Let’s see how your memory is. Remember last week when I talked about vision? Okay, obviously you don’t remember but there are Sermon Notes at the back of the church. Pick one up and refresh your memory on what I said. What I said was that I wished I could see what truly is. Dr. Billingsley is great, but there is just so much he can do. I want to see our good Lord truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, in the Confessional, in the Mass, and in the Sacraments. By the way, do you know why deacons cannot perform the Sacraments? Because only those who can celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are allowed to perform the Sacraments. The Sacraments come from the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Anyhow, I want to see our Lord as He truly is . . . the brilliant light that is the light of the world.
I had my picture taken in New York for an Army advertisement, and I had to put on makeup. That was the first and last time I will ever wear makeup outside of the box. I was a member of the 101st Airborne . . . so hell no! You wouldn’t believe all the lights they shine on you to put on the makeup. While I was sitting under all those lights, I felt like a rotisserie chicken. That’s the same kind of light here in the church – the light of truth – that shines on us as we sit in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament and in the Confessional. That light allows us to see ourselves. We see ourselves in three ways: how we see ourselves, how others see us, and how we truly are. It takes humility to see ourselves as we truly are. That’s why the vision to see ourselves as we truly are is so necessary for advancement in spiritual life.
We find that vision by seeking the light of Christ whether it is in front of the Blessed Sacrament or in the Confessional. In His light, we see ourselves as we truly are . . . our crosses, our failures, our talents, and our abilities. Too often we avoid His light because we see ourselves with all these problems. “God, I have all these problems. I’m not good enough for you Lord.” First of all, we cannot earn God’s love. I don’t care how good you are, you cannot earn His love because God’s love is free. Look at all that God has given us, including our crosses which are actually gifts. But when we look at our crosses, we see pain. We see all our troubles, all our failures, and all our wants and desires.
In spite of everything, we are all loved by Christ. Nothing that we have done can stop God’s love for us. Nothing. God will always love us. How we love God is another matter, but that is up to us. But God will always love us. We are children of God. When I was in Hospice the other day, I was talking to this man while the EMT’s were with him. I asked him if he would tell me his religious denomination so that we could take proper care of him. He said, “I’m not Catholic; I’m Baptist.” I said, “May I tell you a secret?” He whispered, “Yeah, go ahead.” I said, “You are a child of God, and no one gets better than that.”
As you sit here in church, you are sitting in the presence of God, Himself, in the Blessed Sacrament. You are also sitting in His presence during Confession. It is then that we see ourselves as we truly are – loved by God.
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.”
In the church, we have stained-glass windows and the Stations of the Cross which represent the bible in pictures. The Rosetta window above the altar displays the 15 mysteries of the Rosary which is also Scripture. Way, way back before the Protestant’s so-called Reformation, we had these things. Why? One reason is because a lot of people couldn’t read. It wasn’t their fault; they were just trying to survive. Also, people didn’t have enough money for books because they had to be written on parchment or sheepskin. It was very tedious work for monks to do. When people came to church, they could see Scripture with their eyes, and as the priests were preaching, they would point out the various mysteries of the faith.
The whole point of Scripture is to bring attention to Christ especially Christ incarnate in the Tabernacle. This brings up something funny; in the so-called Reformation, their attention was solely on Scripture. So, what did Protestants do? They got rid of visible Scripture in their churches. The stained-glass windows and Stations of the Cross were all gone. I thought you loved Scripture. So why did you get rid of the visible Scripture? No one has answered that question for me yet.
Everything we do is directed at the Tabernacle. We have proved that our Lord is in the Most Blessed Sacrament. We have seen the evidence. When we take our Lord away and denigrate the Blessed Sacrament, people leave in droves. We come to Mass for a Who not a “what.” I read a ritual book that stated, “The liturgy is the work of the people.” No, that makes it a high school play. The liturgy, which is the Mass, is Christ. It’s a Who not a “what.” You got that wrong and you flunked Theology 101. That phrase never shows up anywhere in Church history. I may have been sick a day or two while in seminary, but we were never taught that. And I guarantee you that Saint Thomas Aquinas never wrote that. Nor did Saint Louis de Montfort or Saint John Vianney. People said, “We have to focus on the liturgy.” So, they moved the Tabernacle to another location in the church to a place where you would be lucky to find it with a native guide. When I got here, I started putting things back where they belonged, and people said, “Vatican 2 said this, and we have to do that.” I said, “Okay, fine.” I don’t want to get in trouble with anybody. I get into enough trouble with local law, so I don’t need the Church law after me too. Oh, did I say that out loud? Show me where the Church decreed that. I had a professor who was at Vatican 2. Abbot Walter was a counselor at Vatican 2, and he claims they never said that. Does anybody want to give out Communion? Come on up. No! Does anybody want to perform surgery? Come on up; we’ll give you a knife. Have a good time. No! Everything is placed with reverence for the Eucharist. Nobody is supposed to go beyond the altar rail except for the priest and those who have business at the altar. And as soon as they finish, they leave. The Tabernacle is supposed to be in a pronounced location. When Bishop Jugis came in, God bless his soul, he had everything put back where it belonged.
Every couple of centuries or so the Church has to do some housecleaning. If some is good, more is better. That’s true for hundred-dollar bills and pizza. Everything else, not so much. “We need more statues.” No. Statues are nice, but it gets so cluttered you can’t find our good Lord. So, the Church has to do a little housecleaning and say, “That’s all very nice, very sweet, but it has to go away” so we can focus on our Lord. All the Gospels in the past couple of weeks have been focused on the good Lord. “I am the Bread of Life.” The focus is always on Him and not on you, not on me, and not on the worshipping community. By the way, I have no idea what “worshipping community” means. Granted, I’m not the brightest bulb in the circuit. Just as an aside, I was poking around on the internet to see what my classmates are up to, and I discovered that one of my classmates at my old diocese is now a monsignor. Suck up! He was Roman anyway. When you are Roman, it’s like having graduated from West Point in the Army. “You are all equal.” No, you’re not.
The only thing we should focus on is our good Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. “I am the Bread of Life.” It’s not about what you sing or who brings the gifts to the altar. It’s all about Who is in the Tabernacle. That is our faith. Everything points to our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament and our focus should be only on Him.
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.”
Early every morning, I come over to the church and do my meditation. During one of my meditations, the thought came to me about how beautiful our church has become. Bill Peak was the original Misfit (church volunteer), and I was talking to him about that. When I first arrived here, the first job I gave Bill was to get the carpet out of the church bathroom. That’s another reason priests should be married. Who would put carpet in the bathroom? To the best of my recollat – recollec – uh – memory . . . do I sound like the President? But to the best of my recollection, we have made over 50 changes and upgrades just inside the church.
So, let me ask you – what makes this church beautiful? Could it be the wonderful new Stations of the Cross? Perhaps it’s the beautiful altar rail that the Misfits worked on? Maybe it’s the wooden altarpiece or the marble tables we put in. Could it be the amazing stained-glass window above the altar? Maybe it’s the sound system. We’ve done so many things, but what is the most beautiful? Does the love of God’s people make the church beautiful? Yes. However, that was a trick question. I asked you “what” the most beautiful thing in our church is. You should have answered, “Hey, Father, it’s not a “what.” It’s a “Who.” What makes our church truly beautiful is the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Most Blessed Sacrament. God Incarnate is present in the Tabernacle, and He is beauty itself.
Our love for Him is a reflection of that beauty and is made manifest in all the wonderful things you have done in the church over the past 22 years. Your love is a response to His love. You have given out of love to reflect His beauty and the beauty of His love for us and for everyone. We are like an Irish family . . . we always have an extra seat. The Real Presence of our Lord is what makes a church beautiful. This is our Faith.
That is what makes a church beautiful. Beauty is not an “it.” Beauty is a “Who.” Every Mass is beautiful and wonderful, even the Mass I did in 13 minutes when I was in Iraq . . . we were a little busy at the time. The Ordination Mass of our new bishop lasted for three hours. That’s the wonder and beauty of our Faith in the person of Jesus Christ. It’s the beauty of His love expressed and given to us. It’s the beauty you have responded to by being here.
Years ago, Bishop Jugis, our retired bishop now and a really wonderful man, came here for Confirmation. He was walking across the parking lot, and he said, “Father, you have really made this place beautiful.” I said, “Bishop, all I needed was two books.” He gave me a confused look, and I said, “Yes, all I need is a checkbook and a phone book, and I can make things happen. I know people.” But the beauty of it all is that it’s from God by your response to His love. Do you think I used my personal checkbook for all these things? Nope. It was yours. Your gifts are a reflection of your love for Christ and His love for you. The beauty of His love that you responded to made all these wonderful things happen. God is beauty itself. Every church is beautiful insofar as it has our good Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Soon, and on the eternal scale, very soon, we will all see that beauty without the need for glasses. We will see God Himself without the need for signs and symbols.
One more thing about Bishop Jugis. After coming to Confirmation here, the next morning, he had to drive three hours to the mountains. I knew he was tired, but after Confirmation, I asked him, “Bishop, would you do me a favor? There are a couple of people in the hospital I’d like you to visit.” I asked him to go see Genevieve, a lady who was in her last days, and also another lady who was being released from the hospital to go home and die from cancer. The Bishop agreed to visit them, and he could not have been more gracious. You would never have known he had a long trip ahead of him the next morning.
Father’s Reflections . . .
We had an unexpected expense last week. The air conditioning in my house went out, so for a few nights, it was rather warm, and I didn’t sleep well. However, I didn’t waste the time . . . I caught up on my continuing education units which are studies I need to do – I watched episodes of “House, MD.” It occurred to me that I am House in a priestly sense. I can live with that. He is hilarious.
This week we will be celebrating July 4th. Remember that freedom is not free. Last month was the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Of the first 128 men who went ashore, guess how many survived. None. Do you know the average age of the soldiers on D-Day? 19.
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.”
13 When the time of the JewishPassover 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.”
