Expectant

I experienced my first-ever session with a "spiritual adviser" yesterday. Admittedly, I was skeptical at first, as the idea of paying someone money to dispense wisdom of a luminous nature seems...counter-intuitive.

Friends, it was worth it.

We talked for a long time, she gave me some literature, some words of counsel. And these two quotes, which I have since carried:

"Expect that a miracle is about to manifest."

"The Mystery never leaves you alone. Behind your image, below your words, above your thoughts, the silence of another world waits. A world lives within you."
-John O'Donahue

St. Academius?

Seminary requires an academically hefty load, what with exegesis and history and research and all that. It's also expensive, especially if you're an Episcopalian.

So who is going to Seminary? Who is succeeding in Seminary? If the answer is "rich folks who have a Bachelor's degree and are good at writing analytical research essays on Biblical exegesis," well...

Do we really want a homogeneous presbytery? Jesus' disciples were diverse people from all walks of life. All kinds of different backgrounds, economic statuses, and talents. Fishermen and tax collectors, whew.

I'm not saying our priests shouldn't be well-trained and versed in church history, homiletics, exegesis and all that good stuff. I'm just saying that maybe it's not as important as we think it is. I've met loads of people who have been priests without being ordained, if you know what I mean. (And conversely, we all know clergy who really ought to stick with tax-collecting.)

Who is going to Seminary? Who can go to Seminary? Who succeeds in Seminary? Just some stuff to think about.