Fr. Gerald E. Murray

  Ash Wednesday is nearly upon us, the beginning of Lent. The imposition of ashes of burnt palm branches on our foreheads calls to mind the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. In his honor, the people laid out palm branches along the road that took Jesus, riding on a... Read More →

  Someone once remarked that life is a series of interruptions. That certainly is the case for the pastor of a parish in the city that never sleeps! Yet this description of day-to-day life really applies to just about everyone. We all have tasks to accomplish each day. We... Read More →

    The 50th Anniversary Dinner of the Human Life Review was held on November 13th at the Union League Club in New York City. I was privileged to be present. It was a wonderful gathering of friends who all agree that there is nothing more important in life than to do... Read More →

    One of the nicest surprises I received as a young priest came from a parishioner I had visited in the hospital. A few days after she returned home, she and her husband stopped by the rectory with a gift for me—a brand-new piece of luggage. I was very touched by her... Read More →

    “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!” This advice, which has a happy resonance during the dog days of summer, is meant to encourage anyone who is going through a rough spot. Sour things can, and should, be turned into something sweet. What this adage leaves... Read More →

      Patriotism is a form of gratitude to God for the blessing of living in the land of our birth, or in the land that is our adopted home. We recognize that God has placed us in a particular place and calls us to contribute to the well-being of our society. This... Read More →

  Hope, together with faith and charity, makes up the triptych of the “theological virtues” that express the heart of the Christian life (cf. 1 Cor 13:13; 1 Thess 1:3). In their inseparable unity, hope is the virtue that, so to speak, gives inward direction and purpose to... Read More →

  Today the West lives as if God did not exist . . . This estrangement from God is not caused by reasoning but by a will to be detached from him. The atheistic orientation of a life is almost always a decision by the will. Man no longer wishes to reflect on his relationship to... Read More →

  What is Lent? The Collect for Ash Wednesday Mass gives us the answer: “Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.” This... Read More →

  The opening verse of Psalm 96 provides a fitting message as we begin the Year of the Lord 2024: “O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!” To sing a new song is to give voice to a new tune and lyrics. Something not heard before will now be offered to... Read More →