Summer and the Beginning of Theology 2

Summer and the Beginning of Theology 2
September 22, 2022

Hello Everyone! I know it has been a long time. So allow me to update you on my summer and the beginning of the school year. 

This past summer was certianly one for the record books - two ordinations in the Diocese of Sioux City, traveling to friends ordinations in other dioceses, the Quest Trip to North Carolina, a 30 Day Retreat, and my sister's wedding. It was a summer filled with blessings and graces that can only come from the Lord. 

During the month of July, I particiapted in a 30 Day Ignatian Retreat at Broomtree Retreat Center in South Dakota. This experience is one I will never forget. The graces I received are still being unpacked as I enter into this new year of formation. In the interest of brevity, I will simply highlight a few of the graces and shifts of thinking that occurred during the month long retreat:

        1) God helped me to realize that so much of the "Rules" I have put in place to avoid anxiety and                    axnious situations, actually contribute to my anxiety. In this realization, a great sense of freedom                has come over me.  

        2) A new sense of my vocational call to be a priest for the Diocese of Sioux City. God showed me                very clearly that He has called me to a priest for Him, in my home diocese. 

        3) Prayer does not have to be productive. So much of our modern culture is based on performance                and productivity, and we can often take this belief into prayer. Time in prayer is time with God,                and that is never not productive. 

        4) Jesus knows everything about me, but He knows those things because He is God, not because I                have shared my life with Him intimately. My spiritual director encouraged me to speak to Jesus                like I was talking to one of my best friends. Jesus desires a realtionship with us. Nothing we have                to say to Him is too trivial to share. He wants to know all!!

        5) Perhaps the greatest grace I received on the 30 Day, and the grace that led to all other graces, was             that Jesus has a special place in His heart for me and me alone. A space reserved for His love of                me, and my love of Him. Nothing I can do will change that. 

Overall, the 30 Day was a great experience and the graces will continue to bless me. As a result, I have been living in a new sense of freedom. Living in relationship with Jesus makes our days much easier! I would encourage everyone to try and incorporate more silence into their schedules in order to listen to what Jesus has to say to you. 

The school year is off to a great start. This semester I have the lightest academic load I have ever had, in all my years of schooling. This has allowed me to dive deeper into each course and broaden my learning. My classes this sememter are:

    Pauline Literature - study of the New Testament Letters of Saint Paul.
    Fundamental Moral Theology - study of the foundations of Catholic moral theology and its realtionship                                                         with the contemporary world. 
    Medieval to Reformation Church History - study of the Church through the Middle Ages until the                                                                                  Reformation.
    Sacramental Theology - study of the nature and purpose of the Sacraments in the life of the Church.
    Greek - study of the Greek Language, geared towards reading the New Testament. 

Each of these classes is interesting and has a lot to offer. As we progress in formation, our classes take on a much more practical nature, meaning they will serve to help us in minstry. 

Know of my prayers for all of you! Thank you for your prayers in return. Thanks for reading. 

Pax et Bonum,
Jake