Thursday, February 12, 2009

Theology of the bubbly

Today, I found a way to stay alert during my two-hour class at the John Paul II Institute, the longest of my grad-school classes and the only one I am taking at that center for theology of the body/Balthasarian spirituality. (Normally, I study across the street at Dominican House of Studies.)

I brought a bottle of Diet Pepsi to class. Every time the professor used the expression "complete self-gift" (or "self-giving"), "total self-gift," or "complete and total self-gift," I took a swig. (I stopped counting at twelve swigs.)

Also meriting a swig was the mention of Lumen Gentium's universal call to holiness; the professor mentioned it once today. And I was ready to take a swig at the mention of Gaudium et Spes 22, but the only time it came up was when a student mentioned it, which doesn't count.