THE HEART OF A SEMINARIAN

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

BIBLE: JUDGES 6

In my daily Bible reading, this is the verse that I learned the most from.  In this chapter, what is yours? All verses are from the New American Bible translation.

 

Judges 6:14  The LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have and save Israel from the power of Midian. It is I who send you."

 

Thoughts

Even though Midian was much more powerful than the Israelites, God was still calling Gideon to lead them to victory.  In our own lives, there are things to which we know that we are called to do, but we also know that it may seem far beyond our capabilities.  Even though the task may seem much more powerful than our own abilities, God still says to each of us “Go with the strength you have and accomplish the seemingly impossible task.  It is I who send you.”  Many times, I feel overwhelmed when I think about what I will have to do as a priest, but I must always remind myself that there is nothing that God cannot do.

posted by: muniz at 12:49 | link | comments (1) |
bible

Q&A: QUESTION #1

QUESTION: What do you call the garment or what is said about the garment when it is placed on the child. Ex. Clothed in blank? Christ?

ANSWER: The garment is called the “white garment”.  At this time in the Baptism, the priest or deacon says: “N., you have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ.  See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity.  With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring that dignity unstained into the everlasting life of heaven.”

posted by: muniz at 22:15 | link | comments |
questions and answers

WHAT TIME IS IT?  ITS Q&A TIME! 

There are many times that questions pop into your head about religion whether it be scripture, Catholic teachings, liturgy, morality, or any random question.   This is just an opportunity for anyone to ask the questions that are on their mind.

Also, I will even open it up to a discussion on sports or anything else, too.  We will see where it goes.

Finally, thanks for reading my blog.  I really do appreciate it.

posted by: muniz at 21:37 | link | comments (1) |
questions and answers

BIBLE: JUDGES 5

In my daily Bible reading, this is the verse that I learned the most from.  In this chapter, what is yours? All verses are from the New American Bible translation.

 

Judges 5:23  "Curse Meroz," says the LORD, "hurl a curse at its inhabitants! For they came not to my help, as warriors to the help of the LORD."

 

Thoughts

To cut to the chase, there was a war and the people of Meroz which probably had Hebrew residents did not come to help with the fight.  So what does this say about us, who fail to help our fellow Christians in the fights for causes.  This is a very clear message to all that we must help in the work of Christ in some way or form.  I don’t want Jesus to come to me and say “Where were you?”

As I mentioned the interesting story in the verses 17-24 of Ch 4, the noteworthy quote of Ch 5 is in verse 24 where it says “blessed among women be Jael.”  Jael and Mary (Lk 1:42) are the only 2 women to be called that.

posted by: muniz at 21:31 | link | comments |
bible

GOALS: WATCH OUT FOR THE RED FLAGS

Everyone when attempting to reach their goals will come to realize a weakness or a vulnerable spot in their pursuit.  I will call these red flags, because these will now have to be an area that I will have to watch out for.  For anyone, there will be a lot of these red flags, but it is important to be able to adjust and not quit.

For me, last Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, I spent a lot of time on my column for the diocesan newspaper.  This totally messed me up, because in those 3 days, I did not do my all of my Liturgy of Hours, Holy Hour, workouts, plus somehow due to being knocked off my goals, I ate too much.  The reason for this was due to a deadline.  As a result, I compromised my goals which messed my whole week up.  Bottom line, I am not going to compromise my goals especially in the spiritual life because that could be incredibly harmful.  So I now know that I must watch out for deadlines and be prepared for them and no matter what, I won’t compromise my spiritual life.

posted by: muniz at 21:38 | link | comments (1) |
goals

BIBLE: JUDGES 4

In my daily Bible reading, this is the verse that I learned the most from.  In this chapter, what is yours? All verses are from the New American Bible translation.

Judges 4:1-2  After Ehud's death, however, the Israelites again offended the LORD.  ² So the LORD allowed them to fall into the power of the Canaanite king, Jabin, who reigned in Hazor.

Thoughts

Again for Israel, it is the same routine.  God helps them, then they fall away, then God tries to get their attention, then they turn back, then God helps them, then they fall away again.  Bottom line of this verse to me is that we may have a moment that we turn to God or strive for God but eventually we will ever so gradually slide away.  Sometimes God allows bad things to happen, not as a means to punish wrong doing, but to get our attention to fix the areas of our life in which we are fallen away.  Bad things happen because either God wants us back or He has a greater plan for you.

Interesting story is verses 17-24. It will come up later in Chapter 5.

posted by: muniz at 09:05 | link | comments |
bible

MY PERSONAL GOALS - Revised

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 throughout the week 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) Rosary – I will normally wake up at 5am and start my day walking while praying the Rosary.  This will get my blood flowing early in the morning, do something active, and finally keep me awake throughout the rosary.  I call this my warm-up for the Holy Hour.  Anyway, I want to make sure I have Mary with me as enter into my Holy Hour.

2) Holy Hour – This will normally take place at 6-7am in which I will write my intentions in my prayer notebook and mediate over scripture.

3) Read at least 1 chapter of the Bible – While I do this, I will be using a colored pencil to be marking the verses that I learn from and also star the verse that I learned the most from.  You can see this verse in my Bible posts.

4) 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.

5) Fast 1 day a week – This will usually happen on Tuesdays.

6) Go to confession at least every 2 weeks.

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.

* For all of these goals, Sundays are free days from that obligation.

Mental

1) Studying – I will spend at least 10 hours studying a week for my classes.

2) Thesis – I will work on my Master’s Thesis at least 2 hrs/week.

3) Book – I will read a book for 3 hrs/week.

4) Spanish – I will attempt to teach myself Spanish by translating written work and speaking it once a week at our Spanish table at lunch.

5) Liturgy – I will read documents on Liturgy and learn more about correct liturgy.

Evangelization

1) Pro-Life – I will go down to the Hope Clinic in Granite City, IL to pray and witness for life every week

2) Blogging – I will keep up with at least posting every week.

3) Column – I will continue to write my column for my diocesan newspaper Catholic Times every 2 weeks.

posted by: muniz at 23:12 | link | comments (2) |
goals

NEWS AND NOTES

·        Hannah’s Baptism: On Sunday, my cousin’s daughter Hannah Blair Eade was baptized.  In all honesty, when you learn that baptism is the time when a person enters into the Body of Christ, you cannot help but be excited and grateful to be present there.

·        Acts of the Apostles: I have just finished the book of Judges.  In order to choose the next book, I, a long time ago, cut up pieces of paper with all the books of the Bible on them.  When I finish a book, I then pull out another one from the cup.  The new book that I will start reading tomorrow is Acts of the Apostles.  I am excited about that one.

·        Next Sunday’s scripture.  Just click it.

What else?  Any questions or comments?

posted by: muniz at 22:31 | link | comments |
news and notes

BIBLE: JUDGES 3

In my daily Bible reading, this is the verse that I learned the most from.  In this chapter, what is yours? All verses are from the New American Bible translation.

 

Judges 3:4   These served to put Israel to the test, to determine whether they would obey the commandments the LORD had enjoined on their fathers through Moses.

 

Thoughts

For Israel, God puts them to the test, because this particular generation did not experience the earlier battle with Canaan.  This is a test to see if they would really remain faithful to God through the hard times like their ancestors.  This is still true for our lives today and as I look at it, it is especially true for the priesthood.  For the priesthood, just take a look at what the priest and religious had to go through to bring the faith here to America.  It was a battle to say the least, but as time went on the faith and clergy and religious became more accepted and respected.  In this time, I think that we might have lost what it meant to fight for our faith.  Maybe that is why God has allowed this priest abuse scandal to stay in the spotlight for so long or why He allowed priest to be so disrespected at many times.  Maybe it is to bring the clergy back to know what it is to fight for the faith again.  We can all look at our lives and probably see God working this way.  Maybe you finally have your life comfortable and then God throws a wrench in it.  Maybe God is trying to bring you back to a place where you need to battle for your faith again.

posted by: muniz at 08:20 | link | comments |
bible

MY PERSONAL GOALS - Revised

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) Rosary – I will normally wake up at 5am and start my day walking while praying the Rosary.  This will get my blood flowing early in the morning, do something active, and finally keep me awake throughout the rosary.  I call this my warm-up for the Holy Hour.  Anyway, I want to make sure I have Mary with me as enter into my Holy Hour.

2) Holy Hour – This will normally take place at 6-7am in which I will write my intentions in my prayer notebook and mediate over scripture.

3) Read at least 1 chapter of the Bible – While I do this, I will be using a colored pencil to be marking the verses that I learn from and also star the verse that I learned the most from.  You can see this verse in my Bible posts.

4) 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.

5) Fast 1 day a week – This will usually happen on Tuesdays.

6) Go to confession at least every 2 weeks.

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.

* For all of these goals, Sundays are free days from that obligation.

Mental

1) Spend at least 10 hours studying a week for my classes.

2) Work on my Master’s Thesis.

3) Read a book for a ½ hour, 3 hrs/week.

4) I will attempt to teach myself Spanish by translating written work and speaking it once a week at our Spanish table at lunch.

5) I will read documents on Liturgy and learn more about correct liturgy.

posted by: muniz at 18:32 | link | comments (3) |
goals

NEWS AND NOTES

·        Church Assignment: Every year, seminarians are assigned to different parishes in the St. Louis Archdiocese.  For me, I am assigned to St. Ferdinand in Florissant, Mo. where I will be helping with the children’s liturgy.  I am looking forward to this experience.

·        Bible: As people might have already seen it.  I will try to post a verse of a chapter of the book of the Bible in which I am reading.  This will also include a quick thought on why I learned them most from that verse.

·        GIRM: Also when time permits, I will walk through the General Instruction of the Roman Missal so to see what the Church teaches about how we should be celebrating Mass.

·        Next Sunday’s scripture.  Just click it.

What else?  Any questions or comments?

posted by: muniz at 16:46 | link | comments |
news and notes

BIBLE: JUDGES 2

In my daily Bible reading, this is the verse that I learned the most from.  In this chapter, what is yours? All verse are from the New American Bible translation.

 

Judges 2:22-23  ²² Through these nations the Israelites were to be made to prove whether or not they would keep to the way of the LORD and continue in it as their fathers had done;  ²³ therefore the LORD allowed them to remain instead of expelling them immediately, or delivering them into the power of Israel.

 

Thoughts

It is the same old story, God blesses Israel, Israel turns away from God and worships false idols, and then God gets upset about it. Now, instead of God clearing the way for the Israelites to capture the land, he now wants to use the inhabitants in order for the Israelites to prove their faithfulness to God.  Even though we constantly turn away from God, God will never turn from us.  In our own lives, God can smooth any mountain, but sometimes he keeps it there in order to help us keep our focus and determination.  By the constant struggles, we can ingrain those good habits into us until God decides to level the mountains.

posted by: muniz at 14:13 | link | comments |
bible

GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE ROMAN MISSAL (GIRM)

In my review of the GIRM, I will go through each part to learn about what the Church says about the way we should be saying Mass.  This is only an attempt to let you inside my desire to learn more in this area.  My comments are only my attempt to understand; it is not my soapbox on my views of liturgy.  If I am incorrect about anything, please inform me.

 

Forward: “The liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council have enjoyed great success in bringing many Catholics closer to the perfect sacrifice of praise that Christ the Lord offered from the wood of the Cross.”  “The first stages of the postconciliar reform of the Mass were marked by Pope Paul VI's apostolic constitution Missale Romanum (1969), which was quickly followed by the revised Ordo Missae (l970), including the first edition of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani (1970).”  “On November 12, 2002, the Latin Church members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a translation of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani prepared by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy. The translation was confirmed by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on March 17, 2003 (Prot. N. 2235/02/L).“  “With the publication of the third edition of the Missale Romanum, the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy hopes that this edition will assist “ in a common understanding of the new edition of the Missale Romanum.  “Like its preceding editions, it has been published in order to give life to a dream. It was the dream of reformers such as St. Hippolytus, St. Gregory, and St. Leo. It was the dream of Pope Paul VI and clearly remains the vision of Pope John Paul II, who calls us to "an ever deeper grasp of the liturgy of the Church, celebrated according to the current books and lived above all as a reality in the spiritual order" (Vicesimus Quintus Annus, 1988, no. 14).”

 

Thoughts

The forward is longer, but I edited it down for the main points.  My intention was to give you the main details of when it was released, the history of it, and the intent of it.  As you can see, this is a very recent document.  Any questions please ask.  Also, click on the word forward to read the complete forward.

posted by: muniz at 22:31 | link | comments |
girm

BIBLE: JUDGES 1

In my daily Bible reading, this is the verse that I learned the most from.  In this chapter, what is yours? All verse are from the New American Bible translation.

 

Judges 1:7  ⁷ At this Adonibezek said, "Seventy kings, with their thumbs and big toes cut off, used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so has God repaid me." He was brought to Jerusalem, and there he died.

 

Thoughts

Even though this seems like a brutal verse to pick, there is a purpose.  Adonibezek was the king of another country before the Israelites defeated and captured him.  The Israelites as result cut of his thumbs and big toes, thus leading to his response.

 

To me the lesson refers me to the simple lesson of “do onto others as you would have done onto you.”  Or the other saying “what comes around, goes around.”  So it makes me think, what exactly am I doing to people that I would not want done to me or look at people in different situations and say “what would I like done for me in that situation” and then do it for that person.

posted by: muniz at 16:31 | link | comments |
bible

BIBLE: READING

In my daily Bible readings, I do not approach the Bible to study, but I use this time to learn from God.  Before I begin to read, I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me everything that God wants me to learn from this particular chapter.  As you know, some chapters are harder than others, but all of them can be learned from.  To have this approach, I need to take my time and not rush through it because in my hastiness I may miss what God wanted me to learn.  This is why I only do a chapter.  After each chapter, I mark with a color pencil the verses that I learned from and I star one particular verse that which I learned the most from.

What I will attempt to do in the future is to let you share in this experience with me.  Each day, I will post from a new chapter the verse that I learned the most from with a comment on it.  If you want to join me or ask questions, then feel free to share with me the verse that you liked the most.

posted by: muniz at 10:01 | link | comments |
bible, goals

MY PERSONAL GOALS - Revised

As it was noted to me, I should have my spiritual goals before everything else. Again, 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) Rosary

2) Holy Hour

3) Read at least 1 chapter of the Bible

4) Liturgy of the Hours

5) Fast 1 day a week

6) Go to confession at least every 2 weeks.

Physical

1) Lifting Weights – I will lift by using a 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.

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.

* For all of these goals, Sundays are free days from that obligation.

Mental

1) Spend at least 2 hours studying a week on each class.

2) Work on my Master’s Thesis.

3) Read a book for a ½ hour, 3 hrs/week.

4) I will attempt to teach myself Spanish by translating written work and speaking it once a week at our Spanish table at lunch.

posted by: muniz at 22:31 | link | comments (6) |
goals

NEWS AND NOTES

·        Columbia Magazine: In the September, 2006 issue of Columbia magazine (the magazine of the Knights of Columbus), I am featured on the back cover with 5 pictures of me in different scenarios and also a short column written by me.  If you have it, check it out.

·        Western Catholic Union: Earlier in the year, I was informed of winning a scholarship from the WCU on an essay that I wrote.  This past week, they sent their national president for a photo opportunity.

·        My Personal Goals: Even though I understand the risk of sharing my journey with my goals, I do this for 2 reasons.  One, it is to hold me accountable.  Two, it is to open my life up to how I spend my time as a seminarian.  Soon I will be posting my updated goals.  It ever grows and becomes more precise.

·        Prayer List: I have decided to change my prayer list a little bit.  It will now be (for now) a top ten list.  Plus, I want to include news headlines in which we can pray for the people in the story.  I will work on it.

·        Future Posts: In the future, I hope to keep this more updated, but if I don’t then you understand.

·        Next Sunday’s scripture.  Just click it.

What else?  Any questions or comments?

posted by: muniz at 22:32 | 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 throughout the week 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.  Many of these goals, I have already started, but this is meant to be the start of me talking about it.

Physical

1) Lifting Weights – I will lift by using a 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.

4) Water – I will drink 2 liters of water each day.

Spiritual

1) Rosary

2) Holy Hour

3) Read at least 1 chapter of the Bible

4) Liturgy of the Hours

5) Read a book for a ½ hour

6) Fast 1 day a week

7) Go to confession at least every 2 weeks.

Mental

1) Spend at least 2 hours studying a week on each class.

2) Work on my Master’s Thesis.

 

These goals might expand or contract throughout the year, but I will do my best.

posted by: muniz at 22:00 | link | comments (2) |
goals

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