So the semester has officially begun: it started with Mass and a formal dinner Wednesday night. Bishop Paprocki, Bishop of Springfield, IL, presided at Mass and gave a talk after dinner about the responsibility priest and seminarians have for promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life for both men and women. This is most fundamentally and persuasively done, he explained, in the way we live our lives of faith each day but there must be action that comes from this faithful lifestyle. He challenged us to speak about religious vocations more often and to help others realize that just as the apostles were individually and personally called to follow Christ we too have this personal calling to a specific vocation in which we can transform the world for the better. We will only be able to properly hear and respond to this call if we can find beauty in all forms of vocations (married, single, & religious lives), devoutly listen to God in prayer, and become open enough with ourselves to truthfully discern the vocation God is calling us to.
The festivities on Wednesday night were also special because for the first time since the end of last semester all the seminarians were back at St. Meinrad. During January, after our J-term classes, we make a trip to Washington D.C, to participate in the Walk for Life and then we go on retreats that are specific for each class.
This was my first time to go to D.C. and it was a great experience. I was able to get to know my fellow seminarians better and to support life during The March which seems to be an issue that is becoming attacked and threatened more and more each day. A surprise and highlight of my trip was meeting up with some friends from UCA who came to the March for Life with a group of college students from Fayetteville, AR and even though it was a short visit I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with them. The turnout for The March was not officially tallied but it was estimated to have exceeded 300,000 people and the amount of youth that were involved was amazing and inspiring. The rest of the time was spent going to see the popular monuments and churches, namely the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, around D.C. and relaxing with friends.
My favorite place in D.C. was the National Shrine and if you have not been or seen pictures of it before than a I will give a brief explanation that does not give it justice: It is a huge Basilica with many side altars that are dedicated to the different devotions to Mary (Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, etc.). It is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been to but while looking at the hundreds of statues of Mary and seeing people praying in front of many of them my thoughts ran along the lines of “I can see why non-Catholics say that we worship Mary” and it left me very unsettled. But after a little time to reflect on this I came to the beautiful realization that every time we see Mary or pray to her then there is Jesus ever-present with her. Whatever we present to her is then given to her Son and how could Jesus be displeased with this offering from her mother when His 4th commandment to us is “Honor thy Father and Mother.”
After our trip to D.C. my class, 1st Philosophy, immediately went to our retreat near Lexington, KY. Fr. Denis, our rector, led the retreat and the theme was “Considering Your Call” which dealt with the responsibilities and lifestyle of the priest by taking a detailed look at Traditions and resolves promised in the Rite of Ordination of both deacons and priests. This retreat focused us on not only understanding what the life of the priest is like but a challenge to begin working toward this lifestyle now in the seminary because the graces received at ordination will not magically fix our problems. We were challenged to become servants for our fellow seminarians and to continually strive to conform our lives to Christ. This retreat has left me with many healthy doubts that I will need to face while here at the seminary pertaining to my vocation to the priesthood. I am now challenged to use this semester to the fullest in my commitment to my studies and in growing closer to Christ through the Sacraments and my time in prayer.
Lastly, I wanted to touch on the topic of the recent HHS Mandate which the Bishops around the country are fighting to overturn because of its blow to religious freedom and the situation in which the Susan G. Komen Charity planned to stop donating to Planned Parenthood and then half a week later announced that they would in fact continue their support. I am mentioning these issues because they have left me bewildered about the state of our nation and have forced many Americans to become involved in the issues that seem to have been brewing under the surface of our nation for many years. I feel we have hit a point in our nation’s history where we must show our support for life, at all stages of development. We must do this by standing up for what we believe in and being proactive in the support of our belief. In our actions we must continually be led by the example of Christ who is our Truth. This Truth will set us free and we will bring the darkness of our culture to the Light in which society will finally be able to see the darkness as it truly is: The absence of Love. Even though I have felt as if I can’t make a difference by myself I know I must continue to do what I can (mainly praying for change) and then live with faith and hope in God’s goodness.
Much Love,
William
