Ash Wednesday

Yesterday marked the official begining of Lent in the Church. As you might expect it was duly noted in the seminary. In keeping with the Church's tradition we observed Ash Wednesday as a day of fasting and abstinence from meat. Being someone who likes to eat a lot, I was rather hungry and cranky for the most of the day. In keeping with the spirit of Lent, we try to especially observe simplicity and to make sacrafices throughout the 40 days to follow. Practically speaking this transformation takes several forms. Of course on Fridays we don't eat meat, but we also begin our prayers each day with a simple hymn song without the usual musical accompanient. The chapel has been striped of all decorations, flowers, etc.... and is very bare. All of this is meant to remind us of the need to focus our lives on the Cross and to turn away from the many distractions of life. As part of my Lenten goals this year I will be avoiding sweets in the dining room, giving up television, as well as walking each day, spending extra time in the chapel and making more frequent use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I will keep you all up to date on my progress.

One of the wonderful things we did on Wednesday afternoon was to pray the stations of the cross. Normally my mind tends to wander after a few minutes with such prayers, however this year I was able to really focus and correspondingly found great beauty in them. I am looking forward to reciting them each Wednesday afternoon for the next several weeks and hope that some of you all might do the same wherever you are.

Back to School/ Where did Ash Wednesday come from?

After a few days off it is back to the grind tomorrow as a jam packed week awaits. I have two major assignments due this week, both of which promise to confuse me. Also of note is this Wednesday is ASH WEDNESDAY. Each year I say I am going to make it spiritually meaningful and each year I fall short. This year I have decided to make a list and stick to it. Number one on my list will be to embrace lent as we are meant to. First and foremost I will seek to order my life through prayer and penance. I will try and visit the chapel each morning before breakfast and evening before bed, as well as make use of the Sacrament of Reconcilliation. All and all I am confident it will be spiritually uplifting and a moment for me to recenter my prayer life.

Family Dinner

The Seminary is a ghost town this week as we are officially enjoying our February vacation. The entire seminary is down to twelve seminarians who decided to spend the break in Baltimore. (as noted in my earlier blog, until the great eye adventure I was to be spending my time in NH :(

Since there were only a few guys left in the seminary I got together with a few friends and decided to plan a big family dinner. Each seminarian contributed in one way or another, and the Rector gave us $100 to cover the food. After a few days of planning and a lot of cooking the evening turned out brilliantly.

We had a gourmet soup as an appetizer, a Polish dish I can't pronounce as the main course, with mashed potatoes (made by yours truly), stir fry vegetables, corn muffins, apple pie, tiramisu, chocolate cake and french wine. We even setup a beautiful table setting in the Donnolly Lounge (the Seminary Pub in the basement), where we spent most of the night enjoying the evenings food and festivities.

All in all it was a great night and an enjoyable moment together. It was a little taste of home, in a place that can sometimes feel very far away from it.


On a side note, one of the other joys of being one of only a few on vacation in the Seminary, has been the incredible sense of quiet. It is wonderful not to worry about being too loud, being able to stay up late, sleep in and just relax. I also find that the quiet makes it easier to pray. When life is busy I tend to go, go, go and not stop, pray, and recenter my life. I could never be a Trappist Monk where you lived much of your life in silence. However, I do enjoy the break and the quiet from time to time. It is amazing how the average week itself can be much the same microcosm of life, and how Sunday Mass can guide us spiritually, emotionally and mentally in the same way.

The Great Eye Adventure

Friday morning marked my big appointment at the Krieger Eye Institute in Baltimore where I would receive the all important follow-up visit. After getting lost in the world's largest hospital basement for nearly twenty five minutes, I swallowed my pride and asked for directions. In perfect form I was led right back to where I started. My final destination was ten feet from where I started.

After checking into the Eye clinic I waited patiently in the sitting area. After reading several boring magazines my name was called, and off I went. After a brief initial exam the doctor came in and began working over my eyes. Many of the tests were the usual ones you expect at the eye doctor, including my least favorite where they test eye pressure (the one where they keep moving a cone closer and closer to your eye until you think it might poke it out). The doctor seemed quite pleased with my progress and said I was in great shape. Of course he also insisted in dilating my pupils. After putting some eye drops in he sent me out to the waiting room for ten minutes. Apparently if you are fair skinned and light eyed, eye drops work faster.

As my eyes began to dilate my close-up vision became horrible at best. I could no longer read my phone. As hard as I tried I could not read a magazine headline, one text message on my phone, or even keypad of my phone. After a quick look I was sent on my way and that is where the fun began. With my sunglasses on I made my way to the parking garage as I was too stupid to have someone pick me up. The garage was one of those where you insert you ticket into the vending machine and pay before you go back to the car. My first problem was that I could not read one thing on the machine. After ten minutes of staring at it and trying to figure out what to do I began to panic, wondering what I was going to do. I could not see. Nowhere in my mind did it occur to me that if I could not see the machine, perhaps I should reconsider driving.

Then as if sent from heaven a parking garage attendant came by. I stopped and said "excuse me miss, I cannot see anything and cannot even figure out where to put the ticket, how to pay or anything. I can't see any of the buttons. Can you help me?"
She kindly assisted me as I could not see anything within one arm's length.

I made my way back to the car, buckled up and began backing out. As I did someone rudely honked. There must have been many rude people that morning who were not watching where they were going because people kept honking at me. I of course waved and kept on going. As I made my way to leave I handed the parking attendant the ticket. It was the same girl who helped me with the machine. For some strange reason she asked me how I was feeling, if I felt okay to drive, how far I needed to go... It was very nice that the parking garage checks on all their customers well being.

After a few minutes I made my way back to the seminary, after stopping at the pharmacy and having the cashiers help me find what I was looking for. Maryland is a nice state and the cashiers were very kind to ask me if I needed to be directed to my ride. I said, no worries I am driving.

When I arrived back at the seminary I was just in time for Mass. Everyone was seated and ready to begin. I made my inconspicuous entrance down the main aisle. I did not think anything of it, but it did seem like everyone was looking at me. I sat down in my seat, adjusted my sunglasses and shut my eyes. Throughout most of the Mass I had my eyes closed which was fine. The only awkward part came when it was time to stand for the Gospel. The way the chapel is set up we all turn 90 degrees to the left when the priest prays over the deacon. The deacon then walks to the other side of the church, and we all turn 180 degrees in the other direction to the place where the deacon proclaims the Gospel. I stood and faced the celebrant when the alleluia was proclaimed. My eyes were still closed, despite my standing, when I heard the Deacon begin to read. It was precisely then, that to my horror, I realized I was facing one direction and the entire congregation was facing the other.

After a Mass and a few hours of rest my eyes began to slowly get better.

I was relieved to hear that in my absence my kind friends were getting a charge out of the possibility of my needing to where an eye patch. Earlier that morning I was scheduled to do a big reading of the bible for a public speaking class. I had promised them that if I got the patch I would read in "pirate." They apparently loved the idea and were cheering for an eye patch (without really wanting any harm, etc...) in hopes that I would have to begin my reading by saying "arghhhhhhhh reading from Saint Paul's letter to the Corinthians..."


I neither confirm nor deny that I wore sunglasses to my last class of the day and shut my eyes underneath them and took a nap...


In the end I am most grateful for my sight, for the medical care I received and for a painful experience which could have been much worse.

Yet again I am compared to that little kid on the Christmas Story!

Begining a couple of days I go my left eye started hurting. Not wanting to go to the doctor and presuming it would get better I waited. Well, finally yesterday I decided to make my way to Patient First and get checked out. After a few minutes they determined I need to go to Sinai Hospital to get looked out by a specialist. I must admit I was a little nervous heading to the hospital and not knowing what was up. After a few hours in the emergency room and lots of waiting I was finally evaluated. After a few tests the Doctors determined I had a badly scratched cornea. The good news was, despite the pain, it is cureable and fairly common. They gave me medicine for my eye and vicodin and sent me on my way. A day later my eye feels much better but still is sore. Friday I am scheduled to go to the Krieger Eye Institue to be checked out for my progress. The good news is I think I should be all set.

The bad news is based on the appt. and the likely need for a follow up to the follow up I will be sticking down here for my vacation (which begins friday)! Say a few prayers they don't make me where an eye patch. If they do I will have to speak pirate.

A Trip to The Doctor's Office, A Trip to the Hospital...

Details to come tomorrow, I am going to bed....

Family, Fun and I Should Not Have Waited Until the Last Minute to Do My Work

This weekend was wonderful. The weather was warm, my family was in town and I did no work. After being installed as a lector on Thursday we had a fancy formal dinner in the Seminary refectory (dining room). After celebrating the night I hung out with my parents for a while and then went to the seminary lounge for more celebration. On Friday after classes we went out to lunch with about ten of the guys which was fun. After a weekend of touring Baltimore and enjoying a 60 degree day it is back to the grindstone.

I have an important paper due Tuesday which I have been "working on" for a week. The first paragraph is great. It is also all there is. Not sure if their are any procrasinators out there or not, but I put the Pro in procrastination! Tonight is the night I need to get it done.

After I complete that paper, I have my regular work this week, including a killer mid term. My goal is to get it all done between now and friday so that I can enjoy our February vacation next week.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Sunday nights are always rough when you scramble to do all you should of all weekend long. With a little luck I might even take a little walk before bed. It is 60, why not. Out with winter and in with spring.