do you always enjoy your prayers?” No. If you catch me in the morning around 7:30, I’ll be over here saying my prayers. You will notice, if you see me day after day, that I’m not walking on air. I’m not levitating. I’m not in mystical ecstasy every time I say the Rosary. I’m not always happy. Do my prayers always thrill me? Oh, heck no! Do I want to listen to one more whiner who comes in to complain? “Oh, Father, it’s too hot in church!” Oh, shut up. Do I want to listen to that? No. But, remember, everything we do should be focused on Him, our Beloved. The things we do are acts of love to our dear Lord and are not done to please ourselves. When you are tempted to stop doing ordinary things ordinarily, the focus is on you. I’m not much but I’m all I think about…that’s one of my favorite sayings. Whatever we do, whatever our gifts of love for our Lord are, big or small, they are acts of love and devotion to our Savior.
Now, as you know, in the Oval Office at the White House, there’s a phone that goes from the United States to the Soviet Union in case there is a nuclear war so that people don’t end up in a mushroom cloud. In the Vatican, there is also such a phone. Remember the bat phone? It’s kind of like that. This phone doesn’t go from the Vatican to the United States or to Russia. It goes from the Vatican to Heaven. It’s not used, but occasionally the housekeepers come along and dust it like any other piece of furniture. This phone had never rang, but, one day it did. Whoa! I doubt it was a wrong number. Everyone was too scared to touch it. No one but the pope could answer the phone, so, they found the Holy Father, brought him in, and he picked up the phone. The pope said, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.” The pope smiled and put the phone down. By that time, everyone in the Vatican had gathered around. “Holiness, who was it? Speak to us!” The pope said, “It was God.” “What did He say?” The pope responded, “He’s coming back soon.” “Holiness, what should we do?” The pope answered, “Look busy!”
How will you apply this message to your life? Are you doing routine things routinely? Are you coming to weekend Mass and going to Confession at least once a year? Are you practicing corporal and spiritual works of mercy?
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.
We care for our children because we love them. We care for our children because in our love for them, we realize that they are unique, amazing creatures— even our identical twin daughters, who had different personalities right from the start. We care for our children because in the eyes of our love, they are beautiful, inside and out. We care for our children because in our love for them, we wonder at the people they are, and we hope for the people they are becoming. We care for our children even though they may break our heart—and in each breaking, our heart grows larger and more capable of care. Our love creates and preserves the best in them and the best in us.
— from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction through Simple Living
by Kyle Kramer
//Franciscan Media//
“If we but paused for a moment to consider attentively what takes place in this Sacrament of the Eucharist, I am sure that the thought of Christ’s love for us would transform the coldness of our hearts into a fire of love and gratitude.”
— St. Angela of Foligno
//Catholic Company//
You don’t need a lot of elaborate statistics to know that there are billions of people who are suffering crushing poverty at this very moment. If you start to pay attention, you feel this inside yourself. We may often distract ourselves or deny it, but there’s no getting around the fact that we are connected in more ways and to a greater extent than we can ever fathom. The deeper we go in our spiritual practice, the more obvious and undeniable these connections become.
Being present to the poor through friendship, solidarity, and service isn’t just a helpful set of moral principles. It’s a virtuous circle, with each feeding and amplifying the others, and all leading to a more authentic way of being in the world. Because when we make room for these in our life, we’re making room for love, the common bond that can bridge any gulf poverty may create.
— from the book Making Room: Soul-Deep Satisfaction through Simple Living
by Kyle Kramer
//Franciscan Media//
There has never been a time when we have needed his love more than we do right now. Families are hurting; people are lonely and confused; as the world can be a very scary place sometimes. Many are on a desperate search but they don’t know what they are searching for. Yet, just when we think we have reached our end, the story of his Heart begins anew. It is a story of hope, healing, and love. You are not alone and there is a remedy. Together we will journey to the center of his Heart where his promises are real and his message will always be: You are loved and help is on the way!
— from the book Healing Promises: The Essential Guide to the Sacred Heart
by Anne Costa
//Franciscan Media//
The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the octave day of the feast of Corpus Christi. In the 17th century Jesus appeared in a vision to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque asking her to request that this feast be celebrated in honor of his Sacred Heart in reparation for the ingratitude of mankind toward the sacrifice of his love on the Cross. Pope Pius IX extended the feast of the Sacred Heart to the universal Church in 1856. The imagery of Christ pointing to his heart, on fire with love, signifies his immense and infinite love for humanity which took Him to the Cross to die for our salvation. The Sacred Heart of Jesus desires that all mankind draw close to Him in love and trust. Today this devotion, given to the faithful by Our Lord himself, is among the most popular of the Catholic Church.
//Catholic Company//
