Thursday, November 29, 2012

Patron Saints

Last year, my spiritual director asked me if I had a special relationship with any saint. I did not.  But I did not forget his question and did think about it.  He also told me that you don't find a patron saint, they find you.

In a quiet moment last month, it became clear to me that a saint was trying to get my attention.  I let the thoughts come together, did some research on him and believe that he is a good model for me.

He was married but never fathered any children of his own.
As a priest, I will be spiritual father to many who are not my own.

He worked with his hands, was a laborer, tradesman and a carpenter.
I love to get my hands dirty on a good woodworking project.

He is noted for being in the bible, but never saying a word in the bible.
I've been called terse and taciturn many times.

A book about him says, "His silent life speaks volumes about love, obedience, integrity and the value of good work".
If I can live up to those ideals, I'd be a very happy camper.

St Joseph, you cared for Mary and Jesus, will you be my spiritual father as well?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

I am weak

The Office of Readings for October 25 had a portion of a letter from St. Augustine as its focus. As I read it, I had a glimmer of understanding about something that has been bothering me. 

I had to look up the reference, I am not a bible scholar.  It was from 2 Corinthians 12:6-9.
"...but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.  Although if I should wish to boast, I would not be foolish, for I would be telling the truth. But I refrain, so that no one may think more of me than what he sees in me or hears from me because of the abundance of the revelations. Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me,  "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me."


I am weak.  Some of you know that I have some issues with balance and vertigo.  It is not constant, but enough to remark upon.  My doctors have eliminated about everything they can think of, so I live with it.  I take over the counter medication for it when it gets really bad.

I am weak.  I have Type II diabetes.  I control it with diet, exercise, insulin and other medications.  This is a progressive disease that always gets worse.  So far, I am lucky with no serious complications.

I am weak.  My weakness allows me to relate to others with weakness.  My weakness makes me a better seminarian and, I pray, a better priest in the future.


The bold sections below spoke to me...


Second reading
From a letter to Proba by Saint Augustine, bishop
We do not know what it is right to pray for
You may still want to ask why the Apostle said: We do not know what it is right to pray for, because, surely, we cannot believe that either he or those to whom he wrote did not know the Lord’s Prayer.

He showed that he himself shared this uncertainty. Did he know what it was right to pray for when he was given a thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to bruise him, so that he might not be puffed up by the greatness of what was revealed to him? Three times he asked the Lord to take it away from him, which showed that he did not know what he should ask for in prayer. At last, he heard the Lord’s answer, explaining why the prayer of so great a man was not granted, and why it was not expedient for it to be granted: My grace is sufficient for you, for power shines forth more perfectly in weakness.

In the kind of affliction, then, which can bring either good or ill, we do not know what it is right to pray for; yet, because it is difficult, troublesome and against the grain for us, weak as we are, we do what every human would do, we pray that it may be taken away from us. We owe, however, at least this much in our duty to God: if he does not take it away, we must not imagine that we are being forgotten by him but because of our loving endurance of evil, must await greater blessings in its place. In this way, power shines forth more perfectly in weakness. These words are written to prevent us from having too great an opinion of ourselves if our prayer is granted, when we are impatient in asking for something that it would be better not to receive; and to prevent us from being dejected, and distrustful of God’s mercy toward us, if our prayer is not granted, when we ask for something that would bring us greater affliction, or completely ruin us through the corrupting influence of prosperity. In these cases we do not know what is right to ask for in prayer.

Therefore, if something happens that we did not pray for, we must have no doubt at all that what God wants is more expedient than what we wanted ourselves. Our great Mediator gave us an example of this. After he had said: Father, if it is possible, let this cup be taken away from me, he immediately added, Yet not what I will, but what you will, Father, so transforming the human will that was his through his taking a human nature. As a consequence, and rightly so, through the obedience of one man the many are made righteous.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Ministry of Reader


Step 1 - Ministry of Acolyte - 12/07/2011 - Complete
Step 2 - Ministry of Reader - 10/31/2012 - Complete
Step 3 - Transitional Deacon - January 2015 (maybe June 2014) (God willing)
Step 4 - Priest - June 2015 (God willing)

That's my classmate Mark on the left, me in the middle, Aidan on the right.
Ken, the Master of Ceremonies, is standing behind us.
On the far left, is Bishop Hartmayer from Savannah, GA doing the installation.