Mother’s faith pulls daughter through adversity

MARY JO MURPHY | SPECIAL TO THE FLORIDA CATHOLIC

Published: 10.09.08

JANET SHELTON | FC
Mary Jo Murphy prays during the Liturgy of the Eucharist during an Oct. 1 Mass at Spirit FM in Tampa. At the station, she hosts "Growing in Grace," conducts Living Eucharist interviews with Bishop Robert N. Lynch and provides commentary on episcopal services from the Cathedral of St.Jude the Apostle.

“Living Eucharist.” When I think of those words, loving thoughts of my mother come to mind. She died two and a half years ago and vivid memories of her still live within me.

Esther O’Brien brought her experience of Eucharist into her daily life, especially in times that were challenging to her. There was a polio epidemic in St. Petersburg in the mid 1950s. She was in the hospital giving birth to her sixth child, who would become Father Michael O’Brien, when she was told her other five children had been stricken with polio and her oldest child, Mary Jo, wasn’t going to live. I received what was then called the last rites of the church.

It was then she was told that I would live, but I was paralyzed from the waist down and would never walk again. Through all of this, she never lost her faith in God. She stayed close to Jesus in the Eucharist. Her words comforted me. She told me that I was very close to Jesus – that Jesus was very close to those who were suffering. Never once did she tell me how much she was suffering through all of this. She just continued to bring me hope, the hope of Jesus.

Living the holy Communion she received, she always was full of joy, constantly telling me that I would walk again. I was in a wheelchair and on crutches for two years. During that time, she made sure I would attend cotillion dances, bringing my crutches with me.

I did walk again and most people today don’t know that I was once paralyzed. It was the strength my mother received in the Eucharist that enabled her to have the courage to bring me from near death to dancing the jitterbug in my high school years. My mother was living Eucharist to me.

Murphy is a Spirit FM radio host.

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