Updates

It has been a month since my last post! How the time has flown.

I am now in the midst of midterm season, with an exam each week for four weeks: Patristics, Old Testament, Synoptic Gospels, and Fundamental Theology. This is a phenomenon I did not experience in college, when several classes had multiple midterms, which meant that my exam schedule was basically the first and last few weeks exam-free, and the middle just full of all kinds of exams - having a well-defined "it's midterms" season is a bit new, but so far, I like it.

We took a hike for Columbus Day - up Mt. Wachusett here in central Massachusetts - followed by dinner at Josh's parents' home in Holden. Their hospitality is always appreciated and ever so generous.

We also had a much-needed day of recollection on the feast of the Archangels; Fr. Peter Grover presented the corresponding accounts of the healing of a blind man on the road to Jericho in the three Synoptic Gospels, beginning with Mark's. He noted the significant differences and then showed us the basics of praying with scripture and what kinds of questions we could ask of the text to guide our meditation. Today's second reading, from the letter to the Hebrews, reminds us of how useful this can be: "The word of God is living and effective, ... penetrating even between the soul and spirit."

Last night I gave a ferverino (short sermon) on today's Gospel reading; I focused on the theme of giving everything up, of giving ourselves over to the Lord when he calls us, joining ourselves to His Body and then receiving new brothers (fellow seminarians) and mother (Mary) as we begin this journey of formation in community with one another. I also invited my First Theology class over from St. John's Seminary and about a third of them were able to spend the evening with us. Being from a small congregation and the only one in my First Theology class there, it is good for the other men to see where and how we live, to have a fuller understanding of the community within which they are studying and what each of us bring to that community. Conversation often turns to family as we spend time together at the seminary, similar to college students asking each other what their major is or where they went to high school or grew up, and for me, part of my family situation is this religious family of which I am now a part.

I am glad to see Boston cooling off at this time of year - hopefully we will have a properly-snowy New England winter! The trees are changing colors and some have shed most of their leaves. The overnight low came down to 35 a couple days ago, and the squirrels are getting ready for winter.

I also began my pastoral service, along with Matthew, a Boston seminarian who just joined my class at St. John's. We work on Friday afternoons/evenings at Sacred Heart parish in East Boston (very close to the airport). So far, we have made communion calls to the homebound, assisted at a wake service, and helped with a baptism preparation class. And we have eaten what was set before us every time we went out there. I guess that's to be expected in an Italian parish! The parish also has a substantial Vietnamese community, which I have yet to experience, but I thought it incredibly providential that I was placed in a parish of very similar ethnic composition as my own background!

Time to return to the race! We have been following the presidential/vice-presidential race and debates here, as well as participating in events in observance of the Year of Faith - hopefully more on these themes soon!


Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca