This is the longest academic term I've ever had without a holiday; we started on August 20th, and will finish on Decemeber 22nd! and I haven't taken off a single day! I'm starting to feel the tiredness now...it's geting just that extra bit more difficult to tumble out of bed in the morning.
Also, I worked out that I haven't actually sat in a car or a bus since I've been married! I've been cycling around everywhere! no wonder my legs ache!
Unfortunatly for me I have an exam this Monday (8:45am GMT...if anyone wants to pray!) and so I can't quite give up on the academic work yet and wait for the hols to roll round. My exam is on Neurology, Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Elderly medicine...and so there is quite a LARGE volume of stuff to learn, and it's a case of you-can-never-know-it-well-enough-so-quit-surfing-blogs-and-revise!!
And oh! I have so much I'd like to blog about!
I have a post in-the-making about the doctrine of double effect and how that applies to condom use in monogamous-married-AIDS-sufferers, and then of course my massive theological 'contraception-why not?' post which is basically written, but is so long that not even I can stomach reading it! and then so many thoughts on Christmas, and how Jesus is about to be born, oh the joy!! and how Mary and Joseph must've been feeling; their humility and rock-like faith in God's help!
Chris & I still don't have anywhere to live (we are getting kicked out of this current house in a months time because the land-lady wants to sell it) and I am already starting to get a bit stressed out! (well, my stressed-out levels for lack of housing are currently being surpassed by my stressed-out levels for my exam on Monday)....but I can't imagine how Mary & Joseph must've felt...Mary being HOURS away from giving birth, away from home, in a bustling busy loud town with nowhere to live.
and then they had to go into a CAVE with animals and the Creator and Saviour of Mankind was born in such poverty.
That reminds me a bit of a thought I had during today's Gospel Luke 3:10-18, when John the Baptist is taking about Jesus:
John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water,but one mightier than I is coming.I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals..."
and then if you remember how shocked John was some time later when Jesus asked that John baptise him with water, but John replied that he wasn't worthy.
Now this is John, who had lept in his mother Elizabeth's womb when unborn-Jesus was near, and this is John who had spent his ENTIRE life, every second, preparing the way for Jesus. He was one holy holy holy holy holy guy.
and he say that he's not even worthy to lie in the dirt and undo one STRAP of Jesus's sandal.
and we get to recieve Jesus into our MOUTH and into our body every time we go to Mass!
My word, what an incomprehensible privilege! How *much* Jesus must love us to offer Himself to us in such a real and tangible way...avaliable for us whenever we want!!
and John wasn't worthy to undo the strap of his sandal, how much less worthy are we to recieve Jesus?! Yet He wants us to recieve Him and He wants to be close to us!
Wow! What boundless humility.
So let's try extra hard to make sure our souls and bodies are a worthy place for this Humble King, and let's imitate Him in humility.
Oh, also during today's Mass, our Priest made such a lovely comment about the second reading where St. Paul says (Phil 4:4-7)
Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always.I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all.The Lord is near.Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.
The rejoice part is so wonderful; we have to live with a deep rooted joy in our hearts, a joy that is based on an unchangeable truth of Christ's love for us, that is more important than anything else.
Our Priest also said that the word that St. Paul uses 'thanksgiving' is actually from the word 'Eucharistia'....or rather Eucharist as we call it now.
So St. Paul is actually telling people that if there is anything they need they should pray about it and go to Mass to make their prayers known to God!
Because God is there at Mass!! Jesus IS the Eucharist!!
anyway, my dinner is ready (thanks Chris! Such a sweet-heart..making me dinner while I am 'working'..coughs..!)
Just wanted to leave with this final comment from Mr. Smith...he wrote a great post on the simplicity of children and has a wonderful story to share about a conversation he had with a little girl!
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2 comments:
Antonia, I will keep you in my prayers for your exam on monday. Also on monday I have a job interview. Could you also keep me in your prayers? :)
Love always,
Jess xoxox
So where are you going on hols?
Or is that a secret???
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