2nd Sunday
Installation of Father Mike Murphy
Our Lady of Victory
January 18, 2025
Reflecting on Mission in Light of God’s Word
I am very happy to be with you this afternoon for the installation of Father Mike Murphy as your pastor. Of course, Father Mike has been serving in your midst for quite some time, so today does not mark the beginning of his ministry among you. But it is a moment for us all to reflect and pray about the mission that has been entrusted to Father Mike, to his co-workers, and indeed to all of you who are part of this extended parish family.
The basis for our reflection is the living Word of God proclaimed in our hearing: the Word of God that speaks of God’s love for us, a love so intimate and personal that it can only be described as a marriage; the Word of God that ushers us into the wedding feast of Cana where Christ, at Mary’s urging, performs his first miracle; the Word of God that sets before us the spiritual gifts engendered in us through the union of Christ and his Church in the Holy Spirit, different gifts given for the sake of a single mission. Let us, then, allow the living Word of God to speak our hearts and move them…
God’s Spousal Love for His People
…beginning with the beautiful words of Isaiah the prophet, words that speak of God’s enduring, tender, and passionate love for his People. At a time when the People of Israel were at a low ebb, when their land was desolate and hope seemed to be lost – at that precise moment – the Lord spoke words of love to his People. The Lord spoke to them such words as a loving husband speaks to his wife. He called Israel his “delight” and the land of Israel, “espoused”. In that union of God and his People, that union of the divine and earthly, would come forth new life, new gifts, genuine renewal and authentic hope.
A pastor of a parish, in his person, his example, and his ministry, is to proclaim and make present the Lord, our Bridegroom, in our midst. Like Isaiah, he is to bear witness to the Lord’s tender love for his people especially in times of change, uncertainty, and desolation, while above all opening doors to a new and vigorous missionary impulse. For the Lord’s love never changes, never loses its power to redeem, never ceases to fuel the renewal of the Church, never ceases to empower her mission to evangelize.
The Wedding Feast of Cana: A Lot from a Little
Isaiah’s proclamation of the Lord’s spousal love for his people is the setting for the first of Jesus’ signs, the miracle at the wedding feast of Cana. We can readily identify with the young married couple who ran out of wine. We too can find our resources depleted–money, patience, energy, to name a few. Just as Mary pointed out to Jesus that the couple had no more wine, so too Mary intercedes for us, confiding to her Son what we truly need. Jesus listens to his Mother now as he did at Cana. And so, just as Jesus brought forth wine out of water, so for us he brings forth joy out of sorrow, hope out of despair, abundance out of scarcity. Water imparts new life. Bread and wine become his Body and Blood. A dab of oil imparts the Spirit. A word of absolution overpowers sin. A parish family with its own needs brings truth, hope, healing, and comfort to the poor, to victims of injustice, to those searching for meaning and love.
This is “the logic” of Cana, the “logic” of the first of Jesus’ miracles that he imparted to us his People, the Church he espoused. It is for the Pastor to form his parish family in this “logic” – to proclaim and engender lively faith in the Lord who takes what we have and does with it more than we could ask or imagine. The Pastor is to lead his people in transferring the “logic” of the sacraments to other ministries – helping couples live the vocation of marriage and family, faith formation youth and young adults, comforting the bereaved, charitable outreach and ministries of justice, and above all, missionary outreach to the surrounding neighborhoods – the proclamation of the Person of Christ and all he has done to save us. As Pope Francis reminds us in his letter, The Joy of the Gospel, every parish must be in contact with the homes and lives of its people lest it be out of touch or made up solely of self-selecting individuals. The parish, he says, is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s Word, for growth in Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship & celebration. [EG 28] For such a mission we rely on the Lord to transform and stretch our resources!
Spiritual Gifts Harnessed and Harmonized
In the union of Christ and his Church, many kinds of spiritual gifts are poured out upon God’s People. St. Paul mentions them in today’s reading from First Corinthians. These gifts are more than natural talents and acquired skills. They are “manifestations of the Spirit” given for the sake of mission. St. Paul makes clear that these gifts differ but they have one Source and are given for one purpose – to build up the Church, to accomplish its primary mission, evangelization, reaching out with the Good News to those who have yet to hear it or to those who have closed their minds and hearts to it, for whatever reason. St. Paul speaks of gifts of healing, mighty deeds, prophecy, and discernment. Elsewhere he speaks of other gifts, including those we might describe as ministries of justice and charity.
The pastor and his co-workers are to discern, harness, and harmonize the gifts poured out by the Spirit upon his parish family, gifts given for the sake of the mission of ensuring that the Gospel reaches every person in this segment of the Lord’s vineyard. The Gospel is proclaimed in many ways and through many gifts – including works of charity – for there is a charity that evangelizes – and works of justice that bear witness to the Kingdom of God in our midst. In discerning, harnessing, and harmonizing gifts and ministries, the pastor seeks to overcome any and all barriers that would obstruct the Church’s mission.
Words of Thanks [Spoken at the End of Mass]
Before closing, let me express my profound gratitude to all of you gathered in such great numbers here at Our Lady of Victory and to your Pastor, Father Mike Murphy. The Seek the City process through which we’ve come thus far has not been easy. Our discussions have been spirited and at times the temperature was high. Yet in God’s grace, good things are happening, not only because the process tried to listen to the wisdom of God’s People but also because the Lord is alive and at work in your hearts. Thank you!
Let me also express my heartfelt thanks to Father Mike Murphy. This time of decision and change has not been easy for him and has required of him great sacrifices. Father Mike, I just want you to know how grateful I am for your leadership and how confident I am that you will lead your people into a future made fruitful by works of evangelization, justice, and love.
Intercession of Mary and Joseph
In this moment when Fr. Mike “officially” begins his ministry among you, let us ask your patron, the blessed Mother, to intercede for us that in the power of the Spirit the Gospel may be proclaimed victoriously and that through the intercession of St. Joseph the spiritual needs of this extended parish family may be well provided for. And may God bless us and keep us always in his love!