Father Murray, September 17, 2011

I have been away from the blog for a few months, but now I am back and hope to regain my consistency in posting. I have recently returned from a quick mission trip to the Dominican Republic. The City of Rio San Juan was my destination and a visit to the parish where we are building a church was my purpose. The trip started with a very late arrival at Puerta Plata airport and then continued with a 45 minute ride to Rio SJ. The next day we celebrated Mass at 8:30 am in San Juan Bautista, another church about a mile away from Our Lady of AltaGracia and then processed through the streets carrying a cross to Our Lady of AG. The procession was one of many throughout the country as the DR celebrates the 500th anniversary of the cross to the new world and the beginning of the evangelization of the Western Hemishphere. Later that week, when we were celebrating a mass in a small chapel in the mountains, the same cross was also present, a reminder that regardless of the size of the church, the cross is the central symbol of our faith. We celebrated a mass in Our Lady of AltaGracia and then visited homes and people who were sick. After that we returned to the church for a baptism and then a little lunch, or so I thought. We (the mission team from St. James) were treated to a great feast of fish and pork along with vegetables, rice and fruit for dessert. When I was asked if I wanted an orange for dessert and said yes, the owner of the house got up, reached out onto to his orange tree and pulled a few off to give me. My surprise was that the skin was actually green, but it was an orange inside.

We took a little time to go to the beach and relax and so the whole community joined us. It was a large group and we occupied a part of a nice beach that had boat rides and lots of flowers, plants and trees to observe. The water was so warm that I swam for half an hour, which would be a record if I were in Maine where I usually go in the ocean.

The next day, I accompanied Fr. Camilo, the newly ordained and young pastor to one of his 24 mission chapels in the campo (the countryside). We drove on a dirt road and crossed a river a number of times. At times the river was the road. When it is the rainy season there are times that he cannot visit the missions farthest away from the parish. This was an impressive part to me. Fr. Camilo visits every mission at least once a month. He is on call for all of them and twice we stopped after recieving a call to anoint a sick person or to pray with a family. I also saw that there is great poverty, and witnessed some sad scened where people barely make enough to live. At the same time at all times I was greeted with a smile and some small act of hospitality even if it was just an orange from a tree or a glass of water. The smiles of all were particuarly heartwarming. Even in the midst of their difficulties, they have found joy and a very lively faith. I also had the privilege of celebrating Mass in one of the chapels and got to meet the parishioners.

A major problem that was explained to me was the lack of education. I hope that after building the church, which is obviously going to be the center piece of the parish, that we might continue reaching out to the people of this parish in other ways. Stay tuned for more on this.

Father Murray, May 15, 2011

When we were growing up and it was around dinner time, one of my parents would yell out the door a few minutes before supper to advise us it was time to come in and wash up.  Actually all around the neighborhood one could hear different voices at different times, but we all knew when it was my mother or father, the McHughes, Sepes, or the Burke’s Mom or Dad. Everybody’s parents had a different way of calling, but it was the same effect. We heard the voices and we all responded in turn to each of our parent’s voices. (Of course when we didn’t respond right away and then heard our full baptismal name called, we learned to cover ground faster than a world class sprinter.)  Voices of those we love are easy to identify and remember. I observe that when people answer a phone in my presence I know almost immediately if it is a person close to the responder. The voice changes and even the physical response can be different. We can hear a voice on the radio and know that is James Earl Jones or some other well known actor with a distinct voice. Studies have shown that we the last sense that we lose as we are dying is our hearing.  This keen sense is just what Jesus is speaking about in today’s Gospel. He has a distinct voice and it separates him from the crowd. His voice is heard by all the disciples he originally called and us. We hear the voice when we decide that we are going to Church, or want to say our prayers or even when we decided to imitate him by some act of charity. We can hear this voice calling to us in simple and complicated ways. However, unlike the rest of the voices that we hear in our ears and heads Jesus speaks to us through our hearts. This means that we need to develop this sense of hearing. Although some voices that we hear call to us and try to attract us away from the truth that we know and try to live, we know that Christ calls to us continually to be in relationship with Him. The Gospel today suggests that we need to practice hearing and then respond to the voice of the Lord. How can we be sure that we are?  Here are some examples from right here in Haverhill.

This past weekend members of both parishes who are part of the Mass Citizens for Life, concerned Catholics and pro life people celebrated a Mass at St. John’s and then walked over to the abortion clinic on Groveland Street to pray for an end to abortion. This effort is one example of the way the Gospel message of this weekend is being lived out in our community. The laws of this land permit abortion right now, but that does not stop us from responding to this tragedy and hearing the cries of the unborn. We have all kinds of media and we can speak and raise our own voices in a number of ways. It is our prayer and hope that one day legislators will hear our voices and change the Laws governing this action. Just as importantly we hope all those considering abortion as a choice will hear that there are ways to save the life of this child. Another group that responded to the voice of Jesus was our young people who sponsored a blessing of bikes and used the opportunity to sponsor a food drive. The motorcyclists who came were asked to bring some type of food to help those who are less fortunate. Despite the roar of some of those bikes, the message from Jesus to feed the hungry was heard and we collected a lot of food to distribute to the hungry crying out in our midst.

Perhaps the best example of hearing the voice of the Good Shepherd has been in the way our teenagers and First Communion students have responded in these last few weeks.  They too have heard the Good Shepherd calling them to follow Him and be fed. They have taught us to respond and then follow. I hope we all can hear his voice calling to our hearts and souls and respond with a blessed yes.

Father Murray, April 9, 2011

Over the last few weeks some of you have seen the Catholics Come Home© commercials. I know this is true because some have people have taken the time to mention it and have stated that they are well placed and well done. I am pleased that so many people have had a good reaction to the ads. They are designed to attract lapsed Catholics using a media we are all familiar with. In current social media parlance, they are being poked or nudged to respond. The reaction that we want is that they return to Church. The ads help them to recall what is good and memorable about the Church and the more I think about them, the more I see how they are connected to the readings, specifically the Gospels we have heard this week and the last two weeks. In each of the Gospels, Jesus encounters people where they are and then leads them to a deeper realization of their lives and where they could go. The women at the well thirsts for living water that is the water that will never leave her thirsty. Only Jesus can provide this and having given her this, her whole life changes.

The man born blind and all the villagers around him slowly experience the light of Jesus calling them out of their darkness. They, like the woman at the well, are called to internal change and then external action, glorifying God or spreading the good news by their word and example. Likewise Martha and Mary in this weekend’s Gospel, give witness, even though they are experiencing great sadness at the death of their brother. This resurrection is the ultimate foreshadowing or what Jesus intends to do for all of us. But before he can do this, some sign of faith is necessary. Martha and Mary represent all of us who have ever lost someone we love to death, and yet we still believe and live in hope that we will see them again.

Lenten views from the hill

Father Murray, March 21, 2011

One of the most popular phrases I have heard in my almost twenty three years of being a priest is that all change is hard. I disagree with that because lots of changes happen that are very agreeable and welcome. For instance, we receive news from a family member, a niece, daughter or son, that they have become engaged, found their dream job or are moving closer with the grandchildren.  We hear from an employer that we are receiving a raise, a new title and position with more responsibility, or maybe that difficult illness is finally under control and we can stop going to the doctors every two weeks. Change is inevitable in our personal lives also, who wants to repeat the foolish mistakes of our youth, when we can have the mature wisdom of adulthood. We choose the wisdom, but accept that it is part of the change of growing older. We also can look back and appreciate that we have changed, the times have changed and some of it really is for the better.

This is precisely why Lent is so important. It teaches us that with time and practice, we can positively change those parts of ourselves that are separated from God, our neighbors and ourselves. We can be transfigured ourselves and hopefully emerge from this life, prepared for the ultimate transfiguration of heaven. Our task is to imitate the Gospel message and find a way to radiate our Christianity from a mountain top also Along the way, though we are going to have to climb a few mountains and put ourselves in the presence of holy people that speak to us also. If we look around, we can find people that have been changed by God and maybe this lent part of our sacrifice might be to speak to them to ask what they do to maintain what we recognize as a close connection to God.

Climbing mountains is an arduous task for some of us, a nice walk uphill for others. The point to the climb is simply to achieve and to enjoy the sense of accomplishment and the view.  This can again be compared to our Lenten journey, we can, through our sacrifices, almsgiving and prayer ascend in our faith to enjoy something we have not seen. Lent gives us an opportunity, through these extra efforts to ascend to something higher, i.e., to move toward Christ more energetically, and more reverently. What we hope to see is Jesus and the way he moves in and through our lives. We hope also that by doing this walk of lent, we will also enjoy a better view of ourselves, now we can see that it is possible to forgive, when it would feel more natural to condemn, to be better for no other reason than we are Christians and it makes us feel better about ourselves. (As Mark Twain once said, “Always do good, it will confuse some and irritate others”.)I hope this Lent gives you an opportunity to do just that, to make people stop and admire not you, but Christ shining through you, in your charity, patience, understanding or whatever it is that you are looking to challenge yourself with this holy season

At the end Lent we want to be able to say, I am changed, I am a little higher up the mountain, a little more transfigured, a little more made into the image of Christ.

Hill Views continues

Father Murray, February 14, 2011

As I sit here at the top of Winter Street, I am looking out on a sunny day with the sun shining and unseasonable, but welcome warm temperature. We needed a break from the doldrums of winter and we are getting it. I have been busy with lots of meetings and the usual ebb and flow of a pastor's life in the parish. The challenge now is to do this with two parishes and I know that I have a lot of priests who have experienced this ahead of me. The idea of being a pastor of two parishes is a little foreign in this Archdiocese, but it is certainly not a new idea as across the country lots of priests are running two, three and even four places. What is new to me is trying to manage all of it and not succumb to the idea that it is too much.

In many meetings and in casual conversations the parishioners of both places have been very positive and hopeful. I marvel all the time at the strong, resilient and patient faith of our parishioners. Even though difficult times have befallen us on occasion, there has been a positive view about the future. This positive view can only come from a deep and abiding faith and I am glad to witness it and be part of it. Haverhill is a great old city that is becoming younger with new people, innovative planning and restoration of buildings. I hope that the faith of the Catholics of the city will also continue to grow and adapt as we see changes to our situation also.

More on that later.

Peace,

Father Murray