Tag: Memorial Day

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Sermon Notes – May 25, 2025 – “Stop Running!”

“Stop Running!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 24 – 25, 2025

Gospel:  John 14:23-29

While I was home, I met a correctional officer from the prison.  Rhode Island is a small state, but we have our fair share of felons.  This correctional officer asked me, “Father, how do you find God?”  I said, “That’s easy – Just stop running.”  People run from God, although they say they are looking for Him.  No, they aren’t.  They are running from Him.  What are you looking for, and why are you running?  It may be the fear, shame, remorse, and guilt for what they have done.  It may not only be for the fear of their sins, but also for what God will ask of them.  What is the worst thing God will ask of you?  To renounce yourself.   Christ said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).   “Do not tell Me what I should be or what you conceive Me to be.  I will let you know who I am.”   People try to get rid of God.  Ask Judy Wentzel.  She deals with antiques and sees a lot of crucifixes, rosaries, and medals in her antique shop.  People run from God, “I will not serve.”  You find God by renouncing yourself. 

People come up to me and say, “Father, where does it say this in the bible?”  Sometimes I take it as a good-natured question, but at other times it is annoying.  We have a wonderful invention now called Google.  There is also this great book called the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Look it up yourself, or are you trying to play “Stump the Chump”?   Yes, I did go to seminary, and I had to pass many tests.  During my last year of seminary before we graduated and were ordained, we participated in “Murderers Row.”  All the professors you had during your years of undergraduate studies and graduate seminary studies were sitting there, and they could ask you any question from your last eight years of school.  Yeah, that was a bit nerve-racking, especially when the professor from your first year of philosophy starts quizzing you, “What is the principle of identity?”  Oh God, no!   We learned that on the first day of class. 

Now, this will be an interesting weekend, and many people are going to save a lot of money.  Do you know why?  There will be Memorial Day mattress sales!  It is really killing me that I’m here with all those sales happening!  I saw a survey recently that showed 27% of Generation Z said they don’t know why we have this holiday.  They really should be at the Parris Island Marine Corps base.  Only 47% of Baby Boomers know why we commemorate Memorial Day.   A couple of years ago, I received a note from the Chief of Chaplains at the VA about a veteran whose wife had died and who wanted to talk to a Catholic chaplain who was also a veteran.  I’m the only guy on staff at the VA who meets those qualifications, so I made an appointment with him.  This veteran came into my office with all these books.  Now, these were post-graduate books and rather worn and ragged.  I was rather impressed because I hadn’t seen some of these books since seminary.    He had lots of questions, and when he finally ran out of steam, I said, “I heard your wife died.”  Yes.  “Did you love her?”  Yes.  “Do you miss her?”  Yes.  Then I asked, “What branch of service were you in?”  Army.  “Were you in Vietnam?  Yes.  I knew all the answers to my questions before I asked them, like any good lawyer.  “What did you do in the Army?”  I was a medic.   “Alright, Doc.  How many soldiers did you save?”  He didn’t know, and I believe that.  “Doc, how many soldiers did you lose?”  He knew every one of them by name, and each day he would see their pictures in his head.  His wife helped him keep it together.  Now, not only is he grieving the loss of his wife, but he is dealing with the trauma from his military service alone.

There was a priest in our diocese, Father Tom Scott.  His parish was in Mount Airy, and he retired for medical reasons.  He had Leukemia and Agent Orange poisoning.  He was a corpsman in Vietnam for two tours.  One was planned, but he volunteered to go back as a Marine, and he got himself really blown up.  He still had shrapnel in his hand.  Sometimes he would show me a piece that had worked its way out.   On his patten, which is the little gold plate that the priest’s host is placed on, he had the names of all the Marines he lost.  Some priests made fun of him, and they make fun of me.   I agree that, except for former military service, everything else is fair game.  You might be thinking, “Father, it has been 50 years since that war.”  Yes.  With most things, through God’s grace, the passage of time makes it easier for us.  But pulling the trigger and the stress that comes with it are a whole other matter.   I give books to the medical staff who say, “Oh, I can’t read that!  It’s too graphic.”  But it’s what we lived and what some of us are still living.  The war never left us.  If you want to learn about it and the cause of PTSD, read the book “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society” by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman.  Usually, with the passage of time and grace, you adjust.    

Eventually, as you grow older, defenses become weaker.  Your family leaves, dies, or whatever.  We had one veteran who was dying in Hospice, and he asked his nurse, “Would you hold my hand till I fall asleep?”   Although I’m not Dr. House, I know when these old timers are about to pass because they start telling me all these things they never told their wives.  When they tell me what happened, I know they will be gone in a couple of weeks.  They are cleaning house.  There are a lot of grey-haired old men and ladies, whose faces soldiers and Marines were the last ones they saw before they passed from this world to the next.  Read “Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul.”  Most people forget what this weekend is about because they were not involved in that part of life, but they all benefited.  Those soldiers and Marines remember it every day.  The benefit of their service is our freedom and not mattress sales.   

Father’s Afterthoughts:  One more story – I have bunches of them.  We were training with medical mannequins, and one of the nurse trainers approached me and asked, “Padre, can you go talk to this guy?”  What’s wrong?    “No matter what we do, the patient is going to die.”   Sometimes, if you fix one crisis, you create another one.   So, I went in to see him.  He was a full-bird colonel.  I said, “Doc,” and he said, “Chaplain.”   I stood beside him, and he said, “I’m not going to lose him.  I sent too many soldiers home in body bags.  I’m not going to lose this one.”  He had been in Vietnam as a battalion surgeon.   I said, “Okay, Doc.”   I went back to the training nurse and said, “He’s back in Vietnam, having a flashback about the soldiers he lost.  He won’t lose this one.”

How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog,” then “Categories,” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.   

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Sermon Notes – May 26, 2024 – “All Gave Some, Some Gave All”

“All Gave Some, Some Gave All”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 25 – 26, 2024

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

16 Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. 17 When they saw Him they fell down before Him, though some hesitated. 18 Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’

Technically, the Easter season ends today.  Now, the Trinity is a hard topic to talk about, so I wanted to do some research.  I have the perfect book on the subject, but I couldn’t find it.  I searched for five or six days, and I just couldn’t find it.  The book I was searching for is “The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma” by Father Ludwig Ott.  In that book, there is a chapter on the Trinity.   So, I thought that maybe Lori took it to brush up on some things, but I forgot to ask her to bring it back to the church.  It dawned on me too late that I could have borrowed Liz’s copy of the book.  So, I’ll preach on it next year. 

I do have some thoughts about Memorial Day weekend.  During this weekend of sales, I am sure you can get some great deals on mattresses and cars.  There might even be a good deal at My Pillow; I don’t know . . . You’ll have to check their website.   But this weekend, we commemorate those who have fallen in service to our country.  We pray for their souls and the families they left behind.  Have you ever seen the movie, “Taking Chance”?  It’s about a Marine who was killed in action (KIA) overseas and the process of bringing him home for burial.   My friends said, “Oh, you should see it!  We cried!”  I said, “That’s my 9-to-5 job. That was part of my day job when I worked for Uncle Sam.”  Oh.  

Usually, when a priest dies, his coffin is carried to the grave by his brother priests.  While I was still serving, I hung around some very bad places; it was the nature of the business I was in.  I had an agreement with my commanders that if I got whacked while serving in their unit, I would be carried to my grave by my fellow soldiers.  I would have, and have, done it for them, and they would do it for me.  I still wish it to be that way, but I retired, so that won’t happen.

We all know someone who was killed.  I knew a very special soldier who was one of Darby’s Rangers.  President Reagan called them the “Boys of Pointe du Hoc.”  On June 6, 1944, these elite soldiers scaled the cliffs at Normandy to silence the guns during an invasion in World War II.  These soldiers were the toughest of the tough.  This one man who served in that unit was not the man I knew but another.  He was the radioman or the RTO.  Now, of all the jobs in the Army, that’s the one you don’t want because you’re the one who gets killed first.  The enemy knows that the radio guy is the one who calls in the bad stuff on them, and that’s the first one they go for.  Nancy’s brother was a radioman in Vietnam, and he was killed.  Bill Peak was a radioman, but he was lucky.  But that man climbed the cliffs at Normandy.  His unit went all the way to Germany and opened the gates of Buchenwald.  He survived the war.  Nonetheless, 20 years later, on June 6, 1964, that soldier took out his service weapon and committed suicide.  Sometimes, it takes soldiers a long time to die of their wounds.  General Pershing said, “The tombstones silently speak more than words could ever say. 

Father’s Reflections . . . I have seen two of my doctors this week and got good reports from both.  One of the doctors I’ve been seeing for a couple of decades asked me, “When are you going to retire?”  I said, “I think my retirement letter will probably be my obituary.”   

How will you apply this message to your life?  ________________________________________

You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.”  On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.”  Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”

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Sermon Notes – May 28, 2023 – Love is the Language of the Holy Spirit

Love is the Language of the Holy Spirit

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 27 – 28, 2023

Gospel:  John 20: 19-23

Remember last week I talked to you about the Ascension and how the human nature our good Lord took from the Blessed Mother was assumed into His divine nature.  It’s the same nature that He suffered with, healed with, died with, was resurrected with, and took to Heaven.  So, if Christ’s human nature is in Heaven, how does He continue to do His work in the world?  Fair question.  Well, He takes our human natures and uses them.  Through the Holy Spirt, He takes all our human natures and forms His new Body which is the Church.   With His new Body, He continues to teach, sanctify, heal, and bring His love to the world.  His new Body will continue for generations until the end of the world.   In the Book of Acts, our Lord says, “Paul, why are you persecuting Me?   He didn’t say, “the church” or “a Christian Group.”   He said, “Why are you persecuting Me?”   He said, “Me” personally because we are a part of His body.   

All those who are baptized are baptized in Christ.  You are part of His new body extended throughout the Ages.  That’s why it’s blasphemy when someone says, “Oh, I am reconciled to God but not His Church” or they say, “I love God but not the Church.”  Absolute blasphemy.  You love the head but not the body.  That makes no sense.  You cannot love one without the other.  It’s a whole Person . . . a package deal.  Christ takes our human natures which are offered by us or by our parents at our Baptism.  He assumes our human natures into His new Body to become whatever part of His Body that represents our vocation to bring God’s word to others, to heal, teach, and sanctify.  Whatever the vocation, Holy Orders, Religious, married life, or lay life – whatever part of His Body – we are called to build it up. 

Christ uses our human nature to reach out and to bring His love to the world . . . to speak the universal language   At Pentecost, Peter spoke to the crowd, and everyone heard him in their own language.  Everyone hears the language of Christ.   Now, I am not gifted in tongues.  If you have ever been to the 12:15 Mass, you know that I do not have that gift.  I speak Spanish with French accent.  French is my second language.  Believe it or not, I took Intermediate Conversational French in college, but my aunt who is 95 years old corrects my French.   I had to relearn French because my family was French Canadian and did not speak the French you learn in books which is Parisian.  While I cannot speak many languages, I know a priest who speaks five of them.  We are all called, and we are all able, to speak the most important language – a language nobody hears – and that’s the language of love and of Christ living in the world.  Whatever vocation and whatever circumstance in which you find yourself, bring Christ in.   Be the Good Samaritan.   Everybody sees that love.  Everybody can translate that language . . . . the universal language of Christ. 

I’ve told you this story before.  I don’t have that many years left as a priest, so I’ll share with you the stories I’ve got.  One day I was making my rounds in hospice at the VA, and two EMT’s wheeled in a patient.  They wanted to know which room the patient was going in.  The nurses were busy, so I told them and went down to the room with them.  To transfer a patient onto the bed, it really takes three people. One to grab the sheet, another to hold the head, and another to hold the feet.  Since there were only two EMT’s, I helped transfer the patient by holding his feet.  After we moved him, I went to the sink to wash my hands since I hadn’t used gloves.  One of the EMT’s who had been fairly rude to me earlier came over and said, “Thank you, Father.”   It was a big change from when they first came in even though I hadn’t done anything special.  One time a nurse asked me if I would help clean out a trachea tube which is not a real fun thing to do if you don’t have a strong stomach.  Sure.  “What did you do after that, Father?”  Lunch.  Cleaning the trachea tube didn’t bother me, and a man’s got to eat.  Anything you do to help someone, those acts of love, will be noticed.   They are things we do instinctively and perhaps with no forethought at all.  Something as simple as helping somebody with their shopping cart at Walmart by putting the cart back in its proper place so that it doesn’t go careening through the parking lot.  People will see those little acts of love.  It truly makes a difference because nowadays it’s so unusual.  But we are all called to do this as members of Christ’s Body. 

We are called to teach, evangelize, and to build up His Body which is His Church.  You were given the gift of tongue in Baptism because you were brought into the Body of Christ.  The gift of tongue is not a bunch of babbling.  Get some medicine, and you’ll be fine.   You don’t have to be a linguist . . . you have to be holy.  The gift of tongue is the gift of love by which we bring Christ’s love to the world.  God can work through even such a sinful creature as I am to bring Christ’s love and goodness to people.  You are no different than me – except better looking – God’s grace enables us to speak that one beautiful language of the Holy Spirit which is Christ and love.  And when people ask you how you can do that, you can tell them the reason is your Faith.  By the way, the reason is a Who and not a what.  So do those small acts of love; they always have an effect.  You never know.

Father’s Reflections . . . 

I learned from a highly placed, confidential source that things are crazy at Walmart.  It is Memorial Day weekend, and you can get great deals on all sorts of stuff like cars, mattresses, linens, appliances, and furniture.  It makes me so proud that I fought for our country!

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 ola.catholic.church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”