Spring is in the air ....

Every year around this time, it happens. Triduum and Easter have come and gone, as well as the snow! Of course, this year, we had an unexpected surprise of an abundant snowfall that only added to the onset of March Madness ... by that I mean the NCAA tournament, but also of "spring fever" which sets itself into just about every seminarian.

I hit me huge just today during the 10 minute break during my afternoon class. I walked outside to check my voicemail ... then it happened: the breeze was blowing, the sun was shining and felt really good on my face. There are other signs around campus that spring is in the air: puddles of melted ice-water, outdoor runners and bikers, people practicing their frisbee skills, and the inevitable feeling of wanting the semester to finish.

The beginning of spring is the sign that signifies to us that there is hope for the end of the academic year! This is surely not an excuse to shirk off our intellectual responsibilities, but rather it is a time to simply recall how much work has been put forth in the past 8 months. When I stop to think about the amount of intellectual energy that has been spent on learning things like: the personalities of the 12 biblical prophets based on textual criticism, the major themes in Johannine literature, the foundational ideas that undergird Pope John Paul II's famed Theology of the Body, the intricacies and refinements of liturgical presidency, the nature of Catholic Social Teaching as being essential and not secondary to the life of the Church, etc ... we've been doing LOTS of LEARNING around here. All this work will serve the People of God to whom we will minister in the future. But in the meantime, spring is the time to just stop and breathe fresh air, to remind ourselves that all this intellectual work serves a purpose ... to bring life and light to the people of God.