THE HEART OF A SEMINARIAN

A Roman Catholic Seminarian opens up his Heart and shares the Faith he Loves.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CATHOLIC FAITH

In my younger years (counting college), I had a lot of doubts about the Catholic faith.  Some of the teachings and rituals of Catholicism didn't make sense to me.  To add to my doubt, Protestants would ask me questions about the Catholic faith and present a case to show how the Catholic faith is contrary to the Bible.  To my doubts and the questions and objections of the Protestants, I had no answers.   I felt bombarded with these questions and objections by the Protestants, which I was feed up with hearing.  I was not aggravated with the Protestants, because in their heart they were trying to lead me closer to God.  I was aggravated, because I was getting heat for something that I did not know if I truly believed. As a result, I searched to find out what the Catholic Church really teaches.     

Like most of my Protestant friends, I truly wanted to follow the teachings of Christ and the will of God.  I did not begin my search by trying to defend the Catholic faith, but I began my search skeptical of the Catholic faith.  I have already heard the objections and questions in addition to my own doubts, which all of those made a lot of sense to me.   In many ways, I viewed the Catholic Church as guilty until proven innocent and I was not going to let them get by without proving it to me with the Bible. 

To make a long story short, I am now studying to be a Catholic priest.  If I can make one point clear; I am not becoming a priest, because I was born Catholic.  I am sacrificing too much to be doing that.  I am becoming a priest, because I believe through all of my research that the teachings of the Catholic Church are the teachings of Christ and the will of God.  Even though I had many doubts and faced logical objections, I have come to understand that those doubts and objections were a result of misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or simply lies.

I cannot emphasize it enough.  We must search for the teachings of Christ and the will of God.  Do you want to be associated with a church that teaches false things about Christ and God?  Of course not, this is why we must educate ourselves on the teachings of our churches.  There must be a reason why you belong to your church. 

If you are not Catholic, then why aren't you?  Why do you belong to your church?  What teaching in the Catholic faith do you feel is wrong? 

If you are Catholic, then why are you?  What questions do you have about the Catholic faith?  What do you feel is difficult to understand?

I would like everyone who reads this to respond.  I will answer all your questions and respond to all your comments.  This is also anonymous.  I cannot say it enough how important it is to educate ourselves about our churches, because the closer that we follow Christ, then the greater the blessings that God will give us.

Scripture: Proverbs 2: 1 - 22 & Acts 17: 26 - 28 (Click the scripture to see the verses)

posted by: muniz at 05:14 | link | comments (3) |

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I watch players, all players. I watch them on television, at college games, in the playground. You can learn from anybody. – Julius Erving, NBA Forward

 

 

It is amazing how much we can learn and be inspired by the lives of others. My challenge to you today is to observe the people around you. What are the positive qualities you see in them that you would like to imitate? Write them down and reflect how you can implement those qualities in your life. Finally, life is too short to not give a person a complement on one of their positive qualities, so make a person’s day and complement them. I learned that from observing someone doing that.

posted by: muniz at 07:37 | link | comments (2) |

QUOTE OF THE DAY (I love these quotes)

Uncorrected errors will multiply. Someone once asked me if there wasn’t a benefit in overlooking one small flaw. “What is a small flaw?” I asked him. – Don Shula, NFL Coach 

 

Errors in our spiritual life are like a nick on your windshield from a rock. Even though it starts as almost undetectable, other factors such as climate, environment, or other nicks cause the small nick to expand. Soon that undetectable nick spreads as a crack across your windshield impairing your vision for your journey.

 

We all commit small sins and have bad characteristics in our life, but we must not let them expand into bigger sins like the nick in our windshield by factors like the climate, which is our emotions, the environment, which is our friends and scenarios, and other nicks, which are our other small mistakes. For example, many people do mot think it as big deal to smoke once in a while. The problem is when smoking becomes a habit or an addiction. This nick just expanded into a crack possibly by causes such as the climate (feeling depressed, stress, sorrow), environment (friends who smoke, peer pressure, climate related to job or relationships), or other small nicks (drinking, personality, self-image, self-esteem). When driving to our goal of salvation in our spiritual life, the small nick, even though it is not perfect, doesn’t impair us greatly until that nick becomes a crack. To reach our destination, we should not just keep away from the cracks, but constantly search out and repair the nicks in our windshield which is the beginning of every crack. We need to try to develop a habit of frequently (like everyday) examining our lives for nicks and cracks, because they will expand and impair our vision of God’s will. We can learn about these things by listening to the lessons taught in the homilies, examples given in scripture, and positive qualities we see in others. We must challenge ourselves to eliminate every imperfection, because I agree with coach. “What is a small flaw?”

posted by: muniz at 06:09 | link | comments (2) |

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Consistency is what counts; you have to be able to do things over and over again. – Hank Aaron, Major League Outfielder

 

When I played baseball in high school and college, I started my lifting and running in August and my hitting and throwing in January for my season in March. I worked hard in that time, so that I could be at my peak performance. I wanted to be in the line-up every game and I never wanted to be taken out of it. Sadly, I did get taken out of the line-up a number of times, because I got into slumps. Adversity made me work harder to not only play at my peak performance, but do it consistently the whole season. Also, I did not want to be just consistent, but I wanted to be counted on by my teammates. I wanted to be consistent so that I could succeed when the team needs me the most when the game is on the line. In any sport, we always want to be the hero, but those opportunities only come sparingly. You have to play at a high consistent level in order to consistently come through in those opportunities. I wanted to be like Michael Jordan when the game was on the line.

The same is true spiritually. We must work hard to prepare our self for the game. This might mean looking at our own weaknesses and strengthen them whether it is a temper, gossip, self-centeredness, or even knowledge of our faith. The line-up is salvation. Do not be taken out due to inconsistency (sin). We must work to be consistent. We can not reach heaven just by going to church on Sunday either. Just as it makes no sense for me to say to my coach “Why are you taking me out? I went 7 for 10 three weeks ago.”, it also makes no sense to say to God “Why can’t I go to heaven? I went to church every Sunday.” We must be consistent throughout our lives. In our spiritual life, we must not only live at our peak performance, but live it consistently. We need to work hard to be consistent in our lives, so others (our teammates) can count on us when they need us, too. What happens when a person needs advice? What happens when a person start asking questions about your faith? Are you ready if those opportunities come? By the lives that we live, we can turn people on to Christ or we can turn people away from Christ. Work at being consistent in your spiritual life, because you never know what opportunities you might just face.

posted by: muniz at 06:52 | link | comments (1) |

THE SEASON FOR WRONG TEACHING

I really do not like talking about this, because it is aggravating that so called scholars say these things.  This is different from regular people having questions or confusions, because the scholars should know better.  Last night, I watched a program on CNN called “The Two Marys” about the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene.  The problem is that there was a Catholic priest and nun who were not totally correct in their comments.  Also, the journalist putting together this show must not know the Catholic faith that well. 

They were wrong on the Church’s view about Mary Magdalene (they said we just think of her as a sinner), reasons for the devotion to Mary (They said pagans had goddesses, so we raised Mary), infallibility of the Pope (Pope in 5^th century said that Mary Magdalene was the woman with the alabaster jar, so we have to think that), and that the Church is changing her view on Mary.  The lesson that you need to learn as Catholic or the lesson you need to learn if you want to know more about Catholic teachings is that you can not trust everything that is labeled as Catholic.  My advice to you is to find good Catholic sources and stick to them.  If something sounds contrary or wrong about Catholic teaching then ask questions.  What are your questions?

posted by: muniz at 18:43 | link | comments |

RESPONSIBILITY TO YOUTH AND RCIA - COMMENT

I wanted to point out a great comment made in the "RESPONSIBILITY TO YOUTH AND RCIA" post from a person who shared her difficulties when she went through RCIA last year. She said

"Sorry I am so late in responding, I've been trying to make it a point to read all of these but I am just now getting to this one! I think most definately the people in our parishes that need support are members of RCIA. Last year i went through the RCIA program and I had so many thoughts runnig through my head about everything that was going on. It was a difficult step and i thought several times about giving up because it would be easier. It was because of the support i was given by members of my parish that i completed the first, and possibly most difficult, part of my journey. Remember that when you see those people at church on sunday! Makenzie"

To view or make comments, just click the "comment" word at the bottom of each posting. No registration required.

As time goes on, some of my postings will automatically go into the "archive" section.

Any Topic Ideas or questions about anything please share.

Finally, Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog. I really appreciate it

posted by: muniz at 23:39 | link | comments |

QUOTE OF THE DAY (non-biblical)

"In Baseball success is very elusive, considering that the greatest hitters of all time only got a hit 3to 4 out of every 10 at-bats.  That means that they actually failed 6 to 7 times out of 10. If any of the great hitters had taken time to think about how many times they had failed, they never would have been successful." - Doug Jones, Major League Pitcher

posted by: muniz at 23:18 | link | comments |

WHO IS THE SOURCE? (if any questions or comments, please state them)

From another article from NEWSWEEK, "Where did the details—of miraculous conception, of birth in Bethlehem, of stars in the sky, shepherds in the night and wise men on a journey—come from? Apparently not from Jesus. John P. Meier, a Roman Catholic priest and professor at Notre Dame, the author of a monumental series, "A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus," points out that there is no convincing evidence Jesus himself ever spoke of his birth, and neither Mary nor Joseph (who is not a figure in the years of Jesus' public life) appears to have been a direct source. "The traditions behind the Infancy Narratives," Meier writes, "differ essentially from those of the public ministry and the passion," which were the result of firsthand testimony."

RESPONSE:  This is ridiculous! I just lost a lot of respect for Notre Dame as a Catholic University to have a professor with those views.  I cannot emphasize it enough.  Christianity hinges on the Virgin Birth.  Would it better for people if the birth story wasn’t a separate story in the beginning?  Maybe Luke and Matthew should have had everyone around a campfire and the apostles ask “Tell us how you were born?” Then have Jesus and Mary tell the same Birth story.  Maybe that could be evidence of Jesus speaking about it.  Bottom line is that Jesus easily could have talked about his birth with the apostles and Mary could have been a source too because she was with Jesus even to his Ascension. 

posted by: muniz at 04:42 | link | comments (3) |

WHY DO WE BELIVE IN THE VIRGIN BIRTH?

According to a "NEWSWEEK Poll found that 84 percent of American adults consider themselves Christians, and 82 percent see Jesus as God or the son of God. Seventy-nine percent say they believe in the virgin birth, and 67 percent think the Christmas story—from the angels' appearance to the Star of Bethlehem—is historically accurate."

EXPLANATION in around a 100 words:

If you are Christian, it’s essential to believe in the virgin birth. If Jesus wasn’t of a virgin birth, then he isn’t divine. If he isn’t divine, then he couldn’t have been raised from the dead. Jesus has to be fully human and fully divine. He got his human nature from his Mom and his divine nature from his Dad like I got my blue eyes from my Mom and my chin from my Dad. He must be human to take the punishment for our sins and divine to give us the hope of resurrection. If any of those are missing, then Christianity is a fluke.

 

Scripture: Matthew 1: 18 - 25 & Luke 1: 26 - 38

 

Thank you for visiting my blog. May God fill your life with grace so you may follow his way.

 

 

posted by: muniz at 14:14 | link | comments |

REFLECTIONS INSIDE THE SEMINARY

Finals week is a stressful time for many in the seminary, which is no different from any other student going through finals week. With this stress for seminarians sometimes comes doubt about their ability to be a priest. From time to time, I will share with you some of the struggles seminarians go through as they discern where God is calling them. I share these difficult times by seminarians, because these emotions are no different from the emotions that everyone goes through in their life. There are many times in one's life that they think they are not good enough. These are all common feelings.

Many people ask me "Why do you think you would be a good priest?" Personally, I hate that question, because they don't understand. I answer the question with a question "What made the apostles great?" It wasn't because they were smart, powerful, or rich. They were fishermen, a tax collector, and so on. He did not pick the talented. The apostle were great because they were willing. Willing to give everything and become totally dependant on God. A seminarian won't become a good priest because they are smart and have certain positive qualities. They will be good because they are willing to give everything to God and his people.

Look at your life. Do you have doubts about your ability? Just know that you can succeed over any hurdle as long as your willing to give everything you got.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12: 9 - 10 & 1 Corinthians 1: 26 - 29

 

 

 

Thank you for visiting my blog. May God fill your life with grace so you may follow his way.

 

posted by: muniz at 07:55 | link | comments |

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST COMMERCIAL (PART III)

In these postings, I have taken a look at the problem with the commercial by the United Church of Christ (UCC), which does not just let people know that everyone is welcome there, but they imply that other churches do not welcome certain people. I respond to this problem using the 3 Keys to Problem Solving that I developed in high school.  

1) Almost every problem is caused by either a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

 2) No Matter who is to blame, there is always something you could have done better.

 3) Never Assume, only deal with the facts.  

 

Check out Part II for the response using Key #1. Today, I will use Key #2.

 2) Even though it can be easily said that the implications made in the commercial is totally the fault of the UCC, other churches must examine for the cause of this misunderstanding. In the last posting, I spent extensive time explaining and proving what the Church really teaches. The problem is that I had to take time to explain what the Church really teaches which means that there is an apparent confusion. This view is not just the view of the UCC, because the commercial is obviously targeting members of these other churches that feel this way. So if these churches teach one thing but the people are learning or hearing something different from these churches, then the other churches must look at how they are teaching the people. It can be easy to blame the people for not knowing their faith or not caring about their faith, but that also reflects on the church like the actions of a child reflects on the parents. The leaders of these churches must ask themselves some questions. How do they teach a message and do they show compassion and love to those who are offenders to this message?

Too many leaders in the churches think that it is effective to teach with an iron fist. This method works well with robbers with guns pointed at people, but it does not work with people who can make a free choice. Before one can teach, the teacher must set an environment to teach from. So for all the teachers, how do you come across to others? Some come across as pompous, others as idiots, others as unfocused, and some as compassionate and loving. People will follow a teacher who they believe has their best interest in mind and that is the environment a teacher must set. To be compassionate and loving does not mean that a teacher must compromise the truth.  A good teacher does both. 

Imagine a boat floating in stormy waters. You are in the boat, but another person has fallen out. What would you do? Would you be like the pompous leader and just tell the person that they should be in the boat like you? Would you be an idiot and ask why they were going for a swim in stormy waters? Would you be unfocused and just eat a sandwich? I would hope that you would do all you can to reach out to bring them back to the safety and security of the boat.

In conclusion, although UCC might be more to blame, we must look at ourselves to see what we could have done better. 

 Scripture: Luke 15: 1 - 7

Thank you for visiting my blog. May God fill your life with grace so you may follow his way.

posted by: muniz at 18:49 | link | comments (2) |
commentary

RESPONSIBILITY TO YOUTH AND RCIA

I felt lucky to be able to visit with the RCIA and the youth minister and to see all those kids at St. Pat's in Wentzville, Mo. this weekend , because youth and new members to the Faith are very important people to me. If you want a better and more holy Church in the future, then love and support the youth. Do not let them age without knowing the true hope and love that is found in faith in Christ. Also, we must remember that as Catholics and believers in Christ we are a team, a community, a family. Why do we disregard our new member? They are making a huge step in their life towards God and we all know that it is not an easy thing to do. As a challenge to all people, make it a point to talk to at least one new member. Ask them about their journey and maybe share yours, but overall let them know that they are part of the family.

If what I have said here seems like something you cannot do, then take a moment to examine your faith life. Do you know the true hope and love that is found in faith in Christ? Are you on a journey towards increasing your relationship with Christ? Rest a sure that this joy in my life that I have found in Christ, which I have dedicated my life to and the reason I started this blog, is constantly being offered to you by God. Whatever the case may be, no matter where you are in your faith, love knows no bounds. The youth and new members need to have love and support shared with them just like us too.  What a difference you could make in someone's life.

Question: Who do you feel is in need of support by the members of the church?

Scripture: Philippians 2: 1 - 4

Thank you for visiting my blog. May God fill your life with grace so you may follow his way.

posted by: muniz at 20:29 | link | comments (2) |
commentary

NEWS AND NOTES

New Blog: Towards the end of the school year last year, I asked a fellow seminarian, who has a blog, to help me set one up for myself.  He agreed, but our schedules never allowed us to set it up until last Friday.  The good news of it all is that I finally have a blog, but the bad news is that it came during finals week.  Yes, I could have waited after finals to post things, but I “had” to play with my new toy.  Plus, even if I did not post anything, I would have still been preoccupied with the thoughts of naming the blog and topics to write about.

 

Paper: I spent the majority of time this weekend writing my scripture paper on Philippians 3:7-16, but I did get to do two enjoyable things.  On Saturday, I took a couple hours away from my paper to play football with around 20 other seminarians on the semi-muddy tundra of Kenrick Seminary field.  Even though it was not tackle, it was great just to go out and play.  There are a number of good athletes here, which made it a lot of fun.  

 

Parish Visit: Also, I spoke to the parishioners at St. Patrick's in Wentzville, Mo. about the seminary's Christmas collection.  I always enjoy getting the chance to visit different parishes.  One of the things that I noticed there is the amount of kids.  There were kids everywhere.  Kids sitting in front, behind, and to the side of me, 4 servers every Mass, and the last Mass had 3 girls singing as the choir.  Amazing!  Also, I visited the RCIA group, which I truly enjoy doing.  I love to meet converts to the Catholic faith and hearing their stories.  They were nicest people, which is true about most people in RCIA at every Catholic Church.  Finally, I spend some time talking with their youth minister.  It is great to meet someone who truly cares about the faith and the lives of the youth.  I left there in great gratitude towards Fr. Pat for allowing me the opportunity to visit.

This week I ask for your prayers, because it will be hectic.  It will be a lot of work in a short amount of time. 

Question: What did you do this weekend?

Scripture: Matthew 6: 31 - 34

Thank you for visiting my blog. May God fill your life with grace so you may follow his way.

posted by: muniz at 23:45 | link | comments |
news and notes

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST COMMERCIAL (PART II) 

In this commercial, the United Church of Christ (UCC), which is a very liberal church that support same sex marriages, contraception, and abortion rights (just for your information), does not just let people know that everyone is welcome, but they imply that other churches do not welcome certain people.

 

In high school, I developed 3 Keys to Problem Solving. They are:

1)      Almost every problem is caused by either a misunderstanding or miscommunication.

2)      No Matter who is to blame, there is always something you could have done better.

3)      Never Assume, only deal with the facts.

These 3 keys can help with disputes between people and especially friends. You will see me apply these keys often to different situations as well as this one.

 

1) Obviously, there is a misunderstanding on what it means to welcome someone. If you ask every church, they would tell you that they welcome everyone to become a member. So what does the UCC mean by welcoming everyone and how does other churches not welcome someone? Is it because the other churches teach against acts that are sinful, which means that they are harmful to your relationship to God?

In order for us to reach Heaven, we must be sinless (Colossians 1: 21-23). This means we must live our lives trying to live the Will of God. The Church is a teacher for us as we continue our journey, so we may learn the Will of God. Imagine yourself in a Math class learning Calculus. Right now, many of you just got depressed. As everyone might agree, Calculus is extremely difficult. That is why it is good to have a teacher. What if this teacher gave everyone an “A” no matter what answers you had? This teacher might be viewed as a very cool teacher, but what happens when the “ACT” comes around and you realize that you were not taught anything? What is the view of the teacher then? A teacher is not a good teacher, because they allow you to do anything. A good teacher is one that properly prepares you for when the test comes. If a church is suppose to be a teacher, then what should we expect from our church? If a teacher corrects you or points out a mistake, does that mean that teacher does not want you in the class? (Hebrews 12: 10-11) I believe that the UCC is teaching what they believe is correct. Although I may disagree with their teachings, this is not about what they teach. This is about implying that other churches do not welcome certain people, because other churches teach against acts that they do not teach as sinful. Also, the UCC commented that “Jesus never turned anyone away.” Well, neither does other churches. The churches teach the Truth, it is up to the person to accept it or turn away. Does Matthew 19:16-22 apply to this argument?

 

Question: Do you Agree or Disagree with my view?

Scripture: Colossians 1: 21-23 & Hebrews 12: 10-11

Thank you for visiting my blog. May God fill your life with grace so you may follow his way.

posted by: muniz at 04:30 | link | comments (1) |
commentary

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST COMMERCIAL (PART I)

A new national ad program has been started by the United Church of Christ. In the commercial, two bouncers stand outside an unidentified church denying access to some people, while allowing others inside. The scene stops with a black screen and the printed words “Jesus didn’t turn people away. Neither do we.” Then the next scene is shots of a group of people and pairs of people while a voice over say “United Church of Christ. No matter who you are or where you are in life’s journey. You are always welcome here.”

 

Question: Do you feel churches turn people away?

 

Scripture: Matthew 19: 16 – 22. Does Jesus turn this man away?

  

Thank you for visiting my blog. May God fill your life with grace so you may follow his way.

posted by: muniz at 01:16 | link | comments |
commentary

WHO IS THIS GUY?

Hello everyone and allow me to introduce myself.

I am Kevin Muniz.

I am a Roman Catholic seminarian studying to be a priest in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois .

My hometown is Collinsville, IL (10 miles east of St. Louis, Mo ).

There is obviously more to know about me than that, but I am sure that you will learn much more about me as time goes on. Hopefully, if you are regular visitor to this blog, then you will understand not just the demographics of me but the vision and the hope that I have for people and my Church and the passion I have for my faith and my God. I have always said that my life is an open book, now you can see it here everyday.

 

Question: Is there anything else you would like to know about me?

 

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1: 26 – 29

 

I will end each posting with a scripture that pertains to the subject.

PLEASE LOOK IT UP AND READ IT.

I would not waste your time if it was not cool.

 

Finally, PRAY FOR ME.

May God grant me the wisdom to share my thoughts and concerns from now and to the future. Thank you for visiting my blog. May God fill your life with grace so you may follow his way.

posted by: muniz at 23:17 | link | comments (4) |
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