Last week, I posted about the Easter Triduum, and that post was well-read; I'm glad that so many stopped by and got something out of it.
For me, having entered so deeply into the observance of Holy Week, contemplating the mystery of the Lord's Passion in its totality, and feeling the weight of my own cross, in a particular way in preparing for those celebrations, I was struck with awe at the Easter Vigil's proclamation of the resurrection - I got to share in those first disciples' wonder when the lights came on and we sung the Gloria and then celebrated the "fullness of time" and the height of the Paschal mystery in the Resurrection.
I also knew that my best friend was preparing to begin the Easter Vigil at her own parish, at which she would be baptized, confirmed, and receive Holy Communion for the first time. Our closeness first as academic colleagues and student leaders, which deepened into a supportive and trusting friendship, is now complemented by full communion in the Body of Christ, the Church, and it is an awesome occasion for rejoicing!
Yesterday I read a blog post (also from Easter Sunday) by an audacious student leader whom I met through the University Honors Program at Cal State Long Beach, someone whose talent for creative writing I've enjoyed via her blog. She has written about heartbreak and the challenges of law school as she chases her dreams, trying to hang on to good friends and cope with betrayal. But this time, she wrote about rediscovering her Catholic faith over the preceding several weeks, and the little old woman she refers to as her "Chicago abuelita" (Spanish for grandmother) who both inspired her and was inspired by her. This is the kind of story that likewise brings me joy and indeed the whole Church, in some mysterious way, is improved by this opening of one more heart, created for God's love, to receive it more fully.
And even further, I received an email from a young woman I met while studying abroad in Switzerland; it is a funny story. A colleague in the study-abroad program caught the train with me to Geneva one Sunday so that we could both attend our respective services. As he and I met up afterward and were beginning to look for a place to eat, two young women stopped us to ask for directions... we basically said that we were also new to the town and we hadn't yet seen the street they mentioned. When we parted ways, we had not taken but a few steps when we saw the street they were looking for, so we ran back to show them. It turns out they were also looking for a place to eat, that had been recommended them, and they invited us to join them. Brunch was fabulous and we swapped contact information; though they were Lebanese and in Switzerland for various reasons, it may have been somewhat odd to pretend that we might keep in touch. As it turns out, I have kept in touch with one of them over the almost 4 years now since we met there. Back to my point: I received this email from her this morning sharing a positive development in her personal life that gave her much joy, but more than just sharing in her happiness over her own situation, she also expressed a kind of zealous excitement in encouraging me to continue along this path of priestly formation, offering her prayers and thanking me for mine and those of my Dominican sister, and also taking inspiration from the parents of St. Therese de Lisieux in our common "fight for sanctity" (her words).
This convergence of so many causes for rejoicing, at the height of the Church's calendar and these moments of profound conversion and grace in the lives of these wonderful people really struck me this week!
I notice I've only spoken of women thus far (odd for a seminarian?)... two of my Oblate brothers also experienced some deeply moving events that were cause for rejoicing and which they shared with me over the past week: one, a recognition of how I participated (unknowingly) in his coming to terms with a serious event in his life, and another, just in the simple yet honest and deeply truthful sharing of our experience of growth in religious life.
It is said in the Gospels that there is much rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than 99 righteous without need for repentance. It is also said that the whole Church feels both the sufferings and joys of each of its members, through the mysterious communion of the Body of Christ. This is something we can hear and ponder, but, because it is mystery, we often do not grasp its gravity. This week, I experienced very deeply the sense of ripples of joy spreading over the whole Church, humbly receiving them as the very real and profoundly impactful experiences of these particular people that I know. The element of suffering is, unfortunately, present as well, and I ask that you please join me in prayer for those who have died recently, among them, the sister of a brother Oblate, who lived a full life and leaves him as the only survivor of his immediate family; and the grandmother of a college dorm-mate; may they rest in peace.
Now, like Mary at the Finding of Jesus in the temple, let us "ponder these things" in our hearts, and look forward, with Easter Joy, to the coming of the Holy Spirit and the commemoration of the birth of the Church, who we are!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Triduum Sanctum
Buona Pasqua! (Italian greeting for "Happy Easter")
I had begun planning this post yesterday (Holy Saturday) but did not have a chance to finish it, due to all of the preparatory activities for our celebration of the Easter Vigil here.
According to Wikipedia, which cites catholicliturgy.org, the Paschal Triduum is "the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday (the vigil of Good Friday) and ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday, the three-day period therefore from the evening of Maundy Thursday (excluding most of Thursday) to the evening of Resurrection Sunday."
My Holy Week observance began with the celebration of Passion (Palm) Sunday, on which we commemorate Jesus' joyful entrance into Jerusalem and then anticipate his Passion and death. That liturgy really set the tone for the week, giving us a dramatic descent into the tomb to await the Resurrection the following Sunday.
We took the men who are visiting us this week to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for the Chrism Mass on Tuesday. It is a beautiful expression of the union of the ordained ministers, as deacons (both permanent and transitional), priests, bishops, and the Metropolitan of the local Greek Orthodox church attended. The priests all renew their promises to the Church and the bishop blesses the oils of the sick and of catechumens and consecrates the holy Chrism after mixing the balsam perfume into the olive oil. Chrism is used in consecrations and recalls the ancient practice of anointing prophets and kings, and in the Christian tradition, priests (on the palms) and bishops (on the head). This three-fold office that the Chrism is used to set someone apart for is the central mystery of Christ's work: he commissioned his disciples, and in turn, all believers, to participate in his work of ordering creation to himself [kingly], which includes discipline of ourselves to curb vices and cultivate virtue; his work of announcing the Word that He is [prophetic], including the teaching office of the Church (Magisterium) as well as the example of our own lives; and consecrating the world to Him and offering our lives as a sacrifice along with Him on the Cross [priestly]. All the baptized are called to participate in this work that Christ showed us, and in so doing, open themselves to receive sanctifying grace in abundance.
I always enjoy attending the Chrism Mass to see that grand expression of the priesthood, with over 200 priests from all over the Archdiocese in attendance, all praying together the Eucharistic prayer to consecrate the bread and wine, acting in the person of Christ (in persona Christi) and all in unison. It is an occasion that easily brings to mind my own calling and an opportunity to renew my spirit of surrender to that call, praying for the grace to continually accept God's will for me and to do it both with humble resignation and with the zeal that His Call stirs up in me. It is also an opportunity for the Cardinal to address his priests assembled and give them some advice and direction for the coming year. This year, he recalled advice he had given in years past and added to it continuing formation, according to every aspect of Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis ("I give you shepherds," on the formation of priests in the circumstances of the present day) – that is, the four pillars of academic (theology), human, pastoral, and spiritual formation.
Whew, that was just Tuesday! Wednesday evening, we held a Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness") service here at St. Clement's (there was also one at the Cathedral). In it, we prayerfully, with readings, psalms, and hymns, commemorate Jesus' sacred wounds on the cross, and His death, in a special candle-light service in the dark; at the end, a sound like a clap of thunder represents the resurrection to come, and the faithful in attendance file out in silence by the light of the Paschal candle. It was the first time I had attended one, and because it was done so tastefully, and was well-rehearsed, I was really drawn into the sorrows of Christ and the significance of Mary's accompaniment during His Passion, which was also represented by a steady blue candle present throughout.
Thursday we had our last class of the week and then began our preparations for that day's service, the celebration of the Last Supper. I joined the choir for this liturgy, which was a very beautiful yet bittersweet celebration of the gift of the Eucharist and the priesthood and then the emptying of the Church as Jesus left the cenacle to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was tormented by temptations to give up and not offer His life for our salvation. The Eucharist is completely removed from the church and the faithful walked in procession to our side chapel while singing the Eucharistic hymn by St. Thomas Aquinas, Pange lingua gloriosi. After the Mass, we piled into cars and set off on a prayerful and somber visit to seven nearby churches, an ancient tradition that likely goes back to visiting the seven station churches (basilicas) in Rome. We would arrive at each church, enter their altar of repose, where the Eucharist is reserved for adoration that night only, and spend a few minutes there in prayer, answering Christ's request of his disciples in the Garden to "keep watch." We used the Taize chant "Stay with Me" which meditatively sets that solemn tone of the vigil.
Good Friday saw many more preparations for the commemoration of the Lord's Passion that evening. I helped Fr. Peter Grover, OMV lead the Stations of the Cross at noontime; he stops four times during the fourteen stations to give a little reflection on the Passion. The one that struck me the most was that we can place ourselves in the scene in the person of Barrabas at Jesus' condemnation by Pilate – he is a sinner (a "notorious murderer" or "revolutionary", according to the various Gospels) that received life from Christ's sacrifice, and his name means "son of the father" (bar-abba). At 3pm, we began observed the first day of the Divine Mercy novena, chanting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together in the empty church. I served the liturgy that evening, a very solemn liturgy with a silent entrance and closing procession, and a special procession of the cross after the homily and an opportunity for the faithful present to come up and reverence the cross, either by a bow or a touch or even a kiss. The cross is set out in a prominent place for the faithful to stay and pray there. We watched Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ to further enter into the spirit of the day.
Holy Saturday saw many preparations for the great solemnity of the Easter Vigil. All five of us postulants served the Mass together, each taking on specific roles during the liturgy; I was placed in charge of the fire and incense for the night, a role with which I am very familiar. One of my favorite parts of the Easter Vigil is the Gloria, during which bells are rung, the lights in the church come on, and we open the reredos doors, revealing lots of flowers and the angels on either side of the tabernacle, which were hidden behind those closed doors for the duration of Lent. The opening prayer is said, and we enter into the readings that celebrate the Resurrection, after hearing a snapshot of salvation history that prepared the way for this culmination. Following the Easter Vigil, after greeting people and cleaning things up, we gathered around the table for some Easter munchies in a humble "Resurrection Party," sharing stories of our family traditions for celebrating Easter and recalling various Oblate stories.
After retiring last night around 1:30am, I rose today at 7 with a song in my head: a praise and worship tune called "Mercy is falling." I had not heard this song in a couple years, and yet I rose practically singing it right away, and it is indeed relevant. Of all the times in the year, this week of the Glorious Easter day is certainly the time at which the Church commemorates the opening of the floodgates of salvation, the gates of heaven, the pierced side of Christ from which flowed blood and water, life for the world. Mercy is indeed falling like a "sweet spring rain" giving life, cleansing and purifying and renewing the earth.
May you and your family have a most blessed Easter season and rejoice with the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, (Regina caeli, laetare!) for the Lord has risen as He said (Resurrexit, sicut dixit!), and beg her intercession for us (Ora pro nobis Deum) as we press on with renewed strength and vigor to draw close to Christ and bring many others with us by our example and the offering of our lives with His.
Happy Easter!
Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia!
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia!
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia!
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia!
Gaude et laetare Virgo Maria, alleluia!
Quia surrexit Dominus vere alleluia!
Oremus: Deus qui per resurretionem Filii Tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi mundum laetificare dignatus es, praesta quaesumus, ut per eius Genitricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_coeli
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
I had begun planning this post yesterday (Holy Saturday) but did not have a chance to finish it, due to all of the preparatory activities for our celebration of the Easter Vigil here.
According to Wikipedia, which cites catholicliturgy.org, the Paschal Triduum is "the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday (the vigil of Good Friday) and ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday, the three-day period therefore from the evening of Maundy Thursday (excluding most of Thursday) to the evening of Resurrection Sunday."
My Holy Week observance began with the celebration of Passion (Palm) Sunday, on which we commemorate Jesus' joyful entrance into Jerusalem and then anticipate his Passion and death. That liturgy really set the tone for the week, giving us a dramatic descent into the tomb to await the Resurrection the following Sunday.
We took the men who are visiting us this week to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for the Chrism Mass on Tuesday. It is a beautiful expression of the union of the ordained ministers, as deacons (both permanent and transitional), priests, bishops, and the Metropolitan of the local Greek Orthodox church attended. The priests all renew their promises to the Church and the bishop blesses the oils of the sick and of catechumens and consecrates the holy Chrism after mixing the balsam perfume into the olive oil. Chrism is used in consecrations and recalls the ancient practice of anointing prophets and kings, and in the Christian tradition, priests (on the palms) and bishops (on the head). This three-fold office that the Chrism is used to set someone apart for is the central mystery of Christ's work: he commissioned his disciples, and in turn, all believers, to participate in his work of ordering creation to himself [kingly], which includes discipline of ourselves to curb vices and cultivate virtue; his work of announcing the Word that He is [prophetic], including the teaching office of the Church (Magisterium) as well as the example of our own lives; and consecrating the world to Him and offering our lives as a sacrifice along with Him on the Cross [priestly]. All the baptized are called to participate in this work that Christ showed us, and in so doing, open themselves to receive sanctifying grace in abundance.
I always enjoy attending the Chrism Mass to see that grand expression of the priesthood, with over 200 priests from all over the Archdiocese in attendance, all praying together the Eucharistic prayer to consecrate the bread and wine, acting in the person of Christ (in persona Christi) and all in unison. It is an occasion that easily brings to mind my own calling and an opportunity to renew my spirit of surrender to that call, praying for the grace to continually accept God's will for me and to do it both with humble resignation and with the zeal that His Call stirs up in me. It is also an opportunity for the Cardinal to address his priests assembled and give them some advice and direction for the coming year. This year, he recalled advice he had given in years past and added to it continuing formation, according to every aspect of Blessed John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis ("I give you shepherds," on the formation of priests in the circumstances of the present day) – that is, the four pillars of academic (theology), human, pastoral, and spiritual formation.
Whew, that was just Tuesday! Wednesday evening, we held a Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness") service here at St. Clement's (there was also one at the Cathedral). In it, we prayerfully, with readings, psalms, and hymns, commemorate Jesus' sacred wounds on the cross, and His death, in a special candle-light service in the dark; at the end, a sound like a clap of thunder represents the resurrection to come, and the faithful in attendance file out in silence by the light of the Paschal candle. It was the first time I had attended one, and because it was done so tastefully, and was well-rehearsed, I was really drawn into the sorrows of Christ and the significance of Mary's accompaniment during His Passion, which was also represented by a steady blue candle present throughout.
Thursday we had our last class of the week and then began our preparations for that day's service, the celebration of the Last Supper. I joined the choir for this liturgy, which was a very beautiful yet bittersweet celebration of the gift of the Eucharist and the priesthood and then the emptying of the Church as Jesus left the cenacle to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was tormented by temptations to give up and not offer His life for our salvation. The Eucharist is completely removed from the church and the faithful walked in procession to our side chapel while singing the Eucharistic hymn by St. Thomas Aquinas, Pange lingua gloriosi. After the Mass, we piled into cars and set off on a prayerful and somber visit to seven nearby churches, an ancient tradition that likely goes back to visiting the seven station churches (basilicas) in Rome. We would arrive at each church, enter their altar of repose, where the Eucharist is reserved for adoration that night only, and spend a few minutes there in prayer, answering Christ's request of his disciples in the Garden to "keep watch." We used the Taize chant "Stay with Me" which meditatively sets that solemn tone of the vigil.
Good Friday saw many more preparations for the commemoration of the Lord's Passion that evening. I helped Fr. Peter Grover, OMV lead the Stations of the Cross at noontime; he stops four times during the fourteen stations to give a little reflection on the Passion. The one that struck me the most was that we can place ourselves in the scene in the person of Barrabas at Jesus' condemnation by Pilate – he is a sinner (a "notorious murderer" or "revolutionary", according to the various Gospels) that received life from Christ's sacrifice, and his name means "son of the father" (bar-abba). At 3pm, we began observed the first day of the Divine Mercy novena, chanting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy together in the empty church. I served the liturgy that evening, a very solemn liturgy with a silent entrance and closing procession, and a special procession of the cross after the homily and an opportunity for the faithful present to come up and reverence the cross, either by a bow or a touch or even a kiss. The cross is set out in a prominent place for the faithful to stay and pray there. We watched Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ to further enter into the spirit of the day.
Holy Saturday saw many preparations for the great solemnity of the Easter Vigil. All five of us postulants served the Mass together, each taking on specific roles during the liturgy; I was placed in charge of the fire and incense for the night, a role with which I am very familiar. One of my favorite parts of the Easter Vigil is the Gloria, during which bells are rung, the lights in the church come on, and we open the reredos doors, revealing lots of flowers and the angels on either side of the tabernacle, which were hidden behind those closed doors for the duration of Lent. The opening prayer is said, and we enter into the readings that celebrate the Resurrection, after hearing a snapshot of salvation history that prepared the way for this culmination. Following the Easter Vigil, after greeting people and cleaning things up, we gathered around the table for some Easter munchies in a humble "Resurrection Party," sharing stories of our family traditions for celebrating Easter and recalling various Oblate stories.
After retiring last night around 1:30am, I rose today at 7 with a song in my head: a praise and worship tune called "Mercy is falling." I had not heard this song in a couple years, and yet I rose practically singing it right away, and it is indeed relevant. Of all the times in the year, this week of the Glorious Easter day is certainly the time at which the Church commemorates the opening of the floodgates of salvation, the gates of heaven, the pierced side of Christ from which flowed blood and water, life for the world. Mercy is indeed falling like a "sweet spring rain" giving life, cleansing and purifying and renewing the earth.
May you and your family have a most blessed Easter season and rejoice with the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, (Regina caeli, laetare!) for the Lord has risen as He said (Resurrexit, sicut dixit!), and beg her intercession for us (Ora pro nobis Deum) as we press on with renewed strength and vigor to draw close to Christ and bring many others with us by our example and the offering of our lives with His.
Happy Easter!
Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia!
Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia!
Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia!
Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia!
Gaude et laetare Virgo Maria, alleluia!
Quia surrexit Dominus vere alleluia!
Oremus: Deus qui per resurretionem Filii Tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi mundum laetificare dignatus es, praesta quaesumus, ut per eius Genitricem Virginem Mariam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_coeli
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Thoughts and Feelings
We do so much thinking (especially as students), and most of the time, we are feeling, too. These ideas come into our daily lives often without our explicitly willing them: "I was thinking ..." when making a proposition; "How do you feel/What do you think about ____?" in similar circumstances.
At our winter retreat, Fr. Shawn Monahan proposed this triad as a device to help in our own introspection: What are my thoughts, feelings, and desires (possibly pertaining to the subject at hand)? I have found this device to be tremendously fruitful, especially when we either have nothing striking in our immediate past that begs our consideration, or the opposite, when we have something so significant and overwhelming that we know not where to begin processing it. It is also a great standard for making journal entries complete.
I recently spoke with a friend who is a part of our wonderful music ministry here at St. Clement's, about her own vocational journey and how to approach discernment. Besides having a spiritual director (or as Fr. Tim often puts it, a "wise spiritual guide" or "spiritual accompaniment"), I have found spiritual journaling indispensable in capturing my present mood and state in order to look back and observe trends or correlations.
For me, the image that best captures how this helps is the cliché forest (the big picture) and trees (the details), often expressed in terms of the extremes: missing the forest for the trees (focusing on details, to the neglect of the big picture) or vice-versa. This type of guided journaling gets us moving expressing the trees (which in itself is a great exercise, even in the moment, to write as spontaneously as possible, as questions enter our head and we try to answer them, having to frame the situation on paper) and then when we look back, in a way "zooming out" to see the whole forest (nonetheless composed of trees) there is so much more light shed on the subject because all of those details are available.
We were just learning in Philosophical Psychology (the study of the soul, its nature and its powers, not necessarily the modern psychoanalytic field or what may be loosely termed "personality") that human beings remember things by returning to the specific image or real object of which our memory has stored its form. An obvious example of this is a childhood photo album. It's not that you don't remember your early life or that you were absent for it; rather, your memory of those events that you barely remember can be "triggered" by seeing those photos once more. And one can refresh knowledge once learned by thumbing through a textbook that helps recall that knowledge (the common literary phrase: "it all came rushing back to me").
In spiritual discernment, seeing both the forest and the trees, and identifying our thoughts, feelings, and desires really help us to see, especially at prayer and by the light of God's grace, what influences us, what occupies our consciousness, what tugs at our heart, what weighs us down and what excites us. The question is so often posed: I know deep down that to do God's will is what I ought to strive for, but how will I know? For some, a special grace of an unwavering conviction in what they have discovered God's will to be eliminates this doubt and hesitancy. For most, we may try things out and reach that threshold at which we become "sure enough" that what we have discerned is true, and it is our surrendering leap of faith that disposes us to receive the graces that will carry us through that decision.
In today's crazy political climate, I sometimes wonder if I could have been out there in the trenches of politics, arguing or promoting awareness of the grave injustices being incorporated into the laws and judicial precedent of this country. But then I remember those thoughts, feelings, and desires that brought me to where I am, and understanding that as a member of the human family and the Body of Christ, what I do according to where I am now does indeed contribute to the cause.
Holy Week is the most liturgically expressive week of the year, and here in seminary, we are immersed in all of it. Beginning with Palm (Passion) Sunday tomorrow, we will attend the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral on Tuesday and then participate in Holy Thursday's Mass of the Lord's Supper (as well as visit several churches in the area to pray at their altars of repose), the Celebration of Our Lord's Passion on Holy Friday, the great Easter Vigil, and a festive Easter Sunday. In between papers and other assigned readings, we seek to enter into the spirit of Holy Week, with Jesus' joyous entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, the profound gift of His Body and Blood sacramentally on Thursday and physically on Friday, and the consummation of the Paschal Mystery in the Resurrection. As I have reflected many times before, at this time, the Church drops out of the merely logical structure that normally governs the liturgical calendar, and steps through these events at the heart of the mystery of our salvation in real time. Rather than remember for a moment events that consumed entire days or weeks, we have a chance to enter into these mysteries deeply. Fr. Tom advised that we offered the suggestion that we select a single character and follow Holy Week that way - choose a disciple, a Roman soldier, an attendant at Herod's court, the Jewish priests, the man who signalled to the apostles where to prepare to celebrate the Last Supper, Veronica, or the women of Jerusalem who meet Our Lord at the 8th station of the Cross.
This, too, is an opportunity to consider thoughts, feelings, and desires. As we witness the ultimate example of love, giving one's life for one's friend, and for us as we contemplate in a particular way our own self-sacrifice in religious life, let us see the forest: the grand mystery of salvation of all mankind and the meaning of our individual lives; and the trees: the experiences and gifts, the trials and triumphs and all the wonderful people we meet along the way. And let us not forget the precious intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, who by her fiat mihi secudum verbum tuum ("let it be done unto me according to your word"), consented that God be incarnate through her, attended His bitter passion, herself pierced by a sword, and now brings our petitions to her Son, our Savior.
Have a blessed Holy Week, and Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
At our winter retreat, Fr. Shawn Monahan proposed this triad as a device to help in our own introspection: What are my thoughts, feelings, and desires (possibly pertaining to the subject at hand)? I have found this device to be tremendously fruitful, especially when we either have nothing striking in our immediate past that begs our consideration, or the opposite, when we have something so significant and overwhelming that we know not where to begin processing it. It is also a great standard for making journal entries complete.
I recently spoke with a friend who is a part of our wonderful music ministry here at St. Clement's, about her own vocational journey and how to approach discernment. Besides having a spiritual director (or as Fr. Tim often puts it, a "wise spiritual guide" or "spiritual accompaniment"), I have found spiritual journaling indispensable in capturing my present mood and state in order to look back and observe trends or correlations.
For me, the image that best captures how this helps is the cliché forest (the big picture) and trees (the details), often expressed in terms of the extremes: missing the forest for the trees (focusing on details, to the neglect of the big picture) or vice-versa. This type of guided journaling gets us moving expressing the trees (which in itself is a great exercise, even in the moment, to write as spontaneously as possible, as questions enter our head and we try to answer them, having to frame the situation on paper) and then when we look back, in a way "zooming out" to see the whole forest (nonetheless composed of trees) there is so much more light shed on the subject because all of those details are available.
We were just learning in Philosophical Psychology (the study of the soul, its nature and its powers, not necessarily the modern psychoanalytic field or what may be loosely termed "personality") that human beings remember things by returning to the specific image or real object of which our memory has stored its form. An obvious example of this is a childhood photo album. It's not that you don't remember your early life or that you were absent for it; rather, your memory of those events that you barely remember can be "triggered" by seeing those photos once more. And one can refresh knowledge once learned by thumbing through a textbook that helps recall that knowledge (the common literary phrase: "it all came rushing back to me").
In spiritual discernment, seeing both the forest and the trees, and identifying our thoughts, feelings, and desires really help us to see, especially at prayer and by the light of God's grace, what influences us, what occupies our consciousness, what tugs at our heart, what weighs us down and what excites us. The question is so often posed: I know deep down that to do God's will is what I ought to strive for, but how will I know? For some, a special grace of an unwavering conviction in what they have discovered God's will to be eliminates this doubt and hesitancy. For most, we may try things out and reach that threshold at which we become "sure enough" that what we have discerned is true, and it is our surrendering leap of faith that disposes us to receive the graces that will carry us through that decision.
In today's crazy political climate, I sometimes wonder if I could have been out there in the trenches of politics, arguing or promoting awareness of the grave injustices being incorporated into the laws and judicial precedent of this country. But then I remember those thoughts, feelings, and desires that brought me to where I am, and understanding that as a member of the human family and the Body of Christ, what I do according to where I am now does indeed contribute to the cause.
Holy Week is the most liturgically expressive week of the year, and here in seminary, we are immersed in all of it. Beginning with Palm (Passion) Sunday tomorrow, we will attend the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral on Tuesday and then participate in Holy Thursday's Mass of the Lord's Supper (as well as visit several churches in the area to pray at their altars of repose), the Celebration of Our Lord's Passion on Holy Friday, the great Easter Vigil, and a festive Easter Sunday. In between papers and other assigned readings, we seek to enter into the spirit of Holy Week, with Jesus' joyous entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, the profound gift of His Body and Blood sacramentally on Thursday and physically on Friday, and the consummation of the Paschal Mystery in the Resurrection. As I have reflected many times before, at this time, the Church drops out of the merely logical structure that normally governs the liturgical calendar, and steps through these events at the heart of the mystery of our salvation in real time. Rather than remember for a moment events that consumed entire days or weeks, we have a chance to enter into these mysteries deeply. Fr. Tom advised that we offered the suggestion that we select a single character and follow Holy Week that way - choose a disciple, a Roman soldier, an attendant at Herod's court, the Jewish priests, the man who signalled to the apostles where to prepare to celebrate the Last Supper, Veronica, or the women of Jerusalem who meet Our Lord at the 8th station of the Cross.
This, too, is an opportunity to consider thoughts, feelings, and desires. As we witness the ultimate example of love, giving one's life for one's friend, and for us as we contemplate in a particular way our own self-sacrifice in religious life, let us see the forest: the grand mystery of salvation of all mankind and the meaning of our individual lives; and the trees: the experiences and gifts, the trials and triumphs and all the wonderful people we meet along the way. And let us not forget the precious intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, who by her fiat mihi secudum verbum tuum ("let it be done unto me according to your word"), consented that God be incarnate through her, attended His bitter passion, herself pierced by a sword, and now brings our petitions to her Son, our Savior.
Have a blessed Holy Week, and Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Commandments
Today's readings include the Decalogue (Greek for 10 Words), which provided an excellent opportunity for catechesis on the moral life and Christian living. Br. Steve and I seized the moment for our RCIA class and constructed a class using the day's readings as well as material from the CCC (#1950–1986 and #1716) and then going over the 10 Commandments in more practical detail, understanding, as Jesus presents in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), that it is the spirit of the law that matters. Further, in that same spirit, minor transgressions of the law (generally, venial sins) as well as omissions (good things we choose not to do when we ought to) are all shortcomings about which we should be sorry and desire to improve.
The connection to today's gospel, which I only realized in the midst of Br. Steve's explanation of the context of the cleansing of the temple, was even more enlightening. The business that had developed in the outer court of the Temple in Jerusalem was to provide the animals for sacrifice that Jews would have to purchase in order to make the prescribed offering according to Mosaic law; and Jews coming from outside the immediate vicinity would likely have to exchange their foreign currency (perhaps Roman) for the currency accepted by the Temple priests (commonly weighed in shekels, as we saw earlier this week at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in Times Square). So this whole business of buying what was needed to satisfy the letter of the law became wrapped up in what Jesus was to destroy as the earthly dwelling of the Most High—He would replace the Temple both as the singular physical dwelling place of God and as the means by which our sins are ultimately forgiven. And, as the Gospel states, His disciples "came to believe in the Scriptures" concerning Him, and the convergence of the prophecies of old, of Jesus' own prophecy ("that He had said this"), and of their fulfillment in the Resurrection.
Br. Steve furthermore pointed out that no Temple has been rebuilt on the site since its destruction about 40 years after Jesus' death and resurrection, and that such an act would likely constitute a World War, due to the occupation of the site by the al'Aqsa mosque (commonly known as the Shrine of the Rock), among the holiest sites in Islam. So that temple was indeed destroyed, and in three days' time, the Temple of His Body was raised up and replaced the former tradition of animal sacrifices for transgressions of the Mosaic law.
Good stuff!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
The connection to today's gospel, which I only realized in the midst of Br. Steve's explanation of the context of the cleansing of the temple, was even more enlightening. The business that had developed in the outer court of the Temple in Jerusalem was to provide the animals for sacrifice that Jews would have to purchase in order to make the prescribed offering according to Mosaic law; and Jews coming from outside the immediate vicinity would likely have to exchange their foreign currency (perhaps Roman) for the currency accepted by the Temple priests (commonly weighed in shekels, as we saw earlier this week at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit in Times Square). So this whole business of buying what was needed to satisfy the letter of the law became wrapped up in what Jesus was to destroy as the earthly dwelling of the Most High—He would replace the Temple both as the singular physical dwelling place of God and as the means by which our sins are ultimately forgiven. And, as the Gospel states, His disciples "came to believe in the Scriptures" concerning Him, and the convergence of the prophecies of old, of Jesus' own prophecy ("that He had said this"), and of their fulfillment in the Resurrection.
Br. Steve furthermore pointed out that no Temple has been rebuilt on the site since its destruction about 40 years after Jesus' death and resurrection, and that such an act would likely constitute a World War, due to the occupation of the site by the al'Aqsa mosque (commonly known as the Shrine of the Rock), among the holiest sites in Islam. So that temple was indeed destroyed, and in three days' time, the Temple of His Body was raised up and replaced the former tradition of animal sacrifices for transgressions of the Mosaic law.
Good stuff!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Spring Break Adventures
View my Spring Break photos: 
We postulants set off on an adventure last Sunday night, and arrived in Philadelphia shortly before midnight. The following day, we got acquainted with our surroundings in the historic district of Philadelphia and then met Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap. for lunch - he was a very entertaining host and was very honest about all that has confronted him since his arrival from Denver - the Church in Philadelphia can certainly use much prayer.
Later that day, we had our tour of Independence Hall and the historic sights there. We visited the Shrine of St. John Neumann, at St. Peter the Apostle church, for Mass, and afterward got to hear about the history of Redemptorist missionary work during his ministry. This was my favorite stop out of the trip, with the Dead Sea Scrolls in Times Square a close second, because in my discernment with the Redemptorists, I had come to really appreciate their spirituality, and as I learned later, Fr. Lanteri also took great inspiration from Redemptorist (specifically Liguorian) moral theology at at the founding of the Oblates. It was very powerful to be there in such a historically symbolic place for not only the great work of Redemptorists and Cardinal Neumann but for the growth of the Church in America.
We headed to New York City the next morning, to have lunch with Fr. Richard at St. Malachy's in Midtown. After learning about the unique ministry to the Broadway community there, we hiked a few blocks to Times Square to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Discovery center. That was a very well-done exhibit showing the cultural-historical context of pre-biblical times and the environment in which the scriptures were written, and it was just incredible to stand there and peer in on the ancient parchment that bears the carefully-written and most complete collection of scriptural texts that we have today. I was able to pick out a bit of Greek that was also included there, though most of the scrolls are in Hebrew.
We headed over to Old St. Patrick's Cathedral for Mass and Rosary with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, then hopped on the subway down to Little Italy for dinner. We swung by Ground Zero, which was also a powerful experience to see "the gap" the fallen towers left, and the construction in progress of the Freedom Tower. Several of us shared the sentiment that it was like visiting a cemetery, very cognizant of the thousands of lives that were lost there.
We stopped for Mass the next morning in North Bergen, New Jersey, at Our Lady of Fatima, which we learned from the pastor is the parish where a come-and-see guest last year is the music director. We swung by Josh's parents in Holden, MA for lunch before returning to Boston - a great way to finish the trip!
So that was a crazy three days of our Spring Break, and we've been relaxing a bit more since we returned. Now it's time to gear up for a couple midterm exams next week. Please continue to pray for my discernment of how to proceed next year, and challenge yourself to live Lent better - we're closing the second week of Lent, which means the first third of it is already behind us - renew your zeal for the Lenten practices you set for yourself, or commit to some for the remainder of this powerful season!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
We postulants set off on an adventure last Sunday night, and arrived in Philadelphia shortly before midnight. The following day, we got acquainted with our surroundings in the historic district of Philadelphia and then met Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap. for lunch - he was a very entertaining host and was very honest about all that has confronted him since his arrival from Denver - the Church in Philadelphia can certainly use much prayer.
Later that day, we had our tour of Independence Hall and the historic sights there. We visited the Shrine of St. John Neumann, at St. Peter the Apostle church, for Mass, and afterward got to hear about the history of Redemptorist missionary work during his ministry. This was my favorite stop out of the trip, with the Dead Sea Scrolls in Times Square a close second, because in my discernment with the Redemptorists, I had come to really appreciate their spirituality, and as I learned later, Fr. Lanteri also took great inspiration from Redemptorist (specifically Liguorian) moral theology at at the founding of the Oblates. It was very powerful to be there in such a historically symbolic place for not only the great work of Redemptorists and Cardinal Neumann but for the growth of the Church in America.
We headed to New York City the next morning, to have lunch with Fr. Richard at St. Malachy's in Midtown. After learning about the unique ministry to the Broadway community there, we hiked a few blocks to Times Square to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Discovery center. That was a very well-done exhibit showing the cultural-historical context of pre-biblical times and the environment in which the scriptures were written, and it was just incredible to stand there and peer in on the ancient parchment that bears the carefully-written and most complete collection of scriptural texts that we have today. I was able to pick out a bit of Greek that was also included there, though most of the scrolls are in Hebrew.
We headed over to Old St. Patrick's Cathedral for Mass and Rosary with Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction, then hopped on the subway down to Little Italy for dinner. We swung by Ground Zero, which was also a powerful experience to see "the gap" the fallen towers left, and the construction in progress of the Freedom Tower. Several of us shared the sentiment that it was like visiting a cemetery, very cognizant of the thousands of lives that were lost there.
We stopped for Mass the next morning in North Bergen, New Jersey, at Our Lady of Fatima, which we learned from the pastor is the parish where a come-and-see guest last year is the music director. We swung by Josh's parents in Holden, MA for lunch before returning to Boston - a great way to finish the trip!
So that was a crazy three days of our Spring Break, and we've been relaxing a bit more since we returned. Now it's time to gear up for a couple midterm exams next week. Please continue to pray for my discernment of how to proceed next year, and challenge yourself to live Lent better - we're closing the second week of Lent, which means the first third of it is already behind us - renew your zeal for the Lenten practices you set for yourself, or commit to some for the remainder of this powerful season!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
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