Tag: Sermon

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Sermon Notes – The Final Exam

“The Final Exam”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

November 2-3, 2019

Scripture: Luke 19: 1-10

One night, about 30 years ago, I was staring out over the desert sand with fellow soldiers. We were all dressed in chemical protection suits while having a smoke break and waiting on the scud missiles that were nearby. I asked First Sergeant Chico Rodriguez how I should do my job in Iraq and survive. I was a young captain and had learned the school house theory at Fort Bragg about what I was to do. Chico had been a tunnel rat in Vietnam and had searched tunnels with a knife in his mouth and a side arm at his waist….not a job for the nervous. I wanted Top’s experiential knowledge, and he became my mentor.

There are three ways in which we can know God:

1. We can know God by His signature…by everything around us. He is the perfection of all virtues…of all beauty. A word of advice to the men – All women are beautiful all the time. You can thank me later!

2. We can know God by what the Church has taught us. But, does knowledge make us holier? Not necessarily.

3. We can know Him by using the first two ways. We can experience God in His very being…love. We can experience His nature…His mercy…His forgiveness, and He will infuse His very life into our souls. We know God by how He has revealed Himself, and we know He is good. We know Him because of His revelation and the spirit of His essence…He is love. We experience His love by the grace of His mercy found in the sacraments.

This is but a foretaste of what we will experience in heaven.

Book knowledge is good to a certain extent. Thomas Aquinas once said that “Love takes up where knowledge leaves off.” Some people have master’s degrees and doctor’s degrees. Are they more holy? Not necessarily. Did Saint Therese have a degree? No. If that is all it took, we would all be saints. It doesn’t prove anything. We are called to share with others our book knowledge as well as our experiences with God and His love.

A friend sent me a remembrance card for an event that happened 20 years ago. I brought him in to the Church, and he is now a priest in Monroe. I advised Ben to take all of his books and go to the chapel to study. Let Christ teach you. He will give meaning to your knowledge. Bishop Sheen wrote all of his books in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Books are good, but they are limited; we must experience Him personally by having His nature in our souls and by experiencing His mercy in the Sacraments. In Holy Communion, He comes to us as the Savior.

Remember, the final exam is not a written test. He will ask “what did you do? How did you show My love to others?”

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you pass the final exam? Do you share your knowledge and His love with others?

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Sermon Notes – I am Fine

“I am Fine”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 19-20, 2019

Scripture: Luke 18:1-8

Recently, I was visiting a man at the VA Hospital. When I asked him how he was doing, he said “Fine.” I thought to myself, “Dude, you’re in the hospital, how fine can you be!” I often ask patients if they would like to make peace with God and come back to Church. Usually, they say “No, I am fine.” Hey, I’ve seen the numbers on your chart, and they all end with Stage 4. I wouldn’t be taking out a magazine subscription right now! The word “Fine” can be used as an acronym for Fouled up, Insensitive, Neurotic, and Emotional.

Only 37% of people are regular churchgoers. Sadly, even though you have made sacrifices, many of your children do not participate in the Mass. My family is not immune to this trend, and it breaks my heart. I was at a funeral and one of my cousins asked me if I “still believed all that stuff”. No, I wear this outfit to get out of tickets!

Our Lord never said to have parish councils, to create new programs, or to have a 2nd collection. Instead, He said to proclaim the message. All other changes are like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We are all called to be disciples and to preach as Christ did. We are called to sow the seed of His word whether it is convenient or not and whether they like it or not. And, if they don’t like it, there is something wrong in them…it’s called sin. It can be depressing, and we can become discouraged when people do not respond the way we hoped they would, but we must let the Good Lord take it from there. You are doing the right thing, and He is pleased.

Even if we were able to pack this sanctuary at every Mass, you have a much bigger audience than I could ever have. Saint Timothy said to preach the word not only with our lips, but as Saint Francis said also with our actions. Preach the word that Christ has taught us without changing the language, and He will be pleased. Will you get your feelings hurt? Oh yes! But timing is everything. Sometimes I wait until the drug cart has gone by before talking to a patient.

People say the Church needs to change the laws on this or that and such and such a thing. They say if you change the teaching, I’ll come back to church. But, Christ meant what He said. He never changed His mind. When He proclaimed the truth and everyone left Him, did He change the truth then? No, and He didn’t run after them. As Jack Nicholson said, “You can’t handle the truth!” When Christ asked his apostles if they would leave Him too, Saint Peter said “To whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Father’s Reflections…

• G.K. Chesterton, a former atheist, left the Anglican church and converted to Catholicism, because he wanted his sins forgiven, not just explained away.

• Men, stay awake with one eye open, because while you sleep, your wives are plotting

How will you apply this message to your life? Are you or someone you know “Fine”? Will you preach His word to others with your lips as well as your actions?

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Sermon Notes – Embrace Your Crosses

“Embrace Your Crosses”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

October 12-13, 2019

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

You have heard me say to pray with thanksgiving…to be grateful for all your blessings and all of the good things God has done. But, we should also be thankful for our crosses. Of all the blessing we have, it is our crosses we don’t thank Him for. Nobody likes their crosses, and sometimes we become angry with God because of them. Our crosses are not bad things; in fact, they are good. Our Lord gives us crosses to give us chances to be humble, a kind of spiritual leash, and they can be our greatest blessings when we unite our sufferings with His. So, embrace your crosses and carry them with love because as Saint Therese said when we are small, we are safe.

Our parish is abundantly blessed. We are blessed with many attributes and talents. Yet, it is our humility that keeps us close to God. As an example, my mother thought my father was an engineer, and when he got calls from the government, she thought he was going to the local reserve center. He never told us this, but he was actually a spy. My father never lost his humility. In contrast, I know two priests, both colonels, who lost their humbleness and eventually left the priesthood.

When I think about the kind of priest I want to be when I’m old, I think of Monsignor Smith. Even though Monsignor was in the hospital and dying, he had a sign placed on his door that said “If I am asleep, please wake me, I would like to visit with you.” He was asleep when I went to visit him. His breathing was labored, so I did not have the heart to wake him. Father Campbell is another priest I would like to emulate when I’m old. Father Campbell was in the hospital and very sick. When he heard a code announced, he immediately got out of bed and started walking down the hall in nothing but his hospital gown to respond to the code. Two nurses saw Father Campbell and grabbed him under both elbows and carted him back to his room. Both Monsignor Smith and Father Campbell remained humble servants to the very end of their lives.

Crosses are a notice from God to get our spiritual affairs in order so that we can prepare for heaven. Our invitation to the Great Banquet is coming soon and we need to be ready. Our baptismal robes are cleansed by the crosses we carry as well as by praying scripturally. I say the Morning Offering first thing every morning. This prayer can be prayed for ourselves and for others.

When we are given the gift of old age, our crosses can grow abundantly, but it may not be the best time to take out a magazine subscription. Yet, our crosses can open the hearts and souls of others when we share the wisdom, knowledge, and grace gained from carrying those crosses. I like working at the VA Hospital. Because I’m a combat veteran, other combat veterans tend to be more willing to tell me things they haven’t shared with anyone else including their doctors. Sometimes a bit of street cred helps us reach people that those without it cannot.

Occasions pop-up all the time to help people with their crosses. Am I always crazy about helping others carry their crosses? No. People will call me and ask if I’m busy. Sometimes I am busy, but nobody except my guardian angel knows the look on my face when I say “I’m not busy” and then take the time to listen and talk with them. It is a sign from God when people ask for my highly valuable time to listen for a minute and to help them carry their crosses. And, on those occasions when we encounter rude and obnoxious people, God is asking us to help them with their crosses for just a little while. When we take on the struggles of others, we become like Simon of Cyrene who helped Christ carry His cross.

Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote books and had a very popular television show. You may think he had a great life and few crosses. Not true. He had a thorn in the flesh. He had stomach problems and could eat only crackers, milk, and boiled chicken.

Once when Saint Teresa of Avila fell off her horse and into a river, she complained to God about the trials in her life. When God told her that is how He treats His friends, Teresa yelled at the Lord, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!”

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you embrace your crosses and carry them with love? Will you help others carry their crosses?

Father’s Reflections…

Sin and death are not God’s invention. The fault for that can be laid at the feet of our original parents…Adam and Eve.

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Sermon Notes – Pennies From Heaven

“Pennies From Heaven”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 28-29, 2019

Scripture: Luke 16:19-31

I was born with multiple birth defects…awfully good looks and no money. Another common birth defect is no looks and lots of money. Yet, you cannot judge people from the outside…just look at me. I have a weak heart. My insides are not nearly as good as the outside. Recently, while I was meditating, I thought about my evil twin brother. When he passed away, he took his wallet with him, and I got zilch. Most often, people judge the amount of our wealth by what we have in our wallets. When I empty mine, all that’s there are pennies. Even though my parents were poor, they gave me a nest egg…the gift of faith. They took my brothers and me to church and had us baptized which infused the faith in us. The gift of faith was kept alive through the sacraments of Reconciliation and Confirmation. Later, my brother received the Sacrament of Matrimony, and for me, it was Holy Orders.

When we blame God for our shortcomings…if our inventory is depleted, our accounting work is incomplete. Our gifts can be placed into three columns. The middle column which contains the gift of faith makes the other two columns balance….to make sense. Some people think they don’t have talents and gifts. Not true. Everyone has them…it all depends on how they are used. I have two talents. One is as an Army chaplain, but I’m too old for that now. My mind still wants to write checks my body cannot cash. My other talent is as a hospital chaplain. What we do with our talents is the key to a rich life. If you don’t think you are rich, you are using the wrong accounting method.

All of our sufferings, fears, pains, sorrows, and joys make us far richer than any amount of money ever could. People in nursing homes are very wealthy because they have lots of crosses. They are wealthy because they can share with others the wisdom, knowledge, and grace gained from carrying those crosses….and that only comes from Christ and it is priceless. We all have the potential to share way more with others than we think. The more we give to others, the more we get back. So, if we use our talents and gifts correctly, we can all be rich, because as children of God, we will inherit His kingdom.

How will you apply this message to your life?

Are you using the right accounting method? Does the middle column on your balance sheet need adjustment? Focus on the middle column, the gift of faith, and everything else will fall into place.

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Sermon Notes – An Angry Heart

“Everybody’s Got A Hungry Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 21-22, 2019

Scripture: Luke 16:1-13

Our lives are orderly when everything is in it’s proper place. Likewise, most things are good if they are used for their proper purpose. For example, both gravel and wood are useful; however, it is painful if you get a piece of gravel in your eye or a splinter in your finger. Money is a good thing to have, but if used in the wrong way, it can act like a cancer, bringing desperation, hurt, anger, and bitterness. If used to support your family or a charity, having money can be wonderful. But, many people try to fill the hole in their souls with the things that money can buy. Money cannot bring anything that lasts. I previously served at a rich parish, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that having money does not automatically give you lasting hope and peace. Only a “Who” can heal the hole in your soul. Only God can heal a hungry heart.

We try to fill the hole in our hearts with all kinds of things. If I could drink more or eat lots of chocolate cake, my life would be great. If I could just marry my girlfriend, I’d be happy. However, once we get what we crave, the thrill often fades and we want something – or someone – new. Money, people, and objects will never fill the hole in our hearts. In fact, they can cause more pain. Only God can heal our hearts. 12-Step programs help people with addiction. The first step in all

12-step programs is to admit defeat of self-will. We must surrender ourselves to Him. And, when we do, we gain everything. Who wants us more than God? Who understands us more than God? Who knows us better than God? Who loves us in spite of ourselves more than God? Who can guide, love, and protect us better than God? Nobody! He is the source of hope and peace in our souls. Will we still have troubles? Yes! But, once we surrender our pride and lose ourselves in God, we will find ourselves.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you stop trying to fill the hole in your heart with people, money, and things? Will you keep God at the center of your life so that He can heal your soul?

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Sermon Notes – We Must Give Our Gifts Away

“To Keep Our Gifts, We Must Give Them Away”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

September 7-8, 2019

Scripture: Luke 14:25-33

You cannot be My disciple unless you give away your belongings. Right now, some of you may be reaching for your wallets; but this is not a 2nd collection. Our parish is so very generous; when we need something, the money always comes. We give our money and time to Him, but we hold on to the worse things we have. What we don’t give Him are our crosses and sins…and that is what He wants most.

I tell my felons in the gated community that they are my missionaries inside the prison. They can give the other felons what I cannot…hope. They have found the means for carrying their crosses. And, by using those tools, they can reach other felons and bring them hope. Some say they cannot tell me the really bad stuff during Confession. Not true! One of the felons, a Catechist, killed his two children while off his meds.

I met a man in Hospice who passed away recently. He really busted my chops. He said, “Father, you look like the VC dressed in black.” This man was sexually abused as a child and later drafted to Vietnam. He had ALS and spent a lot of time in VA facilities. But, he was always smiling and friendly to everyone. He was able to help others who had the same problems as he. He knew what was coming, but he faced it with a joyful heart. Like the felons, we must use our crosses as a way to reach others. We can find strength in Him. So, go tell others what the Lord has done for you.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you give away your gifts so that you can keep them? Will you tell others what He has done for you? Will you give Him your crosses and sins?

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Sermon Notes – God Hears Our Prayers

“God Hears Our Prayers”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

July 27 – 28, 2019

Scripture: Luke 11:1-13

The purpose of prayer is to unite ourselves to God and to resign ourselves to His will. In today’s scripture, we are told to “ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Luke 11:9). You may be thinking, “I have prayed for this or that and got notta….bubkes.” We did as we were told, and He reneged. We’ve all been disappointed. I have been a priest for 35 years and would like to be a monsignor, but I don’t see that happening. We expect better from those we love, but, God gives us much more than we will know until our Particular Judgement.

My evil twin brother, Paul, wrote a book on waste management. I tried reading it, but didn’t make it through the first paragraph. When he got sick, I prayed hard…I said all the prayers I knew for him to recover. What I got was a bro in a box. Am I upset? You bet. I am still upset that I’m the only one left in my family. But, in our grief, anger, and disappointment, God is trying to draw us closer to Him…to enfold us in His arms. We need to remain humble and rely on Him. We must trust Him.

God always hears our prayers, but sometimes the answer is “no.” As a result, we may feel rejected and angry. It’s okay to be angry…He can take it. But, it’s not okay to hold a grudge and not come to church or to live a life of debauchery. Remember, God sees all…outside of time. We don’t see all of the dimensions, but He does. Parents, too, don’t always give their children everything they want, especially when they ask for things like a machine gun, a horse, or a dog. Parents can see the consequences that their children may not. So, because parents want only what is best for their children, the answer may be “no” or “not yet.” It’s the same with God. He gives us what is best for us. It may not be what we want or when we want it, and it may be hard to understand or to accept His plan. But, we are called to keep praying….asking for consolation and for Him to draw us closer to his Sacred Heart.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you trust that God hears all of your prayers and knows what is best for you? Will you pray for consolation if His answer is not what you hoped it would be?

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Sermon Notes – Violence is a Problem of the Heart

“Violence is a Problem of the Heart”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 17-18, 2019

Scripture: Luke 12:49-53

I have heard it said that Jesus preached nonviolence. On the contrary…He preached violence against self for the sake of the Kingdom. He preached violence against evil. For example, He taught that “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:30). That seems fairly violent to me. Violence has been in our world since the time of Cain and Able. Sampson slew 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, and David killed Goliath with a single stone. However, violence can be a good thing when it stops other acts of sin. Avoiding sin helps draw us closer to God. Saints Francis and Benedict both threw themselves down a hill into a cluster of brambles to avoid sin. They went to any extreme to avoid it. When you have something in your body that doesn’t belong there, like a splinter in the finger, you go crazy and will go to all lengths to remove it.

The cause of violence is in the heart…the wrong stuff is there. Christ should be in people’s hearts; otherwise, the Devil will come in and take possession. We don’t have a problem of violence. Our problem is a lack of God which leads to evil dwelling in the soul. The state of the soul will manifest itself. If evil is present, the signs are: violence; mutilation of self, such as piercings of the lip, tongue, nose, etc.; nudity; and love of sex. Bad parents and enablers often contribute to these manifestations.

It’s not stuff, but Satan that causes violence. Stuff is just stuff. Stuff is not evil…it is morally neutral. Only evil people make stuff evil. Giving people more stuff won’t stop violence…even the filthy rich can be evil. An example is the Epstein case that’s been all over the news lately. What is the cure? Well, it’s not more laws…they don’t stop anything. The cure for violence is not a “what,” but a “Who”, and that is Our Savior.

When a Code Red is called at the Veterans’ Administration (VA) Hospital, four to five security personnel rush to the area to restore order. Are these patients morally bad? Maybe, but, they could be mentally ill. Others are violent because they are evil. Once, we had a patient who had just come out of surgery. He was acting up, because he wanted to go home. His wife told him that he was sick and needed to stay in the hospital. He promised her that he would come back the next day. The surgical staff had a different idea and told him he had to stay.

Some men think they are tough guys. No, they’re not. I didn’t see them in Afghanistan. I know tough guys. My church back home was filled with WWII soldiers…many of them paratroopers. There’s not enough drugs or alcohol to make me do what they did. But, they did what they had to do. That church established a school and a convent, and also produced five priests. Tough men can love Christ too.

Once, while I was serving at St. Gabriel’s parish in Charlotte, the men had prepared breakfast. I was waited on by a man with a German accent who had numbers tattooed on his arm. I knew that meant he had served in Hitler’s Special Forces. This man had served on both the eastern and western fronts. He was a bad man. But, he became a very good Catholic and died in the arms of Christ. So, even though it may take a while, there is hope that even the most evil can be transformed.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you keep Christ in your heart so that Satan cannot take possession? Will you avoid enabling those who have evil in their hearts?

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Sermon Notes – Embrace Your Crosses

“Embrace Your Crosses”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 24-25, 2019

Scripture: Luke 13:22-30

We all want to go to heaven…that’s why you’re here. So, how do we get there? You must first do two things:

1) die – we’ve got this one covered; and

2) die in a state of grace.

That last one is the tricky part. Heaven is for people who love God. To get to heaven, you must keep God’s Commandments. By the way, there are more than ten….those are just a pop quiz. It’s in scripture…in the black and white part…you can read it.

How can you tell if someone may be holy? There are both external and internal signs. External signs include participating in the Mass. Well, I go to the hospital a lot, but that doesn’t make me a doctor. A better sign is that you will see God in the fruits of their labor. Internal signs include assenting to the will of others and denying ourselves. We must love God more than ourselves and practice self-mortification by losing our egos and embracing our crosses. This is a tough one, because we are not perfect. However, we must keep striving for a transformation of the heart. Doing so will help us and others get to heaven.

So, how many people will get in to heaven? A lot. And, once we get there, we will have three surprises waiting for us:

1) We are there;

2) Who is there; and

3) Who is not there

Priests take three vows: Obedience, Chastity, and Poverty. Obedience is mandated by the 3rd and 4th Commandments. While I have chastity and poverty nailed, obedience has been the toughest one for me. You would think after all the time I spent in the Army and 35 years as a priest that obedience would be the easiest vow for me to keep.

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you lose the ego and practice self-mortification? Will you embrace your crosses and lift them up to God?

Father’s Afterthoughts…

Life is tough…it’s tougher when you’re stupid.

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Sermon Notes – Small Acts of Love

“Small Acts of Love”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

August 10-11, 2019

Scripture: Luke 12:32-48

I was thinking the other day about the time when we closed my parents’ home. I found lots of pictures of me and my brothers. Mom had even stored away the gifts we had given her as kids. There were drawings and other little trinkets we had given her…refrigerator art…and she kept them all. Were they good? No. They were terrible. But she cherished them enough to save them. One time when I was five years old, I gave her some flowers – dandelions – I thought they were beautiful, and she made a big fuss over them and even put them in a glass on the window sill. She cherished our small acts of love. Now that I’m a priest, little kids have given me pictures they have drawn, and I have them in the Sacristy because they, too, are small acts of love.

Just as we make a big deal over the gifts our children give us, God delights in them too. Like the saints, we have our own inconveniences, discomforts, anxieties. Also like the saints, we can give them to Him. It’s what we have, and it’s what we can give. They are our gifts…our small expressions of love for Him. These small acts of love make the Lord smile, and we are called to do them.

Sometimes people will say they are going to take highfalutin theology classes to increase their religious knowledge. Well, how’s that working for you? This is an example of spiritual pride. God doesn’t care if we can name the twelve tribes of Israel. We need to be more like the young, uneducated Saint Therese of Lisieux, who said “When I am small, I am safe.”

How will you apply this message to your life? Will you look for ways to make God smile? Will you make small acts of love?