Adoro Dei

Discerning...constantly...

2012-01-26T16:10:00.000-08:00

This new semester has opened my eyes to the very real necessity to discern...and keep on discerning. I think oftentimes we see our vocations or our relationships as the only things that we must think on and pray about. But I have realized this week that if we don't implement the use of thoughtful discernment in all aspects of planning our lives, we may end up stumbling over all that we cannot handle.

I came to this realization in my personal discernment by reassessing my academic capabilities and interests. I overindulged in credits this semester and it fell back on me...hard! I hadn't thought that the seemingly minuscule duty of choosing classes was something that must be discerned, but it is. I took on more than I could handle - more than I realized I was interested in taking - and I had to opt out, costing me money, but most of all valuable time I could have used studying or in prayer, discerning my vocation. All in all it was a big hassle.

But goodness often rises out of struggle and I can see the flaws in hastily making decisions. It can overwhelm you, it can distract you from other things that deserve your focus, and it can make life exhausting. Peaceful, proactive discernment can be key to a peaceful, proactive life. This is especially true for me as I begin my discernment in the seminary.

I will continue to discern, not just in vocation alone, but in all aspects of life that can have real and notable effects on my future.

"The seminary (or insert your own noun of residence for personalization) is therefore a time for training; also, of course, a time for discernment, for learning: does he want me for this? The mission must be tested, and this includes being in community with others and also of course speaking with your spiritual directors, in order to learn how to discern what his will is" Pope Benedict XVI - 2011 Message to Seminarians

Where is God? Everywhere...

2012-01-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

What an evening! The seminary arrived in D.C. this morning around ten, in prelude to the March for Life tomorrow. We did some site-seeing, walked the streets of this fair city, and I had my first experience with a subway! But, by far, the most exciting event of the day was the opening Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It was overwhelming! There were nearly five-hundred seminarians, a couple hundred priests (of many different orders and rites), dozens of bishops and several presiding cardinals...not to mention the thousands of people in the congregation, which is a notable phenomenon in and of itself. I reiterate - it was overwhelming. I can't help but feel like something has changed within me after this Mass, in a good and holy way. God works in mysterious ways and, to be honest, the Mass is not the time or place I have come to expect to encounter Him in, at least not in this way. The feeling was effervescent, something I have experienced in prayer but never during the Mass. I have been rejuvenated, and it is overdue. After the rough start of the semester and the stresses of moving and getting acquainted in my new environment, I was pretty down. The faith-filled Mass this evening changed that, and the community of believers that were present was inspiring. This is proof that God works through everything, even the things we take for granted...as bad as that sounds.

Virtue is Practical...

2012-01-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

"Virtue is beautiful, profound, and immensely useful in ordinary everyday life. Virtue is practical." - Matthew Kelly
This statement is simple, but I find it to be profoundly true. I think the injection of virtue into life is necessary today in society, because suffering exists as a fact of life. I believe that the alleviation of suffering is not a capacity humans have. We have the capacity to comfort, we have the capacity to help others, but we do not have the capacity to prevent suffering, at least not entirely. If we apply virtue to life experiences then suffering becomes bearable, because virtue changes the focus from the sufferer to the Healer, who is the ultimately singular Being who can take suffering away...not in this life, but in eternal happiness. Suffering is viewed today as an evil, and I concur that suffering can be caused by evil and cause evil. But this idea that justice in the world is a world without suffering is flawed because we have been called to imitate the life of Jesus. If Jesus suffered so much as He did, how can we say that we are not also called to endure suffering and bear our crosses. We can't. The servant follows the Master, he is not above Him. Suffering is sad, and the world is rife with it. But we can find joy in suffering with the help of virtue.

So I'm a Blogger Now...

2012-01-09T20:02:00.000-08:00

So now that I am embarking on my vocational journey - which actually has been a lifelong trek, but the path is finally clearing - I feel as though a blog will now serve as an effective means to relay my discernment to other discerners, as well as any snippets of intellectual awesomeness I may come across throughout my blogging career. I believe it is in Paul's letter to the Romans, it was said that we should resolve never to put a stumbling block in the way of a brother. Thus, In this frame of mind, my blog will only serve as an encouragement of the hunger in others to learn and deepen in faith. God Bless!