Saturday, March 1, 2008
Jesus said: “My people, this picture of ice on the window represents the coldness of many hearts in ignoring My love, and their refusal to seek My forgiveness of their sins. In today’s Gospel of the Pharisee and the tax collector it shows the pride of the Pharisee in looking down on the tax collector. The tax collector was sorrowful for his sins and he went away from the temple more justified in being humble for his sins than the Pharisee. Everything, that you have, has come from Me, so be thankful for your blessings instead of bragging about them or seeing yourself as better than someone else. All of you are in progress of improving your spiritual lives, so do not be critical of someone at different stages of their development, since you were not always where you are today. Instead, always be humble because it was your free will choices to sin that have brought you grief. But you have hope because you can always come to Me for forgiveness. It is the cold and unrepentant souls that are risking eternal condemnation.”
(Funeral Mass for Monsignor Emmett Murphy) Jesus said: “My people, it is sad, but an opportunity to celebrate the life of this wonderful and holy priest. He served his parish well, and he was an inspiration to many aspiring to be in the priesthood. In a time when there are few ordinations, you need such inspiring priests to bring more into My vineyard. Ask the harvest master to bring more priests into My service. It is by having more people at Adoration of My Blessed Sacrament that you can make fertile ground for more vocations to the priesthood. Monsignor Emmett helped distribute many sacraments to the people over his near seventy years of service in the priesthood. He truly lived the words of the Scripture: ‘Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech.’” (Hebrews 7:17)