Catholicism, holiness and spirituality

Learning Latin

A few months ago Nicholas, my older son, said he was seriously considering taking Latin as his foreign language in high school. He said that if you know Latin you'll understand a lot of things better because it's the foundation for so much.

So now that it's time to elect his foreign language for next year, I think he's going to choose Latin. St Xavier teaches Latin, and has a Latin Club that competes in six contests with other schools during the year. Yes, the Jesuit high school teaches Latin (they also practice, as a school, the daily examen once a week).

While I am not enthusiastic about using Latin in the church's liturgy, learning Latin sounds like a good choice for broadening one's education. I might just take some courses to accompany Nicholas along the way; I've heard there are some decent online resources for learning Latin.

A new St X Man

I think I mentioned a while ago - here or somewhere else maybe, that our older son Nicholas (known as Nick to everyone except me) was applying to the local Jesuit high school, St Xavier. Well, he did apply, he studied for months and took the entrance test, and yesterday we found out he was accepted!

Nicholas was his typical low-key self, much like me. He called me at work to let me know; as a young man of few words he didn't say much but I could hear his smile through the phone. I wasn't there when my wife found out, but I'm sure she jumped up and down, shouted a bit, and then cried.

As for me, I am very, very proud of Nicholas. He did work for and pray about this, and while we provided support and guidance it was pretty much all up to him. And I am very happy he's going to a Jesuit high school - one of the finest schools around. We spent a good deal of time looking into the school and talking with friends who have boys there (it's an all-boys school), and we were very impressed.

So here's to Nicholas - a new St X Man!

Advent is here!

Advent is here! Our family tradition is to put up our Christmas tree and decorations the first weekend of Advent. Putting the tree in the stand and stringing lights on it has always been my job, but this year the boys have helped me with that. They are getting old enough now to be a real help with these things, and that’s nice, because we always select large trees.

The boys were excited, even giddy, last night after we got the tree up and many of the decorations set out. There’s a real change in the atmosphere – furniture gets moved around to make room for the tree, decorations everywhere, Christmas music plays all the time, five or six crèches are set out, and the Advent wreath is setup. It all part of the expectations of Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year.

Two Different, Great Kids

It's really interesting to see my two boys growing up, and growing differently. My older son Nicholas would spend all his time on sports, re-runs of Mythbusters & America's Funiest Videos, and video games if we let him. My younger son Matthew shares the same TV interests, but would rather spend his time drumming, swimming and bouncing on the trampoline.

A few days ago I was outside working and heard Matthew practicing drums. I can hear him just about anywhere outside the house, except when I'm wearing ear protection and running a high decibel motorized device like a chainsaw or weed trimmer. As he played, I picked up on the beat and recognized it as the drum line to Back in Black, a song that was very popular back when I was a teen. And, the song was stuck in my head all day! A few days after that, I recognized another beat, but couldn't put my finger on the name of the song. So I took a look at his sheet music (he plays it all from sheet music made by his drum teacher), and found it was Hello I Love You by The Doors.

This weekend Nicholas and I spent three or four hours at the East-West track meet (big East-West rivalry here in Cincinnati; we're on the East side). His events were shot-put, discus and the 400 meter run. He had great results in the field events - 27' 11" in shot put and 65' in discus - but didn't place. Still, those are great numbers. But his favorite is the 400 M. He placed first in his heat, by a great distance as you can see in the picture, and second overall. He has a special affinity for the shorts he's wearing in the picture - he wears them for all his sports - soccer, basketball and track - and they are nearly worn out. We've suggested he try some different ones, or get some new ones, but he shakes his head and declines every time. Lucky shorts, I suppose.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all who read this! May this Easter day bring new life to us all.

This was the first Easter in years that we attended the Easter Vigil Mass. When the boys were toddlers we just didn't feel like trying to manage them through a two-plus hour mass; but now that they are older we gave it a shot this year. Our parish Easter Vigil mass was 2 hours and 45 minutes long this year - the longest I've attended. The music was provided by the university's Schola Cantorum choir and musicians, and it was just incredible. We had one baptism and accepted eight new members into the church. There were hugs, tears and high fives among them and their sponsors and family, which was a great sight to behold. Easter Vigil Mass is one of those things that I think every Catholic ought to participate in; it's one of those pinnacles of being Catholic.

Where do you come from?

Today's Gospel reading from the opening chapter of Matthew lists the geneaology of Jesus. It got me thinking of my own geneaology. I've always been interested in this - knowing where I came from gives me a feeling of stability, like the stability a keel gives to a sailboat. Lucky for me, my Bogner family history was researched and documented back in the 60's, shortly after I was born. It's put together in a nice blue, hard-back book with lots of pictures. Here's my geneaology, back as far as it could be traced at that time (birth years in parentheses, where known):

Johann Georg Bogner, Anna Marie Hartman (married 1784, Trockau, Germany)
Johann Martin Bogner (1786), m. Katerina Bopp (1785)
Johann Georg Bogner (1827), m. Eva Zirkel (1818)
Johann Baptist Bogner (1851), m. Eva Barbera Foerster
John Baptist Bogner, Jr. (1885), m. Rosalia Grassl (1888)
George Alfons Bogner (1932), m. Patricia Anne Schill (1934)
Steve Bogner (1966), m. Melinda Davis (1965)

In Matthew's day, a person's lineage said a lot about them. It was important where you came from and who was in your lineage. What does my lineage say about me?

It's interesting to think about that. Ancestors affect us long after they are gone because they have shaped the family culture that we live in. It's difficult to change that family culture, which can be both good and bad. How many times have you done something and later realized (or had it pointed out to you) that you acted just like your mom or dad? Sometimes we take pride in that, and sometimes it irks us.

A more interesting question to ponder is how will my actions and attitudes affect the generations that follow me? We have a tremendous opportunity, and responsibility, to positively shape the future by how we live today.

A solitary lunch

One of the things I miss about traveling for business is dinner out at a nice restaurant. Lucky for me, I haven’t traveled out of town for business the past few months. Most times, dinner was a solitary affair – just me and one of my favorite magazines. At the end of a long day, a nice dinner, a glass (or two) or decent wine, and an hour reading one of my favorite magazines was a real treat.

But please don’t get me wrong – being home every night, having dinner with my family – or picking up the boys from track practice, or watching a movie together, or going to Graeters for ice-cream, or taking a walk with my wife – those are all absolutely great. But I have grown to like my ‘alone’ time too; the introvert in me basks in that time, at least for a while.

So anyway, today Melinda had gum surgery and I stayed home to care for her. Having become familiar with what gum surgery entails, and how it is hereditary, I thank God that my parents had good gums (Thanks God! And mom, and dad too!). So we get home around 11 AM, she crashes after taking numerous pain & etc pills. I found that there was one more prescription to fill –so off to Kroger I go.

Now, I really like grocery shopping. So, I drop off the prescription and hit the rest of the store. I’m looking for interesting foods for my lunch…. A pre-packaged bacon-wrapped filet-mignon? But it’s supposed to rain soon – but I have a grill-pan, so in the basket it goes. At this point I’m running through a mental list of what’s in the ‘frig…. Now the produce aisle – shitake mushrooms… sure! Gotta have some good bread – and there’s an ‘artisanal’ 7-grain boule. Got it. Lunch is starting to come together.

When I get home. Melinda is zonked-out, slobbering all over the pillow (she’ll *kill* me when she reads this). I take care of that, and the prescription, and I’m off to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Get the grill-pan heating while I get a bottle of wine from the wine cellar (yes, I have a wine cellar)…. Coat the steak with a blend of chili pepper, cumin, salt, and coriander; put it in the grill pan. Do we still have that asparagus in the ‘frig? Yes! OK, here we go. Cut the asparagus into chunks, trim and slice the mushrooms. Saute them both in olive oil, add some salt and pepper, and add some leftover grilled potatoes from last night. Yum and done. A couple minutes more and the steak is done. Oh yeah, cut a slice of bread and warm it in the grill pan, drizzle with some extra-virgin olive oil.

Now, I sit down at the table, alone. The only sound is from the approaching thunderstorm. I spend a good 30 minutes, eating my lunch while reading the latest issue of Saveur. This is nice. Not that I want to do this every day, but it’s a nice change. Kind of like ‘old’ times.

I forgot about getting dessert at the grocery store…. In the pantry we have a box of Nutty Bars, and that works for me.

The pain pills have kicked in and she is sleeping through this raucous thunderstorm. A few bolts of lightning seem to strike really close, and the rain overflows the gutters. I made it halfway through my magazine, and feel replenished.

A quiet house

Our two boys have been on a camping trip the past two days & nights. It's amazing how quiet this house is without them around!

Their whole class (grades 4-6 - Montessori) went on a camping trip to a state park with a bunch of caves. And that leaves us alone for a few days - wow! We've taken a couple trips without them, but this is the first time they've left without us. So now we're getting a reminder of what our life & marriage were like pre-kids.

We were married for 8 years before having kids, and those years were flexible & fun! The past 11 years with kids have been challenging and fun. OK, maybe it hasn't been all fun all the time. But, these few days of not having the boys around have reminded me of how life's events change us. We - our selves, relationships, world-views and such - evolve in response to the lives we live. We will never be the same as we were before. While looking back with regret or nostalgia is natural and educational, if we look back at that too much we won't see what's right in front of us.

But how do we really know?

While we were putting laundry away tonight, Matthew started talking to me about God and heaven. He said:

Dad, you know how there's heaven and God, and when we die we go to heaven?

Sure, I said.

But, how do we really know there's heaven? I mean, it just sounds so illogical (that was the description this 10 year-old kept coming back to). There's this place that's real but we can't see it, and God is there and everywhere but we can't see him either. Has anyone been there and come back to tell about it?

Well, I said, Jesus talked a lot about heaven in the Bible.

Yeah, but how do we know that's all true? I mean, what if it's not, and when we die... there's nothing else? (And this is when he almost started crying).

Since Jesus said it was true and it's in the Bible, I believe it (as I was giving him a big hug).

I know about that, but I'm just not sure...

It's OK Matthew, even a lot of grown-ups aren't sure about it sometimes. It's OK.

I'm glad we did laundry together tonight.

First Communion Season

Springtime is First Communion Season. Last Sunday there were seven youngsters at my parish who received communion for the first time, and this weekend we've traveled back to Kansas for my neice's celebration. She is really excited!

Do you remember your first communion day? I've been thinking about that for a while. My aunt was the second grade CCD teacher, and she was in charge of the program. Our parish priest was Fr Cox, an Irish farmer/immigrant, former amateur boxer and a great man. He had this tradition of asking the first communicants a few questions - to make sure we were really prepared to receive the Body of Christ. Of course it was more symbolic than anything, and it was tradition.

On my First Communion Sunday I remember Fr Cox asking about how many people Jesus and the disciples fed with the loaves and fish, and being the over-archiever that I was/am, I promptly raised my hand. Of course he called on me, and my mind went blank. What was he asking about? Oh yeah, love and fishes, and something about 'how many.' But 'how many' of what? Think Steve, think! How many... It was Jesus and the disciples.... The disciples, the apostles... were 12! I said the number '12' rather confidently into a microphone for the whole church to hear. No, Fr Cox said, it was 5,000. I remember thinking no way were there 5,000 apostles. Years later I realized I was an over-achiever with a short attention span...

As the years went by, communion got to be very routine and I didn't give it a second or third or fourth thought. I drifted from the church and eventually came back, and now as a father and husband, as a man who has gone through trials and been the recipient of countless blessings, the Eucharist means much more than it ever has. So while I am sure that second graders may not fully understand what they are getting into, I'm sure that many adults wouldn't either. The important part about all of this, in my opinion, is that we get this process started - the process of communion with Christ.