Yesterday was a sitcom-worthy day. A day in the life of the Rombses, to be sure. Before the break of dawn, Ron and I were drinking our little Italian coffees and I casually mentioned to him how much I loved my class last semester on the Theology of Grace. Ron and I started talking about it, and it took an unexpected turn, quickly becoming heated. I told him that his standard answer to "What is Grace" is not the answer the Angelicum offers. He got a bit prickly about that and he started arguing hard for his position. I got a little prickly myself and pushed back. I said that while everything he said is correct as far as I know, he is interpreting it in a way that leans away from the way Thomas Aquinas would put it. Ron said he was going to research it today and get back with me. He grabbed my Summa Theologiae I-II and two of his books on grace that I borrowed and marked up all last semester, and ran off to work.
I pick up Annie and Sebastian, and Annie tells me that she got in trouble for being late to school this morning. Her Italian teacher demanded: "Why are you LATE??" To which Annie replies in Italian: "My Mom and Dad got into an argument about the theology of grace." The teacher was so astonished that no words came. She just motioned for Annie to take her seat. Annie's frustration at us quickly waned as she realized what a cool excuse that was, and how unlikely it is ever to have come across the lips of any other 6th grader--maybe ever.
At 3:30pm, I had just returned home with 2 kids and 10 bags of groceries. As I was putting the food away, Ron bursts in the house and declares that he has gotten to the bottom of the situation: it is the difference between Aquinas and Rahner, he claims. In his most animated way, he takes me premise by premise through the fundamentals of the theology of grace, leading up to his big conclusion. So I ask him, "Now what do you say grace is?" and he gives his same answer from this morning. I laugh and tell him that is still not the Angelicum's answer. He starts all over with his argument. . . and we smell burning. Ron opens the oven and there were 2 pieces of toast burned to death. Smoke is billowing out of the oven and we rush to open all the windows so the alarm won't go off. Then Leigh calls, wondering where we are, as she is at the train station 15 minutes away, ready to be picked up. We forgot Leigh!
We took two kids to school late, almost burned down the house, and forgot another child. . .
. . . today Ron texted me quotes from yet more sources. We'll get to the bottom of it one day!
