Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
Ciaody from Roma! Well, I'm now into the 3rd week of class here in Rome, and it's amazing how much Italian you can forget over the weekend. I think I just hit an altopiano, which means plateau, but if you translate it directly, it means, "highfloor," which you could interpret to mean that I have been able to reach really high.... <*insert ceaseless affirmations from you here>. Aww, thanks. You're too kind.
Well, now that I'm feeling really inflated, to the message for today. Today was interesting: it was my first sick day. Yep, it all caught up to me today...I guess I really hit that highfloor. Which actually is part of my...
Top 10 Ways of Knowing I am Living in Rome:
10) Returning from a vacation...to Rome.
9) Getting sick and being able to spend the day in bed (where's Mom's soup when you need it?)
8) Having a mailing address in Italy....
7) Running through Rome for exercise, and not just because I'm late for a train.
6) Discovering that it's okay to be late for an Italian train.
5) Getting to know the Pope's schedule like the back of my hand.
4) Getting lost in Rome and not being lost in Rome (you figure it out, but it works).
3) Waking up in the morning to find I am where I went to sleep the night before.
2) The street vendors know me buy name.
1) The Pope calls me to find out his schedule.
The only two I haven't realized yet are numbers 2 and 1. But I'm sure they'll happen sooner or later (banking on later).
It was actually really nice to get the day to just relax in bed, even while being sick. I think God is trying to get me to realize that I need to stop living on my own strength and start living on His. Today really afforded me an opportunity to retreat from seminary life (which gets pretty busy), and to reflect and pray. So it was a blessing in disguise.
I also got to watch a documentary on my hero, Pope John Paul II. He really was an amazing man, and I'm convinced he's praying for us right now in heaven. I pray that I get to be here when he is beatified by the Church--what an event that will be!
But to the point: I was inspired again to watch how radically this man turned his life over to God, and look how God used him! He inspired millions...actually, billions! The world knew this man was a holy man, even if they disagreed with him. But JPII was not afraid to face contention, to fight against lies and darkness, or to bring people closer to Jesus Christ! In fact, he really wasn't afraid of anything! And those where his first words at the start of his pontificate: Be Not Afraid!!! So I encourage you all, be not afraid! Because "God is love," as we read in the first letter of St. John (and also as Pope Benedict's first encyclical reminds us), and "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:16-18). And we have the strength for everything through Jesus Christ who empowers us (Philippians 4:13).
I address this next part specifically to any teens reading this right now: Do not be afraid to follow Christ, to give Him your dreams, your aspirations. He will give you more than you can imagine...and then some. I'm not saying you should be able to do this overnight--it takes time. But what I am asking you to do, challenging you to do is to say, "Lord God, show me how to give you everything." Or if that's a bit too hard (which is fine), say, "Lord God, show me how to want to give you everything (or even how to want to want)." Even if you do this much, you will be amazed at how God begins to work in your life. Trust me. The only reason I am here right now is because God gave me the people to encourage me to do the same. And I'm encouraging you now: Don't just rock the boat, get out of it--then you can walk on water.
Re-reading that now, that passage can also apply to the adult readers here. I'm telling you it is never to late to turn to God, giving Him everything we've got--He will only give us more.
May God bless you with His abundant grace and peace that are ours in Jesus Christ!
P.S. - Oh, and here is a link to the pictures from our beginning-o-the-year events (just click "events").
P.P.S. - Thank you, Fr. Tom, for the title.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Missionaries of Clarity
Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
Well, the first week of school is over, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say that all I heard this week was a lot of gibberish--not because the professors couldn't speak but because I couldn't understand Italian. It used to be that if I did not understand a concept in class it was because the concept itself was difficult, not the language. The professor, for all I know, could just be standing up there saying "Americans are a bunch of idiots," and I would be hunched over my notebook, sweating, rapidly jotting down what I thought I heard.
Okay, but in all reality, it went pretty well. I am actually learning the language quite a bit faster than I thought I would, which is encouraging. Sitting through 3-4 hours worth of Italian Theology, however, is enough to wear anyone out; in fact, by midday, I almost have to take a nap simply because my brain has been fried...in vinegar and oil of course.
But here I am on the first day (read as "week"...I was a little late on taking the pic) of school.
That one's for you, Mom. I thought you'd like it. And I'm wearing a uniform again (this one perhaps for life). It is really great, though, to don the clerics and head off to school--which is the ministry that we can offer at this point in our lives. Since we are not yet Priests, our studies become our ministry, and the material we learn will be nourishment for our future parishoners. And, as our academic dean at the NAC has reminded us, our desk is our altar where we offer our sacrifice. Quite a strong image. It really helps me to approach my studies with reverence for the task God has placed before me, and I'm happy to accept.
It has also been great to stop in the many beautiful Churches here after class and pray (you would too if you had to sit in Italian classes). In all seriousness, it is a real blessing to be able to spend some time in the classroom of Rome itself, where the Saints, their relics, and the Churches built in their memory instruct us in the Faith. I especially like Chiesa Nuova, where St. Philip Neri, the Apostle of Rome, rests. The Church itself is Baroque style architecture, kind of like a miniature St. Peter's (but then all Churches are miniature compared to St. Peter's). And fun fact: Chiesa Nuova means "New Church," which means that it was built 500 years ago....
But now I must take a moment to share with you a gift God granted me the other day as I ventured off to visit my first Apostolate. Some quick background: our first semester here, we do not actively serve in an Apostolate (i.e. Service Work, but for the Faith). Instead, we learn Italian and visit one of the many possible Apostolates (say that five times fast) to discern which one we will dedicate our time to in the coming years. I decided to visit the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Blessed (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta. God, knowing that I would do this from all eternity, had a little surprise in store for me.
Two quick facts: 1) I am still working on my Italian; 2) This trip gave me a chance to do so.
The place we went to is a soup-kitchen of sorts, and the part we worked on was focused on feeding the men of the streets of Rome. Well, one of the Sisters approached Greg and me, to ask if one of us would read the Gospel and then give a short reflection on it afterwards...you guessed it, in Italian. I don't know why (must have been the Spirit), but I volunteered, saying, "Provero" (which means, "I will try"). I then started to look over the Gospel and thought to myself, how am I going to do this? Immediately the words from Luke 12:11-12 came to mind: "...do not worry about ... what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." I promptly said, "Come Holy Spirit," and started to get an idea.
Sister called me out, sooner that I would have liked, in front of the whole group of Italian men (50 plus), and I began. Sure enough, God pulled it off. I basically said, "Dio ci ama," which means God loves us and moved forward from there. What a gift that was! I got to proclaim God's Word and invite these men deeper in their own language. Afterwards, I was able to serve them and talk with them--a true joy. Praise the Lord for His many great gifts, and please pray for those men. They need help; but more than that, they need to know they are loved. That is the greatest poverty today: not knowing God's love. The beauty is: all we have to do is ask Him, and He will let us know it (...and we will receive).
That's enough for now. Please continue to pray for me, and again, know that I pray for all of you. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
Well, the first week of school is over, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say that all I heard this week was a lot of gibberish--not because the professors couldn't speak but because I couldn't understand Italian. It used to be that if I did not understand a concept in class it was because the concept itself was difficult, not the language. The professor, for all I know, could just be standing up there saying "Americans are a bunch of idiots," and I would be hunched over my notebook, sweating, rapidly jotting down what I thought I heard.
Okay, but in all reality, it went pretty well. I am actually learning the language quite a bit faster than I thought I would, which is encouraging. Sitting through 3-4 hours worth of Italian Theology, however, is enough to wear anyone out; in fact, by midday, I almost have to take a nap simply because my brain has been fried...in vinegar and oil of course.
But here I am on the first day (read as "week"...I was a little late on taking the pic) of school.
That one's for you, Mom. I thought you'd like it. And I'm wearing a uniform again (this one perhaps for life). It is really great, though, to don the clerics and head off to school--which is the ministry that we can offer at this point in our lives. Since we are not yet Priests, our studies become our ministry, and the material we learn will be nourishment for our future parishoners. And, as our academic dean at the NAC has reminded us, our desk is our altar where we offer our sacrifice. Quite a strong image. It really helps me to approach my studies with reverence for the task God has placed before me, and I'm happy to accept.It has also been great to stop in the many beautiful Churches here after class and pray (you would too if you had to sit in Italian classes). In all seriousness, it is a real blessing to be able to spend some time in the classroom of Rome itself, where the Saints, their relics, and the Churches built in their memory instruct us in the Faith. I especially like Chiesa Nuova, where St. Philip Neri, the Apostle of Rome, rests. The Church itself is Baroque style architecture, kind of like a miniature St. Peter's (but then all Churches are miniature compared to St. Peter's). And fun fact: Chiesa Nuova means "New Church," which means that it was built 500 years ago....
But now I must take a moment to share with you a gift God granted me the other day as I ventured off to visit my first Apostolate. Some quick background: our first semester here, we do not actively serve in an Apostolate (i.e. Service Work, but for the Faith). Instead, we learn Italian and visit one of the many possible Apostolates (say that five times fast) to discern which one we will dedicate our time to in the coming years. I decided to visit the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Blessed (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta. God, knowing that I would do this from all eternity, had a little surprise in store for me.
Two quick facts: 1) I am still working on my Italian; 2) This trip gave me a chance to do so.
The place we went to is a soup-kitchen of sorts, and the part we worked on was focused on feeding the men of the streets of Rome. Well, one of the Sisters approached Greg and me, to ask if one of us would read the Gospel and then give a short reflection on it afterwards...you guessed it, in Italian. I don't know why (must have been the Spirit), but I volunteered, saying, "Provero" (which means, "I will try"). I then started to look over the Gospel and thought to myself, how am I going to do this? Immediately the words from Luke 12:11-12 came to mind: "...do not worry about ... what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say." I promptly said, "Come Holy Spirit," and started to get an idea.
Sister called me out, sooner that I would have liked, in front of the whole group of Italian men (50 plus), and I began. Sure enough, God pulled it off. I basically said, "Dio ci ama," which means God loves us and moved forward from there. What a gift that was! I got to proclaim God's Word and invite these men deeper in their own language. Afterwards, I was able to serve them and talk with them--a true joy. Praise the Lord for His many great gifts, and please pray for those men. They need help; but more than that, they need to know they are loved. That is the greatest poverty today: not knowing God's love. The beauty is: all we have to do is ask Him, and He will let us know it (...and we will receive).
That's enough for now. Please continue to pray for me, and again, know that I pray for all of you. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Too Much to Say to Say Too Much
Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
Wow, so time has flown by, and so much has happened...too much to tell you about it now (sorry for the Teaser). But suffice it to say that God is alive and well. I'll give you a quick recap of the things that have happened, so you know, and then I hope to get a more substantial update soon. I wanted to make sure you got an update though.
Last week: Silent Retreat at the Palazzola, a.k.a. the English Villa, a.k.a. Heaven. It was a glorious week filled with so much grace that I wanted to shout out loud...which would have defeated the purpose. It was such a wonderful time, and I will get some pictures up soon. I also realized, while out there, that I should turn to the Stations of the Cross more often in my spiritual journey. We draw so much strength from the Cross of Christ. I also realized that life is short and that I need to be living for the next life. God is good!
This week: Deaconate Ordinations in St. Peter's Basilica, a.k.a. Heaven. After practicing with the choir here at the NAC, we actually received the great privilege of singing in St. Peter's Basilica, our voices resounding off of the towering marble walls--a perfect way to come off of a silent retreat. The Liturgy was glorious, and the 4th year men were ordained deacons. Please keep all 21 of them in your prayers, and thank the Lord for the service these men will offer the Church all over the United States.
This weekend: Le Cinque Terre, Italia, a.k.a. the Cinque Terra (had you fooled didn't I?). It was like Heaven on earth (there it is). Imagine five cliff-side villages lining the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (long sigh...go ahead). And the best part of the whole thing was God's providence through it all. Luke, Jeb, Rheo, and I all showed up ready to camp outside (in a random vineyard if need be). Unable to find a place to camp, we decided just to go to Mass on Friday night and then figure it out...but God was a few steps ahead of us (infinity to be exact). After Mass the Priest approached us and asked us, in Italian, where we were from. Letting him in on our story, he became extatic and offered us a place to stay at a Church in a neighboring town. Basically, we ended up with our own Hostel all to ourselves, complete with bathroom, kitchenette, dining area, and two bedrooms with three bunks each--all attached to a beautiful Church we attended on Sunday morning. God: the best travel agent.
Rheo and I returned earlier than Luke and Jeb, finding ourselves in different compartments of the train. I had the privilege then of speaking with a couple from L.A. and two Italians (in their own tongue). Once they discovered I was a seminarian in Rome (plug for the blog), a wonderful conversation ensued. God is so good! Please keep those four people in your prayers.
Well, that's it for my "quick" update. I hope that catches you up a bit, since I've been slacking in this area lately. Thank you for your prayers, and count on mine! God bless you all!
Wow, so time has flown by, and so much has happened...too much to tell you about it now (sorry for the Teaser). But suffice it to say that God is alive and well. I'll give you a quick recap of the things that have happened, so you know, and then I hope to get a more substantial update soon. I wanted to make sure you got an update though.
Last week: Silent Retreat at the Palazzola, a.k.a. the English Villa, a.k.a. Heaven. It was a glorious week filled with so much grace that I wanted to shout out loud...which would have defeated the purpose. It was such a wonderful time, and I will get some pictures up soon. I also realized, while out there, that I should turn to the Stations of the Cross more often in my spiritual journey. We draw so much strength from the Cross of Christ. I also realized that life is short and that I need to be living for the next life. God is good!
This week: Deaconate Ordinations in St. Peter's Basilica, a.k.a. Heaven. After practicing with the choir here at the NAC, we actually received the great privilege of singing in St. Peter's Basilica, our voices resounding off of the towering marble walls--a perfect way to come off of a silent retreat. The Liturgy was glorious, and the 4th year men were ordained deacons. Please keep all 21 of them in your prayers, and thank the Lord for the service these men will offer the Church all over the United States.
This weekend: Le Cinque Terre, Italia, a.k.a. the Cinque Terra (had you fooled didn't I?). It was like Heaven on earth (there it is). Imagine five cliff-side villages lining the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (long sigh...go ahead). And the best part of the whole thing was God's providence through it all. Luke, Jeb, Rheo, and I all showed up ready to camp outside (in a random vineyard if need be). Unable to find a place to camp, we decided just to go to Mass on Friday night and then figure it out...but God was a few steps ahead of us (infinity to be exact). After Mass the Priest approached us and asked us, in Italian, where we were from. Letting him in on our story, he became extatic and offered us a place to stay at a Church in a neighboring town. Basically, we ended up with our own Hostel all to ourselves, complete with bathroom, kitchenette, dining area, and two bedrooms with three bunks each--all attached to a beautiful Church we attended on Sunday morning. God: the best travel agent.
Rheo and I returned earlier than Luke and Jeb, finding ourselves in different compartments of the train. I had the privilege then of speaking with a couple from L.A. and two Italians (in their own tongue). Once they discovered I was a seminarian in Rome (plug for the blog), a wonderful conversation ensued. God is so good! Please keep those four people in your prayers.
Well, that's it for my "quick" update. I hope that catches you up a bit, since I've been slacking in this area lately. Thank you for your prayers, and count on mine! God bless you all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)