Currently Listening Music of the World: Ukraine By Various Artists 8. Buckovina Polka see related

Matty's first Ecclesiological Rant of the year.....
clearing up some confusion (especially at the end)

Who remembers those crazy bracelets from the early to mid 90s that boasted the phrase, "What Would Jesus Do"?  Well, I have never owned one myself, but I remember them well.  There was always a play on words with these as well.... for instance, my good friend Jody from Topeka... when we were in college, he met the woman he later married and he sort of started calming down.  We were still acting stupid and like college guys, but Jody just tried to make sure we didn't get into too much trouble.  We started to say, "What Would Jody Do"?  Lately, the phrase has returned.  I think this photo below is pretty disgraceful, personally... I hesitated to even put it up here because I have been barraged and beaten up in the past for certain things I have put on here (i shrunk it down a bit)...  I will continue in a moment:

   I'm not going to talk about the picture, but I thought it would be a good reality-check into the world of slogans that we live in.  we live by them.  we love them.  they run everything we do. 
    Basically, I see WWJD as another way of saying, "what do you feel / think Jesus would do?  I mean....  i have this agenda, and i now i think that Jesus would do what i want to do... this way i can justify the way i am acting..." - like the guy in the picture.  give me a break!  Have you ever heard anyone say something like, "If Jesus were alive today (already there is a flaw here), he would protect the rainforests!!!"  or "...He would save the whales".... or "He would say Mass in Latin"... or "He would be a vegetarian".  This is all redunkulous.  I'm fine with protecting the rainforests - we need to.... i'm a fan of the whales.... i enjoy Latin Mass and see it as a valid answer to many people's spiritual needs... and i have often thrown around the idea of becoming a vegetarian (although, I am from Kansas, so this wouldn't work so well).

      I think the proper question here is, "WHAT DID JESUS DO"...  these things we can figure out.  His life was a witness, and the Church today is the mission.  Remember people, the Church doesn't have a mission..... the mission has a Church.   This is dogmatic Theology, my friends.  Jesus's words and His works are within the confines of Salvation History.  We read it within Christological Faith.  He IS alive today, and the mission continues.  There is a basic 'foundation' of the Church that we sort of go off of.  This is totally biblical, and incredibly Catholic.  We read Scripture as a "whole"... not in parts.  none of it works as well without the rest of itself.  That is improper English, but it makes the point for me....  There's this dood I'm a big fan of - - - his name is Johann Auer - - - we don't read him here at Mundelein (YET), but I think we should.  His name popped up in class, though, so that's where I got a lot of these ideas....  Auer was a stud, and incedentily, he is from Bavaria  where Fr Emery De Gaal is from, and also our new Pope Benedict XVI.

    I am going to lay out for you 8 basic Biblical foundations of the Church.  Johann Auer was the first to articulate this.  He came up with a 3 volume 'seminary textbook' thing, and only one was translated into English.  Maybe someday I'll start a cause for the continuation of translation and when some crazy Kansas nut starts the first "home schooled seminary" they can use these for sound Theological Formation...

The Jesus event

1. Baptism of Jesus
2. Announcement of the reign of God
3. Surpassing of John the Baptist (fulfillment)
4. The Kingdom is Jesus and Jesus is the Kingdom
5. Jesus is the Messiah
6. Jesus calls God "Abba..."
7. Jesus is the new Moses
8. Jesus is the Son of God

it's important for us to remember some things here --- as I mentioned before, one can never take these passages out of context.  For instance, we unpack each one slowly and carefully... they are packed pretty tight. Maybe sometime, I'll unpack one or two of them typologically or maybe even using Liturgical history or something.  whatever.

It's just all very exciting to see the mission of the Church continue, and when we look back into history, we can see that Christ has really paved the way for us all to be able to continue His work. It all started with the FATHER and then to the SON and the SON sent the HOLY SPIRIT and the HOLY SPIRIT gave birth to the CHURCH.... which is the same indwelling of the SPIRIT that Jesus was.  The Church is NOT an institutional construct created by humans.... without Christology - especially found biblically as I mentioned above - we cannot understand the Church.  The Church is a community who knows WHO their God is.  "Who is your God (exodus)"??  We know God through the divine personhood of Jesus Christ - just as the Jewish people knew who God is through the lawgiving prophets of old.

My last little rant is about Peter.  yeah - that's right - the "rock".  Just to clear up some confusions here in the language.  As we know, on an apologetical level at least, when we speak of the Church being rested upon and started with Peter as "first Pope (which is problemetic in itself)", we always say, "well Jesus said - "You are Peter and upon this rock I build my church"...  or "You are PETROS and upon this PETRA I build my church".  Petros is rock....  what is petra?  Many non-Catholic fundamentalists will say, "Petra is like 'little rock' or 'pebble'.  Not true at all.  Don't buy it folks!  Petra is the word for rock.... but it's a feminine word.  duh.  the Church is feminine.  but Peter was a dood.  We can't call him a feminine noun!!!!  So to change the gender of the noun, it becomes "petros".  That's all.  It's the same darn word. different ending.  that's all.

So anyway, now you know my thoughts on WWJD......  I simply change my thinking..... "WDJD".  What did Jesus do????  We know what He did.  We must continue the mission.  no - the mission continues, and we stay in the Church and she continues the mission with us.  Thank God for the Sacraments and the Holy Spirit!!!!!  -Matty Molnar

My birthday was wonderful.... THANK YOU.

can you find the monk in the picture?   

      This was taken in the back of a church un Lviv Ukaine this summer.  I sat here and prayed a rosary for a special friend I had met along the way, and this wonderful holy man of God hobbled his way across the scene......  every step more graceful than the last.  Amazing. 

      Today was my birthday.  Many things happened.  I fixed many internet ports, I heard from people in Germany that I hadn't heard from yet, I had dinner with 7 GREAT friends here in the seminary, I had a great conversation with my friend Nathan, I listened to some great tropical music, I learned some great Theology by Aquinas on the Moral Theology, I learned a bit about the beginnings of Reformation History, I had a couple of tasty gin-drinks, and I had a nice foreign cigarette..... 

      This weekend is our CAM retreat - (CAM is like "floor" at Mundelein..... i think it's because people from chicago would pronounce "Comraderie" like "CAMraderie"..... i don't know).   We leave at 8 in the morning.  It is 2:30.  wish me luck.  i am in charge of food, by the way.............

       So....... like this lovely monk in the picture, so are our lives..... hobbling towards what they are headed for.  don't rush.  take your time.  enjoy the scenery.  life is worth living.  God is good.  smell the fresh air.  pray.  be holy.  do what you are supposed to be doing.  Love God, and do what you will..........  I hope it fits into God's plan.  do what you can. 

               happy birthday.
                        Matty

p.s.  THANK YOU so much for responding to my last blog.  I seriously appreciate it.  I didn't mean for a guilt trip....  you are all so wonderful.  I am blessed to have great friends.....

The blog goes on even though nobody responds......

Now there's an interesting picture.  This was one of my last nights in Mexico.  Dan is my good friend on the left side of the photo.... he's 2nd Theology here at Mundelein.... then me, then my good friend Nathan (right) who was just great help for me in Mexico.  They are both great guys and wonderful seminarians.  Dan studies for Green Bay (he is from Osh-Kosh) and Nathan studies for Joliet here in Illinois (from Kankakee).  We went to this great Cantina place which had 2 live mariachi bands each night.  They would dual and what not.  It was a great place with ok food and cheap cervezas. 

This picture was taken in Kiev, Ukraine.  That is my friend Karin on the right (pronounced like "car in the garage").  She was wonderful and became a great friend on the trip.  The lady in the middle had this whole vat of strange milled-wine type stuff that we tried.  I enjoyed it - most did not.   I have a few other funny photos with Karin I'll have to include sometime.  If I had her permission, I would put a bit on her life.... she is quite an amazing and inspiring person with many gifts and talents.  One thing, though.... she didn't really take many pictures on the trip.  She had a sketch book and would DRAW everywhere we went.  Also, she ate all of our vegetables at every meal because she is vegetarian .  Pretty hillarious, actually. Honestly, though, she is quite inspiring and just a wonderful person and friend.....

This picture was taken after being awake for about 30 hours.  Personally, I think i look ok..... maybe a little out of it.....  nevermind.  The guy on the left side is Tarasz who was pretty much our tour guide.  He is a great man of God - a former seminarian - and really took good care of our group.  He and I became good friends on this trip.  Many insights from ol' Tarasz.  Ivan is the big guy in the middle.  He is to be married soon, and then Diaconate Ordination, and then Priesthood Ordination.  Ukrainian Catholic --- yes, their Priests can Marry.  His fiance is a wonderful gal named Maria.  Ivan is a great guy as well, and really got our group moving on occasion when we were slow.  This picture was taken on the bus after we got out of customs in the airport.... I had just met these guys and got to know the crazy Ukrainian bus quickly......

Soon I will finally include some deeper thoughts, perhaps on some Theology or something......  who knows.  I am not sure that people really read my blog!

Tomorrow, Archbishop Keleher is on campus teaching a class - and he will join us for Mass at 11:30 and then evening prayer and dinner with our KC KS group.  It will be great to see him.  The only choir I am in now here at the seminary (besides a select schola I have been given permission to put together) is the spanish choir.  We do the music ministry tomorrow..... sweeeeeeeeet.

God bless you!  -Matty

campin' like a fooooool......

thanks to Gerard Alba for the picture!

well, Nature's Call was awesome.........  the people that show up are always amazing.... the food is fine..... the Mass is great..... the Priests rock..... the FOCUS missionaries are abundant..... ex-seminarians are too..... seminarians are present.... deep conversations are abundant..... future married couples meet.....  ex-seminarians come out of the woodworks..... cuban cigars are smoked...... tasty scotch is tasted...... and good time are had.......

Thanks to Greg Doring for Natures Call
there are only 2 that I haven't made it to.....

Currently Listening Ellitmane Toh By Nawal Al Zoghby 10. Ya Habibi Ana see related

Back at the seminary

the above picture was taken in Bayenburg, the town I stayed in when we were in Germany .  I sure hope to return there someday.  It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life!!!  Unfortunately, I haven't heard back from very many of the folks I met on that trip...  maybe they're still pooped out from all the work they did for World Youth Day?

Well I am back at the seminary.  It is good to be back.  It is peaceful here.  So peaceful - so prayerful.  We got a new music director here at Mundelein, and I think she is just fabulous..... she might whip us around to have a good choir and what-not!  For the biggest seminary in the country, it's sad that we have the worst choir in the world.... .  That's not a huge exaggeration, but important to mention that this won't be the case for much longer.  Linda Cerabona (isn't that Italian for "good wax" or something?) is amazing.  I look forward to learning from her about Liturgical Music....

This weekend I will be going with Jared Cheek and Gerard Alba to the Nature's Call Campout - this always proves to be a great time.... a good campout with good friends, tasty food, a little beer (or Makers Mark), and a lot of sun and water.  It's a long drive, but we will probably take stop in St. Louis or Belleville IL and stay the night...

I have been busy here at Mundelein setting up e-mail accounts and turning on ports.  People have been very patient and I plan to have everything finished by tomorrow.... at this rate, it should occur!!  Thanks to good help, anything is possible!!

Have a great day and God bless you ---  Matty