Tag: Miracles

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Sermon Notes – September 8, 2024 – “The Wonder of His Love”

“The Wonder of His Love”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 7 – 8, 2024

Gospel:  Mark 7:31-37

31 Returning from the territory of Tyre, He went by way of Sidon towards the Lake of Galilee, right through the Decapolis territory.

32 And they brought Him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked Him to lay His hand on him.

33 He took him aside to be by themselves, away from the crowd, put His fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle.

34 Then looking up to Heaven He sighed; and He said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’

35 And his ears were opened, and at once the impediment of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly.

36 And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more He insisted, the more widely they proclaimed it.

37 Their admiration was unbounded, and they said, ‘Everything He does is good, He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

I was at the VA hospital in Salisbury, and when I visited the Memory Loss Unit, I heard that this one patient had a very distinctive accent.  So went into his room and said, “Hey!  You from New York?”  He said, “Yeah!”  I said, “You know a guy?”  “Yeah!”  I said, “I know a guy.  We may know the same guy!”  He laughed and then went back into his confusion, which is how it is with people with memory loss.  Sometimes, you can say the magic word and bring them out of their confusion for a moment.   I visited a lady in a local nursing home who was also in a memory loss unit.  She was staring at the wall, and my gosh, she was very proficient in medical/military language, which I cannot repeat here.  I was very impressed, but I yelled, “Mom!  Stop!”   And just saying that magical word got through to her.    I saw another patient who was in bed, and one of the staff was feeding him.   So, I went in and was talking to them, and I asked the nurse, “You know, while you are taking care of him, do you ever think that when you are looking down at him, you are seeing the face of God smiling back at you?” 

In the Gospel today, Jesus performs miracles.  There are two kinds of miracles – extraordinary and ordinary.   Jesus sighed and groaned, and that groan was for all eternity from the beginning of time to the end times.  He took all the pains of our illness upon Him like He did on the Cross.  We were never meant to die or be sick.  Our illness is a result of Original Sin and the sins we committed after our baptism.   Our Lord Jesus took them upon Himself.  Did He know pain?  Yes.  Think of the pain He endured on the Cross.  Throughout Scripture, our Lord performed extraordinary miracles, such as raising the dead to life.  There were also what are called ordinary miracles.   Do you know what they are?  You can find them at Atrium Hospital – they are the geniuses in white coats whose job it is to make us well.  You can find them in psychologist offices, in 12-step meetings, and in families where love is restored and relationships healed.  

Ordinary miracles happen all the time.  God is still active.  One thing about all those miracles, the physical and spiritual acts of love God does for us, what is the reaction of all those He cured?   Well, one person came back and said, “Thank you.”   Our Lord said, “Do not tell anyone.”   What did they do?   They told people because they had joy.  The more our Lord told them not to tell anyone, the more they proclaimed what He had done for them.  That comes from the joy of receiving the gift of God’s great love.  That is the key to evangelization.  The key to evangelization is telling people about the good things the Lord has done for us.  And they are innumerable when you think about it.  Just in my short, uneventful life, I’ve been saved from an accident when a car ran over me.  Oops!  I guess I wasn’t meant to be a stunt double.  He kept me safe during my exotic travels, including trips to Oakboro, when things got a little harried.  He helped me during my illnesses.  And those are just the things I am aware of; I am not aware of those things He preserved me from.   I will only know that when I see Him in Heaven – at least on Judgement Day; hopefully, I will get to Heaven.   

There are so many gifts our Lord has given us to tell people about.  As for me: 1) My parents had me baptized, which took away Original Sin; 2) I went to Confession, and my sins were forgiven; 3) I received the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Lord at Holy Communion; 4) I received the Holy Spirit at Confirmation; and 5) I received Holy Ordination.  There is so much to tell people about the love of God.   God forgives my sins, and He gives me His Most Precious Body and dwells in my soul. Those are the great joys you can tell people about.  Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit which is the key to evangelization. 

We should always be joyous about God’s gifts.   Some of His greatest gifts to us are ones we hate.  Do you know why?  Because we see them as crosses.  But He gives us those gifts to keep us humble.  I know many people who are very gifted and who have heavy crosses so that they remain humble.  God is the source of all gifts.  Those gifts are given to take care of the obligation for justice and to build up the Body of Christ.  So whatever cross you have and whatever crosses I have – you have to buy the book because I’m not giving that away for free – they are gifts.  They are opportunities for us to stay humble – I’m not doing a great job at that.  But they are also opportunities for us to do penance for our sins.  Sometimes we don’t realize the great gifts He has given us.  This is how we evangelize – spreading the good news about our Lord’s love.  We evangelize by telling people about the wonders of what He has done for us.

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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Do Miracles Still Happen?

The Bible is chock-full of miracles, which are often positioned as “signs and wonders” (wonderful signs that point you to something important). We read about supernatural works of God throughout the Old Testament and plenty of well-attested miracles wrought by Jesus and accomplished through his apostles in the Gospels.

But… today doesn’t look like that. Does it?

Today, Fr. Mark-Mary and Fr. Columba Maria Jordan take a deep dive into the reality and the purpose of modern day miracles—and the reasons some people want to convince you that they don’t happen.

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Sermon Notes – September 5, 2021 – I’m Sorry . . . So Sorry!

I’m Sorry. . . So Sorry!

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 4 – 5, 2021

Gospel:  Mark 7: 31-37

In the Gospel, our Lord healed the deaf man.  Why?  Read the story. . .He was asked.  A lot of us do not ask for miracles.  Why does Jesus do miracles?  Well, for a couple of reasons.  First, it is very revelatory.  It reveals a number of things about God.  But, let’s put that aside for a moment.  Did the deaf man ask for a miracle?  No, he couldn’t. His friends did through intercessory prayer, and that’s very important.  Also, did our Lord say to the man and his friends, “I’d really like to help, but have you given to the DSA?” “Have you given very good stuff to the yard sale?”  “How are your Sunday collections going?”  “Are you helping out at the church?”  “Have you brought Father food?”  Good food…no cucumbers!  No.  He didn’t interrogate them.  Our Lord restored the man’s hearing and his speech because He loved him.  Our Lord never refused a miracle to anyone who asked or to anyone who didn’t ask.  He knew that the woman would touch His garment, and He used that as an example. 

Miracles are expressions of who and what our Lord is.  He gives us favors and miracles because He loves us.  They are gifts of His love.  They are meant to draw our hearts to Him and to sustain us in being.  Scripture tells us that our Lord lets the rain fall on the just and unjust.  It revealed to the people of Israel who our Lord was.  Our Lord is God.  He can heal our infirmities.  Do I have my physical limitations?  Oh, heck yeah!  My mind writes checks that my body cannot cash.  I’m 68, and I still think I’m 18.  Saint Paul said that if you ask for prayers of healing, sometimes it will happen and sometimes it won’t.  But, the Lord told Saint Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  God does miracles all the time over at Atrium Health.  When people undergo bypass surgery, the healing is very slow.  First, they get the surgery, then they wake up, and then they go to therapy.  Everything moves at a slow pace, but they are our Lord’s miracles.

Miracles reveal God’s nature.  Do you know what God’s nature is?  God’s nature is love itself.  Jesus was love incarnate.  He came to give the gift of His love which is Himself. There are a number of miracles recorded in the Gospel, and there are more that are not as Saint John tells us at the end of his gospel.  The Lord gives us these gifts to show His love and His awareness of our needs.  What does God want in return?  Our love. That is what gifts of love are.  They are given freely.  Our Lord gives us these gifts of love to help turn our hearts toward Him and away from ourselves. 

Keep praying for His gifts.  Sometimes He says “No.”  However, when He says “no,” He gives us the grace to handle His answer and to bear whatever difficulties it brings.  I will tell you that it doesn’t seem that way.  I’m still not a Monsignor after 38 years, and I’m not happy about it.  But I’m humble, and I can handle it.  Our good Lord gives us the gift of Himself which is the greatest miracle of all.  His miracles are not just for physical ailments.  The greatest miracle is not the gift that someone gives you, it’s the gift of themselves. The physical aspects of the gift are signs of an invisible reality.  As Catholics, we see the greatest gift of all here in church. . .the gift of Christ Himself in Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Penance.  He gives it freely because He wants our love. He loves us so much that He allows Himself to be handled by an evil and sinful man such as myself.  God gives us these gifts not because we deserve them.  You cannot earn love. He gives these gifts because He loves us.  He created us out of love.  He gives us these gifts of love to draw us away from ourselves and back to Him.  So, keep praying for miracles. 

Father’s Afterthoughts:

I have been blessed with family and friends who point out my faults.  Do I have my faults?  “No, Father.”  Yes, I do, but thank you for that.  God gives me the grace to carry my crosses.  One of the great graces that God gives us for carrying our crosses and our faults is humility.   He gives us the humility to go back to someone and say you screwed up and ask for forgiveness.  Even I make mistakes on occasion, and when I do, I ask for forgiveness.  That’s how we show God’s love.  You’d be surprised when you say to someone, “I’m sorry.”  It is like the old Brenda Lee song, “I’m Sorry…So Sorry.”  Say “I’m sorry” to someone, and they may say, “Whatever.”  There’s a big difference between saying “I’m sorry” and “forgive me.”  Have you ever heard a song with “forgive me” in the lyrics?  Saying “forgive me” shows God’s power working in you.   

How will you apply this message to your life?  Are you praying for His gifts?

Email BeckyHraczo@gmail.com if you would like sermon notes emailed to you.  Also, you can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.

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Sermon Notes – How Did They Know?

“How Did They Know?“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

Feb 27-28, 2021

Gospel:   Mark 9: 2-10


We’ve heard this Gospel proclaimed year after year.  But, have you ever wondered how Peter, James, and John knew it was Moses and Elijah?  There were no pictures or artists that could paint them; there was no Facebook, no Tic-Toc, and no selfies.  So, how did they know?  You ever ask yourself that?  Remember, Moses and Elijah died a thousand or so years before the apostles showed up.  So, how did they know?  In the transfiguration, our good Lord gave the apostles, Peter, James, and John, a taste of what Heaven would be like…just a little taste.  They saw the glorified bodies of Moses and Elijah.  They knew it was Moses and Elijah.  They saw them with their eyes. They saw Heaven, and the people there were talking to God.  You will know people in Heaven…if you get there.  If you are concerned about that, come see me, and we can work it out.  But, you will know people in Heaven, and you will be able to talk to them about future events.  In Heaven, everything is now, because God is the Eternal Now and not the past, present, or future.  He is the Eternal Now.  He is present always.  So, you will know and be enlightened. 

There is forgiveness after death – in purgatory.  Moses was in the Promised Land; he was right outside Jerusalem.  God told Moses that he would never enter the Promised Land because he had sinned.  But he did.  So, there is forgiveness after death.  Our good Lord, in this vision, lowered the veil of His humanity to show the apostles part of His divinity.  They saw Heaven on Earth.  He gave them this great revelation of what Heaven is like to prepare and strengthen them for the scandal of the Passion which would happen in less than two weeks.  After all of the miracles they had seen, this was their final gift.  Now, all of us would like to receive consolation and great gifts from God.  We pray for them.  We look for them, and if we get one, we want more.  What are the gifts of consolation?  First of all, they don’t come as often as we’d like.  They usually come before our great trials or afterward as consolations. 

Heaven is only meant for after this life and not during, just as it was for the apostles.  Most of us would like to say, “If I had such a dramatic experience with God, I would have no problem believing and would never doubt the faith again.  I would go to confession more often.  I might even go to daily Mass occasionally.  I just need to be convinced.”  But, scripture is contrary to those statements.  Jesus had three years of public ministry.  How many people did the apostles see raised from the dead?  At least three.  Scripture says that not all of the miracles Jesus performed were recorded.  He fed 5,000 people, walked on water, cured lepers, and the apostles cast out demons.  The apostles saw all sorts of miracles, because they were there.  Yet, where were they ten days later? 

We are like the apostles.  We have these great gifts.  “Oh, I will never doubt again.”  Yes, you will.  We all do.  This is the struggle we have.  We are tempted to be disconsolate.  The devil will say, “Well, if you were better; if you were doing what you are supposed to do, what your Lord said to do,  you would always feel good.”  Blah, blah, blah.  That’s a bunch of spiritual fertilizer.  It’s not true.

Our Lord does not distance Himself from us.  He is always with us, we just can’t see Him.  I was driving up to the VA the other day.  I was doing 60 mph in a 55 mph zone, so I was cool.  From out of nowhere, this van comes up right behind me and passes.  Then, all of a sudden, I see the blue light special.  I didn’t see the trooper, but he was there.  You don’t see God, but He is always there. Your Guardian Angel is always with you.  Just because you don’t see Him, doesn’t mean He isn’t there.  You look for Him.  “I cannot find Him.”  But, He is there.  

You might look at someone, and tell them they look great.  But, a doctor might look at that same person, and tell them they don’t look so good.  The doctor has the eyes of a physician.  I have the eyes of a bozo.  My eye doctor says I’m not ready for a stick and a seeing eye quite yet.  But, it’s how we see it. 

Our Lord is always with us.  He is always giving us signs of His love and His presence.  Sometimes, we overlook consolations, because we are too busy to see them, or we are looking the other way.  Our Lord gives us great consolations. Maybe not as many as we would like, but as many as we need. They come and they go as our Lord sees fit.  Look for small consolations, because He is there.  Make sure you do not give up hope, and do not give in to despair.  You may worry and ask Him, “Lord, have you forgotten about us?  Do you see what is happening?”  Yes, I am here.  You cannot see Me, but I see you, and I am with you. 

How will you apply this message to your life?  Are you overlooking the signs of His love and His presence?

Father’s Afterthoughts…

While I was at the VA, I saw a nurse practitioner I know.  I said, “Doc, can I ask you a question?  She’s a medical professional.  She said, “Sure!”  “Doc, does this mask make me look fat?”  You have to make your own fun at the VA.

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 the page).  There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.

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Saint of the Day – February 19th

Bl. Alvarez of (Córdoba) Cordova (1350-1430) was born to a noble family in Zamora, Spain. He joined the Dominican Order and preached throughout Spain, and served at the court of Queen Catherine. He went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and upon his return preached the crusades against the Muslims. He founded the famous priory of Scala Caeli (Ladder of Heaven) at Cordova, a convent of strict observance, and it is said that angels helped provide its building materials. He erected pictures of the holy places in Jerusalem in its gardens, popularizing the custom of the Stations of the Cross. He lived a life of great austerity and begged for alms even though he could easily obtain what he needed from the royal court. Numerous miracles are attributed to him. It is told that he once found a dying beggar, wrapped him in a blanket, and carried him back to the convent. Upon unwrapping the cloth he found only a crucifix. Blessed Alvarez was dedicated to Christ’s Passion and helped spread devotion to the Way of the Cross throughout western Europe. He also successfully led a resistance against the anti-pope and brought Spain under allegiance to the true pope in Rome. His feast day is February 19.

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Sermon Notes – Miracles are Free Acts of Will by God

“Miracles are Free Acts of Will by God“

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 23-24, 2018

Why does He perform miracles? Because He loves us. And…there are no requirements for His love. He doesn’t ask us if we have been to church lately or how much we have given. He intervenes in our lives because He loves us. We will never know the extent of how great His love is. Regrettably, many of us never take the time to give Him thanks.

Never give up praying for miracles. Some of God’s “epic” miracles include:

• Feeding the 4,000: “Then He took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied.” Matthew 15: 36-37

• Walking on water: “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ’Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’” Matthew 14: 25-27

• Turning water into wine: “Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water’; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’ They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.” John 2:7–9

The Lord gives us miracles all the time, although not as obvious as those mentioned above. Often, we are too busy to notice them, or perhaps we do not understand that a miracle has occurred. We need to pay more attention to the ordinary events happening around us.

Some examples of “ordinary” miracles: people coming into our lives exactly when we need them; a job, family, and friends; good health; volunteers who sit with hospice patients so that they don’t die alone; police/fire personnel who sometimes risk their lives to keep us safe; a blue sky and white clouds; the changing of the seasons; etc.

God always answers our prayers…perhaps not in the way we wanted or expected. His greatest act of love is inviting us to participate in a divine life. His greatest gift is the gift of Himself.

God is an Olympian; He will always pursue us and will be waiting for us at the finish line. God is not subject to time. Matthew 28:20 “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”