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The noise of a new semester has begun. A welcomed sight after weeks of being at a near-empty university during the holiday break.
We’re back. Back to the same dorm room, with the same friends, and the same faces. And yet, despite all the familiarity, a new semester always gifts us the opportunities to see the world around us differently. There are new faces to see, new strangers to meet, new anxieties to process. And while that reality may be daunting, it is good news.
“What am I looking for?” is the question we should all ask ourselves at the start of a new semester, a new year. What am I looking for? To ask ourselves that question allows us the space to face the truths of our hearts. To be completely honest with ourselves. We look for love, for success. We look for joy, a place to belong. We’re all looking for something - something to fill us, to satisfy us, to bring about meaning in our lives.
Familiarity can be good. It helps us to find comfort. But it can also dim the journey of discovering what it is that we’re looking for in life. The danger of living our lives on auto-pilot exists in the familiar, as does the surrounding ourselves only with like-minded friends and faces. To discover what it is that we want the most means to embrace a life of adventure, of experience. It is the practice of stepping out of the familiar and into the unknown. It’s being a risk-taker, a gambler, a daredevil.
There’s an Erin Hanson poem that I think captures this reality:
There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask "What if I fall?" Oh but my darling, What if you fly?
Life is good, and there is so much goodness in this world. Whatever it is that you are looking for in life exists, I promise. Whatever it is that you are looking for in life is waiting to be discovered. Embrace the adventure, the opportunity, the newness. Discover new things about yourself and those around you. Don’t get stuck on auto-pilot. And try your best not to give into despair.
May your new semester be filled with new adventure, with new experiences, with a life well-lived.
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
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Welcome to spring semester 2023! In the Catholic Church we are now in the season of ordinary time. By ordinary time, we don’t mean plain or un-exciting or boring. Ordinary time in the church is the time in between the big seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. During this time we hear the stories of Jesus’ daily life, the miracles he performed, the parables he told, and the calling of the Twelve Apostles. The liturgical color for this ordinary time is green symbolizing that ordinary time is a time of growth. The use of the word “ordinary” as a season in the church means that we are “ordering” our days. There’s a rhythm in the days and weeks. This rhythm isn’t a time to be complacent or lazy. It is a time to learn and grow and develop new habits that can transform our lives.
As we begin the new semester, may we as a St Ambrose community, commit daily to helping one another pray, grow, learn, and act with justice.
-Tammy Norcross-Reitzler, Director of CampusMinistry
