Prayer and Study

One of my favorite saints is Saint John Chrysostom. He was a “golden mouthed” (the meaning of Chrysostum) bishop of the ancient Church. It was fascinating to learn and celebrate such great a saint and how his journey helps us in our own journeys.

In St. Andrew’s College Seminary, the prime activities we engage in are prayer and study. Those two above all else are what seminary is about. Our time here is definitely built around our university classes and the Liturgy of the Hours. They make up the backbone and greatest percentage of our daily life here at the seminary.

In prayer, we engage Our Blessed Lord and continue to discern His calling. We become more humble, more simple, and more self-aware. In study, we learn and push ourselves to better understand the world around us and the intellectual life of God’s Church.

I can say personally that the two go hand in hand for our overall wellbeing and growth. Taking academics to prayer and sanctifying our studies brings further enrichment and can ease anxieties. Whereas taking our faith into our studies, allows us to better grasp the inner workings of Scripture, know about God more, and appreciate the great, saintly thinkers of old. We do all this, with hope for ourselves to grow, but even more, so that we can feed the sheep readily someday. Just like Saint John Chrysostom.