God is Good All the Time and All the Time God is Good!

God is Good All the Time and All the Time God is Good!
March 26, 2021

Popularized in the movie God's Not Dead and in other aspects of pop culture the phrase "God is good all the time, and all the time God is good" has become more common place in the past few years. If I had to sum up the past few weeks, the past semester, and frankly the past year and a half since I entered seminary, I would have to sum it all up with "God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!" It has become very clear to me lately that my whole life has been guided by God and his plan for me. Though I have always had a sense of this, it has never been so concrete as it has been lately. 

As I have noted before, seminary formation is not the easiest thing in the world. It has challenges that other career paths do not. We are called to be completely open and vulnerable with our formators, our counselors, and our brothers. A boy entering seminary is called to become a man. This happens through a continuing integration of the four dimensions of formation: Human, Intellectual, Pastoral, and Spiritual. Each dimension offers a different set of challenges. Intellectual formation calls us to synthesize what we learn in all of our classes. Pastoral formation helps us to serve the people of God in the best way possible. Human formation pushes us to delve into our emotions and integrate them healthily into our lives. Spiritual formation is the binding dimension. All of the other dimensions are rooted in our Spiritual Lives. My integration in formation is continually moving forward. I have many areas to grow in, but have also experienced much growth. 

From starting my first counseling meeting ever by saying "I don't do emtions", to being able to notice the way emotions move within me; from losing my temper and being frustrated at my brothers in the house, to realizing why I was frustrated and praying for the man instead; from reading during most of a holy hour, to learning to appreciate the silence; from doing things for other people out of a sense of duty or obligation, to doing things because they make me joyful; from sharing about my spiritual life at a surface level, to confidently sharing the inner movements of my prayer life and what is on my heart; from entering seminary partly to avoid marriage (though I did not know it), to seeing the priesthood as a different kind of spousal relationship within the Church; from thinking I could not leave once I came to seminary, to having the freedom to go where ever God leads me; from thinking everything about my upbringing was perfect, to realizing that my family and myself are humans, which is totally okay!; all of these things are great examples of the fact that "God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!

I have experienced so much grace these past 18 months and I am so grateful that God has allowed me to come to seminary. It has been such a life giving process. I cannot wait to see what else God has in store for me as a I continue the formation process. I am indebted to the formation staff at Kenrick, my Pre-Theology Brothers, my Jesu Caritas Group, my family who has always supported me, and for everyone else who prayers for me daily. You all have helped me get to this point. 

A few weeks ago, my parents were able to come and visit me, see the seminary, and experience some of the aspects of our daily life here! I am so glad they were able to visit and I hope they enjoyed their visit, I know I did! Where would we be without our families? Last weekend, I was able to attend a Zoom Conference with the Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque and their Associates (of which I am one). We had a series of sessions and discussions about navigating the grief and the loss of Covid-19. Not just the physical loss of loved ones, but the emotional and symbolic losses of things cancelled, rescheduled, or forgotten. The weekend proved to be one of great peace and reflection of the past year. 

As we get close to the end of Lent and prepare for Passion Sunday and Holy Week, please know of my prayers for all of you and your families! Enter peacefully and joyfully into the mysteries of the faith. 

Remember, God is Good ALL the Time, and ALL the Time God is Good!

Pax et bonum,

Jake