I have little New Mexican history for you tonight.

In January of 1598, Don Juan Onate started an expedition into what is today New Mexico. He started out in a place called Santa Barbara near Mexico City and ended up eighteen hundred miles later in San Juan Pueblo right down the road from us. Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo is its rightful name. Those eighteen hundred miles are known as the Camino Real (The Royal Road) a term probably familiar with most of us. It was an expedition. It also was intended to start a colony here of Spain, in the New World. The expedition consisted of four hundred soldiers and men, one hundred families, eight priests, two lay brothers, eighty-three wagons full of seed, tools, and implements that they would need to start this new life along with seven thousand head of livestock. That amazes me. When on the move, they stretched out four miles and they left in January of 1598. In fact, some of you probably can trace your roots to this expedition. I'm sure there was a bunch of Martinez', and Garcias, and Griegos, and Gutierrez', and Gallegos, and probably one or two Villarreals. But seriously, I'm sure dozens of parishioners could trace their lineage, although I was thinking that's about twenty generations or something so it may difficult to do so. We would have to get our Mormon friends to help us with that particular task.

The expedition made good progress until they came to what is today, the city of Las Cruces. There were some Native American in the group and they helped them all along the way. When they arrived in Las Cruces, some natives said, "Don't go the next hundred miles along the Rio Grande because it's impossible." In between the mountains that are today east of I-25 and the Rio Grande there was a series of Barrancas or canyons and ridges that were almost impassible depending on the weather. In addition, with the eighty-three wagons and with seven thousand head of livestock, it was a very difficult hundred-mile journey. The natives suggested to Onate that he take a bypass or a shortcut. It was actually ten miles shorter, what's known today as the "Jornada del Muerto, you may have heard of that and it starts at a place called the Point of Rocks just north of Las Cruces and it comes out at San Marcial just south of Socorro. The problem with that route, although it was direct and easy to transit; it was flat; it was all desert. There was no water along the route at all and there was no firewood. There was nothing to sustain their journey. Not only that, Onate didn't know it was ninety miles. He had no idea and so they set out on this and became afraid. They prayed under the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in Spanish "Nuestra Senora de Socorro" and they prayed through her intercession to arrive safely. Surprisingly, in only three days and nights they finished that journey and they came out near the Rio Grande. Again Native Americans or Indians met them and they were given food and water, shelter and welcomed by the people of a pueblo named Teypana which later became known as Socorro. The word "Socorro" means "help". There are a couple of words in Spanish for help. If I ask you to help me with something, a project, I'd say "Ayude me". "Ayudar" means to help. But "socorro" means, "HELP!" You don't go "Ayude me" when there's a fire, you go "SOCORRO, SOCORRO!" That means. "Help me!"

They prayed and received our Lady's help. Interestingly, that was in 1598. It was almost a hundred years later when this passage took on its name "Jornada del Muerto", which means "the journey of the dead man" and that was after the pueblo revolt of 1680. About 2000 Spaniards and some Indians were then escaping south to what is today, El Paso, Texas. They began their journey in 1680 and 600 perished on that 90 mile stretch. So from that time on it took on the name, "Jornada del Muerto".

Help--something we all need from time to time and sometimes aren't too foolish to ask for. Peter had a similar experience, the great Peter. First, he's afraid he sees a ghost. Then he realizes it's Christ. Then he is so brave. Then he says, "If it's you, order me to walk on the water." Then he does and he looks down and says, "Oh my goodness, what am I doing? He begins to sink and cries out those simple words, which is really a perfect prayer, two words, "Save me", two words, "Help me". It says it all and it's a prayer we need to use often in our lives. At times we feel like we're drowning in a sea of troubles. I consider myself an expert in other people's troubles as a priest. Seriously, I mean, at the end of the day, I go into my rectory there and I say, "Lord, thank you for giving me so few troubles." I'm serious. I say, "Keep that up, because I can't help them if I'm all messed up." People have so many troubles. You know what they are. Health: their doctor says, "cancer". You know, I love our doctors but it drives me crazy when they say, "The results of the test came back. Make an appointment to see me next month."

People have trouble with relationships; oh my goodness; with jobs, security, with money, with psychological stuff, depressions, with fear, personal failure, sin. Sin always makes us sick.

If we don't have any troubles at all, the modern era has invented something called "free floating anxiety". Even if there is nothing wrong, we will find something to worry about. Seriously, I have met people and I say, "What's the matter?" They say, "Well, I don't know but something's wrong. I just know it is." They worry and they are afraid.

The basis of worry, I think, is fear. I think that's true. I think that's probably true. Fear is what underpins worry. I think we become a mature person when we say, "I need help. I am not God. I am weak. I need God's help and sometimes I need your help." If we say those words, we'll get what we need. If we don't, we won't. No person is an island. Only the foolish refuse to seek help when they need it and unfortunately there are many of us who are foolish, oftentimes men. I can't tell you how many times I've presided at a funeral and the man died because he didn't say, "Help me"; took his own life, or died from some type of addiction or whatever. Some women as well because they wouldn't say, "I need some help."

Peter cried, "Lord save me, help me." So should we. I mentioned that that's really a beautiful prayer. Sometimes I think we think prayer has got to have lots of parts and bits and pieces to it and they don't. One of the shortest Psalms in the 150 Psalms of King David is Psalm 12 in which David says, "Help me." He needed help against his many enemies. The Christian writer and author Charles Spurgeon many years ago wrote this reflection about David's two word prayer, "Help Lord." I love Spurgeon's language. I think he wrote in the mid-1800's, early 1800's but it's beautiful English I think. What does an Irishman know about such things? Here's what he says about David's prayer, "Help."

"The prayer itself is remarkable, for it is short, but seasonable, terse yet suggestive. David lifted up his heart in supplication. When the creature failed, he flew to the Creator. He evidently felt his own weakness, or he would not have cried for help. But at the same time, he intended honestly to exert himself, for the word "help" is inapplicable where we ourselves do nothing. There is much of directness, clearness of perception, and distinctness of utterance in this petition of two words. Much more, indeed, than in the long, rambling outpourings of certain professors "The psalmist runs straight forward to his God, with a well considered prayer. He knows what he is seeking, and where to seek it.."

These colonialists kept their eyes on Jesus and implored the intercession of Mary and they were saved. May we all stay in the boat. Sometimes the Church is called the bark or boat of Peter. Keep our eyes on the Lord and cry, "Help" and he will answer.

I would like to conclude my praying this prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. If you'd bow your heads I will say it for us.

"O, Mother of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Socorro, with the greatest confidence we come before you tonight to be inspired by the example of your life. We think of you in the moment when full of faith and trust you accepted God's call to be the mother of His Son. Help us, your children to accept with joy our own calling in life. We think of you Mother at the foot of the cross. Your heart must have bled to see your son in agony but your joy was great when he rose from the dead victorious over the powers of evil. Mother of Sorrows help us to realize that we must expect trials and disappointments, failure. Help us not to lose heart. May we share with you and your son the joy of having courageously faced up to all of the challenges of life. Lord Jesus Christ you gave us Mary to be our mother, a mother ever ready to help us. May we who implore her motherly help be blessed with your peace. Through Christ our Lord, amen."