One To Watch

My last year at St Meinrad I had the misfortune of taking philosophy classes with a young man who was a Glenmary Missionary preparing to enter the seminary. Where I was ending my gradual school time, he was collecting enough philosophy credits so that he would be allowed to enter the seminary in the fall.

Well, a year and a half ago Aaron Wessman did just that. He now isnot only a Glenmary Missionary but also a Seminarian at St. Meinrad School of Theology and has begun to share his reflections on his seminary time and his missionary work in a blog.

You can find it here:

Cognition of a Roman Catholic Missioner

I think if you want an interesting and refreshing look at what goes on in a semianry through the eyes of a Missionary seminarian you should be reading this blog. I have added it to my sidebar.

Mystic Monday: Old Friends Week

I spent this last weekend with Gradual School friends at St Meinrad because it was Graduation weekend and there are still people that we went to classes with who are graduating; way to go Paul and Ben and Mike and Glory,(who had the tough job of representing as the only woman in the graduating class this year); as well as seminarians we know who are finishing up since it takes them so many more years to get their MDiv than it takes us to get our MA and MTS degrees. Congrats to Deacons Peter Marshall, Jeremy Gries, John Hollowell, and Chris Wadelton from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, who will be ordained to the priesthood in June.

Anyway, I digress (a favorite saying of one of my friends with whom I spent the weekend)

Since I spent the weekend with old friends, I have decided to revisit an old friend for Mystic Monday. Because I took a survey on Facebook on Friday and to my utter shock was told that should I choose to join a monastic order I would be best suited to join the Dominicans, I am going to return to Henry Susso, a Dominican from the 14th Century, who loved the name of Jesus so much he gave himself a tatoo of the Holy Name over his heart with his writing stylus . (personally, I would have gone for a slightly less permanent badge of rememberance, but hey if it worked for him . . .)

Here is a bit from his text on "The Computer of Wisdom" a stricture for living the Spiritual Life

In the fellowship of saints which as the morning stars shone in the dark night of this world and as the sun and moon shed forth the beams of their clear knowledge you shall find some who surpassingly were perfectly grounded not only in active life and virtue but also in contemplation, of whose teaching and example you may take the most perfect doctrine and love of true spiritual life. And nevertheless I willingly and condescendingly to your youth and inexperience shall give you some principles of spiritual living for a memory to have always at hand to set you in the right working if you desire to have the perfection of spiritual life that is to be desired by all men and if you will and desire to take it up manfully you shall first withdraw from ill fellowship and harmful company of all men who would hinder you from your good purpose, seeking always opportunity when and what time you may retire and there take privy silence for contemplation and flee from the perils and turbulance of this harmful world. Always it belongs to you first to study to have cleanness of heart, that is to say that you keep your sensory perceptions turned into yourself and there you have as much as is possible the doors of your heart busily closed from the forms of outward things and images of earthly things. Truly among all other spiritual exercises cleanness of heart has the sovereignty, as a final intent and reward of all the travails that a chosen knight of Christ is to receive.

Good companions, time to study God's word and stay away from earthly distractions that draw you away from Godly things. Isn't it amazing how easy the right stuff really is?

Pax

Convicted

Yesterday we had the pleasure of having a visit from the seminarian who spent the summer at our parish come back to offer a homily (this being his Deacon year).

His homily was very inspiring; in fact one might say it was convicting in that he said something to the effect that ten days into lent we all might be struggling with what we had decided to give up and we might have, say given up cake, but had replaced that with more cookies.

When we were driving home from church the angelbaby said in her sweetest voice, "Mom, shame on you for offering us those fruit juice bars last night instead of the ice cream we gave up for Lent. Deacon John says we can't replace one treat for another."

I confess, there were some whole fruit juice bars in the freezer, and we as a family did give up ice cream for Lent, and I might have eaten one and offered them to the kids saying "these aren't ice cream they are frozen fruit juice."

Darn, it is really hard to be outed by your kids. At least I know she was listening to the homily.

Pax

Lent is Coming . . . What Are You Doing?

I have been blessed because of my work with the church, and attending a School of Theology/Seminary for Gradual School, to meet quite a few young men who are studying for the priesthood.

There is one in particular this year that I am working with at St Paul of whom I have become very fond. He is Brother Dominic PJ McManus OP. He is doing his pastoral year at St. Paul before he goes back to seminary for his deaconate year of study prior to being ordained. He is working with the graduate students at St Paul and has done a few talks for the RCIA.

I also have had the distinct pleasure of hearing him preach. To say he has a gift is an understatement. Which is why I want to introduce you to him today. Last weekend in the bulletin there was a short reflection that Br. Dominic wrote concerning Lent, fasting and transformation. I was so impressed with it that I am going to give it to each of my kids to read so that they will have a better understanding of why we fast. The writer in me was even just a bit envious.

I want to share it with all of you, so I am linking to the St. Paul Bulletin where you can read it for yourself. You will find it in Keller's Corner on the right side of the first page.

Preparing for Lent: Fasting

It has changed my mind on how I will be looking at fasting this lent. I plan to enter this lent looking for a fasting that feeds my prayer and a prayer that feeds my alms giving, and in all of that I hope to be transformed rather than just inconvenienced by what I have decided to "give up".

Thanks Br. Dominic. Good Lent everyone.

Pax