Grace Builds Upon Grace
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
May 13 – 14, 2023
Gospel: John 14:15-21
In Latin, the word “Sacrament” means “mystery.” So, why does God give us the Sacraments? Through the Sacraments, He gives us the fruits of His suffering, death, and resurrection for the life of our souls. The Sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Holy Orders, Last Rites, Confirmation, Holy Communion, and Confession) are given at various times. In Eastern Rite churches, Confirmation is called chrismation and is given at birth along with baptism. I prefer it that way. It’s like giving children all their shots early so they don’t get sick.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is a strengthening Sacrament and helps you fight temptations if you use it. To use it, you must practice your faith. . . . Mass on Sundays, Confession at least once a year, and prayer. Now, I am a man of no talent while my brother had many talents. I enjoy people who have talents, and I wish I had them. Frankie has a wonderful talent. She reads a foreign language called music. That is totally foreign to me. I took some music appreciation courses in college because they were easy A’s. To get as good as Frankie is, she had to practice constantly; otherwise, she would lose her talent. It’s just like your muscles; if you don’t use them, they atrophy. It’s the same for the grace God offers us for our souls. God gives you the gift of Himself to help you in this world and to keep you holy. By staying holy, you evangelize. For example, when you say to people, “I don’t do that” and they say “Why not? Everybody else does it.” And you say, “Because it’s not right. It’s not Christ-like.” That’s evangelization. That’s someone who has a Christian backbone and stands up to what’s not right. God gives you this grace which is fortified by prayer. You never lose it. If you commit a grave sin, it becomes dormant because sin drives God out of your soul. But He is always willing to come back. That’s the beauty of God’s love. He never writes any of us off. At the VA, I don’t ask patients if they want Last Rites because they are going to get it whether they want it or not. I’m not going to ask. They will have Last Rites because it’s a sign of God’s love.
God gives Himself to us so that we may have eternal life. When we receive the Sacraments for the first time like Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage, it’s so exciting. However, after the first or second time, Confession kind of feels mundane or ordinary. But it’s not ordinary. Just because it’s not like the first time doesn’t mean it’s not as good or that you aren’t doing it right. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It means you are doing it right, because one grace from the Sacraments builds upon another and strengthens your will. Grace builds upon grace.
When you cooperate with the grace from the Sacraments, you grow in God’s love. A word of caution- when we draw closer to God, it catches the devil’s attention, and he will really come after us. Now, do you always feel yourself growing closer to God? No. For example, many of us are on blood pressure medicine. You really don’t feel it working, but it’s easy to find out by using a sphygmomanometer. Thunk! Just because you don’t feel it, doesn’t mean it’s not working. That’s a temptation of the devil. What that lack of sensory excitement means is that your love for God is becoming deeper and more ingrained. You know what the happiest day of a married couple should be? The day that one leaves to see Jesus. Not because you want to see Jesus – although that’s a good idea – and not because you are rid of them – till death do us part is not a hope and prayer. It’s because that love should have kept on building over all the years and becoming deeper. It is deeper because the love you have as a 40-year-old is not the same as when you were first married in your 20’s. It is deeper. Hopefully, you’ve changed by growing in holiness. Saying the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a lot different for me than it was 38 years ago when I was a young priest. I’ve said Mass in some unusual places. I got to say Mass at the cathedral with the bishop. Woo-hoo! But each Mass was deeper than the earlier ones. So, you mustn’t give into the devil’s temptation by saying, “Oh, I’m not getting anything out of the Sacraments.” Of course, you are. You may not feel it, but you are. Otherwise, you are denying His power. In the Gospel, Christ said, “And I will put my spirit within you.…” (Ezekiel 36:27). How does His spirit come within you? It comes through the Sacraments. So, if you say you’re getting nothing from the Sacraments, you are denying the Gospel. If you say, “I get nothing out of the Mass,” that’s okay – you aren’t supposed to. You come to give of yourself. You give yourself into my hands, and I, acting in the person of Christ, emulate with you Christ’s sacrifice on the altar as an offering to the Father. You are united to His suffering, and I give you back your life in Holy Communion.
I want to thank all the teachers who helped with Faith Formation this year. It was a wonderful year. It’s hard to do because we live in a very un-Christian society. I appreciate the sacrifice; I really do. Never think that your sacrifice goes unnoticed. You will be repaid for anything you do for the love of God. But you’ll never know when. He will reward you for any small act of love you do for Him. Give of yourself totally in the Mass. Everybody has problems and they bring them here. Make an intellectual prayer: “I offer myself totally to you.” And with that offering, you become part of Christ’s sacrifice. From that offering, you give back to yourself. More than that, He gives Himself to you.
Father’s Reflections . . . Yesterday was kind of fun. People were all dressed up for Confirmation although that’s not a requirement. They really looked good. Even Tom Adams looked like he was ready for Hartsell’s Funeral Home. Last night, we had 14 Confirmations and one First Communion. It was an interesting day. I administered five of the seven Sacraments. If I had performed a marriage ceremony, it would have been six Sacraments. The remaining sacrament is Holy Orders which only a bishop can administer. Finally, I am sad to announce that Ms. Dottie is retiring after almost 50 years of teaching Faith Formation. We’ll leave the light on just in case she changes her mind. She will be missed.
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.”
