Open Wide the Doors for Christ!

It is that time of the semester when I always start to feel a bit overwhelmed.  This last week, for instance, has been an exercise in frustration during which I have been struggling through an Augustine/Aquinas paper on the relationship between faith and reason.  I naively thought that the 8-12 page paper would be easy enough that I could get by without figuring out an overall organization/structure beforehand.  Of course, that plan has since backfired on me.  Not only has it been difficult to keep some semblance of cohesiveness and conciseness to the paper, but the last week has been absolutely packed with things to do.

 

I thought that I would finish the paper on Wednesday, but then I had all my typical classes, a discernment dinner along with Mass in the evening, and Adoration that night, so I didn't get very far - 6 pages done.  Over Thursday, I thought for sure that I would make some progress, but then I was busy keeping on top of metaphysics and calculus during the day, we had Adoration and Mass at Marian in the afternoon, then I played racquetball, did schola practice, and was left with only the late evening (when I don't seem to get anything done), and predictably didn't get anywhere - 7 pages done.  Surely, I thought, I could finish it off on Friday - not!  My day was again full of classes, and though I tried to get stuff done in the afternoon, I didn't know where exactly I was going, and then Fr. Presta, the vice-rector of Mundelein seminary, visited in the evening, and once again I didn't get anywhere - 8 pages done.  Saturday? - nope.  We had Mass, then a work session,  then ministry, then a community dinner, then a marshmallow roast (which was a blast!), and I didn't get to bed until midnight, having gotten little completed - 8.5 pages done.  Sunday? - no again.  I cantored at Mass, then hung out with some guys who had been here last year and were visiting, then I struggled through another page of the paper, then took a short nap, then had a community dinner, then had Holy Hour, then our last football game, and then I went to bed having gotten little progress made - 10 pages done.

 

Basically, I have concentrated just about every free minute of the week on one paper, and it still isn't done.  I was hoping to knock it out quickly so as to get going on my harder and longer papers due in Senior Seminar and Metaphysics, but the combination of my lack of planning and a packed week just didn't work to my favor.

 

Anyway, that is what I've been up to over the past week.  Unfortunately, the next few weeks look to be just as packed, and I'll have just as much to get done, but I guess it will all get done eventually.  Man, this post wasn't very positive was it?  Ah well, I've been having a lot of fun, reading a lot of good sources, and - you know - it's been good, just busy.  Tonight the Springfield guys have a vocation night at Eastern IL university (I think at the St. John Newman center) organized by Fr. John Titus.  It should be fun, but, again, it will cut into my time for doing schoolwork.  Gosh, I wish I wasn't so busy staying on top of school and had more time to work on the other areas of formation (or maybe just had some free time...)  Anyway, I guess I better get back on it. 

Jacob Fischer, one of the freshman this year from the Diocese of Owensboro, has joined the (growing) number of seminarians here that have a blog.  Check it out, and give him a few views! 

 

The Seminarian's Journey

 

On another note, I am supposed to be studying right now for my Augustine and Aquinas test tomorrow (about Averroes, Augustine, and Boethius), with little success - hopefully I can start to get the stuff into my head...  Have a wonderful Wednesday everybody!

 

 

Good Morning!  I have a lot of reading to do for Augustine and Aquinas today, so this will be (really) short.  Everything is spinning along splendidly here - I've been busy with academics, and sports, and everything else around here, but I guess that should be expected...  Classes are going well, my calculus test yesterday wasn't a train wreck (yay!), and Corey made apple pie for breakfast - the day is going well!  Anyway, another seminarian here at Bruté has started a blog. http://christopherjunior.blogspot.com/  So, you know, check it out.

 

Alright, well, I have a few posts in the "pipeline", but we have a day of recollection this Friday/Saturday (so no blogging during that).  Hopefully I can finish one or two up before that.  Have a wonderful Thursday everybody!

I wanted to do a post of some sort on St. Augustine both because his feast is tomorrow - the 27th - and, since I am in an Augustine and Aquinas class this semester, I figure I could probably find a good quote to go off of.  As it turns out, we just started Augustine's On Free Choice of the Will  in class and not only has it become one of my favorite philosophy books (so far) because of its easy comprehensibility and depth of topic, but it also has a pretty good quote for the occasion.

What can I say, I wish I had remembered this line in metaphysics class.  I love the class, philosophy can be fun when the topic is interesting and the professor is knowledgeable and engaging, but today the room was stiflingly hot, and the topic was tough to wrap my mind around.  We talked about what is real (or actual), proper and extended senses to that terminology, stuff that can't be real (square circles), and what is being,.  Plus, many different views on that subject: phenomenalism - which says that something is real because it does actions, materialism - which says that something is real because it is made of matter, essentialism - which says that something is real because it shares in the quiddity (yeah, I hadn't heard that word before either) of the higher form of itself, existentialism - which says that something is real because it is (or is for) a person, and thomism - which we never quite finished defining. - it was definitely on the deep end of philosophy, and this is definitely an almost uselessly simple overview of the topic.  Anyway, I could have definitely used some Divine inspiration to help my brain out.  Now that I have given you something that is difficult (for me), I should probably give you something on God's help:

Example #1 - Seminary.  Seriously, there is no way that I would have learned this much, had this much fun, and grown in so many other ways if God hadn't put me here and helped me along the way.  I guess that is a pretty simple example, but I really am immensely blessed to be here.  Not that I am thinking of discerning out (by any means), but no matter what I do in the future, these will remain fond memories and phenomenal foundations for the rest of my life.

Example #2 - Augustine's life.  Augustine, if you don't already know, was quite the character (in the bad sense) when growing up.  The son of an (originally) pagan father and a Christian mother, adolescence hit him like a ton of bricks.  He went out with the wrong crowd, did lots of bad things, became a heretic, and on and on...  Thankfully, his mother, Monica (who's feast day is today), continued praying for her son's conversion, and thankfully, if my recollection of the Confessions, is accurate, Augustine continued to constantly search(with varying success) for truth.  These two factors (both, I think, coming from God's grace) meant his eventual (re)conversation to Christianity.  Of course, his impact on the Church has been immense, though, due to limits on time, I can't really go into any details, but I think his life story is a wonderful example of how much of an effect God can have on our life.

Of course, that is a tad off topic to the quote from St. Augustine, which primarily covered philosophical or intellectual achievements made with the help of God, but I think that we all (myself especially) can always use a reminder that God will help us in everything we do (so long as we are willing to surrender it to Him).  OK, that's all I've got for now.  Have a wonderful feast of St. Augustine, remember to pray with perseverance like St. Monica, and don't forget to constantly give your day to God.

A source for this exquisite piece of literary excellence:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo