Sermon Notes – December 3, 2023 – “ Are You Ready for What May Come? “
“Are You Ready for What May Come?“
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
December 2 – 3, 2023
Gospel: Mark 13:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”
This week there is a Holy Day of Obligation. We will be observing the Feast Day for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Friday at 8:30 a.m. There will be a Vigil Mass on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Also, Christmas falls on a Monday this year which means the faithful are obligated to participate in the Mass once for the Sunday and once on the holy day. Believe it or not, I have already heard the Catholic angst. “Oh, my goodness! I have to go to two Masses in three days!” Really? Are you starting your own opera here? That’s a lot of drama over nothing. If you don’t like the Mass, you won’t like Heaven. The same Lord appears in both places. You’ll be fine. In fact, you’ll be better than fine; you’ll be fantastic. So, please come.
Just like Lent, Advent is a season for penance. Because it is a penitential season, I’m wearing violet – not purple – violet. Because this is a season of penance, we will not be saying the Gloria during the Mass. Advent is a time for reflection and preparing our souls for the coming of our Lord in the flesh. When He comes again it will be to take us to Heaven.
On Friday I was visiting a man in hospice. I asked him how he was doing, and he said, “ho hum.” At least he didn’t say “fine.” I hate it when they do that. So, we were talking, and I asked him how old he was. I found out that he had been in the Army, and I asked if he had been in Vietnam. He said, “No. My brother took an extra tour there so I wouldn’t have to go.” We kept talking, and I asked him if he was ready for what may happen. When I’m talking to hospice patients, I never use the “D” word. If they want to talk about it, they will bring it up. But I don’t take away that crutch from people until they are ready. Some patients have stabilized, gone home, and lived a lot longer. You don’t know where people are on that spectrum. Some people never reach the acceptance stage and need that crutch. So, I asked him, “Are you ready for whatever might come?” He said, “Yeah.” I said “Okay,” and we talked a bit more.
In one of his letters, Saint Paul said, “I don’t know if I wish to stay in the body or be at home with Christ” (Philippians 1:21-22). He wasn’t sure if he should stay in his body to continue the work of the Church or go be with Christ. Paul was torn but he was ready for anything. During this penitential season, perhaps that can be a good meditation for us all, as in my question to that sick man: “Are you ready for what may happen?” Or as in Saint Paul’s statement: I do not know whether it would be better to stay in my body to build up the Church on Earth or go to Heaven. Are we ready for whatever may come?
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.”
Sermon Notes – September 3, 2023 – “A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down”
“A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
September 2 – 3, 2023
Gospel: Matthew 16: 21-27
From that time on, Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” 23 He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to Me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come with His angels in His Father’s glory, and then He will repay everyone according to his conduct.
Last Friday night I had dinner at Blue Bay, and I had a love/hate relationship with my dinner. Guess what I had . . . fish. Did I tell you I hate fish? But my doctor said if I eat fish at least twice a week, I might live longer. I guess that is so I can die of something else. Thanks a lot, Doc! Appreciate it! I was thinking about a time when I liked fish. I’d had a cardiac procedure and when I came back, one of the ladies in the parish brought me a salmon dinner. I didn’t mind it. Of course, I was still on medication at the time, and I felt much better! Perhaps that’s the secret to liking fish. But that’s just a little cross of mine.
Whether you love Jesus or not, you will get a cross. We both love and hate our crosses. They are meant to help us, so embrace them. When we carry our crosses, we are fulfilling the command of our Savior. But we struggle with them, and that is good because it means you love God. We also hate our crosses. Nobody likes them. Some crosses come and some go in accordance with the time of life. Some we have from the beginning until the end. And sometimes, we even get extra ones. We all have our share, and they are heavy enough for us to carry. We cannot refuse our crosses. None of them. Nor can we, like the Protestant churches, remove some of the Commandments because, you know . . . they’re hard. Jesus called those people satan. They take away the redemptive nature of suffering that we are all called to endure like Christ to achieve Heaven.
Our crosses, like all the Commandments, are not that difficult. They are not pleasant . . . I’ll give you that. That’s why God made French dressing. When I get a slab of Moby Dick on my plate, out comes the French dressing. Mary Poppins was right . . . a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. I have tasted better stuff in the military. That’s how much I hate fish. By the way, monkey still tastes like monkey. Yuck! One of our crosses is to conform our lives to Christ. It’s a gift. How many of you think of their crosses as a gift? Not many, just as I thought. But our crosses are like a celestial choke chain so that we don’t wander too far off the reservation. My evil twin brother, Paul, was very gifted and he had many crosses. He had two doctorates and a file cabinet full of certifications he had earned. Saint Teresa of Lisieux said, “Our crosses help keep us small, humble, and reliant on our Savior for there is power in His mercy.”
Our crosses are redemptive. As Saint Paul said, “I make up with my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” Now a final thought . . . Our crosses are abrasive and a beauty treatment for our soul. Because I do all sorts of reading (I’m an eclectic reader), I once read about how to remove water marks from furniture. You take some cigar ash, mix it with water, and rub the mixture onto the water stain. Because cigar ash is abrasive, it will remove the water stain and bring back the richness and luster of the furniture. And that’s what our crosses do. They are abrasive to our souls. They remove the stain of venial sin. They also remove the remains of the stain of mortal sin on our souls. And what do our crosses reveal especially when we are standing before God at our Particular Judgment? They reveal the true beauty of our soul. What is the true beauty of our soul? The image and likeness of God from which we were created. He will look at us and seek the image of His Son.
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.”
Saint of the Day – June 29 – Saints Peter and Paul
Saints Peter and Paul’s Story
Peter (d. 64?) Saint Mark ends the first half of his Gospel with a triumphant climax. He has recorded doubt, misunderstanding, and the opposition of many to Jesus. Now Peter makes his great confession of faith: “You are the Messiah” (Mark 8:29b). It was one of the many glorious moments in Peter’s life, beginning with the day he was called from his nets along the Sea of Galilee to become a fisher of men for Jesus.
The New Testament clearly shows Peter as the leader of the apostles, chosen by Jesus to have a special relationship with him. With James and John he was privileged to witness the Transfiguration, the raising of a dead child to life, and the agony in Gethsemane. His mother-in-law was cured by Jesus. He was sent with John to prepare for the last Passover before Jesus’ death. His name is first on every list of apostles.
And to Peter only did Jesus say, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17b-19).
But the Gospels prove their own trustworthiness by the unflattering details they include about Peter. He clearly had no public relations person. It is a great comfort for ordinary mortals to know that Peter also has his human weakness, even in the presence of Jesus.
He generously gave up all things, yet he can ask in childish self-regard, “What are we going to get for all this?” (see Matthew 19:27). He receives the full force of Christ’s anger when he objects to the idea of a suffering Messiah: “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (Matthew 16:23b).
Peter is willing to accept Jesus’ doctrine of forgiveness, but suggests a limit of seven times. He walks on the water in faith, but sinks in doubt. He refuses to let Jesus wash his feet, then wants his whole body cleansed. He swears at the Last Supper that he will never deny Jesus, and then swears to a servant maid that he has never known the man. He loyally resists the first attempt to arrest Jesus by cutting off Malchus’ ear, but in the end he runs away with the others. In the depth of his sorrow, Jesus looks on him and forgives him, and he goes out and sheds bitter tears. The Risen Jesus told Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep (John 21:15-17).
Paul (d. 64?) If the most well-known preacher today suddenly began preaching that the United States should adopt Marxism and not rely on the Constitution, the angry reaction would help us understand Paul’s life when he started preaching that Christ alone can save us. He had been the most pharisaic of Pharisees, the most legalistic of Mosaic lawyers. Now he suddenly appears to other Jews as a heretical welcomer of Gentiles, a traitor and apostate.
Paul’s central conviction was simple and absolute: Only God can save humanity. No human effort—even the most scrupulous observance of law—can create a human good which we can bring to God as reparation for sin and payment for grace. To be saved from itself, from sin, from the devil, and from death, humanity must open itself completely to the saving power of Jesus.
Paul never lost his love for his Jewish family, though he carried on a lifelong debate with them about the uselessness of the Law without Christ. He reminded the Gentiles that they were grafted on the parent stock of the Jews, who were still God’s chosen people, the children of the promise.
Reflection
We would probably go to confession to Peter sooner than to any of the other apostles. He is perhaps a more striking example of the simple fact of holiness. Jesus says to us as he said, in effect, to Peter: “It is not you who have chosen me, but I who have chosen you. Peter, it is not human wisdom that makes it possible for you to believe, but my Father’s revelation. I, not you, build my Church.” Paul’s experience of the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus was the driving force that made him one of the most zealous, dynamic, and courageous ambassadors of Christ the Church has ever had. But persecution, humiliation, and weakness became his day-by-day carrying of the cross, material for further transformation. The dying Christ was in him; the living Christ was his life.
Saint Paul is the Patron Saint of:
Greece
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.”
Saint of the Day – January 25 – Conversion of Saint Paul
Saint Paul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant, he saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted, like the strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus, who was only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for, as he began to harass the Church: “…entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he himself was “entered,” possessed, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation, an instrument to help others experience the one Savior.
One sentence determined his theology: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5b). Jesus was mysteriously identified with people—the loving group of people Saul had been running down like criminals. Jesus, he saw, was the mysterious fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing.
From then on, his only work was to “present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me” (Colossians 1:28b-29). “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and [with] much conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5a).
Paul’s life became a tireless proclaiming and living out of the message of the cross: Christians die baptismally to sin and are buried with Christ; they are dead to all that is sinful and unredeemed in the world. They are made into a new creation, already sharing Christ’s victory and someday to rise from the dead like him. Through this risen Christ the Father pours out the Spirit on them, making them completely new. So Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total, free, personal and loving commitment to Christ, a commitment that then bears fruit in more “works” than the Law could ever contemplate.
Reflection
Paul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects the rabbinical style of argument of his day, and often his thought skips on mountaintops while we plod below. But perhaps our problems are accentuated by the fact that so many beautiful jewels have become part of the everyday coin in our Christian language.
Saint of the Day – January 15 – Saint Paul, The Hermit
Saint Paul the Hermit’s Story (c. 233 – c. 345)
It is unclear what we really know of Paul’s life, how much is fable, how much is fact.
Paul was reportedly born in Egypt, where he was orphaned by age 15. He was also a learned and devout young man. During the persecution of Decius in Egypt in the year 250, Paul was forced to hide in the home of a friend. Fearing a brother-in-law would betray him, he fled in a cave in the desert. His plan was to return once the persecution ended, but the sweetness of solitude and heavenly contemplation convinced him to stay.
He went on to live in that cave for the next 90 years. A nearby spring gave him drink, a palm tree furnished him clothing and nourishment. After 21 years of solitude, a bird began bringing him half of a loaf of bread each day. Without knowing what was happening in the world, Paul prayed that the world would become a better place.
Saint Anthony of Egypt attests to his holy life and death. Tempted by the thought that no one had served God in the wilderness longer than he, Anthony was led by God to find Paul and acknowledge him as a man more perfect than himself. The raven that day brought a whole loaf of bread instead of the usual half. As Paul predicted, Anthony would return to bury his new friend.
Thought to have been about 112 when he died, Paul is known as the “First Hermit.” His feast day is celebrated in the East; he is also commemorated in the Coptic and Armenian rites of the Mass.
Reflection
The will and direction of God are seen in the circumstances of our lives. Led by the grace of God, we are free to respond with choices that bring us closer to and make us more dependent upon the God who created us. Those choices might at times seem to lead us away from our neighbor. But ultimately they lead us back both in prayer and in fellowship to one another.