Today at 4pm, we were at St Mary’s Cathedral for Vespers (Night Prayer) with benediction & adoration with the visiting vocation monstrance.  A great sermon by Archbishop Favalora with a memorable exit (wave).

By the way, we took a group picture with all Miami seminarians back in December for a new “vocation poster,” but haven’t seen or heard about it yet.

Today begins a 2 week pilgrimage in the Archdiocese of Miami of a monstrance blessed by Pope John Paul II to encourage vocations, especially in this Golden Jubilee year.  It starts today at the Cathedral and travels to a different parish each day, ending on Sunday April 20 here at St John Vianney College Seminary. (flyer with all location here — pdf Acrobat file)

I.  Prayer:  Eccelesiates 3:1-8

II.  Intro:  (border guard story)

III.  Gaudium et spec #44 (The Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, 1965):

44. Just as it is in the world’s interest to acknowledge the Church as an historical reality, and to recognize her good influence, so the Church herself knows how richly she has profited by the history and development of humanity.

The experience of past ages, the progress of the sciences, and the treasures hidden in the various forms of human culture, by all of which the nature of man himself is more clearly revealed and new roads to truth are opened, these profit the Church, too. For, from the beginning of her history she has learned to express the message of Christ with the help of the ideas and terminology of various philosophers, and and has tried to clarify it with their wisdom, too. Her purpose has been to adapt the Gospel to the grasp of all as well as to the needs of the learned, insofar as such was appropriate. Indeed this accommodated preaching of the revealed word ought to remain the law of all evangelization. For thus the ability to express Christ’s message in its own way is developed in each nation, and at the same time there is fostered a living exchange between the Church and’ the diverse cultures of people.(22) To promote such exchange, especially in our days, the Church requires the special help of those who live in the world, are versed in different institutions and specialties, and grasp their innermost significance in the eyes of both believers and unbelievers. With the help of the Holy Spirit, it is the task of the entire People of God, especially pastors and theologians, to hear, distinguish and interpret the many voices of our age, and to judge them in the light of the divine word, so that revealed truth can always be more deeply penetrated, better understood and set forth to greater advantage.

… Moreover, she gratefully understands that in her community life no less than in her individual sons, she receives a variety of helps from men of every rank and condition, for whoever promotes the human community at the family level, culturally, in its economic, social and political dimensions, both nationally and internationally, such a one, according to God’s design, is contributing greatly to the Church as well, to the extent that she depends on things outside herself. Indeed, the Church admits that she has greatly profited and still profits from the antagonism of those who oppose or who persecute her.(23)

IV.  Generations, An Intro

Theory of Stages of Historical Development:  Crisis, High, Awakening, Unraveling

Types of Generations:  Hero, Prophet, Nomad, Artist

V.  General Ideas about Living Generations

The Great Generation (1911-1928) … Great Depression, World War II
The Silent Generation (1928-1942) … lived better than parents, went to college
The Baby Boomers (1942-1960) … Vietnam, civil rights, protests, assasinations, Woodstock, Watergate, Moon landing
Generation X (1961-1981) … Reagan Era, latch-key kids, no big government … smaller steps, philosophically post-modern
Millennial Generation (1982-2001) … 9/11, Internet, optimistic, “most loved generation” (Baby on Board), helicopter parents, “institution as family,”  46% non-white

VI.  Considerations for Faith & Ministry

MASS 

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday.  I found some great YouTube videos that trump anything I could write about Divine Mercy & Sr Faustina (POLISH nun).

http://thedivinemercy.org/
http://www.marian.org/divinemercy/
http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy
http://www.our.homewithgod.com/divinemercy

Below are some YouTube links with the prayer of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with lot so pictures to reflect on.  Same prayer, but different compilations.  Lots more available … these are my favorites.

Background on Sr Faustina & Divine Mercy
 

Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song (version #2)
 

Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song (version #1)

Chaplet of Divine Mercy in Song (long version)

Chaplet of Divine Mercy (part 1 of 2)

Chaplet of Divine Mercy (part 2 of 2)

Chaplet of Divine Mercy (3pm daily prayer)

Here are some You Tube video with him, if you don’t know him.  Lost of video on You Tube … just search “Fr Stan Fortuna.”  They don’t really do him justice … you need to see him live.

DOTS – Narnia, Lion, Witch & Wardrobe (in Spanish) part 1 — Pauline Epistles & Theology in New Testament class — washing dishes duty — Enchanted — (Irish reporter movie?)

Loving God, I give you thanks for having called me to this great and wonderful adventure called seminary life.
While my heart is filled with joy and my spirit with great excitement, I am slowly discovering that this path I have chosen asks that I give up many things which have already become part of my life.
And let me be honest with you, I’m not finding it easy at all.
It is not always easy to let go of what I’ve gotten used to, Lord.

It’s difficult to let go of late night outings with my friends instead of studying.
It’s difficult to let go of mornings when I can stay in bed instead of going to prayer.
It’s difficult to let go of the good food I enjoy at home.
It’s difficult to let go of the freedom to go wherever and do whatever I please.
It’s difficult to let go of my friends, especially that girl whom I like so much.
It’s difficult to let go of those moments when I choose to be by myself instead of having to deal with others in community.
It’s difficult to let go of my biases, prejudices, and ideas that give me comfort and security.
It’s difficult to let go of many more things, old habits really die hard.

This new life scares me at times too.
How do I know all this letting-go will bear fruit?
How do I know that giving up all these things will result in my becoming happy with the path I have chosen?
How do I know that letting go of my former ambitions and dreams will really allow me to give my life entirely to you?
How do I know that all this sacrifice will make a good priest out of me?
How do I know that I will not fall later on and cause pain and sorrow to your church?
How do I know that this is your will for me and not something I merely imagine?

Speak, Lord, your servant listens.
Let me put my trust completely in you.
Allow me to see that though the initial stage of my journey
may be dark, difficult, and uncertain,
your presence is more that enough to calm my fears,
to lighten my burden, and to give me the strength and courage
to stick to this path that I have chosen,
in the firm conviction that you who have called me asked me
to let go of many things that have given comfort and security to my life
will give me in their stead, the greatest consolation there can be:
the knowledge that wherever I go, whatever happens, whomever I become,
you will always be there to love, guide, and protect me.

– Amen.

 

We were due in today by 9pm.  10pm NIGHT PRAYER was very reflective on the last 3 (busy) weeks by (rector) Fr Michael.  [3 tracks, 1h]

+ JP’s back! 

“Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born of human estate, and it was thus that he humbled himself, obediently accepting even death, death on a cross!

“Because of this, God highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name above every other name, so that at Jesus’ name every knee must bend in the heavens, on the earth, and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim to the glory of God the Father: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!”  — Philippians2:6-11

I’m still here …   This is the last week of classes before Holy Week break.

Today was a day off from classes due to our hectic weekend of Vocation Awareness Weekend where 70 guys from all over Florida came to see what seminary life is like and possibly discern if the priesthood is for them.  Great weekend.  Great guests.  (I was Janet Jackson in the Saturday night skit … but I’ll explain later when I post some pics)

Patience …   … Be holy … Good night!

DOTS — power blackout — Jericho

2.  (Kierkegaard) What constitutes the most significant difference between the aesthetic and ethical choice?  Explain.

The most significant difference between the aesthetic and ethical choice is whether or not someone makes a true choice ‘for the self.’  The more difficult choice is the ‘ethical’ choice, since in involves choosing to be who and what one truly and uniquely is by intimately ‘knowing himself’ with a constant ‘honesty to oneself’ and minimizing the temptations of easier, more convenient decisions.  This leads to an authentic existence.  One the other hand, ‘aesthetic’ choice leads to an inauthentic existence of compromising true selfhood in order to settle for the convenient outside (external) creating a ‘self lost in the they’ (the crowd, the mob, the inauthentic).  Aesthetic choice is lost in the forest of ‘deliberation’ because it is ultimately afraid or simply unwilling to embark on something it fears, ceaselessly jumping from one source of enjoyment to the other, hoping to postpone the inevitable call to ‘be one’s self.”  It does not make a true choice ‘for the self’ and, therefore, does not know itself but only thinks it does.

3.  Explain the relationship of the ‘individual good’ and the ‘common good’ from the perspective of (i) Marx, (ii) Smith, and (iii) Catholic Social Theory.

(i) Marx minimizes the ‘individual good’ and give priority to the ‘common good.’  Since the human person is a producing, creating person, the individual’s value and importance is defined by our social relations, primarily in terms of economics, politics and society.  His focus on the common good encourages policy to benefit ‘everyone’ in, at least, minimal personal needs, but at the expense of the wants of individuals.  In his Communist model, the guidelines evidence this emphasis.  The abolition of property and inheritances strip the individual of personal power.  State centralized credit, banking, transportation, communication, schooling, labor & business oversight creates a dependence by the people to a shared ‘common good,’ but minimizes the unique and personal dignity of the ‘individual good.’    

(ii) Smith gives priority to the ‘individual good’ over the ‘common good.’  The individual is empowered with opportunities of self-achievement through Capitalist avenues of mostly personal financial benefit.  The ‘individual good’ may compromise the ‘common good’ by gaining such personal benefits at the expense, and from the work, of the poor working class.  Even though the growth of the poor affect the individual manager, the extremely disproportional results minimize the personal dignity of needs of ‘all’ individuals.  Government measures need to be put in place to somewhat offset the extreme costs to the ‘common good’ for the sake of justice.     

(iii) Catholic Social Teaching carefully keeps a healthy balance between ‘individual good’ and the ‘common good.”  The ‘common good’ indicates the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.  A medium of ideas should constantly be pursued so as to uphold the benefits, while working for justice to maintain the dignity of everyone ‘individual good.”

There was a challenging question about how each of our studied philosophers touch on “human transcendence,” but I wasn’t inspired enough to answer with confidence.

DOTS — Trustee Meetings — Bishop Lunch — washed dishes — Snickers Ice Cream — worked on Contemporary Philosophy take home mid term exam

MINISTERIAL PRACTICUM

NEW TESTAMENT — mid-term exam.  Multiple choice.

DOTS — dinner canolli — Medieval Philosophy study group — Jericho returns (finally!)

PING PONG — tonight was the last semi-final round for our Ping-Pong Olympic Tournament.  Great match-up and awesome game, even with the “unruly crowd.” 
  

MASS

FIELD TRIP — for our Ministerial Practicum class, in the afternoon, we went to a local Catholic school to observe the teaching styles and techniques in order to prepare our own lesson plans.  I was in a 7th grade English class at Immaculate Conception Catholic School and, embarassingly, couldn’t answer some of the questions my self.  — when do you use who or whom?

MOVIE NIGHT — after dinner, the Humanities Department sponsored a movie night featuring A River Runs Through It with great discussion afterwards. – I didn’t get that deep into the movie, but after discussion, I have a greater appreciation for its subtle lessons and observation on life’s journey.

As I was seaching YouTube, I also found a video for a song that fits my reflections today.  It’s another song by Kendall Payne (one of my favorite Christian vocalist).  It’s not that well known, but is probably my favorite of hers to date.  It’s off her first album Jordan’s Sister, called “Modern Day Moses.”  Here’s the lyrics:

a modern day Moses, waking the streets
with shouts of glory, blistered feet
he’s met the maker, he’s met the reason he’s alive
and he’s on fire inside

a modern day mother, living in the slums
feeding the hungry, making sure the race gets run,
always asking if we fought with steady feet
she fights on her knees

let my people go (4x)

a modern day Martin in a world of civil words exchange
but dreaming bigger, thinks maybe he could make a change
he’s heard the stories, he wants some of his own
and he’s not alone. (no, no, no ...)

[chorus]
(bridge)

the time is not the moments here,
walk in faith or stand in fear
change the course of history,
did you ever think, no one ever though
– who would have believed?

a modern day Me, what have i become, what can i be?
if there is greatness out there to be achieved
i want to be more than someone who just passes through this life
i want to stand up for what is right

[chorus]

The YouTube video (above), featuring Kendall Payne’s song Modern Day Moses, is just a collage of scenes from 7th Heaven of people that the Camden family has helped over the years.  I’ve never been a big 7th Heaven fan, but charity is a great running theme for this post, so it’s ok here!   

My Batteries died sometime ago (wuh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh)
I gotta heart-shaped box where they must go (wuh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh)
Corrosion’s building everyday
My flesh is leading me astray that’s why I started to decay and I will slowly rot away but I can’t feel that anyway

This heart it wants to beat, These lungs they want to breathe
These eyes they want to see, Gotta mouth that wants to sing … 

Desperation, Needing You, Every last breath, I scream for You
Shatter me into a million pieces … Make me new
Crush me, tear me, break me, mold me, Make me what You want me to be
I am Yours for You to use, so take and replace me with You

Needing more than just a jump start to get me through
My disconnection is now the issue…..

(rap) I miss my First Love bad and its driving me mad
Just like a mixed up crazy person out of his head
Its been a long long time I’ve been on the decline
I do an a-bout face so I can be replaced, 180

This heart it wants to beat, These lungs they want to breathe
These eyes they wants to see, Gotta mouth that wants to sing

(des, des, des) [chorus]

One for the body, Two for the soul,
Three to get ready, Now go go go

Replace me with You!!!
(replace me with You!)

Desperation, Needing You, Every last breath, I scream…

[chorus]

— I also added the song (on YouTube) above, but BE WARNED … it’s pretty hardcore for all you John Michael Talbot fans

MASS

(ARCH of MIAMI) LENTEN REGULATIONS 2008 — The holy season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 6.

• Both Ash Wednesday & Good Friday are days of abstinence from meat for all who are fourteen (14) years and older.
• They are also days of fast (one full meal and two small meals, with nothing eaten between the meals) for adults from twenty-one (21) to fifty-nine (59) years of age.
• All Fridays of Lent are days of abstience from meat for those fourteen (14) years and older.
• [source: Adobe Acrobat PDF file (1.8M) on Archdiocese of Miami website]

I found a comedian talking about Lent & Ash Wednesday.  — funny

In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10:9-16), St. Peter has a vision in which God reveals that Christians can eat any food. So, when we abstain, it’s not because the food is impure; we’re voluntarily giving up something good, for our spiritual benefit.

More info on Lenten fasting & abstinance on EWTN & About.com (fast & abstinence)

I also took a picture a few days ago of one of our seminary adoration chapels on campus here at St John Vianney College Seminary.  It’s located upstairs at the end of the hall of the seminary dormitory.  — a great place to spend time with the Lord

Coincidently, a few days ago, I found a blog of Ted Martin, a seminarian of Kalamazoo, Michigan that is currently in his first year of theological studies at the Gregorian University living at the NAC in Rome.  He’s got some great pictures of his experience in the Vatican.  His blog is @ theodoremartin.blogspot.com  — I’ll definitely check it out every now and then. 

SUPERBOWL PARTY — great BBQ ribs, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, half-time wings, lots of deserts and a great game on the big screen & big sound.  — nice!
 

 I also jotted down some personal notes, but only in a way that I would recognize:  Stoics’ exercises of attentiveness … music, writing a paper, learning a language becomes a spiritual experience … we’re challenged by going out of ourselves … all religions say the “ego” is not the solution (probably the problem) … how what I’m thinking affects the way I live … spirituality without philosophy is dead