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Pastoral Reflection

by Fr. Michael S. Murray, OSFS

“Seek good and not evil, that you may live; Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail at the gate; Let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.”

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary…to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Do you want to have life and to have life in abundance? Do you want to experience true liberty? Do you want to experience lasting happiness? Then serve God who is the source and sum of both earthly and heavenly life, true liberty, and lasting happiness! 

How can we do that? In two ways: First, we strive to accomplish what is righteous and just by pursuing and promoting the God-given, unalienable gifts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in our own lives and the lives of others. Second, we work together as people of faith by confronting and containing tyranny – great or small – that threatens these same God-given, unalienable gifts.

Using the language of the Salesian tradition, we are most free when we pay homage to God through our commitment to treating ourselves and others with profound respect and reverence, created as we all are in the image and likeness of God.

Isn’t this self-evident?



We read in John’s Gospel that after standing by his cross, witnessing His Passion, and aiding His mother in His burial, Mary M goes to the tomb early in the morning. She was not the only one, as upon finding the tomb open, she went to fetch Simon Peter and John, but they left perplexed after seeing the empty tomb and burial cloths “for they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” (John 20:9). But she stayed and was granted the grace of being the first of the apostles to see and speak with Jesus resurrected. Not only that, she was the first to be given directions by Our Lord and the first to proclaim the very good news – “But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’. Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.” (John 20:17-18).

While only in John’s Gospel do we hear her voice, we know from all the Gospels, and especially Matthew, that Mary M was among the group of disciples following Jesus and ministering to him during His earthly ministry (Matthew 27:55-56). The documents of the Church, Church history, doctrine, the Gospels, etc. are all written by men so there really isn’t much from a female’s perspective regarding these women’s ministry as ministers to the disciples or as disciples in their own right. Suffice to say, more could be said and has had to be inferred and unveiled in prayer and dialogue about the influence of Mary Magdalene on the life of the early Church, especially regarding evangelization and devotion. Just as through a woman, salvation was brought forth to the world in the Virgin Mary’s fiat, so too, through a woman, was the good news of the resurrection spread through the world. Handpicked by the Savior himself, Mary M’s role is not to be diminished simply because we do not hear more about her from our primary sources. She was proven to be devoted having left all that she once was to follow and serve Jesus, just as the apostles; she was proven to be unafraid having stayed by His side all through his passion and death, while all but one apostle denied Him and fled in fear; she was proven to be faithful having trusted in the Lord’s promises, not questioning “how can this be” or “is it really you” when Jesus finds her in the garden. Finally, she does what He tells her – she obeys the Lord.

I don’t know if she complained about the apostles, or if she made fun of them for leaving early and missing out. I don’t know if she had to fight the temptations to admonish them for abandoning Jesus. I don’t know how she would feel about the discourse regarding female ordination. What I do know is that she is a prime example of faith and devotion to our Lord and His Church, and her ministry of devotion is alive and well today. On feast her day, it is especially appropriate to recognize and celebrate the women who lead our Church and communities. There are countless women who make the Church and our church run. I think of the women on staff, who, not counting clergy, account for 64% of staff here at SJN – who are the first faces you see upon coming into our Parish Office; who keep us up to date, informed, and inspired in Communications; who provide support, connection, and embody Catholic social teaching in Outreach and through the Parish Nurse; who lead Faith Formation and help coordinate Music & Liturgy. I think of our countless female volunteers: our sacristans, wedding coordinators, our meal ministries, the bib ministry, catechists, liturgical ministries, those who keep our sanctuary space beautiful in our Holy Housekeepers and Arts & Environment ministries, heads of our social/outreach ministries, and many more. Their names might not be on a directory, they might not be quoted in official Church documents, but I see these women as modern-day Magdalenes. For their devotion to our Lord, for their constant, almost always joyful, giving of time and self for Him and His Church, and for being the hands and feet of Christ in our world, I give thanks for them. We, quite literally, could not go on without them. May we all, like them and Mary Magdalene, see the Lord and announce His good news not only in our words but also in what we do each day. 



We have all watched videos of an athlete who sacrificed their own win to help a fallen competitor. We have also seen or likely experienced the less dignified side of sports; the “cutthroat" competition. (Have you ever witnessed parents at a youth soccer game?!) Sporting competition seems to have always been a part of civilization, and it can bring out both the best and worst of us. One of my favorite moments of humanity in Scripture is when John documents that he beat Peter in a race to our Savior’s tomb.

“Then Peter and the other disciple set out and made their way toward the tomb. They both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.” (John 20:3-4)

It is true; “History is written by the winner.” I have always wondered if Peter would have pushed himself a little harder if he knew John was going to document the outcome of their competition for all of eternity.

The Church itself has a rich history of embracing the value of sports for body, mind, and spirit. Since the beginning of the Church, Catholics have largely held a special place in their hearts for sports and games. Throughout his writings, St. Paul utilizes sports metaphors to attract Gentiles to Christianity. During the medieval period, lay Catholics were encouraged to engage in games and sports, particularly on feast days and Sundays. In his writings, St. Thomas Aquinas argued for the “virtue about games” – a person should be not consumed by work, but do all things in moderation, thereby valuing sports and recreation as a balance in a virtuous life. Moving into the Renaissance period and beyond, Jesuits built upon Aquinas’ theology by integrating sports and recreation into the curriculum of schools to educate a virtuous person.

By the 20th century, popes embraced both the pastoral and missionary vision within the world of sports. In 1905, Pope Pius X began welcoming young athletes to compete in the Vatican courtyards. His speech that year, to the young participants in the First Catholic Sports Conference, is believed to be the first official papal address on sports. He stated,

“I not only approve of all your works in Catholic Action, but I admire and bless from my heart all your games and pastimes: gymnastics, cycling, mountaineering, sailing, running, walking, competitions, contests, and academies, to which you dedicate yourselves; because the material exercises of the body will influence the exercises of the spirit in a wonderful way; because these entertainments, while requiring work, will take you away from idleness, which is the father of vices; and finally because the friendly competitions themselves will be in you an image of emulation in the exercise of virtue.”

The courtyard sporting events continued until 1908, even including events for those with disabilities such as deafness and blindness. (This long preceded the first official Paralympic games in 1960.) Though it is doubtful he had ever seen baseball played, in February 1914, Pope Pius X invited the New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball clubs to the Vatican. Additionally, in Chicago in 1930, the first Catholic Youth Organization athletic program was founded by Bishop Bernard Sheil, who was a prison chaplain. He valued sports to dissuade youth from making choices that might lead them to dangerous or criminal lives. Based upon Catholic social teaching, the CYO was also a trailblazer in the advancement of race relations, refusing to discriminate on race, religion, and gender – practices that were prevalent in other sports clubs. Today, CYO operates worldwide, continuing to enrich the virtues of a person through sports.

Bishop Sheil in 1949 posing with boxers in front of the CYO 19th Annual Boxing Tournament promotion. Boxing was the first sport organized by Bishop Sheil.

In July 1945, Pope Pius XII, who was born somewhat sickly and used sports to strengthen his body, made a statement entitled, “Sport at the Service of the Spirit:”



"Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, gives intellectual penetration, and steels the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator."

Pope John Paul II officially partnered the Church with athletics when he created the Vatican Office of Church and Sport in 2004. Pope John Paul II was widely known for his love of sports and his impressive athletic abilities. He had a clear value of pastoral concern for athletes and solidified the long-valued partnership of Church and sport. In 2018, the Office of Church and Sport, under the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, wrote a document entitled “Giving the Best of Yourself: A Document on the Christian Perspective on Sport and the Human Person,” which stated, “Sport is a context in which to concretely experience the invitation to be an outgoing Church, not to build walls and borders, but squares and field hospitals. More than many other platforms, sport brings together the downtrodden, the marginalized, the immigrant, the native, the rich, the powerful and the poor around a shared interest and at times in a common space.”

Today, the world is awaiting the Olympic games to begin in Paris on July 26. The Holy Games project, which will provide spiritual support to the Olympics, has been planning and preparing for this month since October 2021 when the Catholic Church mobilization effort was officially launched. The Holy See appointed, for the first time, an episcopal delegate, Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard, auxiliary bishop of Lyon, France, who is known for his athletic excellence in tennis, soccer, and judo. In September 2022, Pope Francis received the President of the IOC (International Olympic Committee), Thomas Bach, in a private audience to discuss the Paris Olympics and role of sports in worldwide peace and solidarity efforts.

Spiritual support at the Olympics is a common request; in previous recent Olympics games, requests for spiritual counseling during the event has exceeded 8,000 – everything from mental health support for the intense pressure of competition to grief support for concerns or even deaths in families back home. Life goes on during the Olympics and while the athletes have prepared years to be in Paris, anything can happen now – spiritual guidance is in demand.

St. Mary Madeleine Church (affectionately called La Madeleine), located in the heart of Paris, will serve as the official chapel of the athletes and was blessed to serve this purpose in September 2023. For months, the Holy Games project has been evangelizing with the Catholic presence through festivities, sports tournaments (including the “Pater Cup” soccer competition), testimonies, video media and podcasts, and conferences in Paris.

On May 8, the Olympic torch entered France through the southern port city of Marseille, aboard a three-masted ship called the Belem. (Belem is the Portuguese name for Bethlehem and has its origin in Hebrew, which means “the house of bread.”) Before the Olympic cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony on July 26, there is currently an on-going 68-day torch relay throughout France, involving 10,000 torchbearers and 65 territories. The route was planned to highlight France’s rich history, including many Catholic monasteries and religious sites. (On May 19, the flame passed through Lourdes.) On July 19, IOC President Thomas Bach will attend a special Mass at La Madeleine, celebrated by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris. On July 25, the night before the opening ceremony, the Cathedral of Saint-Denis on the Seine will celebrate a vigil blessing of the Olympic athletes.

More than 10,000 athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Village for July 26-August 11, and the Holy Games will serve as their chaplaincy. A 4,300-square-foot structure will accommodate representatives of several faiths: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist. Forty specially trained Catholic chaplains will be rotating duty throughout the Olympic games. Under the immense pressure of the games, athletes can find comfort in requesting spiritual support from anyone of the represented faith support teams. The Holy Games project has also coordinated with more than 70 parishes to serve athletes and their families, opening their doors and providing faith services in varying languages. There are also seven designed Church Marathon routes to discover the Catholic riches of Paris; the routes are Charity, Humility, Strength, Faith, Justice, Hope, and Temperance. Throughout the Olympics and the Paralympics there will be faith events, supported by more than 2,000 volunteers, to support the athletes and outreach to the thousands of visitors to Paris, including adoration, testimonies, Taizé prayer, concerts, confession, and Veneration of the Crown of Thorns. Additionally, you, the spectator, can also participate by signing up to pray for specific athletes.

St. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:5, “No athlete can receive the winner’s crown unless he has competed according to the rules.” As we watch the Olympics later this month, we share in the humanity of the event. We will celebrate in the spectacular victories and anguish in heartbreaking defeats. We will be captivated by the discipline, strength, and fortitude of the athletes. We will be encouraged by the camaraderie across teams and nations – a sign of peace in our world. We will find bittersweet hope and admiration in the resilience of the human spirit embodied by the Refugee Olympic Team, competing in their third Olympics. Ultimately, we will witness the competition showcasing the best of humanity and understand why the Church has long valued the virtues of sports.

As Pope John Paul II blessed the participants for the Jubilee of Sports People on October 29, 2000, may this timeless blessing prayer echo again for the 2024 Paris Olympics:

“Even the greatest champion finds himself defenseless before the fundamental questions of life and needs your light to overcome the demanding challenges that a human being is called to face.

Lord Jesus Christ, help these athletes to be your friends and witnesses to your love. Help them to put the same effort into personal asceticism that they do into sports; help them to achieve a harmonious and cohesive unity of body and soul.

May they be sound models to imitate for all who admire them. Help them always to be athletes of the spirit, to win your inestimable prize: an imperishable crown that lasts forever. Amen!”



Let the games begin!

Photo Credit: Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press

The memorial of Sts. Anne and Joachim is celebrated on July 26 by the Roman Catholic Church. Although they are never mentioned in the New Testament, our Catholic tradition honors them as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Documents outside of the Roman Canon mention them by name and note that they prayed and fasted in isolation from each other and from society because they could not conceive a child. At that time, it was shameful as a member of the Tribe of Israel to be barren.

We believe that they were old and childless when Anne (and by some accounts Joachim as well) was visited by an angel with the message that she will conceive and that all generations would honor their future child. The documents also mention that as an infant Mary’s parents allowed nothing common or unclean in her room because of her special holiness. When Mary was one year old, Joachim threw a great feast and brought her to the priests and chief priests who blessed her. They are considered the patron saints of grandparents and childless couples. 

A young Catholic couple I know were married for five years without being able to conceive a child and turned to St. Anne and Joachim as intercessors. They desperately wanted children of their own to start a family. They displayed a picture (to the right) of the saint couple in their home and started praying for a child through them. The couple believed that since Anne and Joachim had suffered infertility that they could relate to the saints and find comfort in their distress. They also believed that their prayers would be answered.

A year later the couple still had not conceived and the husband said to his wife, “You know there are other ways to have a child,” which they had never considered or discussed. The wife responded, “Would you really be OK with that?” In her prayer life, she had gotten the message that she should be open to adoption even though she had always dreamed of giving birth to her own children. Within a couple of months, they researched being foster parents with the intention of adopting. The training took six months, and they waited another nine months for a placement. With a day to prepare, they welcomed two beautiful young children (a boy and a girl, who are siblings) into their home. Now, nine months later, they are about to begin the process of adopting their children to fulfill the dream of being parents, which they prayed for through Sts. Anne and Joachim years ago.



July Intention for Prayer and Action

For the pastoral care of the sick

We pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick confer to those who receive it and their loved ones the power of the Lord and become ever more a visible sign of compassion and hope for all.