Update on move to Mundelein

So, Monday morning, I started my voyage from Quincy, Illinois to Mundelein Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, a town about an hour northwest of Chicago.  Before I left my house, I said to God, "What in the world are you getting me into now?"  After a few minutes, I get over myself and say, "Well, God knows what He's doing and I need to trust in Him."

That's a continual process for me, I need to get over myself follow God's will continuously.  There's a silent retreat that will starting on Sunday evening that goes till Friday afternoon.  So I'm hoping that I'll be able to conform my will to God's after this retreat and through out the year.   I do have my schedule for the first quarter and will put it up next Friday or Saturday.  I do believe that it will be a good year, but it will definitely be challenging.  I'm finishing up the orientation, so this entry is definitely scatterbrained.  Please pray for me, and all other seminarians, this year.  Thank you.

Mass tweeting

I have a confession to make: I have a Twitter account.  I sporadically update, but I find the majority of information posted by the people or organizations I follow very interesting.  Some of it, I could live without knowing, but that's the nature of things.  I don't have a problem with several tweets per day from the accounts I follow.  However, this past week I encountered something that I was very disappointed in.  There are at least two people, if not more, affiliated with Catholic News Service that are attending World Youth Day in Madrid; one particular person tweets from the CNS account.  This person was tweeting during the Opening Mass, keeping everyone updated on the different moments of the liturgy.  

I experienced a few reactions during this time: I was at work, so it was neat to know what was going on and how this Mass differed from others; The thought that, "I'm sure that it will be broadcast again, either on tv or the web, so I can see for myself; You're tweeting during Mass?! Really? Instead of updating, why not concentrate on prayer during the Mass? Seriously, folks.  The third reaction was the most dominant, sort of a disbelief, sadness and irritation put together.  You're distracting yourself and others when doing this, no matter how subtle you think you are.  Sure, it's a different experience than the Masses you're used to in your parish, that doesn't mean worshiping and praising God and praying take the backseat to novelty.  

I'm sure the person tweeting meant well, and may have not even thought of distracting herself and others from the focal point of the Mass.  Hopefully, the person does think of it and refrains from doing so in the future.  It has been stirring about in my mind and it makes me wonder.  Do I ever let my social media sites (whether it be Twitter or Facebook, or even my blog) get in my way of praising and worshiping God with my life and my prayer life?  The unfortunate answer is, "yes."  So there are times that I need to refocus and evaluate how much time I spend on the sites, how I use the sites, and my interaction with other people on the sites, in order to concentrate on God more fully.  So, I'm going to ask you to ask yourself the same question: What gets in your way, whether it be social networking sites or work or school, do you want to remedy that, and how are you going to remedy it?

The Right Name

I chose St. James the Greater as my confirmation saint, and it has turned out to be somewhat fitting.  At the time, I wasn't too interested in doing all that much research into saints.  Looking back, I know that it's a very important choice and shouldn't be taken lightly; however, my 13 year-old self decided to take the easy way out.  As my middle name is James, I thought I might as well take a James to be my confirmation saint.  That actually seems to have backfired, but in the best possible way.  It seems I possess many of the traits that are attributed to St. James: impulsiveness, anger, wanting to use retributive justice instead of charitable justice, being comfortable with asking Jesus for anything, and wanting to truly be close to Jesus.  The first three traits can definitely have a tendency to be negative. I think St. James is really looking out for me because those impulses have been tempered.  While part of that tempering process is growth and maturation, I definitely think St. James deserves some credit as well.  So, thank you St. James.

I'm pretty comfortable asking Jesus for anything, even though I've had problems with His answers in the past.  Looking back, I see that they've been the right answers, even though I didn't realize or appreciate them at the time.  At the moment, I don't have any issues with the answers He's been giving me; however, that's because they're answers I like or am comfortable with.  If I get an answer that I don't like or am not comfortable with, it's entirely possible I may have a temporary problem with it.  I hope not, though.  St. James and I have both misunderstood God's mission for us at times, so I'm definitely part of that club.  It seems that sometimes misunderstanding God's mission for me and, honestly, His mission for the Earth, gives me a greater degree of comprehension when everything does click during moments of understanding.  

So, it seems, my impulsiveness when choosing my Confirmation Saint was a good thing.  St. James, I know you've got my back.  Thanks for that, and I'll be better about looking to you for intercession.  That's one of the reasons why St. James the Greater is a baller.  How have you thought about your Confirmation Saint recently?

Recently, I have been catching up on all the episodes from the continuation of the British series Doctor Who.  This most recent batch of seasons was started in 2005 and of the three "Doctors" in this current series, David Tennant is my favorite; however, that is immaterial.  

One of the biggest reasons I enjoy this show is for the wide range of humanity it showcases.  It illustrates some people are smarter than others, some are more compassionate, and, sadly, some have allowed themselves to sink into their own sins and their own despair.  People are not just stereotypes, and while we may all have some qualities taken from the stereotypes others assign to us in their minds, we are more than that stereotype.  Each individual person has value and we can all be redeemed.

That clearly resonates with the teachings of the Catholic Church, as all we have to do is look in the Catechism to see that, "1700 The dignity of the human person is rooted in his creation in the image and likeness of God (article 1); it is fulfilled in his vocation to divine beatitude (article 2). It is essential to a human being freely to direct himself to this fulfillment (article 3). By his deliberate actions (article 4), the human person does, or does not, conform to the good promised by God and attested by moral conscience (article 5). Human beings make their own contribution to their interior growth; they make their whole sentient and spiritual lives into means of this growth (article 6). With the help of grace they grow in virtue (article 7), avoid sin, and if they sin they entrust themselves as did the prodigal son¹ to the mercy of our Father in heaven (article 8). In this way they attain to the perfection of charity."  (Taken from Part III, "Life in Christ," Section I, "Man's Vocation Life in the Spirit," Section I, The Dignity of the Human Person)

As we were created in the image and likeness of God (by God), we have dignity.  The actions that we take determine how we grow and if we let ourselves grow.  If we sin, we have to confess and repent, therefore entrusting ourselves to God's mercy.  I believe that Doctor Who illustrates this, yet how often do we think about shows that resonate with us?  While there may be something said for entertainment for its' own sake, why settle for that all the time?  Why not choose shows that educate, broaden the appreciation for culture, and make oneself think?  These shows don't have to be boring, they can be quite entertaining and interesting.  We can learn, about ourselves, others, or other things, yet still be entertained.  Hopefully, I think more about that in the future.