THE HEART OF A SEMINARIAN

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

IT IS ALL COMING TO AN END
I cannot believe the semester is coming to a close; not just the semester but also my time in the seminary.  At Kenrick Seminary, we have only two weeks left in the semester, so there are many things that we are finishing right now.
 
As a deacon who is about to leave, I find myself saying in my head “This is the last (blank)” all the time.  Classes and practices are concluding, our involvement in different assignments are stopping, and most of all I have been taking a lot of stuff home from my room.  Every trip home, my room is more and more empty and every time I walk in my room the reality steadily creeps in that it is almost over.

Although this can be an exciting time to finally reach the goal that you have been working for the past 6 years, I know I will grieve my departure.  Right now, I am just preoccupied with work and assignments so I am distracted by the finality of it all.  But that last day will hit me hard knowing that this will be the last time I see most of these people, the last time being in this building taking a class, and the last time lifting weights in the gym, playing basketball at the seminary, or running through the streets of Shrewsbury.  The life that I have come to have these past 6 years is all about to come to an end.

posted by: muniz at 05:56 | link | comments (3) |
general

Welcome Back to Blogging, Deacon Kevin!!!
Holy Cow! I am sorry for being away for so long from this blog, but there are some times that I cannot rationalize writing on the blog when assignments and due dates are mounting up on me.  The major reason for my departure from writing for both the blog and even my Catholic Times columns was due to the fact that I needed to finish my work on my Masters of Arts.

In the beginning of this project, I started a thesis paper which would have analyzed a megachurch in Chicago named Willow Creek Community Church and studied there methods of evangelization to see what Catholics could learn from their efforts and success.  Well, I did a ton of research and a lot of writing, but the project turned out larger than what I had time for as I was finishing up my last year.

As a result, I switched over to comprehensive questions covering the topic of my thesis and also the comparison of liturgical preaching between Willow Creek and the Catholic Church to see what we can apply in our worship.  These questions also covered the history and origins of Catholic liturgical preaching and the value of Indulgences in the life of a Christian. 

Maybe someday, I will convert these answers to columns or postings, but right now I am just glad to have them finished.  This took up so much time, but it is worth it; I learned a lot. Anyways, I am very excited to be back at blogging and I have some ideas to just make this a fun time for us all.

First off, I think it will just be cool to get a front row seat at a man entering into the priesthood and seeing him struggle through his first years as a priest.  Also, many other surprises that I think you would like to read.  For me, I just want to hear your thoughts on things, listen to your opinions.  Mainly, I wanted to do this blog to get to know all of you better.  I love my diocese and all of the people in it, so let me hear from you.  Talk to you soon.

posted by: muniz at 22:42 | link | comments (1) |
general

ACCEPTING ALL GOD’S GIFTS TO ACCOMPLISH GOD’S WILL
Deacon Kevin Muniz - Catholic Times (01/13/08)
Over coffee, I once listened to a friend of mine tell me how bad she felt for people going through hard times with finances, health, or relationships. My only thought was amazement that one person can view something as a curse, while others view the same thing as a blessing.

For many, wealth and beauty are great blessings, but to others they feel like huge burdens. Many people want to be famous, but the famous often wish that they could be "normal."

Or, look at celibacy: Some see it as a curse, but to others it is a blessing.

Whether viewed as curse or blessing, the truth of the matter is that all of those things are gifts given to us by God. God has chosen each of us for different missions, battles and burdens in order to draw people closer to him. Some may be given the burden of wealth, while others have the heavy load of poor health or the burden of being a parent of a suffering child just like the Virgin Mary.

With all of these challenges, the difficulty is recognizing the hand of God in whatever God has placed in front of us.

Most of us desire to make an impact on this world and to change lives for the better, but often the path to this goal set by God is not clear.

Just imagine, if we prayed: "God, I want to change the world for you. What do you want me to do?"

What if God replies to us: "My plan for you is to save the lives and the souls of three particular people while inspiring hundreds more. Are you up for it?"

Do you think that you would be? I feel that most of us would want to do anything to save the lives of those people and inspire hundreds more.

Now, imagine that after you say "yes," God responds: "Great! Now I will give you a health problem that causes you suffering, but if you keep focused on the mission then your faithful example will obtain the intended goal."

Would this help us have a better outlook on our situations? I think so.

Look at Mary. Through the curse of being an unwed pregnant woman, she brought about the blessing of a Savior. Is her pregnancy viewed as a curse now? Look at Jesus. Through the curse of his passion, he brought about the blessing of redemption. Are his sufferings viewed as a curse now?

For all of us who suffer and bear heavy burdens, know that God has given each of us our cross as a gift to help us draw people closer to God. We often fail to see the impact we have on others through our different situations and difficult struggles - but it can be huge.

If we see our blessings and curses as gifts from God for a greater mission to save lives, then maybe we will have a more positive view of sufferings and burdens that we endure. We may even learn to be grateful to God for choosing us.

Is it not awesome that out of everyone in the whole world, God chose you for a particular mission? That says a lot about the faith and trust God has in you. So let us pray that we all may faithfully bear our gifts and offer them up to the Lord.

posted by: muniz at 18:23 | link | comments (5) |
catholic times

MY PERSONAL GOALS: LITURGY OF THE HOURS
Every year, I set goals for myself in different areas such as physical, spiritual, mental, and evangelization.  Each month, I will update my goals, but weekly I will give a progress report.  Also, each week, I will talk about a different goal of mine and my thoughts and challenges with it.

Liturgy of the Hours
The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the Church that all ordained vow to pray.  It consists of 5 prayers: Office, Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and Night.  Within each prayer, it contains psalms, a reading from the New Testament, a Canticle, intercessions, an “Our Father”, and a closing prayer. 

There are many things that I love about it.  For one, I love the idea of taking time throughout your day to worship God, pray for others, and dedicate your day to God.  I think it would be great if everyone would take time to pray throughout the day.  Even if a person just made up a short little prayer, I think it would put people in the right mind set.  Secondly, I like the fact that the different parts of the prayer makes me pray for things that I would not think of at that time such as a certain intercession or a psalm.  This makes for a great prayer.

There are also things that make it challenging for me.  First off, they are not short prayers.  For the Office and Morning Prayer together, it takes me around a half hour, while they others run between 10-15 minutes each.  The hard part is to try to find time for all of them.  If you over sleep or you are very busy, scheduling time to pray is difficult, but I guess that is why it is cool too.  It forces you to take time out of your day for God.  Secondly, due to time and scheduling, I sometimes catch myself just reading it (quickly) instead of praying it.  This also teaches more to just trust more in God, since He is the one in control of my day.

As a result of the challenges, I have to make sure that each one is scheduled in my day when I set my calendar for the day.  This is especially true for the Office and Morning Prayer, since my day can get away from me very easily in the morning.  I have to make this a top priority in my day as well it should be since it is the prayer of the Church.

posted by: muniz at 19:45 | link | comments (2) |
commentary, goals

NEWS AND NOTES

•    Movie Review: This past week, I saw the movie Juno.  This was a great movie.  It was funny and a good story to it.  I felt that it was well worth the 8 bucks to see it at the theater.  On a religious note, it was nice to finally see a movie that showed adoption in a positive light and actually show it as a good option.

•    Visiting the School: Last week, I spent almost a whole day visiting the kids at my former grade school SS Peter & Paul.  It is amazing to me that I have been visiting those classrooms for the past 6 years.  Those kids have grown up so much.

•    Thank You’s: Yeah, I finally finished my thank you cards for the Christmas gifts.  While I was doing them, my only thought was that my ordination thank you cards are going to be done by the computer and not by hand.  That just took forever.

•    Men’s Club: St. Mary’s last week had another men’s club meeting.  It is great to have guys from the parish gather together to talk and play some cards.

•    Handbook of Indulgences: I just bought the Handbook of Indulgences and it is awesome.  It was $15 and it describes the different indulgences that are offered to people.  It is well worth it.

What else?  Any questions or comments?

posted by: muniz at 19:05 | link | comments |
news and notes

MY PERSONAL GOALS 
Every year, I set goals for myself in different areas such as physical, spiritual, and mental.  This year, I will do the same but I will also use you as my accountability partners.  I will list to you my goals and periodically every month I will update you on my progress.  These goals will not be easy, so I ask you to pray for me that I may accomplish them.  Also, feel free to comment, question, or advise me along this journey. 
* Click on the comments button below to see how I am doing.

Spiritual
1) Liturgy of the Hours – This is the prayer of the Church that all ordained vow to pray.  It consists of 5 prayers: Office, Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and Night.
2) Fast 1 day a week – This will usually happen on Mondays.
3) Go to confession at least every 2 weeks.  I will try to go every week if possible.
4) Rosary – This will be done at some point throughout the day.
5) Holy Hour – This will normally take place from 6-7am in which I will journal my conversations with God.

Physical
1) Lifting Weights – I will lift by using 40 lbs dumbbells.  I will do as many reps as possible for 1 set for the exercises of bench, triceps, biceps, back, and shoulders.  Also, I will do 100 crunches each day and stretch each day.
2) Cardio – I will do something active each day either it be running or sports for at least a ½ hour.
3) Diet – My meals will be no larger than that which can fit inside of a coffee mug. Plus, one of my 3 meals will consist of my protein shake.  Finally, I will take vitamins daily.
4) Eating Out – I will concentrate on portion size and the types of food that I eat.  Every time I go out to eat, I will cut the meal in half and put the other half in a to-go box.
5) Water – I will drink 2 liters of water each day, plus an extra liter for when I exercise.
6) Soda – If I drink soda, I will only drink diet.
7) Weight – I will attempt to reach my primary goal of weighing under 200lbs and my ideal/dream goal of weighing between 180-185lbs.  Update: Jan. 1, 2008 – 210lbs;
* For all of these goals, Sundays are free days from that obligation, but I ill work to maintain he same discipline.

Mental
1) Studying – I will spend as much time needed to get my work done for my classes.
2) Masters of Arts – I will work diligently to finish this project.  This needs to be my top priority.
3) Mass – I will practice saying Mass every morning.
4) Book – I will read a book nightly.
5) Podcasts – I will listen to different podcasts every week to increase my knowledgeof Catholic news and information.
6) Spanish Mass – I will learn to serve as a Deacon at the Spanish Mass.

Evangelization
1) Pro-Life – I will go down to the Hope Clinic in Granite City, IL to pray and witness for life at least every other week.
2) Blogging – I will keep up with at least posting every week, but I will try to do more.
3) Columns – I will continue to write my columns for my diocesan newspaper Catholic Times at least every 2 weeks.
4) Website – I will develop a website to better evangelize and spread information.
5) St. Mary’s – I will provide materials and opportunities to increase their knowledge of their faith.

posted by: muniz at 16:32 | link | comments (2) |
goals

NEWS AND NOTES

•    Christmas Break: I have has the privilege to have the last 3 weeks off of school.  Sadly, they have been busier than expected and thus I have not done everything that I hope to have had accomplished at this time.  Overall, it has been a great break.  I have spent all of it at the parish of St. Mary’s in Edwardsville.

•    Preaching: Fr. Tom and I have set up the preaching schedule for the rest of the year. To make it short, I will be preaching every other week starting February 3, 2008 until my ordination on May 24, 2008.

•    Ordination Planning: I spent an afternoon with my Mom on the ordination.  We got a lot done, but O MY, we have a lot left to do.

•    Facebook: Finally, someone came over and explained to me everything about Facebook.  I am now ready for action.  If anyone wants to be my friend, ask away.

•    Poker Game: On January 1, I played in a large Texas Hold’em tournament with 15 other guys.  I am losing any type of ability to play in these types of games when I only play twice a year.  Oh well, it was fun anyway for friends to get together and spend a day together. Anyway, Congratulations to Tim Blair for winning again, he is the man.

What else?  Any questions or comments?

posted by: muniz at 16:43 | link | comments |
news and notes

GOD AS THE ULTIMATE COACH – PART II
    As I wrote before, I often describe God as the ultimate coach who constantly strives to help us to develop into the best person that we can be in our lives.  God’s players have many different abilities and skill levels, so His approach might not always be the same with each person.  With the lesser or inexperienced Christian, God will focus on building their confidence in Him, getting in good faithful habits, and motivating them to keep working on their own lives (For more read Part I). But for the more talented or experienced like Mother Teresa, God coaches differently.
    As a coach myself, I would want to help each player reach their potential too.  With my lesser players, I would throw a lot of fastballs down the middle during batting practice (read more in Part I).  But with my more talented players, I would challenge them much more.  As they batted, I would look for the weaknesses in their swings.  As a result, if they struggled with curveballs, then I would constantly throw them curveballs.  If they had a problem with a hard inside fastball, then I would throw them hard inside fastballs.  It was not because I wanted them to fail, but because I wanted them to improve and be the best that they can be.  My objectives were twofold. One, I wanted them to be aware of the weakness.  Many times with players, I would tell them their weaknesses, but they would never listen.  But when I showed them their weakness, they always believed me.  Secondly, I wanted to prepare them for a time when it will be very important.  Often by practicing a weakness many times in a less stressful environment such as batting practice, one will be able to perform more successfully when it really matters like in a game.
    Likewise God does the same with His more talented or experienced players.  God who sees your weaknesses will exploit your weaknesses in different ways, but it is not because He wants you to struggle.  Actually, God does it for the same twofold reasons as me.   One, He wants you to be aware of your weakness.  Many times, we can be told of things that we need to improve on, but we never listen.  That is why God shows us our weaknesses sometimes so that we believe it and change it.  Secondly, God wants to prepare us for something greater.
I know that I am always grateful that at the times when I start to get prideful, God will humble me in small ways so that I would not need to be humbled in the big embarrassing ways.  Also, when we look back at our lives, isn’t it amazing how many of our biggest struggles of past has led us to our greatest blessings?  Do you see that in your own life?

posted by: muniz at 11:03 | link | comments (2) |
commentary

GOD AS THE ULTIMATE COACH – PART I 

In the past couple of weeks, it just seems that so many people are talking about “Mother Teresa and how she lost her faith.”  As said in the new book about her which contains her letters, she often never felt the presence of God with her.  Some have taken this to mean that she lost faith in God, but it actually tells us some valuable information about how God works in our lives.

            I often describe God as the ultimate coach who constantly strives to help us to develop into the best person that we can be in our lives.  When I was a Baseball coach before my seminarian days, I realized that the way that I threw batting practice to my players was very similar to the way God coaches us. 

I had players of many different abilities and skill levels, but my approach was always the same - Help them reach their potential.  With my lesser players, I would throw a lot of fastballs (slower than normal) down the middle of the plate.  I would do this so that I can build there confidence, get them in good hitting habits, and motivate them to keep working on their swing.

God works in the same way with us too.  There are Christians of many different abilities and levels, but still works to help each of us reach our potential.  How many times have you heard of someone that has had a conversion experience and goes around for a while on a spiritual high?  Well, with the lesser or inexperienced Christian, God throws a lot of fastballs down the middle in order for us to build our confidence in Him, get in good faithful habits, and motivate us to keep working on own lives.

These great feelings or consolations do not last though, because God has something more planned for you.  You have not yet reached your potential.  As for Mother Teresa, it is safe to say that on God’s team, she was one of His most talented players and God has a different approach for those types of players.  In my future posts, I will continue to share the workings of God in our lives as the ultimate coach who is trying to get us to reach our potential.

posted by: muniz at 09:25 | link | comments |
commentary

THOUGHTS ON THE USAGE OF THE “TRIDENTINE MASS”

            On September 14, 2007, the usage of the “Tridentine Mass” was officially widened to allow this form of the Mass without needing permission from the bishop.  As I attended a Low Mass and a High Mass for the first time in my life last week, I began to see the benefits and difficulties that this would entail.

            First of all, I found these Masses to be very prayerful and formal.  Sometimes, it seems that Mass now a days are treated more casually.  Mass is where Christ is made present on the altar and where Christ is offered as a sacrifice for us to our Heavenly Father.  It deserves so much more reverence than what we often show towards it.

            Secondly, I like to think of how 50 years ago, people could travel anywhere in the whole world and hear the same Mass as if they were home.  Now, the structure of the Mass is the same, but the language makes you feel like an outsider.  The “Tridentine Mass” is great way to show uniformity. 

            As for the difficulties, I have 3 concerns.  One is that it is a totally different Mass than what we have now.  Not only will a priest have to learn the proper usage of Latin, but also the many motions and actions that go with each of these Masses.  This would not be a problem if one could do this frequently and a keep fresh in it, but I see that being difficult.  It is difficult because there is a limit on the number of Masses that a priest can say in a day and he can’t spend all day saying Masses.  With the way that the priests are stretched today and the amount of Masses that they offer already for the people, it is viewed by me to be impossible to be able to say the Tridentine Mass frequently enough to do it justice.  Remember, I said these are difficulties that I see with it.  I am not dismissing its usage.

            Secondly, I noticed that unlike the modern Mass, the Tridentine Mass is very dependant on the servers.  Now, a Mass can be said without a server, but the server in the old Mass has an important role as he also says prayers and performs certain actions too.  So it takes more than a priest to be able to offer a Tridentine Mass; he also needs to be able train a server also.  If one would offer a Latin or a Spanish Mass, then an English speaking server could do fine, but this is not so with a Tridentine Mass.

            Thirdly, the Tridentine Mass also requires different actions from the people too.  As a result, they need to be informed too.  This would not be bad if it was offered more frequently, but as I said before that could be difficult.

            In the end, I think when the novelty wears off, it will interesting to see the demand that the Tridentine Mass will have by the people.  Also, it will be interesting to see the interest of priest in the Tridentine Mass even those trained in it.

Are my concerns valid?  What are your thoughts?

posted by: muniz at 10:36 | link | comments (14) |
commentary

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