If you're interested in what I've been writing for my classes, head over to my profile at Scribd.com, an online document publishing service. I've released my papers there licensed as Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution Share-Alike (cc-by-nc-sa) so that they are free to reuse, as long as I am credited, they are not used commercially, and they are also shared with this open license (the content on this blog is licensed similarly; see sidebar).
My papers are organized into collections, currently as Pre-Theology and Theology I coursework. Where I've remembered to post it, the grade I received on each assignment is also included in the description, so you'll know if you're reading a "bad one."
Read away!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Sunday, December 09, 2012
Advent
Advent is a time of waiting and anticipation. But what are we waiting for? The great "Advent" of course, Christ coming to us (ad-ventum: literally, toward the coming/arrival, from Latin). And from this notion flows directly the ancient invocation: Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus! This applies both to our commemoration of His birth in Bethlehem (literally "house of bread"), and to our expectation of His second coming.
As we wait, we have been given a task; something to do while we wait. We are not only waiting or expecting (both literally "looking out) but also anticipating, receiving beforehand, in some sense, what we look forward to. Christ is with us now, in Word and Sacrament, though we look forward to His coming (eschatological return) among us yet again and hope that our lives may be pleasing to Him that we may join Him in eternal glory.
Last week, the Church presented just this notion of waiting with an active anticipation. Not only do we know that "the day is coming" (though it will be a surprise), but that we must continually turn away from the evil that threatens our righteousness and would prevent us from "standing before the Son of Man" and "[raising our] heads" (Gospel for First Sunday of Advent, Year C: Luke 21:25–28, 34–36). The first reading last week, from the prophet Jeremiah, emphasized this need to appear well before God, having sought to follow His instructions, to "do what is right and just in the land" (Jeremiah 33:14–16). And Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians further adds the wish that we "increase and abound in love so as to strengthen [our] hearts to be blameless in holiness" (1 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2). Taken together, the first reading's exhortation to righteousness and the second reading's exhortation to love unite in the Gospel message to receive strength to give God glory, precisely by our righteousness (by His grace) and love.
Today, we return to the beginning of Luke's Gospel to meet John the Baptist. His message is the quintessential call to repentance with the definitive sign of Baptism. We hear that John called all to a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Luke 3:1–6). The passage from Isaiah that the author of Luke reads in hindsight as referring to John the Baptist (affectionately shortened to "JBap" in scholarly literature!) also includes landscape renewal language: "Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth" (Luke 3:1–6; cf. Isaiah 40:3–5). The first reading, from Baruch, also refers to this same kind of renewal: "For God has commanded/ that every lofty mountain be made low,/ and that the age-old depths and gorges/ be filled to level ground" (Baruch 5:1–9). The further imagery added by Psalm 126 calls for rain to water the desert and raise up a forest that will bear fruit; according to Paul's letter to the Philippians, the "fruit of righteousness" (Second reading: Philippians 1:4–6, 8–11). And so we are called in our own lives and by our own reception of Baptism to die to ourselves and to sin, recalling how John's baptism in the violent Jordan river meant a near-death experience drowning in water that otherwise gives life and cleanses; through this death and rebirth in the spirit, we can work to clear the landscape of our souls to be able to bear that fruit of righteousness. And this is the work we are called to do while waiting, expecting, and anticipating Christ's return, the parousia (Greek παρουσία, "coming").
Fr. Peter Grover presented the further historical context for this landscape renewal imagery: it was the practical way to build a road, by clearing obstacles (both the tall and the deep) to make a flat road for conquest. Rather than use an existing road, an enemy's advantage would lie in their ability to construct their own egress route following the attack of a city. Fr. Peter connected today's abstract language with the concrete situation of Lazarus and the rich man: if only the rich man would have built his own road to heaven, filling in the valley of Lazarus' needs with his mountain of wealth to pave his way to the bosom of Abraham!
At the sweet spot of convergence of this week's readings, however, there is a further point: this renewal, cleansing, and death to self is to "show all the earth your splendor" (cf. Baruch) and to bear fruit for the glory and praise of God (cf. Philippians). The point is to make God known (Greek: γνωριζω / gnōrizō), and this conversion of the landscape and the conversion of our hearts together become revelation to the world (Greek: αποκαλυψις / apocalypsis).
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
As we wait, we have been given a task; something to do while we wait. We are not only waiting or expecting (both literally "looking out) but also anticipating, receiving beforehand, in some sense, what we look forward to. Christ is with us now, in Word and Sacrament, though we look forward to His coming (eschatological return) among us yet again and hope that our lives may be pleasing to Him that we may join Him in eternal glory.
Last week, the Church presented just this notion of waiting with an active anticipation. Not only do we know that "the day is coming" (though it will be a surprise), but that we must continually turn away from the evil that threatens our righteousness and would prevent us from "standing before the Son of Man" and "[raising our] heads" (Gospel for First Sunday of Advent, Year C: Luke 21:25–28, 34–36). The first reading last week, from the prophet Jeremiah, emphasized this need to appear well before God, having sought to follow His instructions, to "do what is right and just in the land" (Jeremiah 33:14–16). And Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians further adds the wish that we "increase and abound in love so as to strengthen [our] hearts to be blameless in holiness" (1 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2). Taken together, the first reading's exhortation to righteousness and the second reading's exhortation to love unite in the Gospel message to receive strength to give God glory, precisely by our righteousness (by His grace) and love.
Today, we return to the beginning of Luke's Gospel to meet John the Baptist. His message is the quintessential call to repentance with the definitive sign of Baptism. We hear that John called all to a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Luke 3:1–6). The passage from Isaiah that the author of Luke reads in hindsight as referring to John the Baptist (affectionately shortened to "JBap" in scholarly literature!) also includes landscape renewal language: "Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth" (Luke 3:1–6; cf. Isaiah 40:3–5). The first reading, from Baruch, also refers to this same kind of renewal: "For God has commanded/ that every lofty mountain be made low,/ and that the age-old depths and gorges/ be filled to level ground" (Baruch 5:1–9). The further imagery added by Psalm 126 calls for rain to water the desert and raise up a forest that will bear fruit; according to Paul's letter to the Philippians, the "fruit of righteousness" (Second reading: Philippians 1:4–6, 8–11). And so we are called in our own lives and by our own reception of Baptism to die to ourselves and to sin, recalling how John's baptism in the violent Jordan river meant a near-death experience drowning in water that otherwise gives life and cleanses; through this death and rebirth in the spirit, we can work to clear the landscape of our souls to be able to bear that fruit of righteousness. And this is the work we are called to do while waiting, expecting, and anticipating Christ's return, the parousia (Greek παρουσία, "coming").
Fr. Peter Grover presented the further historical context for this landscape renewal imagery: it was the practical way to build a road, by clearing obstacles (both the tall and the deep) to make a flat road for conquest. Rather than use an existing road, an enemy's advantage would lie in their ability to construct their own egress route following the attack of a city. Fr. Peter connected today's abstract language with the concrete situation of Lazarus and the rich man: if only the rich man would have built his own road to heaven, filling in the valley of Lazarus' needs with his mountain of wealth to pave his way to the bosom of Abraham!
At the sweet spot of convergence of this week's readings, however, there is a further point: this renewal, cleansing, and death to self is to "show all the earth your splendor" (cf. Baruch) and to bear fruit for the glory and praise of God (cf. Philippians). The point is to make God known (Greek: γνωριζω / gnōrizō), and this conversion of the landscape and the conversion of our hearts together become revelation to the world (Greek: αποκαλυψις / apocalypsis).
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
It's already here! I knew Thanksgiving was coming, but it's already here and this time in two days I'll be in a car flying up a highway through New Hampshire on our way to the Oblate rectory in Montreal, QC.
It seems like we just finished midterm exams (which we did...) but we really are hurtling downhill now to the end of the semester. We just finished our direct treatment of Augustine in Patristics (yes, we read the 305 pages of his Confessions in 12 days, which is more amazing to me because on most of those 12 days I did not open the book - it was very focused reading!). I am glad we had the very tangible academic incentive to read it, because now I've seen what's there and can revisit it with a good sense of where to focus.
This morning in my Old Testament class, we began our treatment of the book of Psalms with the title of a book that Prof. Maluf heard about on the radio: "Help! Thank you! Wow!" He connected each exclamation with a major category of psalm literature: lament/complaint, thanksgiving, and hymns (mostly of praise). While Dr. Maluf's lectures are generally hard to follow, I appreciate how he daringly pursues what seem to us to be tangents and relates them later, allowing us to reach the obvious conclusions about the text we're studying and glean other points from the introductory articles with which we are provided; he presents the harder-to-find information in class, and as long as I keep that in perspective, I can appreciate what he offers us. [editorial note: that was a long sentence] He is such a scholar's scholar, though!
I've managed to rekindle my interests in classical violin and cycling, and have seminarian brothers to share them! A seminarian at St. John's who is studying with the diocese of Manchester, NH studied music in college and taught before entering the seminary. He and I had a nice jam session last week and scheduled another for next week. And Scott and I are setting up a program to keep each other riding bikes and build up some fitness to do some nice rides here. He had brought his extra bike and gear, so with a little dedication, we'll have a lot of fun and stay in shape, too!
It is a bit odd when we sit down to do a personal inventory and discover where our current imbalance is. It seems we are always a work in progress, momentarily sitting at dead center only because it's between the extremes of our oscillation. I have found that, as we seminarians gather to share our recent experiences and support one another, there can be a variety of dimensions that plague one or another of us, and those can change as the weeks roll by. For me lately, it has been attention to personal prayer that I have singled-out for particular emphasis. We have so much scheduled prayer that it seems we are always in church, but are we just located within those walls or are we attentive to the Trinity present with the angels, accompanying the Sacramental presence of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity? I have found that beyond my acknowledgment of His presence, my situation lacks, in large part, other personal interactions. It is not the case that when I go to chapel I forget where I am, or expect myself to have a deep and intimate conversation or mystical experience there. Rather, as was said multiple times in the intriguing dramatic film People Like Us, I need to "just be a person right now" when I enter a space of prayer (and this simple phrase can apply to so many moments in our lives).
And, as with many ideals in life, focusing our attention on them can be a great joy in fruition and a great suffering in anticipation. Sometimes in prayer, we are called to simply "keep watch" in silence; other times we are asked to listen; other times we are invited to pour out our hearts; still other times we may simply rest in the Son-light, looking at Jesus as He looks at us (cf. St. John Vianney).
Thankful for the gift of prayer, one aspect of being able to relate to our God, let us seek and strive after peace, born of solid family life and fraternal charity, and submit ourselves to Him who for our salvation sacrificed Himself, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
It seems like we just finished midterm exams (which we did...) but we really are hurtling downhill now to the end of the semester. We just finished our direct treatment of Augustine in Patristics (yes, we read the 305 pages of his Confessions in 12 days, which is more amazing to me because on most of those 12 days I did not open the book - it was very focused reading!). I am glad we had the very tangible academic incentive to read it, because now I've seen what's there and can revisit it with a good sense of where to focus.
This morning in my Old Testament class, we began our treatment of the book of Psalms with the title of a book that Prof. Maluf heard about on the radio: "Help! Thank you! Wow!" He connected each exclamation with a major category of psalm literature: lament/complaint, thanksgiving, and hymns (mostly of praise). While Dr. Maluf's lectures are generally hard to follow, I appreciate how he daringly pursues what seem to us to be tangents and relates them later, allowing us to reach the obvious conclusions about the text we're studying and glean other points from the introductory articles with which we are provided; he presents the harder-to-find information in class, and as long as I keep that in perspective, I can appreciate what he offers us. [editorial note: that was a long sentence] He is such a scholar's scholar, though!
I've managed to rekindle my interests in classical violin and cycling, and have seminarian brothers to share them! A seminarian at St. John's who is studying with the diocese of Manchester, NH studied music in college and taught before entering the seminary. He and I had a nice jam session last week and scheduled another for next week. And Scott and I are setting up a program to keep each other riding bikes and build up some fitness to do some nice rides here. He had brought his extra bike and gear, so with a little dedication, we'll have a lot of fun and stay in shape, too!
***
It is a bit odd when we sit down to do a personal inventory and discover where our current imbalance is. It seems we are always a work in progress, momentarily sitting at dead center only because it's between the extremes of our oscillation. I have found that, as we seminarians gather to share our recent experiences and support one another, there can be a variety of dimensions that plague one or another of us, and those can change as the weeks roll by. For me lately, it has been attention to personal prayer that I have singled-out for particular emphasis. We have so much scheduled prayer that it seems we are always in church, but are we just located within those walls or are we attentive to the Trinity present with the angels, accompanying the Sacramental presence of Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity? I have found that beyond my acknowledgment of His presence, my situation lacks, in large part, other personal interactions. It is not the case that when I go to chapel I forget where I am, or expect myself to have a deep and intimate conversation or mystical experience there. Rather, as was said multiple times in the intriguing dramatic film People Like Us, I need to "just be a person right now" when I enter a space of prayer (and this simple phrase can apply to so many moments in our lives).
And, as with many ideals in life, focusing our attention on them can be a great joy in fruition and a great suffering in anticipation. Sometimes in prayer, we are called to simply "keep watch" in silence; other times we are asked to listen; other times we are invited to pour out our hearts; still other times we may simply rest in the Son-light, looking at Jesus as He looks at us (cf. St. John Vianney).
***
Thankful for the gift of prayer, one aspect of being able to relate to our God, let us seek and strive after peace, born of solid family life and fraternal charity, and submit ourselves to Him who for our salvation sacrificed Himself, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Snow!
This afternoon, my weather-aware Gmail theme informed me that it was snowing! I promptly looked outside (noticing that it was not, in fact, snowing here), then checked the local weather report. WeatherUnderground reported 34ºF at the time, and I posted "freeze, Boston, freeze!" on Facebook.
Soon after this, I went downstairs to make a cup of hot chocolate, found Fr. Tom bringing in groceries, and behold, a very light non-accumulating snow was falling!
After dinner and through our meeting (up to the present moment), it kept snowing, and about a half-inch has accumulated here. Fun! I hope there's more to come this winter; last year was pathetic as far as snow is concerned!
The first photo was taken with flash; the second without (this one did have a full 1-second exposure, though, and the colors came out great. The lighting is what is reflected off of clouds from surrounding streets/buildings, which is neat because it is nowhere near that bright to the naked eye).
Enjoy!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Soon after this, I went downstairs to make a cup of hot chocolate, found Fr. Tom bringing in groceries, and behold, a very light non-accumulating snow was falling!
After dinner and through our meeting (up to the present moment), it kept snowing, and about a half-inch has accumulated here. Fun! I hope there's more to come this winter; last year was pathetic as far as snow is concerned!
Enjoy!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Piles of pages!
Once again, it has been quite some time since my last post!
I have been very busy reading the books of the prophets in the Old Testament, poring over the Greek text of Paul's letters to the Philippians and to Philemon, digesting another century of Church Fathers, grasping the 300 years of Biblical history preceding the writing of the Gospels, and deepening my knowledge of how the Church has further clarified her teachings regarding Divine Revelation, the Scriptures, and the Tradition and Magisterium. And I took midterm exams in all of these (save the Pauline literature). If all of that does not excuse me from writing here, at least you know I wasn't hibernating!
It really is a joy to be able to come into contact with these great works. It is refreshing to see that the problems we have today are not new, that the world has endured similar trials for millennia. It is also, to some degree, alarming that after millennia of facing these same issues, we have not resolved them. Then again, need this world and our society in it approach the perfection of heaven? Each of us is called to endure the persecutions we suffer, to bear all things patiently with hope and to give of ourselves to one another to our dying breath, all the while giving thanks to our Creator, who from the beginning of time planned for our Redemption. How else could "the hills be alive with the sound of music" or "the heavens proclaim the glory of God", had he not known already that we would need such evidence around us to lead us to Himself?
Beginning this week, we embark in Patristics upon a great Augustinian adventure. We have divided his Confessions into three parts, and have formed teams to read and analyze the work according to seven dimensions, including Scripture, Love & Friendship, Philosophy, and Evil/Sin. I chose the topic of Law/Justice/Society. We will write a short paper pointing out how Augustine treats of our theme for each of the three divisions of his work, and each class meeting will consist of a discussion of what each of us found. Unfortunately, I will most likely miss the last discussion day as I fulfill my civic duty at the Superior Court House!
Things have been cooling off in Boston; the cold weather is a familiar and welcome reality in the Northeast, at least in my experience. I just need to push myself to work out and strengthen my back so I am ready when it comes time to shovel snow! Good thing there are more than a few "workout nuts" in this house! (By the way, when the workout video series are titled "Insanity" and "Asylum," the colloquialism "crazy" does not stray far from the mark!)
I plan to make some remarks here about Obama's acceptance speech and our outlook here in the USA, including some prudent Catholic viewpoints; other priorities precede such an effort, but I hope to put it online soon.
Until then, persevere in prayer and every good work! Celebrate Friday, the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. And recall that we look forward to our heavenly homeland, as we work to consecrate to God this world in which we live, in all that we do.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
I have been very busy reading the books of the prophets in the Old Testament, poring over the Greek text of Paul's letters to the Philippians and to Philemon, digesting another century of Church Fathers, grasping the 300 years of Biblical history preceding the writing of the Gospels, and deepening my knowledge of how the Church has further clarified her teachings regarding Divine Revelation, the Scriptures, and the Tradition and Magisterium. And I took midterm exams in all of these (save the Pauline literature). If all of that does not excuse me from writing here, at least you know I wasn't hibernating!
It really is a joy to be able to come into contact with these great works. It is refreshing to see that the problems we have today are not new, that the world has endured similar trials for millennia. It is also, to some degree, alarming that after millennia of facing these same issues, we have not resolved them. Then again, need this world and our society in it approach the perfection of heaven? Each of us is called to endure the persecutions we suffer, to bear all things patiently with hope and to give of ourselves to one another to our dying breath, all the while giving thanks to our Creator, who from the beginning of time planned for our Redemption. How else could "the hills be alive with the sound of music" or "the heavens proclaim the glory of God", had he not known already that we would need such evidence around us to lead us to Himself?
Beginning this week, we embark in Patristics upon a great Augustinian adventure. We have divided his Confessions into three parts, and have formed teams to read and analyze the work according to seven dimensions, including Scripture, Love & Friendship, Philosophy, and Evil/Sin. I chose the topic of Law/Justice/Society. We will write a short paper pointing out how Augustine treats of our theme for each of the three divisions of his work, and each class meeting will consist of a discussion of what each of us found. Unfortunately, I will most likely miss the last discussion day as I fulfill my civic duty at the Superior Court House!
Things have been cooling off in Boston; the cold weather is a familiar and welcome reality in the Northeast, at least in my experience. I just need to push myself to work out and strengthen my back so I am ready when it comes time to shovel snow! Good thing there are more than a few "workout nuts" in this house! (By the way, when the workout video series are titled "Insanity" and "Asylum," the colloquialism "crazy" does not stray far from the mark!)
I plan to make some remarks here about Obama's acceptance speech and our outlook here in the USA, including some prudent Catholic viewpoints; other priorities precede such an effort, but I hope to put it online soon.
Until then, persevere in prayer and every good work! Celebrate Friday, the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. And recall that we look forward to our heavenly homeland, as we work to consecrate to God this world in which we live, in all that we do.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Monday, October 15, 2012
Obama-Romney Race Split
Incumbent Presidential candidate Barack Obama launched an email blast that opened with:
Let us see how the town hall debate goes tomorrow night!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Listen, this race is tied.Challenging Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's supporters received an email tonight from Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) that began with this:
What we do over the next 22 days will determine not just the next four years, but what this country looks like for decades to come.
Friends,Now if that does not speak volumes about the commitments of each candidate...
My dad used to tell me, “In this country, you will be able to accomplish all the things we never could.” He and my mom emigrated from Cuba to America to give us a better life.
They believed in American exceptionalism, the promise of America.
America was founded on the principle that every person has God-given rights; power belongs to the people; and government exists to protect our rights. We shouldn’t be trapped by the circumstances of our birth -- we should be free to go as far as our talents and work can take us.
In America, we’re united not by a common race or ethnicity -- but by common values. This election’s about preserving those values and applying the founding principles to solve the challenges of our time.
It's a choice about what kind of country we want to leave our children. Let’s choose more freedom instead of more government. Let’s choose Mitt Romney and the Republican team to lead our nation back to prosperity.
Let us see how the town hall debate goes tomorrow night!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Updates
It has been a month since my last post! How the time has flown.
I am now in the midst of midterm season, with an exam each week for four weeks: Patristics, Old Testament, Synoptic Gospels, and Fundamental Theology. This is a phenomenon I did not experience in college, when several classes had multiple midterms, which meant that my exam schedule was basically the first and last few weeks exam-free, and the middle just full of all kinds of exams - having a well-defined "it's midterms" season is a bit new, but so far, I like it.
We took a hike for Columbus Day - up Mt. Wachusett here in central Massachusetts - followed by dinner at Josh's parents' home in Holden. Their hospitality is always appreciated and ever so generous.
We also had a much-needed day of recollection on the feast of the Archangels; Fr. Peter Grover presented the corresponding accounts of the healing of a blind man on the road to Jericho in the three Synoptic Gospels, beginning with Mark's. He noted the significant differences and then showed us the basics of praying with scripture and what kinds of questions we could ask of the text to guide our meditation. Today's second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, reminds us of how useful this can be: "The word of God is living and effective, ... penetrating even between the soul and spirit."
Last night I gave a ferverino (short sermon) on today's Gospel reading; I focused on the theme of giving everything up, of giving ourselves over to the Lord when he calls us, joining ourselves to His Body and then receiving new brothers (fellow seminarians) and mother (Mary) as we begin this journey of formation in community with one another. I also invited my First Theology class over from St. John's Seminary and about a third of them were able to spend the evening with us. Being from a small congregation and the only one in my First Theology class there, it is good for the other men to see where and how we live, to have a fuller understanding of the community within which they are studying and what each of us bring to that community. Conversation often turns to family as we spend time together at the seminary, similar to college students asking each other what their major is or where they went to high school or grew up, and for me, part of my family situation is this religious family of which I am now a part.
I am glad to see Boston cooling off at this time of year - hopefully we will have a properly-snowy New England winter! The trees are changing colors and some have shed most of their leaves. The overnight low came down to 35 a couple days ago, and the squirrels are getting ready for winter.
I also began my pastoral service, along with Matthew, a Boston seminarian who just joined my class at St. John's. We work on Friday afternoons/evenings at Sacred Heart parish in East Boston (very close to the airport). So far, we have made communion calls to the homebound, assisted at a wake service, and helped with a baptism preparation class. And we have eaten what was set before us every time we went out there. I guess that's to be expected in an Italian parish! The parish also has a substantial Vietnamese community, which I have yet to experience, but I thought it incredibly providential that I was placed in a parish of very similar ethnic composition as my own background!
Time to return to the race! We have been following the presidential/vice-presidential race and debates here, as well as participating in events in observance of the Year of Faith - hopefully more on these themes soon!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
I am now in the midst of midterm season, with an exam each week for four weeks: Patristics, Old Testament, Synoptic Gospels, and Fundamental Theology. This is a phenomenon I did not experience in college, when several classes had multiple midterms, which meant that my exam schedule was basically the first and last few weeks exam-free, and the middle just full of all kinds of exams - having a well-defined "it's midterms" season is a bit new, but so far, I like it.
We took a hike for Columbus Day - up Mt. Wachusett here in central Massachusetts - followed by dinner at Josh's parents' home in Holden. Their hospitality is always appreciated and ever so generous.
We also had a much-needed day of recollection on the feast of the Archangels; Fr. Peter Grover presented the corresponding accounts of the healing of a blind man on the road to Jericho in the three Synoptic Gospels, beginning with Mark's. He noted the significant differences and then showed us the basics of praying with scripture and what kinds of questions we could ask of the text to guide our meditation. Today's second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, reminds us of how useful this can be: "The word of God is living and effective, ... penetrating even between the soul and spirit."
Last night I gave a ferverino (short sermon) on today's Gospel reading; I focused on the theme of giving everything up, of giving ourselves over to the Lord when he calls us, joining ourselves to His Body and then receiving new brothers (fellow seminarians) and mother (Mary) as we begin this journey of formation in community with one another. I also invited my First Theology class over from St. John's Seminary and about a third of them were able to spend the evening with us. Being from a small congregation and the only one in my First Theology class there, it is good for the other men to see where and how we live, to have a fuller understanding of the community within which they are studying and what each of us bring to that community. Conversation often turns to family as we spend time together at the seminary, similar to college students asking each other what their major is or where they went to high school or grew up, and for me, part of my family situation is this religious family of which I am now a part.
I am glad to see Boston cooling off at this time of year - hopefully we will have a properly-snowy New England winter! The trees are changing colors and some have shed most of their leaves. The overnight low came down to 35 a couple days ago, and the squirrels are getting ready for winter.
I also began my pastoral service, along with Matthew, a Boston seminarian who just joined my class at St. John's. We work on Friday afternoons/evenings at Sacred Heart parish in East Boston (very close to the airport). So far, we have made communion calls to the homebound, assisted at a wake service, and helped with a baptism preparation class. And we have eaten what was set before us every time we went out there. I guess that's to be expected in an Italian parish! The parish also has a substantial Vietnamese community, which I have yet to experience, but I thought it incredibly providential that I was placed in a parish of very similar ethnic composition as my own background!
Time to return to the race! We have been following the presidential/vice-presidential race and debates here, as well as participating in events in observance of the Year of Faith - hopefully more on these themes soon!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Who Is He?
Today, the Gospel invites us to reflect on who Jesus is, and to make our assent of faith, that is, begin believing in who we discover Jesus is. At the same time, the second reading, from the letter of St. James, challenges us to also express our faith in good works, reminding us that both are necessary in Christian life.
Since my last post, I've had two weeks of classes, beginning my Master's level coursework in Theology. In a class called Fundamental Theology, which was formerly just apologetics (explaining the faith) and now includes a study of the source and nature of divine revelation as well as the history of its transmission according to apostolic succession and the magisterium (teaching office) of the Church, we have been looking first at the nature of divine revelation: what is it that God revealed to us about Himself and how did he do it?
One of the first places we looked was at the Old Testament revelations in the creation of the world, in the exodus from Egypt, and "the law and the prophets." This is all historical - moments of divine intervention in the course of human existence, and surely God has revealed Himself (made Himself known, at least partially) in our history (and continues to do so). But then "God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Gal 4:4) and revealed Himself by speaking not just with a human voice or human hands but through the entirety of human nature - this is revelation through the Incarnation of the Eternal Word of God - Jesus Christ. And it is precisely to this that today's Gospel directs our attention: Who is Jesus?
Fr. Salocks, who teaches my class on the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) pointed out that Peter could not have responded with such a distilled phrase as "the eschatological mediator of salvation" because those terms were simply foreign to his vocabulary... rather he recognized in Jesus the fulfillment of prophecy and noted His relationship with God the Father: You are the Christ, the Son of God. And so we can begin to express who God is for us and what it means that we have Him in our lives.
Fr. Peter Grover pointed out this morning in his homily that Peter's confession is, as the following verses demonstrate, incomplete. He thinks he knows Jesus, but he does not truly know Him until he witnesses His passion and self-sacrifice: this is the meaning of Jesus' rebuke of Peter. According to His cross, and the sign which he wore while carrying it, Jesus is "King of the Jews" (The Latin inscription INRI: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum and the Greek INBI: Ἰησους ὁ Ναζωραιος ὁ βασιλευς των Ἰουδαιων) but he is clearly no earthly king, not after wealth or riches or lands or power, being subject to death at the hands of men. Rather, He is the king of love, His Sacred Heart on fire with love for us, drawing us back to Himself despite our repeated shortcomings and failures.
Let us then appeal to this King of Love in the midst of so much violence around the world, praying that He who is also Wisdom incarnate might open the hearts and minds of all to His Love and Wisdom that we will be open to understanding one another and seeking each other's good, even at our own expense and sacrifice, following His example.
And please continue to pray for us seminarians as we settle into the new year of classes and formation, and for the great work being done to coordinate formation programs and foster vocations in all the Oblate foundations around the world. We are ever grateful for your support and include you in our prayers, trusting that what assistance you give us that may be known only to our Heavenly Father may be richly rewarded!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Since my last post, I've had two weeks of classes, beginning my Master's level coursework in Theology. In a class called Fundamental Theology, which was formerly just apologetics (explaining the faith) and now includes a study of the source and nature of divine revelation as well as the history of its transmission according to apostolic succession and the magisterium (teaching office) of the Church, we have been looking first at the nature of divine revelation: what is it that God revealed to us about Himself and how did he do it?
One of the first places we looked was at the Old Testament revelations in the creation of the world, in the exodus from Egypt, and "the law and the prophets." This is all historical - moments of divine intervention in the course of human existence, and surely God has revealed Himself (made Himself known, at least partially) in our history (and continues to do so). But then "God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Gal 4:4) and revealed Himself by speaking not just with a human voice or human hands but through the entirety of human nature - this is revelation through the Incarnation of the Eternal Word of God - Jesus Christ. And it is precisely to this that today's Gospel directs our attention: Who is Jesus?
Fr. Salocks, who teaches my class on the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) pointed out that Peter could not have responded with such a distilled phrase as "the eschatological mediator of salvation" because those terms were simply foreign to his vocabulary... rather he recognized in Jesus the fulfillment of prophecy and noted His relationship with God the Father: You are the Christ, the Son of God. And so we can begin to express who God is for us and what it means that we have Him in our lives.
Fr. Peter Grover pointed out this morning in his homily that Peter's confession is, as the following verses demonstrate, incomplete. He thinks he knows Jesus, but he does not truly know Him until he witnesses His passion and self-sacrifice: this is the meaning of Jesus' rebuke of Peter. According to His cross, and the sign which he wore while carrying it, Jesus is "King of the Jews" (The Latin inscription INRI: Iesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum and the Greek INBI: Ἰησους ὁ Ναζωραιος ὁ βασιλευς των Ἰουδαιων) but he is clearly no earthly king, not after wealth or riches or lands or power, being subject to death at the hands of men. Rather, He is the king of love, His Sacred Heart on fire with love for us, drawing us back to Himself despite our repeated shortcomings and failures.
Let us then appeal to this King of Love in the midst of so much violence around the world, praying that He who is also Wisdom incarnate might open the hearts and minds of all to His Love and Wisdom that we will be open to understanding one another and seeking each other's good, even at our own expense and sacrifice, following His example.
And please continue to pray for us seminarians as we settle into the new year of classes and formation, and for the great work being done to coordinate formation programs and foster vocations in all the Oblate foundations around the world. We are ever grateful for your support and include you in our prayers, trusting that what assistance you give us that may be known only to our Heavenly Father may be richly rewarded!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Tender Compassion
In the tender compassion of our God,This is from the end of the Canticle of Zechariah, found at the end of Luke 1, which is the gospel canticle for morning prayer every day.
the Dawn from on high shall break upon us,
do shine on those who dwell in darkness, and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
It also happens to be a passage that summarizes my retreat experience this past week, five days in silence alongside my brother seminarians at the beautiful St. Joseph's Retreat House in Milton. Following a typical Ignatian formula, we spent the first day reflecting on prayer itself, the second day on desire, the third on Ignatius' Principle & Foundation seeking the grace of detachment, the fourth day on sin and mercy, and the fifth day on Ignatius' Call of the King, which looks essentially at Vocation and our willingness to respond to God's invitation to us to grow in holiness and deepen our relationship with Him.
It was an amazing retreat! At times, the birds or the bees (literally) became a distraction (bees were drinking from a Bonsai planter in the sun as I was enjoying a cup of hot tea at lunch outside - not much different!), and at times other preoccupations would threaten the silence of my prayer, but overall, it was a very grace-filled time of renewal, and I am excited to begin Theology classes and continue in our formation program here, welcoming "the new guys" and enjoying the company of our returning seminarians.
And my Dominican sister-sister is writing even more frequently, which is also a joy for me! So I echo St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians (4:4): "Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again: Rejoice!" and remind myself to "Think of the Lord in goodness" (Wisdom 1:1) as we begin this new year.
May our good God, through the intercession of His Most Holy Mother, grant you every blessing! And, as the vocations directress for the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist once said: "Mutual prayers!"
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Monday, August 27, 2012
New Floors!
We have new floors! New room furniture is still en route, but the rooms are nice and simple, but very bright-feeling due to the new floors. Here are some pictures I took over the last couple days while unpacking things in my room.
Now we're off on retreat - please pray for us as we pray for you!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Now we're off on retreat - please pray for us as we pray for you!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Friday, August 24, 2012
Airplanes and Chinatown
Sounds like another fantastic movie I haven't seen!
Actually, "Airplanes and Chinatown" abstractly defines my imminent return to Boston for my third year of seminary formation. I'll fly a 1-stop flight from Los Angeles to New York's La Guardia, and then hike to Chinatown NYC to catch a bus to Boston's Chinatown, a solid 20-minute walk from home at St. Clement's. If you see me after this ordeal, ask me about it!
I am excited to go back. I'm told I often hide my excitement, so here it is in writing: I'm excited! It has been an incredibly busy summer, with lots of work and lots of get-togethers, and I've enjoyed being busy. But the time has come, as inevitably it does, and now I must return to the seminary in Boston.
In one sense, I haven't left - keeping most of the Liturgy of the Hours over the summer months is a constant reminder of the community I belong to. And I've kept in touch with my brother Oblate seminarians, hearing of their adventures and sharing mine. In another sense, I have definitely been away. The type of work I was doing (technical writing, computer programming, and various technical labor) was inconsistent with the work and study of a seminarian, and the spectrum of social interactions I was a part of during the summer are not typical of seminary life per se.
This discord or discrepancy is, at least, an opportunity for discernment. Seeing the contrast, to which lifestyle am I being called? What elements of each am I called to combine, and are they altogether compatible with one another? This is by no means science built from matrices of experimentations, most of which yield no result. But in our humanity, these questions can begin to frame our discernment.
For me, general sentiments have played a large part in my discernment so far. Noticing how I feel as I begin to consider one state or option is so very important - is this situation troubling me and how? How would I characterize my discomfort in considering this option - do negatives rightfully deter me from it or are perceived negatives actually positive challenges I am called to face? This is at the heart of St. Ignatius' discernment of spirits - understanding that for a soul in a particular state, the good spirit may either challenge or encourage, and the bad spirit the same, but we have to train ourselves to recognize and follow the possibly painful good, always.
So off I go, with good material for meditation, and with plenty of time to do it! I greatly appreciate and humbly request your prayers for me and my brothers, and offer mine for you. As Fr. Jeremy articulated this morning, your prayers bear the fruit of men and women being open to hear God's voice calling to them, and being open to his strengthening graces to respond to that call.
As always, let us place our lives in the hands of our Blessed Mother and beg her to offer us to Her Son!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Actually, "Airplanes and Chinatown" abstractly defines my imminent return to Boston for my third year of seminary formation. I'll fly a 1-stop flight from Los Angeles to New York's La Guardia, and then hike to Chinatown NYC to catch a bus to Boston's Chinatown, a solid 20-minute walk from home at St. Clement's. If you see me after this ordeal, ask me about it!
I am excited to go back. I'm told I often hide my excitement, so here it is in writing: I'm excited! It has been an incredibly busy summer, with lots of work and lots of get-togethers, and I've enjoyed being busy. But the time has come, as inevitably it does, and now I must return to the seminary in Boston.
In one sense, I haven't left - keeping most of the Liturgy of the Hours over the summer months is a constant reminder of the community I belong to. And I've kept in touch with my brother Oblate seminarians, hearing of their adventures and sharing mine. In another sense, I have definitely been away. The type of work I was doing (technical writing, computer programming, and various technical labor) was inconsistent with the work and study of a seminarian, and the spectrum of social interactions I was a part of during the summer are not typical of seminary life per se.
This discord or discrepancy is, at least, an opportunity for discernment. Seeing the contrast, to which lifestyle am I being called? What elements of each am I called to combine, and are they altogether compatible with one another? This is by no means science built from matrices of experimentations, most of which yield no result. But in our humanity, these questions can begin to frame our discernment.
For me, general sentiments have played a large part in my discernment so far. Noticing how I feel as I begin to consider one state or option is so very important - is this situation troubling me and how? How would I characterize my discomfort in considering this option - do negatives rightfully deter me from it or are perceived negatives actually positive challenges I am called to face? This is at the heart of St. Ignatius' discernment of spirits - understanding that for a soul in a particular state, the good spirit may either challenge or encourage, and the bad spirit the same, but we have to train ourselves to recognize and follow the possibly painful good, always.
So off I go, with good material for meditation, and with plenty of time to do it! I greatly appreciate and humbly request your prayers for me and my brothers, and offer mine for you. As Fr. Jeremy articulated this morning, your prayers bear the fruit of men and women being open to hear God's voice calling to them, and being open to his strengthening graces to respond to that call.
As always, let us place our lives in the hands of our Blessed Mother and beg her to offer us to Her Son!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Friday, July 27, 2012
Fly away!
It's been a month since my last post, and even longer since I really shared something here. Tomorrow morning my family and I will fly out to attend our sister, Sr. Anna Sophia's first profession of vows with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, TN. This is a really special moment for her and for us, considered in the terms of religious life to be her wedding day! And I think I can share similar sentiments with the exclamation: "My little sister's getting married!" Only in our case, without the anxiety that often accompanies it.
So I humbly ask your prayers for her and for our travels. I also ask you for your prayerful support of our newest Oblate priest, currently Deacon John Luong, OMV, who will be ordained by Archbishop José Gomez the following Saturday, August 4, 2012 at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church.
This summer has been a very packed summer for me, working full time doing technical work and having little time at home. The family time that I have had has been great, and it's nice to be in my hometown to also visit with friends from high school and college and go to some of the places we frequented when we were studying together.
It has also been nice to be close to the Oblate community here, to have that sense of continuity, even though I am not living at the rectory or taking part in all of their daily schedule.
In my ongoing discernment, I am continually reminded of one of the more common signs of vocation, identified in a powerful way by an Apostle of the Sacred Heart sister during my visit with the Redemptorists in New York a few years back. And that is that we can discover our vocation and become convinced of what we discover by the deepest desires of our heart. A question I pose to myself and which others have asked me recently is: "How sure are you?" And by boiling down the signs I have received and my peace of mind and precisely these deepest desires, I am able to say: "I'm sure!" We have to leave room for God to intervene and understand Him to have said that I was supposed to be there then but that there are new plans. That is a possibility, and it is also a possibility that I have made mistakes in discernment and treated as clear something that was not. But moments like the one I had last week serve to confirm what I have discerned thus far - waking up with the singular phrase and sentiment: "In my heart of hearts, I want to be in Boston." And it is these treasured moments that carry us through.
So we set off with a lot of excitement to spend time with our new extended family of new Dominicans and their families, and then visit more family in the southeast before coming home for a couple weeks before I return to Boston for First Theology. Again, quite the appropriate finish to my jam-packed summer!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
So I humbly ask your prayers for her and for our travels. I also ask you for your prayerful support of our newest Oblate priest, currently Deacon John Luong, OMV, who will be ordained by Archbishop José Gomez the following Saturday, August 4, 2012 at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church.
This summer has been a very packed summer for me, working full time doing technical work and having little time at home. The family time that I have had has been great, and it's nice to be in my hometown to also visit with friends from high school and college and go to some of the places we frequented when we were studying together.
It has also been nice to be close to the Oblate community here, to have that sense of continuity, even though I am not living at the rectory or taking part in all of their daily schedule.
In my ongoing discernment, I am continually reminded of one of the more common signs of vocation, identified in a powerful way by an Apostle of the Sacred Heart sister during my visit with the Redemptorists in New York a few years back. And that is that we can discover our vocation and become convinced of what we discover by the deepest desires of our heart. A question I pose to myself and which others have asked me recently is: "How sure are you?" And by boiling down the signs I have received and my peace of mind and precisely these deepest desires, I am able to say: "I'm sure!" We have to leave room for God to intervene and understand Him to have said that I was supposed to be there then but that there are new plans. That is a possibility, and it is also a possibility that I have made mistakes in discernment and treated as clear something that was not. But moments like the one I had last week serve to confirm what I have discerned thus far - waking up with the singular phrase and sentiment: "In my heart of hearts, I want to be in Boston." And it is these treasured moments that carry us through.
So we set off with a lot of excitement to spend time with our new extended family of new Dominicans and their families, and then visit more family in the southeast before coming home for a couple weeks before I return to Boston for First Theology. Again, quite the appropriate finish to my jam-packed summer!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Sunday, June 24, 2012
For Religious Liberty
As so many pastors and Church leaders have taken the opportunity today to extend the Bishops' invitation to stand up for the full meaning of Religious Liberty to their flocks, I also wanted to provide some resources via this blog. From Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, find his opening message and homily on YouTube. From the Archdiocese of Boston, find Cardinal Sean O'Malley's address and various materials: www.bostoncatholic.org/Freedom.
Today's celebration is particularly interesting because June 24 is the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist. As Fr. Bill Neubecker, OMV pointed out this morning at St. Peter Chanel, John was an outspoken activist politically, challenging the immorality of his king, Herod. This characteristic makes him a great patron of this particular movement in the Church and in our country, giving us an example of where we must draw our bottom line in insisting upon the dignity of all of humanity and the standards that this dignity demands. Fr. Bill and Archbishop Gomez both insist that Religious Liberty has always encompassed more than freedom of worship and faith; it also includes the freedom of conscience, to be able to follow our faith-based morality without coercion.
Fr. Larry Darnell, in his brief talk this past Thursday to open the Fortnight observance at St. Peter Chanel, addressed the fact that most charitable activities of the Catholic Church, if they are not limited to serving only Catholics, effectively declassify that church or institution of its religious status. That is, by exercising the Christian spirit of charity toward all human persons in their basic needs, those institutions become legally non-Christian and thereby waive their First Amendment protections. This is huge! This kind of disqualification policy certainly does not flow from the sentiments in which our founding fathers fled their homeland and certainly does not reflect the decades of legal and judicial process in this country up to this point.
As Fr. Bill also pointed out this morning, echoing the warning of Pope Benedict XVI during the US Bishops' Ad limina visit to the Vatican, what we are experiencing is a radical secularization in our culture - a forceful removal of God from every public equation, and now extending into citizens' private affairs as well. And the Pope has written extensively on the topic of secularization and its dangers both here and in various European countries, as I was fortunate to read in my Contemporary Philosophy class this past Fall.
Joining with the whole Church, let us again implore the intercession of Mary Immaculate and the Forerunner, John the Baptist, for the restoration of the protections that millions of Americans agree religion deserves, and for the swift repentance of this great nation in every way.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Today's celebration is particularly interesting because June 24 is the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist. As Fr. Bill Neubecker, OMV pointed out this morning at St. Peter Chanel, John was an outspoken activist politically, challenging the immorality of his king, Herod. This characteristic makes him a great patron of this particular movement in the Church and in our country, giving us an example of where we must draw our bottom line in insisting upon the dignity of all of humanity and the standards that this dignity demands. Fr. Bill and Archbishop Gomez both insist that Religious Liberty has always encompassed more than freedom of worship and faith; it also includes the freedom of conscience, to be able to follow our faith-based morality without coercion.
Fr. Larry Darnell, in his brief talk this past Thursday to open the Fortnight observance at St. Peter Chanel, addressed the fact that most charitable activities of the Catholic Church, if they are not limited to serving only Catholics, effectively declassify that church or institution of its religious status. That is, by exercising the Christian spirit of charity toward all human persons in their basic needs, those institutions become legally non-Christian and thereby waive their First Amendment protections. This is huge! This kind of disqualification policy certainly does not flow from the sentiments in which our founding fathers fled their homeland and certainly does not reflect the decades of legal and judicial process in this country up to this point.
As Fr. Bill also pointed out this morning, echoing the warning of Pope Benedict XVI during the US Bishops' Ad limina visit to the Vatican, what we are experiencing is a radical secularization in our culture - a forceful removal of God from every public equation, and now extending into citizens' private affairs as well. And the Pope has written extensively on the topic of secularization and its dangers both here and in various European countries, as I was fortunate to read in my Contemporary Philosophy class this past Fall.
Joining with the whole Church, let us again implore the intercession of Mary Immaculate and the Forerunner, John the Baptist, for the restoration of the protections that millions of Americans agree religion deserves, and for the swift repentance of this great nation in every way.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Fortnight for Freedom
It's been a month since my last post! How the time flies!
I've been working, doing software development and IT work up in Burbank, plus some website-related and Oblate-related tech work on the side. It's been great being home and spending time with friends and the Oblates out here.
In the name of both truth and charity, as this blog is named, I wanted to make sure you are all aware of the US Bishops' call to observe the two weeks beginning today as the "Fortnight for Freedom" - an observance of "prayer, study, catechesis, and public action" surrounding the topic of religious liberty. This time period was chosen as it leads up to the commemoration of Independence Day on the secular calendar, and contains several saints who fought for their rights to religion despite political persecution.
I therefore invite you to visit the USCCB page, and inquire at your local parishes as to how you can participate more fully in this event, which calls us to invest ourselves in learning about what religious liberty means and why it is important that it be preserved.
At our Oblate parish in Hawaiian Gardens, CA, Saint Peter Chanel Catholic Church (12001 East 214th Street, Hawaiian Gardens, CA 90716), we will host the following events:
I hope you can join us or find ways to participate in your area. Let us entrust this time and our nation once again to Our Lady of Guadalupe, our patroness, trusting in her motherly care for us and her powerful intercession with her Son on our behalf.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
I've been working, doing software development and IT work up in Burbank, plus some website-related and Oblate-related tech work on the side. It's been great being home and spending time with friends and the Oblates out here.
In the name of both truth and charity, as this blog is named, I wanted to make sure you are all aware of the US Bishops' call to observe the two weeks beginning today as the "Fortnight for Freedom" - an observance of "prayer, study, catechesis, and public action" surrounding the topic of religious liberty. This time period was chosen as it leads up to the commemoration of Independence Day on the secular calendar, and contains several saints who fought for their rights to religion despite political persecution.
I therefore invite you to visit the USCCB page, and inquire at your local parishes as to how you can participate more fully in this event, which calls us to invest ourselves in learning about what religious liberty means and why it is important that it be preserved.
At our Oblate parish in Hawaiian Gardens, CA, Saint Peter Chanel Catholic Church (12001 East 214th Street, Hawaiian Gardens, CA 90716), we will host the following events:
- Holy Hour - June 21, 2012, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm: praying that the religious liberty of the American Catholic can be preserved.
- Talk - June 25, 2012, from 7:45 to 8:45 pm in the Old Church: Fr. Larry will give a talk on St. Thomas More and the present crisis of Religious Liberty.
- Holy Hour - June 28, 2012, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm: praying that the religious liberty of the American Catholic can be preserved.
- Talk - July 2, 2012, from 7:45 pm to 8:45 pm, in the Old Church: Fr. Larry Darnell and Fr. Ed Broom will have a talk on the Formation of Conscience on religious matters and politics. The life of some saints will be given as examples.
- Holy Hour - July 5, 2012, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm: praying that the religious liberty of the American Catholic can be preserved.
I hope you can join us or find ways to participate in your area. Let us entrust this time and our nation once again to Our Lady of Guadalupe, our patroness, trusting in her motherly care for us and her powerful intercession with her Son on our behalf.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Home!
I'm now a quarter of the way through formation program with the Oblates! Of course, the numbers are less significant than the progress of actual formation, and the 8-year program that is mostly governed by academics is really meant to be sufficient foundation for ongoing formation.
All of that said, it is great to close out a wonderful year in Boston! We all grew tremendously, both individually and as a community. I continue to stress that my favorite aspect of this year's experience is the community aspect - recognizing that our having come together and everything that we shared together and all of our interactions and the ways that we learned from our struggles and supported one another are really a work of God in which we are mere cooperators. Yes, we came as full persons, each with his own story of calling, and yes, as persons, we engaged in all of the community experiences that we shared, but it was the grace of God that was present drawing us together and sustaining us through the exams and the housework, our ministry and our vacations.
Now I'm home for a few months (until late August), with time to relax (and enjoy the Long Beach weather) and time to work. I'm a bit sad, being separated from the Oblates who were involved in formation directly, as well as the others in the Boston community around St. Clement's Shrine, and the other seminarians at St. John's. But it's great to be home with family and friends, and still to be near the Oblates in Hawaiian Gardens.
As much as I get to look back on this past year, I also get to look forward to what the Fall will bring. Hopefully, we will have some new postulants in the house, and we'll also have some changes in the professed community. I will begin Theology studies, which will be a bit of a transition for me, with probably more reading and writing and a different kind of precision from science or philosophy, though the hand-in-hand operation of fides et ratio will certainly be in play.
So here's to an enjoyable summer!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
All of that said, it is great to close out a wonderful year in Boston! We all grew tremendously, both individually and as a community. I continue to stress that my favorite aspect of this year's experience is the community aspect - recognizing that our having come together and everything that we shared together and all of our interactions and the ways that we learned from our struggles and supported one another are really a work of God in which we are mere cooperators. Yes, we came as full persons, each with his own story of calling, and yes, as persons, we engaged in all of the community experiences that we shared, but it was the grace of God that was present drawing us together and sustaining us through the exams and the housework, our ministry and our vacations.
Now I'm home for a few months (until late August), with time to relax (and enjoy the Long Beach weather) and time to work. I'm a bit sad, being separated from the Oblates who were involved in formation directly, as well as the others in the Boston community around St. Clement's Shrine, and the other seminarians at St. John's. But it's great to be home with family and friends, and still to be near the Oblates in Hawaiian Gardens.
As much as I get to look back on this past year, I also get to look forward to what the Fall will bring. Hopefully, we will have some new postulants in the house, and we'll also have some changes in the professed community. I will begin Theology studies, which will be a bit of a transition for me, with probably more reading and writing and a different kind of precision from science or philosophy, though the hand-in-hand operation of fides et ratio will certainly be in play.
So here's to an enjoyable summer!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Obama's stance on same-sex marriage
If you haven't seen the video yet, I think it's important to not only read what comes out of various offices and what is reported on various public figures' remarks, but also to hear and see it from them directly. Here is a link to an article with the video clip and somewhat of a transcript, as well as links to longer video segments:
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/president-obama-affirms-his-support-for-same-sex-marriage.html
LifeSiteNews has a more critical article that incorporates Obama's history of statements on the issue, in more substantial detail:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/obama-says-his-support-for-same-sex-marriage-based-on-the-golden-rule
I think that it is important to note that Obama seems uncomfortable delivering these remarks, as though his "affirmation" (his term) is hesitating: "at a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married" could nonsubstantively be reduced to "I think same sex couples should be able to get married". It gave me great hope to see Secretary Sibelius (HHS) shifting her weight nervously and struggling to hold a blank expression as Obama announced the controversial January mandate to her department. Obama's hesitating expressions, especially in the critical moment in this statement on same-sex marriages, as well as Secretary Sibelius' nervous body language, give evidence of the intuitive notion that what was just spoken was incorrect. This realization is precisely the fissure in the dam that will ultimately burst wide the floodgates of truth.
Oh, how we pray for the day when those who hold tight to the self-defeating doctrine of relativism will realize their folly. It's not that "I have the truth and you don't," however true or false this may be, and in degrees of truth and falsehood; rather, it is the case that the truth is out there: I seek it, and relativists reject or ignore it. The truth speaks for itself, and sets us free.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/president-obama-affirms-his-support-for-same-sex-marriage.html
LifeSiteNews has a more critical article that incorporates Obama's history of statements on the issue, in more substantial detail:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/obama-says-his-support-for-same-sex-marriage-based-on-the-golden-rule
I think that it is important to note that Obama seems uncomfortable delivering these remarks, as though his "affirmation" (his term) is hesitating: "at a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married" could nonsubstantively be reduced to "I think same sex couples should be able to get married". It gave me great hope to see Secretary Sibelius (HHS) shifting her weight nervously and struggling to hold a blank expression as Obama announced the controversial January mandate to her department. Obama's hesitating expressions, especially in the critical moment in this statement on same-sex marriages, as well as Secretary Sibelius' nervous body language, give evidence of the intuitive notion that what was just spoken was incorrect. This realization is precisely the fissure in the dam that will ultimately burst wide the floodgates of truth.
Oh, how we pray for the day when those who hold tight to the self-defeating doctrine of relativism will realize their folly. It's not that "I have the truth and you don't," however true or false this may be, and in degrees of truth and falsehood; rather, it is the case that the truth is out there: I seek it, and relativists reject or ignore it. The truth speaks for itself, and sets us free.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Government rant
I just received this Obama Administration email from David Plouffe (Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama). Here are the opening lines:
Huh??? Ok legislative process is slow and cumbersome because of having to satisfy so many interests. So definitely agree with "concern ... inaction" in Congress "this year." Notice how that first paragraph is book-ended with "Americans" capitalized and plural - see how much that says about the appeal of this message?
But look at the following paragraph. It presumes that we were trying to work without Congress ("but we need [it]"), which, in fact, is precisely what Obama has tried to do. In fact, he said in his January speech making the HHS mandate public, that he was, in very similar words, "tired of waiting for Congress" and that "we needed to do this faster" than Congress could or would.
And "Obama is doing everything in his power" - in fact, he's overstepping. And then "not surprisingly" - because it's in the Constitution - we "require legislation" to "move our economy forward."
Plouffe, on behalf of the Obama administration, appeals to the middle class, then, creating an atmosphere of urgency - a critical window of incredible opportunity, but how hesitating is the language that follows? "to move forward" and "create jobs" (but not fill them) and "help restore" but not restore. Perhaps it's being realistic, but so much of politics is about cloud-surfing idealism at this stage in the game...
Along the same lines, after detailing the President's checklist of the next economic recovery legislation he is pushing, Plouffe closes with the following:
This whole game (honestly what so much of politics is) stands in the starkest contrast to everything that I'm studying about philosophy and its applications and ramifications for both personal and state ethics and understanding the values that should motivate personal as well as political action and policy.
Come on, America, wake back up and let's do things right, because there is such a thing as right; there must be.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Good afternoon --
Most Americans are concerned that all we'll see from Congress this year is inaction. Count me as one of those Americans.
But the fact is we need Congress. President Obama is doing everything in his power to move our economy forward. Not surprisingly though, the proposals with the biggest impact require legislation.
So at this make-or-break moment for the middle class, the President has called on Congress to move forward with a concrete plan that creates jobs and helps restore middle class security.
Huh??? Ok legislative process is slow and cumbersome because of having to satisfy so many interests. So definitely agree with "concern ... inaction" in Congress "this year." Notice how that first paragraph is book-ended with "Americans" capitalized and plural - see how much that says about the appeal of this message?
But look at the following paragraph. It presumes that we were trying to work without Congress ("but we need [it]"), which, in fact, is precisely what Obama has tried to do. In fact, he said in his January speech making the HHS mandate public, that he was, in very similar words, "tired of waiting for Congress" and that "we needed to do this faster" than Congress could or would.
And "Obama is doing everything in his power" - in fact, he's overstepping. And then "not surprisingly" - because it's in the Constitution - we "require legislation" to "move our economy forward."
Plouffe, on behalf of the Obama administration, appeals to the middle class, then, creating an atmosphere of urgency - a critical window of incredible opportunity, but how hesitating is the language that follows? "to move forward" and "create jobs" (but not fill them) and "help restore" but not restore. Perhaps it's being realistic, but so much of politics is about cloud-surfing idealism at this stage in the game...
Along the same lines, after detailing the President's checklist of the next economic recovery legislation he is pushing, Plouffe closes with the following:
That's it. It's straightforward and entirely within Congress's power to pass and send to the President for his signature.It's a further appeal to the American people that Congress is so ineffective that the President must hold their hands and spoon-feed them ideas for new laws, and based on what we have seen, it's even more than that - it's a threat to "pass this or else" - and the "or else" is that Obama will once again push his Executive branch over the edge and press an agency to do his dirty work in the regulatory sphere so that the public will come back and beg Congress to give in. Seriously.
This whole game (honestly what so much of politics is) stands in the starkest contrast to everything that I'm studying about philosophy and its applications and ramifications for both personal and state ethics and understanding the values that should motivate personal as well as political action and policy.
Come on, America, wake back up and let's do things right, because there is such a thing as right; there must be.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Monday, May 07, 2012
People People
So my last post was April 12... and so much has happened in the past month! We had a day of recollection, celebrated with the transitional deacons who will be ordained priests this summer, attended the closing ceremonies at Boston's Eucharistic Congress for young adults and college students, and filmed interviews for the upcoming Seminarian Scholarship Dinner, and I donated platelets twice (I am a regular bi-weekly platelet donor with the Red Cross).
Continuing (to some extent) the theme of my previous post, I would like to share a little bit about what is commonly referred to as the "people person" disposition. What I understand it to refer to is people who have a natural tendency or inclination to interact with others, to be personable, both in sharing their emotions and being willing to receive others' sharing of emotions, and in all of these ways, to enter into communion with others (to use a more theological phrase).
I have found that in my formation, which is as much instructive (someone teaching or sharing their experience) as it is experiential on a personal level (the program providing opportunities to discover more about myself and about the life and work of priests and religious, especially Oblates), I have come to be more of a people-person.
This past month has been evidence of this, as I was reflecting with my spiritual director recently. I discovered in my journal that the past month has been full of various encounters and "conversations" (the word I frequently used in my journal) that have led to my realizing some insight or helping someone else to, or just receiving the consolation and gratification that comes from/with being present to someone who needed to share a troubling incident and their reactions to it or discuss their reactions to some news that we all received.
It's these moments of deeper contact among persons, and in our sharing, that the communion to which Christ called His church is realized. We have evidence of this in our innate longing for human relationships that complement and support us, and elevating those relationships by the infusion of the divine love that we are called to express to one another is how the fullest sense of communion is reached.
We were just reflecting in our Introduction to Sacred Scripture class this morning that, when we pray the psalms, our personal disposition may be quite opposed to what is expressed in the psalm (a state of joy, yet reading a psalm of lamentation or despair). This becomes, then, an opportunity to pray these psalms for those who are in a state that would be helped by what the psalm expresses, giving voice to others' longing for redemption or consolation, for justification or the return of their former prosperity. They can be an opportunity for us, when saddened or angry, to rejoice with those who are happy, celebrating their reception of grace and their blessedness. It is this kind of communion, of sharing in each other's experiences, that characterizes the heights of our life on this earth.
While I am both distant and isolated from my younger sister, Sr. Anna Sophia, who is a novice preparing to make her First Profession of Religious Vows this summer, we have a great sense of closeness based on precisely this sense of communion. Through our letters, we are able to share our experiences that most affect us, and to reassure each other of our prayers for one another. I also know that due to her daily schedule (and the difference in time zones), we actually pray Morning Prayer at the same time each day, using the same universal prayers of the Church, and in this way, also express this communion of persons.
Coming from a background of computer science (though I did pursue a minor concentration in speech/communication studies), I never quite identified with the "people person" idea. I appreciated silence, and often found it difficult to initiate conversations or really enter into the situation of my "conversation partner." I have been learning now that this is inherent to communion, and that I actually want to be that present to others in conversation and in ministry. In personality psychology, it has been identified that, on the spectrum of introversion–extroversion, a great many "quiet" people are, in fact, extroverts, in that they draw their energy and drive from others, rather than finding it within. I was surprised by this phenomenon when I took a simple survey that classified me as an extrovert, though I was not the outgoing, center-of-the-party guy that I thought exemplified that label.
I also see my own growth in this area of "people-people" in how I interact with the guys in the house, in my perceptiveness of my own relationships with each of them, and in my conscious efforts along those lines to seek opportunities to deepen the relationships that I feel are more distant. We are not machines, and we are not programmable, by many means. But I believe that the desire that has been placed in our hearts for communion with one another merits our attention to fostering growth in that communion, and that our common human dignity demands it.
In this world in which we seek so often to reduce our reality to cold, hard, facts and measurable empirical data, let us strive all the more to maintain those aspects of our experience that remain unquantifiable, that transcend the confines of the technical sciences, and that, ultimately, give real and lasting meaning to our lives.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Continuing (to some extent) the theme of my previous post, I would like to share a little bit about what is commonly referred to as the "people person" disposition. What I understand it to refer to is people who have a natural tendency or inclination to interact with others, to be personable, both in sharing their emotions and being willing to receive others' sharing of emotions, and in all of these ways, to enter into communion with others (to use a more theological phrase).
I have found that in my formation, which is as much instructive (someone teaching or sharing their experience) as it is experiential on a personal level (the program providing opportunities to discover more about myself and about the life and work of priests and religious, especially Oblates), I have come to be more of a people-person.
This past month has been evidence of this, as I was reflecting with my spiritual director recently. I discovered in my journal that the past month has been full of various encounters and "conversations" (the word I frequently used in my journal) that have led to my realizing some insight or helping someone else to, or just receiving the consolation and gratification that comes from/with being present to someone who needed to share a troubling incident and their reactions to it or discuss their reactions to some news that we all received.
It's these moments of deeper contact among persons, and in our sharing, that the communion to which Christ called His church is realized. We have evidence of this in our innate longing for human relationships that complement and support us, and elevating those relationships by the infusion of the divine love that we are called to express to one another is how the fullest sense of communion is reached.
We were just reflecting in our Introduction to Sacred Scripture class this morning that, when we pray the psalms, our personal disposition may be quite opposed to what is expressed in the psalm (a state of joy, yet reading a psalm of lamentation or despair). This becomes, then, an opportunity to pray these psalms for those who are in a state that would be helped by what the psalm expresses, giving voice to others' longing for redemption or consolation, for justification or the return of their former prosperity. They can be an opportunity for us, when saddened or angry, to rejoice with those who are happy, celebrating their reception of grace and their blessedness. It is this kind of communion, of sharing in each other's experiences, that characterizes the heights of our life on this earth.
While I am both distant and isolated from my younger sister, Sr. Anna Sophia, who is a novice preparing to make her First Profession of Religious Vows this summer, we have a great sense of closeness based on precisely this sense of communion. Through our letters, we are able to share our experiences that most affect us, and to reassure each other of our prayers for one another. I also know that due to her daily schedule (and the difference in time zones), we actually pray Morning Prayer at the same time each day, using the same universal prayers of the Church, and in this way, also express this communion of persons.
Coming from a background of computer science (though I did pursue a minor concentration in speech/communication studies), I never quite identified with the "people person" idea. I appreciated silence, and often found it difficult to initiate conversations or really enter into the situation of my "conversation partner." I have been learning now that this is inherent to communion, and that I actually want to be that present to others in conversation and in ministry. In personality psychology, it has been identified that, on the spectrum of introversion–extroversion, a great many "quiet" people are, in fact, extroverts, in that they draw their energy and drive from others, rather than finding it within. I was surprised by this phenomenon when I took a simple survey that classified me as an extrovert, though I was not the outgoing, center-of-the-party guy that I thought exemplified that label.
I also see my own growth in this area of "people-people" in how I interact with the guys in the house, in my perceptiveness of my own relationships with each of them, and in my conscious efforts along those lines to seek opportunities to deepen the relationships that I feel are more distant. We are not machines, and we are not programmable, by many means. But I believe that the desire that has been placed in our hearts for communion with one another merits our attention to fostering growth in that communion, and that our common human dignity demands it.
In this world in which we seek so often to reduce our reality to cold, hard, facts and measurable empirical data, let us strive all the more to maintain those aspects of our experience that remain unquantifiable, that transcend the confines of the technical sciences, and that, ultimately, give real and lasting meaning to our lives.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Joy
Last week, I posted about the Easter Triduum, and that post was well-read; I'm glad that so many stopped by and got something out of it.
For me, having entered so deeply into the observance of Holy Week, contemplating the mystery of the Lord's Passion in its totality, and feeling the weight of my own cross, in a particular way in preparing for those celebrations, I was struck with awe at the Easter Vigil's proclamation of the resurrection - I got to share in those first disciples' wonder when the lights came on and we sung the Gloria and then celebrated the "fullness of time" and the height of the Paschal mystery in the Resurrection.
I also knew that my best friend was preparing to begin the Easter Vigil at her own parish, at which she would be baptized, confirmed, and receive Holy Communion for the first time. Our closeness first as academic colleagues and student leaders, which deepened into a supportive and trusting friendship, is now complemented by full communion in the Body of Christ, the Church, and it is an awesome occasion for rejoicing!
Yesterday I read a blog post (also from Easter Sunday) by an audacious student leader whom I met through the University Honors Program at Cal State Long Beach, someone whose talent for creative writing I've enjoyed via her blog. She has written about heartbreak and the challenges of law school as she chases her dreams, trying to hang on to good friends and cope with betrayal. But this time, she wrote about rediscovering her Catholic faith over the preceding several weeks, and the little old woman she refers to as her "Chicago abuelita" (Spanish for grandmother) who both inspired her and was inspired by her. This is the kind of story that likewise brings me joy and indeed the whole Church, in some mysterious way, is improved by this opening of one more heart, created for God's love, to receive it more fully.
And even further, I received an email from a young woman I met while studying abroad in Switzerland; it is a funny story. A colleague in the study-abroad program caught the train with me to Geneva one Sunday so that we could both attend our respective services. As he and I met up afterward and were beginning to look for a place to eat, two young women stopped us to ask for directions... we basically said that we were also new to the town and we hadn't yet seen the street they mentioned. When we parted ways, we had not taken but a few steps when we saw the street they were looking for, so we ran back to show them. It turns out they were also looking for a place to eat, that had been recommended them, and they invited us to join them. Brunch was fabulous and we swapped contact information; though they were Lebanese and in Switzerland for various reasons, it may have been somewhat odd to pretend that we might keep in touch. As it turns out, I have kept in touch with one of them over the almost 4 years now since we met there. Back to my point: I received this email from her this morning sharing a positive development in her personal life that gave her much joy, but more than just sharing in her happiness over her own situation, she also expressed a kind of zealous excitement in encouraging me to continue along this path of priestly formation, offering her prayers and thanking me for mine and those of my Dominican sister, and also taking inspiration from the parents of St. Therese de Lisieux in our common "fight for sanctity" (her words).
This convergence of so many causes for rejoicing, at the height of the Church's calendar and these moments of profound conversion and grace in the lives of these wonderful people really struck me this week!
I notice I've only spoken of women thus far (odd for a seminarian?)... two of my Oblate brothers also experienced some deeply moving events that were cause for rejoicing and which they shared with me over the past week: one, a recognition of how I participated (unknowingly) in his coming to terms with a serious event in his life, and another, just in the simple yet honest and deeply truthful sharing of our experience of growth in religious life.
It is said in the Gospels that there is much rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than 99 righteous without need for repentance. It is also said that the whole Church feels both the sufferings and joys of each of its members, through the mysterious communion of the Body of Christ. This is something we can hear and ponder, but, because it is mystery, we often do not grasp its gravity. This week, I experienced very deeply the sense of ripples of joy spreading over the whole Church, humbly receiving them as the very real and profoundly impactful experiences of these particular people that I know. The element of suffering is, unfortunately, present as well, and I ask that you please join me in prayer for those who have died recently, among them, the sister of a brother Oblate, who lived a full life and leaves him as the only survivor of his immediate family; and the grandmother of a college dorm-mate; may they rest in peace.
Now, like Mary at the Finding of Jesus in the temple, let us "ponder these things" in our hearts, and look forward, with Easter Joy, to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the commemoration of the birth of the Church, who we are!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
For me, having entered so deeply into the observance of Holy Week, contemplating the mystery of the Lord's Passion in its totality, and feeling the weight of my own cross, in a particular way in preparing for those celebrations, I was struck with awe at the Easter Vigil's proclamation of the resurrection - I got to share in those first disciples' wonder when the lights came on and we sung the Gloria and then celebrated the "fullness of time" and the height of the Paschal mystery in the Resurrection.
I also knew that my best friend was preparing to begin the Easter Vigil at her own parish, at which she would be baptized, confirmed, and receive Holy Communion for the first time. Our closeness first as academic colleagues and student leaders, which deepened into a supportive and trusting friendship, is now complemented by full communion in the Body of Christ, the Church, and it is an awesome occasion for rejoicing!
Yesterday I read a blog post (also from Easter Sunday) by an audacious student leader whom I met through the University Honors Program at Cal State Long Beach, someone whose talent for creative writing I've enjoyed via her blog. She has written about heartbreak and the challenges of law school as she chases her dreams, trying to hang on to good friends and cope with betrayal. But this time, she wrote about rediscovering her Catholic faith over the preceding several weeks, and the little old woman she refers to as her "Chicago abuelita" (Spanish for grandmother) who both inspired her and was inspired by her. This is the kind of story that likewise brings me joy and indeed the whole Church, in some mysterious way, is improved by this opening of one more heart, created for God's love, to receive it more fully.
And even further, I received an email from a young woman I met while studying abroad in Switzerland; it is a funny story. A colleague in the study-abroad program caught the train with me to Geneva one Sunday so that we could both attend our respective services. As he and I met up afterward and were beginning to look for a place to eat, two young women stopped us to ask for directions... we basically said that we were also new to the town and we hadn't yet seen the street they mentioned. When we parted ways, we had not taken but a few steps when we saw the street they were looking for, so we ran back to show them. It turns out they were also looking for a place to eat, that had been recommended them, and they invited us to join them. Brunch was fabulous and we swapped contact information; though they were Lebanese and in Switzerland for various reasons, it may have been somewhat odd to pretend that we might keep in touch. As it turns out, I have kept in touch with one of them over the almost 4 years now since we met there. Back to my point: I received this email from her this morning sharing a positive development in her personal life that gave her much joy, but more than just sharing in her happiness over her own situation, she also expressed a kind of zealous excitement in encouraging me to continue along this path of priestly formation, offering her prayers and thanking me for mine and those of my Dominican sister, and also taking inspiration from the parents of St. Therese de Lisieux in our common "fight for sanctity" (her words).
This convergence of so many causes for rejoicing, at the height of the Church's calendar and these moments of profound conversion and grace in the lives of these wonderful people really struck me this week!
I notice I've only spoken of women thus far (odd for a seminarian?)... two of my Oblate brothers also experienced some deeply moving events that were cause for rejoicing and which they shared with me over the past week: one, a recognition of how I participated (unknowingly) in his coming to terms with a serious event in his life, and another, just in the simple yet honest and deeply truthful sharing of our experience of growth in religious life.
It is said in the Gospels that there is much rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than 99 righteous without need for repentance. It is also said that the whole Church feels both the sufferings and joys of each of its members, through the mysterious communion of the Body of Christ. This is something we can hear and ponder, but, because it is mystery, we often do not grasp its gravity. This week, I experienced very deeply the sense of ripples of joy spreading over the whole Church, humbly receiving them as the very real and profoundly impactful experiences of these particular people that I know. The element of suffering is, unfortunately, present as well, and I ask that you please join me in prayer for those who have died recently, among them, the sister of a brother Oblate, who lived a full life and leaves him as the only survivor of his immediate family; and the grandmother of a college dorm-mate; may they rest in peace.
Now, like Mary at the Finding of Jesus in the temple, let us "ponder these things" in our hearts, and look forward, with Easter Joy, to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the commemoration of the birth of the Church, who we are!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Triduum Sanctum
Buona Pasqua! (Italian greeting for "Happy Easter")
I had begun planning this post yesterday (Holy Saturday) but did not have a chance to finish it, due to all of the preparatory activities for our celebration of the Easter Vigil here.
According to Wikipedia, which cites catholicliturgy.org, the Paschal Triduum is "the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday (the vigil of Good Friday) and ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday, the three-day period therefore from the evening of Maundy Thursday (excluding most of Thursday) to the evening of Resurrection Sunday."
My Holy Week observance began with the celebration of Passion (Palm) Sunday, on which we commemorate Jesus' joyful entrance into Jerusalem and then anticipate his Passion and death. That liturgy really set the tone for the week, giving us a dramatic descent into the tomb to await the Resurrection the following Sunday.
We took the men who are visiting us this week to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for the Chrism Mass on Tuesday. It is a beautiful expression of the union of the ordained ministers, as deacons (both permanent and transitional), priests, bishops, and the Metropolitan of the local Greek Orthodox church attended. The priests all renew their promises to the Church and the bishop blesses the oils of the sick and of catechumens and consecrates the holy Chrism after mixing the balsam perfume into the olive oil. Chrism is used in consecrations and recalls the ancient practice of anointing prophets and kings, and in the Christian tradition, priests (on the palms) and bishops (on the head). This three-fold office that the Chrism is used to set someone apart for is the central mystery of Christ's work: he commissioned his disciples, and in turn, all believers, to participate in his work of ordering creation to himself [kingly], which includes discipline of ourselves to curb vices and cultivate virtue; his work of announcing the Word that He is [prophetic], including the teaching office of the Church (Magisterium) as well as the example of our own lives; and consecrating the world to Him and offering our lives as a sacrifice along with Him on the Cross [priestly]. All the baptized are called to participate in this work that Christ showed us, and in so doing, open themselves to receive sanctifying grace in abundance.
I always enjoy attending the Chrism Mass to see that grand expression of the priesthood, with over 200 priests from all over the Archdiocese in attendance, all praying together the Eucharistic prayer to consecrate the bread and wine, acting in the person of Christ (in persona Christi) and all in unison. It is an occasion that easily brings to mind my own calling and an opportunity to renew my spirit of surrender to that call, praying for the grace to continually accept God's will for me and to do it both with humble resignation and with the zeal that His Call stirs up in me. It is also an opportunity for the Cardinal to address his priests assembled and give them some advice and direction for the coming year. This year, he recalled advice he had given in years past and added to it continuing formation, according to every aspect of Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis ("I give you shepherds," on the formation of priests in the circumstances of the present day) – that is, the four pillars of academic (theology), human, pastoral, and spiritual formation.
Whew, that was just Tuesday! Wednesday evening, we held a Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness") service here at St. Clement's (there was also one at the Cathedral). In it, we prayerfully, with readings, psalms, and hymns, commemorate Jesus' sacred wounds on the cross, and His death, in a special candle-light service in the dark; at the end, a sound like a clap of thunder represents the resurrection to come, and the faithful in attendance file out in silence by the light of the Paschal candle. It was the first time I had attended one, and because it was done so tastefully, and was well-rehearsed, I was really drawn into the sorrows of Christ and the significance of Mary's accompaniment during His Passion, which was also represented by a steady blue candle present throughout.
Thursday we had our last class of the week and then began our preparations for that day's service, the celebration of the Last Supper. I joined the choir for this liturgy, which was a very beautiful yet bittersweet celebration of the gift of the Eucharist and the priesthood and then the emptying of the Church as Jesus left the cenacle to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was tormented by temptations to give up and not offer His life for our salvation. The Eucharist is completely removed from the church and the faithful walked in procession to our side chapel while singing the Eucharistic hymn by St. Thomas Aquinas, Pange lingua gloriosi. After the Mass, we piled into cars and set off on a prayerful and somber visit to seven nearby churches, an ancient tradition that likely goes back to visiting the seven station churches (basilicas) in Rome. We would arrive at each church, enter their altar of repose, where the Eucharist is reserved for adoration that night only, and spend a few minutes there in prayer, answering Christ's request of his disciples in the Garden to "keep watch." We used the Taize chant "Stay with Me" which meditatively sets that solemn tone of the vigil.
Good Friday saw many more preparations for the commemoration of the Lord's Passion that evening. I helped Fr. Peter Grover, OMV lead the Stations of the Cross at noontime; he stops four times during the fourteen stations to give a little reflection on the Passion. The one that struck me the most was that we can place ourselves in the scene in the person of Barrabas at Jesus' condemnation by Pilate – he is a sinner (a "notorious murderer" or "revolutionary", according to the various Gospels) that received life from Christ's sacrifice, and his name means "son of the father" (bar-abba). At 3pm, we began observed the first day of the Divine Mercy novena, chanting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together in the empty church. I served the liturgy that evening, a very solemn liturgy with a silent entrance and closing procession, and a special procession of the cross after the homily and an opportunity for the faithful present to come up and reverence the cross, either by a bow or a touch or even a kiss. The cross is set out in a prominent place for the faithful to stay and pray there. We watched Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ to further enter into the spirit of the day.
Holy Saturday saw many preparations for the great solemnity of the Easter Vigil. All five of us postulants served the Mass together, each taking on specific roles during the liturgy; I was placed in charge of the fire and incense for the night, a role with which I am very familiar. One of my favorite parts of the Easter Vigil is the Gloria, during which bells are rung, the lights in the church come on, and we open the reredos doors, revealing lots of flowers and the angels on either side of the tabernacle, which were hidden behind those closed doors for the duration of Lent. The opening prayer is said, and we enter into the readings that celebrate the Resurrection, after hearing a snapshot of salvation history that prepared the way for this culmination. Following the Easter Vigil, after greeting people and cleaning things up, we gathered around the table for some Easter munchies in a humble "Resurrection Party," sharing stories of our family traditions for celebrating Easter and recalling various Oblate stories.
After retiring last night around 1:30am, I rose today at 7 with a song in my head: a praise and worship tune called "Mercy is falling." I had not heard this song in a couple years, and yet I rose practically singing it right away, and it is indeed relevant. Of all the times in the year, this week of the Glorious Easter day is certainly the time at which the Church commemorates the opening of the floodgates of salvation, the gates of heaven, the pierced side of Christ from which flowed blood and water, life for the world. Mercy is indeed falling like a "sweet spring rain" giving life, cleansing and purifying and renewing the earth.
May you and your family have a most blessed Easter season and rejoice with the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, (Regina caeli, laetare!) for the Lord has risen as He said (Resurrexit, sicut dixit!), and beg her intercession for us (Ora pro nobis Deum) as we press on with renewed strength and vigor to draw close to Christ and bring many others with us by our example and the offering of our lives with His.
Happy Easter!
Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia!
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia!
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia!
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia!
Gaude et laetare Virgo Maria, alleluia!
Quia surrexit Dominus vere alleluia!
Oremus: Deus qui per resurretionem Filii Tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi mundum laetificare dignatus es, praesta quaesumus, ut per eius Genitricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_coeli
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
I had begun planning this post yesterday (Holy Saturday) but did not have a chance to finish it, due to all of the preparatory activities for our celebration of the Easter Vigil here.
According to Wikipedia, which cites catholicliturgy.org, the Paschal Triduum is "the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday (the vigil of Good Friday) and ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday, the three-day period therefore from the evening of Maundy Thursday (excluding most of Thursday) to the evening of Resurrection Sunday."
My Holy Week observance began with the celebration of Passion (Palm) Sunday, on which we commemorate Jesus' joyful entrance into Jerusalem and then anticipate his Passion and death. That liturgy really set the tone for the week, giving us a dramatic descent into the tomb to await the Resurrection the following Sunday.
We took the men who are visiting us this week to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for the Chrism Mass on Tuesday. It is a beautiful expression of the union of the ordained ministers, as deacons (both permanent and transitional), priests, bishops, and the Metropolitan of the local Greek Orthodox church attended. The priests all renew their promises to the Church and the bishop blesses the oils of the sick and of catechumens and consecrates the holy Chrism after mixing the balsam perfume into the olive oil. Chrism is used in consecrations and recalls the ancient practice of anointing prophets and kings, and in the Christian tradition, priests (on the palms) and bishops (on the head). This three-fold office that the Chrism is used to set someone apart for is the central mystery of Christ's work: he commissioned his disciples, and in turn, all believers, to participate in his work of ordering creation to himself [kingly], which includes discipline of ourselves to curb vices and cultivate virtue; his work of announcing the Word that He is [prophetic], including the teaching office of the Church (Magisterium) as well as the example of our own lives; and consecrating the world to Him and offering our lives as a sacrifice along with Him on the Cross [priestly]. All the baptized are called to participate in this work that Christ showed us, and in so doing, open themselves to receive sanctifying grace in abundance.
I always enjoy attending the Chrism Mass to see that grand expression of the priesthood, with over 200 priests from all over the Archdiocese in attendance, all praying together the Eucharistic prayer to consecrate the bread and wine, acting in the person of Christ (in persona Christi) and all in unison. It is an occasion that easily brings to mind my own calling and an opportunity to renew my spirit of surrender to that call, praying for the grace to continually accept God's will for me and to do it both with humble resignation and with the zeal that His Call stirs up in me. It is also an opportunity for the Cardinal to address his priests assembled and give them some advice and direction for the coming year. This year, he recalled advice he had given in years past and added to it continuing formation, according to every aspect of Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis ("I give you shepherds," on the formation of priests in the circumstances of the present day) – that is, the four pillars of academic (theology), human, pastoral, and spiritual formation.
Whew, that was just Tuesday! Wednesday evening, we held a Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness") service here at St. Clement's (there was also one at the Cathedral). In it, we prayerfully, with readings, psalms, and hymns, commemorate Jesus' sacred wounds on the cross, and His death, in a special candle-light service in the dark; at the end, a sound like a clap of thunder represents the resurrection to come, and the faithful in attendance file out in silence by the light of the Paschal candle. It was the first time I had attended one, and because it was done so tastefully, and was well-rehearsed, I was really drawn into the sorrows of Christ and the significance of Mary's accompaniment during His Passion, which was also represented by a steady blue candle present throughout.
Thursday we had our last class of the week and then began our preparations for that day's service, the celebration of the Last Supper. I joined the choir for this liturgy, which was a very beautiful yet bittersweet celebration of the gift of the Eucharist and the priesthood and then the emptying of the Church as Jesus left the cenacle to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was tormented by temptations to give up and not offer His life for our salvation. The Eucharist is completely removed from the church and the faithful walked in procession to our side chapel while singing the Eucharistic hymn by St. Thomas Aquinas, Pange lingua gloriosi. After the Mass, we piled into cars and set off on a prayerful and somber visit to seven nearby churches, an ancient tradition that likely goes back to visiting the seven station churches (basilicas) in Rome. We would arrive at each church, enter their altar of repose, where the Eucharist is reserved for adoration that night only, and spend a few minutes there in prayer, answering Christ's request of his disciples in the Garden to "keep watch." We used the Taize chant "Stay with Me" which meditatively sets that solemn tone of the vigil.
Good Friday saw many more preparations for the commemoration of the Lord's Passion that evening. I helped Fr. Peter Grover, OMV lead the Stations of the Cross at noontime; he stops four times during the fourteen stations to give a little reflection on the Passion. The one that struck me the most was that we can place ourselves in the scene in the person of Barrabas at Jesus' condemnation by Pilate – he is a sinner (a "notorious murderer" or "revolutionary", according to the various Gospels) that received life from Christ's sacrifice, and his name means "son of the father" (bar-abba). At 3pm, we began observed the first day of the Divine Mercy novena, chanting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together in the empty church. I served the liturgy that evening, a very solemn liturgy with a silent entrance and closing procession, and a special procession of the cross after the homily and an opportunity for the faithful present to come up and reverence the cross, either by a bow or a touch or even a kiss. The cross is set out in a prominent place for the faithful to stay and pray there. We watched Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ to further enter into the spirit of the day.
Holy Saturday saw many preparations for the great solemnity of the Easter Vigil. All five of us postulants served the Mass together, each taking on specific roles during the liturgy; I was placed in charge of the fire and incense for the night, a role with which I am very familiar. One of my favorite parts of the Easter Vigil is the Gloria, during which bells are rung, the lights in the church come on, and we open the reredos doors, revealing lots of flowers and the angels on either side of the tabernacle, which were hidden behind those closed doors for the duration of Lent. The opening prayer is said, and we enter into the readings that celebrate the Resurrection, after hearing a snapshot of salvation history that prepared the way for this culmination. Following the Easter Vigil, after greeting people and cleaning things up, we gathered around the table for some Easter munchies in a humble "Resurrection Party," sharing stories of our family traditions for celebrating Easter and recalling various Oblate stories.
After retiring last night around 1:30am, I rose today at 7 with a song in my head: a praise and worship tune called "Mercy is falling." I had not heard this song in a couple years, and yet I rose practically singing it right away, and it is indeed relevant. Of all the times in the year, this week of the Glorious Easter day is certainly the time at which the Church commemorates the opening of the floodgates of salvation, the gates of heaven, the pierced side of Christ from which flowed blood and water, life for the world. Mercy is indeed falling like a "sweet spring rain" giving life, cleansing and purifying and renewing the earth.
May you and your family have a most blessed Easter season and rejoice with the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, (Regina caeli, laetare!) for the Lord has risen as He said (Resurrexit, sicut dixit!), and beg her intercession for us (Ora pro nobis Deum) as we press on with renewed strength and vigor to draw close to Christ and bring many others with us by our example and the offering of our lives with His.
Happy Easter!
Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia!
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia!
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia!
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia!
Gaude et laetare Virgo Maria, alleluia!
Quia surrexit Dominus vere alleluia!
Oremus: Deus qui per resurretionem Filii Tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi mundum laetificare dignatus es, praesta quaesumus, ut per eius Genitricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_coeli
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thoughts and Feelings
We do so much thinking (especially as students), and most of the time, we are feeling, too. These ideas come into our daily lives often without our explicitly willing them: "I was thinking ..." when making a proposition; "How do you feel/What do you think about ____?" in similar circumstances.
At our winter retreat, Fr. Shawn Monahan proposed this triad as a device to help in our own introspection: What are my thoughts, feelings, and desires (possibly pertaining to the subject at hand)? I have found this device to be tremendously fruitful, especially when we either have nothing striking in our immediate past that begs our consideration, or the opposite, when we have something so significant and overwhelming that we know not where to begin processing it. It is also a great standard for making journal entries complete.
I recently spoke with a friend who is a part of our wonderful music ministry here at St. Clement's, about her own vocational journey and how to approach discernment. Besides having a spiritual director (or as Fr. Tim often puts it, a "wise spiritual guide" or "spiritual accompaniment"), I have found spiritual journaling indispensable in capturing my present mood and state in order to look back and observe trends or correlations.
For me, the image that best captures how this helps is the cliché forest (the big picture) and trees (the details), often expressed in terms of the extremes: missing the forest for the trees (focusing on details, to the neglect of the big picture) or vice-versa. This type of guided journaling gets us moving expressing the trees (which in itself is a great exercise, even in the moment, to write as spontaneously as possible, as questions enter our head and we try to answer them, having to frame the situation on paper) and then when we look back, in a way "zooming out" to see the whole forest (nonetheless composed of trees) there is so much more light shed on the subject because all of those details are available.
We were just learning in Philosophical Psychology (the study of the soul, its nature and its powers, not necessarily the modern psychoanalytic field or what may be loosely termed "personality") that human beings remember things by returning to the specific image or real object of which our memory has stored its form. An obvious example of this is a childhood photo album. It's not that you don't remember your early life or that you were absent for it; rather, your memory of those events that you barely remember can be "triggered" by seeing those photos once more. And one can refresh knowledge once learned by thumbing through a textbook that helps recall that knowledge (the common literary phrase: "it all came rushing back to me").
In spiritual discernment, seeing both the forest and the trees, and identifying our thoughts, feelings, and desires really help us to see, especially at prayer and by the light of God's grace, what influences us, what occupies our consciousness, what tugs at our heart, what weighs us down and what excites us. The question is so often posed: I know deep down that to do God's will is what I ought to strive for, but how will I know? For some, a special grace of an unwavering conviction in what they have discovered God's will to be eliminates this doubt and hesitancy. For most, we may try things out and reach that threshold at which we become "sure enough" that what we have discerned is true, and it is our surrendering leap of faith that disposes us to receive the graces that will carry us through that decision.
In today's crazy political climate, I sometimes wonder if I could have been out there in the trenches of politics, arguing or promoting awareness of the grave injustices being incorporated into the laws and judicial precedent of this country. But then I remember those thoughts, feelings, and desires that brought me to where I am, and understanding that as a member of the human family and the Body of Christ, what I do according to where I am now does indeed contribute to the cause.
Holy Week is the most liturgically expressive week of the year, and here in seminary, we are immersed in all of it. Beginning with Palm (Passion) Sunday tomorrow, we will attend the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral on Tuesday and then participate in Holy Thursday's Mass of the Lord's Supper (as well as visit several churches in the area to pray at their altars of repose), the Celebration of Our Lord's Passion on Holy Friday, the great Easter Vigil, and a festive Easter Sunday. In between papers and other assigned readings, we seek to enter into the spirit of Holy Week, with Jesus' joyous entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, the profound gift of His Body and Blood sacramentally on Thursday and physically on Friday, and the consummation of the Paschal Mystery in the Resurrection. As I have reflected many times before, at this time, the Church drops out of the merely logical structure that normally governs the liturgical calendar, and steps through these events at the heart of the mystery of our salvation in real time. Rather than remember for a moment events that consumed entire days or weeks, we have a chance to enter into these mysteries deeply. Fr. Tom advised that we offered the suggestion that we select a single character and follow Holy Week that way - choose a disciple, a Roman soldier, an attendant at Herod's court, the Jewish priests, the man who signalled to the apostles where to prepare to celebrate the Last Supper, Veronica, or the women of Jerusalem who meet Our Lord at the 8th station of the Cross.
This, too, is an opportunity to consider thoughts, feelings, and desires. As we witness the ultimate example of love, giving one's life for one's friend, and for us as we contemplate in a particular way our own self-sacrifice in religious life, let us see the forest: the grand mystery of salvation of all mankind and the meaning of our individual lives; and the trees: the experiences and gifts, the trials and triumphs and all the wonderful people we meet along the way. And let us not forget the precious intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, who by her fiat mihi secudum verbum tuum ("let it be done unto me according to your word"), consented that God be incarnate through her, attended His bitter passion, herself pierced by a sword, and now brings our petitions to her Son, our Savior.
Have a blessed Holy Week, and Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
At our winter retreat, Fr. Shawn Monahan proposed this triad as a device to help in our own introspection: What are my thoughts, feelings, and desires (possibly pertaining to the subject at hand)? I have found this device to be tremendously fruitful, especially when we either have nothing striking in our immediate past that begs our consideration, or the opposite, when we have something so significant and overwhelming that we know not where to begin processing it. It is also a great standard for making journal entries complete.
I recently spoke with a friend who is a part of our wonderful music ministry here at St. Clement's, about her own vocational journey and how to approach discernment. Besides having a spiritual director (or as Fr. Tim often puts it, a "wise spiritual guide" or "spiritual accompaniment"), I have found spiritual journaling indispensable in capturing my present mood and state in order to look back and observe trends or correlations.
For me, the image that best captures how this helps is the cliché forest (the big picture) and trees (the details), often expressed in terms of the extremes: missing the forest for the trees (focusing on details, to the neglect of the big picture) or vice-versa. This type of guided journaling gets us moving expressing the trees (which in itself is a great exercise, even in the moment, to write as spontaneously as possible, as questions enter our head and we try to answer them, having to frame the situation on paper) and then when we look back, in a way "zooming out" to see the whole forest (nonetheless composed of trees) there is so much more light shed on the subject because all of those details are available.
We were just learning in Philosophical Psychology (the study of the soul, its nature and its powers, not necessarily the modern psychoanalytic field or what may be loosely termed "personality") that human beings remember things by returning to the specific image or real object of which our memory has stored its form. An obvious example of this is a childhood photo album. It's not that you don't remember your early life or that you were absent for it; rather, your memory of those events that you barely remember can be "triggered" by seeing those photos once more. And one can refresh knowledge once learned by thumbing through a textbook that helps recall that knowledge (the common literary phrase: "it all came rushing back to me").
In spiritual discernment, seeing both the forest and the trees, and identifying our thoughts, feelings, and desires really help us to see, especially at prayer and by the light of God's grace, what influences us, what occupies our consciousness, what tugs at our heart, what weighs us down and what excites us. The question is so often posed: I know deep down that to do God's will is what I ought to strive for, but how will I know? For some, a special grace of an unwavering conviction in what they have discovered God's will to be eliminates this doubt and hesitancy. For most, we may try things out and reach that threshold at which we become "sure enough" that what we have discerned is true, and it is our surrendering leap of faith that disposes us to receive the graces that will carry us through that decision.
In today's crazy political climate, I sometimes wonder if I could have been out there in the trenches of politics, arguing or promoting awareness of the grave injustices being incorporated into the laws and judicial precedent of this country. But then I remember those thoughts, feelings, and desires that brought me to where I am, and understanding that as a member of the human family and the Body of Christ, what I do according to where I am now does indeed contribute to the cause.
Holy Week is the most liturgically expressive week of the year, and here in seminary, we are immersed in all of it. Beginning with Palm (Passion) Sunday tomorrow, we will attend the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral on Tuesday and then participate in Holy Thursday's Mass of the Lord's Supper (as well as visit several churches in the area to pray at their altars of repose), the Celebration of Our Lord's Passion on Holy Friday, the great Easter Vigil, and a festive Easter Sunday. In between papers and other assigned readings, we seek to enter into the spirit of Holy Week, with Jesus' joyous entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, the profound gift of His Body and Blood sacramentally on Thursday and physically on Friday, and the consummation of the Paschal Mystery in the Resurrection. As I have reflected many times before, at this time, the Church drops out of the merely logical structure that normally governs the liturgical calendar, and steps through these events at the heart of the mystery of our salvation in real time. Rather than remember for a moment events that consumed entire days or weeks, we have a chance to enter into these mysteries deeply. Fr. Tom advised that we offered the suggestion that we select a single character and follow Holy Week that way - choose a disciple, a Roman soldier, an attendant at Herod's court, the Jewish priests, the man who signalled to the apostles where to prepare to celebrate the Last Supper, Veronica, or the women of Jerusalem who meet Our Lord at the 8th station of the Cross.
This, too, is an opportunity to consider thoughts, feelings, and desires. As we witness the ultimate example of love, giving one's life for one's friend, and for us as we contemplate in a particular way our own self-sacrifice in religious life, let us see the forest: the grand mystery of salvation of all mankind and the meaning of our individual lives; and the trees: the experiences and gifts, the trials and triumphs and all the wonderful people we meet along the way. And let us not forget the precious intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, who by her fiat mihi secudum verbum tuum ("let it be done unto me according to your word"), consented that God be incarnate through her, attended His bitter passion, herself pierced by a sword, and now brings our petitions to her Son, our Savior.
Have a blessed Holy Week, and Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Commandments
Today's readings include the Decalogue (Greek for 10 Words), which provided an excellent opportunity for catechesis on the moral life and Christian living. Br. Steve and I seized the moment for our RCIA class and constructed a class using the day's readings as well as material from the CCC (#1950–1986 and #1716) and then going over the 10 Commandments in more practical detail, understanding, as Jesus presents in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), that it is the spirit of the law that matters. Further, in that same spirit, minor transgressions of the law (generally, venial sins) as well as omissions (good things we choose not to do when we ought to) are all shortcomings about which we should be sorry and desire to improve.
The connection to today's gospel, which I only realized in the midst of Br. Steve's explanation of the context of the cleansing of the temple, was even more enlightening. The business that had developed in the outer court of the Temple in Jerusalem was to provide the animals for sacrifice that Jews would have to purchase in order to make the prescribed offering according to Mosaic law; and Jews coming from outside the immediate vicinity would likely have to exchange their foreign currency (perhaps Roman) for the currency accepted by the Temple priests (commonly weighed in shekels, as we saw earlier this week at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in Times Square). So this whole business of buying what was needed to satisfy the letter of the law became wrapped up in what Jesus was to destroy as the earthly dwelling of the Most High—He would replace the Temple both as the singular physical dwelling place of God and as the means by which our sins are ultimately forgiven. And, as the Gospel states, His disciples "came to believe in the Scriptures" concerning Him, and the convergence of the prophecies of old, of Jesus' own prophecy ("that He had said this"), and of their fulfillment in the Resurrection.
Br. Steve furthermore pointed out that no Temple has been rebuilt on the site since its destruction about 40 years after Jesus' death and resurrection, and that such an act would likely constitute a World War, due to the occupation of the site by the al'Aqsa mosque (commonly known as the Shrine of the Rock), among the holiest sites in Islam. So that temple was indeed destroyed, and in three days' time, the Temple of His Body was raised up and replaced the former tradition of animal sacrifices for transgressions of the Mosaic law.
Good stuff!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
The connection to today's gospel, which I only realized in the midst of Br. Steve's explanation of the context of the cleansing of the temple, was even more enlightening. The business that had developed in the outer court of the Temple in Jerusalem was to provide the animals for sacrifice that Jews would have to purchase in order to make the prescribed offering according to Mosaic law; and Jews coming from outside the immediate vicinity would likely have to exchange their foreign currency (perhaps Roman) for the currency accepted by the Temple priests (commonly weighed in shekels, as we saw earlier this week at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in Times Square). So this whole business of buying what was needed to satisfy the letter of the law became wrapped up in what Jesus was to destroy as the earthly dwelling of the Most High—He would replace the Temple both as the singular physical dwelling place of God and as the means by which our sins are ultimately forgiven. And, as the Gospel states, His disciples "came to believe in the Scriptures" concerning Him, and the convergence of the prophecies of old, of Jesus' own prophecy ("that He had said this"), and of their fulfillment in the Resurrection.
Br. Steve furthermore pointed out that no Temple has been rebuilt on the site since its destruction about 40 years after Jesus' death and resurrection, and that such an act would likely constitute a World War, due to the occupation of the site by the al'Aqsa mosque (commonly known as the Shrine of the Rock), among the holiest sites in Islam. So that temple was indeed destroyed, and in three days' time, the Temple of His Body was raised up and replaced the former tradition of animal sacrifices for transgressions of the Mosaic law.
Good stuff!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Spring Break Adventures
View my Spring Break photos:
We postulants set off on an adventure last Sunday night, and arrived in Philadelphia shortly before midnight. The following day, we got acquainted with our surroundings in the historic district of Philadelphia and then met Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap. for lunch - he was a very entertaining host and was very honest about all that has confronted him since his arrival from Denver - the Church in Philadelphia can certainly use much prayer.
Later that day, we had our tour of Independence Hall and the historic sights there. We visited the Shrine of St. John Neumann, at St. Peter the Apostle church, for Mass, and afterward got to hear about the history of Redemptorist missionary work during his ministry. This was my favorite stop out of the trip, with the Dead Sea Scrolls in Times Square a close second, because in my discernment with the Redemptorists, I had come to really appreciate their spirituality, and as I learned later, Fr. Lanteri also took great inspiration from Redemptorist (specifically Liguorian) moral theology at at the founding of the Oblates. It was very powerful to be there in such a historically symbolic place for not only the great work of Redemptorists and Cardinal Neumann but for the growth of the Church in America.
We headed to New York City the next morning, to have lunch with Fr. Richard at St. Malachy's in Midtown. After learning about the unique ministry to the Broadway community there, we hiked a few blocks to Times Square to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Discovery center. That was a very well-done exhibit showing the cultural-historical context of pre-biblical times and the environment in which the scriptures were written, and it was just incredible to stand there and peer in on the ancient parchment that bears the carefully-written and most complete collection of scriptural texts that we have today. I was able to pick out a bit of Greek that was also included there, though most of the scrolls are in Hebrew.
We headed over to Old St. Patrick's Cathedral for Mass and Rosary with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, then hopped on the subway down to Little Italy for dinner. We swung by Ground Zero, which was also a powerful experience to see "the gap" the fallen towers left, and the construction in progress of the Freedom Tower. Several of us shared the sentiment that it was like visiting a cemetery, very cognizant of the thousands of lives that were lost there.
We stopped for Mass the next morning in North Bergen, New Jersey, at Our Lady of Fatima, which we learned from the pastor is the parish where a come-and-see guest last year is the music director. We swung by Josh's parents in Holden, MA for lunch before returning to Boston - a great way to finish the trip!
So that was a crazy three days of our Spring Break, and we've been relaxing a bit more since we returned. Now it's time to gear up for a couple midterm exams next week. Please continue to pray for my discernment of how to proceed next year, and challenge yourself to live Lent better - we're closing the second week of Lent, which means the first third of it is already behind us - renew your zeal for the Lenten practices you set for yourself, or commit to some for the remainder of this powerful season!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
We postulants set off on an adventure last Sunday night, and arrived in Philadelphia shortly before midnight. The following day, we got acquainted with our surroundings in the historic district of Philadelphia and then met Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap. for lunch - he was a very entertaining host and was very honest about all that has confronted him since his arrival from Denver - the Church in Philadelphia can certainly use much prayer.
Later that day, we had our tour of Independence Hall and the historic sights there. We visited the Shrine of St. John Neumann, at St. Peter the Apostle church, for Mass, and afterward got to hear about the history of Redemptorist missionary work during his ministry. This was my favorite stop out of the trip, with the Dead Sea Scrolls in Times Square a close second, because in my discernment with the Redemptorists, I had come to really appreciate their spirituality, and as I learned later, Fr. Lanteri also took great inspiration from Redemptorist (specifically Liguorian) moral theology at at the founding of the Oblates. It was very powerful to be there in such a historically symbolic place for not only the great work of Redemptorists and Cardinal Neumann but for the growth of the Church in America.
We headed to New York City the next morning, to have lunch with Fr. Richard at St. Malachy's in Midtown. After learning about the unique ministry to the Broadway community there, we hiked a few blocks to Times Square to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Discovery center. That was a very well-done exhibit showing the cultural-historical context of pre-biblical times and the environment in which the scriptures were written, and it was just incredible to stand there and peer in on the ancient parchment that bears the carefully-written and most complete collection of scriptural texts that we have today. I was able to pick out a bit of Greek that was also included there, though most of the scrolls are in Hebrew.
We headed over to Old St. Patrick's Cathedral for Mass and Rosary with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, then hopped on the subway down to Little Italy for dinner. We swung by Ground Zero, which was also a powerful experience to see "the gap" the fallen towers left, and the construction in progress of the Freedom Tower. Several of us shared the sentiment that it was like visiting a cemetery, very cognizant of the thousands of lives that were lost there.
We stopped for Mass the next morning in North Bergen, New Jersey, at Our Lady of Fatima, which we learned from the pastor is the parish where a come-and-see guest last year is the music director. We swung by Josh's parents in Holden, MA for lunch before returning to Boston - a great way to finish the trip!
So that was a crazy three days of our Spring Break, and we've been relaxing a bit more since we returned. Now it's time to gear up for a couple midterm exams next week. Please continue to pray for my discernment of how to proceed next year, and challenge yourself to live Lent better - we're closing the second week of Lent, which means the first third of it is already behind us - renew your zeal for the Lenten practices you set for yourself, or commit to some for the remainder of this powerful season!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
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