Last Monday I began what, I believe, is my 25th academic year. Unless I am somehow called by a sick twist of fate, this will also be my final year as a class-taking student: next May I will begin to study for my comprehensive exams, so won't be doing any coursework in the 2016-2017 year. And, since I'm mentioning educational streaks, I think today is going to be my 22nd consecutive Mass of the Holy Spirit. Since my freshman year at Saint Ignatius High School, this has been the customary way of marking the beginning of the academic year. Even in those (admittedly few) years I was not enrolled in school, I still found my way to the celebration of this Mass at one of our institutions.
As of this morning, I'd say I'm now 75% settled into my new community. It's been a bit of a transition to move from full-time pastoral ministry this summer to full-time studies while having to unpack. Small things - like the complicated mail system - has made the shift more onerous. For instance, I ordered a pair of shoes that were delivered in a timely manner but, since the company didn't indicate on the mailing address that I'm in the Jesuit community (which I indicated on the order), the package languished in the mailroom for almost two weeks before we went back to find it. Not a major problem, to be sure, but an inconvenience nonetheless.
This semester finds me taking 2 independent reading courses and one seminar. I love having the chance to spend my time with an author and it's a treat to read through Rahner, Charles Taylor, and Bernard Lonergan without feeling rushed. Consequently, my days are spent going over texts and thinking a great deal about how these thinkers speak to the situation of theology today. It may sound boring to sane people, but I've never put in a claim on sanity.
Otherwise, there's nothing much to report. I've been happily engaged at the parish and will begin to assist with some student masses here on campus. We'll see how the Spirit moves me to write as the semester progresses, but I don't feel pressure to write. If the blog rests fallow for a few weeks, don't think of it as an abandonment but, rather, a period of incubation as I continue to get my thoughts in order.
As of this morning, I'd say I'm now 75% settled into my new community. It's been a bit of a transition to move from full-time pastoral ministry this summer to full-time studies while having to unpack. Small things - like the complicated mail system - has made the shift more onerous. For instance, I ordered a pair of shoes that were delivered in a timely manner but, since the company didn't indicate on the mailing address that I'm in the Jesuit community (which I indicated on the order), the package languished in the mailroom for almost two weeks before we went back to find it. Not a major problem, to be sure, but an inconvenience nonetheless.
This semester finds me taking 2 independent reading courses and one seminar. I love having the chance to spend my time with an author and it's a treat to read through Rahner, Charles Taylor, and Bernard Lonergan without feeling rushed. Consequently, my days are spent going over texts and thinking a great deal about how these thinkers speak to the situation of theology today. It may sound boring to sane people, but I've never put in a claim on sanity.
Otherwise, there's nothing much to report. I've been happily engaged at the parish and will begin to assist with some student masses here on campus. We'll see how the Spirit moves me to write as the semester progresses, but I don't feel pressure to write. If the blog rests fallow for a few weeks, don't think of it as an abandonment but, rather, a period of incubation as I continue to get my thoughts in order.
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