Tag: Sacraments

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Sermon Notes – “Do the Next Right Thing” – June 23, 2024

“Do the Next Right Thing”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 22 – 23, 2024

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

I was talking to a man the other day at the hospital and giving him a little spiritual direction.  He’s a very devout man, and I’ve known him for years.  He was judging himself harshly about how well he was carrying his crosses.  He didn’t feel he was making any progress.  I said that if you notice in Scripture, our Lord never asked anyone how they felt.   He didn’t care because feelings change.  Every time He asked the Apostles what they thought, they got it wrong.  He didn’t ask the Pharisees or Sadducees because He knew they would get it wrong.  Therefore, He left us instructions in black and white.  The Blessed Mother, the greatest spiritual director of all, said to us, “Do whatever He tells you.”   These were her last words recorded in Scripture.   Can a mother be wrong?  No . . .  especially the mother of our Lord.  So, we follow the commands of Christ and do whatever He tells us.   Christ said, “If you love Me, keep My Commandments.”  And through the Sacraments, He gave us the means to achieve that.  The second part of this great spiritual maxim is one my battalion commander would use, “Do the routine things routinely.”  Our Lord said, “Take up your cross and follow me.”   He gives us the power to pick up our cross, to bear it every day, and to help others bear theirs.  Another wise man said, “Do the next right thing” and you will be progressing toward sanctity.  So, when in doubt, just do the next right thing. 

Great moments, such as the ecstasies that the saints experienced, may come or they may not.  Every now and again, not as often as we would like, but when our Lord decides we need it, He gives us these little pick-me-ups although I’m still not a monsignor even after 40 years in the priesthood.  Thanks a lot!  But sometimes we are so busy and wound up in ourselves that we miss them.  On those occasions, our Lord is saying, “You’re doing great!  I’m proud of you!”  Unfortunately, we sometimes miss all that.   The gifts He offers us usually come before a great struggle, so do not pray for spiritual gifts because you might find yourself in a heap of trouble.  But that’s how we achieve our salvation. 

Growth in spirituality does not consist of ecstasy after ecstasy.  That’s reserved for Heaven.  It’s about taking up our cross every day and doing what He tells us to do.   Some of our crosses may change depending upon the time of life and our situation.  We may have other crosses added, and we may, out of love, take the crosses of others onto ourselves.  A good friend of mine was a Special Ed teacher.  She was coming down with the flu and even though she felt bad, she needed to be in class.  So that night I prayed, “Lord, give me her flu so she can teach her class.”   After all, I was in the 101st Airborne Division, and I was a tough guy . . .  until the next afternoon when I went downhill.  I was so sick.  She was fine, but I was really sick for a couple of days.   Don’t be too eager about taking another person’s cross because what happened to me could happen to you.   I thought I was a tough guy.  Nope.  The Lord rewarded me for my love but punished me for my pride. 

Do not be disheartened.  It’s a temptation by the evil one to make you think you are not doing well because if you were progressing, you would be much happier, and things would work out a lot better.  That’s not true.  In some of the so-called spiritual programs, they say, “If you do this and this, you will feel much better.”  No.  That’s spiritual blackmail of our good Lord, and He really doesn’t like that.  Saint Teresa of Avila said, “If this is the way you treat all your friends, Lord, it’s no wonder You have so few.”  And that’s true.  But our crosses are there so that we are not puffed up by our pride.  “I raised myself to Heaven by my own bootstraps.”   “I’ve done this, and I’ve done that.”  Think of your crosses as a way to grace instead of something you have to put up with. 

Some days, and there’s no way around it, bearing our crosses is a royal pain.  I have complained about my crosses to the point of ad nauseam.   But my crosses are there to keep me small, to keep me safe, and to keep me reliant on God’s mercy and God’s grace.  The daily bearing of my crosses, as well as cleaning up the messes I create because of them, shows God’s grace to others.   It’s not always pleasant, but so long as we don’t give up, we are making spiritual progress toward salvation.   

I’ve been saying the Divine Office, a daily prayer priests have to say, for over 40 years.  Do I always enjoy it?  No.  Does my mind always stay centered on it?  No.  Look! Squirrel.  But I’m still doing it.  Despite our failed human nature, we keep coming back and doing the right thing.  We take up our crosses and follow Jesus.  As long as we do that every day and remain faithful to the Sacraments through which we are healed and strengthened, we are making great spiritual progress.  Don’t listen to anyone or anything else.

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 – February 18, 2024 – “Someday Tomorrow Will Begin Without Us”

“Someday Tomorrow Will Begin Without Us”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

February 17 – 18, 2024

Gospel: Mark 1:12-15

Occasionally and according to my physician’s wishes, I have to go to the local pharmacy to get prescriptions filled.  They always ask for my date of birth.  I say, “It’s 7-11-53, and yes, I’m on the waiting list for Hartsell’s Funeral Home.”  They all laugh.  But it’s true.  Now I’m not much, but my two brothers were geniuses, and both had Mensa cards to prove it.  The cards each cost $500.  You paid $500 for a card?  I’m smarter than them . . . I’m going to save 500 bucks!   But I can read a calendar, and I watch the pages turn.  I know my time with you on this Earth is limited.  So, I try to use the time that God has given me to improve what teachers used to call my permanent record.   Remember that?  “This is going on your permanent record!”  Where the heck is this so-called permanent record?   But God sees all.  The Season of Lent is the time for us to work on our permanent records because we don’t know when our time will come.  Many people who have been given a terminal diagnosis outlive the prognosis.   Some live way beyond it and others even get discharged from hospice – not a celestial discharge – they go home.   So, we don’t know.  But someday, tomorrow will begin without us.   I am very fortunate to have made it this far because I traveled with a rough crowd.  I didn’t know any better – yes, I did. 

On the day that begins without me, I will see my Savior come to take my soul from this world to Himself.   So, I would like for my soul to be as beautiful as it was when He first gave it to me.  To that point, especially during this Season of Lent, I try to refresh my soul and make it beautiful again and unmarred by my sins and the sins of others.  I do that with prayer, almsgiving, penance, practicing the Sacraments, and confession.  I went 10 days ago.  I don’t ask you to do something that I haven’t done.  His coming for us should make us happy.  You all love God because you are here.  I’ve been here long enough to know the magnitude of your love and generosity to God and His people.   All the improvements to the church happened because of you.  That’s all you.  Grow in that love so you will not be afraid when God comes to take you home.   

I was over at the criminal university (prison) the other day, and I talked about almsgiving to my felons.  Of course, they don’t have wallets because they have no money, and they are limited as to what they can do outside.  They are monitored and rightly so.   So, they looked at me like I was stupid and said, “What can we do?”  There is plenty you can sacrifice.  Just think about what you are going to eat tonight.  Square fish.  They call it sewer bass and sewer trout.  I swear I can smell it from the parking lot.  I thought the gas chamber was bad, but that’s just not fair!  Some of the ladies who work there said, “Yeah, we can tell when any of the women are pregnant because they smell that and go bleagh!”   Breakfast is at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning.  “But I like to sleep in.”  Not anymore.  The State does have a sense of humor.  You can offer that up and all the other irritations you endure.  You know, some folks in this institution are not as nice as you.   Offer it up as almsgiving because that is what you have.  Give what you have. 

Tax season is coming soon, and we must tell the Federal Government how much we made which could be true or maybe not depending on whether an Italian did your taxes.  Some of us were blessed with great finances and have been very good to the church and charities.  This is not an appeal for money.  I don’t do that.  That is why there’s no collection on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  There are no second collections, period.   I know that not everyone is well off and has obligations.  I know very well, especially in my own life and I’m no different than you – well, you are better looking, I’ll give you that – but I know that we all have crosses.  Many crosses.  Heavy crosses.  And they hurt.  They frustrate. They irritate.  But they can all be used for good not only to mortify our souls to keep us humble but also to be offered for someone else.  Saint Paul said, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the church” (Col 1:24).

You can go in and pay someone’s court fines.  The court doesn’t care as long as you have the cash.  Likewise, you can pay for other people’s sins by your own sufferings.  You can pay for the sins of your family, friends, souls in Purgatory, and especially for those who do not like you.  They may not have anyone to pray for them.  This is how wonderfully rich we all are.   This is the almsgiving that we can all give, that we are rich in and that we can give up for others.  We are all rich.  All that suffering that we bear can be offered up for others.  Use those riches God has given us wisely while we have time for an interior beauty treatment.  Scripture tells us that giving alms covers a multitude of sins.  By giving alms, we refresh the soul and make it beautiful.  Through penance, confession, prayer, the Sacraments, and almsgiving we can begin to restore our soul to its original beauty when Christ gave it to us.  This is so that when Christ comes for us whether it is tomorrow or many years from now, and I hope it is many years from now, we can run to Him with our arms around Him and His around us and be in paradise forever. 

Father’s Reflections . . . To the child in the audience who wants her mother – I felt the same way when I received my draft notice.  Mom!! 

I may have gotten a compliment the other day.  One of the nurse practitioners at Hospice said, “Father, you should have gone to medical school.”   Thank you!  That was very nice.  As I walked away a thought occurred to me.  Did she mean as a student or a cadaver?  Either way, I get to take the Gross Anatomy class, and it really is gross.

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 268 – The Precepts of the Church

God has given the Church his law as “the way of life and truth.” We, therefore, have the right to be taught and guided while maintaining a spirit of docility in love. In this, Fr. Mike reminds us that the Church is our caring mother. Her care extends into the five precepts of the Church, those laws establishing the very minimum needed to remain an active member of the Body of Christ. These have to do with attending Mass, receiving the sacraments, fasting, and providing for the needs of the Church. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 2037-2043.

Click on link: https://youtu.be/sqtGnhY7FOs?si=uubQzY9K3AaFKfOx

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The Catechism in a Year – Day 156 – How the Liturgy is Celebrated

We continue to examine the celebration of the liturgy and sacraments. In the context of how the liturgy is celebrated, Fr. Mike explains that we are both body and spirit, and so signs and symbols are the way in which we communicate with and understand the world around us. God communicates spiritual realities in the same way. The signs and symbols which are utilized in the liturgy not only point to spiritual realities, but also make them present. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1145-1152.

https://youtu.be/sxwN2A9f6zQ

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The Catechism in a Year – Day 154 – Sacraments of Eternal Life

We’ve seen how the sacraments re-present what Christ worked for us in his Passion and death, but the Catechism also explains to us how the sacraments prefigure our eternal inheritance in heaven. Fr. Mike uses this “nugget day” as an opportunity to ensure we understand what the sacraments are and what they’re for. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1130-1134.

Click on link to play video: https://youtu.be/WOK-0hzrhW8

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The Catechism in a Year – Day 153 – Sacraments Save

Jesus uses his sacraments to save his people. The Catechism proclaims that the sacraments are “efficacious”, the sacraments are “wrought…by the power of God” alone, and the sacraments are “necessary for salvation”. Fr. Mike doubles down on the reality that sacraments cause what they signify. They are not merely signs pointing to an already present reality—Jesus, himself, is at work in each and every expression of the sacraments throughout time and in all places. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1127-1129.

Click on link to play video: https://youtu.be/jmusTMQ8KAk

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The Catechism in a Year – Day 151 – The Seven Sacraments

The Catechism introduces the seven sacraments that Christ offers the Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The Catechism highlights the fact that the sacraments are “by the Church” because the Church is “Christ’s action at work”, and they are “for the Church” because they “manifest and communicate to men…the mystery of communion with the God who is love.” Fr. Mike focuses on the fact that while ministerial priests administer many of the sacraments, their priesthood is at the service of the baptismal priesthood, into which all of the baptized are ordained. Today’s readings are from Catechism paragraphs 1113-1121.

Click on link to play video: https://youtu.be/34pSVZxRW8M

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The Catechism in a Year – Day 147 – Christ’s Work in the Liturgy

We continue our examination of Christ’s acts through the sacraments that he instituted. Fr. Mike emphasizes the importance of understanding that the sacraments are sacred signs that “make present efficaciously the grace they signify.” The sacraments specifically signify the Paschal mystery, Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. We also explore how the Paschal mystery cannot remain in the past. Though it occurred in time, it transcends all time and is made present in all time. Today’s readings are Catechism paragraphs 1084-1090.

Click on link to play video: https://youtu.be/dgHlzEJpQ2k

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Sermon Notes – May 14, 2023 – Grace Builds Upon Grace

Grace Builds Upon Grace

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 13 – 14, 2023

Gospel: John 14:15-21

In Latin, the word “Sacrament” means “mystery.”  So, why does God give us the Sacraments?  Through the Sacraments, He gives us the fruits of His suffering, death, and resurrection for the life of our souls.  The Sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Holy Orders, Last Rites, Confirmation, Holy Communion, and Confession) are given at various times.  In Eastern Rite churches, Confirmation is called chrismation and is given at birth along with baptism.  I prefer it that way.  It’s like giving children all their shots early so they don’t get sick.   

The Sacrament of Confirmation is a strengthening Sacrament and helps you fight temptations if you use it.  To use it, you must practice your faith. . . . Mass on Sundays, Confession at least once a year, and prayer.  Now, I am a man of no talent while my brother had many talents.  I enjoy people who have talents, and I wish I had them.  Frankie has a wonderful talent.  She reads a foreign language called music.  That is totally foreign to me.  I took some music appreciation courses in college because they were easy A’s.  To get as good as Frankie is, she had to practice constantly; otherwise, she would lose her talent.  It’s just like your muscles; if you don’t use them, they atrophy.  It’s the same for the grace God offers us for our souls.  God gives you the gift of Himself to help you in this world and to keep you holy.  By staying holy, you evangelize.  For example, when you say to people, “I don’t do that” and they say “Why not?  Everybody else does it.”  And you say, “Because it’s not right.  It’s not Christ-like.”  That’s evangelization.  That’s someone who has a Christian backbone and stands up to what’s not right.   God gives you this grace which is fortified by prayer.  You never lose it.  If you commit a grave sin, it becomes dormant because sin drives God out of your soul.   But He is always willing to come back.  That’s the beauty of God’s love.  He never writes any of us off.  At the VA, I don’t ask patients if they want Last Rites because they are going to get it whether they want it or not.  I’m not going to ask.  They will have Last Rites because it’s a sign of God’s love.

God gives Himself to us so that we may have eternal life.   When we receive the Sacraments for the first time like Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage, it’s so exciting.  However, after the first or second time, Confession kind of feels mundane or ordinary.  But it’s not ordinary.  Just because it’s not like the first time doesn’t mean it’s not as good or that you aren’t doing it right.  In fact, it’s just the opposite.  It means you are doing it right, because one grace from the Sacraments builds upon another and strengthens your will.  Grace builds upon grace. 

When you cooperate with the grace from the Sacraments, you grow in God’s love.  A word of caution- when we draw closer to God, it catches the devil’s attention, and he will really come after us.  Now, do you always feel yourself growing closer to God?  No.  For example, many of us are on blood pressure medicine.  You really don’t feel it working, but it’s easy to find out by using a sphygmomanometer.  Thunk!   Just because you don’t feel it, doesn’t mean it’s not working.  That’s a temptation of the devil.   What that lack of sensory excitement means is that your love for God is becoming deeper and more ingrained.  You know what the happiest day of a married couple should be?  The day that one leaves to see Jesus.  Not because you want to see Jesus – although that’s a good idea – and not because you are rid of them – till death do us part is not a hope and prayer.  It’s because that love should have kept on building over all the years and becoming deeper.  It is deeper because the love you have as a 40-year-old is not the same as when you were first married in your 20’s.  It is deeper.  Hopefully, you’ve changed by growing in holiness.  Saying the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is a lot different for me than it was 38 years ago when I was a young priest.  I’ve said Mass in some unusual places.  I got to say Mass at the cathedral with the bishop.  Woo-hoo!   But each Mass was deeper than the earlier ones.  So, you mustn’t give into the devil’s temptation by saying, “Oh, I’m not getting anything out of the Sacraments.”   Of course, you are.  You may not feel it, but you are.  Otherwise, you are denying His power.  In the Gospel, Christ said, “And I will put my spirit within you.…” (Ezekiel 36:27).  How does His spirit come within you?   It comes through the Sacraments.  So, if you say you’re getting nothing from the Sacraments, you are denying the Gospel.  If you say, “I get nothing out of the Mass,” that’s okay – you aren’t supposed to.  You come to give of yourself.  You give yourself into my hands, and I, acting in the person of Christ, emulate with you Christ’s sacrifice on the altar as an offering to the Father.  You are united to His suffering, and I give you back your life in Holy Communion. 

I want to thank all the teachers who helped with Faith Formation this year.  It was a wonderful year.  It’s hard to do because we live in a very un-Christian society.  I appreciate the sacrifice; I really do.  Never think that your sacrifice goes unnoticed.  You will be repaid for anything you do for the love of God.   But you’ll never know when.  He will reward you for any small act of love you do for Him.  Give of yourself totally in the Mass.  Everybody has problems and they bring them here.  Make an intellectual prayer:  “I offer myself totally to you.”  And with that offering, you become part of Christ’s sacrifice.   From that offering, you give back to yourself.  More than that, He gives Himself to you.  

Father’s Reflections . . . Yesterday was kind of fun.  People were all dressed up for Confirmation although that’s not a requirement.  They really looked good.  Even Tom Adams looked like he was ready for Hartsell’s Funeral Home.  Last night, we had 14 Confirmations and one First Communion.  It was an interesting day.   I administered five of the seven Sacraments.  If I had performed a marriage ceremony, it would have been six Sacraments.  The remaining sacrament is Holy Orders which only a bishop can administer.   Finally, I am sad to announce that Ms. Dottie is retiring after almost 50 years of teaching Faith Formation.  We’ll leave the light on just in case she changes her mind.  She will be missed. 

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” then “Menu” and then “Categories.”  Sermon Notes are also available on the church Facebook page at facebook.com/ola.catholic.church.  Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”