To Persist – she kept
after the judge, Moses kept holding up hands in prayer. Made me think of a
parishioner of St. Stephen’s Warwick – Dolores Murphy & her brother –
Stephen McDonald. Through Dolores I met this amazing man.
Thirty years ago,
while on patrol in Central Park, the then Officer McDonald was shot three times
–head – throat and spine. He is paralyzed from the neck down. At the time, he
and his wife Patti were married only 8 months and she was carrying her soon to
be son Conor – who is now a 4th generation Police Officer. Stephen
was in the hospital for months. Every day was a struggle to live.
Card O’Connor once described
them: “They are ordinary New Yorkers . . . but they are extraordinary, too, imbued
with the spirit of forgiveness, faith and fidelity to each other beyond
earthly measure . . . their conscious effort to conquer death and hatred with a
spirit of life and love ennobles them.
Forgiveness – Go 2
ways: hate or love: “I forgive the boy who shot me, and I hope he
can find peace and purpose in his life.”
Fidelity – She never
thought to go back on her yes – “we did not get married to be divorced”
Faith – Stephen
speaks to many young people and he encourages them “to grow in relationship
with God and our Blessed Mother. Life is important and has meaning. You are a
special and rare creation of God with enormous value. God creates you for a
purpose!”
Relationship with God
. . . Friendship with God
1)
Spend time –
intentional, even put on schedule
2)
Learning –
what to know as much as possible about the other person – Bible & saints
3)
Honesty –
let self be known to the other – share everything with God, not just what we
think God wants to hear. Even anger,
disappointments, sadness
4)
Listening –
create a space for the other to be heard.
Listen to physical signs, other people, scripture, emotions, memories,
daily life connects with:
5)
Silence –
Mom & Dad would sit in room - not say a word – intimacy. Electronic: disconnect to connect.
6)
Changes –
Relationship with God can and should change over time.
Stephen said last
July: I am not here by accident. There is a purpose and plan to my life. God
has been involved in this story from beginning to end. So persist, be strong, do not be afraid!
