Mr. Murphy

Yo peeps,

This is update number one, and story time =)

Last week Scott came to visit us for a couple of days to check out the Houma area, and to actually get a view of what it is like here. So, Darby and I took him around Thibodaux and Houma giving a general tour of churches, restaurants, etc. .

well. . .it came time to go visit St. Joseph Co-cathedral (which we totally pitched that it should be THE Cathedral, and he quite agreed.) ANYWAY =)

while looking around the church we were trying to remain quiet because there was a man sitting and praying, so while we are pointing to different things and explaining to Scott (and marveling ourselves) the man tells us we don't have to be so quiet, we won't bother him.

soooooooo. . .trying to be courteous I went over to introduce myself, we all introduced and discovered that his name was Mr. Murphy. He first asked us if we were Christian, to which we responded yes, and that we are Catholic. Well, Mr. Murphy jumps into a basic catechesis on the difference between general "Christians" and Catholics (which none of us needed, but we listened politely anyway).

Mr. Murphy then went on to explain his ministry, and that he goes around and offers prayers of healing for people who are sick, annointing them with oil and intercesory prayer. He then further "taught us how to pray", prayed with all of us, we prayed over him, and it was all in all a very unique experience.

By the time we really decided to look at the time, we had nearly spent two hours with him while he talked to us. One thing that struck us though, was that almost everything he told us was true and great, until he told us that there won't be bodies in heaven, only spirit.

The question this brought up in my mind was "what validity do his charismatic gifts have, if he is not fully believing sound doctrine?" Granted, no one on this earth can be entirely correct on every situation posed in their life. We are all subject to the subjective experience we have and gain, whether that be right or wrong. St. Thomas Aquinas said "there is nothing that exists in the mind that has first not entered through the senses."

Pope John Paul II states in Man and Woman He Created Them that "for understandable reasons, appeal to experience, because bodily man is perceived by us above all in experience." TOB 4:4

Somewhere along the way, Mr. Murphy had a formation of theology that (at least what we received) was not fully sound with what the church teaches. But yet, he fully believes and makes known his "spiritual gift of healing, and prayer".

I have a hard time dealing with this because (for those who really know me) in the old testament, the prophets, Nabim as they are called, could only be accepted if they spoke entire truth, and actually were considered to be in a state of rapture or bliss! Not many know this! And if they spoke one word that was not true, they were rejected entirely. Think of church mystics who are described as being in a state of rapture, or completely enveloped by God's love. The prophets were the mystics of the Old Testament.

Because of the problems we face with subjectivity in this world, and just being an skeptic, It is hard for me to accept many of those who claim charismatic gifts.

Some may ask "are you saying he was just crazy?" no
Some may ask "do you believe he really did speak God's word?"

to which I respond "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God. . ." 1 John 4:1

Whether he really and truly gave us God's word for our life, or if was a looney, we three men walked away different and somehow changed by Mr. Murphy's time in our lives.

I guess the whole point is this. There is a WORD for your life that He desires to communicate to you. Search, examine yourself through introspection and exploration into your own experience and test the spirits that are speaking to you to discern if they are of God, with absolute trust that He can bring you into the way of peace.

and cheesily, the cliche' Jeremiah 29:11 =)

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

AMDG