Tag: Vietnam

Posted on

Sermon Notes – May 25, 2025 – “Stop Running!”

“Stop Running!”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

May 24 – 25, 2025

Gospel:  John 14:23-29

While I was home, I met a correctional officer from the prison.  Rhode Island is a small state, but we have our fair share of felons.  This correctional officer asked me, “Father, how do you find God?”  I said, “That’s easy – Just stop running.”  People run from God, although they say they are looking for Him.  No, they aren’t.  They are running from Him.  What are you looking for, and why are you running?  It may be the fear, shame, remorse, and guilt for what they have done.  It may not only be for the fear of their sins, but also for what God will ask of them.  What is the worst thing God will ask of you?  To renounce yourself.   Christ said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).   “Do not tell Me what I should be or what you conceive Me to be.  I will let you know who I am.”   People try to get rid of God.  Ask Judy Wentzel.  She deals with antiques and sees a lot of crucifixes, rosaries, and medals in her antique shop.  People run from God, “I will not serve.”  You find God by renouncing yourself. 

People come up to me and say, “Father, where does it say this in the bible?”  Sometimes I take it as a good-natured question, but at other times it is annoying.  We have a wonderful invention now called Google.  There is also this great book called the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Look it up yourself, or are you trying to play “Stump the Chump”?   Yes, I did go to seminary, and I had to pass many tests.  During my last year of seminary before we graduated and were ordained, we participated in “Murderers Row.”  All the professors you had during your years of undergraduate studies and graduate seminary studies were sitting there, and they could ask you any question from your last eight years of school.  Yeah, that was a bit nerve-racking, especially when the professor from your first year of philosophy starts quizzing you, “What is the principle of identity?”  Oh God, no!   We learned that on the first day of class. 

Now, this will be an interesting weekend, and many people are going to save a lot of money.  Do you know why?  There will be Memorial Day mattress sales!  It is really killing me that I’m here with all those sales happening!  I saw a survey recently that showed 27% of Generation Z said they don’t know why we have this holiday.  They really should be at the Parris Island Marine Corps base.  Only 47% of Baby Boomers know why we commemorate Memorial Day.   A couple of years ago, I received a note from the Chief of Chaplains at the VA about a veteran whose wife had died and who wanted to talk to a Catholic chaplain who was also a veteran.  I’m the only guy on staff at the VA who meets those qualifications, so I made an appointment with him.  This veteran came into my office with all these books.  Now, these were post-graduate books and rather worn and ragged.  I was rather impressed because I hadn’t seen some of these books since seminary.    He had lots of questions, and when he finally ran out of steam, I said, “I heard your wife died.”  Yes.  “Did you love her?”  Yes.  “Do you miss her?”  Yes.  Then I asked, “What branch of service were you in?”  Army.  “Were you in Vietnam?  Yes.  I knew all the answers to my questions before I asked them, like any good lawyer.  “What did you do in the Army?”  I was a medic.   “Alright, Doc.  How many soldiers did you save?”  He didn’t know, and I believe that.  “Doc, how many soldiers did you lose?”  He knew every one of them by name, and each day he would see their pictures in his head.  His wife helped him keep it together.  Now, not only is he grieving the loss of his wife, but he is dealing with the trauma from his military service alone.

There was a priest in our diocese, Father Tom Scott.  His parish was in Mount Airy, and he retired for medical reasons.  He had Leukemia and Agent Orange poisoning.  He was a corpsman in Vietnam for two tours.  One was planned, but he volunteered to go back as a Marine, and he got himself really blown up.  He still had shrapnel in his hand.  Sometimes he would show me a piece that had worked its way out.   On his patten, which is the little gold plate that the priest’s host is placed on, he had the names of all the Marines he lost.  Some priests made fun of him, and they make fun of me.   I agree that, except for former military service, everything else is fair game.  You might be thinking, “Father, it has been 50 years since that war.”  Yes.  With most things, through God’s grace, the passage of time makes it easier for us.  But pulling the trigger and the stress that comes with it are a whole other matter.   I give books to the medical staff who say, “Oh, I can’t read that!  It’s too graphic.”  But it’s what we lived and what some of us are still living.  The war never left us.  If you want to learn about it and the cause of PTSD, read the book “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society” by Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman.  Usually, with the passage of time and grace, you adjust.    

Eventually, as you grow older, defenses become weaker.  Your family leaves, dies, or whatever.  We had one veteran who was dying in Hospice, and he asked his nurse, “Would you hold my hand till I fall asleep?”   Although I’m not Dr. House, I know when these old timers are about to pass because they start telling me all these things they never told their wives.  When they tell me what happened, I know they will be gone in a couple of weeks.  They are cleaning house.  There are a lot of grey-haired old men and ladies, whose faces soldiers and Marines were the last ones they saw before they passed from this world to the next.  Read “Chicken Soup for the Veteran’s Soul.”  Most people forget what this weekend is about because they were not involved in that part of life, but they all benefited.  Those soldiers and Marines remember it every day.  The benefit of their service is our freedom and not mattress sales.   

Father’s Afterthoughts:  One more story – I have bunches of them.  We were training with medical mannequins, and one of the nurse trainers approached me and asked, “Padre, can you go talk to this guy?”  What’s wrong?    “No matter what we do, the patient is going to die.”   Sometimes, if you fix one crisis, you create another one.   So, I went in to see him.  He was a full-bird colonel.  I said, “Doc,” and he said, “Chaplain.”   I stood beside him, and he said, “I’m not going to lose him.  I sent too many soldiers home in body bags.  I’m not going to lose this one.”  He had been in Vietnam as a battalion surgeon.   I said, “Okay, Doc.”   I went back to the training nurse and said, “He’s back in Vietnam, having a flashback about the soldiers he lost.  He won’t lose this one.”

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.   

Posted on

Sermon Notes – February 23, 2025 – “We Have No Idea”

                                                             “We Have No Idea”

                                       Father Peter Fitzgibbons

                                       February 22 – 23, 2025

Gospel:  Luke 6:27-38


We are called to love our good Lord.  But love is more than just a feeling.  People say, “Oh, I love God.”  Good for you.  So, what do you do about it?  Our Lord said, “If you love me, keep My Commandments.”  Love demands action.  It’s through that action that you grow more in love with our Lord.  When we have God in our souls, we evangelize.  But it’s not always a happy thing.  Sometimes, it is really difficult.  As I like to say, “I’m not much, but I’m all I think about.  It’s all about me.”   We must die to self to live for others.  I’m giving you a little homework.  Read the short story by O. Henry, “The Gift of the Magi.”  Look it up.  Love grows when we die to self, and our Lord tells us how to do that.  If someone comes up to me and slaps me in the face, we are going to have words.  He’s not going to be happy.  But we are not supposed to do that.  If someone insults you and calls you a name, what’s your first reaction?  A hand or arm gesture?  “Do you know who I am? Do you know who you are talking to?”  They cursed Christ, and if they curse you, be thankful.  “Hey, I’m doing good.”  All those things you find distasteful . . . do those things.  Lend with no expectation of getting it back.  If a man wants you to walk a mile with him, walk two.   Those are steps that are good for your heart.  If someone wants your cloak, give them your shirt as well.  These things are hard, but that’s what love is.  It is the renunciation of self and living for others.  The obsession of self must end, and that is very hard to do.  Obviously, you love God because you are here at Mass on Saturday at 5:00.  You could have stayed home and done something else, but you are here.   You sacrificed to be here today. 

Love is proven in our lives by imitating Christ, by being compassionate, and by our long-suffering.  Regarding his illness, Saint Paul wrote, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for Your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking inChrist’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church” (Colossians 1:24).  Paul said, “I am bearing this for the sake of Christ and the redemption of souls.”  That is what we do when others persecute, hate, and utter every kind of slander against us.  We forgive them.  Now, if you are thinking, “I cannot forgive,” yes, you can.  You just don’t want to.  Forgiveness is an act of the will.  God never said, “Well, if you feel like it, forgive somebody.  No, no, no.  We forgive because God forgives us. 

Sometimes, it is uncomfortable to do what our Lord asks.  We have a fallen nature from original sin, from the sins we have committed since our baptism, and from the sins that others have committed against us.  We have a fallen nature, so we are not always highly motivated to do good.   We make a choice to love.  That’s when we grow in love the most.  It’s also when we are the happiest.  We have a joy that nobody can take from us because we are doing what our Lord asked.  Notice that our Lord never said, “Do this if it feels good.”  He never said that because He didn’t care how you felt.  Do the right thing, and then you will feel better.  Feelings are transitory, very much so.  Do the right thing.  Go over and above.  Love has no limits.   Christ said, “No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  And that is true. 

I always enjoyed watching the people in front of the courthouse.  I haven’t seen them lately, but they would be outside the courthouse yelling, “Jesus is Lord” and “You are going to die and go to hell.”  I found them amusing and appreciated their zeal.  The way they screamed showed they had great lung power.  Their oxygen stats must have been off the chart.  They would scream and carry on, and I would think, “Decaf folks. You need to mellow out.”  I’d really like to peek at their medication chart; they may have been short of a pill or two.  Everybody who doesn’t believe their particular brand of Christianity is going to hell.   Really?  Is God that unjust?  “You are all going to hell.”  How do you know?  Christ said, “Judge not, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). 

In my work at the VA, I have met a lot of men who served in Vietnam.  I talked to one man who said, “I had a couple of tours in Vietnam.”  I said, “Really?  Were you homesteading there or what?”   He said, “I took a 2nd and 3rd tour so my younger brother wouldn’t have to go.”  If you have ever been overseas doing the things those men did, you know that it takes a hell of a toll on your life.  That man may not be the staunchest Christian, and I may not see him at Sunday Mass, but don’t you think that what he did would cover a lot of things in his spiritual personnel record?   But instead, you are saying that this guy is condemned to hell because he doesn’t share your religion.  How can you say that?  You do not know this man.  They say, “You’re going to hell because you don’t believe my particular brand of Christianity.”  Shut up.  You don’t see the crosses we carry.  God judges us. 

Now, you may be thinking, “Father, you are slim, good-looking, and bright.”  Thanks, but neither of those things is correct.  You don’t know the crosses I’m carrying.  I’ve been a priest for over 40 years, and I’m still not a monsignor.  That really hurts!  We have no idea about the suffering other people are enduring.  When I talk to people, I ask them how they are doing.  They often say, “I’m fine.”  I love that word “fine.”  Do you know what it means?  It’s a medical term, and you wouldn’t like the meaning because it’s a bit rude.  We all struggle with our crosses.  Some are visible, and some are invisible.  We have no idea of the heavy burdens other people carry.  So, we don’t make judgments.  But what we can do is pray for them.  Why?  Because we appreciate it when people pray for us.

 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.

Posted on

Sermon Notes – March 24, 2024 – “The Sound and Smell of Love”

“The Sound and Smell of Love”

Father Peter Fitzgibbons

March 23 – 24, 2024

Gospel: Mark 14:1 – 15:47

We have a young man in our parish who is in his fourth week at Paris Island, and you know, I may be enjoying it a bit too much!  “Oh, Father, it’s so hard there!”  No, not really.  It’s unpleasant, but it’s not that hard.  Your worst day at Paris Island is infinitely better than your best day in Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan.  It’s not that bad.  You won’t get hurt unless you do something extremely stupid.  However, never underestimate the power of people to be stupid.  We can become, what one writer says, overly sensitive, which is a grave character defect.  We are sensitive about some things but not sensitive about others.  I get these emails at the Veterans Hospital (VA) about proper pronoun usage.  “Oh!  You called me by the wrong pronoun!”   Well, I thought ‘jerk’ fit you pretty well.  Do you know what I’ve been called in my life?  In the military anything soldiers said that was prefaced with ‘sir’ and that ended with ‘sir’ was appropriate, and I would take it.  “Sir, you are a bleeping idiot, Sir.”  Understood.  Very good.  Carry on. 

“Oh, oh, the opera of anxiety!”  Really?  All that drama with the psychiatric condition you have.   Really?   We are highly sensitive about the wrong things.   Today you heard a short recitation of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.   For the Roman soldiers, this was just another day at the office.  They did this all the time.  They were trained professionals, just ask Saint John.  There was nothing special about Jesus’ death except that the Roman soldiers recognized it at the end.  Until then, Jesus was just another schmuck who had been sentenced to death, and they were just doing their job.  They did three that day; it wasn’t a big deal.  But we are here, and we are sensitive to His Passion. 

Now, I’m old, and I’m lucky to be so because a lot of people have wanted to kill me during my life and not just my family.   Go to YouTube and watch “Jesus Christ Superstar.”  One part of the story is about Pilot counting the lashes that were inflicted on our Lord during the scourging at the pillar.   One thing about lashing – when you are hit with a belt, it stings.  However, the Romans used a flagellum that had nail spikes attached to each cord which would dig into and rip away the flesh.  As a result, the wounds would not coagulate with the blood, so the bleeding would continue.  Eventually, you would die of suffocation because you lacked the strength to hold yourself upright.  That was one of the things the Romans inflicted upon people, and it was not a fun way to go.  That is suffering.  It’s not when someone hurts our feelings, “Oh, my goodness!  I’m so hurt!  They didn’t call me by my proper pronoun!”  Grow up!   You have no idea about hurt and about pain.  If you read the Passion, and I especially like ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, you get an idea of what happened and begin to understand the pain that Christ endured.  After our Lord’s Passion, we cannot say, “My sin only hurts me.  I don’t hurt anyone else, just me.”  Uh no.  “I have no sin.”  Then you don’t need to come to church.  Don’t anybody start running for the doors! 

Love has a sound.  Think about the Passion and meditate on it.  The sound of love is the drip, drip, drip of blood that flowed from the sacred wounds of our Lord on the Cross and onto the ground.   That is the sound of love being poured out for us.  Mary was the first one to be washed in the blood.  Love also has a smell.  It is the smell of blood.  At our Lord’s Passion, they smelled, they heard, and they saw divine love.  This is the price of sin that we try to minimize so much.  Not only the white lies – the color coded sins which I never studied – but any sin.  This is how much God loves us. 

Look at the Passion, and you will see the price of love.  All that misery translates into what we need . . . His love for us, and the love to restore us to God’s friendship.  Do you have any idea of the agony He endured?  The Romans were pretty good at their jobs and intentionally prolonged death.  Think about the agony our good Lord endured when He didn’t have to, but He did so out of love for us.  Look at the Crucifix and that is how much God loves us.  It’s what our sins have caused.  That’s the price of sin that our Lord paid for us because we could not.  Think about how much we have taken for granted the depth of our sins and the magnitude of His love. 

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.”