still alive!

Hello! Despite my 4 day silence I am still alive & well!

This last week has been pretty busy; I had more of those 'great' 11-hour days in the hospital and most evenings were spent revising till midnight.

I have still managed to get to the rosary prayer group & adoration pretty much every evening this week, as well as evening Mass and stations of the Cross, but that means that by the time Chris & I get back home it's about 7:45pm, we then cook & eat dinner, which takes till at least 9pm or later, I then check my emails and sort random stuff out, and then start with revision again till midnight.

so yeh, it's been busy. We're trying to organise a retreat for ourselves for the weekend before Easter just to have an opportunity for silent peaceful reflection before Holy Week begins.


In other news...I got my hair cut!
Just so you can compare what it is now like to how it used to look, here is a picture of me from Friday at a medic's dinner I went to (after stations of the Cross)

I decided to get it cut extra-short, and I think it looks kinda nice!

Yesterday I spent my day doing Year 2 catechism instruction with twenty 7-8 year olds. I have started helping out with first communion preparation this year and I'm really enjoying it!
In our parish children who don't go to Catholic schools take a 3 year catchecism instruction course to prepare them for their first communion, and so I'm helping with the 2nd year of that.

Yesterday we did "The Mass" -- how can you possibly convey 'The Mass' to two-dozen squirming children in a couple of hours?!

I tried to make sure I planted a couple of seeds though, like making sure they children know exactly *what* happens on the altar, and making sure they know that the bread really becomes JESUS's body, and the wine really becomes JESUS's blood, and making sure they know what the tabernacle is for, and who is inside, and that they must always kneel down when passing the tabernacle, and say hello to Jesus and tell Him they love Him.

There is quite a lot of variation in the amount of knowledge the children have; some are totally clueless, and have no idea, whereas others know a bit more (e.g. some had zero idea that Jesus died on Good Friday, whereas others knew that the Last Supper was on the Thursday). It's also quite sad that some 8 year olds didn't even know the Our Father!


These classes are good in that they can plant seeds and try to convey some information to the children, but really the most over-whelmingly powerful influencing factors are the parents. We can only do so much in a couple of hours every few weeks, the parents can form their children daily in their example and instruction.
But none-the-less, I hope that the children take something away from these classes, consciously or not.

I have really enjoyed reading all your blogs today! It's been pretty difficult not surfing blogs all week! A couple of times I've gone to 'My Favourite Blogs' list and hand to restrain myself from clicking and surfing. But I guess that is what Lent is all about! It has certainly helped strengthen my will and self-denial.

I also apologise because I know I owe some people emails, and I haven't done it yet. I'm sorry. I will reply, I promise!

Finally,

Carmel & Jonathan got married yesterday!!
YEY! Congratulations to them!! I hope they had a beautiful wedding, and I wish them the very very best in their married life together!

~

Here is a pretty quote I found.
For me the bit which says 'even when we run' doesn't make me think of running as in a race, but rather rushing and bustling through the daily activities of life:

Without Prayer nothing good is done. God's works are done with our hands joined, and on our knees. Even when we run, we must remain spiritually kneeling before Him.

– Bl. Luigi Orione


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