Summary
This is my personal blog (weB-LOG) about my life at seminary.
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Random Thoughts
A White Christmas Card
Wednesday, December 17, 2003, 12:18 AM
I was getting rather discouraged this evening while studying for my last and most challenging final (oral) exam. That changed when I opened a piece of mail from a grade schooler near home. It was a nice handmade card, with fine handwriting. Young Hailey said in part, "I am glad you are going to be a priest because we can never have enough." That put things in perspective and really picked me up. Now, a few hours later, I have a much better handle on the material. She wrote in closing, "P.S. I'm sorry I didn't have time to color." That's all right, Hailey. I know how tough it can be to work under a deadline.
Human Nature
Saturday, December 13, 2003, 3:35 PM
I have just emailed out a study guide for our Human Nature and Epistemology final. It's a good synopses of some of St. Augustine, St. Thomas, and Descartes ideas.
Speaking of human nature, here's a four second lesson in humility, Star-ing Homer Simpson. (You may recognise the music if you spent your youth Super Mario Bros.)
Pushing Papers
Friday, December 12, 2003, 1:20 AM
I will have to take an incomplete in one of my classes so that I can complete a paper over Christmas break. I had perceived (spiritually) that I was supposed to write a paper on Wojtyla, but a lack of secondary sources forced me to change the topic once, and then change it once again. This situation is due to a series of circumstances for which I am not guilty. However, until today, I was wondering why all this had happened.
Allow me to tell a related story:
Once upon a time, God told a man to daily go outside of his cabin and push against a massive boulder. The man was faithful and pushed against it for hours every day, but he never could move it at all.
Months passed, and the man became quite discouraged, thinking he was failing in his purpose. So he prayed, "Lord, I have pushed against the rock everyday, but I have not been able to move it an inch. What's wrong? Why am I failing?"
God replied, "I never asked you to move the rock. I only asked you to push against it. Look at yourself. Your body is now muscled and toned from your efforts. Through opposition you are stronger than before." The man had completely misjudged the good purpose of his mission.
Just the other day I was sharing with someone my past experience with summer and winter breaks. In the absence of structure and responsibilities, they are usually difficult times. Today I realized that when I was told to write on Wojtyla, the point wasn't for me to finish the paper. With Christmas break right around the corner, now I see the purpose was exactly the opposite, for my own good.
"I Write, Therefore I Am."
Wednesday, December 10, 2003, 10:51 PM
I was able to put old efforts to good use for a paper on Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture that I handed in today. This paper is a much better read than my previous offering on this subject. I found this document on Sola Scriptura very useful.
It's much easier to write theology than philosophy. These days I'm working on a paper about Descartes. Did you know that "I think, therefore I am" was not an idea originally from Descartes? Centuries prior, Augustine wrote, "Wherefore, in order that we may take our start from the most obvious things, I ask you whether you yourself exist, or whether you think you may be under an illusion as to that; although surely if you did not exist you could not possibly have an illusion. ... It is evident, then, that you exist..." (From On Free Will)
Philosophy - Reassuring people that they exist for more than 1,500 years.
"Ah, a vintage 2003. That's a very good year."
Monday, December 8, 2003, 11:59 PM
Today I delivered 36 half-gallon jugs of sweet apple cider to the kitchen. (That's 18 gallons, for those of you playing along at home.) They were a gift from my grandmother from Thanksgiving time. A few were put out for dinner tonight and I brought one back to our table like a bottle of wine. I sniffed the cap and took a sip - not bad at all for being a week past its sell date. I was quite confident that it was still of good quality, but just in case, I made sure I drank the greatest amount of it so no one could possibly get sicker from it than me.
At one point I realized, "Hold on a second... I feel good, suspiciously good." Yes, it seems that the apple cider had fermented into what they call hard apple cider. At this discovery my table-mates each shared in a glass as well. What a nice addition to our meal. Now the seminary must be down to a mere 15 gallons more to go.
Tonight I worked on my psychology take-home final. Did you know that almost half of Americans have a below average intelligence? Just think about that. It's terrifying.
Comic Relief
Friday, December 5, 2003, 12:25 PM
In these hard, closing days at seminary, as papers come due, it is great to enjoy some good laughs.
There's a fine fellow here from a diocese that neighbors our own. He's the only guy here from that diocese so we have adopted him as one of us. This evening, at our Thursday night diocese dinner, he shared a story about peanut butter. "You know, they don't have peanut butter in other countries. It's really hard to find in Italy and they don't have it at all in Poland. I asked [a Deacon here from Poland], wasn't it weird when you were growing up to ask your mom for an And Jelly Sandwich?"
My older sister (specifically, the younger older one) sent me a Christmas greeting so superbly entertaining that I shared it with all the guys. Turn on your sound, click on the reindeer, and enjoy.
A Nuts and Bolts Brief
Tuesday, December 2, 2003, 10:47 PM
This evening I sang as the cantor for the college's vespers service. I seem to have done quite well. My special thanks goes out to Mom for singing so much during my brain developing years. As a priest once told me, priestly formation begins at birth. I suppose the same applies for each of our callings.
A Man Too Good to Keep
Tuesday, December 2, 2003, 10:36 AM
Breaking News: It looks like I'm getting a new boss.
What are my feelings? It's like the time when I left college. I was sad to go, but I realized it would be even worse to be doomed to stay there forever. The same goes for our bishop. We always joked that he was too good for us to keep to ourselves.
A Break with Mistakes
Monday, December 1, 2003, 12:40 AM
I spent Wednesday through Friday having a great time with family and relatives, and Saturday and Sunday working on a slow-going HN&E paper. Let me tell you a story:
Last Wednesday, before taking off, I wanted to stop in at the chapel. At the doors I hear someone speaking inside. It is the homily of a mass. My feeling is essentially, "Doh. I really would've liked to have made that." My choice is either to go in anyway, extremely and unfashionably late, or just to take off. I pick the latter, but a spark from the banister seems to have trigger the inspiration to eat breakfast and come back when they are finished.
I think to myself, "God wants me to go to mass, I want to go to mass, there must be some good reason I missed it. I bet something important is going to happen."
In the Refectory I'm enjoying a bowl of my favorite available cereal, Frosted Lucky Charms (they're magically delicious), when I overhear our maintenance guy mention a fire alarm test he needs to announce. I inform him he can tell all of the seminarians in the chapel at the end of mass in just a few minutes' time. Later, as I'm going back upstairs to my room, he thanks me and tells me my suggestion worked out perfectly.
Carrying out my box o' stuff to my car, I walk by some friends who point out a parody inspirational poster on the wall. It reads, "Mistakes - It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others." That, I reply, is exactly me today, and precede to tell the story.
One of these friends is on his way to the library to check out some tapes for his car ride. I'm delighted at his idea and join him. I had been asking around for books on tape myself. I pick up two audio series' by Father Benedict Groschel. (Though they were as old as I am, I found them quite worthwhile.)
However, even the most interesting lecture gets boring after a few hours. That, combined with my general lack of sleep these days, forces me to take a break and nap parked at a Burger King. In this sleep I have a dream.
In the dream I'm also very tired and on a journey with a seminary friend. In fact, I think he has to carry me as we jump across a narrow canal of muddy water along the side of a road. I'm carrying lots of things in my arms and our important map falls from the top of the heap. (Somehow, I'm convinced it was his fault.) Anyway, the map gets lost and ruined in the dirty water. I say, "How are we going to get there now?" My friend says, "Don't worry, if you really needed it, God wouldn't have let you lose it."
When I wake up I'm ready to hit the road. I turn the key, and nothing happens. "Doh. How am I going to get home now?" Then I remember the dream, and think, "All right, what are you going to do with this?" (I had left my lights on and my battery was dead. Since I hadn't opened the door, the car never dinged at me.) After getting a medium drink and some good instruction about jumping cars from a helpful Burger King employee, I go back out and ask the guy parked next to me for help. I'm pleased when he consents.
We chit-chat, asking each other where we are coming from and going. He asks if I am a student, actually I'm a seminarian. What denomination? Catholic. He used to be Catholic himself. He has nothing bad to say about my vocation, but he lost the faith of his youth. I ask "What changed, if you don't mind me asking." He studied religion in college and could not believe that man held the special place in the universe that the Church claims. "(You see,) I believe in evolution." (I would have replied that the Pope probably does too, if I could be certain that I wouldn't be patronizing him.) I don't know what to say. After my car restarts, I shake his hand and warmly thank him. Later I wonder what he would have said if I had thought to tell him about my dream, but I trust that everything played out for the best, perhaps leaving him the occasion to think about the faith again.
This seems to have set the theme for my vacation. I talked quite a bit about the faith and the Church with my relatives. I hope that I was somewhat helpful. I don't have all of the answers, but I try to share what knowledge and experiences I do have. Experiences like the interesting ones I had last Wednesday, and knowledge like the way things seem to work out for the best when you trust in Him.
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