Tag: Saint Peter

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Sermon Notes – June 29, 2025 – “Christ Came to Build His Church … Not to Write a Book”

“Christ Came to Build His Church … Not to Write a Book”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 28-29, 2025

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

Pop quiz: How many of you love Scripture?  Let’s try that again.  I’ll give you a do-over.   How many of you love Scripture?  Alright, I’m seeing hands being raised.  If you do not love Scripture, we need to have a chat, and it will be a one-way conversation.  Scripture is the revealed Word of God.  So, if you love Scripture, and you have all indicated that you do, then you must love the Church.  Do you know why?  Because the Church wrote it.  The Church knows exactly what is in Scripture, so she can both interpret and teach it.  Now, Scripture only contains what is necessary for salvation.  It is not a handbook for engineering or medicine, and dinosaurs are never mentioned.  Basically, the Gospel is Ecclesiology, or what the Church is.  By the way, the Church is not a “what,” but a “Who.”  Jesus revealed that to Paul on the road to Damascus when He said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4).  We are the Body of Christ, so when you persecute the Church, you are persecuting Him. 

When you study Scripture, you must study it in the original language because English is a terrible language in which to study it.  When I first began my work in Hospice, I went to Nancy, who was one of the nurses, and I enrolled in Nancy’s College of Medical Terminology.  I asked Nancy what I needed to know so that I could become a better hospital chaplain.  Nancy gave me some books and papers to read.  This was because during treatment meetings, the medical staff would use all these big medical terms, and I was thankful that I could ask Dr. Google what they meant.  One of the doctors said, “Father, a veteran has Cheyne-Stokes respirations. Go see him.”  That is the kind of breathing you do until you don’t.  So, it was essential that I learn the language used by the medical staff. 

Likewise, we need to learn the words of Scripture, but we must learn them in the original language.  When Jesus said, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18), Jesus renamed Simon, son of John.  In the Old Testament, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham to reflect his mission.  So, the Apostles understood what changing Simon’s name to Peter meant, and that was when they began to feel a bit of resentment.  When Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build My church,” He used the Greek word “Ecclesia,” meaning “you.”   In English, the word “you” can be singular or plural.  In French, there are two words that mean “you” – vous (plural) and tu (singular).  That doesn’t happen in the English language.  Christ said, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build My church.”  He said, “You.”   He did not say “through the power of the Apostles,” as the Episcopalians claim, nor “as a profession of faith,” but rather “you” personally.

Christ came to establish and embody His Church, which has continued throughout time.  The Catholic Church wrote the New Testament scripture, and it codified the Old Testament.  The Jews only had the first five books of the Old Testament, but after Christ established His Church, we now have a few more.  The last books of the New Testament were not written until around 90 A.D. The Church was present throughout the Roman Empire. A couple of generations of martyrs had already died for the true Faith.  The book wasn’t codified until the 4th Century.  Before that, we never had a book.  Jesus came to establish His Church and not to write a book.  It was the Catholic Church that wrote the book that became essential for salvation. 

In the Old Testament, Jews were called Katoikos, meaning “settler.”  In the Gospel, which was written in Aramaic, there is a Greek word, ” ekklesia,” commonly translated as “church.”  There is a big difference between “settler” and “church.”  Now, you older people will remember this and thank God that you are old, because many of our contemporaries never had the opportunity.  Do you remember the group, Peter, Paul, and Mary?  They sang “Puff the Magic Dragon.”  Many people thought that “Puff” was a synonym for marijuana.  Peter Yarrow, who was a member of the group and wrote the song, said, “I’m Puff’s daddy. Puff was a dragon; he was not marijuana.”  Likewise, you cannot read into Scripture; you must read what is there.  It’s like us when we get a pimple, and we consult Dr. Google.  “Oh my God!  I’ve got leprosy!”  And we run to the doctor who says, “You’ve got a pimple. Go home and wash your face. Grow up. You’ll be fine.”   Don’t read more into Scripture than what is there.  Let the Church, which wrote it, help you interpret it. 

Christ appointed Peter to build His Church.  Why?  Was Peter the brightest?  No.  That would be Luke, who was a physician.  Why Peter?  He was dumb as a rock, but he was the most able conduit of God’s grace.  God chooses us to serve, as He did Peter, not because we are the biggest and brightest in the class, but for our ability to be a conduit of His grace. 

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 – June 22, 2025 – “A Funny Thing About Catholics . . .”

“A Funny Thing About Catholics . . .”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

June 21-22, 2025

Gospel:  Luke 9:11B-17

A funny and interesting thing about Catholics is that we don’t sing that well, but we are extraordinarily good-looking.  Another interesting thing about us is that we hold somewhat odd Christian beliefs.  “What do you mean?”  We believe what Scripture tells us – just the black part, not the white.  People will ask, “Where do you Catholics find that in Scripture?”   I will tell you because I did go to school and passed a lot of tests.  I have a document to prove it.  But before you ask that question, remember that Christ came down to establish a church and not to write a book.  Christ said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).  He did not come here to write a book.  The Catholic Church wrote the Bible, and it wasn’t codified until the fourth century.  By that time, the Catholic Church had spread throughout the entire Roman Empire.  So, you need to put things into perspective before asking questions. 

We believe what Jesus said, “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53).  We believe what Jesus said.  “Well, that just means to spiritually commune.”  No.  In Greek and English, the word “eat” means the same thing.  That’s one translation they got right.  It means to physically chew, masticate, and consume.  People thought He was preaching about cannibalism, and that’s why everyone left Him except the 12 Apostles.  “If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”  He offers us all that life through the Apostles, bishops, and priests whom He ordained at the Last Supper to give us that means of life so that we may have life and have it to the fullest.  But He also cautions us.  Saint Paul wrote, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27).   They are guilty of His death.  Nobody is going to the guillotine if they do, but it is a mortal sin, and you cut yourself off from salvation.  This is the core of our Faith.  

So, the Eucharist is more than about appearances, unity, and making us all one.  Ah-Ah-Ah.  No.  You do that while sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya.  That’s not what the Body and Blood of Christ was made for.  It was made for our salvation and to give us the divine life that we lost by our sins.  That’s why the penalty is so great if we receive the Blessed Sacrament unworthily.  And that’s why we have all these “rules.”   “Well, how can He do all that?”  Let me see, He created the world out of nothing, raised people from the dead. . . would you like me to go on?   Why are you denying the power of Christ?  That’s what He said.   

Now, when I was young, I had to walk to school uphill both ways in a snowstorm in July.  One of my friends was complaining that it was going to reach 100 degrees that day.  I didn’t want to be too much of a smart aleck because she is my Italian food connection, but I said, “The highest temperature I experienced was in the 130s”.  That conversation stopped rather quickly.  “Oh, it’s hot!”  You have no idea what hot is.  Wait till later, if you don’t live right, and then you will find out what real hot is. 

When we get sick, we visit the pharmacy, and they provide us with medicine.  At one time, I guess the prevailing wisdom was that if the medicine tasted like garbage, it was better for you.  “Oh, this must be really good because it tastes so bad!”   But now pharmaceuticals have changed, and people use them like candy even though they are narcotics.  “Oh, this tastes so good!”  You cannot taste what is underneath, but just because we cannot taste the medicine does not mean it isn’t working.  I do not taste or feel the medicine I take in the morning. However, when I check my blood pressure on the machine in the Family Life Center, I know it is functioning properly.  You cannot taste God’s healing in your medicine.   But it’s there.  So, if we accept that, why can we not accept Christ saying, “This is My Body” and “This is My Blood”? 

Sometimes, when we have wonderful things in our lives, we tend to take them for granted, for example, our family and friends.   I have to look down at my family because I outlived them all.  Look at your family and those whom you love most.  Sometimes, we take them for granted.   Mass is offered every day, and we take it for granted.  Our Lord is present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, and we take Him for granted.  By the way, do you know what happens in the Mass?  We teach children in Faith Formation a six-syllable word: transubstantiation.   During the Mass, when the priest, acting in the persona of Christ, says, “This is My body” and “This is My blood,” the wine and blood become the body and blood of Christ.  “Well, transubstantiation is a big word, Father.”  But you know how to use an iPhone, don’t you?  Okay, I don’t, but I know people who do.  We have the great opportunity to spend time with God Incarnate.  If we are in a State of Grace, we have the wonderful opportunity every day, and twice a day on special occasions, to receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of our Savior given to us by the hands of the priest so that we may be fed by Christ just like the Apostles.   God gives us healing and His very Self so that we may have life and have it to the fullest. 

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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The Rosary in a Year – Day 166 – Ordinary, Yet Called

Titian’s Renaissance painting, Pentecost, focuses on St. Peter kneeling beside Mary with the keys of the Kingdom in hand. Fr. Mark-Mark contemplates Peter’s transformation from a flawed man to the first pope to highlight the power of the Holy Spirit working through ordinary people. We are reminded that despite our limitations, each of us carries a mission and is invited to entrust it to the Holy Spirit. Today’s focus is the mystery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and we will be praying one decade of the Rosary.

https://www.youtube.com/@TheRosaryinaYear

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Sermon Notes – January 28, 2024 – Don’t Send a Boy to Do a Man’s Job

“Don’t Send a Boy to Do a Man’s Job”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

January 27 – 28, 2024

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

As a priest, I have been asked to bless many things.  I have blessed homes, boats, and cars.  I have blessed women before childbirth and after childbirth.  There is a whole list of things that priests can bless.  And that’s a good thing.  Sometimes people tell me, “Father, I need an exorcism of my house.”  So, I go bless the house after which I tell them to get rid of the Buddhist statues, and if they hear anything else, let me know.  Also, if you start spitting up pea soup and your head starts spinning around, call me.  Occasionally nurses will ask me to bless hospital rooms, and I always ask why.  The reasons can be interesting.  “Well, the call light has been going off a lot recently.”  So, that means somebody needs a nurse.  I realize our veterans can be real pains in the butt sometimes but come on!  “But Father, there’s no patient in that room, and some weird stuff has been happening.”  So I go into the room, bless it, say a prayer, and sprinkle holy water.  A couple of weeks later, I asked the nurses if they were having any more problems in that room.  They said, “Oh, no problems at all.  Thank you, Father, for what you did.”  No problem.  I was happy to do it.    One of the nurses had a sheepish look on her face and said, “Father, we asked a Protestant chaplain to bless that room.  He went into the room and said some prayers, but it didn’t work.”   I said, “Don’t send a boy to do a man’s job.” 

The Church has power over satan through the grace of Jesus Christ.  He gave bishops and priests the power over satan to expel demons.  It’s called the Rite of Exorcism which is not as uncommon as you might think.  I cannot confirm or deny that I’ve done any of that.  If I told you, I would have to kill you.  Remember the movie “The Exorcist” where the girl spits up pea soup and her head spins around?  I met that exorcist, and it’s all true.   Satan is very real and can take possession of people.  If you have to go somewhere that is sketchy and you are concerned, arm yourself with prayer.  When I visit very sick people, I go in with gloves and a mask like Darth Vader.  “I am your father, Luke.”   It’s not as if after the first century satan said, “Okay I’m done.”  He is just as active now as he was then.  But so is Christ.  And that’s the good news.  Stay away from things like Ouija Boards, horoscopes, and all that stuff.   “But I want to see what my future is.”   Well, your long-term future is at Hartsell’s Funeral Home.  What happens to your soul after that is up to you. 

People aren’t bad because they don’t have stuff.  My parents and grandparents were poor, and they weren’t felons.  They didn’t steal, and they didn’t hurt anybody.  People choose to be evil.  Those people who are certifiable and do not have the free will choice to be evil or not should be locked up in a nice state institution where they can’t hurt themselves or anyone else.   People choose to be evil.  They choose satan who promises temporary happiness but never delivers it.   Saint Peter said, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9).   So, unless Peter is a liar, satan is very active and looking for people.  Satan can appear under a nice cloud resembling something good like New Age Spirituality.  I read this in an article, “Father was so busy he barely had time to light the prayer candle and go to prayer.”   Really?  Father needs to get his head out of his “bleep.”  Jesus is here in the church in the Most Blessed Sacrament.   Hey Father, throw the candle out and see the Lord.  “I’ve got my prayer shawl.  I’m so spiritual.”  No, you’re not.   None of that adds to spiritual development.   Stay away from New Age stuff and anything else that appears to be evil because it is a portal for satan.  Jesus laid out very specific ways in which to return His love. 

I love shows about ghost hunting because they always ask the wrong questions.  I know a psychic back home who does this.  She once went into this house that was built before the Revolutionary War.  She went into a room that was very cold.  The homeowner asked her why it was so cold in the room, and she said, “That’s when you know ghosts are here.  They don’t know they are dead.”   Then they heard a voice say, “I’m dead?”  Nobody got the word to you, huh?   On some of the shows when they are cleansing the house of spirits, they put burnt sage all over the house.  So, the devil is powerless over burnt plant matter?  I don’t think so, otherwise he would stay out of everyone’s kitchen because something is always getting burned there.  “My house had a bad feeling about it, so I took some sage, burned it, and spread it around.”  Really?  Why didn’t you light up a toke too?  What the heck!  You might as well have some fun while you’re at it.  Burning sage to exorcise a house is sinful because it denies the power of Christ.   Instead, ask a priest to come bless the house.  Christ did not give His power to a plant; He gave it to His Church.   

Satan can come in by all sorts of less obvious means such as our entertainment, what we hear, what we see, and what we wear.  Hey, sweetheart, cover-up.  I’ve been a hospital chaplain for 40 years.  I’ve seen more body parts than you’ll ever have.  Okay?  It’s not a thrill.   The latest craze is Stanley tumblers.  You’ve got to get a certain drink cup because that’s cool.  Is your ego so fragile that your whole life will be much better because you have one particular cup?  Really?  I know a doctor who will give you some help.  I’ve got a summer camp you can go to that will give you some help, and they will even pay you to go.   You probably wouldn’t like it, but it would be good for you.  But think about that kind of thinking.  “I’m better if I have this or I have that.”   Really?  You are trying to fill an infinite hole with finite objects.  The hole in our soul can only be filled up with Christ.  

Remember, our Lord’s plan for us is peace and not affliction.  He loves you so much that He sent His only Son.  He loves you so much that He allows this sinful priest to act in the person of Christ so that you might have life and have it to the fullest; so that you may receive the Most Precious Body and Blood in Holy Communion; and so that your soul can be washed clean by His Most Precious Blood in the Sacrament of Penance.   Even if a priest who, God forbid, is in a state of mortal sin, the Sacrament is still efficacious.  Even if a priest has been chucked out of the priesthood, what we call defrocked, he is still able to give Last Rites if someone is in danger of death.  So much is God’s great love for us.  Hopefully, my time for getting Last Rites is a bit further down the road.   

Satan tempts us just as he did Adam and Eve.  We have the power over ourselves and our world.  “But if I had just one more thing, I would be perfect.”  That’s true.  You need one more thing to be perfect and that is Jesus.  Satan is always active in the world.  “Oh, women who have abortions have psychological problems.”  Really?  One of the doctors I served with was a combat infantryman, a Ranger, and a West Point graduate . . . a pretty hard-core guy and not exactly milk toast.  He said, “A baby is not a tumor.  A baby is not Pancreatic Cancer.  A baby is life.”   So, be very careful.  Stay sober and alert because the devil is roaming the world seeking the ruin of souls. 

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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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

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Saint of the Day – June 2 – Saints Marcellinus and Peter

Saints Marcellinus and Peter’s Story (d. 304)

Marcellinus and Peter were prominent enough in the memory of the Church to be included among the saints of the Roman Canon. Mention of their names is optional in our present Eucharistic Prayer I.

Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was an exorcist, that is, someone authorized by the Church to deal with cases of demonic possession. They were beheaded during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph apparently based on the report of their executioner, and Constantine erected a basilica over the crypt in which they were buried in Rome. Numerous legends sprang from an early account of their death.

Reflection

Why are these men included in our Eucharistic prayer, and given their own feast day, in spite of the fact that almost nothing is known about them? Probably because the Church respects its collective memory. They once sent an impulse of encouragement through the whole Church. They made the ultimate step of faith.