Normalcy

Normalcy: At times I crave it as as seminarian. I live this rather set-apart life on a rural hilltop with an almost all-male population and days filled with prayer, Mass, classes, and discernment. It's not a normal life, and it shouldn't be. Preparing for the priesthood should demand a great deal from the candidate because the priesthood demands a great deal from the priest. Yet a drop of normalcy feeds the soul. As funny as it sounds, finals week felt oddly normal to me.

Perhaps because I have been a student the better part of my life, testing and writing synthesis papers seems second nature even though college is four-and-a-half years behind me. The crunch of fitting it in, the pressure of showing your work throughout the semester, the cramming of facts and ideas into my head -- all of it reminded me that in all I am doing, I am simply a student.

Other moments during finals week brought out normalcy too. My seminarian brothers excitedly departed to families and Christmas breaks, though not all of us were privileged to journey home. Some seminarians come from Africa and will celebrate Christmas with second families in the United States. Some could not afford airfare. Some had no home or were unable to return to it because of instability in their countries. My sacrifice seems so minimal compared to the Vietnamese, Columbian, Nigerian, or Ivory Coast seminarians who do not have return plans in their future. I simply hopped in the car after completing my last final on Friday, drove eight hours, and found a light on, a bed ready, and a family eager to welcome me. The biggest obstacle I faced was light snow in the Blues Mountains. I am immeasurably blessed in the normalcy of my life. Perhaps my most significant obstacle is letting go of the creature comforts that come with a blessed American life.

Normalcy appeared in odd places during finals week. I bought a rug and coat rack for my room, and it felt much cozier and personal. Normalcy. I went on a run around the hilltop on Wednesday as the clouds broke, allowing streams of sunlight through the dusk sky. Normalcy. I spoke with the choir director about the variety of things one can purchase on Amazon.com these days. Normalcy. I tried to help someone jumpstart their vehicle. Normalcy, all of it.

In a place like Mount Angel where so much is asked of us each day, moments of normalcy allow for my defenses to fall and life to feel real and authentic. Pray, if you would, that normalcy greets me and the other seminarians regularly. If we are to be excellent priests, we must understand the world and live in it even while we train for something otherworldly.

I have long neglected to post much the last few weeks, but I promise more frequent updates during this Christmas break as I have time and space to contemplate my first semester. Thanks for reading, for praying, and for walking with me in this journey. Let us rejoice in this week of preparation for Christ's coming! The incarnation is near!