Sanctifying Grace

March for Life 2012

2012-01-25T15:56:00.001-06:00

I just returned yesterday from a pilgrimage out to Washington DC for the March for Life with 30 of my classmates from Mundelein Seminary. It was my fourth trip out there for the March, yet unique in many respects. I got to participate at the annual Vigil Mass for Life at the National Basilica for the first time as a seminarian, which was an awesome experience.

As I summary for the March, I am inserting a video that I came across online. It gives you a little perspective on the size of the March and the reason that so many people gather.

Also, I think it is alway important to reiterate that true Pro-life activity is not simply being anti-abortion. It means to truly be "for life" at all of its stages, from conception to natural death. If you are up for taking on a bit of reading, here is a link to Blessed Pope John Paul the II's papal encyclical (letter) called "The Gospel of Life". In it, he puts forth the Catholic Church's understanding of the God-given meaning of life and the importance of loving a promoting life of all of its stages.

Gospel of Life

Finally, we must remember that those who have been involved in abortion experience a lot of physical, psychological, and spiriutal effects from it. The Church does not exist to condemn those that have sinned (as all of us have), but rather to bring them the healing love of Christ. Here is a link to national ministry in the Church which works to bring post-abortion healing to both men and women.

Rachel's Vineyard

Celebrating 25 years, and the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

2012-01-18T22:31:00.001-06:00

Well, the last hours of my 25th birthday are coming to a close. It is amazing to believe that it has been a quarter century. It has really whizzed by, as a creative card from my Mom and Dad put it. I have so much to be thankful for in my life, especially the many family and friends who mean so much to me.
I really didn't do much special to celebrate the day, even though I could have gone out a rented a car for the first time--the lone privelege of turning 25. But, as I said to my sister-in-law Lauren on my birthday last year, "the fact that things stay pretty much the same on my birthday means that I enjoy my daily life"--for the most part.

As I celebrate my birthday, it is also the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is a wonderful movement to continue to pray and work that Christians may truly become united in the truth as Christ intends us to be. This issue is important to me as I was blessed to grow up knowing faithful Christians of many denominations. There is a deep sense that Jesus doesn't intend for there to be a variety of Churches on adjacent street corners telling their congregations that the people across the street "are damned for their wrong beliefs." Yet, unity cannot come at the sake of truth--we must be united in the Truth. And so we continue pray and work that Christians may be one, as Christ is one with the Father.

Here is a link to a brief article explaining the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Article - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Back to Blogging

2012-01-15T12:42:00.000-06:00

It has been far too long since I have posted anything online, but do not worry, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. In fact, life is going quite well.

I will give you a brief overview of the past six months to catch you all back up:

Spent the summer at Resurrection parish in Allouez, WI.
In August I returned to Mundelein Seminary for my first year of Theology.
I am currently in the middle of our winter quarter--taking 6 classes in theology.

Much of my creative and writing energy has been directed towards our seminary magazine, The Bridge, of which I serve as editor. It was my hope to be able to attach the digital copy of the magazine to this post...but they haven't posted it to the university web-site yet.

Well, I have three more mid-terms to take over the next couple of days, so I am going to get back to studying. I hope to be a bit more regular in my posts. Thanks for checking in.

Religion and Liberty - The Acton Institute

2011-06-16T20:04:00.003-05:00

Well, the first two weeks at the parish have gone extremely well. It has been great to live at the rectory with Bishop Morneau and Fr. Tom Long. As well, I've had a great opportunity to see more deeply into the daily life of a parish priest. I've sat in on a staff meeting, parish council meeting, funeral planning, and pastoral visits to the home-bound. But more details will have to be given later on this summer [hopefully].

Right now I am writing from Grand Rapids, MI. I'm here with Msgr. John Dewane, a retired priest of the Diocese of Green Bay. We are attending a program put on by the Acton [not mis-spelled] Institute . The Acton Institute focuses on the study of religion and liberty, with a view towards market economics. http://www.acton.org/ It has been truly a blessing to be here.

As many of you know, my undergraduate from UW-L is in business, specifically finance and economics. The Acton institute combines solid Christian teaching and living with sound economic principles in order to help foster a flourishing society for mankind. I always struggled during college trying to reconcile my faith beliefs with my business knowledge. Acton has opened me up in a profound way to the inherent goodness in taking part in God's continuing creative activity through sound business in order to provide for the material needs of humanity and the dignity of meaningful work. The organization was co-founded by a Catholic priest, yet presents sounds principles that all Christians [all people even] can support.

I return from Michigan on Saturday and then will be quickly turning around to head down to Chicago with the youth group from Resurrection parish to take part in a program called Young Neighbors in Action.

Summer 2011...and beyond

2011-06-04T19:59:00.005-05:00

My time in the pre-theology program at Mundelein seminary has come to a close. After two years of study in philosophy, Latin and Greek, the humanities, and introductory Catholic spirituality courses, I'm ready to take the next step into theology. That means I will no longer be wearing a collared-shirt and tie, but rather will be wearing the Roman collar on campus next year.

This summer I will be living at Resurrection parish in Green Bay [Allouez] under the guidance of Bishop Robert Morneau [an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay. I will get to join Bishop Bob [as he introduces himself] in his pastoral work leading the parish. It looks like it is going to be an excellent summer to see what life is like in a parish.

The current plan for the fall is for me to remain at Mundelein Seminary for my theology studies. For a time it looked possible that I would be doing my studies in Rome, but according to the path of my formation and discernment of the vocation, I think it will be fruitful for me to remain at Mundelein and near to the Diocese of Green Bay.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:53:00.004-05:00

I would be remiss if I missed today's opportunity to give thanks to all the mothers of the world. In a special way, I of course want to gives thanks to [and for] my Mom, who [along with my Dad] has been a great support and source of love for me over the course of my life. In many ways, I think that I have developed an even deeper relationship with my Mom as I have grown older and we relate in different ways [they have commented that I am a bit more fun now than I used to be growing up]. I am also very grateful to have both of my Grandmothers present in my life.

So on this day I offer my prayers to Our Heavenly Mother, the Mother of Our Lord and Redeemer, that she would share her motherly affection with all of her children here on earth. Here is a link to a beautiful hymn to Mary, "The Loving Mother of the Redeemer".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf6bg4AeAzU

The Easter Vigil

2011-04-24T18:32:00.005-05:00

Last night I had the joy of attending the Easter Vigil Mass with my family at my home parish, St. Mary in Appleton. This is only the 3rd Easter Vigil Mass I have attended, but I am coming to see why it is considered the most important night of the year, commemorating the most important event in history.

The Easter Vigil is rich with symbolism, profound readings, and actions. Among the most striking of these is beginning the Mass in darkness, and then receiving light from the Paschal Candle. It was pretty amazing when the priest covered the orginal fire after lighting the Pashcal Candle, a child in the congregation exclaimed "Uh-oh!" There is almost an innate realization in each of us that we long for light, while we fear darkness.

After the procession of the candle and the lighting of the individual candles throughout the Church, an ancient hymn was proclaimed which tells of the Resurrection. The Exultet, composed over 1500 years ago, still relays the central Christian mysteries to the faithful.

A link to the text: http://www.domcentral.org/life/exsultet.htm

A link to a recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkle6URiM4s&feature=related

I find the most powerful lines of the Exultet to be:

This is the night when Christians everywhere,

washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,

are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night when Jesus Christ

broke the chains of death

and rose triumphant from the grave.

Additionally, 3 people were welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church. Each of them stood before the parish and shared about their desire to join the Church, along with the joys and sorrows of their journey. It was really awesome to see these people on fire for the their faith and willing to share of themselves with the members of the parish. It showed me the power of unity and vulnerability.

All of this helped to bring home the fundamental mystery and reality of Christianity, the Resurrection. Jesus the Lord has indeed risen, alleluia.

Mission Trip to Mali

2011-03-13T20:55:00.010-05:00

I have been back on US soil for a full week, and have taken that time to reflect a bit on my experiences in Mali and France. In this post I would like to share with you a bit about my time in Mali, which was a truly transformational experience.

The two things which stuck out to me more than anything were the simplicity in which the people live and the community that they enjoy. Poverty, in and of itself, is not a good thing. Much of the work that CRS does is an effort to help reduce material poverty through better food, water, education, and healthcare. Yet, poverty naturally forces one to live in a simple way. When a person doesn't have much, it is hard to live extravagantly. The people of Mali have very little by our standards. Many of them will never watch television or drink a soda. They do have a dependence on God, the fruits of God's earth, and the people around them to get them through each day [cf Matt 6:25-34, where Jesus tells the disciples not to worry, but to trust God to provide for their needs].

Simplicity of life also allows for a stronger bond of family and community. Most of the families in Mali live in single room houses, where six or eight people might go to sleep each night [imagine if you had a snorer]. The people of the village work together, help those who are in need, and genuinely seem to enjoy their lives. I've never seen so many people smiling and joyful.

Now, I'm not suggesting that each of us set fire to all our belongings so that we can love our families and friends more. The beautiful thing is that simplicity and community can be formed in our lives right now. The people of Mali helped to show me that our lives are not about the material things we can gather, the degrees we can earn, or the positions that we can rise to. All of these things are fine [even good in the right context]. But the more important thing is that each of us strive to "love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." [Luke 10:27]

Mission trip and pilgrimage

2011-02-12T20:34:00.005-06:00

I am finished with the winter quarter at Mundelein Seminary. It was a hectic last week, writing 22 pages for my four final papers. Don't have too much pity on me though, I knew a ways back that these papers were coming and I still managed to hold off writing them.

Tomorrow, February 13th I depart for my mission trip with some of my classmates from Mundelein. It is part of a project through Catholic Relief Services called the Global Fellows Program, in which they look to educate future pastors the work that CRS does as the international agency for charity and development work for the Catholic Church. http://crs.org/global-fellows/

Our group will spend two days in Baltimore learning about CRS, before hopping our plane to Mali, Africa. We will spend 8 days in Mali seeing firsthand the work that CRS does there in order to help with education, food, and health initiatives. It should be an interesting journey. This is my first trip to another continent. As well, Mali is a predominantly Islamic country. This will definitely be my first experience being in the minority both racially and religiously.

After our time in Mali, our group will have the opportunity to do a week of pilgrimage in France. Mali was once a French colony, and so our flights were scheduled through Air France, with a transfer in Paris. We learned that for $20 we could delay our flight back from Paris for a week and do some traveling in France. We plan to see the holy sites of Paris, Lourdes, and Ars. It should be a powerful trip.

Please keep our group in your prayers, that we may travel safely and be good witnesses to the love of Jesus Christ. I will surely have a lot to share when I get back.

Conversation with Bishop Ricken

2011-01-09T20:39:00.008-06:00

I hope that 2011 is off to a good start for you. The winter quarter is continuing on here at Mundelein and we resumed our classes last Wednesday. The Mass and dinner with Bishop Ricken, the seminarians, our parents and pastors went well a few weeks back. I think it is great for us seminarians to get a better idea of the background of our brothers by meeting their folks and possibly a priest who has been significant in their life.

I had the privilege of serving the Mass for Bishop Ricken [although that picture is from an earlier Mass]. The next day I had a meeting with the Bishop to discuss the diocese, my formation, and his vision for how I might move forward. Thank you for the prayers that were offered on my behalf, it was definitely a blessed meeting. It was a great time to continue forming a relationship with Bishop Ricken, the shepherd and head pastor of the Church in the Green Bay area. We did not come to a final conclusion about where I will study next year, but I feel confident about Bishop's leadership and decision-making and I was able to share my thoughts and feelings [and those of my family] on the topic .

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T21:06:00.002-06:00

I open my Christmas post with words from our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI:

"Verbum caro factum est – 'The Word became flesh' (Jn 1:14).

Before this revelation we once more wonder: how can this be? The Word and the

flesh are mutually opposed realities; how can the eternal and almighty Word become a frail and mortal man? There is only one answer: Love. Those who love desire to share with the beloved, they want to be one with the beloved, and Sacred Scripture shows us the great love story of God for his people which culminated in Jesus Christ."

I am grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Christmas at home with my family and then journey next week up to Green Bay for some events with Bishop Ricken and my diocesan brothers.

Please keep me in your prayers, especially on Wednesday the 29th as I will be meeting with Bishop Ricken in the morning to discuss my formation thus far and consider the upcoming path for me to continue my preparation to serve Christ and His Church as a priest.

Have a blessed 8 days of Christmas [the celebration has just begun].

Our Lady of Good Help

2010-12-12T20:51:00.004-06:00

Many people are familiar, at least in name, with some of the more prominent apparitions [appearances] of Mary: Fatima, Guadalupe, and Lourdes. Today, December 12th is one of the more important of those feast days, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the Americas, watching over both continents with her motherly care.

Just four days ago, Mary's presence was also recognized closer to home. Bishop David Ricken announced the approval of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI just 18 miles outside of Green Bay.

There is a ton of information on the Shrine website about the announcement, its significance, and the general understanding of Marian apparitions and their place in the belief of the Church.

http://www.shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com/

May Our Lady of Good Help lead us all to her Son, Our Lord, during this Advent season.

New Year, the Start of the Winter Quarter, Christmas Concert and more

2010-12-05T20:54:00.003-06:00

Thanks for checking in to see how the seminary journey is going. I apologize that I haven't posted anything recently but I promise fill you in with the more noteworthy news.

The first part of the title for this post isn't a mis-print, rather it refers to the Liturgical Year of the Roman Catholic Church, which began with the start of Advent last Sunday. We enter into Advent as a season of waiting, looking forward with hope to the celebration of Jesus' entrance into our world on that first Christmas night.

Here at seminary we started a new academic quarter, our 'winter quarter'. I have four academic classes:

Humanities II: looking at literature, particularly the novels The Painted Veil and Brideshead Revisited.

Modern Philosophy: looking at philosophy from the 16th - 19th centuries.

Political and Social Philosophy: examining some of the great works on society including Plato's republic in order to better understand the social nature and structure of the human person.

The Devout Life: reading two classics, The Screwtape Letters and Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Frances de Sales in order to gain a deeper grasp of the significance of spiritual movements, both good and bad, in our life.

Finally, I got to see my folks and Brian and Lauren today here at the seminary. They came down into the snow for the annual "Sounds of Christmas" concert with the seminary choir and a local orchestra. It was great to have them down here, but unfortunately I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with them as the seminary was also entertaining about 600 other guests as well.

I hope that you have a blessed Advent journey. If you are looking for a little reading to help shape this time leading up to Christmas, I would offer you a brief Advent reflection by the Holy Father as some thought provoking material: http://www.zenit.org/article-31086?l=english

Two Pillars - Tradition and Word

2010-10-24T20:58:00.003-05:00

Today I was struck by a beautiful section of one of the documents of the Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum, The Word of God. People often question the teachings of the Catholic Church, claiming that "its not in the Bible." In the view of the Catholic Church, God's revelation is not limited to the Sacred Scriptures alone [sola scriptura]. The Catholic Church offers a full view of God's revelation to His people. It is not as though God simply "sent" us the Bible and then left the Church to fend for itself. Instead the Lord promises to remain active in the life of the Church: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." [Matt 28:19-20]

Here is the section from Dei Verbum explaining the Church's view:

"Sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal. Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles [the Church] so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully persevere, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching. Thus it comes about that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence. Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church."

What a beautiful insight into the life of the Church and the gift the Lord has given to us.

In an unrelated note, Mundelein Seminary brought home both the soccer and volleyball trophies from the Conception Seminary College tournament last weekend. We played three grueling soccer matches and came out ahead in each.

Midterms and Soccer Tournament

2010-10-14T20:47:00.002-05:00

Well I made it through midterms, mostly. I had two of the major midterms this week, Natural Theology and Greek, and they both went pretty well. For Greek we have a quiz each class during the quarter in order to encourage us to stay up on our studies and not just cram before exam time. It is amazing how much more effective it is to do things [pray, study, keep in touch with friends and family] on a regular basis rather then waiting until I fall behind and I'm in a tight spot, in order to reach out. But I'm not all the way through the woods yet. I have a midterm exam left on Monday...and then finals will be following in just a few weeks. It is incredible how quickly 10 weeks goes by. There is such a great opportunity to learn, but a lot of material to cover.

This weekend I will be traveling down to Conception Seminary College in Missouri for the annual CSC soccer/volleyball tournament. We have a three-day weekend, so our group will be hitting the road tomorrow morning for the 8+ hour drive down. I'm looking forward to getting back on the soccer field, its been a few years but the last time I played our team had some pretty good success. Please keep all of those travelling to and from the tournament, 6 seminaries total, in your prayers that they may be safe during the ride and on the court. Thanks for checking in.

May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.

Jude 1:2

Brandon

Respect Life Month

2010-10-03T21:02:00.008-05:00

I hope that you are begining to enjoy the change in weather and landscape that October brings. Fall is the favorite time of year for me: I enjoy the crisp air, cooler temperatures and the change in the fall colors. The walk around the Lake down here at Mundelein Seminary is getting more beautiful with each passing day, not that I walk it daily.

As well, October is Respect Life Month, as proclaimed by the Catholic Church. It is so important to celebrate the worth and dignity of each and every person regardless of gender, race, wealth, social standing, creed or perceived desirability. Sacred Scripture tells us that "God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them." [Gen 1:27] At the end of it all "God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good." [Gen 1:31] But then the fall came, not autumn, but Humanity's turning away from perfect relationship with God in order to seek its own fulfillment and actualization. Yet God seeks to restore what has been lost: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." [John 3:16]

It is the goodness of God's creation and His enduring love for us that is celebrated during Respect Life Month. If you have a bit of time to read a statement from the United States Bishops it does a good job of explaining the central issues, while highlighting that just being against abortion is not the entirety of the message. http://www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp/10dinardo-stmt.pdf

If you are really feeling up to it, the best explanation of the importance of the respect for life can be found in an encyclical of John Paul II, The Gospel of Life.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031995_evangelium-vitae_en.html

Courses for the Fall Quarter

2010-09-16T19:54:00.008-05:00

The Fall Quarter here at Mundelein Seminary is well underway. As I continue in my second year of Pre-Theology, the focus continues to be on developing an understanding of philosophy and its implications for the way we view the world. I have 5 academic courses for the quarter and 1 pastoral activity.

My 5 Academic Courses are:

Medieval Philosophy II - Focusing on the late Middle Ages, especially the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas is one of the most prolific philosophers and theologians to put pen to paper. The fact that we have an entire course dedicated to study of his writing offers an insight to the place he holds.

Natural Theology - This course looks to examine what we can learn about God through nature. Many people often sight beautiful natural landscapes as a way of encountering God's majesty. Growing up on the lake, I would definitely have to agree. There is even more that nature can show us. How about the incredibly intricate happenings of our cosmos? Or the natural order it? Or the fact that we can study it at all? All of this speaks to something transcendent and yet quite immanent to our lives.

Greek - Another language, yikes! It was only last year that I was laboring through Latin. Now we switch gears to another tongue, why? The sole reason is that the entire New Testament was written in Greek. In order to gain an in-depth understanding of the Sacred Scriptures, the ability to read [to some degree] them in their original text is vital.

Philosophy of Nature - Is this a repeat of the class I talked about before? I often have been confused myself. This course examines what nature can tell us about itself. We are going back through history to view some of the major ways that civilizations have viewed the world and looking how it impacted their view of the world.

Documents of Vatican II - This course, taught by retired Archbishop Keleher [Emeritus], looks at the major documents of the Second Vatican Council. Vatican II came during a time of great social change, some of which impacted the Council and some of which was impacted by the Council. I have heard a lot about the "changes after Vatican II". I look forward to learning what the Council itself had to say in order to better understand its original intention in comparison to how it was interpreted and implemented around the world.

Another major part of my formation for this year will involve a new field education site. Last year I went one a day a week to a local hospital in order to visit and pray with patients. During this year I will be going to a house for persons who have been diagnosed with AIDS/HIV. I must admit that I don't have much experience around AIDS/HIV patients, so I think it will be a challenging experience. But the Lord provides. He has a love for these men and women which equals His love for his children in any other circumstance.

In addition to these activities I will of course continue with those which are most central to formation for the Priesthood: Daily Mass and Prayer with the Liturgy of the Hours. It should be a great year and I look forward to the continued opportunities to be formed more fully into the person that Jesus Christ is calling me to be.

The Passing of Grandpa Barlow

2010-09-08T21:50:00.008-05:00

For the past few days I had been planning to write a bit of an update on the beginning of the Fall quarter here at Mundelein Seminary and to share about my recent experience during our silent retreat [which went quite well, thanks to God's grace].

Instead, something which means a lot more has entered onto the scene. This afternoon my Grandpa Barlow passed from this world, and we entrust him into the arms of our Lord with hope in the promise of His gracious gift of everlasting life with Him. Grandpa recently celebrated his 90th birthday, so we can be thankful for many wonderful memories with him. In a special way, my Grandpa and Grandma Barlow have been close to me and a tremendous influence on the person that I am today.

Throughout my life Grandpa was a faithful presence, always there in support. I had the blessing of spending an evening with him just a few weeks ago and sharing some wonderful time in prayer with and for him. It will surely be a challenging time for our family as we mourn his passing, but there is a peace in being able to say our goodbyes and send him with our prayers.

Grandpa's smile will shine and his laugh will always echo in my heart.

Silence again

2010-08-29T17:48:00.002-05:00

After a pretty long break from blogging I have tons to write about...but it is going to have to wait. I am back at Mundelein and we begin our Fall silent retreat this evening.

The summer was awesome. I spent 10 weeks at the Institute for Priestly Formation and will have a lot to say about that.

Please keep us in your prayers. I look forward to returning to my regular writing. Thanks for checking in.

One year in the books

2010-05-30T19:11:00.002-05:00

It's official, I'm 1/6 of the way through my formation for the priesthood. Last week we wrapped up the spring quarter at Mundelein Seminary. It was a challenge to persevere to the finish, but God supplies the grace we need to sustain us on the journey if we are only willing to accept it.

The end of the year was a great time as I witnessed the ordination of one of Diocesan brothers, Luke Ferris, to the Diaconate at the Cathedral in Green Bay. Only 4 more years and I will be standing in his place. The day after our classes finished, I journeyed to the Cathedral in Chicago for the ordination of 14 priests for the Arch-Diocese of Chicago. It is beautiful to witness the culmination of the preparation for the priesthood. In a way it is a completion, but as well, it is just the begining for them. These men have now been charged with the sacred mission of brining the Sacraments to Christ's Church. For the rest of their earthly life they will work to give themselves fully for the sake of the Kingdom.

This summer, I will be continuing my formation at the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. There will be time for reading, learning, fellowship and prayer. The core of this summer will be direction in the Spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola [Ignatian Spirituality]. I will be taking part in an 8 day silent retreat in June, as part of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. In all, I will spend ten weeks in Omaha along with 175 other seminarians from around the country as we look to grow closer to our Lord through a deeper life of prayer.

Please keep us in prayer, especially during our silent retreat [June 4-12]. Feel free to write me an email over the course of the summer: bbarlow@usml.edu. It would be great to hear from you. May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance. (Jude 1:2)

Christ is Risen

2010-05-09T17:22:00.002-05:00

Hopefully you are continuing to have a blessed Easter. I am sorry it has been a few weeks since I have written last, I haven't forgotten about you. My first year in the seminary is coming to close, and it has been life changing. The Lord has given me many wonderful opportunities to grow and has blessed me in ways I never could have imagined. As well, I have been challenged in ways I did not expect.

In this midst of these final weeks of the semester, the celebration of the Easter season has been continuing on. I would like to share with you a song that is performed by Matt Maher, entitled "Christ is Risen". I have been rocking out to this song the entire Easter season, as I think it captures greatly the heart of Easter joy.

Next weekend I will be back in Green Bay for the Ordination of one of my seminary brothers, Luke Ferris, to the Diaconate. As well, Matt Maher will be playing a concert at St. Pius X in Appleton. For more info check out - http://cyexpeditions.org/benefit.htm.

Finish out this Easter season strong, celebrating the fact that "Christ is Risen"!

Matt Maher: "Christ is Risen" song and video

Jumping In

2010-04-18T22:29:00.004-05:00

Today something from the Gospel struck me and caused me to chuckle during Mass. Peter is out in the boat fishing with some of the other Apostles and they don't catch anything all night. Then a man from on shore yells to them to cast their net over the other side. The fishermen cast their net off the right side and a surprised to find a full catch. John, the Beloved Disciple, realizes that it is the Risen Lord whom is standing on the shore calling to them. He tells Peter, "It is the Lord." Peter immediately tucks in his robe and leaps off the edge of the boat towards the shore.

I think most people have somebody in their group of friends who overreacts often. They are always doing things to the extreme, whether for good or for ill. The more I hear about Peter, the more I see him as this type of man. Peter is always there to exclaim something to Jesus, to 'rebuke' Jesus when he disagrees, to promise that he will never deny Jesus, and to leap out of the boat when he sees the Lord on the shore. He is a person of big words and extreme actions, and it is great. He has passion for Christ; he is not afraid (for good or ill) to jump into things.

There is something valuable to learn from Peter jumping into the sea. The Lord wants us to 'jump in' as well. He calls us to cast aside many of our concerns about what we may be giving up, what our family and neighbors may think, and even what may happen to us. It is easy to be paralyzed by anxiety, unwilling to respond to the Lord's subtle call in our life. He may be asking us to spend more time in prayer, give up unhealthy habits, show more patience with those who challenge us or be more generous to those who are in need. It is only when we take the chance to respond with zeal, by 'jumping in' the water, that we may more fully encounter the Risen Lord calling us over by Him.

Divine Mercy

2010-04-11T22:27:00.004-05:00

I hope that you had a great Easter week. The past eight days (the Octave of Easter) have continued to make real the fact that Easter is what it is all about. Here at Mundelein Seminary we celebrated each of the Masses with the highest solemnity. That means: all the priests processing in, using two reading plus the Gospel each day, singing the Gloria, exclaiming Alleluia and all the smells and bells. Also, for Morning and Evening prayer we use the same text as Easter Sunday for each of the eight days. It is pretty awesome to have all of this rejoicing after the solemn preparation of Lent.

The Second Sunday of Easter (today) is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. It is a day to give thanks and to think about the great mercy that the Lord shows in His love for us. In many ways it is difficult to understand God's mercy, and sometimes it may appear to us that it is altogether lacking, but today exists to help us call to mind the love that God shows us.

The image of Divine Mercy above along with the Divine Mercy Chaplet are part of the revelations of a Polish Saint, St. Maria Faustina. Her message for the world about God's love is a powerful one.

While on the topic of mercy, it seems appropriate to address the recent media coverage of the Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis. It is a difficult topic with deep wounds and many misconceptions. It is important to address the true hurt that has been caused to the many victims as well as the great scandal that it is that the Church did not always respond in the most appropriate and timely manner. There is no excuse for any of the pain that has been called. Clear action was needed and still is. Yet, blaming each and every person who is connected in any way with the situation does not serve justice either.

In order to shed light on the topic, I would like to share an article which I find to be balanced and accurate. It may seem as though the Church is continuing to "tow the company line" and that as a seminarian I am just going along with it, but I find that this article properly addresses the severity of the wounds as well as treats the matter justly. http://ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/keeping-record-straight-benedict-and-crisis (The article is a bit long, but anything less could not treat the matter fully.)

May the Divine Mercy of God heal all of our wounds and sins and bring us to union in His love.

Happy Easter

2010-04-07T19:42:00.003-05:00

Although the title of "Happy Easter" may seem to be a bit behind schedule, it is actually right in season. As Catholics we have a beautiful practice of celebrating well beyond the one day festivity, carrying on the rejoicing afterward (into time everlasting). We will continue the Easter Season for 50 days until Pentecost (May 23rd)

This past week I had the joy of being back within the Diocese of Green Bay for my first Holy Week and Easter Triduum as a seminarian. I got to take part in the Chrism Mass, during which Bishop Ricken blessed the oils which will be used for the Sacraments within the diocese. It was beautiful to see many of the priests of the Diocese, along with representatives from each parish, at the Cathedral to celebrate with the Bishop, a shepard of the Church.

For the Triduum I was at St. Mary in Appleton (my home parish). This was the first time that I had been in the same church for all the masses of the Triduum. During college I would usually travel home on Friday evening, which kind of disrupted entering into the celebration of the Passion. It was great to be at St. Mary from start to finish and to truly take in all of the glory of the pinnacle of the liturgical year.

The end the three days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are the focus and font of the faith. The entire Christian life flows from Easter. At the Easter Vigil, in the midst of darkness a flame is lit. As this flame passes to the Easter candle, the faithful sing: "Christ our light. Thanks be to God." A most beautiful and ancient text, the Exsultet, is then sung.

It begins: "Rejoice, heavenly powers!

Sing, Choirs of angels!

Exult, all creation around God's throne!

Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!

Sound the trumpet of salvation!"

Jesus' victory over death is the most prolific event in history. It illuminates His birth. If Jesus had not risen from the grave, few people would have known of His birth. We celebrate Christmas because of His resurrection. Only after He had been raised (and we are still figuring it out) did people really begin to recognize the significance of the person of Jesus. His resurrection is the basis for the Gospel, the "Good News of Victory".

St. Paul exclaims:

"If there is no resurrection of the dead, Christ himself cannot have been raised, and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless; indeed, we are shown up as witnesses who have committed perjury before God, because we swore in evidence before God that he had raised Christ to life. For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still i your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people. But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man. (1 Cor 15: 12-21)"

So this Easter Season, rejoice, and keep on rejoicing, as Christ is risen!

May it be done according to your word

2010-03-24T19:29:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow (Thursday) we celebrate The Annunciation of the Lord. It is a beautiful time to reflect upon the plan of God for our salvation. God chose to freely involve His creation in His plan to redeem the world.

God could have forgiven our sins without coming down to earth, without making Himself manifest in the flesh.
He could have appeared on earth without spending nine months (hence the date for this celebration, 9 months before December 25th) in the womb of His blessed mother.
He could continue to work in our world today without my help, without your help.

Instead he offers His creation an opportunity to join in the work of redemption.

We celebrate The Annunciation of the Lord because it was the moment when Our Lord was conceived in the womb of Mary (the Immaculate Conception, a different Holy Day, is the mystery of Mary being conceived free of sin). We celebrate God's action in the world; He always acts first in reaching out to us and loving us. As well, we celebrate Mary's response to God's messenger, the angel Gabriel.

Tomorrow the Gospel will be read which tells the story: http://www.usccb.org/nab/032510.shtml

Mary's response, "May it be done to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)" is a beautiful witness to her trust in the Lord, and an excellent model for us. Each day God presents us with opportunities to be in relationship with Him in co-operate in His plan to show His love in the world. I pray that we will be filled with the courage and the faith to respond as Our Blessed Mother did to God's invitation: "May it be done to me according to your word."

From Brokenness to Community

2010-03-21T22:12:00.003-05:00

I hope that all is well with you and that you are enjoying the start of Spring, no matter the weather. This on Friday after class, my classmates and I departed for an evening retreat at the Sienna Center of the Racine Dominicans. It was a brief retreat, 18 hours including sleep, but still had many wonderful moments and blessings.

The opportunity to address my classmates was offered to me, and as soon as I heard about the Lord was stirring an idea within me. Living in community is challenging, especially during the first year of seminary. All of us here have left behind various aspects of our life in order to enter into priestly formation. It can be difficult at times to let go of the past, full of memories, mistakes, and misgivings. The book From Brokenness to Community by Jean Vanier (a French-Canadian Catholic author) relays his story of encountering Christ amongst those whom he shared his life with.

Vanier was a successful military officer, but longed for something more than power and wealth, so it gave it up and decided to move in with two men with disabilities that he knew. In the book he speaks about the beauty of God's special graces in those who face challenges and difficulties. Eventually, in recognizing that their value transcends their physical brokenness and short-comings, Vanier came to understand more fully his spiritual brokenness and woundedness.

I spoke with my seminary brothers about the value of admitting our brokenness and embracing the healing that the Lord can bring through the love of a community. That in walking the journey with our brothers and sisters we can "give people the gift of their dignity. We can help others just by the way we listen to them and speak with them. We can show them by our trust that what they have to say is important and good. (Vanier)"

After all, Christ told us that "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. (Matt 9)" The Lord encounters us in our brokenness. "I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12)"

There is great truth in the words of St. Paul, but I think they can be easily mis-understood. I do not believe that Christ desires us to be broken, sinful, and suffering. It is not as though He wants us to have hardships so that he can 'play the hero' in our life. Rather, He is the hero, because He has come to us in our brokenness and redeemed us with His love. That is sanctifying grace: love which transforms brokenness into wholeness, to community.

Christ Renews His Parish

2010-03-14T23:19:00.004-05:00

Well, the first week of classes is over and done with. It looks like it is going to be a challenging quarter, but there will plenty of opportunities to learn and to understand more fully the light of truth. Courses for the spring quarter include: Latin, Introduction to the New Testament, Medieval philosophy, Humanities (reading plays and poetry to make sure I am a well rounded human being), and a branch of philosophy called Metaphysics (which addresses the question: What does it mean to be?).

This weekend I had the opportunity to go back to Appleton for the weekend to attend the inaugural Christ News His Parish (CRHP) retreat held between St. Joe's and St. Mary parishes. The intent of the weekend is to focus on building solid relationships in the Lord with other members of the parish. CRHP is a nation-wide program, and this weekend's men's retreat was the first at St. Joseph and St. Mary (the women will have their chance in April).

It was a blessed weekend with a lot of great opportunities to laugh, listen to personal stories, and share in one another's walk with God. Community is vital to a relationship with God. God is a God of community (the Trinity) and we as humans are created to live and share our joys and sorrows, our very life with others. Community is missing in most parishes, and sadly in many families as well. The vision and focus of a life shared with others has been lost and replaced by with a focus on individual concerns and goals.

The Lord has a different plan for it: "But God has so constructed the body to give greater honor to a part that is without it, so there may be no division in the body, but that the parts may have the same concern for one another. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. (1 Cor 12:24-26)

This weekend was full of hope as many men were able to embrace their faith and open up about it for the first time. It isn't easy but the Lord is willing to work with even the smallest bit of cooperation and longs to bring renewal into the hearts of His people and to renew His Church, one (or two) parish at a time.

Being a disciple

2010-03-10T22:15:00.002-06:00

As I Lenten journey continues I would just like to pass along a powerful insight that the rector of Mundelein seminary, Fr. Lyle, shared with our entire seminary community during his address to begin the spring quarter.

Lent is a time of penance, a time of turning away from those things which hold us back from God in order to more fully be open to God's presence in our life. That is why we give up meat on Friday, observe periods of fasting, and may even 'give up' other things/practices during the Lenten season. It is way to rid our lives of excess. It requires discipline and effort in order to be faithful to these practices, but it is worth while and it is something that we are encouraged to do by our Lord himself, "This kind (of evil) can only come out through prayer." (Mk 9:29)

One potential pitfall of undertaking these practices is that we may begin to think that we are making the change happen in ourself. Although our effort and discipline are important, it is being a disciple of the Lord that truly changes us.

Psalm 127 reads:

"Unless the Lord build the house,

they labor in vain who build.

Unless the Lord guard the city,

in vain does the guard keep watch.

It is vain for you to rise early

and put off your rest at night,

To eat bread earned by hard toil-

all this God gives to his beloved in sleep."

Our focus this Lent must be on being a disciple of the Lord, with trust that He will change our hearts through the acts of discipline that we undertake.

Ave Maria

2010-03-07T20:25:00.006-06:00

I hope that your Lenten journey is going well thus far. We are nearing half way, persevere that you may gain the crown that is imperishable! (1 Cor 9:25)

It has been quite a long time since I have last written, I'm going to skip of all of the excuses and just get right to writing. I am back at Mundelein after a two week break following the winter quarter. Last quarter was excellent as I finally felt fully settled in to life here at seminary. I spent most of break with my Dad and Mom on a roadtrip down to Florida. It was great to spend time with them and to catch a bit of warm weather. I also got to stop in a see Brian's (my brother) new apartment in New Berlin. He started a new job two weeks ago and just rented out this place after that. Lauren (Brian's fiancee) and her family took all of us out to dinner at a seafood restaurant were they just dump the food on the table and let you go at it, it was a fun evening.

This evening I was taking a walk and praying about a topic to blog about. The topic that stirred in my heart (while I was praying a rosary) was the role of the Blessed Mother. The Catholic Church's view of Mary is one of the more mis-understood and mis-represented beliefs within the faith, both by critics of the Church as well as Catholic's themselves. It is truly a travesty, and the work of the evil one in order to separate us from such a magnificent mother whom is willing to pray constantly to God on our behalf.

That is the fundamental role of Mary, she brings us to Christ. Most importantly, she brings Christ to us. By God's grace she was chosen to give birth to the eternal God, in the flesh. It is a mystery so deep that it seems unfathomable, but this humble woman gave birth the God who created her (and all of us) and redeemed us. The words of the prayer "The Hail Mary", are beautiful witness to Mary's role. If you think the Church's view of Mary isn't based in the Scriptures, check it out.

Hail Mary (a greeting, not hail as in worshiping), full of grace, the Lord is with thee (read Luke 1 :28); blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. (the words of Elizabeth from Luke 1:42) Holy Mary, Mother of God, (read Luke 1:43 for confirmation of her role as Mother of the Lord) pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. (Read John 19:25-29, the Lord gave Mary to St. John as our Mother) Amen.

And now a little bonus material: There is a Shrine dedicated to Mary within the Diocese of Green Bay where Mary appeared 150 years ago. A film is being made in order to help tell this wonderful story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rym_Rb_lsvY

May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.

Jude 1:2

Brandon

A Declaration

2010-01-26T21:49:00.004-06:00

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to our Nation's capitol for The March for Life. It was my third time going to D.C. for the March, but each trip has been unique, having its own experiences and relationships. The trip this year was awesome because it was the first time that I have been the leader of a group as a seminarian. During the past two summers I have had the opportunity to lead young people in faith and prayer, but the call to lead has been deepened and the Lord has begun a more focused formation to prepare me. It was such a blessing to be with youth from the Diocese of Green Bay and to pray with them, talk with them, and build relationships centered on the Lord.

There was also an opportunity to see a bunch historical sites around D.C. The visit that captivated me more than anything else this year was our stop at the National Achieves. I have been there before, but for some reason I was struck by the significance of Declaration of Independence. It was a statement which expressed that the Colonists had enough of their rights being trampled on and not acknowledged, and they were taking a stand against the current powers to regain the rights that had been taken.

It dawned on me that I was in Washington D.C. for that same reason: To declare that the Right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness belongs to each and every person regardless of circumstance, ability, or desirability. The March for Life is not just a protest against abortion. It is a Declaration that each life has value. It is about the relationships that are built on the journey, the prayer that is offered among brothers and sisters, and the desire to protect and receive life as a pearl of great price from the Lord. (Matt 13:46)

Birthday and Pilgrimage for Life

2010-01-18T21:48:00.005-06:00

Every few years my birthday falls on our Nation's celebration of the life Martin Luther King Jr. The real and profound change that Reverend King helped to spark is quite amazing. He saw that violence was not the answer to injustice, but rather justice comes through a loving witness to the dignity of each and every person regardless of race, gender, social class, or religious beliefs. We are not all the same in God's eyes, actually quite the opposite, we are all uniquely created and loved.

Dr. King recognized that injustice to one is an injustice to all. Dr. King spoke confidently about his convictions because he knew they were founded in the Love of Jesus Christ. It did not matter to him that the law said blacks were not fully a person, that popular society chose to ignore the plight of the people, or that he faced resistance from those who felt they had a right to treat blacks as less than human.

Tomorrow, the day after MLK Jr. day, I will depart on a bus trip from the Diocese of Green Bay to our Nation's Capitol for the Annual March for Life. I do not mean to imply that I have the same level of virtue or commitment that Dr. King had, but I hope that the same Holy Spirit that stirred his heart to oppose injustice is the Spirit that is stirring me to speak for those who are not given an opportunity to speak on their own behalf.

The March for Life is the Nation's largest annual protest, yet you will probably see nothing more than a couple of sentences on the back page of the newspaper. Many objections are raised to the March, and some contain legitimate concerns. Being Pro-life does not only mean being against Abortion. It means caring for the victims in Haiti, the neighbor who has lost a loved one, and the family whose life is torn apart by trouble within their marriage.

Some might even say that the comparison between civil-rights for African-Americans and opposition to "The Right to Choose" is not legitimate. I will agree that it is a difficult case, but a person who fails to see the similarity in the mind-sets is being fairly short-sighted. Dr. King's niece Dr. Alveda King sees a similar vision and weighs in on her uncle's continuing dream. http://www.priestsforlife.org/articles/document.aspx?id=3011

I do not intend for this birthday post to be heavy or political, but I am often hit on my birthday with a recognition of the blessings of life and love that I have been given. Life can have its challenges at times, but it is so worth it.

The New Year is Upon Us

2010-01-04T22:36:00.003-06:00

I hope that 2010 is off to a good start for you. We are back to classes already here at Mundelein, the formation continues. I had an enjoyable two weeks in Wisconsin spending time with the family as well as attending a few different gatherings up in Green Bay. I am posting quick to let you know that I haven't forgotten about the blog.

Hopefully you are still hanging in there on your New Years resolutions. I am going to leave you with a prayer from Bishop David Ricken which summarizes the spiritual outlook I hope to move towards during the course of this year (and beyond).

Lord, help me to do your will. nothing more and nothing less.

Help me to do your will, not a moment sooner nor a moment later than you will it.

Amen

Rejoice!

2009-12-13T22:24:00.004-06:00

You may have noticed a pink candle lit at Mass this weekend. The candle is lit for the 3rd Sunday, known as Guadete Sunday, because we are half way through the season of Advent. When I was younger I always thought that they must have lit the wrong candle during this weekend. It seemed as though the uniquely colored candle should be lit the final weekend, as we drew nearest to Christmas. I have come to learn that no mistake was made, the Church had a different plan in mind.

We are told this weekend to rejoice. It is not stated as a suggestion, but as a command. Rejoice! Gaudete is a Latin word in the imperative case, used for issuing commands. There is nothing like be told to be joyful huh. At the halfway point of the Advent season, during which we prepare for the coming of the Lord, we are cordially reminded that we are to wait in anticipation and not dread.

There is rejoicing going on in my heart here at Mundelein. We are two full weeks into the Winter quarter and I feel as though I am learning a lot. This quarter we are really getting into the thick of things. A lot of matieral is there to help me prepare and enter into a deeper relationship with the Lord. Some of it is found in the textbooks, but more of it seems to come as a result of the daily joys and struggles in prayer and relationships with those who are around me.

I look forward to wrapping up this week and then spending some time back home for Christmas. It will be good to go back to many of the old traditions (Grandma's Christmas cookies, Christmas eve Mass, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) as well to create some new ones.

I hope that you are having a blessed Advent and that you may rejoice as you continue to prepare your heart for the coming of the Lord.

Winter Quarter Underway

2009-12-06T22:41:00.005-06:00

The Second Sunday of Advent is already upon us. I hadn't intended to wait until now to post, but life has been a bit hectic as of late. After a wonderful Thanksgiving break during which I was able to catch up with many familiar faces around Wisconsin as well as the Twin Cities, I am back at Mundelein.

We operate on a quarter system, so I also began a new group of classes for the Winter Quarter. I am expanding my horizons a bit as I venture into the fields of Logic, Ethics, Ancient Philosophy, and an Introduction to the Old Testament. It looks as though this quarter is going to take another step up in intensity, there are a lot of pages to read. Fortunately it is interesting (for the most part) and enriching material.

The course on Logic covers the Trivium, which those who attend school a while ago may be familiar with. The Trivium consists of the three Liberal Arts of the mind: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The topic of Liberal Arts could be a separate post in its self (it probably will be). I had always thought that Liberal Arts basically meant talking about useless and abstract concepts such as the beauty of artwork or attending the opera. Instead, it deals with integrating all of the disciplines of life. It teaches one how to live a thoughtful and meaningful life.

I hope that you are having an excellent Advent. Keep on persevering in patience, the Lord is on His way.

Bringing It All Together

2009-11-20T18:15:00.003-06:00

The first quarter of seminary is in the books. I finished up with finals last Friday and have spent the first week of break visiting Milwaukee, Madison and La Crosse. It has been great to get a chance to see many of the people that have been a part of my life in many important ways.

There were plenty of challenges during the beginning of my seminary life. It was an adjustment living in a new state with a bunch of guys whom I had never met before. But we have a bond in the fact that we all came together in order to respond to the call that Christ has placed into our hearts. To come and follow Him.

Reflecting upon my experience in the first 3 months I noticed that challenge lies in "brining it all together"; integrating the many aspects of prayer, spirituality, relationships and learning to be more fully a disciple of Jesus. It is challenging to combine the classwork with the fruits of prayer and the opportunities for ministry. Although we must push ourselves to follow the Lord as closely as possible, I am trying to learn to detach myself from the results and my shortcomings. These are insignificant in the end. It seems that the fullest way to follow Christ is to keep focus on one thing: Him. Through His love and by His grace I hope to continue my walk with Him in the seminary and to discover more fully whom He is calling me to be.

The Blessing of an "Early" Morning

2009-11-01T22:43:00.008-06:00

There have been signs around the hallways, in email messages, and printed in my calenders as a reminder to fall back this morning as day-light-savings draws to a close. Yet, I overslept, and had to hustle in and out of the shower to make it over for Mass. As I opened the door to the chapel, I found a quiet chapel with only one of my seminary brothers there in prayer. Since I had neglected all of the reminders, I was an hour early for the celebration of All Saints Day.

I considered heading back to room for a while until the rest of the community would arrive for the seemingly later 9 a.m. Mass, but the Lord had a greater gift in store for me. It was a beautiful morning and I had the opportunity to walk down by the lakeside to discover an absolutely calm and beautiful Sunday morning. I had planned to get up before mass in order to pray for a while, although I thought I had missed my chance, I was granted another.

I began to pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary under a clear blue sky and was filled with joy while contemplating the mysteries of the life and love of God. While contemplating the Assumption of Mary into Heaven I began to walk back towards the chapel for Mass. At the foot of the main statue in the middle of campus I looked up to see the statue against the clear blue sky and was struck by the beauty of Our Blessed Mother and her closeness to the Lord.

All of these gifts came forth as an opportunity from of my own forgetfulness; it was a humbling reminder of who is really in the driver's seat. The Lord has great plans and desires for each and every one of us, it sometimes requires us "forgetting" about the plans that we have in mind and being willing to participate in what He lays before us.

Friendship and Solitude

2009-10-25T22:27:00.006-05:00

As people created in the image and likeness of God we are made to be in community. We are called to the loving life of God--present in the Trinity. St. Thomas Aquinas said, "We were created for happiness. Friendship with God is happiness, here and herafter, just as human friendship is a happiness, a delight, a joy. The human person was made to take delight in the good."

There can at times be a difficulty in our attempt to live communally, in our family, in seminary, in our workplace, while maintaining a healthy vision of relationship. It is easy to gravitate totally towards being present to others while neglecting God, or to focus solely on our relationship with God and lose sight of our brothers and sisters around us. Modern theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer offers a keen insight: "One who wants friendship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and one who seeks solitude without friendship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation, and despair."

The Catholic tradition has a rich heritage of seeking both types of lifestyles. The early church consisted of small communities which intimately shared their lives together, while the monastic fathers and mothers of the Church have shown the beauty of total dedication and abandonment in seeking Christ.

Here at Mundelein each day seems to be an opportunity to seek God in both friendship and solitude. By sharing my life with my brothers around me, I can glimpse God through the joy of a good conversation and a good laugh. Yet, if I am not diligent in taking time in silence with God, I can easily lose sight of the Source of the gifts I find throughout the day.

A Book on Tape

2009-10-19T22:23:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, it has been quite a long time since I have posted last, so there is a lot of news to catch up on.

First of all, Brian and Lauren are engaged and going to be married in July of '10. It was a pretty awesome night as I got to have a hand in preparing the proposal and both of the families were able to gather afterward for a celebratory dinner. Brian has invited me to be the best man, so I am looking forward to putting an awesome bachelor's party together.

Last week was my big week for tests and papers, and I made it through. I haven't found out how I did yet, but I survived.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go up to St. Joseph's formation center and hang out with a Fr. Quinn and a few future seminarians while doing some hiking and kayaking. It was a pretty awesome weekend; Peggy and the VerVoorts prepared an awesome dinner for us as well.

Since I was going to be making the 4 and a half hour drive (one-way) all alone I decided to buy a book on tape to listen to. I went with something which I thought would be profound, but not too deep that I would have to rewind after every paragraph to grasp it. I listened to the first quarter of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and was thoroughly impressed. I did not get through as much as I expected(I thought I would finish). After every three minutes or so I would turn it off and think about what had been said. It was as mentally draining to listen as it is to read, but is nice to have somebody with an British accent reading it to me.

One quote from Lewis that stuck out in my mind addresses the constant desire to feel as though progress is being made in life. Especially in seminary, it seems that we must always be pushing to do more and be more, but sometimes we must humbly admit that we are unsure exactly where we are headed and allow the Lord to lead us.

"Progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. If you have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the one who turns back soonest is the most progressive one." -C.S. Lewis

Gospel of Life

2009-10-04T22:58:00.004-05:00

October is Respect Life month. Life is a gift given by God so that we may come to know Him, love Him and share His love with those who are around us. There is nothing more fundamental than the right to life, without it no other right (free speech, free press, freedom of religion) matters. Yet our nation stands nearly divided on whether or not it supports to most important right to life issue: abortion. In some ways, I can understand why.

Poverty, crime, foster homes full of children, single parent families, and many more difficult circumstances may cause us to see the quality of life already and wonder how many more children should be born into these situations. In some ways it seems that life would be more of a burden than a blessing.

I have been involved with the Pro-life movement over the last two years, and I have not always represented it well. The intense passions on both sides can cause us to lose sight of the important issues. As a Pro-lifer, I have many times acted only as a anti-abortion activist and have caused some harm because of my insensitivities. I have learned that being against abortion is only half of the battle, and it is the lesser half.

The Lord calls us to more. Instead of being simply against death, we are to be for life. I hope that this respect life month helps us to embrace the goodness of life and grow to more truly support and cherish the gift.

The Catechism

2009-09-30T23:16:00.008-05:00

This fall I have been exposed to one of the real gems of our faith. If you read the title of the post, then you know what I am talking about. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is truly a gift which speaks to the depth and richness of our Faith. Maybe it is the finance major in me showing through a bit, but I find in these 688 pages of explanation a tremendous treasure.

I think my generation has a different relationship with the Catechism than previous generations have. I have heard many speak of memorizing their Baltimore Catechism so that they could recite the proper answer but what they said did not really mean much to them. It is important to bear in mind that the Catechism is not the basis of our faith, but it is certainly a indispensable tool for understanding more fully the Truth which we have been gifted.

Our age of knowledge and reason demands an explanation for everything. The Catechism, with the gift of faith, provides a treasure of great worth for the modern (and not so modern) Catholic.

Spiritual Direction

2009-09-27T23:02:00.004-05:00

One of the practices that we undertake as part of our seminary formation process is spiritual direction. The Lord has been putting it on my heart to share a bit about this wonderful gift which allows us to share our walk in faith with another.

Spiritual direction is exactly what it sounds like. It involves meeting with another person to receive direction about the spiritual life. There are a lot of spiritual directors out there from a variety of backgrounds. Many priests and deacons serve as spiritual directors. As well, many sisters avail themselves to directing others. There may be laity in your parish as well who are qualified spiritual directors. The most important thing is that you trust the person you are working with and that both of you recognize that it is the Holy Spirit of Christ that is truly directing.

A spiritual director is more than "a spiritual friend" whom you can talk to about your walk with the Lord (although we need them too). A spiritual director offers more of an objective outlook on the situation, listening to your stories from your prayer life and the movements of God in your heart, and offering concrete advice for entering more deeply into your relationship with Christ.

If you are looking to go deeper, seek out spiritual direction. We are prone to fooling ourselves at times into seeing our relationship with Christ in a manner different than it really is. St. Bernard of Clairvaux noted centuries ago: "the people who are their own spiritual directors have fools for disciples."

In pax Jesu

2009-09-24T22:44:00.001-05:00

Thanks for checking in on me, it has been a while since I have posted about things here at Mundelein Seminary. We are in the full swing of things for the quarter. Classes are interesting, the prayer life has been both edifying and challenging, and the community is growing in relationship.

As I mentioned earlier Mundelein Seminary is an incredibly diverse community. We have men from 24 different countries who study here. The wide range of people has helped me to truly see the "catholic" aspect of our faith. As we recently learned in our Catechism course (in which we are covering the entire Catechism in 10 weeks), the term catholic carries a double sense. It is universal, spanning the whole of the human race. More profoundly, Catholic refers as well to "keeping with the whole". The Church is Catholic because she contains the fullness of the means of salvation.; what a beautiful proclamation.

In order to help with my Latin studies (another beautiful sign of universality) I am going to leave you with a phrase we recently learned.

In pax Jesu, (In the peace of Jesus)

Brandon

The begining of Philosophy

2009-09-13T23:50:00.005-05:00

The first week of classes is complete. It is a pretty big change going from finance to philosophy. Most of the class is discussion based, and we don't always reach a conclusion by the end. A lot of the material tends to be fairly subjective, it depends on how it impacts you. We did cover a bit about Socrates, and he is a pretty stellar guy. He lived about 500 b.c.e. in Athens and is considered as the father of Western thought. He was the first person to teach widely the notion that truth is objective and knowable.

Before Socrates people never reached any conclusions about the meaning of human existence, morality, and the ultimate realities of the Universe. Many thought that there was no answer to know. Socrates believed in an objective truth which had its basis beyond that of human opinion. It is true regardless of whether or not people recognized it as the truth. He was even "martyred" for his adherance to the truth. It is great to wrestle with these questions and theories that have been with humankind throughout the centuries, and to know that they do have a conclusive answer. As you read these texts you can sense the writers are on the edge of stating God as the origin of truth, and you can see the progression towards this realization.

I have been reading Pope Benedict's first book Jesus of Nazareth, the Pope's sharing of his personal search to come to know the person of Jesus. He talks about the fact that people commonly think that Jesus and Christianity is more of a stance on morality or a type of spirituality, and "believe that we have very little certain knowledge of the actual life of Jesus, the historical figure." He says "Intimate friendship with Jesus, on which everything depends, is in danger of clutching at thin air."

I have often viewed Jesus in the very way the Holy Father is speaking of. It is easy to think that Jesus merely brought a new way of living, a new philosophy, in which the central thread is love of our neighbor. Love of our neighbor is vitaly important to the faith, but relegating Jesus to a exemplery moral teacher robs Him of His life-giving message. He instructs as One who has seen God "face to face." Even more He, along with the Holy Spirit, reveals to us "He lives before the face of God, not just as a friend, but as a Son; he lives in the most intimate unity with the Father." Wow, what a radical message.

That is what got Jesus on the Cross. He adhered to the truth and proclaimed that He is in fact "the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6)." As I contine my studies in philosphy I look forward to affirming the belief and the truth of God's presence and prominence in our lives and in our world. It is not soley by faith that we can know His presence, fides et ratio, as John Paul II taught us. We can know truth by the relationship of faith and reason. (I started Latin this week as well so I had to conclude with a bit of Latin)

The Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life

2009-09-06T22:59:00.006-05:00

The silence around Mundelein Seminary has finally broken;, actually it ended Friday afternoon, but I haven't had a chance to post until now. Today I drove up to the Brewer game to meet Dad, Mom and Brian. Saturday I took an all day bus-tour of Chicago, which could be another post in itself.

I have to clarify a bit about the silent retreat that we had here. It was a "preached silent retreat", which means that the seminarians were silent but we listened to two "conferences" each day presented by Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, an auxillery Bishop for the Arch-diocese of Chicago. The Lord was working in this retreat from the very begining. Bishop Gustavo chose the topic of the retreat to be: "The Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life". When I heard that topic I knew it was going to be a solid retreat.

I (like many people I have talked with) have always found the Holy Spirit to be the most difficult figure of the Trinity to relate with and understand. I often have the image of the Father as Creator and Ruler watching from Heaven. The Incarnation of Jesus along with the Gospel accounts help us to know and relate to the person of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit...I was never really sure. Tounges of flame or a dove came to mind. Every Sunday we say in our creed that the Holy Spirit is the Lord and Giver of Life, but I didn't know what that meant for me.

The Bible, specifically the Gospels and Acts, is filled with stories of the power of the Spirit; Bishop Gustavo drew strongly from Scripture to help us get to know the Holy Spirit (imagine that, a Catholic reading Scripture). He spoke of the presence of the Holy Spirt at the Baptism of Our Lord as well as the many times that Jesus was led by the Spirit into prayer. There is a passage from John's Gospel which often perplexed me: Jesus said "But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16: 7) How could it be ever be good that Jesus would leave us??? In the mystery of our God we are given His Spirit at our Baptism to be a light and guide within us.

The focus was on recognition of the Spirit in each and every moment as One who helps us to pray and reveals to us the Father and the Son. Scripture is full of explaination about the triune nature of God (although the word Trinity never appears). If you are looking for a powerful description of the relationship within God read John chapters 14-17.

This is only a bit of the fruit from the past week. I still haven't touched on the time in silence, but class begins tomorrow (on Labor Day), so I better get some rest. Please keep me in your prayers and know that I am praying for many of the folks back home: family, CYE, Newman center folks, etc...peace and blessings.

Seeking the Lord within the silence

2009-08-30T18:13:00.002-05:00

Shortly the silent retreat here at Mundelein seminary will begin. This will be an opportunity for 5 days to be present and listen for the Lord. He does not come to us in a grand way, but always in the most humble of ways. The book of Kings says "A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord--but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake--but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire--but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When Elijah heard this, he hid his face in his cloak...(1 Kings 19:11-13)

It is so tempting to search for a magnifcent way that the Lord would reveal Himself. It seems that things would be so simple and clear if He appeared over New York city and performed a mircle for all of the world to see and witness. Often He does not show His might through such obvious miracles (sometimes He does, look at Fatima) but comes to us through the guise of a friend, and through the simple gifts of bread and wine. He comes in such a way so that we can come to love Him for His great mercy, love and compassion and not as a god who we summon on command to show his might for our amusement.

Instead we must painstakingly search for Him and long for Him in order to more fully comprehend the great love He has for us, a love which is beyond our control and often beyond our comprehension. As the silence begins I look forward to attempting to quiet the chaos inside of me and to listen for the tiny whisper of the Lord

Orientation complete

2009-08-28T22:03:00.000-05:00

Our week of orientation is over with. It was a good chance to settle into the prayer (and sleep) schedule that will be part of daily life here at Mundelein. There were a lot of great opportunities during the week. Daily Mass, morning and evening prayer, adoration and rosary walks around campus are the highlights.

It is great as well to get to know the brothers that I will be living with. It is a pretty diverse crew. One of my neighbors is 42, another is from Colombia, and another from Poland. Although the differences are quite apparent, we all share a common faith and a desire to grow in holiness.

We are now have a day and a half to unwind a bit until we start our 5 day silent retreat on Sunday evening. I have never done a silent retreat before, and I feel as though the Lord is going to move in a profound way during this time. So often I allow myself to get busy, both with the events going on around me and with the thoughts and movements inside me. This retreat will be a challange to let go of the anxiety and movement inside of me and present it all to Christ. We can only hear Him speak when we are willing to truly listen.

Moved into Mundelein

2009-08-25T23:03:00.000-05:00

My journey as a seminarian at Mundelein Seminary has officially begun. I have moved into my room (338 South residence) and gotten to know some of the men I will be praying, studying, and living with for the next year.

I am keeping up this blog in order to provide a window into my life as a seminarian as well as to keep in contact with the many wonderful people who support me with their prayer and love. This blog will not be a daily diary, rather it will be an outlet to share the movements of the Lord in my life and the lives of those around me.

Our God has such a great love for us. The title of this blog is a reflection of the depth of His mercy and kindness. He does not merely look beyond our shortcomings and our weaknesses, but rather seeks to grow us beyond them. He desires to make us holy, to make us like Him.