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Although superstores and radio stations are calling it "the most wonderful time of the year," here at the Josephinum, tensions are high. Finals are right around the corner, so papers are coming due left and right and we have exams dead ahead.
I've been very grateful for my courses this semester, even though I've been academically overcommitted. A highlight for me was reading G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday and some of his short stories and essays. The advantage of giving seminarians a liberal arts degree is that our philosophical experience isn't limited to grumpy metaphysicians, but we can explore the ways that authors and storytellers view the world and recognize Truth. Chesterton, in particular, has changed the way I think about philosophy. He focuses on having awe and wonder for the ordinariness of the world around. He offers what I find to be one of the most compelling proofs for God's existence: the order and consistency of the universe. Frankly, it's pretty amazing that the world is consistent and that certain effects always follow certain causes. It doesn't necessarily follow that every time you drop a ball, it falls. Why should it? Poetically, he speaks of God like a little child - so perfectly content with the order and beauty of the world that, amazed, he exclaims "do it again!" It's an easy reality to miss and a powerful message for not only my finals week, but for Advent as well. If we get so caught up in the business that we forget the ordinary beauty of the present, we're missing the point. It's very difficult for me to keep prayer and rest central to my day because there's so many responsibilites to take care of. It can feel like I don't need something else that's "monotonous" to do - when I have a Latin test on my desk, my rosary doesn't look so attractive. But the simpleness of prayer reflects the perfection of God. The humility of the Nativity is an invitation to find contentment in God even when circumstances are shabby. It's the most wonderful time of the year, but not because of the flashiness of the presents, the glitz of a full Christmas tree or the gaudiness of the sweater (see the slideshow) but because we are called to be full of wonder at the presence of God in the ordinariness of our lives.
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July 2023
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