Archive
spinach + Robitussin
MASS — [left shine]
SPANISH – (Dr Jimenez) — chaper 14 test + dictation + evaluation.
LUNCH — food court @ Dolphin Mall with J.
DINNER — Spinach lasagna (with nuts & hard pasta)? + Robitussin drink + scarce salad bar.
RECTOR’s CONFERENCE – (Fr Michael) — part 2 on Virtues for new guys.
TV — watched last to episodes of Pushing Daisies procrastinating 2 philosophy papers due tomorrow. [a blessing in disguise]
Neoplatonism + worklist
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — Hegel’s Absolute Idealism. Also got back our last quiz (22/30).
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — Neoplatonism. Philosophical “GOD” eminates.
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — sick — no class.
WORKLIST — today I had McCarthy Chapel … easy … so I also did trash & floors. I took a picture of the grounds worklisters.
Austrian food night
EVENING PRAYER — today I led evening prayer before dinner.
CULTURAL FOOD NIGHT — today’s theme is Austria. Great food with apple struddle for desert!
dialectic + stoicism + Serra dinner
MASS – (Fr Joseph) — Francis Xavier – preach the Gospel … if necessary use words.
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — Hegel’s “dialectic” … thesis – antithesis (“marker is NOT a turkey“) – synthetic. Look up Anthropic Principle = Hegel?
ANCIENT – (Fr Santos) — handout on Epicureanism & Stoicism. — I think I’ll do my reflection paper on Epicureanism.
SERRA CLUB DINNER – (Fr Manny) — the Miami Pre-Theologians (me) helped our vocation director at the annual Serra Club Dinner honoring Religious men & woman at St Martha Catholic Church next to the Archdiocesen Pastoral Center. — Great people, food and Christmas caroling!
pre-T BBQ
WASHING DISHES — I cleaned some more.
FOOTBALL — finally some “American football.”
EVENING BBQ — we had a community BBQ at our Pre-Theology homes for dinner. Squired chicken & shrimp, cornbread, corn, baked po-ta-toe, ice cream, brownies … awesome food & fellowship!
ice skating + dish washing + cleaning
FIELD TRIP — today, 25+ guys went ice skating as one of the Rector’s optional field trips.
CLEANING — Since the Pre-T houses are hosting the Sunday night BBQ, we spend much of the day cleaning for all our “visitors.” B & I tried to find a Wal-Mart (which didn’t happen), but we found a (Spanish) Catholic Bookstore & a Paintball shop. We eventually got to Target to get cleaning supplies. We both got Swiffer Wetjets, but forgot batteries.
DISHES — This weekend, I have dish washing duty after meals. It’s dirty, wet & hot. I still like it. After dinner, we wached Mr Bean’s Holiday … funny.
Leo X + Pieta + Las Culebrinas
MASS – (Fr Joseph) — Andrew the Apostle — known as the introducer.
NO PHILOSOPHY CLASSES — Fr Santos is out of town.
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — modern philosophers. Renaissance popes Sixtus IV (Sistine Chapel), Alexander VI (Borgia – nepotism), Julius II (warrior) and Leo X (Medici). Michelangelo‘s Pieta. Our chapel’s murial — zodiac references.
MIAMI DINNER — today Fr Manny took all the Miami seminarians out to dinner to a fancy local Cuban restaurant Las Culebrinas. Great food and even better desert.
DOTS — “bread shark” — grass smell
moral virtues + Jim Gaffigan
SPANISH 2 – (Dr Jimenez) — new chapter 14.1
TV CATCH-UP — watched missed episodes of The Unit & Cane.
RECTOR’s CONFERENCE – (Fr Michael) — about Moral Virtues (see seperate post).
PRE-T HOUSE — watched standup Jim Gaffigan. Night Prayer. House “cleaning” meeting.
Aristotle test + Venus + cartoon + David
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — start Hegel. Hegel’s solution to Kant’s problems of circularity & skepticism is to unify the “knower” (subject) and “known” (object). Hegelian Absolute Idealism = subject + object are 2 moments of the process by which the absolute unfolds into reality. — if you say so?
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — test on Aristotle. — I think I started understanding him half-way through the 3 essay questions (Plato vs Aristotle’s view of “soul” … forgot #2 … Aristotle on “virtue”)
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — Boticelli‘s The Birth of Venus. Leonardo da Vinci’s cartoon sketch for Madonna and Child with St Anne and the young St John. DaVinci’s Madonna of the Rocks. Michelangelo‘s David & Bacchus.
DOTS — laundry day — worklist: floors — holy hour: Fr Rios
masculinity + Mexican food nite + garden Mass + floss
SPANISH – (Dr Jimenez) — chapter 14 vocab dictation test.
MIAMI VOCATION – (Fr Manny) — check-up interview with my vocation director.
OLD TESTAMENT – (Fr Michael) — Wisdom literature & Old Testament Masculinity to reflect on. Males: Warrior – Moses // Prophet – Jeremiah (lie detector) // Trickster – Jonah. Male Independence + Autonomy: Wildman – Elijah // Pilgrim – Abraham. Male Vulnerability: Healer – Elisha. Masculine Responsibility: The Patriarch – Abraham // The King – Solomon.
CULTURAL FOOD NIGHT — today’s theme was Mexican Food Night. — we tried to stick with the theme and avoid drinking the water
GARDEN MASS – (Fr Michael) — 9pm to change from the “routine” … “calm storm” … hit by wave … firefighter hat
DOTS — Aristotle study group — floss run
gym rats + hedonism + Annunciation + limo driver
MASS – (Fr Santos) — “gym rats” — “juice” — sacrifice.
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — test on Hume. — I think I wrote the same answer for all 3 questions … it’s got to apply to at least one
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — start philosopher Epicurus with his Epicureanism & “hedonism“ … (Letter to Menoeceus) … believe in gods … everything is material … death is, therefore, not something to be feared … focus attention on life, the happy, pleasant, and pleasurable life. — It sound nice … most people today live exactly this way … even those in church.
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — started Renaissance by comparing 2 painting of the Annunciation, by Sandro Botticelli & Fra Angelico.
MINISTERIAL METHODS – (Fr Michael) — (part 3) Being Discerning … level of judgement … does my understanding correspond to what is true? (Limo driver interviews ’round a hill)
(part 4) Being Responsible … level of decision … What should I do?
my cassock
As our Thanksgiving break begins, I stopped by my parish rectory to pick up my new cassock & surpice for alter serving. I’ll be serving with my Pastor on Sunday at 10:45am Mass.
thanks dinner + Princess Bride + croquet
TESTS — Spanish & Old Testament. — both went pretty well.
THANKSGIVING DINNER — after a special 4:30pm Thanksgiving Mass (“subway” sermon), we had a great Thanksgiving dinner since we’re released for break after tomorrow’s morning Mass (which I have to serve as Acolyte).
PRE-T NIGHT — us Pre-Theologians are watching The Princess Bride in our off-campus house. Then played a couple exciting rounds of croquet in the back yard. Classic.
virtues – “Ch”
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — Kant’s synthetic a priori : math, natural science, metaphysics, ethic/morals.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — Aristotle’s “virtues” … (intellect vs moral). Moderation is the “golden mean” between virtue & vice. Being virtuous means (1) being excellent & (2) acting in an excellent way
MINISTERIAL METHODS – (Fr Michael) — (part 1) Being Attentive … What am I experiencing?
(part 2) Being Intelligent … Exploring … open to new data … make connections to experiences …. How do I make sense of my experience?
DOTS — OT Study Group — Spanish Study Group — Heroes — – “Ch”
soccer finals
SOCCER — the 4 team soccer season ended today. 2 championship games at 1 & 2pm. Great games & a great time.
3 people + yacht + multiple choir
MASS – (Fr Alvarez) — there are 3 kinds of people … those that live for things (most selfish) … those that live for ideas (most frustrated/ing) … those that live for people (most happy).
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — intro on Kant.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — discussed Aristotle‘s Nicomachean Ethics. What is true happiness? a yacht? … Virtue is connected with “habit” & “moderation”? … (for next time)
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — today was our test for the Medieval Period. We were told (several times) that it would be multiple choice, matching & true/false. So, what was it? … fill in the blank and true/false. — must be yet another test in patience.
MIAMI MEETING – (Fr Manny) — the Arch of Miami seminarians had a meeting reviewing our handbook.
ORGAN CONCERT — 8pm tonight was “An Evening of Sacred Music” by St John Neumann Festival Choir (all volunteers) at our St Raphael’s Chapel. The event was done to thank all the benefactors who have financial assisted the seminary with various projects, especially the repair of our organ (damaged in a hurricane years ago). A beautiful choir performance, but I would have like to hear more organ (– or more cowbell).
Pre-T bowl + croquet
PRE-T SOCIAL DAY — today, us Pre-Theology seminarians got together in the afternoon for some social bonding with some bowling at Bird Bowl. The pins were stubborn, but we had a great time. — I was “Agent Black”
SOCIAL PART 2 — afterwards, we played some Boggle [11 points for CLOISTER and body parts count] and then some Croquet in the backyard [freshly soded foot-tall grass] — I was out first.
STUDY GROUP — several evening study groups to prepare for tomorrow’s Arts & Ideas test on the medieval art period.
nominalism + Mandylion + sin catcher
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — turned in my reflection paper on the Christian religious icon “Mandylion.” In class we discussed nominalism … “Can God make a square circle? or a rock too heavy for God to lift?” … Aquinas says NO (can’t contradict himself) and William of Ockham says YES (can’t limit divine freedom).
LAUNDRY — Wednesday is my new laundry day and today was my first time at the new Pre-T house. Even with a busy day [3 morning classes, worklist, holy hour & finsh a reflection paper], I fit in my laundry time. As I was doing my drying, cleaning the “lint catcher” made me reflect on venial sins offered up at Mass — it could make for a good homily illustration. I took the “sin catcher” thought to “holy hour” and, since I remembered I left the dryer on, I also prayed I don’t burn the house down.
DOTS — lint catcher — house still standing — shrimp — no volleyball — online The Unit & Cane
leaking bucket + Hosea + Cuban food
MASS – (Fr Joseph) — Story of the “Leaking Bucket” … water flowers on path … just do what you’re asked to do.
OLD TESTAMENT – (Fr Michael) — we continued discussion on Major & Minor Prophets … then started Wisdom literature. I also turned in my “Bio-Poem” on the minor prophet Hosea:
Hosea
Israelite, prophet, husband, & father
Brother to Divine Empathy
Loves God, Israel, & Gomer
Who feels passionate, wounded, & righteous indignation
Who needs a family counselor, spiritual direction, & a “chillaxin” pill
Who fears self-righteousness, separation, & complacency
Who gives admonition, fidelity, & forgiveness
Who craves faithfulness, reunion, & restoration
Resident of (Northern) Israel
The Prophet
CULTURAL FOOD NIGHT — today was Cuban Food Night. — Great eating!
DOTS — morning rainbow — lead evening prayer — The Unit — Cane
gothic variety + gargoyles + corruptio
MASS – (Fr Santos) — when it comes to bad influences and avoiding scandal, be transparent and trust formation.
MODERN PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — summarize Hume.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY – (Fr Santos) — Aristotle‘s 3 kinds of soul … vegetative, animal & rational.
ARTS & IDEAS – (Fr Vallee) — discussed variations in gothic architecture: French/German, English, Spanish, & Italian Gothic. Then gargoyles (with water spouts) & grotesques (no spouts). // corruptio optima pessima est = “corruption of the best is the worst” // — guys care about winning, no matter what kind of baseball team.
MINISTERIAL METHODS — missed class ‘cuz of last night Denny’s (I think). — I can’t eat like some of these younger guys … old man!
SJVCS Seminary Life Album
July '09 -- hospital chaplains @ IPF
Easter '09 -- Miami SJVCS friends
the Son always finds a break in let the clouds
Feb '09 -- school vocation talks @ AMHS
Feb '09 -- cold breakfast with brothers (Matias, Fenly & Randy), now at SVDP and Imad (at SJVCS)
Superbowl '09 -- eating great @ SJVCS
Sept '08 -- Worklist Coordinators?
St Raphael Chapel mural @ SJVCS
Sept '08 -- retreats @ SJVCS
"It's not easy being green"
Catholic Kermit 
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