Tuesday, January 23, 2007

new semester

Well, I've been back from Christmas break for a couple weeks and it's been forever since I've posted (again). I spent a week helping out Fr. Paul Beach, my former spiritual director, a week with my family, and a week with Fr. Bob Ray, the priest I worked with last summer. But, I couldn't really "help out" like they really needed it, in terms of taking a couple Masses (!)... it was more like "hanging out". I did serve all the Masses though in an M.C. sort of fashion which I think heightens the solemnity and reverence of the liturgy a little bit, apropos to the season. Plus I personally find it tremendously rewarding. It was my pleasure to help out as little as it may have been.

In case anyone is curious, here are the highlights of the goodness Santa delivered to my stocking :)
A little shelf stereo for my room at the seminary
The episodes of the unjustly canceled and thoroughly excellent show Firefly on DVD
2 CD's: Wow Hits 2007 (Christian) and... wait for it... Journey's Greatest Hits! I know, I know... but before you laugh I have an endearing little story that explains it all. My dad's name is Perry. It just so happens that the lead singer of the band is Steve Perry. So when my family used to go on road trips with my three brothers and I squeezed into the backseat and Journey would come on the radio my dad would glance back at us and ask, "Steve Who?!" and we'd yell "Perry!" hehe
My brother Nick got me Looking at the Liturgy: A Critical View of its Contemporary Form by Aidan Nichols, O.P.
I bought myself Our Lady and the Church by "the other Rahner," Hugo Rahner, S.J. About this classic work then-Cardinal Ratzinger stated: "This marvelous work is one of the most important theological rediscoveries of the twentieth century."
It ranks up there with The Mother of the Savior and our Interior Life by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., which I also bought myself
Plus I got an iTunes gift card which is always good... so Christmas was awesome.

This semester I'm taking:
Modern and Contemporary Catholicism
Theological Anthropology
Synoptic Gospels
Doctrine of God
Foundations of Moral Theology and
Pastoral/Ecclesiastical Spanish

I hope to update the course book list at the bottom right of this blog eventually
I'm also going to publish some papers from last semester so you have that to look forward to :)

4 comments:

Amy said...

yay! you're back. I miss you. I know, I know what you're saying, I'd call if i REALLY missed you. Life takes over and I don't have real excuses. More posts please.

Fr. Matthew Hardesty said...

that's OK Boo... I know we're mutually always "there"
I miss you too... I even toyed with the idea of flying to Denver for my winter break with a free flight I earned through Southwest. But I decided to give it to my Dad so he could come attend my reception of the Ministry of Acolyte on Jan 31. I'm going to drive to Steubenville to visit Nick instead, so it's all good.
Pray for me that, worthily, Introibo ad altare Dei, Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.
("I will go into the altar of God, the God of my gladness and joy")

Anonymous said...

I actually have Journey's Greatest Hits...and listen to it frequently.

I was great seeing you at the March! :-)

Laura H. said...

I have Journey's Greatest Hits too. Don't be ashamed. Journey is one the greatest bands of all time - no doubt about it.