Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
Well, I just came across this great video that one of the priests here at NAC pointed out to me. It is incredibly well done, and it is super-charged with the truth of the Faith. Please check it out. It's well worth it, and if you needed a jump start to your own faith, this will help. If you do have questions afterwards, I suggest that you visit their main cite: www.catholicscomehome.org.
Here is the video:
http://www.catholicscomehome.org/epic/epic120.phtml
Happy Viewing, and God bless you as you seek the Truth!
(Two posts in one day...don't think I'm setting a standard.)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Live to Love
Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
I just have a message that I think really needs to be said, and this one is specifically for the youth who may be reading this. It's also for the parents of those youth...and really for anyone. But I thought this needed to be targeted more specifically this go-around.
So I ask all of the youth out there (or at least the young at heart):
What do you want out of life? Let me ask that again: What do you want out of life?
Because I know you have big dreams. I know that you want to get out and do great things in the world. You want to own your own business, you want to be President of the United States, you want to do mission work, you want to be an actor (and I can sympathize here)--you want to make an impact.
I mean, how many people sit back and say, "I strive to be mediocre when I grow up." No one. We all want to do something amazing with our lives. Do you want to know why that is? Because God wants us to do amazing things. He wants to do amazing things in us. Let that sink in.
Now, I am not saying that God is calling all of us to be President of the United States or a major actor, but this is what I am saying: God has given you a dream for a reason, and He wants to use it, and He wants to transform it.
"What are you getting at, Paul?" you ask.
"That's a good question...," I respond, not because I don't know, but because it's just a good question, and I'm glad you're paying attention.
Back on task: The reason we have big plans for our lives is because God has big plans for our lives. From all eternity, God knew He would create you (see Psalm 139, especially verses 14-16), and He didn't make you for nothing. Guess what: only you can accomplish the unique mission He has for you.
"What?"
"That's right."
"No wa--"
"I'm gonna cut you off, because it's true."
So if you have dreams right now (which I know you do), God wants to use them and make them even more than what you are allowing for yourself. A brief autobiographical note: I have always wanted to be an actor. I love being on stage (whether people love being in the audience is a different story, but stay with me). There is a real rush that comes with the whole experience, and in the end, the sense of accomplishment at bringing life to people is overwhelming.
"But Paul, you're a seminarian, not an actor."
"Right."
"So where does your dream fit with what you're doing right now?"
"Thought you'd never ask..." I reply as I delightfully type whatever I want you to say.
True, I am no longer doing acting directly, but God has transformed that dream on the way. I have been blessed with the opportunity to give talks on retreats and at a Parish at which I served, and now the sense of accomplishment at bringing life to people is even more overwhelming: I get to bring Life to people (see John 14:6). And in the not-too-distant future, I will have a captive audience every Sunday...heh. Also, God has taken me amazing places on the way. It has not always been easy, but it has been worth it. And I know God's only got more in store.
So I dare you to dream big. Then ask God how you can dream bigger. Be Saints!
May God bless you with His grace and His peace. I pray your Lent draws you deeper into the mystery of Christ's burning love for us.
I just have a message that I think really needs to be said, and this one is specifically for the youth who may be reading this. It's also for the parents of those youth...and really for anyone. But I thought this needed to be targeted more specifically this go-around.
So I ask all of the youth out there (or at least the young at heart):
What do you want out of life? Let me ask that again: What do you want out of life?
Because I know you have big dreams. I know that you want to get out and do great things in the world. You want to own your own business, you want to be President of the United States, you want to do mission work, you want to be an actor (and I can sympathize here)--you want to make an impact.
I mean, how many people sit back and say, "I strive to be mediocre when I grow up." No one. We all want to do something amazing with our lives. Do you want to know why that is? Because God wants us to do amazing things. He wants to do amazing things in us. Let that sink in.
Now, I am not saying that God is calling all of us to be President of the United States or a major actor, but this is what I am saying: God has given you a dream for a reason, and He wants to use it, and He wants to transform it.
"What are you getting at, Paul?" you ask.
"That's a good question...," I respond, not because I don't know, but because it's just a good question, and I'm glad you're paying attention.
Back on task: The reason we have big plans for our lives is because God has big plans for our lives. From all eternity, God knew He would create you (see Psalm 139, especially verses 14-16), and He didn't make you for nothing. Guess what: only you can accomplish the unique mission He has for you.
"What?"
"That's right."
"No wa--"
"I'm gonna cut you off, because it's true."
So if you have dreams right now (which I know you do), God wants to use them and make them even more than what you are allowing for yourself. A brief autobiographical note: I have always wanted to be an actor. I love being on stage (whether people love being in the audience is a different story, but stay with me). There is a real rush that comes with the whole experience, and in the end, the sense of accomplishment at bringing life to people is overwhelming.
"But Paul, you're a seminarian, not an actor."
"Right."
"So where does your dream fit with what you're doing right now?"
"Thought you'd never ask..." I reply as I delightfully type whatever I want you to say.
True, I am no longer doing acting directly, but God has transformed that dream on the way. I have been blessed with the opportunity to give talks on retreats and at a Parish at which I served, and now the sense of accomplishment at bringing life to people is even more overwhelming: I get to bring Life to people (see John 14:6). And in the not-too-distant future, I will have a captive audience every Sunday...heh. Also, God has taken me amazing places on the way. It has not always been easy, but it has been worth it. And I know God's only got more in store.
So I dare you to dream big. Then ask God how you can dream bigger. Be Saints!
May God bless you with His grace and His peace. I pray your Lent draws you deeper into the mystery of Christ's burning love for us.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Another Post...
...is on the way. Sorry for the teaser, but I just wanted to let you know I have not forgotten you, and I hope and pray that the season of Lent is bearing great fruit (not grape fruit...random? yes; true? also yes) in your life. Seriously, I pray for your spiritual growth in this beautiful season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving!
I will post again soon. Just to drop you a little line, though, guess what happened in my Credibility of Revelation class last Friday.... Give up? Well, since I don't know how you responded I will tell you anyway: our professor, Fr. Pie-Ninot from Spain, was teaching us about how man seeks answers to life because he is oriented toward the future, love, and death; to really make his point clear, he played the song "Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart," by Bruce Springsteen (which he spelled "Bruce Springteen"). Only at one of the oldest Theological University's in Rome....
Well, that's it for now. Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
I will post again soon. Just to drop you a little line, though, guess what happened in my Credibility of Revelation class last Friday.... Give up? Well, since I don't know how you responded I will tell you anyway: our professor, Fr. Pie-Ninot from Spain, was teaching us about how man seeks answers to life because he is oriented toward the future, love, and death; to really make his point clear, he played the song "Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart," by Bruce Springsteen (which he spelled "Bruce Springteen"). Only at one of the oldest Theological University's in Rome....
Well, that's it for now. Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I am the Lourdes of the France said He...
Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
God is good! There have been "tante benedizioni" (many blessings) over the last week. What a trip! Where to begin...the beginning?
So Matt, a friend and fellow seminarian, and I decided a while back to make a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, to be present there for the 150th Anniversary of the first apparition (which happened February 11, 1858) of our Lady (Mary, the Mother of God) to St. Bernadette. The entire trip was, appropriately enough, full of grace. And we knew it from the moment we got in line for the airplane.
A young woman of college age who was studying abroad in Grenoble, France, asked us if we were from the States (we are). And as it turned out she was from Canada. "Canada, eh?" we rejoined, and the conversation took off from there. As we got on the plane, we discovered that she was a devout Christian and that God had healed her: one of her legs used to be shorter than the other, giving her terrible back problems. In a prayer meeting, the leader prayed over her and she saw her leg lengthen before her eyes. (I wanted to make a joke here about how prayer really stretches you, but I didn't want to take away from the truth of the situation...and yet I managed to get the joke in.)
Let's just say, we knew at that point that we were in for a grace filled experience. God blessed us in so many ways. For one, just being there was a grace: the castle-like facade of the Shrine rises up out of the side of a wooded mountainside, the slope descending into a blue river running past it. Beneath the Shrine is the Grotto itself, the place where our Lord's Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette, asking her to pray for the conversion of sinners. Powerful stuff. We got to pray in that spot, walk into the Grotto, and we were able to bathe (a.k.a. submerse) ourselves in water from the spring that welled up under the Grotto as a reminder of our Baptism. Tons of healings happen there all the time, and God is in the air. Divine electricity, and we wanted to get struck.
Well, on the night of the 150th Anniversary itself, after a day filled with prayer, good conversations, and a Eucharistic procession, we found ourselves waiting for the start of a torch-light procession with 80,000 other pilgrims. (Plymouth Rock ain't got nothin' on Lourdes.) And in the midst of that throng of people holding their candles aloft, Fr. Ryan, one of the Priests here at the NAC, emerged from the crowd right in front of us, like Moses parting the Red Sea. He then ran into another friend of his, Barbara, and in his amazement, he said, "When I got here, I said 2 prayers to Our Lady: one to find you guys and one to find her. Our Lady's good." The rest of the trip changed from that moment on.
Basically, we got to have Mass with Fr. Ryan at the formation house of his friend Barbara (who is part of a Diocesan house of formation for women). A couple of days later, we returned to that house to eat lunch (read as banquet). Fr. Ryan's friend then took us to see the countryside of Bartres (pronounced Bar-trez'), the area where St. Bernadette pastured flocks as a teenager when her family was too poor to support her. We got to walk in the footsteps of a Saint. If only I could learn to do that on a daily basis....
There was also a young woman staying in our same religious hostel whom Matt and I got to know while we were there: Laura. She has been trying to find her vocation, and because we "ran into" Fr. Ryan and therefore met Barbara, she might have found it (Laura, if you read this and have found your vocation, let me know). She met Barbara through us, and Barbara gave her information on the house of formation she runs. Providence? I think so. It's just amazing to be able to see God unfolding His plan all around you. You never know what He's lining up if you just open yourself up to His Will.
And then we finished it all up by returning to an in-house retreat back at NAC--as though we needed it. Yes, there was even more grace. God really is good.
Well, back to school this week. Please pray for us, that the graces may continue to flow into our ordinary experience (you know, ordinary...like having classes in Italian). Thank you, and God bless you all! OH, and I prayed for you all at the Shrine! Peace be with you! Another exclamation point!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Saying What I Need to Say
Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
Just a quick note...
Best song I've heard in a while: "Say" by John Mayer. The main line of the song is "say what you need to say," and the one line I like the most: "It's better to say too much than never to say what you need to say again." I think that sums it up. Don't wait to tell your family you love them. Don't wait to apologize and let go of the past. Don't wait to consider giving everything up to follow the One Who can actually offer you happiness. Live the life you need to live right now. It's the only one you have.
May God bless you with His grace and His peace. He really wants to.
P.S. - Please pray for us as we continue exams, and know you are in our prayers!
Just a quick note...
Best song I've heard in a while: "Say" by John Mayer. The main line of the song is "say what you need to say," and the one line I like the most: "It's better to say too much than never to say what you need to say again." I think that sums it up. Don't wait to tell your family you love them. Don't wait to apologize and let go of the past. Don't wait to consider giving everything up to follow the One Who can actually offer you happiness. Live the life you need to live right now. It's the only one you have.
May God bless you with His grace and His peace. He really wants to.
P.S. - Please pray for us as we continue exams, and know you are in our prayers!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Two Down, Two to Go...
Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
Wow, well there's been a lot going on these last couple of days--and though the date may say that I'm writing this on the 31st of January, I got interrupted yesterday and couldn't write the entry... So, to remain true to the blog, I will write it as though I were writing it yesterday.
Frid...err, Thursday, January 31st, 2008:
Have I got some stories to tell you all....
Heh, okay, so let's just say that finals found me a bit, shall we say, un-prepared. Not that I didn't know they were coming; I knew we would have finals in late January/early February ("Why not the normal time?" you ask. You obviously haven't been to Italy...), but I guess it didn't hit me that I would have to study.
So yesterday (remember, it's Thursday), I had my first exam in Italy, and the exam was in Italian, but I could answer in English, which helped to say the least. This test was over the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke (so called because they are very much alike (from the Greek parts "syn" meaning "together" and "optic" meaning "seeing" ("seeing together" (I guess I learned something in Greek (another parenthetical)))))). (That was a bit absurd (yes it was)).
So...to get back on track. This particular class taught us the Rhetorical Method for analyzing the Synoptic Gospels, which I have really come to like. Basically, we analyze a series of passages to find similar words and then compare them to each other to discover what that series of passages is trying to say. The result is often quite awesome, and it should make for good homilees in the future...that's right: good, long homilees....
When I received the test, I handed it right back in completely blank, because I realized they were all Rhetorical Questions.
That test went really well though, and it was all due to Providence (quickly becoming my favorite word). That is correct: the night before the exam, I had studied 10 of the 11 passages that we could possibly be tested on the next day--our professor would give us 2 of the 10 and we had to complete 1 of them. Well, it just so happened that one of the other seminarians, Phil, was walking by my room the night before the exam and asked how studying was going.
I said, "Pretty well, but I haven't really studied the last passage, but it should be fine."
He replied, "Oh, that one's easy. Here, let me show you."
Then he explained it to me in about 5 minutes....
Can you guess which passage showed up on the exam as one of the two options????? (I'll give you a hint (really? (yes)): you already know which one because I've given too many hints already, and this story can now really only go one direction without you getting upset at me...) You guessed it (you're good): I got that passage. And I told Phil that night that it would be on the exam "due to the providential nature of this encounter."
Sure enough, when I was fretting and trying to turn it over to God, He tossed me a bit of a soft ball.
Lest you think it pure coincidence, allow me to tell you of my second exam that I had today: Church History. Because of the other exam, I hadn't prepared near enough...much...anything but one question prior to the night before the exam. Well, as I got to looking over the material, I realized I still remembered a bit of it, but that wasn't enough. And I had to have 7 questions out of 14 ready, and the professor would pick two of those to test me on interview style. That is correct: I had to sit in front of the professor and chat with him about the material--no faking that.
So I prayed really hard, and I also asked for St. Joseph of Cupertino's intercession. Quick digression: St. Joseph of Cupertino desired and felt called to be a Priest, but he wasn't the brightest halo in the heavens. He could speak really well on one passage of Scripture, and that was about it. When it came time for his final examination before ordination to the Deaconate (the step before Priesthood), he was asked one question, and it was the one he knew really well. Providence.
Then before he was ordained a Priest, he was to be tested once more. The examiner asked the first 3 deacons some questions, and then something important interrupted him that required his attention. Since those 3 spoke so articulately on the matters discussed, the examiner assumed the rest to be equally as prepared and passed them all. God wanted St. Joseph of Cupertino to be a Priest, so He helped him past his limitations.
Well, back to my test. I went in with a good 4/7 of the 7 questions really ready, and the other 3 were, shall we say, not yet at their full potential. I could have spoken on them, but it would not have been too pretty. (Quick Sidenote: it is not that I didn't study before at all, but you try taking classes in Italian....) So I said my prayers, asked for St. Joseph's intercession (similar to asking your friend to pray for you for something, except we know this man to be in heaven--an added perk, you might say--which means his prayers get to God via Fedex, as opposed to Ground), and then I went to take the test.
The professor/examiner asked me the first question on the list, which just so happened to be the one I was most prepared for. I spoke pretty well on it, and then he said, "Well, you know a lot about the development of that most very important creed [the Nicene Creed]," and then he told me we were out of time. I only had to answer one question, and it was the one I knew the best. Thank you, St. Joseph of Cupertino. Glory to God!
Again, it's not that I didn't study. St. Joseph of Cupertino also studied a lot. So I am not advocating not preparing for an exam and assuming God will get you out of it. That's called presumption, which is a sin. So don't do it. What I do know is that, if we are trying to seek His will, God takes care of us when we can't always get the job done ourselves. It really was amazing, and I was just blown away by how it all worked out.
God is good, and if we are seeking to serve Him, He will take care of everything or show us the way out.
Oh, and I will try not to use too many parenthetical statements in the future (seriously)--or dashes. You all are in my prayers. Keep seeking the Truth because He's seeking you! God bless!
Wow, well there's been a lot going on these last couple of days--and though the date may say that I'm writing this on the 31st of January, I got interrupted yesterday and couldn't write the entry... So, to remain true to the blog, I will write it as though I were writing it yesterday.
Frid...err, Thursday, January 31st, 2008:
Have I got some stories to tell you all....
Heh, okay, so let's just say that finals found me a bit, shall we say, un-prepared. Not that I didn't know they were coming; I knew we would have finals in late January/early February ("Why not the normal time?" you ask. You obviously haven't been to Italy...), but I guess it didn't hit me that I would have to study.
So yesterday (remember, it's Thursday), I had my first exam in Italy, and the exam was in Italian, but I could answer in English, which helped to say the least. This test was over the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke (so called because they are very much alike (from the Greek parts "syn" meaning "together" and "optic" meaning "seeing" ("seeing together" (I guess I learned something in Greek (another parenthetical)))))). (That was a bit absurd (yes it was)).
So...to get back on track. This particular class taught us the Rhetorical Method for analyzing the Synoptic Gospels, which I have really come to like. Basically, we analyze a series of passages to find similar words and then compare them to each other to discover what that series of passages is trying to say. The result is often quite awesome, and it should make for good homilees in the future...that's right: good, long homilees....
When I received the test, I handed it right back in completely blank, because I realized they were all Rhetorical Questions.
That test went really well though, and it was all due to Providence (quickly becoming my favorite word). That is correct: the night before the exam, I had studied 10 of the 11 passages that we could possibly be tested on the next day--our professor would give us 2 of the 10 and we had to complete 1 of them. Well, it just so happened that one of the other seminarians, Phil, was walking by my room the night before the exam and asked how studying was going.
I said, "Pretty well, but I haven't really studied the last passage, but it should be fine."
He replied, "Oh, that one's easy. Here, let me show you."
Then he explained it to me in about 5 minutes....
Can you guess which passage showed up on the exam as one of the two options????? (I'll give you a hint (really? (yes)): you already know which one because I've given too many hints already, and this story can now really only go one direction without you getting upset at me...) You guessed it (you're good): I got that passage. And I told Phil that night that it would be on the exam "due to the providential nature of this encounter."
Sure enough, when I was fretting and trying to turn it over to God, He tossed me a bit of a soft ball.
Lest you think it pure coincidence, allow me to tell you of my second exam that I had today: Church History. Because of the other exam, I hadn't prepared near enough...much...anything but one question prior to the night before the exam. Well, as I got to looking over the material, I realized I still remembered a bit of it, but that wasn't enough. And I had to have 7 questions out of 14 ready, and the professor would pick two of those to test me on interview style. That is correct: I had to sit in front of the professor and chat with him about the material--no faking that.
So I prayed really hard, and I also asked for St. Joseph of Cupertino's intercession. Quick digression: St. Joseph of Cupertino desired and felt called to be a Priest, but he wasn't the brightest halo in the heavens. He could speak really well on one passage of Scripture, and that was about it. When it came time for his final examination before ordination to the Deaconate (the step before Priesthood), he was asked one question, and it was the one he knew really well. Providence.
Then before he was ordained a Priest, he was to be tested once more. The examiner asked the first 3 deacons some questions, and then something important interrupted him that required his attention. Since those 3 spoke so articulately on the matters discussed, the examiner assumed the rest to be equally as prepared and passed them all. God wanted St. Joseph of Cupertino to be a Priest, so He helped him past his limitations.
Well, back to my test. I went in with a good 4/7 of the 7 questions really ready, and the other 3 were, shall we say, not yet at their full potential. I could have spoken on them, but it would not have been too pretty. (Quick Sidenote: it is not that I didn't study before at all, but you try taking classes in Italian....) So I said my prayers, asked for St. Joseph's intercession (similar to asking your friend to pray for you for something, except we know this man to be in heaven--an added perk, you might say--which means his prayers get to God via Fedex, as opposed to Ground), and then I went to take the test.
The professor/examiner asked me the first question on the list, which just so happened to be the one I was most prepared for. I spoke pretty well on it, and then he said, "Well, you know a lot about the development of that most very important creed [the Nicene Creed]," and then he told me we were out of time. I only had to answer one question, and it was the one I knew the best. Thank you, St. Joseph of Cupertino. Glory to God!
Again, it's not that I didn't study. St. Joseph of Cupertino also studied a lot. So I am not advocating not preparing for an exam and assuming God will get you out of it. That's called presumption, which is a sin. So don't do it. What I do know is that, if we are trying to seek His will, God takes care of us when we can't always get the job done ourselves. It really was amazing, and I was just blown away by how it all worked out.
God is good, and if we are seeking to serve Him, He will take care of everything or show us the way out.
Oh, and I will try not to use too many parenthetical statements in the future (seriously)--or dashes. You all are in my prayers. Keep seeking the Truth because He's seeking you! God bless!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Six Month-iversary!
Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!
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That's a really bad firework explosion, but it's celebrating a really good event: James and I have now lived in another country for 6 months, to the day! And neither of us are legal citizens yet! Only in Italy!
It is amazing, first, how fast the time flew by (the only thing that moves quickly in this country is the time), and, second, how much has happened. There have been so many graced moments, many challenges, and a faithful God behind them all. I need to be more thankful than I am, at all that I have received. Even the challenges have been blessings, and I have grown so much. I know I have a long way to go, but I look forward to every step, because I know Who is guiding me. As C. S. Lewis said, "I may not know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future." We really can have a lot of peace when we entrust our lives to God--I'm definitely still working on it, but I know that much. I may struggle with the surrender, but at least it's a struggle...I suppose, right? (insert ceaseless affirmations from you here). Aw, shucks. Thanks, guys.
Well, now that I feel so good about myself, I should tell you that I can now read! Some of you are saying, "About time," while others are saying, "No way," and the other (wiser) ones among you are asking, "Whatever do you mean, Paul?"
"Good question," I respond.
"I know," you all reply.
"Get over yourselves...I mean, *cough, cough*, absolutely right," I say as I hastily move on.
Well, I am now an officially instituted Lector or Reader for Mass and Morning and Evening Prayer (from the Liturgy of the Hours, which can be prayed by clergy or the laity)--basically, I have received the second order of Holy Orders. So I have taken one small step for me, one giant leap for me-kind (i.e. the other guys in my class). I received Candidacy before I left the States, meaning that I am now a Candidate for the Priesthood, and just this last Sunday we New Men were instituted as Lectors by Archbishop Gregory of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia. He handed us the Lectionary, or the book of Readings for Holy Mass, and he said, "Take this book of Holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the Word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of His People."
"Amen," was our response. Now we have been commissioned by the Church to proclaim the Word of God. It may not seem like much, but it is, and it really was a good discernment opportunity for me; it really gave me a sense of what it will be like on my Ordination day, God willing. I will kneel before the Bishop, and he will lay hands on me, and I will be ordained. There's more to it than that, but it's a good taste of what's to come; and it all seemed right. So praise God for that!
Well, please keep us in your prayers as we take on this new ministry, that we may be faithful in our duty and help bring others closer to God. And please pray for our exams! They are rapidly approaching, and I have a lot of catching up to do (remember that whole thing about time moving quickly? Well, my study habits didn't...). So please keep us in prayer, and know that you all have been in mine. Remember, God is good!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not. In all your ways be mindful of Him, and He will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6
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That's a really bad firework explosion, but it's celebrating a really good event: James and I have now lived in another country for 6 months, to the day! And neither of us are legal citizens yet! Only in Italy!
It is amazing, first, how fast the time flew by (the only thing that moves quickly in this country is the time), and, second, how much has happened. There have been so many graced moments, many challenges, and a faithful God behind them all. I need to be more thankful than I am, at all that I have received. Even the challenges have been blessings, and I have grown so much. I know I have a long way to go, but I look forward to every step, because I know Who is guiding me. As C. S. Lewis said, "I may not know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future." We really can have a lot of peace when we entrust our lives to God--I'm definitely still working on it, but I know that much. I may struggle with the surrender, but at least it's a struggle...I suppose, right? (insert ceaseless affirmations from you here). Aw, shucks. Thanks, guys.
Well, now that I feel so good about myself, I should tell you that I can now read! Some of you are saying, "About time," while others are saying, "No way," and the other (wiser) ones among you are asking, "Whatever do you mean, Paul?"
"Good question," I respond.
"I know," you all reply.
"Get over yourselves...I mean, *cough, cough*, absolutely right," I say as I hastily move on.
Well, I am now an officially instituted Lector or Reader for Mass and Morning and Evening Prayer (from the Liturgy of the Hours, which can be prayed by clergy or the laity)--basically, I have received the second order of Holy Orders. So I have taken one small step for me, one giant leap for me-kind (i.e. the other guys in my class). I received Candidacy before I left the States, meaning that I am now a Candidate for the Priesthood, and just this last Sunday we New Men were instituted as Lectors by Archbishop Gregory of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia. He handed us the Lectionary, or the book of Readings for Holy Mass, and he said, "Take this book of Holy Scripture and be faithful in handing on the Word of God, so that it may grow strong in the hearts of His People."
"Amen," was our response. Now we have been commissioned by the Church to proclaim the Word of God. It may not seem like much, but it is, and it really was a good discernment opportunity for me; it really gave me a sense of what it will be like on my Ordination day, God willing. I will kneel before the Bishop, and he will lay hands on me, and I will be ordained. There's more to it than that, but it's a good taste of what's to come; and it all seemed right. So praise God for that!
Well, please keep us in your prayers as we take on this new ministry, that we may be faithful in our duty and help bring others closer to God. And please pray for our exams! They are rapidly approaching, and I have a lot of catching up to do (remember that whole thing about time moving quickly? Well, my study habits didn't...). So please keep us in prayer, and know that you all have been in mine. Remember, God is good!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not. In all your ways be mindful of Him, and He will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6
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