The Rite place at the appropriate time

JMJ

Time is a mysterious thing, isn't it? Even atomic clocks never seem to be completely in sync, different places adhere to different daylight savings and time zone rules. Just as there are fingerprints of the Lord displayed in the beauty of His creation, the imperfect fingerprints of man are blanketing this thing we call "time." It is therefore ironic that we as Christians use the term "God's time," because this is a man made term that can not in any way contain God.

This belief addresses and corrects the issue of predestination. God knows things, being outside of time, as being simultaneously present to His Divine Mind. It furthers one's ponderings of the mysteries of faith and how Good He truly is. His providence is something entirely misunderstood and therefore unappreciated by mankind as a whole.

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I am subject to time, and it is always glorious to me to reflect on the wonder of how God has assisted me in it and answered my prayers. This morning I was briefly praising God because I love the job I currently am working in. It was an interesting process of finding a job; I was still in the seminary and I had requested and been granted the opportunity by the Diocese of Crookston to work in a parish. By the time that Father Vincent Miller had contacted me notifying me that Bishop Hoeppner and Monsignor Baumgartner were okay with this, I had already discovered that my time to leave was soon approaching. This meant that it was time to look for work again, and my opportunity to return home to Park Rapids was a dim one, so I applied to Saint Mary's and crossed my fingers.

I was accepted as a student worker, but quickly notified that I would be unable to return to the Information Technology department. I then turned and was accepted to Maintenance (who employs roughly half of the summer workers) but at this point I began to dread my summer vacation. I was talking about my summer plans, then, with Brother Larry Humphrey one morning as Tim Gossen walks in with a box of doughnuts. He apparently overheard a part of the conversation that peaked his interest.

Tim took this knowledge into a meeting he had with Lynn Streefland and Father Andy Beerman, among a few others, and apparently everyone agreed that I'd be the perfect fit to work in the Office of Campus Ministry and as a summer RA. I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful it has been to work here, and I love every minute of it.

May the name of the Lord be Praised.

My Vocation

I continue to reflect on how good the Lord has been to me this year. I have received so many graces and blessings from discerning my vocation in the seminary, ultimately finding that I am called to commit my love to a wife and family. I do not possess a single regret for anything done in the last year; God has been very good to me. I am truly blessed.

Recently I fulfilled every ex-seminarian's dream, and began dating again. One definitely possesses a very different outlook on life as a whole but especially the virtue found in dating after spending any amount of time thinking that there is a life of celibacy waiting for me. I truly believe that the woman I am courting is my best friend and will continue leading me to the Lord. But, every good story has a problem leading to the plot. Mine is that 350 miles of road lay between me and my significant other.

Many people see a great distance and ultimately conclude that it is a dividing principle. The wonder of faith, however, tells me that it is actually a UNIFYING one, especially considering a Catholic perspective. I will clarify myself later, but let me first describe my Catholic Spirituality and relationship to the Lord.

Catholic spirituality is MORE than mere spirituality. Theologian James Penrice notes in his book, "When Spirituality Isn't Enough," that we have a physical need for God, and they are found in the seven sacraments the Christ Himself established before ascending into Heaven. The sacraments are Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist (known as the BLESSED sacrament), Matrimony, Holy Orders, Reconciliation, and Anointing of the Sick. A sacrament is defined in the simplest terms as "an outward sign of inward grace, ordained by Christ, by which grace is effected into our souls." A sign, a physical reality, of grace.. the presence of the living, loving God entering into our hearts. We physically NEED to embrace God on a regular basis, and though prayer is necessary, it is not enough. This will be ended and fulfilled when I die and go to heaven, entering into the complete physical presence of the Lamb of God.

This is the understanding of which my relationship is now being established. I can communicate with my girlfriend on a daily basis through phone, skype, text messages, but as I noted in my relationship with the Lord the simple communication is not enough. I need to ensure, prayerfully, that my relationship remains sacramental so that we both can be satisfied and happy. This sacramental element will not effect grace, but the love of each other. This is done by, most importantly, SEEING each other (the 'blessed sacrament' of the relationship, if you will) but when that is not possible, engaging in prayer and scripture studies together, among other things that God will make possible. The end of any dating relationship would obviously then, be marriage, coming into full unity with that other person.

Even in the beginning of a relationship, I seek the love and virtue displayed by the Holy Family.

Jesus. Mary. Joseph.

Crutches

So many events have happened lately that have shown me more than ever that I need God. All the time. Whenever I think I can rely on "myself" to do something, I'm humbled with the truth that I can only do as God's grace enables me to do. Even basic living.

First, right before finals, I twisted my ankle playing pickup basketball with some brother seminarians. For once, this was not something that I brought upon myself by trying to be superman and do things that I can't do; all it took was grabbing a rebound and having an awkward landing. For the first time in my life, it was probably bad enough to go to the doctor (I didn't) and I needed to use crutches to move around and not cause further pain and damage to my foot. In this, I immediately thanked God for the dosage of humility that I desperately needed. Even a few days later, I was limping around without the crutches- and I continued to limp later because I just got used to limping! God gave me LIFE, and good health, and I had forgotten that.

Another event happened providing music for Mass at St. Peter's during Christmas break. Normally I don't fret about learning the Responsorial Psalm, mostly because I have a decent knowledge of Music Theory and can generally make something up that works okay. Prior to the beginning of Mass I had a good vocal part figured out for the verses. After the first reading, I played the response, and immediately forgot what I rehearsed for the verses and made something up, again. All four verses were different, they didn't fit the psalm, and at times I was even OFF KEY (gasp!) I take music very serious, and in another instance, I realized that I needed God's grace for this gift.

Now, realizing the need for the grace of God is one thing, needing humility is another, but something underlying both of those is thanksgiving. Two forms of prayers that are underused are praise and thanksgiving, and I believe that they are necessary for anyone who desires a deeper spirituality, and humility WITHOUT God removing graces. I realized sitting before the Tabernacle that I at times am thankful for my God-given gifts, but many times I offer thanks only once and let it pass, but God desires PERPETUAL, unending Praise and Thanks. Doing so is generosity in your part of your relationship with the Trinity, and the Trinity can NOT be outdone in generosity.

JMJ