...and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

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16 September 2011
Feast of St. Cornelius and Cyprian, martyrs

Tuesday I finally registered with the university where I will study theology, the Pontifical Gregorian University.  Though classes start only a month from now, registration is on time.  I don’t know exactly how this works considering that it is unheard of for someone to apply to a private university only a month before classes start. Maybe the seminary reserves us a spot at the university ahead of time and since the seminary has a good relationship with the university (meaning they are the largest single source of enrollment) the school works it out.

The university Kevin and I will be attending come Oct. 10th

Anyways, this week the universal Church celebrated the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Our Lady of Sorrows and, today, the feast of the martyrs Saints Cornelius and Cyprian.  These three back to back feasts are pretty awesome.

The cross is certainly the reoccurring theme.  But what is up with the cross?  Why do (should) Christians love the cross so much?

Well, for us Christians the cross truly is the crux of our lives.  It is where Jesus paid the infinite price for our redemption by His passion and death.  It is where Christ consummated His total gift of self.  It is from where He flooded the earth with the water and blood of His cleansing and sanctifying mercy.  And yet these are only simple terms to speak of the great mystery of God’s love which is beyond human words.

So what does this really mean for us practically?  Well, the truth is I couldn’t tell you, because I don’t know.  It is a gift that we’ve received that’s too big for us to exhaust everything it has to offer. 

That said, one principal key to this mystery is abandonment.  Jesus began his passion by abandoning Himself to the Father’s will; "not my will but yours be done" (Lk 22.42). This is what the cross means to me on a practical level: surrendering to God’s will, therefore freely and joyfully accepting everything, including all suffering and all difficulty.

Everyday, I need to choose to give myself totally to God.  I try to make the conscious effort to surrender my heart to His will, trusting even when His will is unclear or when He silent.  Yet, I would be lying if I said I don’t fall short of this goal everyday.  This is because no person can accomplish true surrender if he holds on to pride or despair.  That’s really easier said than done, since these sins sneak into our lives in quiet ways that are often hard to detect.

At Jesus’ side, Mary abandoned herself to God’s will, accepting the suffering of her son as the will of the Father.  Likewise, Ss. Cornelius and Cyprian abandoned themselves even in suffering, knowing that they were suffering with Christ and that their abandonment to God would gain them eternal life. 

Outdoor entrance to our main chapel consecrated to the Mary's Immaculate Conception

We must not be afraid to give Him our whole selves in following His will (in other words, our calling or vocation).  He is always with us.  He is our refuge.  He is our strength.  He is the God that takes delight in us.

A well known prayer of abandonment

Turn, Turn, Turn...

We are now settling into life in Rome and, after almost two months in Italy, it is finally starting to feel like we are in seminary again. Seminary is, of course, more than just beautiful campus that we have, or just a group of seminarians together. The time we had studying in Assisi was wonderful, especially to share it with thirty of our brother seminarians, but there is something more about being back at the seminary and entering into seminary life, entering into formation.

Formation is one of those catch words in seminary that is used to describe the whole process of becoming a priest. But it is much more than simply things we have to learn before being ordained, nor is it a set number of hours of pray we have to clock. Formation is all the ways that we convert to, turn anew to, the life of Christ and conform ourselves evermore to the Gospel.

This past week, the men of the second theology class returned and I, because I already had a wonderful year of theology at Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana, have joined them as we start daily formation conferences. Though this means that I no longer can attend the Italian classes with Fernando, it is refreshing to find myself again focused on the pursuit of the priesthood and less worried about orientation to a new place. And it is this theme of conversion, turning anew to Christ – formation – that has run through this week of talks. It’s a timely reminder at a time when I am worried about orienting myself exteriorly to a new room, new school, and new country, it’s important for me to reorient my heart to Christ and His burning love.

When people ask what we do at seminary it is usually easier to just talk about what classes we are taking and our academic progress, yet there is so much more to this idea of formation. The Church, in her wisdom, has outlined four areas of formation on which seminary focus: Human, Intellectual, Spiritual, and Pastoral.

Human Formation is the foundation of the other four; it deals with having a healthy life style.This includes, of course physical health, exercise and good eating habits, mental heath, a healthy social life and healthy relationships. But it also deals with good manners and social skills, common courtesy and much more. A lot of it happens naturally while just living in community; but areas where everyone can always be growing often get special conferences and we deal with explicitly. The idea is that our personalities and the way we live should always be a bridge leading to Christ and never an obstacle. By way for human formation, all the seminarians here celebrated Labor Day this past Monday (though obviously it doesn’t exist in Italy) with a softball game! It was a lot of fun and all the seminarians either played or came out to watch and enjoy some hamburgers off the grill. It was a wonderful way to celebrate American culture and grow in fraternity. (The picture isn’t the actual game; I was playing at the time, but here is a pick up game later in the week.)

Intellectual Formation is just what it sounds like, it’s the academic course we take and the growth in personal interest in continuing to learn and study. Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and so we should always strive to grow ever more familiar with the Truth. The seminarians here in Rome don’t actually take our course at the NAC (it focuses on the other areas of formation) but go out to a variety of different universities in Rome. The primary universities used by American seminarians are the Gregorian, the

Angelicum, and Sante Croce. Fernando and I will go to the Gregorian and we will hopefully be able to tell you more about it once classes start there.

Spiritual Formation is the piece that binds all other areas together. It is our growing in relationship with the Lord and allowing that relationship to permeate everything we do. So we pray daily as a community, Morning and Evening prayer, Mass, holy hour, and often a rosary. Also we have at least an annual retreat (I start mine this coming week!) and a number of spiritual conferences on different topic about the spiritual life.

Pastoral Formation, then, is the culmination of all the formation. Practically it includes learning the functions of how to say Mass and hear confession, preaching and council, reaching out to the poor and the estranged, but it is also concerned with fostering an identity of a priest and a life dedicated to the people of God. For Fernando and I, and all the Phoenix seminarians, our goal is to grow in all areas of formation, to be formed by the Father’s guiding hands, to become priests worthy to serve the people of Phoenix. We are constantly looking towards returning to be an image of Christ, the Son, and bring Phoenix the joy that we have found in Him.

Please continue to pray for us Phoenix seminarians and all seminarians as we try to faithfully follow God’s will in formation.

Upon this Rock

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He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  

Jesus poses this big question concerning His identity to Peter. One can almost hear the intensity and awe with which Peter cries out these words. But Jesus affirms that it is by God’s grace that he knows Christ’s true identity, not his own human wisdom.

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”

What a beautiful event! God used Peter, a simple fisherman, to utter so eloquently this fundamental truth of the identity of Christ. What follows in this passage from the 16^th chapter of Matthew’s gospel is all the more astounding:

“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

This week, Kevin and I along with the other 74 men from our class had the privilege of seeing Pope Benedict XVI at a short distance for the Angelus Address he gave this past Sunday at Castel Gandolfo (the town in which the pope’s summer residence has been for hundreds of years). It was incredible to be so close to Pope Benedict, our spiritual father and teacher.


At the end of his address, after recognizing (in their own languages) several groups that had come to see him from all over the world, he welcomed us! He gave us special words of encouragement that I will cherish forever. He said “I also greet the new students of the Pontifical North American College. Dear Seminarians, do not be afraid to take up the challenge in today’s Gospel to give your lives completely to Christ. Indeed, may all of us be generous in our commitment to him, carrying our cross with faith and courage. May God bless all of you!” 

 (Click here from more pictures)

As if that wasn’t enough excitement for a while, we had a private tour of the papal gardens given by Archbishop James Harvey, the Prefect of the Papal Household (which means he is one of the pope’s principal service men).

Later in the week, we got to go on a Scavi tour, which was an amazing way to follow up our visit with the pope. The Scavi tour is of 1^st and 2^nd century ruins underneath the Basilica of St. Peter which culminates with the tomb of St. Peter and a viewing of the actual bones of St. Peter!!

After these incredible experiences, I find myself in silence, once again in awe that God reveals Himself to us and guides us using such simple means. Peter, a man, human, whose body has worn away like our own will, has been a vessel through which God continues to lead us. It is not because Peter was worthy, it is not because Pope Benedict XVI is worthy, and it is not because we are worthy. In comparison to God, we are all bone and dust. Yet everyone is called by God, in a personal way, to know, love and serve Him. May we do so faithfully until death.

 

On minute 10:30 is when BXVI addresses the seminarians in English.

All Roads...

Abbiamo finito! We have finished our time in Assisi and have returned to Rome and the North American College. The classes in Assisi were wonderful and Fernando and I think we’ve got, at least, a good start to the Italian language. In fact, this morning we had to show our stuff on an Italian placement exam that will be used to group us into new classes for the next few weeks to continue our study of Italian before theology classes begin in October. And so really, we have just begun.

We were blessed to be joined by 20 more new NAC seminarians when we returned to Rome, a number of which Fernando and I knew during our time at the Josephinum. This new group brought fresh (so to speak- not counting the serious jet lag) enthusiasm and joy to our ever growing community at the onset of our journey together here in Rome. This brings the total number of new men to around 75! It the biggest class the NAC has seen in a long time and it is a grace to be a part of it. The total number of seminarian that study here, once they all return from there summer breaks, I’ve heard is close to 250.

We have already started to discover the long history and the many traditions of the College. A beautiful moment of the past few came just after the rest of our class arrived, and we, all 75 of us, were “clapped in”. This event is a tradition that only happens twice to a seminarian while he is here. On our first entrance as a class into the main chapel, the returning men and all of the faculty line the steps and clapped as we start this new part of our journey. They welcome the newest members of their community with joy and hope for the future, which, in turn, inspires us anew. The second time this happens is after our graduation, as our time here comes to a close and the joy is brought to completion.

Then, this morning, came a highlight of my time in Italy so far. All of us new seminarians were privileged to have a mass at the tomb of St. Peter. Under the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, this simple chapel was packed by close to 100 men in their clerics (all black and the white collar). It was a beautiful moment of prayer at the rock of the Church. It called to mind the reasons that we have made the long trip here. We are here to give witness to Jesus Christ, to give a reason for our hope.

For Peter this witness was a witness by blood…

a witness that has borne fruit.

After the Rains Comes Life

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Ciao a tutti!

Sia lode a Gesù Cristo!

Prego che tutti si trovano nella pace di Dio e sotto il manto di Maria.

Four weeks have gone by.  It feels like a monsoon storm has hit us with strong winds of spiritual consolation and fun adventure all while we have been trying to swim in the flood of the Italian language.  But it’s not over yet.  We still have three more days of language classes in Assisi before we head back to Rome on Wednesday.  Though I am more than ready to go back to Rome and settle in to where I will be living for the next 4 – 5 years, I am in no rush to leave Assisi.

Last week, Kevin and I were able to participate in the biggest feast in Assisi: the feast days of St. Clare and St. Rufino.  St. Clare is the contemporary of St. Francis who founded the religious order for women that lives in accord with the life of St. Francis.  Though few people know this, St. Rufino (not St. Francis) is the patron saint of Assisi.  He was the first bishop of Assisi, is credited for the conversion of Assisi from paganism to Catholicism, and he was martyred.  Although they are on two separate days, August 11 & 12, the celebration feels more like one big feast.

The big celebration begins with bells ringing throughout the morning announcing the commencement of each Sacrifice of the Mass offered in thanksgiving for of St. Clare.  I went to Mass at the Basilica of St. Clare in the evening which was followed by Vespers (Evening Prayer) led by the cloistered order of nuns, the Poor Clares of Assisi. Since they are cloistered and are never to leave the cloister, they were in a chapel next to the main church and led the prayer through a microphone.  It is too hard for me to describe it effectively.  However, I will say that listening to nuns chant a sublime experience.

Later that night, there was a huge procession from the cathedral of St. Rufino (aka. Rufinus of Assisi)  to the basilica of St. Clare.  Among the hundreds of people who processed there were citizens of Assisi, pilgrims from all over the world, and a group of seminarians from the North American College including two seminarians for the Diocese of Phoenix, AZ. 

As you will see in the following video, the faith – planted hundreds of year ago by the life and martyrdom of St. Rufino and nurtured by St. Francis and St. Clare – is still very much alive.

Let us pray for the grace to remain in Christ and the communion of saints, that our faith may be like deep roots, planted in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that sustain in us the virtue of hope as an unshakeable stem from which blossoms the flower of divine love, charity.

In Via: It’s a different kind of Heat!

It has been an eventful week. As we turn up the heat on the language studies, we have been graced by a Heat of new kind here in Assisi.

As seminarians we are used to sticking out, especially when we go places in a group. People just seem to know that we are seminarians. But the past couple weeks all of the seminarians we have been with here have been noticing another group that has stuck out even more than we do. It started with a few sightings last week, but now has grown into an atmosphere that has gripped the city.

Everywhere we go these days we see them, World Youth Day pilgrims! Teens from around the world on their way to Madrid, Spain to celebrate with each other, and the Holy Father, the joy of the Christian life. All of their pilgrimages end in Madrid, but for many Assisi

is a prayerful stop on the way. And we are beneficiaries of their stop. Their energy and joy is absolutely contagious. They witness, even to us seminaries, to the vitality and youthfulness of the Church today. For in the midst of our studies, travel and just the rut of community life, these teen are a beautify reminder of the zeal for which the Gospel calls.

In a more personal way, Fernando and I have been refreshed by the fire of faith of Phoenix pilgrims as they passed through. We were able to have a short, yet wonderful, lunch with some of the pilgrims from St. Joan of Arc Parish, a couple brother Phoenix seminarians (Jimmy Wraith and Ryan Lee), and Fr. Thielo Ramirez. We also were on the look out for Most Holy Trinity pilgrims, but unfortunately missed them, though we remain with them in prayer on their journey.

This time with our fellow Phoenicians was important to us to rekindle the zeal for the work we are doing here. Now more than ever, the reasons and people for which we go through seminary courses and formation can seem so far away, and so we are particularly grateful for their presence in Assisi with us.

Furthermore, they, and all the World Youth Day pilgrims, are joyful reminder of what our life in this world is: a pilgrimage of love and joy towards the everlasting celebration, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. All of us are in via, on the Way, and must in prayer discern how we are to follow this way and grow ever more like the Son. It is so easy to forget and let slip into the background, but what joy is to be found in being conscious of the Lord’s call to us to live out a life of grace. And it is His Grace that will strengthen us on this pilgrimage and draw us ever close to Himself, the Sun by whose burning love we are set on fire!

I hope this video of World Youth Day over the years will provide inspiration for all of you, young and old, to recall in prayer the joy of the Gospel message and the call you have received to live it in your own lives. May St. Lawrence, on whose feast day I am writing this, and the all the martyrs, whose blood became the seeds of faith for the world, pray for us as we long to live in His love on our pilgrim way.

Two Weeks In

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Ciao a tutti!

Kevin and I have finished our second week of classes here in Assisi. We’re certainly making good progress in our Italian, but there is certainly a lot more work to be done before we reach proficiency.

After a long day of 6 hours of Italian class, my favorite thing to do is visit one of the over 10 churches in Assisi. The uplifting architecture, beautiful art, and tangible history of the lives of the saints form for the soul a catalyst to deeper prayer.

So far, my favorite places to pray are the tomb of St. Francis, beneath the lower church of the medieval Basilica of St. Francis, and Chiesa Nuova, a small, baroque style Franciscan church near our hotel. Both of these chapels are small and simple which I find makes them perfect places to be simply before our Lord in silent prayer.

The Basilica of St. Francis

Chiesa Nuova (Assisi)

However, as Kevin mentioned in the last blog post, it can be difficult to find silence in these churches because of the constant flow of tourists and pilgrims. Praised be God for drawing so many souls to peer into the mystery of His love found in the lives of St. Francis and St. Clare. Nonetheless, it can really be distracting when trying to enter into silence after a long day of Italian.

This experience has led me to a deeper reflection. More often than irreverent tourists, there are many other distractions that become obstacles to good prayer, that is, to the deep interior communion our Lord invites us to.

In my own experience, I have and continue to encounter many obstacles to prayer. Even now, there are frequent temptations in the form of distracting thoughts, or sometime simple laziness, which make it difficult to pray. Anxieties, temptations, struggles, uncertainties. The devil seems to use these often on those who are trying to grow in the interior life.

I read an excerpt from one of St. John Marie Vianney’s catechesis yesterday (which was his feast day) that really helped me on this topic. St. Vianney wrote that the devil presents many trials and temptations to the souls that have decided to surrender their wills to God’s Will.

So what do we do when our efforts to grow in intimacy with our Lord are constantly met with challenges?  We must remember the basic truths we know about God: namely, He is our creator Who desires that we live in His truth which sets us free. St. Francis and St. Clare are awesome examples of young people who persevered through many temptations, struggles and sufferings, all for their love of God. May their intercession, along with that of St. John Vianney, encourage us to persevere in love through our own trials, including the struggle to find quiet time for daily prayer.  

For the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Prayer, click here.

For some other pictures, including some from a day trip to Perugia, click here.

Downtown Perugia