What's in a name?

Jeremy's recent post about the Archangels was the impetus for renewed reflection about a phenomenon described by one of our professors of Sacred Scriptures. He often commented as he taught my class on the Prophets that it helps to know the meaning of Hebrew names. The names of the prophets often give clues as to what the point of a given book or part of a book might be. For instance, in the book of Hosea (which means "Salvation"), we are told that Hosea has three children: Jezreel ("God Sows", a blessing to Hosea, and Hosea's own child), Lo-ruhamah ("Not Pitied", and not Hosea's biological child) and Lo-ammi ("Not My People", and clearly not Hosea's biological child). Knowing the meanings of these names helps us to understand the extent of the sin of Hosea's wife, Gomer (she was an adulteress). Similarly, we learn something about the Archangels when we know the meaning of their names. Michael means "Who is like God?" Raphael is "God's Remedy." Gabriel means "The Strength of God."

One way of learning the meaning of these names is to enroll in a lengthy study of the Hebrew language. If, like me, you are disinclined to do this, one can usually discover the meaning of Scriptural names by doing an internet search. Besides deepening our appreciation of the Sacred Scriptures, it might also serve as an advantage in a close game of Trivial Pursuit.

You're Invited!

You and your family are invited to the 9th annual
Rector's Bowl

The Saint Paul Seminary
Sons of Thunder

vs.

Saint John Vianney College Seminary
Men of the Church

Saturday, October 11, 2008
7:00 p.m.
O'Shaughnessy Stadium
University of Saint Thomas, Saint Paul Campus

Red, Rich, Juicy Tomatoes

This week Deacon Jonathan Sorensen has authored the reflection on the Sunday Scriptures for The Catholic Spirit. His reflection follows.

+++++++++++++

One of my favorite summer vegetables is the tomato. Red, rich, juicy — I can never get enough. But, anyone who has ever grown tomatoes probably has seen a tomato rot. Some kind of bacteria gets into a part of the tomato and begins to grow. A small, dark patch appears in one or more areas of the tomato and, left unchecked, it will continue to grow and produce a completely rotten tomato.

The way that I handle it is by cutting out the affected area before I eat it. But if I don’t get to it quickly enough, I must throw away the whole tomato.

Isaiah’s story of the vineyard that produced only rotten grapes was a parable reflecting his contemporary context. The prophet Isaiah (749-701 B.C.) preached in ancient Jeru­sa­lem during a tumultuous time in the ancient Near East. The Assyrian empire was growing quickly and was threatening the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. However, Isaiah saw that more than mere politics was at work in the growing danger.

Judah at that time was full of injustice. The rich were exploiting the poor to a greater extent than ever, even though the nation’s overall prosperity was increasing. The people of Judah had forgotten the two-fold nature of the commandments — love God and love your neighbor. Instead, they had replaced the practice of justice with rituals that they thought were enough to appease God.

But rituals were not enough. God demanded justice — that is, the fulfillment of his commandments. As a result, he sent his prophets to warn his people to change their ways, lest they be punished.

Isaiah’s warning was heard by the king of Judah, who instituted many reforms and thus saved the kingdom, for a time. The corruption of the people and later kings, however, was too much, and God allowed the kingdom to be destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 B.C.

Corruption destroys

Just as a bad spot on a tomato will eventually overtake the entire fruit and destroy it, so did the corruption of Israel and Judah bring about their eventual destruction. They were warn­ed constantly, but did not listen.

As Isaiah says, God’s vineyard was spaded, cleared of stones, planted with choicest vines and completely prepared for the harvest; yet it produced rotten fruit. Thus, it was given over to ruin.

Jesus tells us that we are to cut off from ourselves what causes us to sin, lest it culminate in our own destruction (Matthew 18:8-9).

How does the Lord speak to us today? How does he tend his vineyard — his people?

He instructs us through the sacred Scriptures, he teaches us through the moral teaching of the church and its bishops, and he speaks directly to our hearts through our consciences.

What kind of fruit will he reap from us? Will it be sweet justice and beautiful love, or will it be rotten evil, masked by an outward show?

Yes = Yes and No = No

At Mass this past Sunday, we heard from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew 21:28 - 32. As you have already heard, Jesus asks us to consider two brothers: one who declined to help when called upon by his father but later did as he was called, and a second brother who agreed to help but, in fact, did not help as he had said that he would.

Our response to God's revelation is faith: it seems clear that this faith - as Saint Matthew records for us - cannot be simply a verbal-statement. "Talk is cheap," as they say. The brothers in Sunday's Gospel are polar opposites: the first saying he will not help the father but changes his mind and does help, the second saying that he will help but does not.

This same point comes up earlier in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew; in Matt 5:37, Jesus tells us, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything more comes from the evil one."

It seems that we are not simply talking about the commandment not to lie, though I am not minimalizing this aspect. We are also talking about faith calling us 1. to change and 2. to serve. When called by the Father, we change our lives - our minds and hearts - to His ways AND we must proclaim our faith as well.

Today's gospel reading shows Jesus favoring the one who served the father, though that son initially said that he would not. Let us all say "Yes." In thit we will serve the Father. Moreover, let our "yes" mean "yes."

May Jesus Christ be praised.

Take care, -Jeremy

Come to the Organ Recital!

One of the great features of the Saint Paul Seminary is that we have a Liturgical Music Director who is excellent on the organ. Dr. Jenkins has a doctorate in organ performance and can prove it not only by showing you his degree but by sitting down at the organ and blaring away. It is not every day that liturgical music requires the greatest proficiency in organ for its execution; hence, each year when new men start to wonder about Dr. Jenkins' organ abilities, we returning men simply say, "Oh just you wait. One of these days Dr. J will let loose." And he has plenty of skill to show off. And it never does fail; eventually he plays an awesome piece of music with great accuracy, vigor and artistic flare.

So, come! Come to Dr. Jenkins' upcoming recital (this Saturday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m.) and see exactly what it is that the seminary has in this wonderful musician.

In which I Unravel the Mystery of the Holy Trinity

It is the habit of some of our professors to assign students to write a one page response to a provocative question in a regular way as a means of inciting intelligent discussion on a given topic in the classroom. The rules for these responses demand that one first begin with a position statement of no more than twenty words. One may then use up to 300 words defending one's position. The priest who teaches my course on the Holy Trinity employs this method. We were recently asked to discuss whether or not the existence of God can be proven. The following was my response.

God’s existence can be proven.

Before defending my answer, a caveat must be made: If one insists that the existence of God must be proven by means of the scientific method or with scientific tools, the question is self defeating. A God proven by science really is not God, and if it cannot be proven by science, it isn’t proven at all. Nevertheless, I content that proof for God’s existence can be found in an evaluation of the aggregate of God’s effects in the world.

The traditional formula by which the Church insists that God can be known is through God’s effects in nature. In other words, God can be known first of all as a logical necessity. Something cannot be placed in motion without first having a mover. Nevertheless, some mover must be unmoved in itself in order for motion (change) to occur. Likewise, once things have been created, it is necessary, once existing, for a thing to have some principle by which it continues existing. Creation is contingent. Similarly, creation is ordered. There must be some principle by which it is ordered.

Related to these are the questions unanswered by science. In terms of evolutionary biology, for instance, it is believed that random mutation can account for order in biological system. Random mutation cannot, however, seem to account for the existence and transmission of information (i.e. DNA and the “instructions” it contains). Moreover, that from very early in their history humans have always practiced some form of religion seems to suggest an innate knowledge of a God.

Considering these reasons as well as the example of the saints and martyrs, the testimony of the Church and the Sacred Scriptures, as well as the profound experiences of God known to each individual believer, it seems that God’s existence can be proven.

Vigil in Duluth

This past weekend was the seminary's monthly free weekend for September. A lot of the guys drove home to visit their families. Some stayed behind and did homework. I ended up among those recruited to help out with various events at the home diocese. After driving up to Duluth on Friday, I took a four hour shift from 2am to 6am outside the Building for Women as part of the massive pro-life campaign 40 Days for Life.

From now through November 2, people in 179 cities in 47 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa and two Canadian provinces are taking part in 40 days of prayer and fasting, constant vigil and community outreach!

This is the first time Christians in Duluth have participated in the campaign. About 600 abortions are performed in the Building for Women in downtown Duluth each year. In the wake of past campaigns, clinics around the country have seen dramatic declines in business. A couple have even closed.

The man I shared those four hours with is on his way to discern with the Franciscan Brothers of Peace here in the Cities. Until November 2^nd, this vigil will be his full time job with 50-70 hours a week of the night shift. Those are the hours the drunkards are finding their way home. Things were pretty quiet. The only notable incident of the night came with a couple of young military guys heckling us over the references to fasting on our signs. They asked us whether we knew why had we had the right to be standing there. I gave them the stock response. Flattered or humbled, they turned back and apologized. One of them told us that his girlfriend had gotten two abortions without telling him in that very clinic. The other was pro-choice. We talked with them a bit, but they mostly argued with each other. They were vulgar, dismissive, and drunk, yet the only thing that shocked me was their apparent lack of hope. The memories of Iraq they related were full of hatred and the relationships with women they described were void of love. These men were twenty something years old and already broken by life. As they left, my partner said, "God Bless." The weary reply came back, "I wish He would."

Some people don't know what it is to be loved. Being reminded of that ought to be a source of fierce determination. Let's realize the gravity of our mission.

Feast of the Archangels

Hail thee, Festival Day!

Today we celebrate the Feast of Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael - the Archangels.

Where did the Church get the idea that these three angels exist? I am not sure if it will surprise you to read that all three of them are found in (that's right) the Bible.

Saint Gabriel, of course, is found in the first chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Luke. He announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would be the Mother of God. This, the first mystery of the Rosary, heralds the incarnation of Jesus.

Saint Michael is written of in the Book of Revelation. In Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation, we read the story of Saint Michael expelling the Evil One and the demons out of Heaven. We also read of the impending doom and defeat of the Enemy. As far as this author is aware, Saint Michael is the only one of the three archangels to whom the Bible specifically gives the title of "archangel."

Saint Raphael comes to us from a lesser known reference. In Chapter Three of the Book of Tobit we read of Sarah and her maid praying to God. The book tells us that "the prayer of these two suppliants was heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God." As such, God sent His angel Raphael; his mission was both to heal Tobit's eyes and to drive out a demon.

Saint Gabriel, pray for us.
Saint Michael, pray for us.
Saint Raphael, pray for us.

Take care, -Jeremy

St. Therese of Lisieux part 3

This is the third installment of a three part series. You can find part one here and part two here. I decided to post this paper because St. Therese's feast day is coming in less than a week and secondly, one of our readers mentioned in a comment that St. Therese's parents will be beatified on October 19. From my reading of her autobiography Story of A Soul I came to deeply admire her father because of how he took care of Therese and her sisters after his wife died.

Many authors have written on different topics within Story of a Soul, a large number of authors have focused entire books on St. Therese’s little way. Fr. Francois Jamart O.C.D. wrote a book of commentary on different themes that St. Therese wrote about in her autobiography. He writes specifically on the section of Story of a Soul, which deals with St. Therese’s discovery of the vocation of love within the Mystical Body of the Church. Jamart references the passage from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that St. Therese was meditating upon and states: “She learned that all gifts, even the most perfect, that are distributed to the various members, are valueless unless they are animated by love and that charity is the great way that leads securely to God.” It is true that each member of the Church has a general and specific vocation and many tools are needed, but one is the most requisite and that is love. “So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Since love is the most important of the theological virtues it ought to be sought after and practiced in order to discern a vocation because love is the root of the actions of the Church’s members. Jamart states, “She had even offered herself as a victim to merciful Love so that she might love God with His own Love.” It is St. Therese’s victim hood to the love of God that fills her with the love that only God can give. It is this same love that allowed the apostle to preach and the martyrs to die. This love is not be possessed but it is meant to possess those discerning their vocation. It is also in this that one realizes that this love desires to give itself away. She offered herself to this extravagant love and this is what allows her to “Render to God love for love and fulfill all vocations.”

Jerry Kemper’s section in St. Therese; Doctor of the Little Way writes on the fraternal charity that St. Therese exhibited in her life. He describes her love as the root of all that she did. In all of her struggles with her fellow Carmelites, she would “Look for a sister’s virtues and good motives.” Even in her dying days, St. Therese never forgot the fact that her vocation was rooted in love. As she laid in the courtyard of the convent her fellow sisters would come to cheer her up and her sisters were worried that they were disturbing her. She replied: “How can I write about charity if I do not show charity to my well intentioned fellow sisters.” Even in her illness she does not allow herself to compromise her strong commitment to love. How easy it would have been to be short-tempered with one of the sisters that annoyed her. It was not until after her death that some of the sisters realize how much love she gave to each one of them. This love was freely given and she was never reluctant to give her love to her family or to her fellow sisters. When one is able to love the way that St. Therese loved, they are able to catch sight of what God is calling them to.

Fr. Bernard Bro OP wrote four statements that summarize St. Therese’s teaching. One of them relates to vocational discernment in that we receive our calling and the ability to do so from God. Our calling and ability find their source in love. He writes: “Love lives by reciprocity; to love is to accept that the One who loves me gives me whatever is necessary to respond to him.” It is in this statement that one can realize that as one discerns a vocation they ought to concentrate on the love that they have received from God and how they respond to that love. The response to the love given from God is where a person’s calling lies. For St. Therese, her response to God’s love is her charity and her prayers for the salvation of souls and praying for priests. Each vocation has a response to love and it appears in the imitation of God and Jesus. Parents imitate God the Father when they shower down love upon their spouse and their children. Priests imitate Christ in giving their life as a ransom and by providing the sacraments for the lay faithful. Those who are consecrated to the religious life imitate Christ because they too, give their life over to their religious order and to their apostolate. Love desires to give itself away and it is in this self-gift that the married person, the priest, and the consecrated respond to this love.

As one looks back at St. Therese’s life, they realize that her love was extravagant because she gave herself so freely to God’s love. St. Therese desired to be an apostle, a prophet, and a teacher. She became these things by giving herself over to the same love that allowed the apostles to preach and the martyrs to die for their faith. Her self-sacrifice allows those who have followed her to rediscover the fact that each Christian’s vocation is rooted in the love that God showers down upon us and our own vocation is our response to that love.

More Deacons!

Yesterday's First Reading at Mass was from the Book of Ecclesiastes:

There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Evoking laughter, excitement and anticipation, Msgr. Callaghan began his homily, "There is a time for a free weekend." Indeed, there is; and thanks be to God for that.

Yes, this is our first free weekend of the year. What that means is that we seminarians are free to spend the days and nights where we desire, since we have no curfew nor any required seminary functions over the weekend (until Sunday Night Prayer, that is). These offer a little more respite and relaxation than is usual on the weekend. As well, these offer a great opportunity for men to go home and see family, especially men like me who live further away but not so far that it's inconvenient to drive home for two days.

Actually, I'm not really leaving. I might go visit my family tomorrow who are going out for a picnic at a beautiful park near my hometown, but we shall see.

In the meantime, while we are all traipsing around, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is ordaining the (Permanent) Deacon Class of 2008. Seven men are being ordained as I write this post. The Catholic Spirit lists them and has pictures of them, I believe. These men have been in our prayers here at the seminary. If you would, dear reader, say a prayer for them that, as they are configured to Christ the servant, they may always act with a humble servant's mind and will.

To my new brothers in the diaconate, to those men and their families, congratulations and Godspeed.

Sts. Cosmas and Damian

Today the Church honors two martyrs of the early Church: Sts. Cosmas and Damian. What we do know is that they were twins and also physicians who worked at no cost and were called the silverless. They were persecuted under Diocletian and eventually gave their lives for the faith in the year 287 AD. Their three brothers were also martyred along with them. Pope Felix IV (reigned from 526-530) erected a church in Rome in their memory and it still stands today.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to Rome for two weeks. Each day I would go walking in the city and would more or less wander around. One day while I was wandering through the Roman forum, I came across a few things I did not expect to find. One was the prison where Sts. Peter and Paul were imprisoned at. The other was the church dedicated to Sts. Cosmas and Damian. I went in and I prayed for a little bit, took a few pictures, and was one my merry way. That day was probably one of my favorite days spent in Rome because there were not a whole lot of people around because it was off the beaten path and I had time to pray for their intercession as I continued my journey in the eternal city.

Acquainted with Sorrow

Wednesdays at the seminary, we break with the typical daily schedule to spend time doing more specifically formative activities. These range from brief talks delivered by the rector or director of spiritual formation to classroom style lectures on various aspects of priesthood. Last Wednesday, Fr. Jeff Huard spoke to the deacon class about the public nature of living as a cleric. Among other things, he recommended that the priest needs to be a man "acquainted with sorrow."

As I understand Fr. Huard, he was suggesting that the priest needs to be a man who can enter into the sorrow of others and help them carry that burden. In doing so, the priest lifts some of the weight of suffering and sorrow on himself. He in turn, carrying his part of the burden, must then offer them on the cross. This occurs in his offering of the Mass and in his daily prayers.

This idea was not altogether new to me, but its reality was struck me afresh yesterday as I visited a woman in my teaching parish. She is a recent widow. He husband died of cancer about a month ago. During his illness, she was also diagnosed with cancer, and for a period of time, the two of them shared the beautifully intimate moments of caring for one another. Now, though, he is gone and she remains, still sick, more worried than ever, and terribly lonely in her house. She told me that she wants to get out and try to distract herself from her sorrows, but she cannot because of her own illness. Ths she is left to sit around at home. She constantly plays music just to create some noise. The house is too quiet now that she is alone.
I stayed with her for about forty minutes until her son arrived to help her with some household chores.

Her sorrow has been very close to me today. I think that is a good thing.

New Guy on the Blog

Hey FP3M readers,

I'm Don, first year pre-theologate for the Diocese of Duluth(22R). Having assented to the administrators' syllabus of errors, I'm also officially the newest contributor to the site. The Catholic blogosphere has been huge in the development of my faith, so I'm excited to be here. Thanks, Jeremy, for inviting me on. You're a gentleman and a scholar.

Serran Steak Fry

Fostering vocations, of course, is an essential element in Church life at every level. Every baptized person has both the general vocation to holiness as well as a particular vocation to married life, consecrated life or priesthood - the question of the single life (lived differently than the single life of a consecrated virgin) is a question which I will not deal with here and now. Promoting this end of fostering vocations is the principle aim of a great organization of the faithful: the Serra International club.

Last week, we had our annual Serra Steak Fry here at the seminary. The evening began with Evening Prayer (Vespers) at 5:00pm, and was followed by a grand dinner out in our courtyard. As you can see from the collage below, highlighted and visible for all of our guest-hosts was our new Saint Paul Statue.

In the end, there were about 115 Serrans and their guests, as well as the 80 seminarians, faculty and staff. There were 11 different Serra Clubs from the Midway area were represented:

• St. Croix Valley
• Northwest Hennepin
• Airport
• North Minneapolis
• Midway
• South Suburban
• St. Cloud
• Downtown
• North Hennepin
• Wright County
• Minneapolis

As is usual, this event provides an opportunity for us seminarians to tangibly and directly experience the support that we know we are always receiving from all of you out there, especially all you Serra Club members. As well, those who came have the opportunity to see that God does answer prayers and that their efforts are rewarded, even if in minor ways.

For me, there was the usual chit-chat of who it is I was meeting, where they're from, what it is they do, how God has blessed them with family, work, etc... As well, I get to tell a bit about myself and God's working in my life. One topic which came up at my section of the table (which we also received a question about in one of the comment boxes recently) was the subject of Latin. Do we seminarians have to study Latin? How much?, etc...

As I had the opportunity to explain the other night, the requisite courses in Latin (usually a full year) should be covered by college seminaries. I know both IHM in Winona and SJV here in Saint Paul require it. As well, SPS offers basic and advanced courses in Latin throughout the cycle of elective courses. Is this one year sufficient? Well, if a man keeps at it, yes. Personally, I pray the Liturgy of the Hours in Latin every day, and by doing that I am able to keep it in use and at the fore of my mind. I know of another seminarian who prays from a Latin breviary, and if my perception was correct, in the distance I've seen another Latin breviary being regularly used by yet another seminarian in the chapel.

In retrospect, the evening was a great blessing. Good times, good chat and good food were had by all. To any of our readers who are members of Serra International: many thanks to you. God bless you, and keep the prayers coming! Know of ours for you.

Diocese of Rockford: 100 Years Young

Yesterday the Diocese of Rockford celebrated 100 years of being a group of the People of God in Illinois.

The Rockford Diocese is led by the Most Reverend Thomas Doran. Bishop Doran was named by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1994. Congratulations to the People of God in the Rockford Diocese for building their diocese over the past 100 years and thanks to Bishop Doran for leading them into the dawn of their second 100 years as a diocese.

The Rockford Diocese currently has four seminarians assinged to study at the Saint Paul Seminary.

In light of this anniversary, let us renew our prayers with Pope John Paul the Great that the third millenium be a "Springtime for Christianity."

Take care, -Jeremy

500 Days and Many More to Come

Here's a cool milestone: 500 days ago, the Most Reverend John F. Kinney, Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud, accepted me as a seminarian for his diocese.

Now, one academic year and two summers later, I took some time to look back at what I have accomplished - and that which I have yet to accomplish - for the Church, my bishop, and the People of God in the Diocese of Saint Cloud.

During this time, I have been able to meet a host of seminarians from across the country, been able to work with the People of God, and been humbled (multiple times) by learning that there is ever-so-much that I still need to learn.

In the Office of Readings for this past Saturday, we read an excerpt from Saint Augustine's sermon "On Pastors." In this, Saint Augustine wrote about temptation - in a way that applies to this topic as well. He writes that one must "prepare your soul for temptation." However, the consolation is that though "it is not that temptation will be lacking, but that God will not permit anyone to be tempted beyond what he can bear."

It would be comfortable to claim that since God will not allow one to be tested beyond what one can bear, that one may then relax. Quite the opposite. We must flex, stretch, and strengthen our spiritual muscles so that we are ready for the temptations and trials that will surely come.

So, for me here in the seminary, if I am truly called, God has given me the ability to make it through these years of trial and testing in the seminary-environment. My role is to give it my all so that I can be found (God-willing) worthy of ordination.

Ponder this in your own vocation, whatever it may be. You will not be tested beyond what you can bear, but neither must you "slack" in your preparation for the trial.

Take care, -Jeremy

Theology One Retreat

The Theology One group (Saint Paul Seminary Class of 2012) was on retreat from Friday (19 September) through Sunday (21 September). After being immersed as "major seminarians" for about a month, we were to take time to be on retreat and re-group ourselves following this new expereince.

Our retreat was simple: go to the wilderness and be silent. Our retreat center gave each of us a cabin. In the cabin were the following (and only the following): bread, fruit, bed, chair, bible, gas-light. It was very simple, basic, and free of the usual distractions (MP-3 player, computer, et cetera). We were not to speak to one-another; rather, we were to listen, and listen, and listen.

It was a rustic setting as you see. This is certainly very little like Saint Paul - our usual habitat. In addition to our own small cabins, there were trails and a larger center building that included a chapel. We had free range of these territories - so long as we kept our focus on prayer and that we kept grand silence - that we may listen: "Listen with the ear of your heart." -Saint Benedict

Each cabin was named for a saint. This author was assigned Saint John the Beloved:

Peter was assigned the Saint Peter cabin:

Joe - from the Diocese of Saint Cloud - was assigned the Saint Cloud cabin.

And, of course, there was a Saint Paul seminarian in the Saint Paul cabin.

The small chapel at this retreat centre also reminded us of the wilderness. The early feedback from the Class of Theology One was all good; this author can personally testify that it was exactly what he needed.

I was able to spend a great deal of time on an excerpt from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, a writing of Saint Augustine, and even a bit from The Imitiation of Christ. I feel so changed - and yes, for the better.

But why is that? Isn't being in seminary like a multi-year retreat both day-in and day-out? Well, yes and no. We are constantly "flexing our spiritual and Christian muscles" but we also have so many responsibilities that we may, at times, loose our balence. This notion of retreat - going to the desert, to the wilderness as did Saint John the Baptist - is partly an exercise to regain our balance and focus.

Now we're back in the saddle and ready to resume our normal, academic-year schedule. The retreat was great and already has borne fruit among our class. We need your prayers all the same - pray for your seminarians.

Take care, -Jeremy

St. Thérèse of Lisieux part 2

This post is a continuation from my post last Sunday.

The second thing that leads her to the realization of her vocation was love itself. The role that charity takes in any vocation is very evident in St. Thérèse’s life because: “I understood that love comprised all vocations.” Since love comprises all vocations it seems that St. Thérèse desired to be transformed into love. This reality is vital to the discernment of one’s vocation because it shows that one’s vocation lies in how they respond to love from God and neighbor. St. Thérèse’s response to God’s love was shown through the way she related to the other nuns in the convent. As she came to the realization that her vocation is love, she recognized that the second of the greatest commandments given by Jesus in Matthew 22:39 is a source for her vocation. St. Thérèse wrote: “The more united I was to Him the more also did I love all my sisters. I desired to forget myself for them and to be as devoted to them as I could.” This quotation is very similar to her desire to “seek out always the most perfect thing to do, and forget self.” Her love caused her to forget her own desires, “And little Thérèse, on the very eve of her death, said to her sister Celine, 'I have said everything. Everything is accomplished. It is love alone that counts.'” For St. Thérèse it was love alone that mattered for her, her eternal rest would come the next day. d’Elbee states: “After her death, a deluge of miracles fell from Heaven to make us say, 'She was not wrong; it is love alone that counts.'”

Monsignor Vernon Johnson, a convert from Anglicanism, writes on the topic of love in the book focused on the spiritual life of St. Thérèse. He brings together many themes, which were vital to St Thérèse’s own realization of her vocation to love and his own conversion. There are many places in St. Thérèse’s autobiography in which she focuses on her relationship with God the Father and her own father, Louis Martin. Msgr. Johnson focuses primarily upon the love that a father has for his children. He writes: “Almighty God is her Father and she his little child, their relationship must be a relationship of love.” Johnson describes Fr. Bernard Bro’s OP thought that love is something that is reciprocal. This idea is fundamental to being able to understand how St. Thérèse defines love and how her definition was developed. The love that she received from both God and her father allow her to give the love that she gave back to each. Msgr. Johnson states: “God has placed St. Thérèse, to rescue us from all that is false in our concept of love and lead us back to that simple, direct, spontaneous love which, in the depths of our souls, we really long for.” Msgr. Johnson also notes that in the basilica dedicated to St. Thérèse in Lisieux, France, there are inscriptions in the arches. One of the inscriptions is the verses from Matthew 22:37-39 that contain the two greatest commandments. On another is found: “There is but one thing to be done here below: to love Jesus and to save souls for Him that He may be more loved.” These two quotations were so important to St. Thérèse that they are a permanent reminder of what St. Thérèse believed in.

St. Thérèse realizes that “The most necessary and the most noble [member] of all could not be lacking.” In each member of the Church, St. Thérèse sees something that is desirable and like the innocent child that she is she says: “I desired to see myself in them all.” This desire is not selfish because as a little girl, she was presented with a choice. A relative of hers had a basket of different dolls and trinkets and St. Thérèse’s sister Celine chose a ball of wool. Thérèse chose all of the things in the basket and even the basket itself. She reflected on this time in her life and she writes: “I understood that to become a saint one had to suffer much, seek out always the most perfect thing to do and forget self.” As she is going through the periods of restlessness, she is suffering greatly because she desires to be all things but she cannot because she has not been able to realize that her vocation is love. In vocational discernment there are difficult times because one has not been able to make sacrifices or there is an inordinate attachment to sin or something of this earth.

St. Thérèse acknowledges that her path to entering Carmel was plagued with many difficulties, but she is still able to realize that “the Church had a heart and that this heart was burning with love.” The rest that consoled her was sufficient enough for her to come to understand that “Love comprised all vocations.” Her desire to see herself in each vocation and role that St. Paul mentions in his Letter to the Corinthians is a witness to the love that she has for serving the Church. However, one cannot participate in each of the three vocations so there must be a sacrifice made in one way or another. The reality is that one can choose only one vocation. In choosing one vocation a person must sacrifice the joys of the other vocations. She emphasizes the fact that any human action has its roots in that same burning love, which inspired the apostles to preach and many martyrs to die. The apostles preach out of love for Christ and the martyrs died because their love for Christ surpassed their love for their own life. The apostles and the martyrs received their zeal from God, the same God who allows St. Thérèse to be transformed into love. She was not transformed in a physical sense but rather in the way that she was disposed to God and to her fellow nuns.

People are funny critters

People from my neck of the woods may well recognize the title of this post as a blatant act of plagiarism, as it is also the title of an amusing poem by cowboy poet and veterinarian, Baxter Black. He proposes a whole list of these "funny critters," among whom are

Apple Pie Bakers,
And crooked book makers,
And Blonds and Brunetters,
And Birthday Forgetters,
And Chicken Fry lovers,
And Blue-Eyed Soul Brothers,
And Drinkers and Boozers,
And Winners and Losers,
And Elephant Trainers,
And Tireless Campaigners,
And Fixers and Menders,
And Paper Clip Benders,
And Goers and Stayers,
And Pinochle Players,
And Handkerchief Users,
And Tissue Abusers.

There are also apparently coffee-cup-nose-touchers.

It is our habit to enjoy a short social as a bit of an intermission between our Holy Hour and communal recitation of Night Prayer on Sundays. On a recent Sunday evening, the hosts of the social served hot cider, which was particularly good. They served the cider from real coffee mugs, and the night was cooler than those to which we had grown accustomed over the summer. For this reason, one of the men with whom I was speaking felt compelled to take his ceramic mug, warmed by the cider within, and repeatedly apply it to the tip of his nose.

People are funny critters . . .

Speaking of and in Latin

Out and about for the summer between my first and second years of theology, I have heard the idea kicked about that Catholic Seminarians don’t get Latin like they used to. When I hear older priests talk about having to converse at table entirely in Latin, I have to agree. Still, Latin is the language of the Church and a solid Catholic theological education, like the one available at St. Paul Seminary, has little Latin phrases woven throughout. Here’s a sampling from the first week or so of class:

Salus animarum suprema lex: “The salvation of souls is the supreme law [of the Church].” Though not an exact quote, this idea appears in the last canon of the Code of Canon Law, the law for the Catholic Church throughout the world. When it came up in Basic Ecclesiastical Law Class, and even today, the thought encourages me. All the rules and regulations, liturgies, prayers, chapels, merciful works, vestments, education, blogs, and (gahh) meetings aim at eventually getting me saved. As a scholar, I realize there’s some debate about the precise details of “salvation”, but I tend to fall back on what strikes me as the common (and common sense) definition: getting to heaven. I pray that I will see all the loyal blog readers there.

Mundus reconciliatus, ecclesia: “The world reconciled, that is the Church.” This comes from the works of St. Augustine and captures what my Ecclesiology (study of the Church herself) Class describes as a “great” definition of the Church. Like Christ, the Church has human and divine aspects. Though clearly of this world, she is also radically different from this world because she has been reconciled, reformed, and saved. Incidentally, I included the comma in the phrase because it was included in my notes. I’m not sure if that was in the original, but I highly doubt it. Punctuation, on the whole, seems to be a rather recent innovation. In any case, I will claim it as mine since I would never presume one of greatest early Christian writers utilized a comma splice.

Deus providebit: “God will provide.” This line is quoted by Cardinal Ratzinger in his work God is Near Us which I am reading for my Eucharist class. The man who has become the pope meditates for a few pages on the story of Abraham obeying God’s command to sacrifice Isaac. When Isaac asks, perhaps already a little uneasily, “Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?”, Abraham replies that “God will provide.” That, according to the Cardinal, is an example of the sort of trust Christians ought to live: following God even when we don’t understand.

Mysterium aquae et vini est: “It is the mystery of the water and the wine.” OR “The mystery is of the water and the wine.” OR “There is a mystery of water and wine.” This sentence comes from my Basic Ecclesiastical Latin course. I had to translate it as part of our drills for the last class. Because these practice sentences lack the context of a larger work, a precise translation is a bit difficult. Oh well. Deus providebit.