Summary
This is my personal blog (weB-LOG) about my life at seminary.
|
|
|
|
Random Thoughts
August, 2003
Enjoying the Rest of My Sunday
Sunday, August 31, 2003, 3:20 PM
My silent retreat was draining. If fact, a nap seems certainly appealing this afternoon, but first I want to put in an update. I believe my home pastor has put the link to this page in the church bulletin this morning, so I want to offer something to the new folks. (Welcome and hello to you all. By the way, these posts near the top of the page are the newest. To see my posts chronologically, scroll to the bottom and read your way up.)
The approach of my first (free) Sunday here at seminary has raised a question to be decided. Should I be studying on the Lord's day? In college I would ignore homework entirely on Sundays, from waking to bed. It was a welcome relief. I never got burned for it either: I have no memory of ever doing worse on a test or an assignment because I took it easy on the day of rest. There was one exception to that rest though. I would use the day to prepare for Monday night Bible studies. I figured this was work like that which a priest rightly does on a Sunday.
I have big papers to be written and many pages to be read, so I'm a bit anxious to get started on them. Like my Bible study preps in college, my seminary studies do have a religious orientation, so I could use that as a justification. However, I have resolved that Sunday will be and should be different from the rest of my week. A day of rest should be relaxing. The Sabbath rest is a gift one should not refuse.
Hark? What's that? Oh, it's my bed calling! Later.
Silence
Friday, August 29, 2003, 1:29 PM
I didn't know how to answer my Metaphysics teacher's question, so he mercifully tried to make it easier on me. "Tell me whatever you know about Hobbes." I knew that I had studied him, but I couldn't link anything to him. The uncomfortable wait extended. I did remember one thing, his first name was Thomas. Another student offered the answer: Hobbes' thing was the familiar Social Contract. God answers prayers. If you pray for humility, you'll get it.
This blog will be taking a break for a little while for a silent retreat beginning tonight and through Sunday morning. That silence includes the gentle clicking of keyboard keys and mouse buttons, not due to their being the cause of noise so much as a potential source of personal distraction. See you Sunday.
Why There Was No Wednesday Update
Thursday, August 28, 2003, 12:52 PM
I did not post anything yesterday because my computer was partly responsible for knocking the seminary offline (maybe). Yesterday I was at my computer responding to emails when a tech guy stopped at my doorway. He asked, "Are you on-line?" I said I was. He tells me I may be the only one in the whole building who is and asks if I he may check out my computer. I consent. It seems my host name has been repeately showing up and cloging the system. He thinks it may be a virus.
At this point I am calm though concerned. I notice that my computer screen's background is a satelite picture from space of North America on the night of the East Coast blackout. I thought it was a cool picture when I got it by email, in fact I still think it is fascinating. (There's history, geography, technology, and space all in one.) But what is this tech guy thinking? That I'm a fan (and promoter) of widespread catestropic technological disasters? He didn't seem to take notice of it though.
Now this next part is pretty embarrassing. He asks what anti-virus program I have on my computer. I remain silent because I doubt I have one. He looks and sees that I have none. He is calm and non-accusing, while I am doing my best to be cooperative. He unplugs my ethernet cord and phones downstairs to check what the bandwidth is doing. It seems the problem was not yet fixed. (I think, in light of things heard later, that mine and two other non-virus-protected computers were the source of the problem.)
I ask him what he thinks is happening. He begins to answer, then asks, "Are you a computer nerd?" On one hand I minored in computer science and I fit the general description of one, but compared to him and other hardware computer guys I don't know much. "Not really." I wasn't very familiar with the things he mentioned in his answer, so I probably responded right.
On his way I out, I appologise, he says,"What?" "Sorry, I should have had an anti-virus program on my computer." (I honestly didn't know things could happen like this.) His answer was basically, don't be sorry, the guy who's responsible is the one who wrote the virus. Point taken, but maybe if I had been a little more responsible about the protection of my computer this would not have happened. Then again, maybe not.
Anyway, I have understandibly not popularized my role in the internet blackout around here. You can consider this an exclusive.
Uncommon Sights
Tuesday, August 26, 2003, 11:01 PM
I've yet to write about the buildings or the grounds here at seminary. My initial impression upon driving in the gates was that everything seemed black and dark. Of course, it was past sunset, so that was to be expected. But then I saw the tower, so beautifully lighted. I fought back the feeling of being impressed by the sight. I was aiming to play it cool, like today when I crossed paths with an EWTN television personality in the book store. I kept my distance and let him shop for books in peace.
When the seminary moved here out of the city in the 1930's it was in the middle of nowhere. Over the years, the city has grown to envelop it, but the grounds still retain their country feel. Behind the school there are still woods and nature trails. One path goes down into a ravine where a few inches deep creek gently blurbles (yeah, that's right) across gray, flat, thin, hand-sized stones. I had a "You've got to be kidding me," moment when I saw it. It was like right out of a calendar.
Brushing off my dusty math skills, I tried to calculate in my head precisely how many times more impressive our main building is than Graff Main Hall at college. (2.5, 42, a round number like pi?). But then I recalled that a picture says 10^3 words:
Classes start tomorrow.
13 Hours II, The Return of the Schedule
Tuesday, August 26, 2003, 1:21 PM
After the changing of one class (the last one) and fixing the times for all the rest, this is my finalized fall class schedule:
Human Nature / Epistomolgy
TTh 8:30-9:45
Man, Revelation, and the Bible
MWF 3:00-3:50
Voice (Choral instrucion)
T 1:00-1:50
Intro to Psychology
M 6:30-9:00pm
Metaphysics
MWF 10:30-11:20
(Edited Tuesday, August 26, 2003, 2:35 PM)
Finding the Right Road
Monday, August 25, 2003
This evening I drove my Ford Windstar bus with other five guys out to a great Italian dinner for us New Men. Unfortunately, no one in our car really knew how to get there so we all got to see more sights of the city. For instance, we passed a dentist office owned by a Dr. Goodtooth. I took that as an indication of lazy guidance counseling.
At the dinner we went around the tables telling a bit about our stories. There were converts, reverts, and cradle Catholics. I was surprised by the high level of professional skill that so many shared. More than one guy spoke of achieving success and great wealth in their field, but finding that it left them empty, contrary to what society had promised. In life I've been successful in a number of areas myself, but those worldly things didn't make me happy either. If you think worldly success will give you happiness and fulfillment, then I wish you plenty of worldly success while you're young so you'll quickly learn that that's a bunch of baloney without wasting too much of your time. Then you can get started on to the pursuit of real joy.
Good Question
Monday, August 25, 2003, 2:07 PM
This morning we took that essay test. Ironically, we did not really need that article at all. I spent two hours and fifteen minutes writing seven pages in response to a question on the value of faith in light of science. I was rightly focused and it turned out well. I would like to put a link on this page to it once I get it back. Unfortunately, for my answer to the second question, I wrote in somewhat sloppy ink, "Good question. No time." With any luck, they won't give me the boot in this first week.
My schedule is still in flux. It should coagulate by tonight.
A Three Hour Tour...
Sunday, August 24, 2003, 7:46 PM
This afternoon we (the New Men, as we're called) went on a bus tour into the city. An interesting highlight was the capital building. My initial reaction to it was, "They need to put a dome on it." On top of the gray columned building there was a windowed cylinder. Think of the ironclad U.S.S. Monitor. The civil war era building seemed unfinished. The short lightning rod thingy, on the top of it all, was like the builders saying, "No really, we're done."
Once you go inside of the rotunda you find it has a domed ceiling, but that is not biggest surprise. The room is pink. Redish-pink perhaps, but more pink than red. The other major national landmark I enjoyed seeing was the first Wendy's restaurant, situated just cross-corner from the cathedral. The cathedral was on the tour, the Wendy's was not.
Tonight we need to read an article and take an essay test on it tomorrow. (It's meant to screen for reading and writing problems.) The piece is "God in a Godless Time", by Leszek Kolakowski. According to his bio, he is the author of the upcoming book My Correct Views on Everything.
An Internet Grace
Sunday, August 24, 2003, 8:54 AM
My dogg, J-Money, asked me to share the internet prayer I came up with. I hope you were all playing along at home. Here's mine:
Lord, please bless my time on-line for your glory, my
good, and the good of us all. Amen.
(Here's a tip: replace the word "on-line" with whatever you plan to be doing. This makes the part of composing the prayer easy. The hard part is remembering to pray for grace in the first place.)
Rescheduling
Saturday, August 23, 2003, 1:41 PM
This morning I visited the Academic Dean, whom I've already begun to like and respect a good deal, to finalize my schedule. However, he had gone over my transcript and thought I might be able to transfer out of more classes than I had first thought. He said that I had been "too humble" about my experience. Well, that's something to be proud of. ...I mean...oh, never mind.
In any case, this means my schedule is very likely to change. In the mean time I'll be putting up dozens of "call home" post-it notes all around my room.
13 Hours
Friday, August 22, 2003, 11:25 PM
For whomever it may interest, here is my fall class schedule:
Human Nature / Epistomolgy
MWF 9:30-10:20
Man, Revelation, and the Bible
TTh 8:30-9:45
Voice (Choral instrucion)
MWF 3:00-3:50
Intro to Psychology
T 1:00-1:50
Church from Enlightenment to Post-Modernism
M 6:30-9:00pm
(Edited Saturday, August 23, 2003, 1:03 PM)
A Literary Tie-in
Friday, August 22, 2003, 9:58 PM
Sunday service requires formal dress. That means a suit and tie. So today I delved into serious study: how to tie a tie. In the past, I'd struggled after the Windsor and Half Windsor knots, those fancy, dignified, and British sounding tie-tying techniques. This time I googled and pounced on the style with the fewest steps--the classic Four-in-hand knot. In a half hour of practice I had it down and looking good. I had no idea it was that easy. I'll admit I celebrated my accomplishment by wearing it to dinner. Too formal for a Friday evening? Sure, but I was pleased.
The blog has been well received. A good friend wrote saying perhaps I could make a book out of it someday, but added, "make sure you don't write in your blog with that intent." I suppose that could affect my writing style.
In the beginning at seminary, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I remember thinking it would take a man 600 years to get through all those classes and books. They say ol' Fr. Andy did it in less than twenty. ... "Frankly," said the rector, "we will always have vespers. Saintly is as saintly does." ... God bless us, every one.
Pastime
Thursday, August 21, 2003, 11:24 PM
This evening we went to an AAA minor league baseball game. I have to say I enjoyed it, but one of our Latin American seminarians found it "a lot" more boring than soccer. (ouch)
Between innings I greatly enjoyed a new book from our library about G.K. Chesterton. He was a Catholic writer of great insight as well as an influence on the young C.S. Lewis. I liked this part the best:
In 1905, a famous London newspaper, the Illustrated London News, hired Chesterton to write a weekly column. He was told he could write about anything he wanted--except religion and politics. Chesterton responded by saying there was nothing else worth writing about. ... Religion has to do with our relationship with God. Politics has to do with our relationship with our neighbor. These are controversial for the simple reason that all the problems in the world come from our failure to obey the two great commandments: to love God and to love our neighbor.
And how about this gem:
You say grace before meals.
All right.
But I say grace before the play and the opera,
And grace before the concert and pantomime,
And grace before I open a book,
And grace before sketching, painting,
Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing;
And grace before I dip the pen in the ink.
Without our minds and hearts where they should be, on God, our lives are experienced as mere passing time. I wasn't completely mentally present for mass and prayers today. And guess what? I didn't get as much from it. Experience indicates to me that our ordinary, everyday lives can be lived remarkably and excellently, when head and heart are rightly focused.
Homework for today: Compose a grace for surfing the internet and checking your email, then pray it.
Getting Orientated
Thursday, August 21, 2003, 2:11 PM
I've found it pretty easy to get settled in. If that trait has a purpose in me, it's probably an indication I'll get moved around the diocese a lot as a priest. I did a good job packing, but you discover what you forget by your needs. Last night I could have used a box fan.
As I was laying on my floor at 1:30 am, two things occurred to me. First, that it must pretty hot for me to rely on floor tiles for relief. Second, that I must be awfully tired to think this was a sensible solution to my problem. I went back onto bed and sleep eventually came.
If you take a big piece of tag board, use a black marker to put a concentrated scribble on it, and then ask people what they see, they will mention the scribble but ignore the big, clean tag board. That's what our two orientation sessions were like this morning. The first on the formation process tended to focus on potential problems while the second session on community life listed all the things one shouldn't do. I guess it's easier to clearly state what is not allowed opposed to the many, many things which are permitted. For instance, it turns out we are permitted walk around the pond after all.
The First Day of School
Wednesday, August 20, 2003, 7:40 PM
For the consolation of family, the entertainment of friends, and to serve as some record of my formational experience, I have decided to begin a blog (weB-LOG) about my life at seminary.
They say that combat is ninety percent boredom and ten percent terror. I've been expecting something like that at seminary, except with the terror replaced by something else. My first day was like that. We sat though various informative meetings. The head of maintenance told us no one was allowed to walk around the lake (for insurance reasons). We were also encouraged to avoid fighting by not hitting one another.
This seminary was established in 1888, that's MDCCCLXXXVIII on the seal found on the dinner trays. A.D., it's the longest roman numeral year in history.
Speaking of the food, it is of high quality here. Today, when I was in another seminarian's room, he asked me what I enjoyed doing. I didn't know what to say to him. I was saved from looking like a funless, stick-in-the-mud by the collapse of one of his shelves and the subsequent shattering of his four tall glasses (which his mother had so carefully packed for his trip). After reflection, I think I can say that the two things I enjoy most are eating with friends and attending mass. Now, I notice how they are variants of the same thing. In college, these activities were the highlights of my days.
I've learned there is a pub in the basement. In a few minutes I plan to go down there for a scheduled social. It's funny how, at some seminaries of other denominations, alcohol use could get you thrown out. That reminds me of a discussion I once had with a friend over whether Jesus consumed alcohol. I think there are plenty of reasons to think he did, though it is safe to say he didn't drink to excess.
See you tomorrow. I'll have more for you then.
|
|