Thursday, June 4, 2009
Lesson in Fatherhood #1
Aaron, like all babies, has this nasty habit of crying, screaming, and kicking (yep, that's his latest feat) when he wants something. With him, it's usually food. I take a few moments to prepare a bottle for him and he sees that I'm doing something, so he gets even angrier (I assume he thinks that since he can see me, but he's not being fed yet, I must be ignoring him). I say to him, not expecting him to understand, "be patient, daddy's working on it." Then, finally, he sees me coming with the bottle, sometimes gives out a little giggle of delight, and grabs it from me for his own dining pleasure to leave me with my thoughts. How often do I need something from my heavenly Father and complain that He doesn't seem to be doing anything about it when He's just trying to tell me, "be patient, I'm working on it"?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
We're back...and better than ever!
Well, folks, as of yesterday, I am no longer a youth minister. Citing financial need and a different priority level for family time, I've taken a job at a local Catholic middle school, but I won't be teaching theology. There are two sides to this: 1) I will be much closer to home and only several hundred feet from my wife, as well as the benefit of having summers off, but 2) I will not be catechizing as a professional (at least for now, though I plan to get my MA in theology a few years down the road).
So where does that put me? It means that I get to have the joy of being a catechist and theologian from the comfort of my armchair (actually, my recliner) and not have to deal for the time-being with the rigors of parish work.
In the meantime, let me tell you what's been going on: my son, Aaron, was born on Halloween 2008, weighing in at 5 lbs. 15 oz.
That, however, is not his best video...this is:
THAT'S RIGHT! God has some fascinating plans for us, evidently!
What will be the future of my blog? Well, naturally, I'll be continuing to develop my theological commentaries and to journal my life of learning how to be a husband and father.
So where does that put me? It means that I get to have the joy of being a catechist and theologian from the comfort of my armchair (actually, my recliner) and not have to deal for the time-being with the rigors of parish work.
In the meantime, let me tell you what's been going on: my son, Aaron, was born on Halloween 2008, weighing in at 5 lbs. 15 oz.
That, however, is not his best video...this is:
THAT'S RIGHT! God has some fascinating plans for us, evidently!
What will be the future of my blog? Well, naturally, I'll be continuing to develop my theological commentaries and to journal my life of learning how to be a husband and father.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Update
My dear friends and fellows who have been wondering where on earth I've been, I am back from a very long hiatus. I apologize. You see, in May, I realized that the things I was typing were largely stemming from my need to talk, to be heard, and to seem important. Often, my entries were just venting on some issue or another. I'm a fan of silence, a virtue I rarely have the chance to practice, and so I thought I should just silence myself for a while. As a result, I've had a lot more time to finish various work, so here's an update:
1. The first thing I did this summer was update the St. Jude website. Actually, the work was done by Adam Janke at Catechetics Online, an affordable option for those wanting a new parish website. However, I've been put in charge of its upkeep and therefore I've learned quite a bit of programming, so if there are any needs for parish websites in the area, send me a message. St. Jude's new website can be seen here.
2. The second thing I did this summer was begin work on a new catechetical series for youth ministry. I have found that there are few decent, orthodox Catholic Bible studies for teens. Therefore, I would like to introduce the Discovery Series. These studies are free for download, print, and distribution online. They are in beta mode at the moment, so expect updates. Also, these are only two of the first studies. There will be additional studies as time goes on.
3. Our youth group grew to an astonishing 35 regular youth over the summer through the various programs we've offered.
4. I've been interviewed by two different magazines over the summer, one being Franciscan Way Magazine, where I made a cameo appearance in an article on the catechetical alumni of Franciscan University of Steubenville, the other being the Catholic Connection, the magazine of the Diocese of Shreveport, but I won't share that topic because it's still in the planning stages. You'll just have to wait until the article is published. In either case, I was shocked to be asked for an interview by either publication; when I think of successful catechists, I don't think of myself and I know I shouldn't, because what I've done is nothing compared to the work others have been doing in my field.
5. I'll be buying a new laptop next week (my last one died on me, which is partly responsible for the length of my little vacation from posting), so I hope to resume my writing here. I hope that I can be helpful for the formation of the little corner of the blogosphere that belongs to the Diocese of Shreveport.
And now, on a lovely pro-life note, my wife is 34 weeks pregnant (still struggling with morning sickness), and we've had the unusual pleasure of getting quite a few sonograms, so without further ado, baby Murphy in 3D (and you don't need any of those tacky glasses, either!):
His Servant and Yours,
Micah Murphy
1. The first thing I did this summer was update the St. Jude website. Actually, the work was done by Adam Janke at Catechetics Online, an affordable option for those wanting a new parish website. However, I've been put in charge of its upkeep and therefore I've learned quite a bit of programming, so if there are any needs for parish websites in the area, send me a message. St. Jude's new website can be seen here.
2. The second thing I did this summer was begin work on a new catechetical series for youth ministry. I have found that there are few decent, orthodox Catholic Bible studies for teens. Therefore, I would like to introduce the Discovery Series. These studies are free for download, print, and distribution online. They are in beta mode at the moment, so expect updates. Also, these are only two of the first studies. There will be additional studies as time goes on.
3. Our youth group grew to an astonishing 35 regular youth over the summer through the various programs we've offered.
4. I've been interviewed by two different magazines over the summer, one being Franciscan Way Magazine, where I made a cameo appearance in an article on the catechetical alumni of Franciscan University of Steubenville, the other being the Catholic Connection, the magazine of the Diocese of Shreveport, but I won't share that topic because it's still in the planning stages. You'll just have to wait until the article is published. In either case, I was shocked to be asked for an interview by either publication; when I think of successful catechists, I don't think of myself and I know I shouldn't, because what I've done is nothing compared to the work others have been doing in my field.
5. I'll be buying a new laptop next week (my last one died on me, which is partly responsible for the length of my little vacation from posting), so I hope to resume my writing here. I hope that I can be helpful for the formation of the little corner of the blogosphere that belongs to the Diocese of Shreveport.
And now, on a lovely pro-life note, my wife is 34 weeks pregnant (still struggling with morning sickness), and we've had the unusual pleasure of getting quite a few sonograms, so without further ado, baby Murphy in 3D (and you don't need any of those tacky glasses, either!):
His Servant and Yours,
Micah Murphy
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Letter to Families - Commentary, Part II
Our continuation of our reflection on Pope John Paul II's Letter to Families leads us to consider the place of prayer. The pope begins by pointing out that family life has the potential to be a prayer, that families are the root of prayer (part of the reason the Church calls the family "the domestic church"). He continues:
"It is significant that precisely in and through prayer, man comes to discover in a very simple and yet profound way his own unique subjectivity: in prayer the human 'I' more easily perceives the depth of what it means to be a person."
The pope reflects his personalist philosophy here. In the tradition of the personalist philosophers of the 20th century, he points to the I-thou relationship, whereby one person (the 'I') becomes more self-aware the more deeply they enter into a relationship with the other. For instance, if I stand alone by myself, I may be self-aware, but it doesn't seem like anything special. When, however, I am in relation to another person, I begin to realize that I have an inner life that is unapproachable to the other, and that they too have that inner life, that subjectivity. The pope is making the point that this is especially true in the relationship between God and man, where there is far less in common, and we can only be filled with awe over how entirely "other" God is. Prayer makes us aware of God's otherness, that aspect of Him which cannot be approached and is completely intangible, shrouded in mystery (and thankfully, that part of Himself which He has graciously chosen to reveal to us). In a certain paradoxical sense, the closer we get to God, the farther we may see ourselves from Him. It is easy for a person beginning the spiritual journey to see God on one's own level, but as the relationship develops, one finds God infinitely beyond, and yet intimately close. I digress...
Pope John Paul II extends this subjectivity to the family. As the Trinity is one family (analogously), so the human family is a distinct subjective unit. Prayer within the family helps the family together to grow in awareness of its subjectivity with regard to God. I would speculate that the individual members of the family, all aware of this subjectivity of the family, would then grow closer amongst themselves, as if aware of the solidarity they have as one unit in relation to God. So prayer truly brings families together. Thus the pope continues:
"This subjectivity finds its first and fundamental confirmation, and is strengthened, precisely when the members of the family meet in the common invocation: 'Our Father.' Prayer increases the strength and spiritual unity of the family, helping the family to partake of God's own 'strength.'"
Pope John Paul II contrasts this unity of the family in prayer with the forces at work in the world to break down the family:
"Unfortunately various programmes backed by very powerful resources nowadays seem to aim at the breakdown of the family. At times it appears that concerted efforts are being made to present as 'normal' and attractive, and even to glamourize, situations which are in fact 'irregular.' Indeed, they contradict 'the truth and love' which should inspire and guide relationships between men and women, thus causing tensions and divisions in families, with grave consequences particularly for children. The moral conscience becomes darkened; what is true, good and beautiful is deformed; and freedom is replaced by what is actually enslavement."
Naturally, at the heart of these programs (keep in mind that the letter is translated into the British usage of the English language, thus it reads "programmes") is an attack on prayer, and in order to achieve that, an attack on faith, while at the same time distracting the family with things considered "more worthy" of the family's time (how often as a youth minister I have found myself competing with soccer games!). It is vital for the modern family to shut off the television and pray, but this is hard to bring about even in one individual (I admit that I struggle with it!), let alone a family. I am convinced that we need to return, in some spiritual sense, to the Catholic ghettos that once existed. I'm not saying that the Catholic family should be poor and unable to afford shelter, medical care, or the like. What I am saying, however, is that the Catholic family should be spiritually poor, giving, and especially filled with prayer. Only then will we see change for the better in our Church, our society, and our world.
His Servant and Yours,
Micah Murphy
"It is significant that precisely in and through prayer, man comes to discover in a very simple and yet profound way his own unique subjectivity: in prayer the human 'I' more easily perceives the depth of what it means to be a person."
-Letter to Families, 4
The pope reflects his personalist philosophy here. In the tradition of the personalist philosophers of the 20th century, he points to the I-thou relationship, whereby one person (the 'I') becomes more self-aware the more deeply they enter into a relationship with the other. For instance, if I stand alone by myself, I may be self-aware, but it doesn't seem like anything special. When, however, I am in relation to another person, I begin to realize that I have an inner life that is unapproachable to the other, and that they too have that inner life, that subjectivity. The pope is making the point that this is especially true in the relationship between God and man, where there is far less in common, and we can only be filled with awe over how entirely "other" God is. Prayer makes us aware of God's otherness, that aspect of Him which cannot be approached and is completely intangible, shrouded in mystery (and thankfully, that part of Himself which He has graciously chosen to reveal to us). In a certain paradoxical sense, the closer we get to God, the farther we may see ourselves from Him. It is easy for a person beginning the spiritual journey to see God on one's own level, but as the relationship develops, one finds God infinitely beyond, and yet intimately close. I digress...
Pope John Paul II extends this subjectivity to the family. As the Trinity is one family (analogously), so the human family is a distinct subjective unit. Prayer within the family helps the family together to grow in awareness of its subjectivity with regard to God. I would speculate that the individual members of the family, all aware of this subjectivity of the family, would then grow closer amongst themselves, as if aware of the solidarity they have as one unit in relation to God. So prayer truly brings families together. Thus the pope continues:
"This subjectivity finds its first and fundamental confirmation, and is strengthened, precisely when the members of the family meet in the common invocation: 'Our Father.' Prayer increases the strength and spiritual unity of the family, helping the family to partake of God's own 'strength.'"
-Letter to Families, 4
Pope John Paul II contrasts this unity of the family in prayer with the forces at work in the world to break down the family:
"Unfortunately various programmes backed by very powerful resources nowadays seem to aim at the breakdown of the family. At times it appears that concerted efforts are being made to present as 'normal' and attractive, and even to glamourize, situations which are in fact 'irregular.' Indeed, they contradict 'the truth and love' which should inspire and guide relationships between men and women, thus causing tensions and divisions in families, with grave consequences particularly for children. The moral conscience becomes darkened; what is true, good and beautiful is deformed; and freedom is replaced by what is actually enslavement."
-Letter to Families, 5
Naturally, at the heart of these programs (keep in mind that the letter is translated into the British usage of the English language, thus it reads "programmes") is an attack on prayer, and in order to achieve that, an attack on faith, while at the same time distracting the family with things considered "more worthy" of the family's time (how often as a youth minister I have found myself competing with soccer games!). It is vital for the modern family to shut off the television and pray, but this is hard to bring about even in one individual (I admit that I struggle with it!), let alone a family. I am convinced that we need to return, in some spiritual sense, to the Catholic ghettos that once existed. I'm not saying that the Catholic family should be poor and unable to afford shelter, medical care, or the like. What I am saying, however, is that the Catholic family should be spiritually poor, giving, and especially filled with prayer. Only then will we see change for the better in our Church, our society, and our world.
His Servant and Yours,
Micah Murphy
Good Problems
At any given moment, there exists in my mind a battle between optimism and pessimism. A part of me sees something bad, another sees it in a good light. Today, I was struck by yet another such situation, something one of my good volunteers calls "a good problem to have." We have been announcing for a month or longer our youth trip to Six Flags, which will be tomorrow. Of course, calls started coming in at the last moment, as was to be expected. Our parish bus only seats 25, and as the requests continued to pour in, it became increasingly clear to me that I would need to cap the number or find some additional transportation. By God's grace, we were able to do the latter, and we still had to cap the number after reserving enough spots to fill our bus and two SUVs. This, as you can see, is a problem, but it is a good problem to have.
How generous is the Lord in His providence!
With the virtue of hope, I can only pray that optimism wins out the battle in my soul at all costs.
His Servant and Yours,
Micah Murphy
How generous is the Lord in His providence!
With the virtue of hope, I can only pray that optimism wins out the battle in my soul at all costs.
His Servant and Yours,
Micah Murphy
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Reformation of the Diocesan Website
Web design has been on my mind as I collaborate with a friend who designs websites on the redesign of my own parish website, so naturally, one thing that popped into my mind yesterday as I typed about the new bishop was the need of the Diocese of Shreveport for a fresh look to their little street address along the information superhighway. This morning, I mentioned it to a coworker and when we visited the diocesan website, we found this: Diocese of Shreveport.
What a pleasant and timely surprise! We both laughed at the coincidence, but upon further investigation, I did a little more laughing on my own. It was well-known among employees of the diocese that the website was long out of date and that many things had not been updated in quite some time, so I felt the bishop must have noticed when I read a little part of his commentary on the first page: "On On March 12, 2008, my life changed in a single moment due to an unexpected phone call from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. He called to inform me the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, had chosen me to be the second Bishop for the Diocese of Shreveport. I was overwhelmed, but in the next moment I assured Archbishop Sambi I would accept. We exchanged a few words and I hung up the phone. For the next few moments, I just sat there trying to take it all in. Then I went to the Internet and searched for the Catholic Diocese of Shreveport; and for the first time, I saw the Diocese I am now called to serve. Paging through the website..."
How funny is that? Here I was commenting on our need of a new website and it turns out it was the first thing from our diocese the new bishop laid eyes on! Perhaps he had been of the same opinion as I, but one thing is for sure, if he asked for the changes that have been made, he has good taste.
God bless,
Micah Murphy
What a pleasant and timely surprise! We both laughed at the coincidence, but upon further investigation, I did a little more laughing on my own. It was well-known among employees of the diocese that the website was long out of date and that many things had not been updated in quite some time, so I felt the bishop must have noticed when I read a little part of his commentary on the first page: "On On March 12, 2008, my life changed in a single moment due to an unexpected phone call from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. He called to inform me the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, had chosen me to be the second Bishop for the Diocese of Shreveport. I was overwhelmed, but in the next moment I assured Archbishop Sambi I would accept. We exchanged a few words and I hung up the phone. For the next few moments, I just sat there trying to take it all in. Then I went to the Internet and searched for the Catholic Diocese of Shreveport; and for the first time, I saw the Diocese I am now called to serve. Paging through the website..."
How funny is that? Here I was commenting on our need of a new website and it turns out it was the first thing from our diocese the new bishop laid eyes on! Perhaps he had been of the same opinion as I, but one thing is for sure, if he asked for the changes that have been made, he has good taste.
God bless,
Micah Murphy
Monday, May 19, 2008
Letter to Families - Commentary, Part I
In my Scripture Study for this last Sunday, I mentioned that the family is a model of the Trinity. As an extension of this, I would like to take some time to comment on Pope John Paul II's Letter to Families, which is filled with wonderful theological reflections and practical insights on the nature of human families. This will be a topic of ongoing discussion. Without further delay:
"...man is the way of the Church.
With these words I wanted first of all to evoke the many paths along which man walks, and at the same time to emphasize how deeply the Church desires to stand at his side as he follows the paths of his earthly life. The Church shares in the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of people's daily pilgrimage, firmly convinced that it was Christ himself who set her on all these paths. Christ entrusted man to the Church; he entrusted man to her as the "way" of her mission and her ministry.
Among these many paths, the family is the first and the most important. It is a path common to all, yet one which is particular, unique and unrepeatable, just as every individual is unrepeatable; it is a path from which man cannot withdraw. Indeed, a person normally comes into the world within a family, and can be said to owe to the family the very fact of his existing as an individual. When he has no family, the person coming into the world develops an anguished sense of pain and loss, one which will subsequently burden his whole life. The Church draws near with loving concern to all who experience situations such as these, for she knows well the fundamental role which the family is called upon to play. Furthermore, she knows that a person goes forth from the family in order to realize in a new family unit his particular vocation in life."
Here we read that the Church is in solidarity with man, and given that place by Christ. The Church must then be involved in the life of the family in a special way, since this is something fundamental to human existence.
Pope John Paul II makes the obvious yet often overlooked observation (his favorite type of observation) that every human person has a family at least on the biological order. He also points out that family is the root of vocation, not only by being a community in which we usually feel our first calling to God's will, but in that family is where we end up in realizing our vocations. So family is at the beginning and end of all things, just as the Trinity is the source of our life and also, if we live gracefully, the "place" of our eternity.
"The divine mystery of the Incarnation of the Word thus has an intimate connection with the human family."
Indeed, Jesus Christ chose to become incarnate through a family (as JPII points out in an unquoted section of text). As such, a central part of His mission is the salvation of the family. Over the next few weeks, I hope to elaborate on His plan to bring the human family into the embrace of the divine family, the Holy Trinity, and so offer to every family the precious gift of salvation, which is not only being saved from evil and sin, but a healing gift that makes every family whole, fully able to cooperate in the fire of divine love of the Holy Trinity. Keep your eyes open for more.
His Servant and Yours,
Micah Murphy
"...man is the way of the Church.
With these words I wanted first of all to evoke the many paths along which man walks, and at the same time to emphasize how deeply the Church desires to stand at his side as he follows the paths of his earthly life. The Church shares in the joys and hopes, the sorrows and anxieties of people's daily pilgrimage, firmly convinced that it was Christ himself who set her on all these paths. Christ entrusted man to the Church; he entrusted man to her as the "way" of her mission and her ministry.
Among these many paths, the family is the first and the most important. It is a path common to all, yet one which is particular, unique and unrepeatable, just as every individual is unrepeatable; it is a path from which man cannot withdraw. Indeed, a person normally comes into the world within a family, and can be said to owe to the family the very fact of his existing as an individual. When he has no family, the person coming into the world develops an anguished sense of pain and loss, one which will subsequently burden his whole life. The Church draws near with loving concern to all who experience situations such as these, for she knows well the fundamental role which the family is called upon to play. Furthermore, she knows that a person goes forth from the family in order to realize in a new family unit his particular vocation in life."
-Letter to Families, 1-2
Here we read that the Church is in solidarity with man, and given that place by Christ. The Church must then be involved in the life of the family in a special way, since this is something fundamental to human existence.
Pope John Paul II makes the obvious yet often overlooked observation (his favorite type of observation) that every human person has a family at least on the biological order. He also points out that family is the root of vocation, not only by being a community in which we usually feel our first calling to God's will, but in that family is where we end up in realizing our vocations. So family is at the beginning and end of all things, just as the Trinity is the source of our life and also, if we live gracefully, the "place" of our eternity.
"The divine mystery of the Incarnation of the Word thus has an intimate connection with the human family."
-Letter to Families, 2
Indeed, Jesus Christ chose to become incarnate through a family (as JPII points out in an unquoted section of text). As such, a central part of His mission is the salvation of the family. Over the next few weeks, I hope to elaborate on His plan to bring the human family into the embrace of the divine family, the Holy Trinity, and so offer to every family the precious gift of salvation, which is not only being saved from evil and sin, but a healing gift that makes every family whole, fully able to cooperate in the fire of divine love of the Holy Trinity. Keep your eyes open for more.
His Servant and Yours,
Micah Murphy
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