Comments on: What I Learned in 2009

By: Virgilijus Kaulius

Virgilijus Kaulius — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:05:45 +0000

Interesting quote, yet on a different plain,
humanity exhibits spiritual hunger but does
next to nothing to satisfy it! And so they exist,
always spiritually starving! Maybe the fish
example should propel some (most?) to do something
with their water? (!)

Kierkegaard is one that wrote extensively on this
phenomenon, choosing the Greek word “Aisthese”
which means “sensation” to label the First Stage
of living, where most of humanity lives and dies,
as the Aesthetic Stage of life! Choice is necessary
to move into Stage Two: the Ethical Stage!
Then and then only, do we swim with the fish!
And only some make it up the raceway to Stage Three,
the Religious Stage!

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:23:48 +0000

“I laugh every time I hear that the fish in the sea are thirsty”
Jalaludin Rumi

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:22:25 +0000

Nathan this was beautiful. The part about being gentle with the freshman and their faith could not have been more true. Most often I don’t know what you are saying it is so beyond my basic theology but when I do grasp something like this post I just keep thinking I hope you never stop writing!

By: Sr Roberta

Sr Roberta — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:21:44 +0000

Nathan, it has been 30 years since I left the educational scene and I could see my past experiences in what you offered up for consideration. Fr. Joseph Leppard put me on to your site tonight and I was intrigued by the title. Somehow I recall thinking similar about the 3 vows as you do but in my old age now as a Cistercian I don’t think much about the vows though I celebrated 50 years this past August.. Of course having transferred to monastic life the emphasis has changed. How about love, intimacy, tenderness, gentleness and a whole lot more that puts the emphasis not on me but on Him. Once I picked up a book and there was a comment of Jesu: Do you think just because I am God, that I don’t need tenderness. Pretty powerful thought.
Keeping you and all Jesuits in prayer. I taught in a couple Jesuit run parishes in Toledo–long time ago. Great Men.
Sr Roberta

By: Nathan O'Halloran, SJ

Nathan O'Halloran, SJ — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:10:33 +0000

Qualis Rex,
Thanks for your appreciation. Also, I understand your critique. There is good and bad in this article. What I think it does for Seniors in our time is to help them realize that the religious sense in itself is better than nothing at all. Choosing something greater than themselves to worship is better than unconsciously worshiping money, power, image, etc. So I agree with Wallace on this point, and it helps me to get across to them what he also says in his speech, which is that there is no such thing as atheism in reality. We all worship someone. So for that point, minus the flippancy, I like it. I’ll deal with who to worship later in the course. We need to start on step one with them.

Francis,
Thanks. Glad to see we have some Bluejays reading!

By: Francis

Francis — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:16:35 +0000

I thoroughly nejoyed and benefitted from your post. Your insights are right on target. As a Class of ’74 graduate of JHS in NO, it is good to see that the students there now are so well-instructed. please keep up the great work !!

By: Virgilijus Kaulius

Virgilijus Kaulius — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:40:35 +0000

Very existential: thanks!

How about considering a “take two” on “Wear Sunscreen”
that was a hit a bunch of years ago. It was an
address to a graduating class, while humorous, real!

Your structure lends itself to such similar treatment!

And your humble ending reminded me of TIME mag.’s
interview with Cardinal Bernardine:
he said the adulation of Chicagoans for him was not
him, but for his “position!”

By: Father Joseph LeBlanc

Father Joseph LeBlanc — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:14:41 +0000

A beautiful reflection – even at 80, Wisdom is very elusive .. but keep striving. . .your remarks on the Vows were beautiful . .will send this on to all our brethren . .they do enjoy your work Nathan.

By: Rachel Phillips

Rachel Phillips — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:58:32 +0000

Nathan that was very beautiful to read. Thank you for sharing this. I wish you were closer so Kolbe could be around you more. YOu inspire me in your teaching. Happy New Year and God Bless you,
Rachel

By: Qualis Rex

Qualis Rex — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:53:46 +0000

Hello Father Nathan, and thank you for this VERY insightful post. Your commentary of life among the Seniors in Theology class was disheartening, but oh, so accurate. It absolutely mirrors my experience in Jesuit University where it often seemed like the lay religion teachers (Priests excluded) and students competed daily for who could make the most earth-shatteringly profound (see: controversial) ascertions.

Your statement “We are either submerged in an ocean of Being or are the centers of our own universe.” is so true and really hit home, specifically in this holiday season. I think too many of us would like to feel we are submerged in an ocean of Being, but get trapped in our own universe- willingly or not. And I see this over and over; people who take up 2 parking spaces in a lot, families who have boisterous arguments in a crowded restaurant, people walking past mentally disturbed/indigent people on the street (or just anyone on the street) without so much as the realization they exist. I think it’s much easier to lose oneself in the comfort and structure of one’s own universe, rather than confront the perceived chaos of the ocean of Being, thus having to acknowledge and treat kindly and appropriately the ocean’s other residents (as the gospel commands us).

Lastly, and please forgive the critique, I am not at all a fan of Wallace’s flippant irreverence when it comes to religion, which in this case has led him to make a very ignorant statement: “- be it J.C. or Allah..” “Allah” is a generic word for God in Arabic. Granted, the Mohammedan uses it to mean the proper name for God (Yhwh, to the Hebrews). Etymologicaly, Allah in old Arabic is the same word as “Elohiy” in old Hebrew (or Eloi in our bibles, since neither Greek nor Latin had an “H” sound) and simply means “the god”. “Allah” has been used commonly among Christian Arab speakers for centuries. So, to say “either J.C. or Allah” is like saying “either J.C. or God”, which shows a marked misunderstanding of theology (both Christian and Mohammedan) as well as Arab language and culture. Sorry for the rant, but I have to call a spade a spade here. And once again, GREAT post!