"Love Is...": Watching Rom-Coms with the Church

I hate admitting this, but you have been so kind to read my blog. Yeah, I watch chick flicks. Sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I prefer other genres. But every now and then, I'll catch myself watching "Just Friends" or "(500) Days of Summer" on Netflix. So maybe I'm more of a romantic comedy guy. My ACE roommates will tell you that I would often sit in the living room pretending to do my schoolwork while Mary, Lindsey, LeAnn, and Alyssa laughed (and cried) while watching "The Vow."  I didn't. I promise.

(Bravissimo)

Before you take my man card, let me explain myself. What is the appeal of these movies? As men and women, we are made from and for love. Created in the image and likeness of Love Incarnate, we can be certain that where love is, there also is the Lord. Seminarian disclaimer: there are indeed false understandings of love in a lot of these movies. Now that is off my chest, I can confidently say that the sappiest lines in these chick flicks reveal a greater truth. Through all the hijinks and missteps throughout the movies, the part that we really tune in for is the moment when one of the characters romantically, eloquently, awkwardly, and truly reveals his/her love for the other. Some examples:

• "I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." When Harry Met Sally

• "The fame thing isn't really real, you know. And don't forget, I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." Notting Hill

• "I love you. You complete me. And I just..." "Shut up, just shut up. You had me at 'hello.'" Jerry Maguire 

• "Our love is like the wind: I can’t see it, but I sure can feel it." A Walk to Remember

• "Take love, multiply it by infinity and take it to the depths of forever… And you still have only a glimpse of how I feel for you." Meet Joe Black

There is something historical, even Christian about these lines like these. No, I'm serious. Here, look:  

• "And what is a kiss, specifically? A pledge properly sealed, a promise seasoned to taste, a vow stamped with the immediacy of a lip, a rosy circle drawn around the verb 'to love.' A kiss is a message too intimate for the ear, infinity captured in the bee's brief visit to a flower, secular communication with an aftertaste of heaven, the pulse rising from the heart to utter its name on a lover's lip: 'Forever.'"  Cyrano de Bergerac

• "Come what sorrow can, it can not countervail the exchange the joy, that one short minute gives me in her sight." Romeo and Juliet

• "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

• "Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you. You called, you shouted and you shattered my deafness." St. Augustine

Could you imagine the camera slowly zooming into Augustine's tearful face as he stands on a foggy train platform in front of a blonde (also crying) and says, "...and you shattered my deafness"? I can! Only...he was saying this to Jesus, who's unfathomable and inescapable love turned a sinner into a saint. We watch the movies and swoon over these lines because they appeal to our nature. They reflect our desire to love and be loved.

(An accurate summary of how St. Theresa of Avila felt about Christ )

I have mentioned the marital language used to describe a relationship between a priest and the Church. The seminary is a time for me to date the Bride of Christ. The beginning of a relationship is always thrilling. You meet someone special and, all of a sudden, you are willing to make just about any sort of excuse to spend time with her. I don't particularly enjoy coffee, rom-coms, and reading twenty text messages a day. Yet its funny how quickly I forget this when I start dating someone. 

Beginning seminary has been similar to the start of a relationship. Its exciting, awkward, and a little nerve-racking. This must mean that I have found someone special. My first dates with the Church have included waking up very (VERY) early in the morning to read the Word of God and attend Mass, adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, spending time at Her House with Her Mother (aka praying the Rosary in the chapel), listening to Her beautiful and liberating teachings, and talking to Her about EVERYTHING in the Sacrament of Confession (if you haven't gone to Reconciliation in a while, just go!).

Here is my point: there is a Christian connection between the genuine expressions of love quoted in chick flicks, the "butterfly-in-the-stomach" feeling we get when we begin a relationship with someone special, and love of Christ that surrounds us. Jesus' love for us is scandalous. What does that mean? I don't mean scandalous in a bad way. His love is so deep and complete that it overwhelms us. It offends our sensibilities that someone so perfect could love someone so imperfect. In short, we don't deserve it, but it is given to us anyway. Without reservation. It is scandalous that an image like this is appropriate for our churches and homes:

(Ecce, Agnus Dei)

Look at it for a second. That is a lamb. A cute lamb. Bleeding...into a cup? This is the scandal that I am talking about. Its almost cheesy, like one of those movie lines, right? Jesus loves us so much that He offers His very Body and Blood to us in the Holy Eucharist. He so desires to be with us that He scandalously allows us to literally consume Him.

I am falling in love with Christ right now. Am I positive that I am called to be a priest? No. While I am discerning the priesthood, I am also listening carefully to see if Jesus wants me to be a husband and father. That is what this process is all about. The refinement that is taking place within me leads to a win-win situation. I believe God has blessed me with gifts to be good at either vocation. God will make it clearer as I deepen my relationship with Him. If I make my prayers as romantic as the lines from chick flicks, if I make excuses to spend as much time with Him as I possibly can, then I will be molded into a better father, regardless of whether I am a priest or husband. Undoubtedly. 

(Fashioning my heart after His)

On the topic of dates, check out my brother Tom's blog: http://thomasrkelly13.weebly.com/blog.html

Tom took the Brothers and Sisters Kelly on "dates" this past week. He leaves for South Sudan this weekend. Tom will be spreading the Gospel by teaching with the Salesian Lay Missionaries for two years. I will miss him, but I am incredibly proud of my best friend. Please pray for him.

On Angels, Addictions, Jesus, and True Love Songs

I am a radio channel surfer. Honestly, its the only way I come across good music. I was driving my brother Robert (the Bruce) to soccer practice the other day, and this song came on:

(You need to play it for any of this to make sense.)

Beautiful. Maybe you have heard it. The song called "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran. I immediately started listening to the lyrics, a habit I only revert to when the song strikes my fancy. It hit me by the second verse. "Whoa. This song is about a prostitute who sells herself to pay for illegal drugs." Could I really like this song as much as I did? I felt a bit guilty singing along. I decided to pray about it...

As I pondered the lyrics, I realized that I heard them before in an unlikely place: the Holy Mass. More specifically, during the Proclamation of the Gospel. Follow along:

"Cause we're just under the upper hand..."

(Matthew Collecting Taxes for the Romans)

"...go mad for a couple grams..."

(The Gerasene Demoniac)

"...and she don't wanna go outside tonight..."

(The Samaritan Woman at the Well)

"...and in a pipe she flies to the motherland or sells love to another man..."

(Mary Magdalene Anoints Jesus' Feet)

"...its too cold outside for angels to fly."

(The Woman Caught in Adultery)

Mr. Sheeran masterfully sings about how the "worst things in life come free to us." Ladies and gentlemen, sin is attractive, pleasurable, and all-too-easy to commit. But it is not without consequences. Like the young woman in the song, sin completely wears us down, leaving us desolate and miserable. Worst of all, it is addictive. 

Sin affects all of us. Failure is one of the few things each unique woman and man has in common. Yet, we are so prone to judge others for it. Too often, we define are neighbors by their imperfections: "greedy," "alcoholic," "homeless," "fat," "slut" (to name a few). I'm guilty of this hundreds of times over. Our brother's and sister's misfortunes are easy to joke about. Take the "top ranked" comment on YouTube for this video: "Hello and welcome to Ed Sheeran presents: Crack Whore - The Musical!" Here's where the commentator is wrong: Ed never once called the subject of his song a "crack whore." I seem to remember him describing her as an angel. Ed's philanthropy reaches out to prostitutes and addicts. The song reflects on an encounter he had with a woman he met in a shelter.

This is a true love song. It is the same song Christ sang to Matthew, Peter, Zacchaeus, Mary Magdalene, you and me. Ed, like Jesus, takes tragedy caused from sin and weaves it into a beautiful melody. Suddenly, by looking through Christ's eyes, we see the dignity of this "angel." You see, we cannot love our neighbor while equating them with their sin. Imagine the song playing in our Lord's mind as He hung between Heaven and Earth for the very men who mocked, spat on, and struck Him.

What love songs are you writing for the suffering you encounter? Marquette friends, what is the melody you compose for the poor you see on your way to class? ACE DC friends, what are the lyrics  you write for the students who drive you absolutely crazy before they return to a broken home? Brother seminarians, what is the tune in our hearts when we encounter those who ridicule the Church? I pray that we can sing as wonderfully as our Lord and Ed Sheeran. 

Put Out into the Deep...Becoming a Renaissance Priest

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Praised be Jesus Christ! I promised many of you that I would keep you updated on my journey in the seminary. I hope this blog serves as a forum for musings and prayer. It is good, as Christian pilgrims, to share our experiences with one another. I want to thank you in advance for your continued prayers. Know of mine for you!

So what is this all about? Jack Kelly? A Priest? Believe me, this question is the first thing that crosses my mind in the morning (and has been for the past eight months). This Saturday, I begin to   answer this question as my official formation begins at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus.

The motto of the Josephinum (aka "Brosephinum" aka "the Josh") is Forming Renaissance Priests for the New Evangelization. I like this. I like it a lot. In short, a Catholic renewal begins with well-rounded men willing to give themselves completely to the service of Jesus Christ, the Church, and the people of God. Faith is infectious. Take the guy shaving. Blessed Pope John Paul II was the quintessential "renaissance priest." I speak for many seminarians in my generation when I claim JPII as the model and motivation for my discernment of the priesthood. Karol was an athlete, thespian, academic, and artist. As Bishop of Rome, the Renaissance City (yeah Florence, I said it), he used the world as his palette and the Word of God as his paint brush. He conducted a masterful, charismatic symphony of evangelization and charity. I desire to be a "Renaissance Priest" following his example. The holistic formation offered by PCJ represents an incredible opportunity. I am so ready to get started. 

Seminary formation is not a time for "discovery." A man should know who he is and what he wants to be when he begins formation. Rather, this is a time for refinement. The Renaissance master Michelangelo once remarked: "I saw an angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." I am entering the seminary because I see a priest within myself. More importantly, God sees a priest within me. Here is the great thing...Jesus is the sculptor! Its like the Lord says to the Prophet Jeremiah: "Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel" (Jer. 18:6)." While Christ chips away at the things I do not need, I have a role to play as well. I become supple through my prayer, studies, and pastoral work. It is comforting to know that I am called to cooperate with the Master Artist.

So what is this all about? Why become a diocesan priest? Didn't you go to Jesuit schools for eight years? Isn't your Confirmation name Ignatius? I love the Society of Jesus. I really love St. Ignatius. That said, I was attracted to the charism of the diocesan priesthood. I have always been a family man (see below). The diocesan priest has the unique opportunity to build a family as he builds a parish. There is a reason we call priests "Father." As my prayer and discussions with my spiritual director progressed, I learned that my natural desire to be a husband was not eliminated in the priesthood, but REALIZED in the priesthood. Think about it. A priest (masculine) is wed to the Church (feminine). Literally. The Eucharist, bread nourished in the womb of the Church, is given life by the words of consecration whispered by the priest. This is the ultimate act of procreation. Really romantic, but entirely true. Parish priests are with families throughout their lives: from Baptism to First Communion, from Matrimony to the funeral rite. When I was teaching in DC, I witnessed the difficulties families went through when Jesus was not invited into the home. A Renaissance Priest can affect change in a family's relationship with God.

So what is this all about? Why Toledo? Toledo is on the verge of a renaissance. Perhaps it has already begun. Those of you from Detroit, Milwaukee, or Pittsburgh have seen the decline in industry, population, and hope. Do not let your hearts be troubled, ye dwellers of the Rust Belt! Your cities are not going anywhere...except up! A strong city needs a vibrant faith life. Christ is calling me to minister to the city that was the cradle of my family. I have a fierce loyalty to all things Toledo. I love glass,  corn, Jeeps, Packo's, the Mud Hens, St. John's Jesuit, Schoens, and the good people of this diocese. God is calling me to "be strong for (Holy) Toledo." I love the opportunity God has given me to be a part of this town's resurgence. 

When Jesus called His first disciples (the first priests), He asked them to "put out into the deeper water." Deep water is unknown, mysterious, and sometimes dangerous. Notice what Peter says to Christ in the very next line: "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets" (Lk. 5:5). Like Peter, I was quite comfortable when the water was up to my knees. Fishing from the shore is much easier than casting nets into the middle of the sea. Am I entering seminary without doubt, hesitancy, or even a little fear? No way! But there is something comforting in Jesus' invitation. It is my prayer that my trust in Christ fashion me into a fisher of men.

It is with great confidence (and humility) that I offer God the words of Our Blessed Mother found in today's Gospel: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for He has looked with favor on His lowly servant."

This is what it is all about.