Tag: Moses

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Sermon Notes – January 11, 2026 – He Understands Our Fear

“He Understands Our Fear”

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 10 – 11, 2026

Gospel: Matthew 3:13:17

Every good sermon should have three main points:  1) by the Baptism of our Lord, more is fleshed out that was only hinted at in the Old Testament, including the nature of God and God in three Persons.  It became more objective, allowing us to see it, and continued through the New Testament.  2) The baptism of our Lord was done with water, which corresponds to the three baptisms of Aaron, the high priest.  Aaron entered the meeting tent, and Moses washed him with water, anointed him with oil, and then anointed him with blood on his right ear, the thumb on his right hand, and the big toe on his right foot.  Jesus would also have three baptisms.  He was baptized with water, baptized with the Holy Spirit, and baptized with blood on the Cross.  We will have those three, too, and our Lord, in His humility, showed us how to do it.  Did He need to redeem us this way?  No.  But He showed us we could do it because He did.  3)  Finally, His Baptism is a sign of His great love for us and His humility.  He was baptized by His own creature, His cousin. 

Jesus began His public ministry after His Baptism.  In that one act, He showed us great humility and demonstrated extraordinary leadership.  He showed us the precise way to follow Him and to enter and enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven.  Good leaders show their followers the correct way to accomplish things.  When I was in the military, we would do physical training (PT) in the morning.  I would usually do it with the headquarters company, so a lot of officers were there.  If the First Sergeant dropped somebody for pushups because they were having an attack of stupidity, we all went down for pushups to set a good example for that soldier.  

Our Lord also showed us how to bear illness.  “Father, Jesus was never sick.”  I realize that, but when He cured the sick, what did He do?  He sighed and groaned.  He took upon Himself all the pains and fears of every sick person in the world then, and those who ever would be at that one moment.  He took all the pains of our sins and physical ailments because of sin to the Cross.  When I was much younger, my brothers and I were sick with strep throat.  In those days, doctors still made house calls.  Doctor Figman took a cotton swab and inserted it down my throat.  It felt like he inserted it all the way into my stomach.  BLEAH!!  Doctor Figman gave us medicine, but I hated it, so my father took it and said, “Oh, it’s nothing! See, it’s fine!”  Okay, Dad.  My father didn’t need the medicine, but he showed my brothers and me how to take it.  That is what Christ does.  He shows us how to take His medicine so that we can get to Heaven.  We must do exactly what He did so that we can receive His promises.  He also understands our fear, as He showed us in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He worked through His fear to show us that we can too.

We see the humility of Christ every day.  You see His humility here now at the altar, where God makes Himself subject to His creatures.  Through a very imperfect creature – me, He comes down to the altar in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and becomes the Most Precious Body and Blood made present for His faithful to receive as an intercession to the Heavenly Father.  This is the great love brought by His humility. 

Our Lord’s baptism was the beginning of His public ministry.  He showed His humility from the beginning and throughout His ministry by His obedience to the Father’s commands, His obedience to Mary and Joseph, and His obedience to His creatures.  Why?  Because He loves us.  Follow His ways.  Do what He did, and you will get what He got.  We will see Him one day in His Kingdom in Heaven.

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 – March 3, 2024 – “The Mass is Not a Celebration”

“The Mass is Not a Celebration”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 2 – 3, 2024

Gospel: John 2: 13-25

13 When the time of the Jewish Passover was near Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 and in the Temple He found people selling cattle and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting there. 15 Making a whip out of cord, He drove them all out of the Temple, sheep and cattle as well, scattered the money changers’ coins, knocked their tables over 16 and said to the dove sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop using My Father’s house as a market.’ 17 Then His disciples remembered the words of scripture: I am eaten up with zeal for Your house. 8 The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can You show us that You should act like this?’ 19 Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ 20 The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple: are you going to raise it up again in three days?’ 21 But He was speaking of the Temple that was His Body, 22 and when Jesus rose from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this, and they believed the scripture and what He had said. 23 During His stay in Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He did, 24 but Jesus knew all people and did not trust Himself to them; 25 He never needed evidence about anyone; He could tell what someone had within.

One of today’s readings is from the Old Testament, and I was reminded of this one gentleman I was helping prepare for death.  We were going through the General Confession and when we got to the Fifth Commandment, I asked him, “Have you ever killed anybody?”  He said, “That didn’t need killing?”  Okay!  He’s got a point.  I forgot that he had worked in Special Operations.   The correct translation of the Fifth Commandment is that “You shall not take a life unjustly.”  You have the right to protect yourself and others if someone is about to be killed.  In fact, you have a moral obligation to protect yourself and others.   “But He said, ‘Do not kill.”  No, no, no.  He said, “Do not take a life unjustly.” 

Today’s Gospel says that there were sheep and oxen in the church.  I’m thinking that Abigail who cleans the church is lucky we don’t have sheep and oxen.   She’s got enough to deal with already.  You would be shocked at the stuff people leave in the pews like fingernail clippings, dirty Kleenexes, and the worst of all – sparkles from dresses.   Sometimes she has to wear a hazmat suit to clean the church.  This church is just as precious as the temple.  Where you are sitting, like God told Moses, is a holy temple because it contains the very presence of our Lord – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  Here we have presented the Holy Sacrifice of Christ which is always before the Father in Heaven pleading on our behalf.  His holy sacrifice is made present during the Mass.  That is why we ask for reverence and silence.   I’ve been trained by professionals in hurting people’s feelings.  Because of how sacred this is, if someone walks away with the Eucharist, I will stop them and embarrass them if I have to.  I vowed to protect the Blessed Sacrament with my life.  It’s one of those vows we take that most people don’t know about.  That’s how holy this is.  

When I was a young priest, people wanted to celebrate Catholic Schools Week during the Mass to which I said, “On its face, that’s blasphemous and at its worst heretical.”  We don’t celebrate anything at the Mass.  “Woohoo!  We’re celebrating somebody’s life!”   It’s not a party followed by dinner, and with my family, the police would show up after that.  The Mass is the prayer of Christ.  During Catholic School Week they would bring up books and basketballs.  No – no – no.  Did you see that at the foot of the Cross?  No.  Did you see that at the Last Supper?  No.  So, they are not a part of it. 

Nobody but the servers and I should be inside the altar area.  None of the junk from Hobby Lobby should be inside the altar area.  This is a sacred spot, and nobody but the sacristans and the priest are supposed to be here.  Nobody but the sacristans and the priest are supposed to touch the Sacred Vessel.  That’s how sacred this is.  The Mass is not a high school play where everyone runs around doing stuff.  That is foreign to our tradition.   In documents on the liturgy, someone said, “The faithful could participate in the Mass where each fulfills their proper role.”   That is correct to a point.  Your proper role is to offer yourself to the priest who functions In persona Christi (in the person of Christ) and to be emulated on the altar in the sacrifice.  It is not your role to run up and down the aisles doing stuff.  No.  Nada.  I have had Mass in a lot of different places, and we didn’t have all that.  Know what?  It worked just as well. 

Some of the Masses have been interesting.  I was doing a Mass at the hospital and one of the vets who was under-medicated said, “I’m a saint.”  Not yet, but soon!  Another vet said, “My wife died.  I’m going to be a priest.”  Alright.  I’ll write a letter for you.  You have to be flexible when you are offering Mass in hospitals and nursing homes.  Active participation doesn’t call for physical participation.  Active participation is interior participation . . . it’s the sacrifice.  When I say Mass at nursing homes, most of the people are snoring.  Are they actively participating?  Yes, interiorly.   Maybe not exteriorly.  Active participation is interior devotion. 

Saint Pierre-Julien Eymard wrote a wonderful series of books on the Eucharist.  His books were filled with such beautiful meditations on the Eucharist and our Lord’s presence at the Mass.  Saint Eymard wrote about there being four elements of the Mass; however, I remember five elements:  adoration, worship, petition, expiation, and thanksgiving.  Those are the elements of the Mass, and that is what we do here.  Adoration before God, worship, expiation, sacrifices offered for forgiveness of our sins, petition – asking for forgiveness of our sins, and thanksgiving which is probably the most overlooked one.  The Mass is not our prayer; it is the prayer of Christ.  Each of us, according to our vocation, can be made part of that sacrifice.  I, as the priest, become In persona Christi (in the person of Christ) and offer the sacrifice.  You, as the people of God, become part of the sacrifice just like the Blessed Mother, Mary of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and John the Apostle.

This is why we don’t change things like having eulogies at funerals.  There are no eulogies in the Mass.  None at all.  Ah-Ah-Ah.  Not allowed.  The Mass is a prayer of Christ.  This place is sacred.  When you go to the cemetery in Salisbury near the hospital, it’s all on camera.  So, if you start doing something stupid, you are going to meet a couple of big guys with a gun and a badge.  They are not going to be amused because that place is sacred.  The bodies of heroes and heroines are buried there, and they are not amused with people acting stupid.  So, if we can be so particular about behavior in a cemetery, how about during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?  People are in the very presence of God Himself in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  This is our faith.  That’s why you are all here, and it’s why so many others come to Mass and behave with such devotion.  It’s inspiring to me.  This is God’s house, and we are all His children.  We have a lot of non-Catholics here, and they are God’s children.  They belong here.  This is God’s house, and you are all His children. 

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.”


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Sermon Notes – February 25, 2024 – “A Glimpse of Heaven”

“A Glimpse of Heaven”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 24 – 25, 2024

Gospel: Mark 9:2-10


2) After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And He was transfigured before them, 3) and His clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4) Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. 5) Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”  6) He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.  7) Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.”  8) Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.  9) As they were coming down from the mountain, He charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.    10) So, they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

We learn what Heaven is like by the transfigurations in the Gospel.  I could preach for hours on that subject.  Would you like me to preach for hours?  Before you respond, the pious answer is “Yes, Father.”   But I know what you are really thinking: “Come on old man.  I’m starving here!”  So, what is Heaven like?  Heaven is being in the presence of Jesus.  It’s not a place.  It’s a Who.  It is the presence of God.  Moses and Elijah were in the presence of God.  They talked about what would happen in the future, so they had knowledge of the future.  Remember that in Heaven everything is in the present.  God is always in the present because He is not subject to His own creation of time, the past, or the future.   Everything is present to God at once.  All time is present.   

How did the Apostles know they were talking to Moses and Elijah?  There was no Facebook back then.  There were no cameras or photographs.  So, like Moses and Elijah, their minds had been enlightened by a gift from God.  They knew Moses and Elijah.  They knew they were talking to Jesus.  So, what does that tell us about death?   It tells us there is forgiveness after death.  What did God say to Moses after he struck the rock three times?  “Because you did not believe in me. . . therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them” (Num. 20:6-13).   Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land, but where was he that day?  He was in the Promised Land.  So, there is forgiveness after death. 

Purgatory is the full expression of God’s love and mercy.  The Apostles wanted this joy to continue; however, Heaven is later and not here on Earth no matter what any bishop or Church deacon tells you.  “If we have just one more collection or one more ministry, we’ll have Heaven on Earth, and everybody will be happy.”  No.  We will never have Heaven on Earth.  That’s akin to a government official saying, “If we pass these great budgets and everything else, we’ll be all set, and everybody will be happy.”  Ahh, no.  You won’t have Heaven on Earth.  Heaven comes later.  If we are holy, we will have as much happiness as possible in this life.  However, full happiness does not come until we are with our Savior forever. 

Holiness has its own crosses.  Bishop Sheen had a television show.  He was a handsome man, eloquent, learned, and gave a great presentation.   Do you know what his daily diet consisted of?  Boiled chicken, graham crackers, and milk.  His stomach was that bad, but nobody knew.  Saint Theresa of Calcutta experienced “interior darkness,” but she was joyous.  Never mind all the crosses Saint John Paul II had as the Holy Father, but he was also shot.  Doctors say that the blood transfusions he received caused his Parkinson’s disease.  However, he suffered joyously for the salvation of souls.  One story about the Holy Father . . . he was a huge lover of classical music.  So, they had a world-renowned orchestra come in with some of the best maestros in the world.  After they finished playing one of his favorite pieces, the maestro turned around to look at the Holy Father and hoped that he liked it.  “Please like it!”  His Holiness was shaking and drooling because of his Parkinsons, but he gave the maestro a thumbs-up. 

Ten days before the Passion, God gave Peter, James, and John the great gift of consolation to prepare them for the scandal of the Cross.   God has given us consolation many, many times to help us endure our sufferings.  Consolations are a glimpse of Heaven.  Some consolations He gives us before we have great trials and some after.  And some just because God likes to give them to us because He loves us.  During that time when we are experiencing great trials and suffering, we don’t experience the consolation of Christ.  That’s hogwash.  “Oh!  I’m struggling!  My goodness!”  Grow up!  Just because we don’t feel the consolation of God and His presence, doesn’t mean He isn’t with us.  You cannot prove a positive with a negative. 

This is our opportunity to respond to His great gifts with acts of faith, hope, and love knowing that He is always with us.  Our guardian angel is always with us.  Mine is tired.  Just because we don’t feel consolation doesn’t mean anything.  This, indeed, might be a chance for us to console God.  How many of us have sinned so grievously against Him and don’t care?  We do not enjoy the times between consolations.  I would love to have them all the time.  But that’s not reality, and it’s the danger of a lot of spiritual programs.  “Pray this way while holding your mouth just right and standing on one foot, and you will receive consolation every time you pray.”  But that’s not true at all.  Look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  God is never, ever away from us.  Between consolations, we make our act of faith that God is with us; our act of hope that He will bring us safely through our trials; and our act of love by turning our trials into acts of love for others.

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.”

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The Catechism in a Year – Day 331 – The Foundations of Prayer

Do we know how to pray? The Catechism depicts Moses learning how to pray and uses this as an example of prayer and relationship with God. The Catechism goes on to talk about David and his experiences with prayer and the Psalms. As Fr. Mike points out, “humility is the foundation of prayer,” and we need honesty, trust, and a willingness to engage in order to pray and approach God as he is. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2574-2580.

Click on link: https://youtu.be/URfEHcxmMsE?si=hlcUIEyqQm39f7Sk

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Sermon Notes – August 6, 2023 – Busy is Not Your Friend

Busy is Not Your Friend

 Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 5 – 6, 2023

Gospel:  Matthew 17:1-9

In today’s Gospel, the transfiguration happened about 10 days before our Lord’s Passion.   The Lord gave Peter, James, and John this great gift to show them His power so that they would be strengthened and fortified for the scandal of the Cross . . . the Passion.  He showed them who He was. . .  true God and true Man.  Our Lord lowered the veil of His humanity to show them His divinity.   His face became like the sun.  The three apostles had a foretaste of Heaven.  They saw Moses and Elijah there.  And it begs the question . . . How did they know it was Moses and Elijah?   This happened thousands of years before Facebook, and there were no pictures.  So, how the heck did they know?   Their minds were enlightened in the presence of God.  Moses, Elijah, and others were discussing with our Lord events that were still to come so we will have knowledge of the future.  Remember, Heaven is outside of time.  There is no time in Heaven.  Everything is in the present at once because God is.  They heard the voice of God the Father call out, a theophany or the manifestation of God.  “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him.”   Peter offered to build three shelters – one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for the Lord.  Peter said he wanted that moment to go on forever, but it didn’t.    Do you know what is interesting?  If you go back to the Old Testament, Moses disobeyed God when he struck the rock two times.  And the Lord said, “You are not entering the Promised Land.”   And where was Moses that day?  He was in the Promised Land which means there is forgiveness after death.  So, Moses made it to the Promised Land. 

The great spiritual consolations our God gives us are never lasting even though we want them to be.  They only last in Heaven.   Now this is a grave thing about the spiritual life or spiritual direction.  I was thinking about laypeople who say, “I’m a Spiritual Director.”  Uh-huh.  I’m Doctor House because I have watched every show.  That qualifies me, right?  If you say this prayer and do this, you will always be happy.  Really?  Check with a qualified medical professional about adjusting your meds.   We are never always happy.  Remember in the Book of Acts, the apostles were thrown into prison.  Prisons back then were very different.  One, they didn’t have cameras; and two, guess what happened to them . . . they got what we call “an attitude adjustment.”   They had the living you know what beat out of them.  But they rejoiced because they were found worthy to suffer for the Lord.   Our Lord said, “You will suffer for Me.”  He prophesied that we would have many trials and tribulations.  Look at Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.   He was shipwrecked three times, stoned, and scourged.  “Hey God, if this is the way you treat your friends, it’s no wonder you have so few!”   He did not have an easy time of it, but he kept going. 

There is a great temptation when our time to suffer comes and everything seems to go bad.  We don’t feel our prayers, we aren’t being listened to, and it’s the same darn thing day after day.  So, the spiritual life is not always marvelous.  It is more like “Oh, if only I could see God.”   How many of the apostles were in the Garden of Gethsemane?   Only one was at the foot of the Cross.  Yet, in three years they saw all the miracles – at least three risen from the dead.   Think about all the miracles our Lord did.  “Oh, if I had just one big spiritual moment, I’d never doubt again.”  That’s not true.  We are no better than the apostles.  Our good Lord’s consolations to us, His appearances to us, and His gifts to us come not when we want them, but when our Lord decides we need them or as a free act of love to let us know He is always there.  But we tend to forget.  We get wrapped up in our daily lives and events, and the crushing work of staring at the coffee pot and microwave willing them to work faster.    Sometimes, we are so busy that we overlook the obvious.  “I didn’t see the police officer sitting there.”   It’s a big black car marked “State Police.”  How could you miss it?   We have tunnel vision while driving.  Father Adrian van Kaam reminds us in his book that many times we are too busy and tend to overlook our Lord’s consolations.  Our Lord reminds us of His presence and His care in the ordinary, mundane, and trivial events in our lives.  That’s why it’s so important at the end of the day to do an examination of conscience.  Take some time to look back over the day, not to see what you did right or wrong, but to see what our Lord is trying to say.   “Hi.  I love you!  It’s Me.  I’m here.”  We overlook it all. 

A couple of years ago, I was going out to visit someone in the hospital.  As I was walking upstairs, a nurse was coming down them.  She asked, “Are you a priest?”   Yeah.   “I was just going to call you.”  Well, I saved you a dime.  “There is someone upstairs in ICU who is dying.”   I told the family that it was just by chance that I was in town and that I was in the stairwell when I met the nurse.  God loves this person who was passing so much that I just happened to be there to give them Last Rites.  It’s tiny little things like that which show how much God loves us, but we are so busy that we overlook them. 

God gives those moments to us because He knows how fragile we are.  The apostles were always filled with fear, and we are no different.  God always gives us reminders of His love.  Not huge ones because that would scare the you know what out of us, but tiny, little reminders and consolations that we often overlook.  Consoling moments sometimes just show up when we least expect them. God speaks to us about the most ordinary things.  Thank Him for them.  He is aware of our strengths, our pain, and our fear.  He has not left us. 

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.”

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The Catechism in a Year – Day 185 – Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence

Together with Fr. Mike, we continue our examination of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Fr. Mike takes us back to the Book of Genesis, the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, and the Book of Exodus, the story of Moses and Pharaoh. He emphasizes that the point of freedom in life is to be led to the freedom to worship God and that it matters to God that we freely choose to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1356-1361.

https://youtu.be/FocyAQTKTO8

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Sermon Notes – June 18, 2023 – Stop Reinventing the Wheel


Stop Reinventing the Wheel

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 17 – 18, 2023

Gospel:  Matthew 9:36-10:8

Today we hear about Jesus choosing the 12 apostles.  Now, if you look at their resumes, they are a bit thin.  Even though Jesus is supposed to know everything, He chose Judas who betrayed Him.  All of the apostles were cowards as was demonstrated in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He didn’t pick too well, did He.  One of my theology professors, Father Francis Conway who is now in Heaven, would often say, “How odd of God to choose the Jews.”  And that’s true.  Why would He pick the Jews to bring salvation to the world?   On the world stage, they were not even a footnote.   Did they have an empire for 2,000 years like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans?   Nope.  So just who were the Jews?  They were nothing.  It’s true.  Then why did He pick them?  Because if they cooperated with His grace, they could become something. 

Look at Moses . . . he killed a man.   Yet Moses saw God face-to-face like one man talking to another.  He also received the Ten Commandments and was chosen to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land.   But it’s not about what Moses was; instead, it was about what God could do with him through His grace.   It was the same with the apostles and what they could become.  Spoiler alert – you will hear next week that the apostles came back and said to the Lord, “Oh wow.  We did all these things.  We did what you told us to do, and it worked!”  Well, yeah!  Do what you are told, and you will receive what you have been promised.  It’s not who we are . . . it’s who we can become if we cooperate with God’s grace.  Look at Saul.  He persecuted followers of our Lord.  Go through Church history, and you will see that there are a lot of stories like Saul’s. 

What matters is what we can become.  It’s not the letters in front of or after your name.  Becoming “Very Reverend” made my mother very happy.  It’s just an honorary title in my position.  It doesn’t mean I’m “very reverend.”  I wish I were.  And all the letters after my name just prove I can take tests and are not a measure of how much I learned.   It doesn’t make me more wonderful or smarter than anyone else.  It doesn’t make what I have done better than what anyone else has done.   But God can use it . . . He can use the worst of someone’s past to transform the world.  Think about this:  88 years ago, our Lord used two men.   One was a drunken stockbroker and the other was a drunken physician.  Do you know what God did with those two men?  They formed Alcoholics Anonymous and all the Twelve Step programs.  How many men, women, and children have they saved.  The drunken stockbroker and physician were two of what the world would call “losers,” and look at what God did with them. 

God chose all of us, not for what we are but for what we can become.  Each of us, because of our vocation in the Body of Christ, can go where others cannot.  You cannot go where I go, and I cannot go where you go to bring God’s message and to evangelize.   God has chosen you and chosen me, depending on our place in the Body of Christ, to be His apostles, to be His disciples, and to be His evangelists.  This is not a reward.  “Oh, you are such a good person.  You did very well in your studies.  I’m so proud of you!”  We are given this grace for the good of others and not for our own well-being.  It’s not an “Atta Boy.”   God has given us all our talents and abilities – or perhaps our lack of talents and abilities.  Remember what God said to Saint Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  Even in our suffering, we can teach people how to suffer and how to love.  Chaplain students all want to fix people.  “Oh, we are going to talk, and I’ll get them into social welfare counseling.”  Oh really?  You have a very blessed job, and you may not realize it, but you are called to attend to those suffering in Christ.   Laying in that bed is to suffer in Christ.  Granted, they may be a royal real pain in the caboose.  Not all people – sick or healthy – are nice.   I’ve been cursed out a lot.  Granted, I may have deserved some of it . . . but I’ve been cursed out a lot!  When you try to do something nice for somebody and they do not appreciate it, they let you know in a lot of different ways and in no uncertain terms.  They are suffering in Christ, and your reaction – or hopefully your lack of reaction – is evangelistic. 

God chose us to be His apostles in the new Body of Christ.  The apostles are now long in Heaven.  They were all cowards, but look at what happened to them . . .  10 of the 11 died a martyr’s death.  Although Peter was a coward, he died a martyr’s death by being crucified upside down.  Crucifixion is not a fun way to go, but upside down is even worse.  Paul had his head chopped off by the Romans.   By the way, that was considered an honor because it was an easier death.   God chose all of us but not to try to recreate the wheel – “Oh, we have this new program, and it’s great!”   Really?   Let me see if I can find that in the Bible.  Nope, not there.   I wonder why it didn’t work.  But they all need your money.   Just do what Christ told you to do.  The apostles were surprised that everything Christ told them to do worked.   We may see that some of our actions produce fruit – probably not though.  So do not be surprised by a temptation from satan.  We do what we are told to do.  Obedience to God’s commands is a work of love.  Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my Commandments.”   So, when we have done a work of love, let that work of love bear fruit even if it is later.

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