Morning Excitment

I awoke this morning (just about two hours ago) to discover that my article "Recovering Rahner's Concept of Being in Spirit in the Word" has been made available to me in its pre-publication format. According to the email I received, it will shortly appear in the early-edition of New Blackfriars Review, although the day that it will hit the streets in paper format is still unknown (when it was accepted for publication, I was told that there was a bit of a backlog and that I should not expect to see it printed until May or July of 2010). That I can see it what it will look like when it does come out, however, is really exciting to me.

I'm especially excited that the publication lists my institution as "University of Detroit Jesuit High School." We have our Open House here at the school this weekend and I think its funny that we can boast having an internationally published theologian on our staff!

What excites me most about the publication is that it confirms for me that my first article wasn't just a fluke. I, like many young scholars, always endure a feeling of self-consciousness about whether we're really "good enough" to contribute to the Academy (and, in my case, to the Church). This publication really does affirm my desire to serve the Church and Society as a scholar.

Again, I cannot help but thank Father Terrance Klein of Fordham University. Terry has been an absolutely fantastic mentor and friend. If I were asked to do a doctorate in theology, I have no doubt that I would ask Terry to take me on as a student: he is brilliant, creative, faithful to the tradition, and he writes really well. He is a great example of someone who can do rocking theology - sophisticated and creative - and also do work that is palatable for a wider audience. Allow me to reiterate my plug for his book Vanity Faith: Searching for Spirituality Among the Stars as a book that uses the tableau of popular culture to teach us about faith.

In other news, things are going very well here at the school. We're over half-way through the semester and I still wake up every morning with excitement. My philosophy class is now reading - slowly and reflectively - through Mere Christianity C. S. Lewis. My sophomores are persevering in learning about Jesus' parables. And my freshmen....well, we're trying! This week we've covered the stages of Jesuit formation, watched a movie about Pedro Arrupe, and today we're going to learn about the origins of Halloween. Next week we'll talk about the Holy Spirit. Someday we'll have another test. In short: the wheels are off the bus and we're just trying to enjoy the ride!

We have no school tomorrow (the teachers are going to a conference). After the conference I'm going to drive to Chicago, have dinner with Adam DeLeon, SJ, and then play the Halloween Feis on Saturday morning. I'll turn around, drive back to Detroit, and get ready for our Open House on Sunday morning. Thank goodness we have Monday off!