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Honoring Mary

Sun, 13 May 2012 15:00:20 +0000

May is here, what a beautiful month! On this second Sunday of May, like every year, we celebrate motherhood. On this day, during the month of May as trees and flowers spring forth new life, we pause to pray not only for our mothers who gave us life but for all mothers. We also pray for all expectant mothers.

During the month of May we also honor Mary in a special way. It is fitting that we honor Mary for an entire month. It is so appropriate that the month of ‘new life’ be dedicated to Mary. We remember as a young Jewish girl Mary responded to the angel in faith, “May it be done to me according to your word.” And Mary gave birth to the Son of God and they called him Jesus. During this Easter season we’re celebrating what was begun with Mary’s “Yes!” Before the resurrection and the cross, before the miracles and the carpenter’s shop in Nazareth, Mary said “Yes!”

Mother’s day often conjures up childhood memories. I remember when I was quite young I had a nightmare that my mom had died. Finally, after many days I got up enough courage and went and shared my dream with my mom. She said to me, “Johnny, I’m not going to die, I’m not going to leave you!” Immediately I was at peace. Fortunately, most of us have been blessed with caring and protective mothers. Most of us can say about our mothers, “My mother was always there for me!”

Our experiences of motherhood give us a glimpse into the Spiritual Motherhood of Mary. Mary is ‘always’ there for us, to care for us and protect us. One of the reasons I was attracted to the Redemptorist community was because of Mary Our Mother of Perpetual Help. When I first looked at the O.L.P.H. painting it reminded me of the experience with my mother when I was a child, “Johnny, I’m not going to die, I’m not going to leave you.” In the same picture Jesus had a nightmare, his suffering and death on the cross. The child Jesus ran to his mother and leaped into her arms. The most interesting point of the painting, as Mary is holding Jesus in her arms her eyes are gazing outward rather than at Jesus. Mary seems to be saying to us, “Come to me like Jesus my son, I will care for you, I will protect you, I will never leave you, I am your Mother!”

On this day, as we remember our mothers and as we honor our Blessed Mother I would like to give each parishioner a gift as you leave church, a large prayer card with the image of Mary Immaculate on one side and the Prayer for Religious Liberty on the reverse side.

Please pray the prayer on a regular basis, and if possible, make it a family prayer. I have shared with you often my deep concern regarding the passage of the HHS mandate. The U.S. bishops are also quite concerned if this bill becomes law. They are asking Catholics throughout the U.S. to pray the Prayer for Religious Liberty through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, the Patroness of Our Country. As Catholics and as Americans we need to pray that our religious liberties be protected.

Like Mary our Mother, let’s be strong in our faith, and let’s continue to pray! Happy Mother’s day, and may Mary Immaculate the Patroness of Our Country protect you, your family members, and our country always.

In Christ our Redeemer

Father John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

Sacrament of Anointing

Sun, 06 May 2012 17:12:52 +0000

The other day I was called to hospice to celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing. I use the word ‘celebrate’ deliberately in describing the sacramental experience. We know every sacrament is a celebration. I believe many of us more commonly associate the word celebrate with other sacraments like, Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, or Eucharist. Before I anointed the woman, her caregiver informed me that she was celebrating 66 years of marriage with her husband, who was at her side. I was also told the husband first met his wife when he was just three years old. At one point he looked up at me after looking at his wife and said, “Father, I can’t remember ever not knowing her!”

We then celebrated the Sacrament of Anointing. We gathered in faith and prayer around this lovely woman who was being called home. Although we weren’t in a church, representatives of the Body of Christ were present to celebrate the Sacrament. Family members, caregivers, and parishioners gathered together to celebrate, to hear the Good News, to pray together, and support one another. Most of us know how difficult it is to deal with suffering and pain especially when we experience the death of a loved one.

Some of us ask, “how can the Sacrament of Anointing be a ‘celebration’ when I know my wife or husband is dying, how can we possibly celebrate?” We all know that pain, suffering, and death are cruel. The celebration of the sacrament does not explain human suffering; sacraments are more than mere words of explanation. The sacraments celebrate faith. In the very celebrating we experience more and more who we are and what we believe. As the Catechism says, "Christ invites his disciples to follow him by taking up their cross in their turn. By following him they acquire a new outlook on illness and the sick" (#1506).

Let’s go back for a moment to the husband and wife. The words the husband mentioned to me as he lovingly glanced at his wife stayed with me, “Father, I can’t remember ever not knowing her!” To remain committed all those years, “I will be there to love you and honor you all the days of my life!” And also to be able to say, “we raised a family, and we’ve been blessed with grandchildren.” Aren’t these worthy achievements to celebrate? They are reminders of something greater in store!

At the core of every sacrament when we gather, we celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sacrament of Anointing reminds us that we are more than our physical body, that this place we call earth is only transitory, our true home is in heaven. Think of it, the husband first met his wife when he was three years old, “I can’t ever remember not knowing her!”

When we celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing we’re celebrating our faith. Our faith tells us that God loves us and knows us infinitely, not fifty years, or one hundred years, but infinitely! The celebration of the Sacrament of Anointing gives us a window into the mystery of a loving God. God raised up his crucified Son to sit at his right hand. Our faith tells us that God wants us to be with Him forever in heaven with all the faithful already in heaven, parents and grandparents, children, loved ones, etc. that’s what we celebrate! It should be mentioned that the Sacrament of Anointing is not just for those who are dying.

The Catechism states; “Hence, as soon as anyone of the faithful begins to be in danger of death from sickness or old age, the fitting time for him to receive this sacrament has certainly already arrived." The Catechism goes on to state; “It is fitting to receive the Anointing of the Sick just prior to a serious operation. The same holds for the elderly whose frailty becomes more pronounced.” The Sacrament of Anointing and all the other sacraments are celebrations of our faith. We realize suffering and illness have always been among the greatest problems that trouble the human spirit.

As Christians we feel and experience pain just as much as others; yet our faith helps us to grasp more deeply the mystery of suffering and to bear our pain with greater courage. I’d like to end this letter with a few words from the Catechism; From Christ's words they (the sick) know that sickness has meaning and value for their own salvation and the salvation of the world. They also know that Christ, who during his life often visited and healed the sick, loves them in their illness."

God bless all of you.

Father John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

Blessed trinity

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:58:30 +0000

After the 4:00 Mass this last Saturday, I found myself discussing the mysteries of the Blessed Trinity with a young altar server! The young boy was struggling with the doctrine, three persons in one God. He was obviously tuned into the feast day we were celebrating, the Solemnity of the Mother of God, but yet, he still had questions.

We all have questions, to be human is to seek, to understand. Besides the important message of God’s universal call to salvation this Sunday, there is another point I would like to stress. As we begin this New Year, I believe it is important for us to remember an aspect of our faith that is sometimes not appreciated; God is the one who initiates the life of faith in us.

I’m reminded of the Canaanite woman in the gospel of Matthew, a non-Jew, who came to Jesus because her daughter was tormented by a demon. His disciples wanted Jesus to send her away. Jesus goes on to say a few words to the woman, but then she does something just like the Magi in the gospel today, she came and did him homage, she then responds, “Lord help me.”

There are many other instances in the gospels where unlikely individuals are attracted to Jesus. Jeopardizing so much, they approach Jesus in faith. Like the magi in today’s gospel, these people were not coming to Jesus because of some “new idea” or some “new theory” that interested them. Throughout history, men and women of all races and cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities, have responded to the person of Jesus Christ.

It was no different with the “Three Wise Men.” These men willingly left everything, their home and country, and followed a star! The magi were on a journey of faith, searching for knowledge, responding to the grace of God. Their diligent search, their journey of faith, led them to the source of true knowledge, the person of Jesus Christ.

When the magi found the child Jesus, like the Canaanite woman, they immediately fell to their knees and adored the one born as Lord. Their passion for knowledge, combined with their openness to God’s grace, enabled them to make the journey to Bethlehem.

Like the Magi, we too are on a journey. God calls each one of us! Some of us however, may feel lost, struggling in the desert. Some advice from a fellow sojourner, try and remain open to the grace of God. Always remember, wherever you are, God is guiding you, even though the clouds may be thick and dark, the Star is above. God is in control.

Today we celebrate the story of the “Three Wise Men” not because they ‘found God,’ but because they emptied themselves and allowed God to “direct them” to his Son. Through Mary, our Mother, we pray that we be open to all the many graces our God desires to bestow upon us this New Year! God bless you! Fr. John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

Prepare the way of the Lord

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:55:33 +0000

Even before we’re born, before we see the light of day, people are preparing the way for us, a new high chair, perhaps a play pen, and don’t forget the car seat. We can’t forget, the new baby will need a comfortable bed, with soft blankets and a fluffy pillow.

You and I were baptized as infants because our parents realized that that was the greatest gift they could give to us, in addition to their love, support and protection. When a parent has a child baptized, they are preparing him or her for a future filled with many uncertainties but so many wonderful possibilities. The best way to prepare a son or daughter, to make right decisions, is to have the child possess the mind and heart of Jesus Christ.

Many parents lose heart when they see their child stray from the faith. Parents may even begin to blame themselves for a child who no longer practices the faith. It is heartbreaking when our children, many of whom went to Catholic school, no longer attend Mass, or see no apparent value in the sacraments.

However, I’m reminded of a little conversation between two priests. One priest said to the other, “You know I’ve been praying and praying for a relative to come back to the faith, and I’m about to give up hope!”. The other priest said, “You know, I’ve been praying for about ten years for a relative who left the faith, and now I have more hope that ever.”

The Gospel reminds us, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” Like Mary our Mother, who prepared the way for her son in her womb, and John the Baptist who prepared the way by preaching repentance, we too are challenged to “prepare the way!”

We thank our parents for giving us the tools to help us prepare the way, we remember that no matter how far our loved ones may stray, God is always with them, we can never give up hope. That’s what Advent is all about, hope!

God bless you, Fr. John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 16:14:24 +0000

This weekend at all the Masses we will be reviewing only a few changes in the new translation of the Roman Missal. Both changes occur during the part of the Mass we call, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The first change is the Invitation to Prayer and the other change is in the Preface Dialogue. These words prepare us to enter into the Eucharistic Prayer.

It’s so important that all of us see ourselves as part of this holy offering during the Mass. For instance, at every Mass, as we begin the Offertory, do we make a conscience effort to place who we are and what we have done, our hopes and our dreams, our pains and our sorrows, in the offertory procession? Do we offer ourselves in the bread and wine?

Pope Benedict XVI reminds us, “In the bread and wine that we bring to the altar, all creation is taken up by Christ the Redeemer to be transformed and presented to the Father” (Sacramentum caritatis, #47). The bread and wine— and our gifts for the ministry of the Church and care of the poor—symbolize who we are, all we have done in the previous week (our “work”), and all of creation. Even the “pain and suffering of the world” is taken up in order to be transformed. In other words, everything has value in the eyes of God. There is a powerful dynamic at work here. God has given us the gift of creation and of human work. We offer back to God the “fruit of the earth and work of human hands,” which are transformed, for our sake and for the sake of the world, into the very Presence of Christ. Praying the Eucharistic Prayer, and receiving such a gift in Holy Communion, we are transformed—and make to God the return-gift of a life lived in accord with the gospel.

At every Mass, as we offer ourselves in this “holy exchange” may we each one of us be transformed into a “new creation”. May we become more and more like Jesus Christ, who is Love.

God bless you,

Fr. John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

The New Creed

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:08:04 +0000

This week our priests will be teaching you about the new Creed we will be praying at Mass. Deacon Frank Agnoli from the Davenport Diocese gives us a good review of the new creed. He writes; “The Creed is a theologically rich text.” In this column, I want to point out that the new translation of the Creed highlights some important nuances that might have been less obvious in the current version: “Visible and invisible” is more accurate than “seen and unseen” — there may be things that we don’t currently see (they re outside our field of vision, but are capable of being seen); that’s different than referring to things that are, by their nature, visible or invisible (e.g., the angels). Also, the reference to Col 1:16 is made more explicit.

In reference to the Holy Spirit, the word “power” — which does not appear in the Creed — is absent in the new Missal. The incarnation is the act of a person (Holy Spirit) not an impersonal force; the new translation makes this more obvious.

We should note that the word “death” is not in the original Creed. Approved by Rome, this addition makes clearer what Jesus suffered. Our beliefs in regard to Jesus Christ are not only a fulfillment of the Scriptures (Old Testament) but are also attested to in the Scriptures (New Testament). Therefore, “in accordance” is a more inclusive phrase.

We do more than “acknowledge” baptism. To confess baptism has multiple levels of meaning: we believe in its efficacy, we have faith in the one who promised to act through it, and we proclaim it and invite others to it. “Looking forward” suggests that we are straining towards the Reign of God, like Paul’s reference to all creation “groaning” in anticipation (Rom 8:22). The current translation suggests a more passive stance.

Much of what we said last time about the Nicene Creed applies to the Apostles’ Creed. Here, I would like to point out an important change in the new translation. What the current translation renders as, “he descended to the dead” the new version splits into two phrases: “he descended into hell (Latin: inferos; the abode of the dead; the underworld; not the permanent state of separation from God that awaits those who completely reject the offer of divine love); on the third day he rose again from the dead.” As a result, the new translation emphasizes that through his passion and resurrection Christ overcame death itself.

I hope you found Deacon Agnoli’s review of the new Creed helpful.

May God bless you always,

Fr. John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

Question of the Week

Whom do you see as a servant of the Gospel? A servant of the poor?

The Gloria

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:31:32 +0000

This weekend the priests will be explaining to you the new changes in one of our oldest prayers, the Gloria. Recently I came across an article about the Gloria, written by a Catholic Priest from England, Fr. Dylan James. His brief words helped me to appreciate the Gloria in a new way, I hope it does the same for you.

The Gloria has its origin in the hymn of praise sung by the angels at Jesus’ birth when they appeared to the shepherds in the field at night. The angels sang, “Glory to God on the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will” (Lk 2:14).

The angels’ hymn was elaborated by early Christians and its present Latin form, is first recorded in the 4th Century though most of it can be traced to the 3rd, 2nd, or even 1st Century. As such, this is one of the oldest prayers of the Mass and by saying it we are uniting ourselves with almost the entire history of Christianity. It is therefore hardly surprising that the new translation should seek to have us return to the rhythm and structure of this ancient prayer.

Fr. James goes on to remind us that although the changes in the new text are slight, they are nonetheless continual through almost the entire text. He goes on to say that the overall change is in the structure and rhythm of the text, which enable us to re-connect with the format that has been used by the Church for almost our entire history.

As we honor our Blessed Mother this month, and as we prepare to remember all the souls and saints who have gone before us next month, the Gloria reminds us of the need to praise, bless, adore, glorify and give thanks to God. We do these things first of all, because God is God, but also, if it were not for the gift of his only begotten son, all of would be lost. All this said in the Gloria!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. John Francis Murray

Penitential Act

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:43:08 +0000

This Sunday we will talk for a few minutes about the new translation of the Roman Missal during the homilies. This weekend the priests will be teaching you about the “penitential act”. The following is a wonderful article written in the Catholic Herald for the Diocese of Sacramento by Rita Thiron about the new “penitential act.”

An ancient document called the Didache (c.60) noted that the people came together on the Lord’s Day and gave thanks “after first confessing their sins.” For many centuries, the Mass had no penitential rite. The Confiteor was part of the private prayers said by the priest and the ministers at the foot of the altar. After Vatican II, a brief penitential rite was added that had its source in both Scripture (Matthew 5:23-25) and tradition. (cf. The Mystery of Faith by Lawrence Johnson, page 13)

Now the act of penitence has several options. Each begins with an invitation by the priest to recall our sins and a pause for silent reflection. We may all respond by praying the confiteor, a prayer that acknowledges the social dimension of sin. The new translation of this prayer restores the “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault.” The effect is more intense as we strike our breast!

Alternately, we may respond to a series of invocations addressed to Christ. What was once a long litany was shortened in the sixth century and now consists of three verses (tropes) that conclude with the ancient Greek response –Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. St. Paul used the word kyrios to acknowledge Christ and his divinity. We may also respond in English –“ Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.”

Another option uses Scripture. (Baruch 3:2 and Psalm 85:8) This is followed by the “Lord, have mercy” in Greek or English.

The final option may be used on Sundays, especially during the Easter season. Water is blessed and sprinkled on the people as a reminder of their baptism and the reconciliation brought about by Christ. The Asperges rite comes from Psalm 51:9 “Cleanse me of sin with hyssop, that I may be purified.” During Eastertide, this verse is replaced by the Vidi Aquam, a text about the water flowing from the temple. (Ezekiel 47:1, 8, 9)

Each of these rites concludes with the priest’s absolution – “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.” Though these words lack the efficacy of the sacrament of penance (GIRM 51), they are a fitting reminder that we all seek God’s mercy, especially as we come together to celebrate his sacred mysteries.

I pray that you may be able to embrace these changes in the Mass and be drawn deeper into the mystery of God’s love for you, the love we celebrate every Sunday at Eucharist.

God bless you,

Fr. John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

Question of the Week

How does your faith influence your citizenship?

Based on the reading for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Another option uses Scripture. (Baruch 3:2 and Psalm 85:8) This is followed by the “Lord, have mercy” in Greek or English.

I pray that you may be able to embrace these changes in the Mass and be drawn deeper into the mystery of God’s love for you, the love we celebrate every Sunday at Eucharist.

God bless you,

Fr. John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

Question of the Week

How does your faith influence your citizenship?

Based on the reading for the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Common thread "life"

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are so many wonderful events on our calendar this coming week and during the coming year. I would say the common thread running through each one of them is the word, “life”. This Sunday is Respect Life Sunday, Tuesday, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we will bless animals, and starting Sunday we will begin our Family Mass.

We pause to remember this Sunday, all life comes from God, and all human life is sacred. This Sunday, we should ask ourselves, “do I truly believe all life is sacred from conception to natural death, and do I reflect this belief in what I say and in what I do”?

My friends, the theme for this year’s Pro-Life Activities is, "Hope and Trust in Life." As Catholics, it’s important that we be educated, but also it’s imperative that we be vigilant. For instance, in Oregon, where assisted suicide is already legal, the state has refused to cover the cost of life-sustaining treatments for some patients facing terminal illness, while callously informing them that Oregon will pay for suicide pills. Such policies betray the ideal of America as a compassionate society honoring the inherent worth of every human being.

Embryonic stem cell research also presents grave ethical concerns. The Catholic Church strongly supports promising and ethically sound stem cell research -- and strongly opposes killing week-old human embryos, or human beings at any stage, to extract their stem cells. We applaud however the remarkable therapeutic successes that have been achieved using stem cells from cord blood and adult tissues.

Turning to abortion, while Catholics are against abortion in all cases, it’s important to note that most Americans favor banning all abortion or permitting it only in very rare cases (danger to the mother's life or cases of rape or incest). Also encouraging is the finding of a recent Guttmacher Institute study that the U.S. abortion rate declined 26% between 1989 and 2004.

Today, however, we face the threat of a federal bill that, if enacted, would obliterate virtually all the gains of the past 35 years and cause the abortion rate to skyrocket.

FOCA, the "Freedom of Choice Act" establishes abortion as a "fundamental right" throughout the nine months of pregnancy, and forbids any law or policy that could "interfere" with that right or "discriminate" against it in public funding and programs. If FOCA became law, hundreds of reasonable, widely supported, and constitutionally sound abortion regulations now in place would be invalidated. Gone would be laws providing for informed consent, and parental consent or notification in the case of minors. Laws protecting women from unsafe abortion clinics and from abortion practitioners who are not physicians would be overridden.

Many other restrictions on partial-birth and other late-term abortions would be eliminated. Many additional laws and restrictions protecting life would be knocked down by FOCA. We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot tolerate an even greater loss of innocent human lives.

In this Respect Life Month, let us rededicate ourselves to defending the basic rights of those who are weakest and most marginalized: the poor, the homeless, the innocent unborn, and the frail and elderly who need our respect and our assistance. In this and in so many ways we will truly build a culture of life. God bless you.

Respectfully in Christ,
Fr. John Francis Murray, C.Ss.R.

Please note: Excerpts taken from Cardinal Rigali's Statement for Respect Life Sunday

Question of the Week

Pray for married couples. How does your parish support them? How do you?
Based on the reading for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Next weekend Mr. Russell James

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

My Dear Parishioners,

Next weekend Mr. Russell James will visit Sacred Heart & St. Gerard, representing the Mission Office of the Diocese of Orlando. Please welcome him as he shares his experiences as a missionary to our Sister Diocese of San Juan de le Maguana in the Dominican Republic.

God bless you,

Fr. John Murray, C.Ss.R.

New edition of the Roman Missal

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

As many of you have heard by now, a new edition of the Roman Missal, the book of prayers, readings and rules for the celebration of the Mass, has been revised. On the First Sunday of Advent 2011, the third edition of the Missale Romanum will be issued and all of the English speaking countries of the world will be required to use the new translation. The third edition for the other languages of the world will soon follow. The Church is issuing the new translation for a number of reasons.

These include:

Pope John Paul II canonized many saints long after the current edition was published. The third edition will include the specific Mass prayers for these feast days.
A desire for a more formal and literal translation of the original Latin texts. In this way we are able to use the beauty of language to raise us up to God as we pray, worship and adore.
An opportunity to reflect more deeply on the Mass.

Most of the changes affect the prayers proclaimed by the priest. The English used will be more formal and dignified and, in many cases, poetic. A number of the communal prayers will also change. For example, as we pray the creed together we will change we believe to I believe as this is a more literal translation of the Latin. In the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) we will pray: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts which is the correct translation of the Hebrew word sabaoth of the original prayer. We will answer the greetings of the Mass: The Lord be with you with the response: And with your Spirit. This is not only the translation of the Latin: Et cum spiritu tuo, but is also a way for us to remember that what happens at the Mass is the result of the workings of the Holy Spirit. There will be other translation changes as well, but the important thing to remember is that whatever words are used, these are not new prayers. All of the prayers, however they are translated, must reflect accurately the original prayers of the Church.

During a meeting for the priests of the Diocese we were given the opportunity to view some of the new prayers. They are really beautiful and should, if we really listen to them and pray with them, help us to raise our minds and hearts to God at Mass. This Sunday, Catechetical Sunday, we will begin inserting information in the bulletin pertaining to the new translation of the Roman Missal. It is my hope that by the First Sunday of Advent, 2011 we will not only be prepared for the new translation, but will also be looking forward to its implementation.

May God bless you.

Fr. John Murray, C.Ss.R.

We owe St. Peter

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

We owe a great deal to St. Peter, especially for his tongue! Think about it? Again and again Peter did what we commonly call today, ‘put his foot in his mouth.’ He rushed into saying things in such a way that drew words from Jesus like “get behind me Satan” or “you will deny me three times”. And in today’s gospel when Peter asks Jesus about forgiveness Jesus responds, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.

Peter thought he was being generous when he suggested forgiveness be extended seven times to someone. Peter recommended this amount for a reason, it was Rabbinical teaching that a man forgive his brother three times.

A certain Rabbi Jose ben Hanina said, “He who begs forgiveness from his neighbor must not do so more than three times.” Rabbi ben Jehuda said, “If a man commits an offense they forgive him; if he commits a second time, the forgive him; if he commits an offense a third time, they forgive him; the fourth time they do not forgive.”

This rabbinical teaching was based on Scripture. From the Book of Amos we read;

Thus says the LORD:

For three crimes of Edom, and now four—

I will not take it back—

The Jewish people believed it was proper to forgive up to three times. As we see in Amos, God will forgive the same offense three times, but no more. The Jews thought, if God will not forgive a fourth time, how can we be more merciful than God?

The Good News we hear today is that Jesus came into the world to show us his Father’s love, an unconditional love. The message we hear is also about forgiveness, a message delivered by God’s son who would die on the cross for the sins of all humanity.

Jesus corrects Peter once again, as if to say, “No Peter, it’s not good enough to forgive just seven times, or even seventy times, but seventy times seven times, in other words Peter, to be my disciple you must learn to always forgive!”

Peter was a lot like us, impulsive, and maybe even a little hot headed at times. But one thing for sure, he loved Our Lord more than anything. Thanks to Peter’s humanity, we know so much more about God’s infinite love and forgiveness!

God bless you,

Fr. John Murray, C.Ss.R.

How do you experience Jesus?

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

It’s true, Jesus suffered and died for our sins once and for all. But, he continues to suffer in you and me, his church, the Body of Christ.

This brings me to last week’s ‘Question of the Week,’ “How do you experience Jesus in the midst of your family? Your parish? Your community?

As a priest, I’m invited to experience the ‘suffering Christ’ every day in my ministry. For example, the parishioners I stop in to see at the hospital continue to humble me by their simple lives of faith. As I encounter the suffering Christ in our parishioners, I feel I’m on sacred ground, because at that particular time and place I realize, “the presence of God is becoming real in this room today, this is true faith!

As people of God, we experience the ‘suffering Christ,’ but we’re also called to experience the ‘resurrected Christ!’ Recently, after celebrating morning Mass, I must have looked a little preoccupied or tired. Anyway, after Mass, a number of people came up to me and told me they were praying for me, and not to worry about anything, that everything would be fine. What a great morning, to receive Jesus in the Word, and in the Eucharist, and to continue to experience him in his Church, in the Body of Christ. In the support, the hope, the encouragement,

I truly experienced the ‘resurrected Christ’ that morning.

I’d like to end this letter with a word on prayer. If we expect to experience Jesus in our daily life, we need to set aside a few moments each day to be with God to reflect on our daily experiences. A little time and a simple question, “when did we experience the presence of Jesus today?” This little practice will pay dividends beyond our wildest dreams.

God bless you,

Fr. John Murray, C.Ss.R.