Remember Conor Murphy's courage and spirit
Brian E. Wolford
class of '01
Tomorrow we celebrate the first anniversary of the birth of our friend, Conor Murphy, into eternal life. Through amazing Christian witness, Conor left an indelible mark on our lives. In the simple hope that some amount of glory may be brought to God through remembering his life and his example of holiness, I humbly offer a brief reminder of the man that affected so many.
Conor's personality drew people in through jokes, through debate or through beautifully uncomplicated heart-to-heart conversations. Conor's commitment to show Christ's love to all he encountered was evident in his every breath. In so many ways, he made you want to be around him and he made you want to be like him. Yet a distinguishing characteristic of Conor was that he did not desire people to follow him for his own acclamation, rather he simply wanted others to know and to feel what he felt and the love of Christ.
Conor wanted to be President of the United States, not to be powerful, not to be the leader of the free world, but because he had a keen sense of justice and righteousness, a sense of the teachings of Christ. Conor wanted to invite the world into right relationships and to respect life in all its stages, to provide people the tools to improve their lives, to eliminate the obstacles that prevented many people from doing so and on and on. Conor believed that through these goals for government, he could bring some of God's glory to this earth.
It was in our nation's capital that Conor's path changed. Upon his diagnosis with leukemia, Conor immediately accepted the challenge to aid God in bringing good out of the situation. Conor began this journey by inviting all of his friends from the Washington program to his hospital room so that he could be the one to tell of his diagnosis. We gathered and braced for the worst. There was much crying and many hugs were exchanged.
But most importantly, before we left, there was prayer. We joined hands around Conor's bed and asked the Lord to be with him during the struggle. In that sad, chaotic time, within a few moments of prayer, there was a peace and stillness that I have yet to experience again. I left that room with the undeniable knowledge that God would bring a positive from this pain and that Conor would give his entire self over to the process just to show the world the goodness and the glory of God.
In subsequent correspondence and visits, God and Conor revealed to me the breadth of what they could do. Conor's unbreakable faith and his unconquerable stamina not only against illness, but also against bitterness and despair forced me to evaluate my own life and my relationship with God.
Through witnessing firsthand what God was doing with Conor and his life, my heart was awakened to the still small voice of the in my own life and a voice that I had attempted to quiet with other distractions.
Lying in a hospital bed, Conor had few alternatives than to turn to God. Still there were options and there have been many that have not taken the path that Conor did. Conor chose God. Conor helped and continues to help me do the same. Indeed, Conor Murphy brought me closer to God.
I imagine that I was not the only one. I would venture that each and every individual that encountered Conor either before or during his struggle experienced some amount of God's glory. I contend that through Conor's witness of faith, many people became closer to God. Conor encouraged others to desire the peace of Christ that he had even amidst the storm of leukemia. For if Conor was faithful through this trial, how could we not turn to God for that same consolation in our simple day-to-day lives?
We should be thankful for the blessing of Conor Murphy. Rarely do we encounter a human being that is able to bring so many people into right relationship with God. Certainly, we are all called to such a holy task. How we accomplish this is left to our own discernment.
Conor once thought that God might need him to lead people closer to God through good governance. Plans change. Conor's ultimate work on this earth manifested God's glory and love to a magnitude that a scant few dare even dream. Imagine all this from a 20-year-old man.
Certainly, God gave Conor many gifts and blessings in order to achieve the feat. While we fondly remember Conor and his great work on earth, we can become sad that he is no longer with us to celebrate the joy that he brought. But the awesome beauty of the Resurrection, the mystery of the Body of Christ and the inspiration of the Communion of Saints tell us that Conor's eternal soul lives in heaven.
Our faith informs us that his effort to bring about God's glory continues in every way as before and in even more astounding and unfathomable ways than when his life was confined to this world. Our faith comforts us with the fact that Conor rejoices today and he rejoices in unending praise for God and for the wonder and awe that God's glory enflames in our hearts. If you thought Conor had taken the past year off to just lounge on a cloud, you probably never met him.
So on his special day and always, pray for Conor. But more importantly, just as we did in his hospital room that Saturday and as many did at other times, pray with Conor. Pray with him not simply because you can, but pray with him because he wants to pray with you. Pray with him for his intentions.
Pray with him for his family. Pray with him that you may come to know the peace and love of Christ in your heart. Finally, pray with him that you may also participate in the glorification of God during your time on earth. In so doing, you will pay tribute to Conor's memory and will ultimately pay homage to God and to God's work as accomplished through our brother, Conor.
Brian E. Wolford
class of '01
Coachella, CA
Jan. 29, 2002
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, January 30, 2002
