In this summary of the Catechism’s teaching on holiness, justification, and merit, we briefly consider the work of God’s grace and mercy. His grace moves us from sin and toward him, making us his sons and daughters and bringing us into the very life of the Trinity. This gift of grace invites us to respond to his promptings and invitations freely. Finally, God offers “all the graces needed to attain eternal life.” Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2017-2029.
Because we are all baptized, we are called to carry our crosses each day on the road to Calvary. All of us will pass from this life and see God. Some of us will stay only for a cup of coffee while others will get to stay longer. If we are faithful, we will have a graduation ceremony in Heaven. There are a lot of other people also on their way to Calvary. We are called to encourage one another on the way to salvation. It is important that we are not too sensitive when someone says, “Father, you are a real pain in the patootie.” I already know that, and I’ll try to be better. Sometimes, we are blind to our own faults, and we may start wandering off the path Christ has set for us. We are called to warn others, “Hey homey, get over here. You are wandering off the path and into a minefield. Don’t go there. Bad move!” Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” So, we help one another by our prayers, sufferings, and works to help them carry their crosses. And conversely, they help us carry ours.
Instead of the terms “admonition” and “correction,” I prefer the term “encouragement.” You don’t know anything about the crosses people are carrying and whether their crosses are their own fault, the fault of their parents, or the fault of their siblings. We have no idea of the life they have led. So rather than admonishing or correcting someone, I prefer encouraging them because it goes a lot further. Sometimes a correction or threat is just an attention-getter. But once you have their attention, encourage them. In religious life, we call that fraternal correction. However, it is usually infernal correction. Our Lord said, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?” We tend to think of ourselves as superior because, well, we are us. I like to use fraternal encouragement. Most people know they’ve made mistakes, so you don’t need to remind them. They need encouragement to try to do the right thing to get back on, and stay on, the path Christ has set for us. It’s hard to take up our daily crosses. So, we need to encourage one another. That’s why God gives Himself to us in the Sacraments.
I remember once running a Physical Training (PT) test. The Army has since then changed the rules, but before when someone was failing – and you don’t want anyone to fail – when nobody was looking, you would pick them up and run with them. Their feet would barely touch the ground. And if an official was around, we would set them down and say, “Now run.” We were running this one PT test, and I had my assistant run back to encourage the stragglers because nobody wants to take the test again. This one soldier said, “I can’t do it, Sir! I can’t do it! I’m going to be sick!” Shut up! You can do it. She made it, and she made it within the timeline. And true to her word, she was ill. Oops! Later, she came back to me she said, “Thank you for helping me.”
We are called to encourage one another with our crosses on our way to salvation. A couple of things about our crosses and encouraging others with theirs is that we all have them, and we are no more holy than anyone else. Even if someone is at fault, and even if it approaches the level of Civil Law, you cannot make it public because doing so would be scandalous and sinful. Bishops are very good at scandal. They really are. You have to give people a way back and a way to regain their good name. It is very hard for some people in the Church to do that even though, according to Civil Law, you can have your record expunged. We have to allow people a way back because we are men, not angels.
A priest once told me he had been suspended. Now, I’m not a Canon lawyer, but I’ve seen one on television. I asked this priest if he had received a letter. He had not. I told him that once he received a letter, it would tell him what he had done and what he needed to do to come back. This is a medicinal remedy and not a punishment. We are not in the punishment business; we are in the helping people obtain salvation business. Remember, the amount of mercy we show is the amount of mercy we will receive.
Father’s Reflections . . . Monday is the anniversary of 9/11, and it reminds me of a quote by George Orwell: “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” And having worked with some of them, yes, we did.
I had an interesting phone call the other day. Usually, the calls I get go like this: “Father, yada yada yada, blah blah blah.” And my response is, “Oh not again! Please, just leave me alone!” But this call was really nice and interesting. The person said, “Father, I’m not a member of your parish, but I have Covid, and it’s terrible. Would you please pray for me?” Thank you! I love messages like that. It was a really nice phone call which is better than the ones I usually get. And yes, I did pray for the caller.
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” 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.”
Jesus reveals God’s offer of loving mercy to sinners. To accept this gift, we must identify and admit our failings. Recognizing our sins enables us to further cooperate in our redemption. Sin can be understood and categorized in several ways, but every sin wounds our nature and damages our relationships with God and neighbor. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1846-1853.
“So many people ask to be listened to and to be understood. The Gospel of mercy requires generous and joyful servants, people who love freely without expecting anything in return. ‘Peace be with you!’ (John 20:21) is the greeting of Jesus to his disciples; this same peace awaits men and women of our own day.… It is a peace that does not divide but unites; it is a peace that does not abandon us but makes us feel listened to and loved; it is a peace that persists even in pain and enables hope to blossom. This peace, as on the day of Easter, is born ever anew by the forgiveness of God which calms our anxious hearts.” —Pope Francis
The story of Thomas in the Upper Room is a clear example of Jesus meeting us in those wounded places in our lives and wordlessly offering us whatever we need to move beyond the hurt into a place of healing, trust, and peace. He doesn’t scold Thomas for needing proof; he doesn’t condemn him for a lack of faith. He holds out his hands and gives Thomas what he needs. We each have our own struggles with faith, with trust, with love, whether in our relationships with others, our connection to a church community, our responsibilities at home, at work, in school. As we place our needs before God’s loving mercy, we open ourselves to receive whatever gesture of peace he offers us. Mercy is the sign of God’s ongoing presence in the world. Few people have made this more clear and compelling than Pope Francis. And it’s not just about realizing that God is merciful to us. It’s realizing that we are now called, compelled, even commanded to be merciful to all those people we meet.
In his preaching on mercy, Pope Francis often emphasizes the importance of listening compassionately to people who are wounded, struggling, searching for God’s love. So often we want to rush in to fix other people’s lives. The next time you feel this urge, take a step back and first simply listen to and love the person before you. God’s peace passes all our human understanding. And often it lies beyond our limited human words.
— from the book The Hope of Lent: Daily Reflections from Pope Francis by Diane M. Houdek
Without the true sacred, we are all at one another’s mercy and subject to one another’s whimsical judgments. Under the true sacred, we are at the mercy of One Who Is Mercy. No wonder Jesus gave all his life to proclaim such a monumental liberation! Humanity has been waiting for such freedom with Messianic hope. It is the only way out of our revolving hall of mirrors, our own war of all against all, and is rightly called salvation. For Jesus, God’s judgment is good news for the nations—and for the individual too. How different this is than how most of us think about judgment.
We are encouraged to welcome strangers, for by doing so, many people have entertained angels unaware (see Hebrews 13:2). As Jesus put it in his only description of the final judgment, “in so far as you did this to one of the least of these, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). I wonder what else could save us from our fear and accusation of one another, except one whose judgments are both upside-down and true—and whose mercy is everlasting. Fortunately, they are one and the same, a God who is both sanctuary and stumbling stone (see Isaiah 8:14).
1 He entered Jericho and was going through the town 2 and suddenly a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. 3 He kept trying to see which Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see Him for the crowd; 4 so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot He looked up and spoke to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I am to stay at your house today.’ 6 And he hurried down and welcomed Him joyfully. 7 They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house,’ they said. 8 But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ 9 And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’
This week we are celebrating All Saints Day and All Souls Day. They are feasts of the Church because they fall within the science of the Church called Ecclesiology. . .a sacred science. Ecclesiology falls under what? Christology, because the Church is not a “what” or an “it”. “Itt” was the member of the Adams Family who had a lot of hair. The Church is a Who. As scripture tells us, it is the Body of Christ. And we do not refer to a body as an “it.” Calling the Church an “it” is blasphemy. Making a mockery of things that are holy or sacred is blasphemy and a sin. There are three parts of the Church. We are the Church Militant because we are still working on our salvation. This week we are mindful of the other two parts of the Church: the Church Triumphant (souls in Heaven) and the Church Suffering (souls in Purgatory).
On All Saints Day, we call to mind all of those who have used the means of faith to reach their goal of salvation. They leave behind for us an example and a map of the mine field to follow. “This is how I got through the mine field. Walk where I walked, and if you don’t see a footprint, do not step there. Follow in my footsteps, and you will be fine.” The saints leave us with that, so we have the same means and opportunities as they had. Time is insignificant to God. So, when we read about the lives of the saints, we are encouraged because they suffered so much, and we can see our sufferings in theirs. And if they can do it, we can too.
On All Souls Day, we pray for all souls that are not in a perfect state of grace and cannot yet enter Heaven because nothing imperfect can reside with the Perfect. “Well, that’s unfair.” No, not really. Would you like a little bit of listeria (a bacterial infection) in your salad? How about a bit of botulism? Maybe some Covid? How about a smidgen of the norovirus (vomiting virus)? No? The Feast of All Souls gives us consolation. It is a feast of God’s love because it is a feast of God’s mercy. You have to be judged before you can receive mercy. You cannot just walk down to the courthouse and say, “I’m throwing myself on the mercy of the court.” The judge will say, “Great. I appreciate that. What have you done?” You have to be guilty of something before you can receive mercy. Mercy is a manifestation of God’s love after death. So, while those in Purgatory are cleaning their baptismal robes, we can help them enter Heaven sooner by our prayers and sacrifices. Going back to the courthouse story, if you are found to be guilty, the judge will say, “Sorry, you are guilty. You have to pay $1,000 or do 30 days of eating bologna sandwiches in jail.” You say, “I don’t have a $1,000, so I guess I’ll take the bologna special.” But then the judge says, “Here is $1,000 bucks, you can go.” Thank you! Would you be grateful that you wouldn’t have to spend 30 days in jail eating bologna sandwiches or the square fish at Felon University (FU)? Oh yeah! That is how the souls can be helped, because in Heaven our love is not only purified but it is expanded to all, not just our friends and family but to the entire Church. We don’t realize it, but we have countless intercessors in Heaven. They are always praying, 24/7 and 365, before the Father on our behalf for our temporal welfare, but most importantly, for our spiritual welfare – that where they are we shall also be.
Perhaps, especially on All Saints Day, we can say “thank you.” Saying “thank you” is one of the greatest things about prayer that is neglected. Thanksgiving is one of the five points of the Mass, but is often neglected because it is the last part of the Mass. As soon as the Communion is finished, there is a race to the door to leave. And I ask Doc or Stump if I gave them permission to leave. No! What is happening in Albemarle that people are in such a hurry to leave? I know it is legal now to walk around town with booze. . . just what this town really needed. What’s the draw? Where’s the “thank you”? If someone came to your house and got dessert but left while you were getting the coffee, you would be hurt, wouldn’t you? So, stay a few more minutes to say, “thank you, God.” Even in your prayers, stop to say, “thank you.” When you get up in the morning, thank God for another day. Thank Him for not letting you have a heart attack, get sick, or commit a mortal sin. Say simple prayers just like that. On All Saints Day, we could offer our prayers of thanks and just be aware of how many people love us. . .billions upon billions of those in Heaven are expressing their love. In the words of Saint Therese de Lisieux, “I will spend my eternity in Heaven doing good on Earth.”
Father’s Reflections. . . It’s Halloween, and I had this spooky thought. I remembered about a time when I was overseas in the first Gulf War and Desert Storm which turned into Desert Shield. The XO, the second in command of the battalion, ordered everyone in the battalion to fill out their death certificate. We completed the form except for our date of death. We kept that form in our wallets in case we had the whack put on us. Thank you, sir! I’ve gone to bed with happier thoughts. I still have that form. When we were being deployed to the Middle East, my assistant saw me take one of the two dog tags I wore around my neck and put it inside my boot. He asked me, “Sir, why are you doing that?” Well, in case one part of my body gets separated from the other part there will be something to send home to my parents. He said, “Oh.” Do you know what we do for a living here? We work in a very dangerous neighborhood!
How will you apply this message to your life? ______________________________________
New, Deep, and Real Catholic mindfulness is all about understanding God’s real mercy and love. This comes as a surprise to most people. Dr. Bottaro unpacks how this surprising reality is the most important thing we can learn in our spiritual lives.
