The week here has been so amazing, it has been more than a week of lectures but really an immersion in the Theology and an opportunity to change hearts…mine in particular. The content of the lectures has been exactly like a regular intensive lecture series with six hours of talks a day but this is theology taught the way theology should be taught. The Institute has been given permission to reserve the Blessed Sacrament so effectively we are studying in a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament watching over us. There is also a team of ‘pray-ers’ who come to the conference centre and pray before the Blessed Sacrament in another room. They are interceding for those on the course. We have Mass each day as well as confession and adoration time.
Last night we had a penance service. The Theology of the Body TOB team set up one of the rooms full of lit candles and we had exposition of the Blessed Sacrament while eight of the priests on the course heard confessions. We also have some talented musicians (including a classical pianist) who played some beautiful hymns while we were at prayer. For me the time of prayer was a rich time. I don’t know why but I did feel the presence of the Lord which I don’t recall feeling like that for a long time, in fact I don’t recall experiencing His presence so closely since perhaps even before I went into the seminary! It has been a blessing that this course has been set in the midst of a retreat. World Youth Day really wore me down and if it is possible to work too closely with Church related matters then that 12 months was that experience. It was a phenomenal opportunity to help plan the largest faith event in Australia’s history but it took a very deep faith toll on me.
One other things we did yesterday which was a little different was watch the movie ‘The Truman Show’. It really is an powerful movie that shows the strength and created power of human freedom to seek out the truth and also the desire of other forces to keep us trapped in our ignorance. The Christian/anti-Christian symbols are strong and we all had a good discussion after the movie.
I must add a note about how blessed a presenter Christopher West is. He is such a gifted speaker, I would love to be able to captivate people the way in which he does. And oh my gosh the man has a MASSIVE repertoire of music and movies in his head. We will be going through a part of the TOB text and all of a sudden he will launch into a pop sing that speaks so clearly about the particular theme he is on about. He calls all these secular artists ‘twisted mystics’ and if you ever spend a week on this course with Christopher West you will see why. He is all for taking the popular art of the culture and using it to explain the mysteries of Christianity. It is the way Christianity has worked since St Paul used the altar to the unknown god to tell the pagans about Christ.
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