Tag: Rome

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Sermon Notes – December 21, 2025 – “Christmas is a Holy Day, Not a Holiday”

“Christmas is a Holy Day, Not a Holiday”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

December 20 – 21, 2025

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24

This is a very beautiful season, and we take a lot of joy in it.  Our church is a beautiful setting for our Lord’s coming, just like our hearts are after we go to Confession.   In a few days, we will celebrate the solemnity of Christmas when God was made visible to us in the form of human flesh.  It is such a joy.  But there is usually something that distracts from the beauty of Christmas and why Jesus came.  It’s always something besides His coming for our sins, because we don’t want to talk about sin.  People can take anything sublime and use it blasphemously.   They think they are smarter than the average bear, and they try to transform Christmas into a ‘deeper meaning’ for society.  Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph.  It meant something different in first-century Jewish culture than it does in our culture today.  “She was an unwed mother.”  Please.  They will say anything to detract from the reason Jesus came and why we should be joyful.  Some say that Mary and Joseph were poor, and that is why they had to stay where they did.  Really?  Scripture does not support that, nor does common sense.  Joseph was a talented man.  He was a carpenter.  Look at how much carpenters make these days.  They make some serious ching.   Carpenters in Joseph’s time did too, but wood was not as readily available as it is today.  So, they could not afford to make many mistakes.  But Joseph was a craftsman.   

A priest in Boston, Father Stephen Josoma, who I think was my classmate from seminary, decided that his church’s nativity scene would not have a baby in a manger.  Instead, his church displayed the following sign:    “ICE was here.”   Jesus was deported?  This priest was trying to do the trendy thing, but it is blasphemous, and it is not true.  Jesus was born in Palestine.  Who governed Palestine?  Rome.  Jesus was a Roman citizen, so He could not be deported.   Just like they cannot deport any of us from Acquadale or Oakboro.  We are North Carolinians.  That church in Boston changed the nativity for blasphemous purposes.  If given the opportunity, I would say to that priest, “Father, we were in the same classes, and you were far brighter than I was.  I must have missed that particular class on the nativity.”        

Caesar decreed that everyone return to their ancestral birthplace to enroll in the census.  Mary and Joseph had to stay where they did because they were late getting to the party.  Apparently, they did not get into the high-speed lane and arrived late.  It was nothing personal.  Nobody knew Saint Joseph, that Mary would be the mother of God, or that He was riding around inside her stomach.  They knew none of that.  If you have tickets to a Panthers game and you get there ten minutes before game time, will you be getting a parking space near the stadium’s front door?  Common sense tells us that you won’t.  “Oh, sure. We have one just for you. It’s in Gastonia.”  That’s just common sense. 

On Christmas Day, the remedy for sin will arrive, Heaven will be opened, and we will be given the means to dwell there with our dear Lord.  God’s promise of salvation made after the fall of our first parents is now made present.   Love becomes incarnate in the Person of Jesus Christ.   The 2nd Person of the Trinity assumed our humanity and became visible.   He would die on the Cross 33 short years later so that the Gates of Heaven were opened for us, giving us the means for salvation through the Sacraments.  That is the great joy of Christmas.  The centuries of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, which seemed much delayed, prepared us to receive that promise.  In the same way, before you can go to any graduate school, you have to take the basic courses.  You have to be prepared.  All of God’s promises come true; we just have to wait for them and be prepared. 

Who is Jesus?  Jesus is our Savior Who came to save us from our sins.  He comes to take our worst to give us His best, which is Himself.  This is our joy at Christmas.  He offers peace on Earth.  That peace comes with peace in our souls for each and every one of us.  During this time in the Gospel, the world was at peace.  Do you know why?  The Romans ruled it.  If you stepped out of line, you got whacked.  The Romans had very little tolerance for stupid.  That is why the world was in a state of objective peace and not subject to interior peace. 

Christ comes to be our peace . . . peace in our soul.  He comes to take away our sins and, by taking away our sins, to infuse His divine presence in us.  This is the joy of Christmas.  We don’t have to wait for it.  Yes, we have to wait a few more days to commemorate His coming.  But each day Christ is made present, sacrificed on the altar, and we are given all the great gifts of His love in the Sacraments.  You cannot receive a greater gift than divine love and the gift of Christ Himself.  That is the joy of Christmas.  To say anything else debases the holiday.  It is a holy day, not a holiday.  God has come to us so that we can go to Him at the end of our days.  You know what is beautiful on Christmas Day?  Instead of looking up to Heaven to pray, you can look down at the manger. 

Father’s Reflections . . .

I had an interesting day yesterday.  I was hearing confessions, and I kept yawning.  One of the penitents asked, “Father, are you okay?”  I said, “Yeah, I’m just an old man. I sit down, and I fall asleep.”  Sometimes, hearing confessions is like being stoned to death with popcorn. Then there was a lady who was waiting for someone in the church parking lot.  She rang my doorbell and said that she had been bitten by a snake.  Okay, I was looking forward to drinking my coffee, but I guess this comes first.  I called the paramedics, and they told me to turn her on her side if she threw up.  Gosh, I really look forward to that, although it’s not exactly how I planned to spend my Saturday morning.  I really miss hospital work!   So, I sat at the kitchen table and waited for the paramedics to arrive, while she waited outside for them.  I took my hometown newspaper out to her and said, “Hey, if you get bored, read this.”  I wanted to keep her amused so that she didn’t wander out into the road.  After that, I went to Harris Teeter.  I bought some things and got into the checkout line.  The store was playing “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives.  The song was being played in a loop, over and over again.  The checkout clerk was a young man, and I asked him, “One of your favorites?”  He said, “It’s torture.”   It was like at Gitmo when music was played to get the enemy to talk.  That young man should get combat pay. 

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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Saint of the Day – August 25 – Saint Genesius of Rome

St. Genesius of Rome (d. 303 AD) was a renowned actor and playwright, the leader of a popular acting troupe during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. When the Emperor was killing Christians, Genesius wrote plays to mock them and expose their secret rites to ridicule. To research for a play mocking baptism, he went to a priest pretending to desire the sacraments and was fully instructed as a catechumen. Genesius prepared his play and instructed the other actors in their parts. On performance day the Emperor was present. Genesius played the lead character seeking baptism, and the rite was performed in such a ludicrous manner that all present laughed. As the water was poured over Genesius’ head by an actor playing the priest’s part, Genesius saw a vision of the heavens opened and the hand of God touching him. He also saw an angel who showed him that his many sins had been washed away through the valid baptism he had just received. At that moment Genesius’ heart was changed by the Holy Spirit and he believed in the truth of Christianity. At the conclusion of the play Genesius boldly declared his new faith, recounting how he had been a scoffer until that moment. He implored the audience, including the Emperor, to follow Christ. The crowd thought this was part of the performance, but once they understood it was real, Genesius was seized. The Emperor, furious, subjected him to cruel tortures daily to make him renounce his faith in Christ. Genesius staunchly refused and was beheaded. The Christians collected his body and buried him with the other martyrs. St. Genesius is the patron saint of comedians, dancers, actors, musicians, printers, and torture victims. His feast day is August 25th.

//Catholic Company//

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Saint of the Day – April 5th – Saint Vincent Ferrer

Saint Vincent (January 23, 1350 – April 5, 1419)

The polarization in the Church today is a mild breeze compared with the tornado that ripped the Church apart during the lifetime of this saint. If any saint is a patron of reconciliation, Vincent Ferrer is.

Despite parental opposition, he entered the Dominican Order in his native Spain at 19. After brilliant studies, he was ordained a priest by Cardinal Peter de Luna—who would figure tragically in his life.

Of a very ardent nature, Vincent practiced the austerities of his Order with great energy. He was chosen prior of the Dominican house in Valencia shortly after his ordination.

The Western schism divided Christianity first between two, then three, popes. Clement VII lived at Avignon in France, Urban VI in Rome. Vincent was convinced the election of Urban was invalid, though Catherine of Siena was just as devoted a supporter of the Roman pope. In the service of Cardinal de Luna, Vincent worked to persuade Spaniards to follow Clement. When Clement died, Cardinal de Luna was elected at Avignon and became Benedict XIII.

Vincent worked for him as apostolic penitentiary and Master of the Sacred Palace. But the new pope did not resign as all candidates in the conclave had sworn to do. He remained stubborn, despite being deserted by the French king and nearly all of the cardinals.

Vincent became disillusioned and very ill, but finally took up the work of simply “going through the world preaching Christ,” though he felt that any renewal in the Church depended on healing the schism. An eloquent and fiery preacher, he spent the last 20 years of his life spreading the Good News in Spain, France, Switzerland, the Low Countries and Lombardy, stressing the need of repentance and the fear of coming judgment. He became known as the “Angel of the Judgment.”

Vincent tried unsuccessfully, in 1408 and 1415, to persuade his former friend to resign. He finally concluded that Benedict was not the true pope. Though very ill, he mounted the pulpit before an assembly over which Benedict himself was presiding, and thundered his denunciation of the man who had ordained him a priest. Benedict fled for his life, abandoned by those who had formerly supported him. Strangely, Vincent had no part in the Council of Constance, which ended the schism.

Reflection

The split in the Church at the time of Vincent Ferrer should have been fatal—36 long years of having two “heads.” We cannot imagine what condition the Church today would be in if, for that length of time, half the world had followed a succession of popes in Rome, and half an equally “official” number of popes in say, Rio de Janeiro. It is an ongoing miracle that the Church has not long since been shipwrecked on the rocks of pride and ignorance, greed and ambition. Contrary to Lowell’s words, “Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne,” we believe that “truth is mighty, and it shall prevail”—but it sometimes takes a long time.

Saint Vincent Ferrer is the Patron Saint of:

Builders
Businessmen
Reconciliation

//Franciscan Media//

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Saint of the Day – March 9th

Saint Frances of Rome (1384 – March 9, 1440

Frances’ life combines aspects of secular and religious life. A devoted and loving wife, she longed for a lifestyle of prayer and service, so she organized a group of women to minister to the needs of Rome’s poor.

Born of wealthy parents, Frances found herself attracted to the religious life during her youth. But her parents objected and a young nobleman was selected to be her husband.

As she became acquainted with her new relatives, Frances soon discovered that the wife of her husband’s brother also wished to live a life of service and prayer. So the two, Frances and Vannozza, set out together—with their husbands’ blessings—to help the poor.

Frances fell ill for a time, but this apparently only deepened her commitment to the suffering people she met. The years passed, and Frances gave birth to two sons and a daughter. With the new responsibilities of family life, the young mother turned her attention more to the needs of her own household.

The family flourished under Frances’ care, but within a few years a great plague began to sweep across Italy. It struck Rome with devastating cruelty and left Frances’ second son dead. In an effort to help alleviate some of the suffering, Frances used all her money and sold her possessions to buy whatever the sick might possibly need. When all the resources had been exhausted, Frances and Vannozza went door to door begging. Later, Frances’ daughter died, and the saint opened a section of her house as a hospital.

Reflection

Looking at the exemplary life of fidelity to God and devotion to her fellow human beings which Frances of Rome was blessed to lead, one cannot help but be reminded of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, who loved Jesus Christ in prayer and also in the poor. The life of Frances of Rome calls each of us not only to look deeply for God in prayer, but also to carry our devotion to Jesus living in the suffering of our world. Frances shows us that this life need not be restricted to those bound by vows.

Saint Frances of Rome is the Patron Saint of:

Motorists
Widows