Archive for March, 2007
Entry for March 29, 2007
Thursday, March 29th, 2007
Thursdays are always class heavy, and today – in between classes and whenever there was time – I was practicing for my seminar presentation tomorrow. You might recall my presentation is on, “the obedience of conscience and contraception.” It’s a delicate subject as it is, but the presentation has to be given in Italian! Come to my aid, O holy guardian angels.
I was able to have a quick lunch with Fr. Joseph Carola, my old patristics professor at the Gregorian University (pictured above). Fr. Carola was the priest who vested me as a deacon this past October. He’s a true Jesuit! I’m thrilled to know that he’ll be able to attend my priestly Ordination this coming July. Fr. Carola is an American, and today the both of us were ready for some real American food. We went to Burger King. There’s only one in the city (near the Trevi Fountain). It was great.
This evening one of our spiritual directors gave a talk on “the priesthood and spiritual direction.” It’s got me thinking about the importance of that ministry, and how I have to try to develop more skills that might make my future practice of such a ministry more comfortable and fruitful.
Please send questions or comments to: jkirby@pnac.org.
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Entry for March 27, 2007
Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
Guardian angels, pray for us.
This morning was power-packed with classes: two hours of “euthanasia” and two hours of “grace and perfection in Christ.” After classes, I had lunch with my friend John Henry Crosby, Fr. Adam Hertzfeld, and Fr. Robert Gahl, who is a philosophy professor at the Holy Cross University. I took Fr. Gahl’s class on the natural law last semester. It’s my hope to write my license tessina (thesis) under his direction. It was a great lunch with philosophy and ideas flying!
After lunch, I spent some time reading Servais Pinckaers, “The Sources of Christian Ethics.” Pinckaers is my newest hero, and I would recommend anything he has written.
In the later afternoon, I gave a tour of St. Peter’s Basilica to a small group of students from the Notre Dame School of Architecture who are studying here in Rome for a semester. They were very attentive. I thought I was going to get a lot of architecture questions, but they were very kind.
It’s my hope to return to the subject matter of the Pope’s new Exhortation soon.
Please send any questions or comments to: jkirby@pnac.org.
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Entry for March 26, 2007
Monday, March 26th, 2007
Aren’t Mondays great?!
I spent the later morning, all afternoon, and early evening working on a seminar presentation for Friday. The topic is “the obedience of conscience and contraception.” There are a dozen issues relating to the theme, with the most pressing one being the AIDS epidemic in Africa. In the end, however, the argument can be summarized by two simple expressions: “steward not arbiter,” and “fecundity and fidelity.”
In the later evening, my old college friend John Henry Crosby came by the seminary. It was good to catch up with him, and to have some laughs. He’s in Rome with Dr. Alice von Hildebrand and the Deitrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project. This morning John Henry sat with Dr. von Hildebrand and Pope Benedict XVI in a private audience!
I would recommend the Legacy Project, it’s website is: www.hildebrandlegacy.org. Deitrich von Hildebrand’s books are worth an attentive reading, especially his “Transformation in Christ.”
Please send questions or comments to: jkirby@pnac.org.
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Entry for March 25, 2007
Sunday, March 25th, 2007
Happy Sunday! I can’t believe we’re already in the Fifth Sunday of Lent. The season is almost over.
This morning I was the deacon at the Casa Santa Maria, the graduate house for the seminary. James Francis Cardinal Stafford was the celebrant. Cardinal Stafford currently serves as the Major Apostolic Penitentiary, which means he covers the important realms of indulgences, spiritual direction, the seal of the confessional, and all matters relating to the “internal forum” of the Church.
The Cardinal gave a homily on the importance of mercy. Of his many literary citations, I particularly appreciated his use of Nathaniel Hawthorn’s “The Scarlet Letter.”
After Mass, I met with Fr. Adam Hertfeld of the Diocese of Toledo. He’s studying for his doctorate in moral theology. He’s an old friend from college. He was hosting Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, who is a noted scholar and ecclesial commentator. She is a legacy herself of her husband, the great Deitrich von Hildebrand, whom Pius XII called a “twentieth century doctor of the Church.” He was a valiant fighter against the Nazis and a great voice in philosophy and spirituality.
John Henry Crosby, who works with Dr. von Hildebrand on her husband’s Legacy Project, was also with Fr. Hertzfeld. John Henry is also an old friend from college, and it was great to see him. I was grateful to be able to catch up with him, and to chat briefly with Dr. von Hildebrand herself. Tomorrow, she meets with Pope Benedict XVI. As Joseph Ratzinger, he always wrote well of her husband’s work, and has often called for it to be retrieved and its depth to be re-explored.
This afternoon, the Newman group read Sermon 6 for Lent, “The Incarnate Son, A Sufferer and Sacrifice.” There are few other better ways to prepare for Palm (Passion) Sunday than this incredible sermon!
Interestingly, Fr. Robert Barron of Chicago, who is currently the seminary’s Scholar-in-Residence, gave a conference this evening entitled, “Why Newman Still Matters.” It was precise and extremely helpful. Cardinal Newman’s writings and insights are one of the Church’s answers to post-modernity and its current questions of God and religion.
Please send questions or comments to: jkirby@pnac.org.
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Entry for March 21, 2007
Saturday, March 24th, 2007
Thanks be to God!
Today is Bishop Robert Baker’s anniversary of priestly ordination. Bishop Baker is the current Bishop of Charleston, SC, and a great witness and voice for hope in the Church and society.
Bishop Baker was ordained on March 21, 1970. His biography and writings can be found at: www.catholic-doc.org.
Please remember to pray for this great man and noted bishop.
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Entry for March 19, 2007
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007
Happy Feast Day!
Today is the high feast day of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. He was the man entrusted by God with the care of Jesus and Mary. What a witness and example to each of us of what a disciple should be!
I recently read an AWESOME pastoral letter on pornography written by the Bishop of Arlington. Throughout the letter, entitled “Bought With a Price,” the Bishop offers prayers to St. Joseph and encourages the faithful to foster a devotion to St. Joseph in their struggles for purity. It’s a “must read.” The document can be found on the diocesan website: www.arlingtondiocese.com.
This is another pastoral letter from an American Bishop which is following a noble trend of addressing issues pertaining to marriage, family and human sexuality. Along with the above pastoral letter, I would recommend “The Redemption of Our Bodies” by the Bishop of Charleston. It can be found at: www.catholic-doc.org.
Happy Feast Day! Thank you, St. Joseph.
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Entry for March 18, 2007
Thursday, March 22nd, 2007
Today, myself and six other seminarians from the North American College ran the 13th Rome Marathon. As you might imagine, it was an intense (but awesome) experience.
Providentially, the reading for Vespers (evening prayer) tonight was from St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians:
“While all the runners in the stadium take part in the race, the award goes to one man. In that case, run so as to win! Athletes deny themselves all sorts of things. They do this to win a crown of leaves that withers, but we a crown that is imperishable” (1 Cor 9:24-25).
It’s time for some rest.
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Entry for March 17, 2007
Monday, March 19th, 2007
Praised be Jesus Christ!
I’d like to offer a few thoughts on the Pope’s recent Apostolic Exhortation. I’ve only been able to read the first part (# 1-33) and so my comments will be about that section. I do hope to offer additional thoughts on the exhortation later in the week.
The first part of the exhortation is devoted to the “Eucharist, a Mystery to be Believed.” A quick glance at part two and three of the work shows that the Pope is using a catechetical (teaching) approach. The first part is about believing, the second to celebration (such as in the liturgy itself), and the third part to living (such as in the the moral life). This understanding can enhance the way we approach the exhortation and each part.
So, what about that first part?
Leading into the first part, the Pope asks about the wonder the Apostles must have felt when they witnessed what the Lord was doing in the Upper Room. The Pope then asks: “What wonder must the eucharistic mystery also awaken in us!” (#1). It’s interesting that the Pope returns to the gift of wonder, of existential intrigue. We’ve lost a deep sense of wonder in the West. The Pope wants to revive that in us as he begins his exhortation.
Emphasizing that sense of wonder, the Pope gives the exclamation, “The Mystery of Faith!” The exclamation is from the Roman Mass, and is given by the priest after the Consecration. As the Pope writes, “…the priest proclaims the mystery being celebrated and expresses his wonder before the substantial change of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord Jesus” (#6). The Pope uses this teaching to show that the Church’s faith, the fullness of her faith, is essentially eucharistic. This is an important part of the faith for a contemporary believer to understand. The Pope writes: “For this reason, the Sacrament of the Altar is always at the heart of the Church’s life…” (#6).
The Pope moves from this initial assertion to the mystery of the Trinity. This is in keeping with the catechetical structure of the exhortation. All authentic catechesis begins with the Trinity and flows from there. As the Pope writes: “The first element of eucharistic faith is the mystery of God himself, trinitarian love” (#7). This is where we’ll have to pick up next time.
Please send comments or questions to: jkirby@pnac.org.
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Entry for March 16, 2007
Friday, March 16th, 2007
On Friday mornings this semester, I have a two-hour class on St. Paul and his teachings on the moral life. After that class, I have my seminar on the “obedience of conscience in the medical environment.” It’s an insightful seminar, which focuses on the various dilemmas of conscience which doctors and other medical personnel might experience. Today’s presenter talked about the relationship between moral and positive law. It’s a delicate issue, which requires an attentive eye.
In such discussions, the question always arises: when does a law become unlawful? For example, we consider the Nazi soldier who argues that he was simply following the law or orders from a commander when he executed civilians or prisoners in a concentration camp. Is he right? Can the law excuse him in his perverse actions? No. Whenever a positive law violates the moral natural law, it ceases to be law and cannot be obeyed, even if this means punishment or death for the soldier. As you can see, this is not an easy question.
After classes this morning, I met up with the Andrews Family from my hometown. It was great to see them, and we certainly had a thousand laughs. I was fortunate to take them through St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s a tour I love to give, and they were very interested in the church (which makes the tour a million times better).
Please send comments or questions to: jkirby@pnac.org.
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Entry for March 15, 2007
Friday, March 16th, 2007
For lunch today, I ate with the Jesuit community at the Gregorian University. I attended the “first cycle” there, which means my first three years of theological studies (the STB degree) were at that university with its professors. There are always a lot of jokes about the Society of Jesus’ orthodoxy (right teaching) and “militant” educational philosophy, but I must admit that I enjoyed my time there and learned a lot.
A good friend from Steubenville is visiting this week, and he attended the lunch with me. He was recently accepted into the novitiate (the first phase of formation) for the Jesuit’s New Orleans Province. We were hosted by Fr. John Navone, who is known for his work in narrative theology and the theology of beauty. He’s a gracious man, with keen insights and a refined wit. Fr. Joseph Carola joined us. He’s a younger Jesuit who is becoming one of the newer authorities on the early Church. It was a good meal and conversation.
Later in the afternoon, in Dr. Hahn’s class, Hahn emphasized Ratzinger’s “embrace of salvation” in his biblical work. This is the overarching view that considers biblical scholarship within the framework of salvation, particularly liturgical worship. This perspective might seem obvious, but it’s been sorely neglected in recent scholarship. Today was the last day of Dr. Hahn’s intensive course. I certainly learned a lot from him, and – through him – from Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).
Dr. Hahn highlighted the work of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Studies: www.salvationhistory.com.
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